Emperor's Reckoning

The word spread out quickly with the overabundance of fluttering flyers. Nemk City and Guh City both were receiving the news with trembling hands. Refl died.

Lenu returned to the bar, disregarding the eyes that leered at his back. The door clicked close before he let out a sigh. "Refl is dead."

"I can read," said Lyon.

Lenu looked up to see Lyon sitting casually with a smirk on his face. His arms crossed and his legs eating space. "It seems like they made an invitation."

"Hm?" Lenu furrowed his brows.

"Of course, they want to lure me," said Lyon. "Who else, you think your group? This action that they did will deter your group powerless."

"I-I'm afraid so," Lenu loosened his shoulders. "Looks like they won."

"Well, yes," said Lyon before he stood up. "However, they only won against you."

Lenu looked up to see Lyon raising his chin and said, "Not me."

Lenu gulped. Not even in Refl's eyes did he ever see such confidence. An overly confident cultivator is a fool, yet his eyes were etched with total victory.

"Teacher, the time draws near I presume?" asked Rayus as he stepped forward.

"Absolutely," said Lyon. "They are panicking." he looked over at Reinhard whose eyes burning with the flame of youth. "A hero died."

Reinhard nodded.

Lyon faced Reinhard, "I sent him there when I was drunk, so I killed him, what do you think about that?"

Rayus and Noah were looking at each other before looking at Reinhard. They knew they had no place to utter a word. This was a matter between the both of them and both of them only. A supreme teacher and a burgeoning student.

Reinhard shook his head violently. "No! You didn't kill him, teacher, the Burgeon Swan did."

"Hahaha!" Lyon laughed. "That's correct."

Lenu tightened his lips before he asked, "What... should we do?"

"We?" Lyon raised his brows as he turned. "I have not the slightest idea of this group of yours, besides, I only saw very few. Where are the top guys? Where are the powerful ones, the public figures?"

Lenu sighed, "What's the use of it now?"

"Huh?" Lyon raised his brows.

"Right now as we speak, our member is diminishing," said Lenu. "There is no use in contacting them now."

"You need them to keep the others on a lease," said Lyon. "What happened when your group finally broke down? They will jump shit."

"Ship," Selena corrected.

"Ship," Lyon corrected. "They will jump ship, meaning they will have to join the Burgeon Swan whether they like it or not."

"For how long?" Lenu asked. "How long will it take?"

"I have no idea," said Lyon. "That's up to you, but if you're asking me personally..."

Lenu impatiently awaited Lyon's answer, however, all he received his a smirk. "..."

"Six months."

Lenu raised his brows before he took his glance toward Rayus. "Six months...?"

Rayus fisted his palm with eyes as sharp as his sword. He nodded, "Six months."

"Six months," Reinhard answered as well.

"En, six months," Noah nodded.

Lenu squinted his eyes in confusion as his glance slowly averted toward Lyon. The latter snorted a smile. "You take care of your own group, I will take care of mine."

"You're gonna act alone? D-Don't you need our help?" asked Lenu.

"What can you offer?" asked Lyon.

"Not an offer, an aid," said Lenu. "I can give you any information we have."

"You have that?" asked Lyon.

"Yes, like the man that hovered yesterday, before..." Lenu looked at Selena with a gulp before looking back at Lyon. "Yeah..."

"What's his name?" asked Lyon.

"Drogan," answered Lenu. "The other two supposedly Ferece and Niamh, while the rest, are their goons."

The name Ferece brought a boiling fury inside the three students, but Lyon simply waved the flame off with his hand.

"Drogan, Ferece and Niamh," said Lyon. "So that means there are only two of the top guns? and one head?"

"Guns?"

( Oh for fuck sake ) thought Lyon. "Are there any more notable cultivators I should be wary of?"

"Not to our knowledge," said Lenu as he shook his head.

"Alright," Lyon nodded. "is that all?"

"I'm sure that the three students are familiar with Ferece, so I will tell you about Drogan," said Lenu.

"What about him?" asked Lyon.

"He is a shrewd man, clever albeit his appearance and decisive," said Lenu. "He will use any means necessary to end someone."

"Any means necessary?" Lyon raised his brows.

"Unlike Ferece who is driven by some psychopathic behavior, that man is calm when he needs to, and will use any force necessary. Any force, meaning that he will most likely use the most efficient way to deter his enemy."

"Cut to the chase," said Lyon.

"He will use your loved ones as hostages," said Lenu. "At that point, you will lose no matter what choices you made, to sacrifice your loved ones to fight him or to sacrifice yourself, your freedom."

Lyon furrowed his brows. His eyes darkened. "Loved ones, they will use my loved ones as hostages?"

"For his goal, nothing is deemed too low, he had no honor but the honor of a bandit," said Lenu. "Since your background is from the Mortal World, I thought, I thought that you should know."

Lyon furrowed his brows, "How did you know that I'm from the Mortal World?"

"W-We ran a background check on you," said Lenu.

"So that means Refl knew?" asked Lyon.

Lenu took a deep cold breath before answering with a nod. "Yes."

Reinhard gulped, "Wait, does that mean...?"

"Most likely, they knew as well," said Rayus.

A string of cold pulled out Lenu and the three students' goosebumps. Their pupils shrunk and hardly steady as they looked at the man who lost his smirk. An intense killing intent was seeping out of his being with a mix of rage and terror. The sun above refused to shine and gathered clouds to close its light against Guh City.

Lyon's pupils shrunk and his forehead creased as his brows bulged his glabella. He snapped his fingers before a Returning Jade Stone was summoned and fell to his palm.

"Darling..." a hand softer than silk and warmer than yarn copulated his hand. The voice continued, "Don't worry, as much as I don't like that auburn woman, she is still worthy of my respect due to her strength, and her sharp mind, and also, the three of them are there, that's more than enough to butcher a swan singing on a kitchen board."

Lyon breathed out audibly through. The intense killing intent slowly subsided and the city was spared from a traumatic event without them even realizing it.

The others slowly regained their breath albeit with little coughs here and there. Rayus gulped as he looked at his teacher ( Three of them? Do you mean there are three other literal monsters chilling in Mortal World?! ).

"You're right," said Lyon. He looked at Lenu who was struggling to keep calm. He recalled the Returning Jade Stone back before saying, "He will die, appropriately."

Lenu gulped. He would normally call it a bluff, but not if that someone had ended three of the top dogs of the Burgeon Swan without lifting his finger much.

"Teacher, about this, invitation, what should we do?" asked Rayus as he gestured at the poster.

"We can pay a visit, and see what's going on," said Lyon.

"So our next destination is set then," said Rayus.

"In two weeks," said Noah. "The funeral will take place in a crowded place."

"A colosseum," said Reinhard.

"A what?" Lyon asked.

"A colosseum?"

"That doesn't make any— oh, hahaha, so that's it," said Lyon.

"What?" asked Noah.

"How can you not catch this?" asked Lyon. "This is not a funeral, this is a death sentence."

"Death sentence..."

"Oh shit!" Lenu exclaimed with hands on his head. "Refl still alive!"

"They will execute them there, to be an example, and also a trap," said Lyon. "If you sent all your group to the colosseum, then you better be ready to counter the butchering that they prepared."

"They want to swoop the group!" said Reinhard, "With blade hovering over Sir Refl's head, they will have no choice but to revolt."

"Or just watch," said Lyon. "There are probably few people in the group that would dare to do something."

"Then..." Lenu looked at Lyon for ideas.

"What you do is up to you," said Lyon. "I will do what I will do. You can go there and enter the lion's den, or you can be smart and not go there."

"But!"

"But what? I'm not giving you a choice, you're free to do whatever you like," said Lyon before waving goodbye. He went outside as Selena followed him. The three students were flabbergasted by the walkout for a moment before they tipped a nod toward Lenu and left the man alone in the bar.

Lenu heard the door close. He looked at the ceiling, and breathed with teeth gritting. "Refl you son of a bitch, wether you're dead or not, you're still bringing me trouble!"