Emperor's Reckoning

"Huh?"

Lyon raised his eyebrows as he could feel a shimmering light behind him.

"Older brother look!"

Tuey immediately pointed out what's shining behind him before the latter turned around and saw the ridiculously dented huge ashen bell shimmered with light.

"What's going on?"

Lyon turned around with his eyebrows furrowed. He knew the phenomenon he evoked had ended so this was caused by another force.

"Hoho~ The Throne is starting!"

The old man laughed with his hands behind his back before he explained.

"The huge ashen bell. The  Bell of Heaven is actually the gate to the coveted Throne. It will open up a portal where you are all will be sent into another plane randomly. Once you stepped inside the plane you would understand how dense the mana was compared to this world. Thus the name Pseudo-Heaven came along."

Lyon smirked after hearing the old man's words. He shook his head before he muttered, "A battle royal then."

.

.

.

"Huh? A what?"

The old man lost his cool as he asked what Lyon just said out of his mouth. The atmosphere immediately turned weird as the group and the onlookers slightly twitched their eyebrows.

"A battle royal is when you fought each other until one last man standing or woman or a dragon or a dog—

"Hey!" exclaimed Tuey with a pout.

"Whoever got its legs standing," explained Lyon as he broke out of his coolness.

"Oh! Ah! Ah of course, hahaha, sorry this old man is not up to date to you young folks! Hahaha!"

The old man laughed with his mouth wide open while Lyon had black lines over his face. Though the two of them looked really hit it off with each other, Ayuku on the other hand had her mouth gape.

(They knew each other? Is he his illegitimate son? Wait, that is a plausible theory! Maybe that is the reason why he had gone missing from the public for quite a long time! Lyon Torga... Young Emperor... OH MY GOD! All the dots connected!) thought Ayuku before her ears started working once again.

"...Ku."

"...Ku."

"Hey, Ayuku."

"H-huh?"

Ayuku finally snapped out of her own though as she turned around and saw Madoka was tugging her arm with her expressionless face as she called out her name.

"What? What's wrong Madoka?"

Madoka pointed out forward where the huge ashen bell was. Ayuku raised her eyebrows before she darted her glance toward the direction where she pointed at. The huge ashen bell had transformed into an opened gate with no doors. A portal to another dimension, another plane was presented in front of them. It looked like a dark vortex that could suck up the light itself.

"It has begun."

She smiled with her hands on her waist. Under the lunar shine, the Throne had finally begun. The door to another plane had been opened and the Crown winners had the same chances as the others to participate even though their resources differ from each other.

The East City, The South City, and The North City, the same thing was happening. The gate to another plane had been opened. All the Crown winners took a gaze with different expressions on their faces. Whether they were from among the Top Boards or not, there was not a single shred of doubt in their face, this was why they earned their Crown. They were built differently than the others.

"I hope I can meet you soon, Monster from the West! Our blood shall cross!"

The man from the North City who evoked a resonance suddenly leaped above the other heads and entered the vortex to another plane.

Clap!

"Alright, make way everyone."

The woman from South City immediately set out her intimidation with just one clap before the other Crown winners opened the path to the vortex. She casually walked the path before standing right in front of the gate with one of her hands on her waist. She took a glance to the west with a playful smile before she entered and vanished from sight.

"Tch!"

Kaiju Loh had a pinched expression. His jaw was tensed as his eyelids squinted. The corner of his lips pointed downwards as he walked in haste toward the vortex. He suddenly stopped before he turned around with a smirk, "You guys don't need to enter, don't waste your life, the Throne is my seat! HAHAHA!"

He laughed as he entered the vortex and vanished from the sight. (Lyon Torga! I will kill you for sure! My humiliation shall be mend by your corpse!).

"My, that guy really is quite something huh, a loser that is." a man suddenly muttered before he entered the vortex under everyone's eyes.

"Wha?"

"Was that?"

"Since when?!"

"Hmm..." Kyoko hummed as she smiled, "Looks like some of the Top Boards couldn't help but reveal themselves, the interesting part is, some will hold it until they are inside the other plane. Interesting, I wonder how Lyon would win this."

"He is really reckless, but I guess, it won't be him if he wasn't. Everyone knew his name, but no one will know his face since the huge figure was quite different from how he is."

Karina shook her head before Luna followed along.

"Though I don't know how he will do it, he might use this situation to his advantage, somehow. He was not all brute strength. Even if it's true that absolute strength triumph all tactics, no one could predict what he would do. Nobody ever saw the extent of his capabilities."

"Oh, please Luna, you know very well the 'extent' of hubby's capabilities."

Ryona put her hands over her shoulder whilst the latter's cheeks turned a red hue.

"Alright, that's enough Ryona."

Kyoko pulled her ear once more before she begged for mercy like last time.

"Ah... Miss, do you think that he would win?"

Fei suddenly muttered as Sylviana put down her cup, "I don't care."

She smiled wryly before she sat down on a chair across hers, "You know, you really should be honest with yourself."

"Fei... what are you talking about? This is so not like you."

"I mean, this is probably the first honest man that dared to approach you despite your... brutal personality deep down, hidden from the public."

"Hey! That's... true but it hurts when you are the one saying it. Besides, who said anything about approaching? That guy is as irresponsible as any other guy!"

"Which other guy?"

Sylviana was taken back by her question, "Err.... Jugen!"

"Are you seriously comparing him to Jugen?"

Her face turned a red hue before she shook her head, "He is irresponsible okay! I mean look, he came to us like a god without a single fabric on his body, right before my speech!"

"Though Jugen won the Labyrinth of Simak, It was Lyon who brought the ultimate prize."

"He smacked my butt!"

Fei chuckled, "But Nostria is now the undisputed largest kingdom in Deo because of him, he took down Heaven's Dawn tyranny remember? He also gained us a worthy ally like Luderia."

"Kh... he didn't even attend more than one class in Nostria Academy!"

"He gave you a sentient weapon, the prized Gungnir."

"Kh! He made us date him and paid for the meal!"

"We lost the bet fair and square."

"Kh!"

She was out of words as she started to nimble her thumb before she contemplated. The day they first met was not pretty and normal like the others. In fact, it was so famous, the story continued being told even when she left the empire to watch this competition. Some even made their own version. She suddenly stood up.

"I don't know how I feel about him, I'm thankful for what he had done, but..."

(I guess, I do sometimes wonder what it would like to spend time with him) thought Sylviana as her eyes were a bit down before she saw her reflection on the cup of tea. Her long silver hair draped around her shoulder and her red-velvet eyes were almost the same color as Scarlet. Her nobility, her power, her personality, it was the combination of the three that made her become avoided by her own people in the past.

"Trust your heart, do whatever it is necessary to make it satisfied, Miss. If you only wait, you won't be getting anywhere."

She slightly contemplated before she nodded, "I'm going to regret this, but I guess, I need to at least try."

Fei nodded, "How's your training with Gungnir?"

"Oh, OH! You want to see right?! Hehehe watch this! Gungnir!"

SPARK

A black spear appeared with a shock as Sylviana hold it in one hand. "See! This is how amazing— THUMP!"

Her eyes immediately froze as her heart thumped loudly. Her hair immediately turned back before Fei opened her eyes wide.

"Shit!"

Sylviana grinned before she darted her glance to the gate.  She suddenly leaped and went toward the vortex-like a gale of a storm. Leaving lightning at her wake.

"Wha?!"

"Was that?!"

"MISS!"

It was too late for Fei to do anything even with her speed. She tried to enter the vortex too but only got repelled before she felt a shock on her meridians and puked blood. The rest of the group immediately rushed in before asking what's going on.

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Lyon felt his goosebumps rose as he saw the vortex inside the gate.

"Man, this really brings back some bad memories."