Emperor's Reckoning

The shaking swords stopped but the Argonaut family still had worry planted in their faces. They knew their young master was slightly hot-blooded and full of confidence but not to this extent. 

"Young master, don't do it."

"Shut up."

The families slightly shrieked before Zet raised both of his eyebrows. The word didn't come from him but rather from the man he was asking for a spar.

A cultivator that dared to speak back against the great families could be counted with one hand, let alone telling them to shut up. However, not a single swordsmen or swordswomen dare to utter their opinions. It was only yesterday that he crushed Treas to the very core, if they ignited his flaming wrath now, a great war will be just around the corner.

"He asked me for a spar politely and I will grant him," said Lyon before he opened his arms..

Porealus was surprised by Lyon's assertive action. He swallowed his saliva before slowly backing away from Zet.

Enough space was created as the onlookers refused to blink in the next minute. Ivy sharpened her eyes as she looked at the two before she commented, "Are you sure, Cecile? That Zet, young he might be but he is considered a master already in his family. He is a young genius when you hand him a sword."

"Sure about what?" asked Cecile as she smirked.

Ivy refused to chase it further but instead talk about something else, "Why did you marry him? He destroyed your family heritage. Did he force you? Is it a condition that you have to accept? If that so, then this is our chance, I can get you out of your forced entanglement."

"Hm?" Cecile turned around before looking at Ivy against her icy eyes. She burst out a chuckle as she looked at how serious Ivy was. 

"Hahaha."

Ivy naturally narrowed her eyes as she saw how Cecile reacted toward her benevolent offer.

"I never thought that you would be the type, Ivy," muttered Cecile.

"Hmph! Looks like my sincere aid is not needed then," said Ivy as she returned her gaze toward the two.

Cecile shook her head, "To answer your question, no. I was not forced."

Ivy raised one of her eyebrows as she gave her a side glance. She saw the beautiful smile from that Auburn beauty as her auburn eyes landed on the young man that was considered the most dangerous man in the Mortal World.

"Then..."

"I fall in love with him a long time ago."

Ivy opened her eyes wide. Those words were definitely not what she would expect coming out of Cecile's mouth. 

Zet furrowed his eyebrows (So the fear that my sword exuded was not coming from him but from those three instead. BUT WHY I CAN'T CALM MYSELF DOWN!) screamed Zet inwardly. 

(He is standing like an open book! I can see every weakness that he is showing to me! But what is this foreboding feeling!) thought Zet as he already entered his stance without his deliberation.

"Why are they not moving? When are they going to start? The tension is killing me." muttered one of the onlookers.

"You fool, the battle has already begun," commented one of the experts.

(He is trembling?!) thought Porealus as he saw Zet's trembling hands as he clutched the hilt of his famed curved sword. (But he didn't even lift a finger!) screamed Porealus inwardly as he averted his gaze from the promising youth to the young man that had been the talk of the Mortal World.

Zet grinned under his cold sweat as he muttered, "Fine then..."

He firmly grabbed the hilt with a strong grip before he slowly pulled it out. The shining blade reflected the expressions of the nearby onlookers before the color of pure metal reflected the light of the high sun.

"He pulled it out!"

"There it is! His signature sword! Irae!"

"Irae! The sword of wrath!"

Cecile furrowed her eyebrows before she let out a comment, "That is not a bad sword."

"Not bad? That sword has been passed down from generation to generation. That is one of the best swords that Mortal World has ever produced," said Ivy.

"Don't kid yourself, that sword is nothing," said Kesya who was on the side.

Ivy furrowed her eyebrows but she need to carefully watch the words that she said around this beautiful beast.

"Then, may I know why?" asked Ivy.

Kesya smiled, "That blade will not be able to even scratch Graham's skin."

(Graham?) Ivy shifted her glance toward the half-giant. Considering the short display of power that he exuded (He might really have a body made of metal).

"I-I see," answered Ivy.

"However," Kesya suddenly leaned in as she came face to face with Ivy. The latter instinctively took a step back before she made a harsh swallow, "W-What is it?"

"Ah, you better be careful, my lord is keen to beautiful women, hehe," muttered Kesya before she pulled her face back with a chuckle and leaving the Ice Queen with a red hue on her cheeks, "H-Huh?"

"Big brother! If you're not going to draw your sword then I'm coming!" shouted Zet as he grinned under his cold sweat despite the sword being drawn.

"Heh," Lyon smirked before he opened his right hand.

"Feast the blood of your enemies!"

The onlookers immediately opened their eyes wide as their hearts thumped the moment he chanted those words.

"Scarlet!" shouted Lyon.

A double-edged sword appeared in his right grasp. The devilishly crimson red sword only turned ominously as the dark hue covered half of the blade. Unlike the sword of wrath, Irae, it didn't reflect anything, not even the sun. 

The onlookers quickly submerged to the wild killing intent that was permeated out of the sword. Just looking at it brought about death whispers inside their ears.

"What the hell is that?!"

"That sword must have come out from hell!"

"Such massive killing intent!"

The Argonaut swordsmen and swordswomen were fear-stricken yet their entire bodies froze at the sight of such an ominous sword.

"A-Amazing!" shouted Zet to everyone's disbelief.

"Just looking at it I know, every swing of that thing will require a greater lust of killing intent! And just look at how casual you are wielding it big brother! Big sister Yunesia is not wrong! You are really the most dangerous man in this world! But even so! I will ask, no I will beg of you to not kill me! Let me learn big brother!" said Zet as he disregard the pride of being a young master.

Lyon's smirk turned into a grin, "That's the right attitude! Fine then!"

"Here I go, big brother!"

He took one step forward with the bulge of his veins in his calves were visible. The powerful leap was accompanied by a wild gale before a shout of war cry followed.

"HHAAAAHHH!!"

Lyon smirked before he answered with a leap forward that was faster than the former.

(Fast!) thought Zet before he slashed forward in an instinct. However, his eyes opened wide as his blade casually went through the figure (Afterimage?!). He knelt down due to the imbalance from the strike that he made in an instant but a tip of a sword immediately greeted him as soon as he looked up.

He made a harsh swallow as he looked at the tip of the sword. His breath heaved up and down. The cold sweat had drenched his face.

The Argonaut families stared in disbelief. Their words stuck inside their throats. The famed young master that was born for wielding a sword had lost in that instant.

"Zet has lost..."

"In that instant..."

"A-Amazing..."

Lumina was smiling as she shook her head. She had once beaten him before in a sword fight back on that island.

Lyon smiled before he turned around and left him on the ground. 

Zet was heaving up and down through his mouth. The cold sweat had drenched his face to the teeth. He nervously looked at his two palms. They were trembling and his Irae was already resting on the ground. His eyes turned sharp before he stood up.

"Thank you very much!" he bowed.

Lyon didn't turn around as he waved his hand in response before putting them inside his pockets. His smirk was greeted with applause from Assid before the whole onlookers followed like a domino.

"Perfectly executed, Emperor," greeted Assid.

Kesya suddenly sneaked up and jumped against Lyon's back, "Hehehe," she suddenly nibble his ear while she whispered, "I know what you did, my lord. You tried to beat him as quickly as possible and without contact because your current cultivation level is lower than him right? However, what you have just displayed will make him and the others think that you have a really hiiigh cultivation realm."

Lyon raised his eyebrows, "You know that far?"

"Hehehe, it was not the first time you did it," chuckled Kesya.

"Oh really?" muttered Lyon.

Cecile chuckled looking at the stupefied Ivy before she left them standing there.