Emperor's Reckoning



Lyon was sitting on a couch with his legs spread and his arms crossed. His brows were flat as his eyes turned weary with the reflection of his three students. His lower jaw expanded before his eyes teared up. After parting his lips a few times he said, "So..? What you want me to say? That what you did is wrong?"

Reinhard, sitting in the middle of the two, had his head hung down. He was supposed to protect Edward from harm. However, when the revolt happened, he accidentally killed a man supposed to be on his own side.

Lyon sighed, "Reinhard, will your regret bring him back to life?"

"No..." Reinhard's hands crawled deep against his own thighs. "If only I didn't get the job, he would have..."

"Lived?" Lyon replied with one brow raised.

"I..."

"Is he truly innocent?" asked Lyon asked. "Refl might be leading an avenger group against Burgeon Swan but are they really innocent?"

"Huh?" Reinhard's eyes widened before slowly his glance averted toward his teacher.

"Your mind is eluding you since you idolize Refl, your vision is narrowed for seeing Refl as the star in the pitch darkness where in fact, he is not," said Lyon.

"What..." Reinhard muttered.

"Widened your eyes a bit and see, they too killed innocent cultivators," said Lyon. "You think this ordeal birthed no collateral damage? All you saw was the building and that single man, but what about the others? Those whose names are unknown to you? Do you want to bear all of their guilt as well?"

Reinhard's lips parted hearing his teacher's words. Despite the lack of looks, the man in front of him spewed out wisdom that he couldn't see.

"You have chosen your priority, just look to your right, you think he would be still sitting there sharing a couch with you?"

Reinhard slowly turned his attention toward the friend that was sitting to his right. It was Rayus with his palm hugging his own face before shaking his head.

Noah coughed, "Teacher, I think you meant to say to his left? Since... you know, you're sitting the opposite of us, I think you got the direction wrong."

"Oh, right," said Lyon fixed it with a flat realization. "I meant left."

Reinhard turned to the left to see Noah nodding at him. His action was responsible for Noah to be by his side now. He arrived just narrowly enough to push away Ferece, were he a second too late, Noah would surely perish.

"You want to live in regret?" asked Lyon. "Noah is here because of you, you ditch the job to save your friend, you have your own priorities and that's your class. A hero is always a villain to some and no one in this world is truly innocent nor the opposite."

Rayus grabbed Reinhard's shoulder. "There is nothing the three of us can't do now! Reinhard, hero or not, you're one of us!"

Lyon firmly nodded with a smile. "Well said."

Noah lightly punched Reinhard's side. "Don't be a puss now, you want Jasper to spit on you?'

"Heh," Lyon smirked, "I'm guessing your names are now making ripples in that corrupted school."

"Eh?" The three of them looked at Lyon.

"Oh please don't be so daft, what we did is outrageous enough, and in every city we visited thus far, we left trails of bones and ruined reputation," said Lyon before he raised his chin, "Get ready to see raised brows and parted lips boys, that is if you survive in this battle against your lovely former teacher."

The students had their goosebumps raised. They had not noticed it thus far that they had been in the spotlights and since they never covered their faces, it was bound to happen that words will reach the school they were attending.

"Hmm?" Lyon looked at Noah, with his head tilting a bit, "is something wrong?"

Noah tightened his lips before asking, "Do you think we're gonna get expelled?"

"What!? Why?" Lyon asked with his shoulders raised. 

Rayus sighed, "Because we are involved with something that is to grandeur for our age? I mean, if you kill Drogan and end his supremacy, Second Heaven would change, but we don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"Well, do we violate any rules?" Lyon asked. "I never bothered to read them."

The three students had black lines across their foreheads with their lips twitching. ( Of course, you don't ).

"I think there was a clause that said we are not allowed to kill innocent people," said Noah. "Well, shit... why do I remember that now?!"

Reinhard's came to surprise before having his head hung down again.

"Hmm, nah, it should be fine," said Lyon. 

Then, a knock was heard and everyone furrowed their brows. 

Rayus opened the door before his entire body was petrified. "Principal?!"

Reinhard and Noah immediately jumped out of the coach the moment they heard his word. Their heart raced at the sight of the familiar figure standing by the door. Their lips parted. It was their principal from school. 

"Hah! I thought you would never show up," said Lyon.

"Teacher you knew?!" asked Noah.

"No, but it would be weird if he didn't leave his office after what we've done," Lyon smirked.

Old Gu was standing with his brows of wisdom showing a hint of agitation. "I want to speak with your teacher... in private."

"..." The three students left the room and waited outside.

Lyon smiled seeing the old man of authority sitting opposite of him. "What do you want to talk about? Do you want to share your love interest or something? Ruheria is a long way for an old man, you know."

Old Gu sighed, "I can't laugh at your jokes right now, I thought you would give up the pursuit."

"What's wrong, you seem tired," Lyon chuckled. "Did something happen at school?"

Old Gu shared a sharp glint but he refrained to go any further, not with that deadly woman near Lyon. He sighed, "I have been verifying the rumors going on for weeks now, I couldn't believe that you would do such extreme things."

"You better believe it, I guess," Lyon smirked. "So have you verified?"

Old Gu neither nodded nor shook his head, but through his weary eyes, Lyon could pinch out the answer.

"Nothing happens in the school, yet," said Old Gu. "However, the great powers in Second Heaven are shaking right now."

Selena opened her lips, "The world is shaking by darling's presence is nothing new, you should get used to it."

Old Gu didn't know how to respond. Were he not gained the information regarding Lyon's latest exploits he would have thought that the beauty was crazy and overestimating her husband's power.

"Let me guess," Lyon answered. "Since Burgeon Swan is leading toward the shift of power in Second Heaven and they had significantly done so very well in doing that over the past years? Decade? The group thus is a big player in Second Heaven, but now that I have shaken things up, the other powers eyeing on their fall is nothing sort but many."

Old Gu sighed, "As expected by the one that young master Mavis chose, your mind is sharp as your blade and some even say your tongue as well. However, why your actions belied your skill?"

"What's that supposed to mean, old man?" asked Selena standing up with her sword drawn.

"I-I mean, why taking such a huge battle against big agents of power in Second Heaven, especially Burgeon Swan? All for the sake of those three students? You can train them with a different method to win the graduation tournament, I believe so, especially with your skills."

The three students outside the door had their brows raised hearing their conversations.

"I believe that we can solve this matter by stopping now and letting the other powers eat Burgeon Swan," said Old Gu. "That way, the students will be out of harm and focused on—"

"Don't speak to me about the safety of those three, old man," Lyon twitched his eyes and unraveled a glare of four mythical beings.

"NGh?!" Old Gu widened his eyes in horror as his presence was suppressed instantly.

The three students outside had their pupils shrunk and their lips parted hearing those words. Their lips parted before their shoulders were locked. A grand presence was bursting from inside the room.

( This... this is the teacher's power?! ) thought Rayus with a gulp. ( The whole of Ruheria City is submitting! A-Amazing! ).

Ruheria City suddenly found itself suppressed as a whole new reigning presence rivaled that of natural destruction.

"Ngh!?" a keen cultivator felt the wave.

"Wa?!" another one and then another one, before the whole city was affected.

The cultivators had their shoulders locked and goosebumps jolted as feelings of danger arose all over their meridians. 

Lyon stood up before crossing his arms. "Where were you when they were in danger? What did you do to Ferece when you knew what happened? Who you chose to believe then?"

Selena had her eyes widened seeing Lyon from the side as a far distant memory of a silhouette replaced the one she was seeing, the same demeanor, the same sharp eyes, the same conquering tone.

"They are left to redeem themselves, and I will not let you interfere," said Lyon. "Leave, and be in your office, before I humbled you further."

Old Gu could only sit silently before he left with his head hung down. The three students watched the principal, the strongest in the school left without a word through the hallway.

They all gulped before looking through the opened door. There, they found their teacher smirking at them.

"Time to go."