Emperor's Reckoning

A day had passed and the time had come. Edward was sitting inside the VIP room where only esteemed guests were allowed to get in.

His eyes were not as joyful as the roar of the people in the coliseum, they were mixed with anxiety. He was not necessarily sweating his forehead off, however, his fingers kept on tapping the armrest of his chair.

"Edward, you don't look so good."

Edward didn't even turn his head. He knew he was at the pinpoint of conflict and no matter how hard his face tried to hide it, he couldn't fake the natural feeling.

The man asking him was slightly worried but he chose not to meddle further about Edward's well-being. He backed down and sat on an empty seat quite a distance from him.

Edward hovered his glance and grabbed a drink readily available by his seat. The cold gush washing his throat still couldn't calm him down.

"I'm here."

A familiar voice made him raise his brows. He turned only to see Reinhard standing by his side with his arms crossed. His eyes are sharp as daggers.

"G-Great! I've been waiting," said Edward. "Come, come, have a seat next to me."

Reinhard nodded before sitting at the best seat in the whole coliseum.

Edward gulped seeing Reinhard. The clock ticking further and further, he couldn't see his enemies but he could feel the blades pointed at him in the near future. He was in a tight spot, grueling for the fact that he was making a decision that would save his life best.

"W-Where is, your teacher?" Edward smiled despite his mix of anxiousness.

"He didn't tell me," said Reinhard as he shook his head. "Though, I suppose they are sitting somewhere over there."

"I-Is that so," said Edward looking at the crowd. He couldn't discern the man he was looking for out of the sea of cultivators.

Meanwhile, Lyon, Selena, and the other two were getting a regular seats with their faces covered by the hood of their cloak. The place was full to the brim but there was no attraction like it used to. The main event coming already eclipsed their thoughts.

A declaration of power and status.

"My name is Drogan," an encompassing voice filled the coliseum and made all chatters shut.

"Ho~" Lyon smirked as he looked above. "He is stealing my grand entrance."

A figure descended down from the clouds before his feet brought a tremble to the city as the moment of impact occurred. His eyes were not as raging as Lyon thought it would. He was calmer than most, even when more than a hundred pairs of eyes looking at him.

"That's him!" muttered Noah.

"No doubt about it," said Rayus as he furrowed his brows seeing another figure descend down right next to Drogan.

Reinhard gritted his teeth with rage burning inside his eyes. The man that betrayed them was now within their reach.

"Ferece!"

His fist balled with veins popping. The sheer rage inside his eyes boiled and Edward manage to catch his expression.

( Shit! ) thought Edward.

"Calm down, both of you," Lyon crossed his legs.

Rayus and Noah had their eyes widened. They were sinking into a deep rage and were about to plow forward with nothing but their thirst for revenge.

Unlike the other two, he was filled with unbound confidence despite the situation. Lyon carefully took his time, after all, he had a woman that could cleave the entire coliseum in half right beside him. It was the safest spot imaginable.

Drogan stepped forward with his encompassing voice, "As you all may know, there had been a slight disturbance in the Burgeon Swan, something that I hardly ever believe would happen in my lifetime, yet here we are."

He snapped his fingers before one of the gates in the coliseum was pulled up. A man was being escorted by two bandits. He was handcuffed like a prisoner and his face was ragged. Nobody knew the last time he had saw water as his cheeks sunk.

"I believe you are all familiar with this one," said Drogan before Refl was forced to kneel. He carefully studied the split-second reaction of the crowd the moment Refl put his two knees on the ground and he quickly found some of whom shared faces that were not quite pleased by the sight.

"I think that you should know what would happen right now," said Drogan.

"DO NOT AVENGE ME!" Refl shouted at the top of his lungs. Everyone was stunned. Nobody knew where the source of the cry came from inside that feeble body of his.

Reinhard stood up with a gulp. Both Rayus and Noah was flabbergasted.

"You bastard!" Ferece was about to raise his leg for a kick but Drogan stopped him.

"That's a brave act, old friend," said Drogan. "But that would cost you."

"DON'T BE STUPID!" someone from the crowd shouted.

"Hm?" Drogan turned and saw someone standing up with rage inside his eyes. It was Lenu.

"Lenu.." Refl muttered. "Fuck..."

"Ah, yes, the one in Guh City, hiding inside an old bar," said Drogan reciting his identity. "I think we both know that you are not alone."

( It's a trap! ) thought all three of Lyon's students at the same time.

"Yes!" answered Lenu before he stood up. "The one that you are after, is not me, nor Refl! You know very well who you are after."

Selena's brows twitched but her hand was quickly grabbed by Lyon without changing his seat. She looked up only to see his smile. She breathed out to calm herself down.

"Well, if you can give me that man, I believe we can trade," said Drogan.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE LENU!" shouted Refl.

"I can't hand him over to you," said Lenu. "But I can shake things up!" He clasped his hands together.

Meanwhile on top of a roof of an inn. Elder Bucca had his ears twitched. "That's the cue, forgive me, Edward. We both love our cities, but I love fairness more."

He summoned a grimoire and spells ignited as he chanted them.

"Oi, oi, oi, are you trying to do a comedy here?" asked Ferece before his eyes snapped in realization. Beneath his feet was a magic brand wider than the whole coliseum.

"Immortal Magic: Spiking Earth!" Bucca's eyes glinted.

The magic brand shone a white light before it vanished completely.

"Get ready for a shake," Lyon smirked before the whole place tremored as planes underneath the ground danced around before protruding out of random places.

"Shit shit! This is Bucca's specialty!" shouted Edward.

"Time to die, traitor!"

"Ah!?" Edward was caught off guard. The familiar voice came from a man that had asked about his well-being.

"Tch!" Reinhard used his spear to propel him forward and kicked the side of the attacker.

"Guha!" the attacker was slammed to the ground before protruding dirt pierced his body upward.

Reinhard's eyes darkened. He had never thought that his simple kick would kill someone. It was supposed to be a deterrent, not a killing technique. "I... I didn't..."

"Oi, Oi, snap out of it!" shouted Edward. "Goddamnit! This is why I don't like dealing with kids!"

"Huh...?!" Reinhard blinked his eyes. The land was still tremoring wild with no sign of settling down. The mass of the land kept shifting and the ground kept piercing upward.

"So you're with the Burgeon Swan!" said another in the room.

"N-No!"

"Die!" said the cultivator as he rushed forward before a spike penetrated upward from below. The room they were in was on the brink of collapse.

Chaos had encompassed the coliseum that was dear to Edward. Screams were heard as the innocents rushed outside and blades clashed under the shaking earth. The Burgeon Swan and the resistance unveiled their mask and battled it out. It was a buffet of metal.

"Talk about a bold and reckless plan, this is why you never succeed against me, Refl," said Drogan before he looked down on his feet and stepped aside to avoid the upcoming strike from below.

"Give me a break, this isn't my plan," said Refl before he was dragged away by Ferece.

"Let him go, Ferece," said Lenu.

Ferece raised his brows before smirking, "With just you?"

"I will have to try," said Lenu.

"You can't even do shit against Gamael," said Ferece. "What are you hoping to gain fighting against me?"

"He is not alone!"

"I'm here too!"

Ferece's brows furrowed as two familiar figures stood by Lenu's side. His smirk slowly pointed upward as vehement joy riled up his spine. "Well, well, well, I thought we would have a reunion at a much later date, but I see you two are still stupid like those times!"

"You think you're ready for this stage? Rayus and Noah?!" Ferece increased his aura and made his presence in the coliseum known. "And where is the last idiot? Did he die already?"

( Ferece is already occupied ) thought Drogan as he hovered in the air. He looked over before finding two individuals sitting calmly despite the havoc surrounding them. He didn't need to summon a gust of wind to know who they were under their cloak, but despite his menacing presence all he received was a smirk.