Emperor's Reckoning

"Is that our target?" asked the chieftain as he smirked. "She looks feisty with those dark clouds hovering over her head."

"No, she is not," Nora shook his head. "However, you can challenge her if you want, she possessed something that might be worth your time."

"No need," the chieftain shook his head, "Those two are on a suicide mission."

"Are you sure? That woman is actually the queen of the kingdom you just poke with," Nora chuckled. "Maybe you will find her a bit entertaining, she is as strong as her furious grin."

"Heh," the chieftain smirked before he leaped toward the sky.

"He is so easy to manipulate," muttered Nora before he heard the shout from the chieftain.

"I have something that you might want to see, my fist!"

Chun raised his brows. "Shit! Sylvi! Do—!!"

Sylviana grinned as she immediately put her spear in front to block the obvious incoming strike from the orc. "Hahahaha!"

However, her eyes shrunk as the entire momentum of her blocking the obvious strike got obliterated in mere milliseconds upon contact with the raw fist from the chieftain. The entire mana surrounding her spear was shredded before she felt a rush of blood shooting from her stomach to her throat.

"Guha!" The queen was blown back. Her back crashed against the unsuspecting Chun before both of them soar through the firmament, and were sent back where they belong.

"Yeah!!!"

"That's our chief!!"

"Eat that you human trash!"

Loud cheers from below reverberated the forest with weapons raised against the sky.

Nora gulped as he smiled wryly, "He is indeed one hell of a meathead, how high your cultivation must be to hover in the air even though Deo is completely fueled by mana albeit thin." (It is a wise decision not to go against him).

The chieftain looked at his fist as he slowly descended down from the sky. "What a tremendous spear, it didn't even snap after I gave it my fist, and I was aiming at it too—But!!" He grinned. "Charge!!" he threw his hand toward Nostria with full force!"

"HAAA!!!"

Nora looked at the array of orcs charging forward wildly with their morale peaked. "It has begun!" he smirked. "Now then, phase two is hovering right around the corner."

...

"Hm?" Fei's eyes shrunk before something crashed against the other side of the tower. "That's!"

She immediately hovered at the site before noticing the familiar figures. "Sylviana! Supreme Commander Chun!"

Sylviana spat out blood before getting up to her feet with the help of Gungnir.

"Ah, shit... never thought that the day would come— I think I lost my ribs," Chun coughed out blood.

"What happened?" Fei frowned as she tended the old man.

"Orcs."

"Orcs?!" Fei's eyes shrunk, "They are the ones behind this?!"

Chun nodded nervously. "They are strong, it only took one hit from one of them before sending us both flying."

"One hit?" Fei frowned. The situation was direr than she would have thought it was. "Do you know their target?"

Chun shook his head. "We didn't exchange words before the hit— Tch! That fucker only used a bare fist."

"The orc has always been unfathomably powerful in that regard, however, what are they after in this kingdom. We have nothing to entice an orc to be invading us for no reason. Not to mention that they planned this, or are they..." Fei contemplated before she raised her brows and grabbed Sylviana by the wrist. She turned her around before she slapped her cheek. The loud resounding slap was immediately overshadowed by the fall of the queen.

Fei approached the struggling Sylviana— who glared at her eyes.

"You almost die you, idiot! What are you going to do if you die?" said Fei sternly. In the face of the curse, she was unfazed. No matter what, the woman below her was the queen she had looked after ever since she was born.

"Grr!!" Sylviana glared at Fei before the latter kicked her face.

Chun had his eyes challenging their sockets as he saw what had just transpired. He gulped and swallowed his own blood as he witnessed the purple hair mercilessly discipline their queen. (Self not, don't make little Fei angry, like, at all).

Sylviana lost her consciousness before her hair gradually revert back to silver.

Fei had her heart weighed a ton. She was not adamant in treating the woman she had aid growing her up with tough love. She closed her eyes and tries to relax her breath before opening them once more.

"However, at least we know that their intention is not to capture Sylviana," said Fei.

"Spot on," answered Chun before he strugglingly got to his two feet. "It's either we are nothing but a distraction, or they are after something within this kingdom, something that we lacked knowledge of."

Fei let out a sigh. "This seems to be more complicated than it should."

"For now, we must defend this kingdom," Chun muttered. "It is my responsibility, the oath I owe to Sylviana's father."

"We are all in this together, Supreme Commander Chun," said Fei as she helped Sylviana get up. "The Queen of Nostria is not the target, most likely, they are after Lyon."

"You have the same thought as me," Chun sighed. "However, what did Lyon ever do that enraged an orc?"

"We still don't know for sure if Lyon is their target however, he has the highest possibility of becoming one."

"Strike a dragon, by striking his home," Chun muttered before he coughed out another blood. "Will our miracle come in time?"

"Huh? That's right! We should contact him! He should be in Garuda City now!" said Fei. "Supreme Commander Chun, do you have a Returning Jade that is addressed to it?"

Chun shook his head, "I don't."

"What happened?!" Karina arrived at the scene before looking at Sylviana with her brows furrowed. "She lost?"

Fei nodded, "An orc did this."

Karina's ear's twitched before her skin crawled. Her pupils trembled as her eyes widened. A shriek from the terror belied her reality as she saw blood splurging out.

"S-Senior!"

"Huh?" Karina snapped out of it. "W-What just happened?" she looked at her balled fist.

"That's not important right now," Fei shook her head. "There is something that I need your help with."

"What is it?" Karina's eyes turned sharp.

"You've been to Garuda City right?"

Karina nodded.

"Do you have a Returning Jade Stone?" asked Fei.

Karina shook her head, "Sadly, I don't. Either way, it won't activate because I got a special condition."

"Special condition?" Chun raised his brow.

"That's not important right now," Karina shook her head before darting back at Fei. "Why are you asking that?"

"We are thinking that they are after Lyon since they are clearly clapped her back to Nostria," said Fei.

"Lyon? Wait, he's back already?"

"He is, a few days ago, as a matter of fact, however, we still haven't heard the three Great Families' returning yet. It should be today."

"What? Weren't they should be returning at the same time?"

"You know how Lyon works," Fei sighed. "But perhaps his antic is for the best."

"Oh wait, Ryona should have one!" said Karina.

"She is out of the kingdom at the moment," Fei shook her head.

"Where did she go?"

"We have no idea, Kyoko and the rest are also not present today."

"Wu wu wu!"

The three of them raised their brows before they saw Fenrir standing straight with her four paws right at the edge of the line between ground and air.

"Are you..." Karina muttered.

"Wu!" Fenrir nodded sternly.

"No way, you're too small."

"Grr!" Fenrir gruntled.

"We need a concrete plan," Karina turned, "Their silence is making me worry."

"Someone needs to go and inform him, Fenrir can't do it himself," said Fei. "But we also need to protect the kingdom at the same time."

"Words will spread out to neighboring kingdoms, our allies surely will raise their arms for us," said Chun. "Maybe not all of them, but surely the Phantera Kingdom."

"Wu!" Fenrir started biting Karina's ankle

"What is it?" Karina frowned as she looked down. "Are you still serious about that?"

"Woof!"

"Woof?" Karina raised her brows.

"?!!" Fenrir perked his ears before he turned and growled in the direction where Sylvina crashed in. "Grr! Grrr!"

"Hm.." Chun frowned.

Karina frowned as she followed Fenrir's gaze. "Fei, attend to these two, I will greet them."

"But!"

"It's too dangerous to go at them alone!" said Chun. "They are powerful, I saw them shredding Gungnir's defensive mana like nothing with his knuckles."

"Huh? I see... so that's why," Karina muttered. "It seems like they and I have something in common, heh."

"What? Do you know something?" asked Chun.

"It's too long to explain, but basically, mana has a counterforce that originates from a place called Hell, which was called the Anti-Mana."

"What?" Chun, not only he was suffering from the damage he withstands, but his mind was also confused.

"No time to explain," Karina frowned before she leaped out of the unstable tower and noticed the layers of greens marching from outside the kingdom.