Emperor's Reckoning

The island trembled and shook before buildings started to crack. A huge crater was made, as at the center of the impact stood one young man with his hair fluttering. He was patched with blood all over his body and part of his face. Both of his hands were clenched as the fury he had subsided by a certain amount.

The world was shocked, silent, and mourned.

The demi-humans all gulped their saliva. They spot no prince under his feet, there was nothing left of the prince, not even his dust.

They felt their naivety as they remembered how the very same human was put on a cross three days ago. They were holding his execution before the princess dived in and took the matter at hand. Fast forward three days later, and one of the royalty died by his hand. 

They had tried, they had put all their strength to stop him but it was all for naught. They tried to bust his head open, only to get their hammer broken. They wanted to chop off his arms but it was harder than steel. One of them even choked his neck to make him pass out but it still failed. 

(Killed him... he actually killed the prince) thought the demi-humans as they trembled in fear. Their legs were shaken as some of them were having a hard time standing up on their own. They were beginning to see him in a different light, or rather, a dark one. A human was never a better race in their eyes, nothing but exploitation, cunning, and cocky creatures that would take advantage of the kindness because of their weak self-nature. However, seeing the young man in front of them brutally ripping off a dragon's wing right out from his back made them think it over of who was the weaker race.

"Hah...hah... Impossible!!!"

It was probably the first time that they saw their emperor saw something unbelievable. With how old and experienced he was, people thought that he had seen them all. However, apparently, that was not the case. 

He had seen geniuses before but none such as this one. It was the first time he saw someone broke the power hierarchy established in the cultivation world. He himself had done it before but not to the extent of killing someone that had an entirely different realm than his own. It was strictly impossible.

The queen's hands trembled as she saw the crater. She couldn't accept the fact that her talented son was massacred by a human that was so much weaker than him. However, her tears won't change the fact that little Julius had met his end without a corpse to bury.

*splurt

Lyon coughed out blood from his mouth to the ground before everyone's eyes.

The dragon lady raised her eyebrows before she immediately spread her wings and leaped toward him from the balcony.

The emperor raised his eyebrows before his eyes turned sharp, "I see, you're nearing your limit. A human couldn't withstand the power of a True Dragon, their physique won't be able to handle the stress," he muttered.

She stood beside him and put her hand against his cheeks, however before she could say anything a figure landed with a thud in front of the scarred soldiers.

The demi-humans looked at the majestic emperor's cloak fluttered against the wind with awe on their face. This was the emperor that they served and respect, this was the strongest demi-human in this world.

Emperor Luranz.

He put off his majestic cloak and threw it away. His bulky figure was finally revealed to the masses. The huge man was made of muscles, coupled with the aura of a leader, it was no wonder that he could be the emperor of all demi-humans. He stretched his neck with a crack before his eyes turned sharp as they focused on the young man standing behind her daughter.

"He is going for the kill," muttered the dragon lady as she as well furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Luranz.

*thud

Another figure leaped from the balcony before it landed beside the emperor. Though some of her skin was shown to the world, the killing intent that was in her eyes was far greater than her shame.

"Step aside my daughter," said the emperor as his aura was lashed on her.

She gritted her teeth as she felt the pressure on her soul. However, no matter how heavy it was, her knee didn't bend.

"You have to force me!" shouted the dragon lady.

"Then the Golden Dragon must wait for your recovery!" shouted the emperor before he leaped forward as he brought dust in his trail.

It was the first time in a long time that they saw their emperor step into battle. They couldn't even remember the last time that he did. It was because there was no enemy strong enough to make him do it. The empire was never in danger, until now.

The dragon lady roared before she opened her majestic wings and leaped forward. There was no hesitation in her silvery pupils and jade eyes. She was giving it all out. 

However just as she was closing in, her pupils shrunken as her mother intercepted her advance against the emperor.

*clank

"Mother!"

The latter said nothing but glared at her before she locked her movement. The dragon lady's neck seemed heavy as she forced herself to turn around and saw her father coming at the young man with no mercy.

"Let's try that again shall we?!" shouted the emperor as mana gathered around his fist.

"Jade Dragon Art: Maul of Jade Dragon!"

The emperor shot out his fist against Lyon's bare gut as the deafening sound that felt like a bomb's explosion was heard before the latter was propelled away and destroyed several buildings in the process.

The emperor took a deep breath as he furrowed his eyebrows. There was a hint of steam coming out from the fist that he just used. Though the burning sensation didn't hurt him in the slightest, he looked at the trail of destruction that he caused.

"H-H-H-HOW DARE..YOU!"

The dragon lady gritted her teeth as her menacing eyes looked death into the emperor's eyes. She brutally disappeared under the queen's eyes as a sonic boom was heard. 

The emperor raised his eyebrows before he turned around and had his pupils shrunken as her daughter was already under his nose with her sword ready to cut his neck.

"Ngh!"

The emperor immediately opened his magnificent jade wings before it got him out of danger with one flap.

"What?"

The dragon lady didn't stop there. She didn't pause as she led out another attack on him. It was the style of fighting that Lyon familiar with the most. With her incredible speed, the emperor would surely be dead if it were not for that giant wings of his that increased his agility.

(Such speed!) thought the emperor before one of the thrusts managed to scratch his cheeks.

The queen gritted her teeth before her silvery wings opened and glide to them and sneaked behind the lady dragon to slash her back.

*clank

(What?!) thought the queen as she saw her daughter parried her attack before continuing to attack the emperor. 

"Everyone! Work together and restrain the princess!" shouted the queen.

The demi-humans furrowed their eyebrows as they looked at one another in doubt. This was the princess after all, the royalty herself. What good would possibly come out of this?

"What are you waiting for?!" shouted the queen.

"Y-yes!"

It was a direct order of the queen. They could only brace their heart before making a move and surrounded the father-daughter duo that was fighting it out.

"You got nowhere to run," said the emperor as little wounds were made through the scratches of her sword. However, her daughter didn't answer him as she was blinded by rage. She was fuming and put all of her boiling blood into killing him.

"Stubborn little girl!" shouted the emperor before he found a fraction of a second of opening.

His fist managed to connect to her sides as she coughed out blood in the process, however, she gritted her teeth before she thrust her sword toward his stomach. An opening for an opening.

The emperor furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the stab wounds on his abdomen. He soon darted his glance from it toward his daughter who was panting out of breath.

"With that kind of power, you could flee without any of us hoping in catching you. Yet you decided to stay, that's a very stupid move," muttered the emperor.

"It's a feeling you will never understand!" shouted the dragon lady before she readied her sword once more and glide forward.

"Hmph! that feeling is for the weak! You are stronger than that!" shouted the emperor as he went head-on against her.

"Feast the blood of your enemies,  SCARRLEEETTT!!!"

A massive cry froze everyone's soul right at that moment.