Emperor's Reckoning

Lord Treas brought his attention in one single shout. It was clear as day that the man hovering above was some sort of captain of the guards where the siblings came from and the ten other people alongside him were of course under his command.

"And who are you?" asked the captain.

"I'm Lor... I'm Vargas of Treas," said the Lord of Treas as he bent one of his knees easily. The thick armor made a loud clank against the floor he was standing on as the haughty Treas suddenly forgot about his enmity against Lyon Torga.

The old man was not a fool, his long life had taught him something, and that something was, to know when to concede. However, the act of his kneeling was scorned by his son that was healing from the choke that the blonde man, Altre, did to him.

The fact that his father killed his mother couldn't get out of his mind no matter how much gray hair he had on his head, though he had none at the moment.

"Are you affiliated with young noble Altre and young noble Felicia?" asked the captain.

"Y-Yes! I am..." answered Vargas without a second thought.

"Fine," answered the captain before commanding one of his subordinates with a slight nod upward.

One of his subordinates instantly traveled to Vargas's side. The astonishing speed left the onlookers gawking but Lyon and Cecile barely fazed. The subtle change was noticed by the captain as he slightly squinted his eyes.

The captain descended alone before his altitude matched that of Lyon.

This slight gesture spoke a lot as the experts' eyes turned sharp.

Jin was taking a glance against Garuda whom the latter also caught on. The two knew with a rough guess just how powerful the captain was. Altre and Felicia were no doubt lacking compared to him. In any case, one thing for certain was, Lyon and Cecile had to stay alive.

"You are fascinating indeed. It would be a shame to get rid of you," said the captain.

Lyon smirked before he crossed his arms.

"I can see your heart of steel behind those eyes. Fine then. You seem like a heroic fellow. I give you a new option. My men are enough to annihilate all of you right here and now. Trust me on this, not a single one will be left alive, or, you can join me, be my subordinate. The mundane life in this world won't mean a thing once you get the taste of heaven," said the captain before he muttered, "they all do."

The onlookers immediately shrieked. They knew that the combination of their power wouldn't even contend to the power of a True God, let alone those above it. They didn't even have the confidence to fight against Altre and Feilica together. All of their eyes found themselves looking at the young man that a moment ago they wanted to capture. It was as if fate had a laugh at them.

Heavy pressure was on Lyon's shoulder, at least, that's what the onlookers were hoping. However, the young man was unfazed by the threatening words, even better, the new option the captain offered seemed to bring his smirk even more charming than before.

"Now then, I don't have much time left since I have to return and fulfill some of my other... meaningful tasks," said the captain. His condescending look was apparent as he looked down the Mortal World without holding back his scorn.

"You dare to threaten my husband right in front of me?"

The captain raised his eyebrows before he turned around.

Her auburn hair fluttered as she stood proudly with her hands crossed. The captain brought fear to the onlookers with his status and threatening words but the woman couldn't care less.

She looked down on him. Her haughtiness and her beauty fused as the utmost radiance of her charisma exuded. If one was enthralled, one could hear the rhythm of swords and the cry of victories.

"Fear not the man but the woman," the captain muttered before he raised his eyebrows, "Ah... now I remember... the beautiful auburn woman... captivated heaven's princes themselves as I was told the rumors going on. My... they are not lying... you are really astonishingly beautiful. I won't even hesitate that you are probably the most beautiful woman I've ever met in my life."

Cecile smiled, "They are all the same. If I were born in a commoner's ground. inside a stable of a horse, I won't be beautiful to them but... let me in you on something. I was an empress then and I am an empress now. Do you know what makes him?"

"An emperor?" answered the captain as he raised one of his eyebrows. (What does she mean by 'then'?).

"He might be talented, yes he is... but surely those princes in heaven. At least one of them is well-suited to you no? Imagine marrying a prince from heaven. This mundane Mortal World would mean nothing. Your status will soar to the highest place. In fact, even I would have to kowtow to you one day in the future."

"Highest status? Hahahaha!" Cecile laughed before she continued, "You think heaven is the epitome for cultivators? For 'mortals' as you call it? Naive..."

The captain furrowed his eyebrows as his discontent was in plain sight.

"You have no idea who is behind you... captain," said Cecile with a serious tone as her eyes turned sharp.

The captain's eyes narrowed before he turned around once more and looked at Lyon with his smirk.

"I guess my wife has answered it for me about your offer captain. Heh, if you get to make the people of heaven kneel in front of me then I might think about it."

"What..."

Lyon smiled as he shook his head, "You get me all wrong here captain, I never ever aspire to be a hero. I'm just me. Do you think I wouldn't let those people that wanted to capture me just a moment ago die?"

The onlookers shrieked but deep down they knew that he had every right to refuse after their circumstance.

*Crack!

The captain stretched his neck before slightly rotating his right arm, "Fine then... It's been a while since I exercise."

Cecile's eyebrows twitched before she looked at her forearms. Her eyebrows raised (My goosebumps rose? What's going on?). She felt a cold shiver as she timidly turned around and trying to feel something.

Lyon suddenly turned his head around despite the captain was getting ready to obliterate them and go home with his subordinates.

"What are you looking at? Heh, trying to act your way out of here?" asked the captain as he shook his head.

"Captain!" Vargas suddenly shouted.

"What is that you want?! Just because you have affiliation with the young nobles does not mean I cannot touch you!" said the Captain with a glare.

The pitiful Lord Treas swallowed his saliva before he answered, "He, that bastard is probably looking for his backups!"

Cecile and Lyon immediately furrowed their eyebrows but this subtle nod was received differently by the captain. For him it was affirmation while the both of them, question.

"Continue," said the captain as both Cecile and Lyon were looking at him too.

"He has three!" said Lord Treas as he let out a bit of saliva in the last word.

"One is a half-giant!" he shouted again.

"One is a butler-suited cold freak!"

"The last one is a woman with black ears!"

Lyon narrowed his eyes before the captain smirked, "What is that a circus?"

Meanwhile, Cecile's eyes were wide open as if she saw a ghost. Suddenly it made sense. Her body reaction. The war-god physique will react to danger first compare to the other cultivator.

"Heh, hahaha!" Cecile suddenly laughed.

The captain furrowed his eyebrows, "Looks like you lost your mind with his revelation."

"No matter what backup you have, if I have you kneeling in front of me, what can they do?!" as he looked at Lyon before the latter opened his arms.

The captain grinned before he leaped forward with his hand forward as if he wanted to grab Lyon's face.

"They are not his backup... they are... his generals," muttered Cecile before she smirked.

*Crack!

Just right above the captain's figure, the space cracked before a shout that followed made his pupils shrunk to a point.

"THE ONE WHO'S KNEELING IS YOU!"

Lyon opened his eyes wide before the cracked space instantly shattered as a hand reached out and grabbed the back of the captain's head who was merely inches away from him. Lyon's pupils dilated as he saw that ashen hair fluttered before the huge figure went downward with the captain.

The hand retracted just before the captain hit the ground, then, a ferocious force was imbued as the half-giant slammed his head toward the ground.

*BOOM!

The entire island instantly crumbled before their very eyes as clouds of dust swallowed the whole land.