Emperor's Reckoning

His presence immediately raised brows as one of the guards standing in welcome addressed him.

"Hey you, get out of there!"

"I'm sorry in advance, but this wedding will be canceled," said Lyon.

"You have the nerve to try to break this holy ceremony!" shouted the guard.

"Holy, you say?" Lyon chuckled. "You have no idea what that means."

"Tch! Cocky brat!" the guard sheathed his sword.

"Oi, it's a holy ceremony, spilling blood in this kind of event will bring bad luck you know," Lyon smirked as he heard the bubbly boil of the guard's blood.

"You fucker!" the guard gritted his teeth before the other guards started moving.

"Sorry buddy looks like you have too much to drink, it's quite unfortunate but you're going to be inside a cell for a long time," said one of the ten or more guards as he approached him.

"You think you can defeat me with no swords drawn?" asked Lyon as he raised his brows. "You are very welcome to try, in return, I will use only my legs unless you have the power to force my hands of course."

Lyon raised his chin and winked before one of the guards roared as he plunged himself forward.

"No blood," Lyon uttered before his leg swept up against th guard's pointy chin. The latter hovered in the air with his eyes rolled back before thudding against the stairs. The loud clank bought all the gasps of the onlookers.

Lyon courted all of their eyes before the rest of the guards squeezed their glabella with their brows.

"Hehe, you guys alright? I can hear your blood rising from here," Lyon smirked before he raised his chin.

Five or more guards immediately rushed forward.

"You never learn," Lyon shrugged before he speared his foot against one of them, instantly breaking the formation apart. The rest immediately grouped him up without spending a breath but every move was countered effortlessly as if he was skiing on top of the ice. Even when they were directly in front of him they were no match.

"Tch!" one of the guards put his hand on top of the hilt of the sword before he drew the sword but only managed halfway before it was rudely slammed back in by Lyon's foot and held. The guard opened his eyes wide as he looked at the foot and locked his weapon inside the sheath.

"Tsk! Tsk! That's cheating," said Lyon before he used the sword as a pivot and kicked the chin out of the guard's face with his other leg.

The latter flew and landed on the stairs before being pulled down by gravity.

The onlookers were shocked and terrified. One man just ousted tens of the royal guards without using his hands. All of them passed out without a single consciousness that could be seen. It was unprecedented but none of them dare to say anything but gasp before the ladies snapped and screamed like banshees.

...

Inside the throne room. The king frowned as he faced the bride and the groom in front of him. The scream of panic was resounding and tainted the holy ceremony.

"Oh my, looks like the crown prince's fan is getting jealous," the Ancient One remarked with a laugh.

"Hahaha, you jest," the king laughed but his furrowed brows got the captain nodding and the latter immediately checked outside.

Selena turned around and frowned.

"Don't worry, Lady Selena, I'm sorry to cause you trouble, it seems like I can't control my magnanimous charisma," the handsome man with brown apricot hair laughed. "Gosh, you're really beautiful."

"That doesn't sound sincere," said Selena as she frowned at his praise.

"Trust me, it's from the bottom of my heart, besides, I know your school needs the backing," the crown prince smirked.

Selena buried her fingers in her palm before she caught a glimpse of the elders smiling at her. Her lips parted.

She was an ordinary girl grown from a shabby family. She was not born with a silver spoon whatsoever but she was gifted enough to hold a sword well. She would swing every day, practice every day, and see others as competitors.

She was given food, shelter, and a future at the Void Sword School. Something that her parents could never give her. However, her days turned bleak the moment where she came back home for a visit.

The powder of ashes ran coursing inside her nose. Her pupils shrunk and trembled. Her lungs slowed down before her knees fell. Her eyes reddened but she couldn't blink as she watched her simple home in the middle of a field now nothing more than burnt pieces of logs.

Two burnt corpses were facing the sky with their jaws open. She knew all too well who they belonged to.

She was never the same then, but the school took her in. All the elders pampered her, guided her, and even aid her in her revenge against the local bandits that killed her parents. However, she was empty, her mind was slowly turning into a sword, and failed to notice a young man of her peers, stealing a glance and smiling at her every time she swung her sword.

Her parted lips closed before she turned her head and looked at the king and the queen. She smiled the best she could.

( It's all for the school, they did so much to me, at the very least, I can do this to repay them. Even if it hurts ) thought Selena before the scene where she kissed her in the arena made her shake her head.

' Hey, do you want to be my girlfriend? ' A voice of a kid made Selena's eyes open wide as her lips parted once more.

Many avoided her in school due to her diligence and perseverance, but this young boy in particular, always try some wild ideas. She was the first in every class and he was the worst. His attitude was dislikeable and she was unapproachable. When she practiced her sword, he was there, even though he was supposed to be practicing with the common students.

The boy crossed his arms and grinned under the same tree where he first met her.

"What? Are you stupid or something?" asked Selena before she turned around. "Stop wasting my time, I thought that you want to practice."

"Eh?" Lyon slouched his shoulders. "That actually hurts, but sure, let's practice. Though I shoot my shot when I asked if you can train me, I never thought that you would actually agree."

"I can learn from everything, even from the worst," said Selena before she turned and faced him with her sword drawn.

"You know, I saw 'life' when I first meet you, I wonder if I can spark that light in your eyes again," Lyon smiled.

"Shut up and stop thinking about nonsense, that's the reason why you're the worst in class," said Selena.

"Oof, I think your tongue is sharper than your sword," Lyon rubbed his chest before drawing his sword. "Alright, second round then!"

"Prepare!"

The two fought but it ended once a thud was heard. The grasses didn't even finish dancing by the gale but Selena's eyes were already trembling as she saw the sword was pointing at her glabella. She was already on the ground and her ears perked as she heard his chuckles.

Lyon pulled his sword away before giving his hand. "Want another round?"

"How did you..."

"Well, instinct I guess," Lyon laughed before he grabbed her hand and pulled her up to stand then gave her her sword.

"Third round? If I beat you again, I'll treat you, I can cook, haha!"

"Tch!" Selena gritted her teeth. "I won't lose."

She lost again, and again, and again. In every secret bout that she had with him, she always lost. However, every time as well, the two spent their time together. Lyon would cook her food, and force her to walk with her in a forest. Gathering mushrooms, hunting animals for food, and even fishing at the nearby river. She was always trying to see the weakness that the boy possessed but failed to see the warmth inside his eyes. Until the day of the final exam approached.

"Guha!" a student fell before wailing in pain.

The rest of the students shook their heads in admiration toward the young girl who reigned the arena.

"Selena is going to be the inheritor, no doubt about it," said one other student before he sparked a conversation with one line of thinking. None of them could think of another student that could rival Selena's prowess.

However, Selena herself was not concerned as she descended down from the arena. Her eyes were looking for a certain individual but she found none. Her brows furrowed before her ears perked up as she heard a conversation.

"Hey have you heard, I heard Lyon was expelled," said one female student to her friends.

The goosebumps on her nape jolted before she approached the group with raging steps.

"What you just said, is it true?!" Selena's stern voice caused the female students to shriek and courted the attention of the others.

"I-It's true!"

"Tch!" Selena didn't bother to ask another question before she rushed toward the boy's dorm without thinking. She caught one boy before threatening his neck with her sword, "Where is Lyon's room?!"

"EEk! Th-The one at the end of the corridor!"

Selena didn't bother wasting her breath before she ran toward the specified room. She opened the door before her heart sank. The room was neat and there was no sign of anyone.