Emperor's Reckoning

Lumina was at the mercy of the figure that carried her but her thought was curious about the expression the man shown to an empty sky. She opened her mouth before the sound of a neighing horse came from the main road.

Lyon furrowed his eyebrows before he turned his head against the noise. A pair of white horses were dragging a luxurious carriage forward with the lead from its driver. The driver was a middle-aged man with the clothes of that of a butler from high noble. 

The driver furrowed his eyebrows as he took a glance at the two, unkempt looks. He had never seen such ridiculous behavior from the lower class that couldn't possibly be any lower. They were homeless to the point of not having any clothes on them.

"Miss, please close the curtain! There is something unsightly at the side of the road." 

The half driver half butler said with a hint of contempt and irritation that made Lyon raised one of his eyebrows.

"What's wrong? What's out there?"

Lyon heard the young woman's haughty voice from inside the carriage but only to frown as he looked at the driver's face.

"It is something that your beautiful and pure eyes shouldn't see miss."

Lyon smirked before Lumina realized he was about to do something outrageous. Her willingness to stop him was overlapped by her curiosity as the carriage passed them by. They could see the curtain on the small windows were closed by. After they could see the back of the carriage did Lyon suddenly opened his mouth.

"You talk a lot of shit old man."

The driver and the young woman inside the carriage were taken by surprise at his response. The former's eyes were twitching in disbelief and fuming with rage. He had never seen someone so disrespectful toward him. 

"Hahahaha!"

They suddenly heard a burst of laughter that belonged to the woman inside the carriage. Naturally, the horses stopped their track before the butler said.

"Miss."

"Well wait now, no need to jump on your gun here. This whole road has been pretty boring for me. Young man, why not take a bet with me?"

Lyon raised one of his eyebrows. He knew and was sure of it that the woman didn't even take a peak against the curtain to see him. (Interesting woman) thought Lyon before he let out a smirk. 

"Fine then, why not? Have it your way, what kind of bet do you want? What do I gain what do I lose?"

"Hmmm.. you are pretty excited for someone with a peak Divine Realm level. The figure near you is a lot more powerful than you but I'm willing to make a bet with you and only you."

Lumina furrowed her eyebrows as she was too detected from inside the carriage. Though she probably couldn't guess her gender and condition, she could pinpoint her cultivation level range without even needing to see them in person. However, she couldn't hold her chuckle. Many ordinary people or even not the ordinary ones had fallen for Lyon's unintentional low cultivation level trick.

"Go on with it, what's the bet?"

"Hmm... I have not really think about it yet, but the game is. If you could still stand while taking five direct blows to your gut from him. It's your win."

"That's boring and unfair!"

Lyon suddenly replied before the woman inside the carriage could even think of a prize. The middle-aged man furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at his impolite response.

"That impudent mouth of yours needs to be smacked!" 

"Yeah, yeah, said the one who got irritated by a slight insult."

"You!"

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought I was talking to the lady inside the carriage. Not its driver."

Lyon smirked before the driver held the bursting blood that almost came out from his throat. He had never been beaten verbally before and now he had met the worst of the worst.

"Hahaha! You have a sharp tongue. I like that in men, you don't bow down to class. It makes me even more curious, what makes you kneel."

Lyon could only smile before Lumina pinched his chest with a frown on her face. Her jealousy was apparent especially with her mouth pouting. However, Lyon only found her expression cute instead, especially with how weakened her current state was. 

"Tell me then, what do you have in mind for the game?"

"Heh, since I really wanted to punch him the most. How about we switch the roles. If he could even stand after five of my punches, then it's my loss."

"Hahaha, what are you talking about? Don't you know that I'm a level three Godhood Cultivator? You can even kick me in the gut and I wouldn't even flinch."

"Interesting, very interesting, never before that, I've seen something like this. That's a good suggestion. Now for the prize of winning and punishment of losing."

"Miss?! You surely not?"

"I have spoken."

The driver immediately shut his middle-aged mouth before taking a slight bow against the door of the luxurious carriage.

(She is not just some lady of a noble, she is quite capable of tending herself it seems) thought Lyon as he saw how the middle-aged man had a sweat on his forehead. That was sweat coming from her presence and not her identity.

Lyon squatted down before he gently laid Lumina on top of the grass. There was not a hint of worry inside those menacing silver pupils of hers but instead a frown and a pout. An emotion called jealousy.

Lyon smiled before giving her a kiss on her forehead. He stood up before turning around with his arms crossed against the driver.

"If I win, I will take the carriage and his clothes."

Lyon casually said the words with a gentle breeze from nature fluttered his hair.

The two of them were taken back from his requests before the driver snapped.

"How dare you think that it's a sufficient trade?! What can you even offer?!"

"Offer? Hmm... Do I need to make an offer here? I mean, the lady inside the carriage is the one that's wanted to be entertained. Tell you what, if you could still stand and breathing, you can do the original game and punched me five times."

"Yo—"

"Hahahaha!"

The lady inside the carriage laughed before she said, "You don't know who I am, do you?"

"Not even the slightest idea."

"You impudent fool! She is—"

"Silence! If he doesn't know then he doesn't know. With you telling him my identity it would only make me look bad."

"A-Apology miss!"

The driver bowed once more.

"Alright, it's a deal!"

Lyon smirked before the driver said, "As you wish, miss."

"Come and give me those meaningless fists of yours," said the driver.

"Heh," Lyon shrugged his shoulder before he opened his arms. He cracked his knuckles as he gradually took his time approaching the middle-aged man.

The lady inside the carriage was naturally interested in the little game that she orchestrated. She took a quiet peek between the curtain from the small window. She instantly furrowed her eyebrows as she got a clearer view of Lyon's face.

"This guy..."

She darted her glance from his face to the pieces of paper that were stacked on the opposite of her seat. She picked it up before she rustled through the paper until she found the one she was looking for with a smile on her lips. She drew the paper up before putting them side to side to the window.

"Well, well, to think that I would find one of my competitors here. However, aren't your cultivation too low to fight for the Throne?"

She put her hand to support her face as she looked at him with interest. Cultivation wise he was not even adequate to be in her eyes. However, the fact that he could win the Crown, meant that he was no somebody. 

"Are you ready?"

"Tch! Stop acting tough kid, after this is done you will even struggle to open your eyes."

Lyon smirked as he shook his head with closed eyes. However, the moment he opened them again, his galaxy eyes were now jade as his pupils turned vertical like a cold-blooded beast.

The woman inside the carriage gradually opened her eyes wide as her face leave the support of her hand. She gulped at the sight of his transformation that appeared minuscule to the ordinary.

"No dodging now..."

Lyon muttered the word before plunged his fist right into the driver's stomach and made his body bent backward along with the shredding noise of his clothes being ripped. His eyes opened wide as Lyon retracted his fist. He starred at the ground in disbelief as he coughed out blood.

"What's this, c'mon, at least hold on until the third blow now would ya?"

He smirked before his eyes turned golden and his height was reduced in half. With four tails floating like it was weightless. The woman inside the carriage was speechless however, Lyon was not having any of the driver's words before golden mana spiraled across his right arm as he let out his fist against the same spot as the first one.

Part of his meridians exploded along with blood he coughed from his mouth. 

The woman inside the carriage let out a wry smile, "Able to make a third level Godhood Cultivator on his knees just by two blows whilst being a peak Divine Cultivator, so this is the power of Lyon Torga, nicknamed, Young Emperor."

Lyon's hair fluttered as he looked at the driver turned unconscious before the latter's figure slowly fell with a thud to the ground.