Emperor's Reckoning

Drogan furrowed his brows. He could hear her words in clear clarity however, he had never expected that his imposing presence would yield to her subjecting him to a kneel.

"What did you... say?" Drogan's eyes turned a sharp glare. His dignity was struck even before he pulled out his weapon. He might not have any real power as an astral projection, but his status was a mean of one. His words could direct the Burgeon Swan.

Selena gritted her teeth. She tightened her grip and her desire to obliterate finally influenced her surrounding. Her eyes flashed golden before she pulled her sword by the side of her waist and slashed the very fabrication of space in front of her.

The astral instantaneously broke apart, leaving numerous scars on the space it once was. What appeared to be one slash from the eyes of a cultivator was false. A different reality was presented to them.

Lenu was in disbelief. He never expected that Drogan didn't even finish what he wanted to say before getting destroyed—such disrespect toward a man secretly trying to control the Second Heaven.

"Well, well," Lyon raised his chin slightly as he faced the numerous kowtowing cultivators. "I think I've made my fair share of points."

Lyon turned and looked at his wife descending from the sky before standing next to her. "All better?"

Selena took a deep breath, "No, darling."

Lyon smiled wryly before looking at the three students, "I think a good rest is due, BUT SADLY WE DON'T HAVE A SPARE ROOM OR TOKENS!"

One of the kowtowing cultivators immediately looked up before standing, "T-Teacher, we would love to welcome you!"

"No! We would host you better!" said another.

Before long, the entire inn owners of the city pitched against one another. The debate went on but Lyon was not annoyed, in fact, he was amused. He knew that they would do nothing to curry favor with him.

Lyon smirked as he looked at the disbelief in the three students' eyes. "You can choose which inn you want to stay 'inn', heh, get it?" He walked between them with his hands behind his head.

Reinhard and the other two students could only look at the back of this aloof teacher of theirs. The situation was grim just a moment ago, but it was resolved with zero casualties on their sides— at least, nobody died on their side. Their hope only grew.

"Ah, teacher," Reinhard called out.

"Huh?"

"Did we pass the test?" asked Reinhard.

Rayus and Noah just raised their brows. They just remembered that they were given their first real test. It was a surmounting one but it was necessary, for they need to prove themselves if they could fight Ferece.

"You're still alive, aren't you?" Lyon waved his hands as he continued to walk away, "Oh yeah, Noah, you get a decent physician to look at your wounds, Rayus, follow me."

Rayus's heart skipped a beat, "E....En" he nodded. Every step he took as he followed his teacher was getting lighter and lighter. The thought of his impairment being healed was something he had forsaken a long time ago. However, the man that descended from the sky and stomped everyone's pride had a way he had never expected. The world was against him and the other two, but that will change, it must change.

"Selena, I will need your help," said Lyon. "I don't want any disturbance as I tended to his impairment, please keep an eye out for me."

"En," Selena nodded.

Lyon sighed, ( Wish it was a girl, but whatever ) thought Lyon before he passed the gate of the city and into the wilderness of the forest.

After getting deep enough into the forest. Lyon stopped, "This is good enough, I guess." He turned around and looked at Rayus whose eyes were riddled with hope and nervousness. "Relax... take a deep breath and all that."

"I-I... hardly can contain my excitement," said Rayus.

"Er... you might want to consider your phrasing, Rayus, I'm getting the chills," said Lyon as his shoulders had a sip of cold.

"What?! No! Not that!" said Rayus.

"Alright, alright, I'm just messing with you, sit down," said Lyon.

"Yes!" Rayus sat down.

"What you're about to experience, swore to me that you are not going to tell anyone about it, not even if you're grandmother is dying, I'm not a walking physician and I'm not intending to be that."

"I... I understand," said Rayus as he nodded. He sat down with his legs crossed.

"This should be easy," said Lyon. "I've dealt with worse." He looked at Selena before nodding.

Selena nodded. She closed her eyes and concentrate on her encompassing will. She banged open her blue eyes. "Domain."

The space within the forest was sealed.

( Such tremendous presence! ) thought Rayus as his trepidation began.

"Alright," Lyon smirked before mana in the air started shifting and surging to his will.

...

Meanwhile inside a discreet place.

The room was dimly lit by flickering mana orbs that cast dancing shadows across the walls. The air was heavy with the scent of burning candles and incense, giving the space an otherworldly aura. At the center of the room stood a large, round table, made of polished mahogany and surrounded by high-backed chairs adorned with intricate carvings of swan burgeoning.

Around the table, were three cultivators. One of them was Ferece, the other was Drogan, and the last one was a man who had a build between the last two. He had a grimoire floating in front of him and pages slowly flipped on their own. The meeting had been called to discuss matters of great importance, and the air was thick with tension.

Drogan slowly opened his eyes.

"That was quick, how did it go, captain?" asked Ferece.

"I didn't get to see his face," said Drogan as his eyes filled with silent rage. He had been disrespected right in front of a whole city.

"Hm?!" Both Ferece and the other one had their eyes widened and trembled. Blood escaped from the edge of Drogan's lips.

Drogan casually wiped the blood running with his thumb. He looked at the blood at the tip of his thumb with his brows furrowed.

The sight alone made the other two understand the gravity of the situation. A monster was roaming the Second Heaven right under their nose. Not just everyone dared to talk back against Drogan, let alone destroyed his astral. Coupled with Rezali, Gamael, and Poger's sudden death, their might was suddenly thwarted in half. However, as long as Drogan was still breathing, so was the Burgeon Swan.

Drogan let out a heavy breath through his nose. "I noticed as well, a familiar figure."

"What? Who?" asked Ferece.

"Funny that you asked, because they are related to you," said Drogan.

"Huh?" Ferece furrowed his brows before deepening his voice, "Who?"

"Remember the deal that you took in Nirvana School?" asked Drogan.

"Don't tell me..."

"It's not the dealer, but three brats."

Ferece's eyes widened. ( Those three brats!? ). "Why are they there?!"

"The answer lies in our prisoner," said Drogan. "Bring him here!"

Before long Refl was heavily guarded as he entered this room. The intense air immediately weighed on his shoulders.

"Haven't seen you in a long time, old friend," said Refl as he smirked at Drogan.

Ferece raised his brows, "You two know each other?"

"What? You keep our relationship a secret?" asked Refl.

"That was a long time ago, Refl," said Drogan. "Now who you are speaking to is the one that leads the Burgeon Swan."

"I see, this is interesting," said the cultivator with the floating grimoire.

"This is not something you should be privy to, Niamh," said Drogan.

"Apologies, apologies," Niamh smirked.

Drogan spared a leer at Niamh before looking at Refl. "Refl, surely you know what happened in Nirvana School, particularly Class Six."

"Ah, so you've met them," said Refl. "What about them?"

"Why are they there? Don't bullshit me with coincidence," said Drogan. "I have every name under your so-called resistance group or some big frog or whatnot."

"I see, so you've gone that far," Refl snorted a smile, "It's a shame that we go on our separate ways, or should I say polar ways."

"Wait a minute," Ferece raised his brows. He looked at Refl, remembering that a drunk man knew what he had done, "Back then, are you referring to what I did to those three brats?"

"Yes," Refl nodded.

"What...? Who would fight for those brats?!" asked Ferece.

"Well apparently, a far-worthy teacher," said Refl. "He might be unscrupulous in his ways, but he delivers what you lacked."

"What?!"

"Enough," said Drogan. "This teacher, who is he?"

"What? You can get all the names under my group but can't get his? Are you getting dull, Drogan?" asked Refl.

"We should kill him, captain!" said Ferece.

"Hahaha! That's a foolish idea," said Refl. "Killing me would be a waste of your resources. That guy is not under my wing, he acts on his own side. Killing me won't stop him from coming here." Refl looked at his old friend with a sight of victory and a smirk of an upper hand.