Emperor's Reckoning

"What are you guys doing? I thought I told you to turn this place inside out," A commanding tone with sharp depth hovered in the air.

The guards shrieked as Zitian and Karina furrowed their brows.

One orc that was seemingly larger than the rest stood out as the army opened a path for him. His green was lighter than the rest, and his aura was devastating. His tusks didn't extend as long as the others, and his skin looked denser than the rest.

"C-Chief!"

"Huh?" The chief furrowed his brows before he saw someone lying on the ground. He snorted before he crossed his arms, "I see." He darted at the blonde woman standing with her arms crossed.  "Those eyes of yours, you killed him did you?"

"Go figure," Karina answered, "I hope your brain is thicker than your skull."

"Hmph!" The chief snorted, "You talk big for a small woman. One look and I can tell you're nothing but half-elf and half-human, the worst combination of the worst races to ever exist."

"That's a strong argument coming from someone that shares blood with a pig," Karina raised her chin.

"Holy shit, that's gotta hurt all the way to his mother," muttered one of the guards.

"You know, King Lyon is really infamous with his sharp tongue too," uttered another

"Oh yeah, I heard that too, they say that he once killed a man with only words coming out of his mouth, what a badass," the guards shook his head.

Zitian furrowed his brows as he heard those claims. He found it hard to believe that they were true, but to take it as the baseless rumor was a hard take on his end too, after all, he once met the guy. He gulped (Even when he is not present, he is still a good source of morale... wait a minute, that's it!).

"Then you're not supposed to shame our king," said Zitian as he waved his hand and fluttered his robe without turning at them. "We must hold out until he comes."

"But Grandmaster Zitian, I heard that he has traveled all the way to the coveted heaven," exclaimed one of the guards before the rest nodded. He sighed, "He surely must have soared even further and forgotten about us low-folks."

Zitian frowned. (Should I bet on a lie?). To keep the morale afloat, he had a choice to make.

"Tch! You will eat those words!" the chief glared.

"Wrong," Karina suddenly answered.

"What?" The chief frowned.

"Lyon has come back from Heaven, and he is on the way back here," said Karina. "He even purposely came back earlier than the rest."

The chief frowned. "What are y—"

"Woah!!!" the guards suddenly picked up their arms and pushed their knees to stand up.

"If the king is going back to Nostria, then we got nothing to fear."

"With the miracle himself on our side, there is no way that we could lose."

"Let us die for something greater than ourselves, can't let down the one that gives us glory now, can't we."

The chieftain of the orcs couldn't believe his eyes. The glare that the soldiers gave him was something he recognized really well through the scars on his body.

They stood by Karina with their arms hugging their weapons. They looked at the army of crude orcs, with death under their gaze.

Zitian's eyes snapped open. "You guys... are weak. One slap from those monsters might be the last thing you'll feel. Your armor might feel like thin papers against their force, but, your courage. Your burning courage right now is the flame that ignites the spirit of Nostria."

Zitian stepped forward. "If the young ones are of this quality, then as the old, I shall open a path to your glory."

"You guys are weak and thin like toothpicks, are you seriously trying to fight us back?" the chief asked as he approached them alone. His every step brought the weight of the world as his presence everlasting against them. The power of the leader of the orcs was upon Karina and the rest. His presence alone was suffocating, one could wonder for his strength. The towering height as he stood against Karina was like night and day.

"Why are you doing this? What did Nostria do to make you fight us?" asked Karina.

The chief frowned (She could still talk against me?). "You're a worthy fighter."

"Answer my question."

"Of course, I will answer your question," said the chieftain. "Two things, the sins of the humans, and a path for us to go home."

Karina frowned. "A path... to go home?"

"The fact that you can kill one of our kin means that you understand how mana won't work against us, thus, you should know what home meant too," the chieftain crossed his arms as he looked down at the Golden Demoness.

Karina felt her skin crawl as she gulped, "Hell.."

"That's right, the path to our home was banished from us long ago, with the works of humans and those residing in Paradise. Then comes what after it, along with dark history for us demi-humans, especially those that the humans see as grotesque. NO MORE!" his shout immediately shattered the whole barrier covering the kingdom of Nostria as the ground shook.

"Woa!" Crux and the others fell on their butt as they watched the sky in horror. "It... shattered."

"Impossible... it should be able to last for a while..." uttered one of his students as he was catching for breath.

"Someone broke it..." Crux answered as he gulped. "Looks like our enemy is not someone we can just whack."

"Then what will become of us!"

"I-I have no idea, but it might be best if you guys run," said Crux. "I'm going to be real with you, if they have the power to do this much, you guys have no hope at all."

"T-Then what about you master?"

"I hope you can continue my research," Crux said with a smirk. "The last king had given me this opportunity to dwell in the art of magic and mana, I'm not a dick that would let his legacy die under my watch."

"Master... you..."

"I know, as a researcher, my research is the most important thing in my life, but, without him giving his hand then, I wouldn't be able to become somebody like now," Crux coughed before he looked at the sky, "This is for you, my friend."

"Master..."

Crux smirked before he flared out his cloak and revealed his battle mage armor. With an old oak staff in his hand, he strode toward the gate where Zitiana and the rest were at.

Chun looked below from the hole of the tower before he smirked. "Crux you old bastard, in dire times you show your true worth, then I shall join you."

"Supreme Commande Chun, just where do you think you're going?" asked Fei.

"Take care of Sylviana, Fei. My fate has put me into this situation. This is the meaning of becoming the warrior that I am now. As my late friend reached his hands toward me, I shall give my hand to his daughter and his beloved kingdom."

"Supreme Commander Chun, you..."

"Let this old man become cool for you maidens one last time," Chun tightened his shorts before wearing sunglasses. He smirked before leaping out with blood trailing from his mouth to his chin. He landed right beside Crux before they strode together.

"And where do you think you're going without me?" Charlie immediately followed up with hammers each in his hands.

"The three troublemakers are back..." said one of the cultivators.

...

"You're not scared..." the chieftain frowned as he disregarded the massing cultivators standing behind her.

"I've been traveling with much bigger monsters than you," Karina answered as she belied her own heartbeat.

"I sent your queen back to sleep with a fist, you think you can handle me?"

"You think I'm weaker than the queen?"

"Heh.... hehehehe.... ahhahahaaha!" the chief's laughter trembled in their hearts. He darted back at her before he raised his thick arms.

The orcs behind him grinned their teeth out as they raised their weapons and stuck out their tongue. Though the intimidation worked for a few, the majority of them, especially the ones that stand at the frontmost, were unfazed. Their hope still lingered as a fire, a fire that should come at any moment.

...

"It's about to begin, Your Majesty."

"I can see that myself Connak," the king grinned. "The war, between the human and the orcs, shall begin."

....

An object moved at a heightened speed. Bypassing the heads of the cultivators stand on guard in front of the gate in a linear manner. It zipped the air before reaching the chief's bland forehead.

*Thuck!

Everyone immediately had their toes curling as they saw the strongest orc had an arrow embedded into his forehead.

"First kill," said Jugen from a faraway end. "Fenrir!"

"Huh?" Karina opened her eyes wide before finding Fenrir standing on top of the arrow, glaring against the strongest orc.