Emperor's Reckoning

Zet had lost due to a simple reason called diversion. Lyon knew that Zet's heart was not truly ready despite shouting and grinning all over his face. His body betrayed his intention. Thus, Lyon only need to do something out of the box and made him startled. 

The trigger made the young genius swordsman panic for half a second. That time frame was enough for Lyon to deliver the finishing act.

However, Zet was not thinking much further toward the act that Lyon did. All he knew was that he had lost fair and square.

That glistening eyes of his were a yearning of a little brother toward an older sibling. He picked up Irae from the ground before sheathing it inside. He turned around before tens of his families immediately rushed down.

"Young master!"

"Young master!"

"Are you alright?"

Zet smiled as he said, "I lost but I'm alright."

"That was an amazing display young master, but sadly you came out short," commented one of the swordswomen.

He shook his head. "En-En. I didn't come out short. In battle there is no such thing as coming out short, I gave it my all and I lost, that is all."

The swordsmen and swordswomen went slightly gasped at his attitude. Unlike the common young masters of the family that was overproud of their ancestors' achievements instead of their own, he was admitting his loss. 

Porealus was still processing his thoughts before he smiled. "What a beast," he muttered.

He himself was not confident to beat Zet that way. It would take several blows along the way but a flawless win was damn near impossible for him. Not a single contact was made and the boy genius lost to a knee. 

He raised his eyebrows before he realized something. He averted his gaze toward Lyon before he humbly asked from far away, "Big brother Lyon."

Lyon raised one of his eyebrows before he turned around facing him.

"Would it be alright if you do the ceremony?"

Lyon furrowed his eyebrows as he asked, "What? What ceremony?"

His question brought gasping noise from the onlookers. They never thought that he of all people would not know the famous ceremony. They will puke blood if they knew that he only heard of this summit meeting yesterday.

Yunesia chuckled before Cecile pointed out the pillars, "You see those pillars. They are the results of a response from the very plateau we are standing on."

"Oh?" Lyon nodded. "Then how do I trigger it?"

"You simply touched the plateau with a palm of your hand, then inject your mana against the plateau," said Cecile.

Porealus, Zet, and Ivy immediately turned their gaze toward the young man that had the power to overturn a great family. 

"But what does the pillar prove?" asked Lyon. He looked at the four pillars having different heights from each of them, though two of them almost looked similar. 

"It proves how strong you are," answered Porealus with a bow. 

"Hmm..." Lyon hummed as he contemplated. "You think so?"

"Y-Yes, big brother," nodded Porealus.

Lyon chuckled. From the appearance alone, Porealus was older than him. However, he accepted his way of respect.

He walked to the center as the onlookers were quickly immersed. They refused to waste a moment even for a blink. There was nothing in this world that could contain their excitement except the fear of offending him.

He knelt before looking at the slight dust that covered the plateau. He lightly blew on it and the dust scatter away. His eyes slowly closed before a gentle gale whispered his figure. The magnificent scene was worth a painting.

"It's hard to believe without seeing it for sure. That aloof person, when he is serious and calm, he will be a danger to all those beautiful innocent fairies," muttered Yunesia.

Lumina had her eyes turned sharp as she looked at her lover. She had no signs of worry behind the gaze and a gorgeous smile lifted up the atmosphere a bit. 

Lyon put his right palm against the huge plateau before he slowly opened his eyes. The sharp gaze coupled with his iconic smirk made a deadly combo before the entire plateau flashed a bright light.

"Here it comes!"

"Brace yourself!"

"This is going to be amazing!"

The onlookers were more excited than the person activating it but one couldn't blame them. Zet and Porealus grinned as they clenched their fists.

Ivy took a step back out of instinct as a hint of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. 

However, one minute pass and nothing happened.

"W-What's going on? Why is there no reaction?"

"Did the plateau broke?"

"Don't be ridiculous, the chances of that happening is very small!"

"But, there is no way that he didn't receive a reaction right?"

The onlookers were swallowed by confusion. There was no way that Lyon would be answered with nothing by the plateau since he had beaten Zet. 

Lyon stood up before crossing his arms as he looked down.

"The flash did happen though, right? I'm not the only one seeing it right?" said one of the onlookers.

"Yes, yes it did."

Zet was no longer grinning as he muttered, "Big brother."

Porealus furrowed his eyebrows (Something must have gone wrong. There is no way that he failed to get a response from this plateau).

Yunesia contemplated. "This is in itself had never happened before. No matter what, the plateau will respond to any trigger regardless of their cultivation realm. Though it seems that the height of the pillar seemed to not entirely dependent on one's cultivation level."

"Have you found out the whole equation?" asked Ivy. 

Yunesia shook her head, "Nope, I only noticed this since I have the same height as yours but you have a higher cultivation level than me. Further research is required but I'm not too curious to do it," she smiled.

"Hmm," Ivy hummed.

"You guys are worrying so much about nothing."

Ivy furrowed her eyebrows before both she and Yunesia averted their glance toward the auburn-haired beauty. 

"Oh! Here it comes!" Kesya suddenly grinned as Graham and Assid with each their own smiles.

*Boom!

The whole plateau let out a resounding boom before the water surrounding it explodes out. The vivid bits of water reflected the onlookers' unprepared reaction. They were all looking against the sky before a rainbow was formed after the droplets returned to the ground.

"What the?"

"What just happened?"

"That's new!"

The wild gale fluttered Lyon's hair against it before he let out a smirk.

"Heh," Cecile sat down before signaling Yunesia to do the same. The latter furrowed her eyebrows but still do what she said.

"You guys better sit down, else you would lose your balance," said Cecile before averting her gaze toward the man at the center of the plateau.

Zet and Porealus didn't question her before both of them sat down on the plateau. Yunesia did so as she was told but Ivy was furrowing her eyebrows.

"What's going—BOOM!—ah!" Ivy fell.

The whole plateau suddenly thrust upward to the sky and roaring the water surrounding it once more. The already existing pillars were swallowed up by the plateau and returned its base.

"Wah!"

"Watch out!"

The rest of their families immediately scattered. Luckily they were quick enough to dodge the incoming massive plateau. The wind created from the monstrous force made them cover their eyes as the huge shadow slowly crashed against their figures.

*BOOM!

The second daunting boom was heard before the onlookers' faces were splashed by the waters from the pond once more. Their entire clothes went wet but none of them could even blink at the sight. Words stuck on their throat as some of them fell down on their butts. 

"Akh!"

"You're kidding..."

"That's straight-up impossible..."

The onlookers couldn't comprehend what just happened. It was unheard of by so many legends and heroes of the past.

"This is... Lyon Torga's strength?!"

The three families that were hovering looked at the giant pillar that was erected in front of them.

"The whole plateau! He activated the whole plateau! And look! Can't you see the tip?!"

The onlookers stood astounded and excited. The giant pillar pierced the sky and none of them could see the end of it.

"Ah?" Zet exclaimed whilst some of his swordsmen and swordswomen were locked in the same state as him.

"He, he, hehe," Porealus made a smile that was twitching his mouth. He couldn't believe what just happened, "D-did I just become a part of a history?"

Ivy was speechless as she looked at her surrounding. There was only an empty sky as far as the horizon. (This kind of altitude is impossible to be achieved by flying, who knows how high one's cultivation realm has to be) thought Ivy before she averted her glance toward the young man at the center.

(This is the monster that destroyed Treas, the paramount of geniuses, Lyon Torga) Ivy's eyes turned sharp.

"Wa!" Lyon tumbled and fail as he failed to keep his balance. He fell on his butt before he, Cecile, Kesya, and Lumina laughed at him.