Emperor's Reckoning

Lyon crossed his arms. The odds were against him, however, that was from the eyes of the ones that didn’t know him well enough.

“Darling, do you want to turn this city into a haunted one?” asked Selena.

The entire cultivators were caught in dismay as she laid down those words. They could try to make a run for their lives. They could try to make sense of the decision that they had yet to take but implied. However, unlike the man, the wife was decisive and sharp just like her sword. She hardly made a joke, unless it was with her own husband.

Lenu who was amongst the crowd sighed. He could not believe that the situation would turn around in less than a single day. He initially thought that the goal was to save those students and then retreat to forge a better plan to save Refl from the clutches of the Burgeon Swan, however, he didn’t see as far as Lyon could see. The mysteries only deepened as his strength and his origin were absurd to be correlated.

Reinhard furrowed his brows seeing that decision of their lives was in the reign of his nonchalant teacher. His sight caught a glance of his friend Noah who was struggling to get up. His attention shifted, and without much thinking, he went and aid his friend.

“Damn, my back,” said Noah as he was helped to stand on his own feet by Reinhard.

“You alright?” asked Reinhard.

“Are you blind?” Noah glared at him.

.....

“Oh... right,” Reinhard made a wry smile. His mind was too occupied with the fate of the town.

Rayus joined them but his eyes were on his teacher as well.

“Well, well, just before, some very brave of you decided to end me right where I’m standing, but it seems to me that suddenly all that’s left are cowards,” said Lyon as he smirked.

( D-Don’t tell me... he is not going to kill all of them, is he? ) thought Lenu. The possibility of the massacre was far from zero. He had witnessed an entire bandit camp beheaded and shredded, let alone a town. The elites and the commoners, the rich and the poor, were suddenly the same in the matter of life and death.

“B-But, Teacher Lyon! We are nothing but a pawn being played! We-We have no choice!” said a cultivator with his hands trembling and trepidation riddled his face.

“Y-Yeah, we don’t have a choice!” said another before a wave of resounding opinions blossomed up.

“A choice?” Lyon raised his brows, “You who all still has feet here, whose eyes still can see, whose heart still beating, you are all here only and ONLY because you didn’t even make one.”

His regal presence and words choked their thoughts. They knew he was right, all of the cultivators of the city didn’t make a choice as they watched those who did, die beneath his feet. Yet, they didn’t dare to face Burgen Swan either. They knew the group’s notorious wrongdoings and actions.

“Do you see Reinhard,” said Lyon without looking at him.

Reinhard gulped as Lyon took his attention.

“This is the people you’re trying to save,” said Lyon. “The people you desperately not a moment ago trying to save, the strangers of your life!”

“?!” Reinhard’s eyes widened.

“Noah almost lost his entire back because of you,” said Lyon. “Are they worth, Noah’s life?”

Rayus didn’t dare to impede his teacher’s words and let the man control the situation. Noah on the other hand was looking at Reinhard. He wanted to utter a word to soften his stiff shoulder however, he could feel the madam’s stern gaze.

Reinhard gulped. He could feel the surmounting attention he received from the cultivators he hardly knew. Their eyes were that of begging. They were begging for their lives to be saved. He could almost hear their thoughts, screaming for their lives to be saved, their lives to be spared. All their loved ones and all their circumstances were mining his conscience.

“Answer, Reinhard,” said Lyon.

Reinhard hardened his posture and stiffened his shoulders. He took a cold breath through his nose to appear calmer than the situation. He showed his sharp eyes, “No.”

Lyon smiled as he could hear the numerous cultivators in front of him had their hearts sunk to the depth of the abyss clinging to nothing. Their eyes were trembling before they shifted their attention from Reinhard to him. “That’s a good answer.”

Reinhard balled his fists as he tried to force himself to watch what will transpire. He had watched villains stained so casually, however, the situation was different this time. Some of them were just at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

( This is bad! ) thought Lenu. ( He is about to implicate the Nirvana School as well if he massacred this city! ).

“I will not show mercy to my enemy,” said Lyon before all eyes widened. The decree was made.

Lenu noticed that Selena’s hand was already on the hilt. He opened his mouth desperately. The aftermath of killing an entire city was too much for a desired peace.

“Thus, I will not kill you all,” said Lyon.

The town froze as Selena quietly lifted her hand off the hilt. She was more than ready to sever the entire place and space where Lyon laid down the right words.

Reinhard had his eyes widened whilst Lenu was caught doing the same.

Their eyes softened as if a huge burden was lifted off their shoulders. They were spared, and their lives continued. They started to cheer in the name of living. However, Selena stepped forward. Her step was inaudible but all cheers stopped instantaneously. They could see the fire in her eyes, and they dare not cross with her.

“My husband chose to not end you all,” said Selena. “Now all of you kneel.”

Her words were as sharp as her master in the way of the sword. Her demand made them taken back. They could hear the fury seeping so subtly behind her words. The husband chose to spare but the wife was eager to kill.

Lenu and the three students stood no chance once Selena said the word. They could only witness the sight of which they would have never thought happened.

One by hand, their knees turned weak. Their knees, both on the ground as a mixture of gratitude and terror sealed the moment their forehead joined in.

A grand sight was before Lyon. Not a single cultivator dare standing up, no matter what background they had, it was nothing compared to the man who not only dare to oppose the Burgeon Swan but took a huge chunk of a bite out of them, and from the looks of it, he didn’t appear to have his hunger satiated.

( Never thought that I would see the day ) thought Lenu as he gulped. ( A man from the Mortal World would make the cultivators in Second Heaven not only bow or kneel but kowtowed in the name of gratitude and terror ).

“I see, so you are the one that killed my Rezali and Poger...”

Reinhard and the other two had their souls suffocated. A tremendous presence was present yet their eyes refused to look over at who it was. Their instinct was telling them to run, but their feet won’t move.

The cultivators kowtowing had not a shred of bravery to look up either. Lenu however, could see the figure hovering behind Lyon quite clearly. ( Drogan! The captain of the Burgeon Swan! This is bad! ).

The bandit leader stood tall, his imposing figure commanding attention and respect from those around him. He had a rugged appearance, with a thick beard and long, unkempt hair that flowed down his broad shoulders. His piercing eyes were the color of storm clouds, and they seemed to take in everything around him, missing nothing. His clothing was a mismatch of various materials and colors as if he had taken whatever he could find and fashioned it into a uniform.

As he spoke, his voice was low and rough, like gravel being ground underfoot. His words were measured and deliberate, each one carrying weight and importance that demanded attention. He was a man who inspired fear and loyalty in equal measure.

“Just an astral and you dare to use that tone against my husband?” Selena turned and looked the man dead in the eye.

“Hm?” the bandit leader furrowed his brows.

Selena’s feet left the ground and hovered up to the same altitude as him. Selena unsheathed her sword and pointed at the man whose chin was raised. “You are in the presence of my husband, join the others and kneel.”

Drogan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he was joined by Lenu doing the same.