Emperor's Reckoning

The onlookers immediately felt the atmosphere turning tense. Yunesia had a glint in her eyes as she saw how the situation developed. The Empress rarely took action nor a fight, however, in a once blue moon that she did, the whole world was instantly captivated. According to the testimonies and witnesses of the time that was lucky enough, her power could easily take down those that were in a higher realm than hers without breaking a single sweat. Everyone thought that she was living in solitude to reach a breakthrough this whole time

"Give me the boy, Empress Cecile, on account of your father, I will let them go..."

The old patriarch from Loh Sect repeated his words once more.

Sophia was clenching her fist as she looked at the epitome of a woman above her. The aura she exuded was something out of the ordinary but right now, their fate hung in the words that were held inside Cecile's throat. Whatever action the Empress took, would undoubtedly affect the others.

Even the old master couldn't help but take a look. Even though he was the kind of man that always took a neutral stance, if things just went south, he wouldn't shed a tear as he charged north.

(Shit! C'mon, heal!) thought Tusak with a gritted teeth on his face. His eyebrows furrowed in anger as he was not in the best shape to assist his master, however, just like him, if things have to go down he would join in despite the recuperating ribs that he was undergoing.

"Empress Cecile, he destroyed your city! That in its own is already a blatant offense to your grace!"

The patriarch tried his gullible tongue to persuade the latter. His eyebrows slightly furrowed as he looked at the Empress acted as if she didn't listen to what he just said. (What's wrong with her, the boy not only killed my son but also destroyed her city to a wasteland. Is she... trying to torture him by herself? Then...).

The patriarch smiled inside his mind before he let out a concerned tone, "Don't worry, I will make sure that he won't die without feeling the pain of utmost imaginable! He killed my son, Kaiju, the promising youth that surely would make an impact in this world!"

Even though he said those words. He was skeptical after sensing the cultivation that the boy had. However, there was no way that Kaiju's senior would have lied under that condition. Even he doubt that the senior would ever come back cultivation in a decade to come. The boy proved to be a potential threat that he must get rid of, else it would be bothersome if the latter mature. To think that even his talented son was severely killed, without a trace, but unbeknownst to him, he was lucky enough not to watch the horror and humiliation of the latter.

"Hm?" Cecile darted her gaze from the bleeding young man that fell out of consciousness toward the old man that was speaking in a rude manner in front

The patriarch lost his words the moment he looked at the beautiful woman having a dead glance against him. His eyes were immediately shrunken before the others followed suit. No matter what group, which side they belonged to, there was nothing but gasps.

"No way..." Yunesia muttered. Even the great genius was surprised by the sudden development.

The millions of students from the various sects were making the same expression. They saw an unbelievable emotion coming out in plain sight from the Empress herself.

"Tears... The Empress is crying?!"

"Impossible!"

"No way..."

The onlookers were in disbelief as they saw a gleaming streamline of warm liquid across her cheeks. This was a historical moment for them, they never saw her even shed a tear from pain before, let alone from emotions. However, they all soon gulped, even with tears in her eyes her beauty was untouched.

"Empress..."

Sophia was lost for words as she looked at her idol, she was the only person who had seen her tears before, but never did she thought that she would even shed them in public.

The old patriarch suddenly saw an opportunity before he turned his voice a bit hoarse while he was looking to the ground.

"I too, lost something precious to me, my dear son Kaiju. I thought he would be a glimmering star just like his older brothers. Alas, fate was not with him, oh, if only I could have arrived here sooner."

"That's why!" the old patriarch turned his glance against Cecile, "Let me do it, let me do the honor of destroying him, getting the revenge that we deserve! Let me give him the punishment that he is due!"

Suddenly Cecile's lips muttered.

"Shut up."

"?!!"

The entire atmosphere suddenly turned suffocating. There was an abundance amount of pressure just from the two words alone as it sent their hearts to out rhythm its original beats. Though the tone was soft, it was as sharp as any blade in the world. This was the product of the mantra.

Yunesia opened her eyes wide as she felt the familiar experience during the trial of the Throne.

"Mantra..."

The old master furrowed his eyebrows as his beard swayed by the wind with his hands behind his straight back. He looked at the grandee's woman above with awe. Not even he could perform mantra with his current cultivation. It was a technique from the combination of soul, mana, and meridians.

"To think that she could perform it whilst being that young, sometimes, I want to kill myself hahaha!"

Tusak gulped his saliva as he felt his heart escaped a beat. His body that usually happy to take on challenges and a fight, was now having the same feeling that he had when he looked at Lyon back in the trial of the Throne.

(These two, are they really made for each other?) thought Tusak after he saw his goosebumps rose straight like an animal detecting a predator nearby.

"Torture? Punishment? What are you talking about?"

Every word that Cecile uttered out was infused with mana. It was a direct area of effect kind of attack as those that could withstand it immediately started bleeding from the orifices, some even passed out on the spot. However, there was nothing wrong with that since most of them never trained their souls.

"E-Empress... you?!"

"I told you and all the people before that I couldn't care less about the treasures from Treas. Whether it's Alrude or Nistan, I couldn't care less. If you got business with the Treas family, go ask my mother about it, I want nothing nor I owe something from the Treas family."

She had made her stance to the onlookers before she turned around under their gasps. There was not a hint of doubt in her tone at all nor her facial expressions. She turned around without looking back before trying to leave the scene.

"Ah, leave the boy! Empress, you might not have business with the Treas but I still have business with my son's killer!"

He was trying to reach her out with his hand before the latter suddenly stop to his halt. He retracted his arm before he saw the latter turned around.

"No."

Cecile usually answered without delay. The sharp intonation was catching the old patriarch from Loh Sects and the others by surprise. They started to wonder if the Empress didn't realize the consequences of her action.

"Empress, you do realize that you are putting Sophia and the rest in danger right?"

The old patriarch immediately brought the chip to the table.

"Danger? Danger from what? All you wanted to do is to take this world under your rule right? If that what you want then go ahead."

Everyone was immediately taken back, even the one that brought out the deal was too. He would have never expected that things would go so smoothly considering that he knew her father's identity. He had prepared to suffer some losses but not a clean sweep victory without death.

"E-Empress..." Sophia smiled wryly. She knew from the beginning that Cecile was not the type to deal with governing stuff. The reason she took the mantle to become an empress of an empire was only for herself to know.

Meanwhile from the horizon, the old man was doing the impossible. He carried Tuey, Ayumu, Lumina, and even Fusya on his back. He couldn't believe he allowed himself to be used as transportation. However, he was aid by Madoku who rode her little raven alongside them.

"Empress, don't push us, if we decided to, not even you could stop us. The boy must suffer by my hand, I need to kill him! I mean, what's the worth of a single young man against many?"

He was trying to push the bid. There was no way that the young man should fall to the Empress, else, the others would think of him less, which would be detrimental in the future for him.

"You old thing, do you know who he is to me?!"

(old thing?!) thought the old patriarch before he clenched his fists.

The old patriarch didn't manage to utter out a word before with a wind fluttering her cloak, she leaned her face in toward Lyon. The world was instantly silent as a surge of euphoria brimming inside her the moment their lips connected to each other.