Emperor's Reckoning

Inside one of the rooms in the inn that Assid reserved. Graham looked at the long sack wiggling on the floor like a worm. He leaned on the side of the door, with his arms crossed.

The door creaked open before Assid adjusted his glasses. "I see, he is still wiggling like a worm."

"Hmph," Graham grunted.

"What is your name?" asked Assid as he closed the door.

"You think I would share my name with the likes of you?!" the Seraph Cultivator shouted from inside the sack.

"Oh, he has healed his throat," said Assid. "They are truly a troublesome creature to clean up."

"You can try ripping that sack," said Graham. "See where that leads you."

"Kh!" the Seraphim Cultivator gritted his teeth. The likes of mortals had never threatened him. However, the seeping fear that crawled through his hair was a genuine reaction to his nightmarish imagination. The woman he was fighting with was far weaker than him regarding cultivation level. Yet, he was not only beaten but he was also humbled.

"Isn't it ironic," Assid smiled coldly. "All habitat of Paradise yearned for perfectness. Such proud fascism, yet you still need the Mortal World."

"What are you talking about?!"

"Hmm," Assid grabbed his own chin as he frowned. He muttered, "I see, you must be really low in the hierarchy, then."

The Seraphim Cultivator had his eyes opened wide. His pupils trembled as he thought ( What?! How does he know about the hierarchy?! ).

"You stopped moving all of a sudden," Assid smirked. "It seems like I surprised you. Was it the mention of the hierarchy?"

"Who are you!?" the Seraphim Cultivator shouted.

"Tch!" Assid frowned before he kicked the sack. The sack was lobbed over before crashing against the wall then thudded the ground at the fall.

The Seraphim Cultivator coughed repeatedly.

"Stop disturbing the other guests with your unwelcome shout," Assid said coldly.

"You always get mad at the weirdest thing," Graham said.

"Don't mind me," said Assid before adjusting his glasses. "I'm just me as I should."

"Whatever that means," muttered Graham.

"I understand that you don't understand, Graham," said Assid before he turned. He looked at Graham's eyes whose eyelids were closed as he leaned by the side of the door. "I think the emperor has returned from his lovely date, alas, I have to excuse myself."

Graham didn't respond as Assid opened the door and then left.

The room was left with Graham and the cultivator from the peak heaven.

"You seem awfully calm than the others, perhaps that you have something entirely different in mind?" asked the cultivators inside the long sack.

Graham remained silent and unperturbed.

( He is silent but his ears are opened ) thought the Seraphim before trying to make himself comfortable by leaning the top half of his body against the wall. "The consequences in rebelling against Paradise are unimaginable."

Graham didn't respond, not even his breath was out of sync. His eyelids were still closed and his arms still crossed.

"Think about it, you don't want to live in a hunt, do you? Imagine the cream of the crop in heaven hunting you down, I'm sorry, but you surely struggle even if you live a day. What about tomorrow? What about the next day? There is nowhere to run, only to hide.

"Surely you know that sleeping in peace is a price you couldn't no longer afford then. What's the use of having high cultivation, if it's not to live long and in peace."'

Graham subtly raised his brows.

"Think about it, it's not worth sacrificing your freedom."

The door was slammed open and heightened the deafening creak. A young man with his back hunched forward slowly walked with a sigh and opened his mouth. His entire face was pulled down by the heavy weight of his mind.

Graham opened his eyes and smiled, "Master, I presume that the date went smoothly?"

"Shut the fuck up, Graham." Lyon raised his index finger.

"Hehehe..."

"Tch!" the sack clicked his tongue.

Lyon raised his brows with a grunt. He looked at the Seraphim laying like a bag of potatoes before snorting.

"Here comes the weak boss, what do you want weak boss? Try to cut me into pieces?" said the Seraphim.

"I never thought a bag of potatoes would talk, did I miss an update from the creator of this world?" Lyon smirked.

"You!"

Lyon loosened his shoulders, "It's really easy to get on your nerves, I can't imagine the rest of your winged friends inside your glorious place. So glorious, that you eat, piss and shit in the Mortal World."

"I'm here on a special duty that the likes of you won't understand! Do you know the term nobility?!"

"I don't need a bag of potatoes to explain to me what a word means, not even when I'm drunk on liquor."

"Heh, you can swallow those words later, you will regret it!"

"Sure, sure, whatever," Lyon shrugged. "Graham, what do you think we should do to him?"

"That's up to older sister, Cecile," Graham shook his head. "I'm not much of a scheming planner."

"Well, you look the part," Lyon muttered before turning his attention toward the Seraphim. "You know what's funny?"

"What?"

"Cecile told me something really interesting about what she discovered."

"Stop being so enigmatic and making false images," said the Seraphim.

"There was something off when we entered this city," said Lyon before putting his hands behind his head. "I never noticed, it either, or perhaps I was too focused on what's happening rather than what could happen."

"You are deliberately shrouding yourself with useless mysteries," said Seraphim. "Lyon, that's what your name was right? I will make sure to carve my blade with your name on it! Wash your neck mortal!"

"Still threatening in that state, it's quite astonishing," Lyon smirked. "Though, you can drop the act."

"What?"

Lyon's eyes sharpened, "When we entered the city, you didn't rip apart that sack— a literal sack without any enchantment or so — because you want to learn what we were up to first, right? You want the gist of our ridiculous plan."

"Hehe, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't tell me that you're afraid of our Graham here?" a reigning voice belonging to a lady made the Seraphim frown.

"Older sister," Graham bowed his head before Cecile showed her palm. Her eyes were fixated on the Seraphim inside the sack before embracing Lyon from behind. She placed her chin on his head.

"As if!" shouted the Seraphim.

"Exactly, as if," Cecile smiled. "I think that you should understand that we were testing you just like you were testing us."

"Heh, testing you? You think too highly of yourself!"

"Oh please, you might see one or two rebels but they were nothing but lip service," said Cecile. "However, rebels that could pin you down, now that's a threat, am I right?"

"..."

"However, what you realize was something more. You realize your own doubt," Cecile smirked.

"What...?"

"There is this something that's been bugging you," Lyon answered. "Why would you be tasked to guard the gate out there, all alone, in this desolated place of a Mortal World."

"..."

"You are bound, by doubts. Paradise valued you as a guard, not as a warrior inside Paradise. Nobility? What about the cultivators serving directly under your so-called All-Father?"

"Hehehe, you stupid mortals, they are my seniors! I respect them with all my heart! You think your mind games will work on me!"

"Such a loud tone, perhaps we plucked the string too hard?" Cecile smirked.

"You!"

"Have you ever thought about this? Can you even grow another pair of wings?" asked Cecile.

"What...?"

"The hierarchy of Paradise is not that difficult to understand, basically for a Seraphim, the more wings you got the higher your ranks, however, in this desolate place, you think Mana Essence in this place is enough?" Cecile raised both of her brows. "Certainly it cannot fulfill the thirst of your meridian core."

"No, hahaha, you think you can turn me into one of your lackeys? To fight Paradise? Then you're dumber than a donkey," replied the Seraphim.

"Hmm, we are not the ones getting comfortable inside a sack," Lyon jested.

"KH! You have a sharp tongue! Sad, if only your blade was as sharp."

"Might I call her instead?" Cecile raised her brows, "You know she won't hesitate to puncture that throat again."

"Hmph! She will get what she deserves in due time!"

"Hmm, alright Lyon, we did enough," Cecile said before letting go of her embrace. She turned and then left the room.

Lyon sighed, "Well, you really are loyal to Paradise, I give you that."

"Hmph! You failed."

"Am I?" Lyon grinned wickedly before Graham released his domain and compressed to fit the small room.

"You want to kill me?! Hehehe! Fine, do it! It's sad that I can't see Paradise avenging me, but it's good to know that you won't die quickly!"

"No we won't kill you," said Lyon before Graham grabbed the sack by the face of the Seraphim. "We will beat you just enough that your soul escapes out of your body, then, you will obey my words."

"What? What dark arts are you using?!"

Graham mercilessly penetrated through the Seraphim's heart as blood splurted from his back.

"Not an art, it's magic, a binding one. It's quite weak, but against a bare weak soul, it has no equal."

The Seraphim had his eyes shrunk.

"King's Order."