Emperor's Reckoning

Borton furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at his son's pupils dilated and was slightly out of focus even though the latter was standing right in front of him. He noticed that his mouth was slightly opened but his chest was not the one that heaved.

"Is something wrong? Are you a friend of his?" asked Borton.

"Huh?" Russel immediately regained his focus before he nervously shook his head, "N-No, not at all."

He turned around before looking at the wine glass in his hand that was given by his own cousin. The red color of the wine brought unease in his heart before he decided to indulge the taste of it with a harsh gulp.

Sophia smirked as she looked at him making his way toward the group of Crown Winners who naturally welcomed him with opened arms. The victory was hers the moment he decided to drank the wine she gave him. 

"Cliff, you know you seem really suspicious right?" asked Luke with a smile after he noticed the short exchange between his nephew and Borton.

Cliff smiled, "Of course, I mean, we felt like rude guests coming here, but for an old friend, I guess it's fine even being labeled as suspicious."

Luke smiled before he took the glass that was in Cliff's hand and put both glasses in his hands on top of an empty tray that a maid had just passed by. 

"Don't worry, I can help you ease up with the crowd easier than Borton could have."

Cliff furrowed his eyebrows before Luke turned around and opened his arm, "Ladies and gents. Do you not agree with me that this gala, this grand banquet! Need some sort of entertainment!?"

"YEAH!!" Jugen shouted without thinking twice before the other followed suit.

Borton furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Luke (What is he planning?). 

"Yes, yes, I know you all agree with me? How about a contest, nothing serious, of course even if serious things did happen, nothing that Treas couldn't reimburse, hahaha! Enough jokes, I want to help my brother-in-law's friends to get to know you guys. However, how could that be? I don't mean to be rude but these guys look really suspicious, so how about a friendly battle?"

Cliff and Borton immediately turned grim as he heard his idea. The two men looked at each other before Luke continued under the roaring guests. He had courted all of the attention thus gaining his control over the situation.

"Of course, no need to be tense Cliff, my friend, your group will fight a friendly battle against the Crown Winners, you know, nothing serious. Just a friendly bout, after all, they are our future."

Borton opened his eyes wide as he realized Cliff's tactic. The two snakes were battling against each other while barring their fangs but only splurted their venom as they attacked, who will have the first bite remained a question.

(Luke, this man, heh) Kyoko smiled (He is using the Crown Winners against Cliff and the group out of suspicion and fear. Since he managed to take a glance when Borton was approaching those guys, he took advantage by colliding them both. Killing two birds with one stone).

(Luke you sneaky son of a bitch) thought Jin as he chuckled. He knew this brother-in-law of his was cunning and quick-witted and it seemed like he was only getting better at it as time went by.

"Yeah!"

"Yes, that would be great entertainment for all of us."

"Finally, we can get to see them in action, I'm sure the Crown Winners is thrilled as well."

The crowd was easily bought in as they roared to see some action from them. The motion was going inside Luke's palm as he smiled.

"The experience would be a delight, however, I'm fairly sorry but fighting is off-limit."

Cliff's answer brought Luke to a smirk as the guests slightly turned disappointed. 

"From your words, it seemed like you have another idea, go on, don't keep us on edge here," said Luke as he showed his palm to let him talk.

"Fighting them would be unfair since we are mastering different things in the cultivation world. Some had a powerful aura, some are highly proficient in magic, some are highly technical while others were also good at brute force."

"Then, what are you suggesting?" asked Luke as he played along.

"I'm suggesting that we limit this to a certain battle instead of an all-out friendly one. After all, we  have more experience than they are since we came from the former generation and our cultivation is fairly higher too."

"Make sense, alright!" Luke didn't give a chance for the guests to nod as he immediately agreed.

"My friend?" asked Cliff toward Borton. Judging from both of their expressions the situation had developed out of their ideal. 

"Oh you don't need his approval for things like this haha, isn't that right? Borton?" said Luke as he squinted his eyes with a laugh. However, the guests noted that he was using his name in the middle of the public instead of just a private conversation.

"Of course, he is allowed, how old is he? five? Hahaha," Borton laughed as he played along. 

Thus the game was set. There was anticipation from the guests which came out as natural but Luna was getting impatient as the man of the hour had not shown any hint of coming.

"Alright then, who wants to step out first?" asked Luke.

"I will."

Luke raised one of his eyebrows before he glanced at the person that volunteered the two words. The young man walked out of the masses as his bronze complexion was stark. The wind slightly accompanied him as he moved forward.

The old master chuckled as he saw this student of his raised up to the challenge without any yapping.

"Wind Fist, Tusak."

"Oi, oi are you serious?"

"Has he healed already?"

"Damn, his vitality is overbearing!"

The Crown Winners were hesitating to step up with a chance of getting humiliated since the opponent belonged to the former generation. 

"Hahaha! Brave!" one man immediately steps up to the middle of the floor with the intention to dance within his eyes. He had a figure much like Tusak but taller and more muscular than the latter.

"What is your name?" asked Tusak as he made his stance. His eyes were sharp as he looked at the monumental giant in front of him.

"Make me bleed then I will tell hahaha!"

"Fine if that what you—" Tusak's eyes opened wide as the breath he exhaled crashed onto the incoming palm. His pupils only managed to dilate before his face was hit under the watchful eyes of the others. His body immediately propelled backward like a bullet before a silhouette grabbed him from destroying the wall.

"You lost, Tusak."

The old master slowly put him down and saw his broken nose before he burst out laughing, "Hahaha, look at your nose flattening! Sorry, sorry, I know it's not right to laugh at one's own student but holy, haha."

The onlookers had black lines over their heads and pity on their faces as they looked at the two. However, the group of Crown winners was having a hard gulp even those amongst the so-called Top Boards. Tusak, one of the top five, was knocked out in a single hit.

"Tusak, next time, try to heal yourself first before doing something in an impulse," said the old master as he consoled him. (However, that guy's cultivation level is something else, level eight huh).

"Looks like I hit you too hard, sorry kid, the real world won't hesitate to kill you if you think you can blabber your mouths while battling, but... hahaha, at least you are strong enough to stay alive."

"Tch!"

"Ayumu don't!" Madoku was too late to hold her down as the latter immediately took on the center stage.

The cry of Garuda immediately filled the room as the people watched in awe toward the figure that leaped to the center of the room. Landing with her two feet the pink-haired woman had her eyes turned golden.

"Oooh, looks like you have another challenger there," said Luke, but his eyes hinted at concern as he looked at Ayumu.

"Hmm? Hehehe, are you sure? I don't hesitate to hit you in the face even if you're a woman you know."

Ayumu refrains from speaking a word as she readied her stance. 

(Heh, careful fellow) thought the man before his eyes glared at her and the mountainous pressure immediately made her slightly off-balance as something was pulling her down to the ground.

(Shit!) thought Ayumu, as she lost a precious second of concentration.

The man already leaped before Ayumu could even give a single glance at him. The onlookers were on the edge of their seats as some eyes opened wide at what was about to happen.

Madoku's eyes immediately turned into a rage a some of her veins could be seen stretching out of her eyes. She was ready to kill as Jin's eyes turned sharp. His body leaned forward even before his wife gave him the signal of help.

"Huh?" Jin's eyes dilated as he could vaguely felt a wind whispered under his skin. His lips instantly turned into a grin as a silhouette when past him even before his feet left the ground. However, out of everyone in the room, only he could sense it due to his cultivation.

"Hey Ayumu, step back a little."

"Huh?!" she felt her body being pulled back by an arm surrounding her waist.

*Boom!

The ground cracked as the man punched it. The devastating blow missed as he furrowed his eyebrows for not hitting any flesh.

"Hm?" the man glanced up before he furrowed his eyebrows, "And who are you?"

The young man smirked.