Only I Am A Reader

"Welcome! To my family's humble grounds."

The sound was pleasant, but that didn't mean it didn't contain any dignity. Rather, it was very firm in that aspect. The only thing that made some of the people around confused was how young it sounded.

"I didn't expect that only so little would make it this year, but that means we conveniently get to walk around easily like this."

Coming out from the castle that didn't appear any smaller as it stood beside the Sky-Piercing Sword, a man who didn't even seem to be thirty was casually walking while surrounded by his entourage. His hair that strangely took on the silvery-gray color of iron was tied into a ponytail, highlighting the contrast that his black robes created with his pale skin, the smile on his face serving as the icing on the cake.

"Your Imperial Highness!"

Those that recognized him immediately bowed alongside the Association President. Regardless of how he looked, this man was none other than the Sky-Piercing Sword Empire's one and only Emperor!

Given the ruling structure of an Empire that emerged under war's banner, the Emperor rarely showed his presence. However, the image of the middle-aged ruler who drove the Empire to win the Great Sword War was etched into the minds of the citizens long ago, this sight shocked half of the lucky survivors.

"Why aren't you bowing?!"

A guard standing by the 'young' Emperor's side quickly shouted out. By now, even those who were flustered had already lowered their heads, only two particular oddballs didn't react much.

The one that impatiently stared while his head seemed to float in the Sky-Piercing Sword's direction was slightly understandable, but what irritated the Imperial Guard the most was the static smile on the mask of the man standing next to him. They hadn't 'announced' the Emperor's appearance, but were they both as slow as to not read the room?

"It's okay. As Swordsmen who live by their blade, it's natural for them to not be familiar with matters of etiquette. We will all get familiar with each other when they join us in a while."

Ever since his father had stepped aside from his throne, the young Emperor tried his best to perfect his role. There was no need to put down useful weapons right, although it might be a different story once they became his.

The founding Emperor had grown tired after battling the world for so long, and he had been specifically groomed to take his place. Naturally, he knew when to advance and retreat.

"Brother, we aren't starting yet?"

At that moment, another figure emerged from between the guards, one that was just as stunning as that of the young Emperor. Only this time, it was someone that everyone could agree on admiring! Even without being told, they could tell that this had to be the Imperial Princess!

"We were just about to! Let's just skip the formalities and proceed with the ceremony."

Seeing the anticipation in his sister's eyes, the young Emperor gestured with his to the guards. Even if he didn't particularly dote on her, she was their father's favorite. Since the numbers were this small, it didn't make much of a difference anyway.

"Follow us."

Knowing their destination, no one complained about the rushed start. After experiencing the effects of just being in the vicinity of it, the thing that they looked forward to the most was the ceremony held around the Sword of Epoch, rather than being greeted in the Imperial Castle first.

Taking over the same space as the Imperial Castle, a large arena was constructed around the sword sheathed by the ground. This was not only for the sake of ceremonies like this. After all, this was also considered the training ground of the Imperial Family! The Sky-Piercing Sword Arena!

Even though they had just looked at it from the outside, the group guided by the entourage still couldn't help but be mesmerized by the sight of the gigantic sword as they made their way into the arena. Within the group, Jade could tell that Ray was barely holding himself back from rushing over.

'It's about to start.'

Appreciating the peace that still held on to this moment, Leo's face grew stiff under the mask, this was the calm before the storm. In the midst of these thoughts, he couldn't help but laugh at the curious glances the princess threw at the oblivious Ray. His dashing looks had already pocketed in another admirer, but he only had this gigantic sword in his eyes.

"Once again, I would like to welcome and congratulate everyone that made it here. Starting this day, we will both become part of the same entity, an entity that only has the safety of the Empire and its citizens at heart, but first, we will start the welcoming ceremony with the ranking battle as per tradition!"

Having risen to the podium, standing in front of the crowd, the young Emperor delivered his short but typical speech before pointing at the sword catching everyone's attention.

As if to emphasize its position, there were a pair of battle rings erected on each face of the sword. Although the 'contribution ranking' was also relevant, the ranking battle was still the basis of establishing hierarchy within the newcomers.

"Right, seeing your faces clearly is also an important part of the ranking battle, so it's better if you remove any kind of 'obstruction'."

Bang!

Just as the Emperor had finished his 'general' note, a loud sound that seemed to come from afar came crashing into the arena! And this was just the beginning of it!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound kept recurring as the whole crowd looked around in shock. For some reason, the sound felt like it was coming closer! However, they had no idea what was causing it!

They were currently standing within the Imperial Family' domain, the place that was supposed to be the safest spot in the world! Yet, within this crowd, fear had crept into the heart of the majority…

'Here he comes.'

Only one person was still calmly able to process the situation, it was the reader that already went through this once!