Emperor's Reckoning

The passage was split into four before their very eyes but something felt off. One pathway was a few meters away from the others.

"Four?" Anna furrowed her brows before she took out the map and read it. "There... are three."

"Huh?" Lyon frowned. "There are four here, see, one, two, three, and then there is one right over there."

"Let me see the map," asked Mavis before Anna quickly obliged. "Let's see here... hmm... yup there are only three in the drawing."

"Then," Lyon grinned as he rubbed his hands together with the scent of adventure permeating from his glance. "We just found a new pathway, it is only right if we explore it, don't you agree?"

"I agree," said Kesya without any second wasted, she even raised her hand.

"W-wait!" shouted Hilde. "Lyon, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"She is right, brother Lyon," Mavis nodded. "It might lure us into unwanted circumstances."

"I think it would be best that we stick to our original goal," Anna nodded.

Lumina furrowed her brows before she asked Cecile softly, "What do you think?"

Cecile smirked, "I was an adventure, what do you think?"

"Just making sure," Lumina sighed. "Let's go, Lyon."

"Huh?" Lyon raised both of his brows as he looked at Lumina leading the way on the yet unknown path. "A-Alright!" he smiled before putting his hands behind his head and strolling away with his woman.

The little star nodded before rushing and leading the path instead.

"Haha!" Mavis gave the map back to Anna before following them. It was obvious that the other path was more fun.

Anna was dumbfounded without a blink of her eyes. She looked at them following him like a fool. She didn't find an answer as to why the unknown path would be better than the ones that were already known by past adventurers. "I don't... understand."

"You better get used to it," said Ivy without sharing a glance before she followed the rest.

Anna had her mouth gaped as she saw Ivy past her by. The latter was obviously trying to start a conversation, but something inside her held her back from uttering a word. She tightened her lips with the balled fist on the side of her waist.

Cecile chuckled seeing the two of them. The mother and daughter, both were stiffer than a rock. "You better grip the chance that my husband gives you, otherwise, she would hate you for the rest of her life."

Anna raised her brows as her pupils shrunk. (That was the reason he chose that path?! For... her and I?) thought Anna before she smiled wryly. "Looks like... I'm the fool."

Cherie didn't want to meddle with the affair even though she heard what they said clearly. Either was Nit who was standing by at Annas's side.

Cecile smiled before she turned and followed his husband.

Meanwhile, the said husband was strolling casually behind the little star, with Lumina by his side.

"Lyon, does he illuminate the entire cave?" asked Lumina out of nowhere.

"No, he is not, the star that he radiated is Omni, but the radius is still limited. He is acting as the center of the light, so everywhere he moved, the entire light moved along," said Lyon.

Lumina frowned, "I knew it, you are just pretending back at the entrance."

"Eh? Was that a trap question? Hahaha," Lyon laughed as he heard her response. "By the way, doesn't this remind you of something."

"Remind me of what?"

"You know, where we first met? Err, I mean back on that island, when you're taking a bath," Lyon grinned.

"I didn't take a bath," Lumina glared, "It was you that got naked for no reason!" she punched his arm before pouting.

"Woah? Looks like you guys have some interesting history," Mavis laughed, bringing the dragon lady to a blush.

"Interesting? Well, you can say that, but the first few minutes were quite deadly," said Lyon shamelessly. "Then, it got warmer, hahaha AW AW AW!" Lumina got his ear. The pinch was coming from the dragon within, it was ruthless and powerful, it could grind rock to dust with just her fingers.

"Heh, hehe," Mavis smiled wryly as his laugh turned hesitant. He couldn't wrap his head over Lyon. The guy literally broke down the entire First Hall right before his eyes, right before the experts' eyes. Yet here he was having his ears pulled by his lover with excruciating pain shown by his face.

"Hmph," Lumina had enough whilst Lyon was rubbing his dear ear.

"What if we are going to a dead end?" asked Hilde.

"There is essentially no dead end in this world," jested Cecile as she chuckled. "We can always just make a hole upward."

Hilde twitched her lips at her response.

"Nit, according to the map, are we going in the same direction as to where that Hundred-Petals Flower blooms?" asked Anna.

Nit looked at the map and immediately shook his head, "It's hard to say since the passage is actually curving to the deeper part of the cave."

"Then there is a chance that we might find the flowers on the way," said Anna. "Keep your eyes peeled, if we can find them sooner then we just struck gold."

"Hmm..." Hilde furrowed her brows, "How weird."

"What weird?" asked Lyon who was at the front.

"I thought the cave is packed with poisonous beasts, but there was no assault since that wild vines," said Hilde.

"That's, a good point," Anna nodded. "How, convenient."

Lyon furrowed his brows.

"Then, we might just use this passage in the future since there are no beasts, right? Hahaha!" Mavis laughed. "Those alchemists must be furious and envy you, later Elder Anna."

Lyon's face turned into a scowl.

Elder Anna chuckled under her arm, "Young master Mavis, please don't tease me. They are already envious since you and Lyon teamed up to help me."

"That's true, that's true, hahaha!" Mavis laughed. "However, too bad I can't show my prowess to Lyon."

"You idiot!" Lyon suddenly shouted and halted the entire party. He turned around and glared at them.

"L-Lyon? W-What's wrong?" asked Hilde as she gulped. She suddenly had a flashback where he jumped and annihilate a cultivator with a single fist back on the seventh floor.

"B-Brother Lyon? Are you alright?" Mavis asked before he furrowed his brows, "Did you eat anything funny?"

Lyon took a deep breath through his nose before he shook his head, "No, no, no I didn't eat anything 'funny' I just want you to stop."

"What's the matter?" Cherie asked in concern. "Are we under attack? But, there are no signs of a—."

*Tap! Tap! Tap!

Lyon slouched his shoulders as he let out the biggest sigh of the day. "It's like they are waiting for you to say that."

Hundreds of vines protruded out from the walls, ground, and also the ceiling of the caves. Their eyes opened wide, but Lyon didn't even bother even when he was the target of those vines.

They couldn't even get near him before a flash slightly blinded the others' eyes. Thuds of chopped-up vines were immediately heard the moment they regained their visions.

Lyon turned around before the little star led the way once more. The others were left dumbfounded.

"W-What just happened?" asked Hilde. "I-Is that why he said stop?"

(He knew the attack was coming even before the little star sensed it?!) thought Mavis as he snapped his eyes open.

"Hmm?" Cecile pushed her bottom lips upward as she raised her brows, "That's new."

"New?" Cherie furrowed her brows, "What do you mean?"

"It means I've never seen it before," said Cecile before she smiled at the back of her husband, "Interesting, what other skills he possessed that I didn't know of."

(She... didn't know?) thought Cherie as she furrowed her brows. Meanwhile, Anna and Nit were speechless, there was nothing that could explain what happened. However, realizing how intelligent Lyon actually was, Anna's doubts were also lessened.

Lumina kept up her pace before she asked Lyon softly, "How did you know?"

"Know what?" asked Lyon.

"That an attack is coming," said Lumina with her eyes squinting, not even her dragonic sense could pick up those massive assaults.

"Heh," Lyon smirked. "If you jinx it enough it will come, just like when you beat a final boss, and then the heroes said something like 'yeay! We saved the world!' then the final boss turned into his second form and wiped all of them except the hero."

"The hero then cries, 'I will not give up, their sacrifice will not be in vain!' then the hero somehow slew the final boss with whatever he has inside him."

Lumina blinked twice with confusion written all over her face. "What? What are you talking about?"

"You wouldn't get it even if I tell you, Lumina," said Lyon.

"Phew! I sure hope there is nothing waiting for us at the end of this passage," said Mavis before he laughed. "Haha!"

Lyon sighed as if his life was drained out of his body. "Fuck."