Emperor's Reckoning

Boto's words fell like sharp swords that surrounded the group. The price actually went up with his presence rather than down.

Lyon raised both brows before he squinted his eyes. Boto was supposed to be the one that made leeway for them to pass through the ridiculously priced entry fee, however, it seems like this adventurer is addicted to bullying newcomers.

Some of the onlooking adventurers were gulping down their saliva with their eyes hovering at the smug Boto gave the cloaked group. Even though the latter came in distinguished clothing, they had not done anything to deserve a sky-high price.

"I fear that he is abusing his status," said one adventurer

"He is," said another

"Damn, sucks to be them," said one adventurer.

"Shh," the adventurer put his finger above his lips with his eyes furrowed, "You want to die or something?"

Boto was still a Five Star adventurer. A man of his strata probably had a follower comparable in the size of two standard adventurer parties. He was tall and exuded might by the broad lines of his jaws. His ax could be swung at any moment and brought down a momentum that could cleave a mountain when it was hacked down. Nobody wants to mess with such a man, especially with his network inside Farvan City.

The lady inside the booth smiled as she heard what Boto had just said. She was frightened at the punishment that would await her, however, Boto whom she admired was actually on her side. This only made her head bigger.

After fawning the man beside her, the lady darted her glance to the group, the smile, to a smirk. She snorted. "Hmph! You're actually lucky that I gave you a discounted price, yet you didn't pay any mind to my sincerity, full price it is then."

"You!!" Luna furrowed and gave the lady a tight glare.

"Oi, oi, what's this?" Lyon said.

His words immediately courted all of the attention. They all hovered their glance toward the man that was shorter than Boto, yet, he was relaxed, at least from his tone and his demeanor. "My good friend here said that it was five hundred AT."

"Huh?" Boto furrowed his brows.

"Hmph?! What are you talking about? Didn't you hear what Sir Boto said? Seven hundred AT per person!" said the lady with her chin raised, as well as her tone. "If you can't pay the fee then you should leave, and go back to Akham."

"That cannot do," Lyon smirked. "We have traveled all the way here on the basis that the entry fee is five hundred AT."

"Are you deaf?" said Boto. "It's seven hundred AT."

"You think that I would believe you?" asked Lyon.

Boto and the others were taken back by Lyon's brazen reply. After a vehemently brief moment of gaping his mouth, Boto furrowed his brows. "What did you say?"

The adventures took a cold breath as tension they didn't expect was bubbling. The newcomers didn't back down. They knew that seven hundred AT was an absurd cost to pay for just the entrance fee, but they never thought that the vagrant adventurers would take it this far.

"Are you deaf?" asked Lyon before he crossed his arms and smirked at the Five Star adventurer.

"Kh?! You!" Boto furrowed his brows before he released his immovable presence. The might he exuded immediately caught the rising goosebumps that the adventurers felt.

"Me what?" Lyon's aura was unleashed and immediately clashed feverishly against Boto's.

( T-This guy! ) thought Boto as his eyes froze. His cold sweat trailed toward his jaw. His goosebumps rose to the nether end. The guy in front of him had a much smaller figure, shorter, but somehow he was overwhelmed. Something was pushing down his vanity to the ground.

"Oi, oi, are you kidding me, that guy is challenging Boto!"

"This is, this is absurd! What is he thinking?!"

The adventurers were awed by Lyon's feat. Standing on his two feet alone he was withstanding the mighty presence that of a Five Star Adventurer.

Lumina furrowed her brows as she looked at her man. The crossed arms and the smirk, it was the complete package. ( What is he planning? ). She knew him, she knew him long enough to understand a bit about his antic. ( Crossed arms and a smirk, he is planning something devious again, but, I see no way out of this situation, he can't clearly grab Boto's face and slammed it against the booth, that's no solution ) Lumina raised her brows. ( He is not going to destroy the city is he?!)

Lumina overtly looked over Graham, to Kesya, and then to Assid. Kesya's grins always brought her a little unease. She was a wild card, thus she dared to do the bizarre things that hardly anyone in the group could control. A loose cannon as one might say. However, seeing Graham's and Assid's neutral faces, calmed Lumina a bit.

The tension and the abrupt stop of motion slowly gained more spectators. Something was happening at the entrance. Something that piqued the other adventurers' interest.

"What the hell happened?"

"They say a newcomer brazenly challenges Boto."

"What?! Holy shit, hahaha, who is the fool?"

"Well, that fool is not backing down."

"Woah, you're right."

The place soon garnered more attention than it needed to. Adventurers from various guilds came to take a visit.

"If you can't pay leave," said Boto with a strained throat. He was trying to raise his tone to spread his supremacy in the hidden duel, but the words he said were as flat as a thin pancake.

"What's the matter? Can't raise your voice?" Lyon smirked. "Are those muscles just for show?"

"Y-You!! Don't you know who—"

"Shut up!" Cecile immediately shut the lady down.

The lady's heart vehemently thumped against her rib cage. Her eyes bulged with her lips tightened against each other. Her ears rang a sharp ring for a brief moment before she recovered. It was like an explosion inside her body. The lady made a loud inhale through her nose before she exhaled.

Cecile smirked before she caught Boto's disbelieved's gaze.

"Heh," Lyon put his hands on his waist. "What's wrong? You seem so surprised."

"Kh!" Boto furrowed his brows but Lyon didn't spare him some space before the latter spoke once more.

"Boto, are you a weak person?" asked Lyon.

"What?!" Boto glared.

The adventurers sunk into a new realm of shock. The newcomers didn't stop, he was edging Boto to draw his ax.

( What is Lyon doing?! ) thought Luna with her brows furrowed. She was trying to read his intention, but her imagination was lacking. ( Older sister Cecile must have known something, she would not let something like this fly ).

"Are you a weak person, Boto?" asked Lyon with a smirk.

Boto gritted his teeth before he draw his ax. The clean blade reflected Lyon's face before Boto pointed it at him. It didn't spare a flash of a second before Lyon's hood was an inch away from the blade.

"Say that again," said Boto as he raised his chin.

Graham immediately grabbed Kesya's shoulder before he spoke in a low tone, "Calm down."

Kesya had her veins bulging as her heart pulsed rapidly. Her pupils turned into a dot, but she held her ground. In her vision, Boto had already died more than the sum of the adventurers present.

"Heh, you don't even see me drawing my ax, yet you dare ask that I'm weak?" Boto smirked. "You got balls."

"You think your ax scared me?" asked Lyon as he tilted his head.

"You!!"

"You might be a Five Star Adventurer, but really, let's be honest here, I couldn't even make a cold sweat even if I wanted to," Lyon shrugged.

Boto made a fierce grin. "You have the whole dictionary in boasting, have you not?"

Lyon snorted a smile. "It's funny right."

"What is?!"

"I asked you, are you a weak person, but after all this time, you never said no," said Lyon with a demeaning smirk.

The adventurers were petrified by Lyon's reply. He had death hovering above his head, but not only did he smile but also he spare an insult in the process.

"It seems like you're itching to die," said Boto with his jaws tightened. He raised his ax above his head, with veins pulsating around his biceps.

"How about a duel? Surely you can spare me a duel?" Lyon nonchalantly offered.

"Huh? Hahahahah!" Boto laughed his heart out and put down his ax. "A duel? With you? Bah! Don't make me laugh."

"You sure you don't want to?" asked Lyon. "If I win, my party enter the city for free."

"I can see my own victory, but what can you offer? You can't even pay the entrance fee, stop dreaming," Boto snorted.

"Well now, everyone here thinks you're strong," said Lyon. "But they only that, think."

Luna and Lumina immediately raised their brows in realization. Lyon did have a chip to play.

Boto furrowed his brows.

"Some might see your might, some might don't. However, if you refuse this duel then forever in my eyes, you, are, weak."

Lyon immediately smirked the moment he saw the fierce glint inside Boto's eyes. He had won.