Emperor's Reckoning

Before everyone could comprehend the shout of reply from outside the arena.

"Resume the tournament."

A bellowing voice was heard as it ruled the atmosphere in the arena. The dignified bellow had a hint of a roar and veneration. For the voice belonged to none other than Rupert's Father.

"The king of Golden Dragon..." muttered the spectators.

He had a rejuvenating figure as he stood with his chest held high. His face was on the older side, but time was having a hard time wearing him down. The bearing he exuded was far from what Rupert had at the moment.

Though he was certainly speaking to the host, his eyes were looking at the daring youth. The brimming vigor was something that even he was lacking.

The young man stood with confidence that could deter the devils back home. He looked at the king of the Golden Dragon with a smirk on his face.

"Darling..." said the queen as she held his hand from her seat.

The king closed his eyes before sitting back down.

"What's the matter?" asked the queen.

The king opened his eyes, "That youth is not ordinary, that roar just now..."

"It has a hint of a dragon roar, yes?"

The king shook his head, "That's the tip of the iceberg. It's which dragon does that roar belong to that concern me."

"It's not a lesser dragon?"

"Most probably not, just look at Acres, the kilin has far more sensitivity to one's origin than a dragon."

The queen looked at the young Acres before she could make out his palpitation. "You're right."

"Worse scenario would be that the youth..." the king shook his head as he threw his crazy thought.

The queen furrowed her eyebrows but refuse to ask further.

"Y-Yes!" The host replied. "We will resume the tournament."

The host made a light cough before explaining.

"The tournament will be held in a few rounds! You will not be fighting one another yet, no, you will have to pass certain assessments before you can advance to the next round. Just like the Alchemy Union exam."

(Alchemy Union?) thought Lyon before he remembered a certain girl with rabbit ears. (Right, I should make a visit sometime later).

"The first will be collecting," the host smiled.

"Collecting?" muttered Lyon.

"That's right! If you want to advance to the next round, you have to collect the horns of Hellboar as many as you can!"

"Horns of Hellboar?" Lyon tilted his head. The name was foreign for him especially the word hell when he was currently in heaven.

"Hellboar is a beast that lurked in the nearby forest, big brother. It had a single horn for the teen Hellboar and four to five for the adult. They said the oldest boar has seven horns."

'Hahaha,' Bapho the Calamity Goat chuckled as he too had seven horns that formed a star if one made a line out of its point.

"Why is it called Hellboar though?" asked Lyon as his eyes squinted.

"I don't know, " Zet shook his head.

"Hellboar breed indefinitely and can roam in any environment except the sea, since, well, it's self-explanatory," said Porealus.

"Did you guys do this too last time?"

"Yeah," answered both of them.

"I see, how does breeding indefinitely mean?" asked Lyon.

"They breed like rabbits," said Ivy.

Lyon raised his eyebrows before he smiled as he looked at Ivy. His gaze made her slightly blush before she looked away with crossed arms, "What is it?"

"Nothing, just never thought that those words would come out of your cold lips," said Lyon.

"There is nothing cold about my lips!" said Ivy before she gave him an icy glare.

"Alright, jeez, it's just a joke," said Lyon as he rest the back of his hands against his chest.

"Phew~" (Perhaps in this life, only Lyon could make that stone-cold woman turn fiery with a single sentence).

"Zet."

"What is it, big brother?"

"Do I need to cut the head of the boar?"

"Oh no you don't, when a Hellboar dies, the skin surrounding their horns will loosen up, but you still need to pluck it out though."

"Well, that's convenient."

The host continued. "Use only the pouch to gather the horns or else it will not be counted by the end of the day."

"Wait a minute, the end of the day?" asked one of the participants.

"Yes, the moment the light of the sun succumbed, the moment twilight came, that's where your time is up. Those that failed to come on time will also be disqualified."

"I see," muttered Lyon. "Zet, are you allowed to rob the others' loot?"

"That's the devilish part about this, yes, yes you can," answered Zet.

Lyon smirked. "Then, is killing allowed?"

Zet was having a hard time answering it, but so did Porealus.

"Host!" called Lyon.

The host slightly shriek and took a step back on an instinct. He still remembered the grand view of Heaven's Prism, the ultimate metal in heaven.

The host had a vivid cold sweat but he still took a step forward before asking politely, "W-What is it?"

Were it not for Lyon's mad personality, he would have given him a demeaning look. However, he knew that this man dared enough to face Hezar head-on. The group that was sent to kill him, he had not known how their fate lied, but the fact that he was here right now, the horror of massacre haunted him.

"Is killing allowed?" asked Lyon with a smirk on his face.

The atmosphere instantly froze as the onlookers couldn't believe their ears. There was not a single rule that stated that killing was allowed nor were there to disallowed killing other cultivators. The spoil of Hellboars will bound to cause a shortage for the participants. They would not have any other choice but to fight each other to gain more horns.

"Killing? You with your peak Godhood cultivation level? Don't make me laugh." said Prince Raul. His eyes had a gaze of condescending. The bearing of superiority was exuded but no matter how much pressure Raul plummeted upon him, the latter didn't even twitch.

Rupert didn't agree but certainly didn't oppose Raul's opinion. Even though they were rivals, they now had a common ground against Lyon.

"Heh, that's alright, I still have the most beautiful woman in heaven by my side on the bed," said Lyon as he slightly raised his chin.

"Y-You!" Raul was glaring and though Rupert was not fuming to the point of his veins bulging from the rush of blood, his eyes were giving him the same vibe.

"You're a prince, you can sleep with a thousand hoes, but me, I only sleep with the best women," claimed Lyon proudly, or rather, shamelessly.

"Hmph! You have a sharp tongue but nothing else," said Raul.

"I have Cecile and you don't," said Lyon as he shrugged his shoulder.

"You!" Raul was boiling.

"Heh," Lyon smirked as he saw Raul drawn deeper to the pool of rage. "Host, answer my question."

The host suddenly reigned control of the attention once more. He doubly opened his mouth before he said. "Whatever happened during the collecting, will stay there and not be pursued."

Lyon smiled as he heard the host confirm it. "I see, thank you for your answer."

"Then... let me contin—."

"Wait! I have another question," said Lyon before he deliberately pointed at the two princes. "Is an outsider allowed to interfere?"

"What are you implying?!" said Rupert before he stepped forward.

"Are you telling me that you suspect us will do something to you during the collection?!" said Raul as he too stepped forward.

(This guy) Hilde smiled wryly. (He just couldn't help but make a mess, could he).

(Lyon you're sharp!) thought Porealus as he gave him a thumbs-up, though secretly.

"I was not saying that you two will, but who knows, I know someone with a dignified manner but... Heh," Lyon smirked as he averted his gaze toward Hezar.

"Outsiders are not allowed during the collecting, anyone caught will be dealt by the Four Kingdoms," said the host.

"Alright," said Lyon with a nod. (Dealt with, hah, as if that's not a red flag for corruption, but no matter).

"Are there any more questions?" asked the host to all of the participants.

"Oh, I have one."

(You again!) thought the host before he asked, "What is it?"

"If you collect the most horns, will you get something in return?" asked Lyon.

"Yes! The top three will receive something in return. However, it will be a secret until the result is clear. Thank you, I was about to tell you that exact information," said the host.

"Receive something, huh," said Lyon before he put his hands behind his head. "Something feels quite fishy."

"What?" asked the host with furrowed eyebrows. He had never seen mortal acting so unruly in the realm of heaven before.

"Nothing," said Lyon. "I'm just contemplating by myself, no need to worry about me."

(Who is worrying about you!) thought the host as he almost felt one of the veins connecting to his heart snap.

"I'm just thinking that it might be better to be called 'harvesting' instead of 'collecting' but whatever floats your boat," said Lyon before he yawned.