Emperor's Reckoning

In West City, Ayumu was abruptly eliminated. Her eyes were still in disbelief even though her skin had already adjusted to the atmosphere of the city. Her mind was slightly blank before a familiar voice called her name out.

"Ayumu."

She blinked before her focus was restored. The imminent feeling of fear instantly vanished as her mind went back to the current reality. 

"No... wait!"

"What's wrong...?"

Ayumu turned around before she saw Madoku with creased eyebrows. It was obvious that she was worried about her well-being. Ayumu grabbed her best friend's shoulder before she muttered, "There is a monster of infinite strength, even my bloodline couldn't help but bail from the place! However, Lyon... Lyon..."

Ayumu's goosebumps immediately rose as a cold chilling intent enveloped both her and Madoku altogether. The silver pupils were as sharp as a blade that could cut through jade. Her jade hair was fluttering before everyone could focus their eyes, Lumina was already standing by both of them.

The choking killing intent permeated from those menacing eyes could probably kill a newborn infant in a single glare. 

"What's wrong?! Answer me!" asked Lumina.

She had waited for the said man for years that she could no longer count. Hearing a single hint that he was in a somewhat dangerous situation immediately made her enraged. However, despite so, her breathing was calm, dead calm. Everyone that could mutter those fuming words but having full control of the respiratory was amongst the dangerous ones.

Ayumu gulped as she tried to stay firm despite the overwhelming aura Lumina had exuded. The dragon bloodline was unconsciously clashing with garuda. 

"There is a monster inside the plane, and I was kicked out because of it... however, Lyon didn't have the Crown ceremony!"

"Huh?"

"It means that he couldn't get kicked out of there for safety!"

"Tch!"

Lumina didn't think twice before she opened her gorgeous large silver wings in public. With one single leap, the woman plunged into the vortex without hesitation.

However.

Before she could even reach out to the vortex, the gate had suddenly vanished.

"No... no... no..."

Her lips trembled as she looked around to search for the gate but found nothing but gasping onlookers. 

"Oi... Kaiju... has been defeated."

One of the onlookers who instead of looking at the gorgeous dragon woman was reading the leaderboards. His mutter brought the attention of the people around him before they all surrounded the leaderboard.

"Heaven's Son, Kaiju Loh... has lost."

The statement was as clear as day but the people could only gasp in astonishment, the people's favorite had been defeated.

"Who has the throne?!"

"Yeah who?"

-------------------

Meanwhile in East City.

The onlookers were looking at the familiar white garb. However, the white garb was not as beautiful as before. It was shredded, and the body that wore it had bruises all over. His arms were dangling down and looked dark blueish. 

*Thump

Kaiju heard the thump of his heart before his eyes could return his focus. Her gasping mouth slowly swallowed his own saliva as the ominous fear that he felt still lingered on his goosebumps. The dreadful eyes that were coming out of the young man were even darker than the huge shadow was holding the silver-haired woman. 

"Huh..."

He blinked before he realized that the atmosphere had changed. The onlookers were looking at him with gasps. 

"What...? I'm back...? No.... no... NO!"

Kaiju refused to believe that he was eliminated. He quickly tried to jump inside the vortex in front of him but the gate vanished before he could even blink, "What?!"

"Kaiju has lost."

"NO!"

Kaiju immediately leaped and choked the man who muttered the word.

"P-Please spare me!"

Kaiju was about to snap his neck before he noticed the leaderboard beside him. His eyes stared in disbelief as he read his own name. He threw the guy off before his hands trembled as they touched the leaderboard. He had lost. The man that was revered by all had lost the throne.

"No! Sylviana!"

Fei was screaming as she looked at the gate had vanished. The only way to retrieve her beloved queen had gone. The ladies immediately comforted her beside Luna who crossed her arm. She noticed something odd from the leaderboard. The name of his beloved was not there. The name who could rival the Empress was not written yet.

"Lyon is still in there."

Luna's mutter brought Fei and the others to realization. The man that made miracles after miracles and put god to shame was still inside the plane. 

Kaiju's ears slightly twitched before he turned around and saw the group of people that adored the very same man that froze his heart and blood vessels in a glare. 

"Heh... hahahaha!"

Kaiju laughed as he approached the group that was comforting the sobbing maid. 

"That man could only run his mouth and couldn't even stand a chance against me."

"Heh, what are you talking about, haven't you look in the mirror? You're fucked."

"What..."

Kaiju's smile immediately broke as he slightly tilted his head. He couldn't believe what the woman with purple hair was saying. Even the group was surprised by the language Luna just used as they looked at her crossed arms.

"That's so cool," muttered Ryona softly.

"Luna..." even her rival, Aliena, was surprised by her sudden profanity. A language a princess wouldn't dare to use.

"You!" Kaiju stepped forward with gritted teeth.

"One more step, I dare you."

Jugen was already pulling his bow, Fenrir was clenching his paws against the ground, Karina was snapping her fingers, Ryona had pulled out her dual ax and the torrent of mana already gathered around the body of Kyoko. The combination of just this few was enough to send Kaiju in a cold sweat state even though cultivation wise he was well above the rest. However, after the fight with Lyon, he couldn't help but change his perspective.

"Tch!"

Kaiju slightly clicked his tongue before he chuckled, "Lyon is facing a sick monster who was craving for a vessel, so you might not see the same him after he got out, hahahaha!" he turned around and left.

--------------

Meanwhile in South City

The woman was Madoku's older sister. Stared in disbelief as she saw the vortex in front of her vanished. Under the gasp of the onlookers, she rushed to the leaderboard before seeing her name at the topmost of the list.

'Saint Magician, Yunesia.'

"You must be joking..." she muttered before she turned around. Her eyes were slightly worried despite the cheering from the South City was like a bomb detonation. However, with just a slightly irritated face, the onlookers immediately shut their mouths. 

She had won the throne but only she and Ayumu knew what had really happened. With Lyon skipping the Crown winning ceremony, he was not 'officially' listed in the leaderboard thus his entry was quite a problematic one. With how everything was going, even she didn't know how to get Lyon out of there unless they wait for another generation.

"Irritate, irritate, Lyon, I don't know how, but you have to stay alive!"

--------------

Center City.

"Empress!"

Sophia was entering the room where not many dared to enter in haste. She was sweating as she held the report in her hand. 

"What's wrong? Dawn is approaching..."

"The winner is out... but it was not Handso— I mean, Lyon Torga."

"Hmm?"

The Empress stood up with her eyebrows creased. The bitter face made Sophia gulped her saliva.

"Who is the winner?"

"The Saint Magician, Yunesia."

"Oh... it's her."

The fact that the Empress knew her already proved her strength and liability. The woman was definitely something else.

"However, there is bad news."

"What is it?"

"Lyon... he... he has not been eliminated yet."

"What?"

The Empress creased her eyebrows. (He has not been eliminated yet? How could that be possible... oh).

The beautiful and revered woman suddenly let out a chuckle while holding her stomach. 

"Hahaha.... he... he didn't attend the ceremony of the Crown didn't he?"

"Ye... yes... he didn't."

"Bahahaa.... that is so like him."

On the contrary to her expectations, the Empress didn't seem to be worried at all that Lyon Torga was stuck in that plane.

"Looks like, as an emperor and her empress, we do have something in common after all."

"Huh?"

The empress crossed her arms as she turned around and looked over the broken window that she destroyed. The wind was suspiciously strong as her hair slightly fluttered a bit.

----------------

"How long can you hold on! Give it up kid!"

The shadow shouted before the young man stood up in its disbelief. Despite the arm that was clearly broken, the hand was still holding the wrist of the silver-haired woman. The pain was enormous to endure, however, the glance that it saw from those eyes was something different entirely.

"What are you..."

His eyes glistened before his pupils slowly turned golden as killing intent permeated the entire plane. The image of a giant ape sitting on a huge rock with one foot resting against the other while one of his arms supported his face was present. It smiled and revealed those sharp teeth that could shred stones like meat.. The giant shadow immediately felt minuscule against it, against the Devil Ape.