Emperor's Reckoning

The various elders that stood guard surrounding the tower suddenly felt immense pressure.

"W-What?!"

"Such immense pressure!"

"Look, it's from the south!"

The elders immediately looked toward the direction that was said.

"A huge bird...?"

"A huge bird?! That's!"

The various onlookers looked at the man standing with his arms crossed on top of the bird's head.

The elders from the three great families looked at each other before they nodded in agreement. Those mean-looking men and women immediately opened a pathway for the huge bird. They all paid their respect with a slight bow under the cheers of the onlookers.

The huge bird went past between them before carrying out a feverish gale from its huge pair of wings.

---

The water inside the glass was calm and had no ripples. The glistening fork and spoons were left on the table.

*Rattle!

The silent lounge was filled with a rattle. The noise was soft but everyone inside them could hear it.

The old man and the woman were looking at the one that stood between them.

*Rattle!

The woman with her thick veil covering her nose down started to furrow her eyebrows. Her eyes were looking at the sheathed sword beside the waist of the one owning it before her pupils dilated after confirming the source of that soft sound.

"Unbelievable," muttered Carius as he looked at the sword actually rattled on Tael's waist. "You have been training for countless years and as far as our fate crossed each other during those years this is the very first time I've seen it rattling like a rattlesnake!"

"Are you afraid right now? Master Tael?" asked the matriarch as she tried to gain a hint from his eyes too.

Tael grunted before crossing his arms. He let his sword tremble and rattled on his waist before he said, "The sword detect the presence of a mighty swordsman coming."

His lips slowly turned upward, "Just like at the time in that disastrous world."

Both Carius and the matriarch raised their eyebrows before their pupils slightly shrunk as their minds share the same flash of realization.

"Tael, tell me, which one is the sword feared at the time? You must have known!" said Carius as he furrowed his eyebrows.

The last time they met was in the emergency meetings for the three leaders. He never said who was the sword feared, however, with the news of Garuda City turning into a new beautiful look. He had suspicions.

"Of course I know," said Tael with a smile as he gave a cheeky glance against his friend before turning back to the colosseum below.

"It was the fourth one."

---

"Stronger than Ivy you say? Hahaha, now that's new, Porealus are you dreaming or something?" said the host before he chuckled.

Porealus shrugged his shoulder with a smile before returning back to his post.

*Rattle!

Verdu raised his eyebrows before he took a glance against the sword beside his waist. (It's trembling, just like at the time!).

"Ah?" Zet looked at his sword before a grin started to show just like what his grandfather at the lounge had shown.

Zet immediately turned around toward the entrance as he muttered, "He has arrived."

Ivy revealed herself as her eyebrows furrowed. She had heard everything Porealus had just said but denied none of it. Her glance was fixated at the entrance of the colosseum.

Porealus furrowed his eyebrows before they gradually raised as he smiled. He said not a word but the act of the three of them were caught by the audiences and the rest of the cultivators.

"What... why are they looking at the entrance?"

"I-I don't know, probably the one Porealus spoke about?"

"The one stronger than Ivy?"

The host's crossed arms were dropped as his eyes behind the mask squinted. (The one stronger than Ivy? Did the Mortals hide it from us for this exact moment? No, there is no way, no Mortal should enter the top ten!).

The silence in the colosseum made their ears twitch as they heard faint footsteps getting closer. The silhouette was coming in and one could make out a lone figure with its hands supporting his head.

Then a group of silhouettes appeared in front of the light walking behind the first figure. The shadow was soon left beaten by the light before the face of the leader of the group was revealed.

The young man suddenly stopped before he gave out his iconic smirk. Crossing his arms, his lazy eyes turned confidence in a blink.

"What's this? Are you all welcoming me?" said the young man at the exact moment they could get a clear image of the figures walking behind him.

"Hah, it seems like even Heaven couldn't forget how important you are, young master," said Assid as he put a demeaning look against all of them.

Graham's fingers were slowly buried into his fist though his face was calm.

However, the crackling noise of the knuckles was coming from the beautiful half-elf half-dark elf.

"Hold it you guys," said Cecile. She didn't even cover her face as her beauty enthralled the entire colosseum.

The host's eyes immediately constricted before he hurriedly said, "Cecile?!"

"C-Cecile!"

"It's Cecile!"

"So this is the person that is stronger than Ivy! Now it makes perfect sense!"

"Hm?" Lyon raised one of his eyebrows. "You seem to be quite famous here."

The host immediately rushed forward before bowing right in front of her. "Please do excuse my manner, however, I'm sure the prince would be delighted to see you in action! No need for you to do the preliminary, please follow me and go to the location of the main event right away."

---

"She is also here," muttered the matriarch. (However, so that is the man that could conquer her heart and body). Her eyes landed on the youth with his arms crossed. (Hmm... what a dangerous fella, the more I look to his face, the more I'm drawn to him. That is a devilish charisma he got there).

"It matters not, the mortal will shine this time," said Tael as he nodded.

"You believe in him that much? Even more than your own grandson?" asked Carius.

"Believe? Carius this is a fact."

---

"Prince? What prince?" asked Cecile. "In fact, who the hell are you even?"

The onlookers gasped thinking that the woman had offended the host. He only needed a casual slap against the slab of stone before it turned to bronze. Only their imagination could see how powerful he really was.

"Ah, Miss Cecile sure loves to joke, it's—"

"Prince Lyon of course hahaha!" said Lyon as he laughed.

The audience gawked as well as the onlookers. They couldn't believe the audacity of the young man. Demeaning Heaven in its own home.

The host furrowed his eyebrows before he turned his glance to a glare against the young man.

"Phew~" Porealus whistled but he couldn't help but giggle afterward.

"Who are you?" asked the host before he gave him a condescending look.

Cecile's eyes turned into a glare, "I advise you not to do that."

The deadly tone immediately made the host turn around. He was about to apologize toward the auburn beauty but the word was stuck inside his throat. His pupils constricted as a fountain of blood basked his soul. As if he was being swept away by the tsunami, three cold glares also accompanied it.

Cecile was holding the three generals from maiming the host with a hand. "I could only hold them for so long."

"I-I apologize, please do accept my apology," said the host as he bowed against her. His was palpitating with his hands drenched in his own sweat. His forehead washed his face with fears and his heart was thumping to a concerning state.

"You're apologizing to the wrong person," said Cecile as she shook her head.

The host looked up, "Huh?"

"You should apologize," she pointed forward against the young man who had stood toe to toe with the slab of stone, "to my husband."

*Thump!

His heart almost stopped beating as he heard that word. (H-Husband?!) thought the host. (Miss Cecile is... married?! Those princes would be furious! A war is coming!). He made a harsh swallow as he nervously turned around and saw the young man standing right in front of the slab of stone.

(Who is he? Daring enough to take her hand? Doesn't he know the—) his eyebrows twitched before he noticed something.

"T-The mana... The mana is moving wildly!" said one of the spectators.

The mana was moving like a torrent from all sides but had one direction.

"Here it comes! Here it comes!" said Zet as he excitedly had his fists trembling.

Ivy furrowed his eyebrows but her eyes belied her coldness.

The two patriarchs and the matriarch from the Yuki clan were drawn as well with their varying expressions.

An ash gray glow surrounded Lyon's figure as he kept his arms crossed. The smirk on his face never left and his pupils had turned into a horizontal slit. The dominating aura of the Seven-Horned Calamity Goat was vast and dreadful. Heaven stood no chance.