Emperor's Reckoning

Every eye was looking at the caged sky, particularly at a man who leisurely leaned back on with his arms crossed. Under the trembling terror that the beast exuded he was the only man that still had a smirk on his face.

"Lyon..." Sakya muttered under her breath as her eyelids glued to the ceiling. She gulped at the sight.

"How..." Baiyun muttered before his eyes darted from the man whom he scoffed at the gala toward his trembling hands.

The White Crow was speechless as he unknowingly put his entire life in the hand of the man daring to face the unknown assailant.

"That guy, is in a different class, heh," Moris peeked with one of his eyes as his lungs started to pump normally again.

"All our fate lies in his hand now," Farash furrowed her brows. "We can't even stand by his side, even Fang is still panting."

Zelena furrowed her brows as she tightened her lips together.

"You're quite a show, human," said the beast with a smirk. "You think your arrogance can fool me?"

"Fool you? Tsk, tsk, tsk, please, don't mistake this for arrogance," Lyon shook his head. "I just like sitting in the air this way."

The beast unfurled its wings fully whilst keeping its arms crossed. His chin rose as he said, "Do you know what I am, human?" it furrowed its brows.

"Don't think that you are a special being," Lyon smirked.

"Hmph! You, humans, are always the cocky ones, always act more superior than the other races," the beast scoffed.

"Not all humans are cocky, but I admit that I kinda one though, haha!" Lyon laughed. "You know, why don't you become a comedian? What's the fun in destroying a town? You, me, on a stage making people laugh, sounds good?" Lyon smiled.

"Heh, I forgot your kind likes to make jokes when they are in imminent death," the beast snorted a smile. "Rejoice, you will be an example to the others of how futile and soft your body is."

"Alright, don't get too far buddy," said Lyon as he raised one of his brows. "Your wording made me shudder there, Ugh."

"Pfft!" Kesya burst a laugh even though she covered her laugh the moment she felt it coming.

The beast balled its fist as he sent a chilling killing intent toward Lyon.

"Hm?" Lyon raised his brows. "You want to take a shit? C'mon, this town has a toilet you know."

The beast gritted its fang before it straightened its back and extended its right arm forward then opened its palm, "You won't be smiling after this! Do you think my previous attack is that hard to recreate? Here is some bad news for you."

The adventurers below froze in sight as they saw the birth of the sphere hovering right in front of the beast's palm. It took all the best of the adventurers to take it down, however, now all of them were not in their prime condition.

"Fang! That's...!" Baik uttered.

"Shit! I can't move my leg!" shouted Harmon as he gritted his teeth. The fear came from the muscles themselves.

Zelena didn't utter a word as she looked at Lyon. The man that was able to make her twin sister fall in love, head over heels. The man that was so capable even she has to admit that she was powerless. The unprecedented growth and the words that out of her sister's mouth seemed more like a fairy tale, however, it took one gala to understand the reality right in front of her. She noticed how the head of the Bahamut was left with more scars than it should have. A slash that could cut ordinary men's pupils if they decided to keep up.

"Woah, that again? C'mon, grow some horns and fight me like a man would you," said Lyon as he still kept the leisure stance.

( Weird, why didn't he run? ) thought the beast as it furrowed its brows inwardly. It smirked. "What's wrong, you're frozen in fear and just awaiting your death?"

"Oh, you want me to flee?" Lyon raised one of his brows before he snorted a laugh. "Because of that?"

( Lyon! You should stop agitating him! ) shouted Sakya inwardly.

"Tch!" the beast scoffed. "You can run, but you will be caught. I'm faster than you, better than you, stronger than you!" its hand trembled.

"That's some boast coming from the beast that needed an entire palm to make a black ball," Lyon smirked before he raised his right index finger at the same height as his eyes. "Watch."

"Hmm... Kh?!" the beast felt a shudder before the rest of the adventurers followed suit.

"Y-You feel that?!" Sakya turned to see Farash squinting her eyes.

"W-What a guy," Moris smiled. "The surrounding mana is gathering around him, no, submitting to his will!"

"What?!" Baiyun opened his eyes wide.

Lorey and the rest were speechless as Zelena gulped in astonishment.

' Lyon is strong, even stronger than me, give him a blade, any kind of blade, and you would see his expertise shine, give him mana, and you would see him doing wondrous things. He might seem lazy and unruly and kind of unkempt in some situations. However, don't let his appearance fool you, though, it seems like he already did, and that's why you're blushing right now. Remember, the chances of someone getting near him are fairly low, that means, he wants you to get near in the first place. His instinct is sharper than the blade he wields, though it's the bad kind of instinct. '

Zelena stood up on her own feet.

"Zelena, are you alright?" asked Nise.

Zelena shook her head, "I'm confused..."

"What? I don't think this is a time to be confused about something. We need to get out of here," said Lorey in a low voice.

"No, no, there is no need," said Zelena before she squinted her eyes.

"W-What?!" the beast exclaimed.

A little black sphere was hovering over the tip of Lyon's index finger. It tremendously sucked up surrounding mana like a torrent to the point that the beast could see it clearly.

"H-He did the same?!" Sakya exclaimed in disbelief before she put her hands on her head. "W-What just happened? What is he?!"

"H-He copied that thing...." Farash blinked her eyes in disbelief.

"Oh, what's wrong? Your wings twitched a bit just now," Lyon smiled as the black sphere pulsated once and grew twice the size.

"Kh!" The beast glared. "Cocky human!" the beast hold its wrist and further intensified its own black sphere.

"I'm not cocky, I just better," Lyon smirked before his right brow raised. "Huh...?"

His black sphere vanished without a trace before he stood straight and looked away contemplating.

"H-Huh? It vanished?" Sakya blinked her eyes.

The adventurers gawked in disbelief. They were on the edge of rooting the guy but got held up by the fact in front of them.

"Heh, hehe, hahahaha!" the beast laughed before fulling unfurling its wings again. "Your arrogance bit your own fate, don't blame me for killing you, I will borrow your words, I'm just better."

"Hmm," Lyon turned and gave the beast his back. "It seems like he is waking up soon, that's a surprise, I thought it would need more juice than that vial. Heck, who am I kidding, he is me, of course, he got that insane recovering rate too."

"Turning your back now? Bah! What a coward, at least have the decency to face your death."

Lyon sighed and looked at the branch above. "Well, it's been fun."

Cecile furrowed her brows from below before she saw him looking her way. He waved his hand as he moved his lips. She raised her brows.

"Huh?!" Lyon blinked his eyes repeatedly before he looked down. "W-What? What the hell just happened? Where am I?"

"Die like a coward that you are!" the beast shouted before shooting the black sphere.

"Huh? What?" Lyon turned around before his eyes opened wide as he saw the incoming black sphere was already a finger away from his nose.

"Lyon!" Luna screamed before she and the rest of the group saw the black sphere explode right before their eyes. Their jaws fell as their lungs were gasless. The singular hope that they had turned into rubbles inside the black smoke under the moon.

The beast snorted, "Foolish humans, exist only to waste time." It turned and then looked down at the frightened adventurers. "Anyone else wants a custom death? Or should I just vaporize you all right now?"

Suddenly something was protruding from inside the smoke before a finger that was covered by a black glove pierced through. The fact that everyone thought had shattered soon followed. His eyes were golden as the full set of armor that he wore.

"Huh?" The beast turned before his face was grabbed by the hand and then pushed along. Its eyes wide opened before it crashed into the wall of the Dendro's Cage.