《Perverted Otherworlder》 1 Summoned The dripping sound of rain was crashing on the window while thundering blasts from up above occasionally came down. The chill atmosphere was striking in every corner of the room, if people were to wear thin clothes they would surely have their teeth chatter. However, in this room, one young man was leisurely enjoying his bath despite the cold. He had a ripped figure but his muscle was lean enough to make him look like a thin young man if he were to wear a slightly loose cloth.His long black hair was tied in a knot and his deep black eyes seemed to contain the universe it''s self. He had a really charismatic face that would make people tend to gather around him the more one got to know him. "Ah yes, this is the best weather for me, cold outside and warm inside ... so comfortable," said the young man as he slid deeper into the bathtub. It wasn''t until forty-five minutes later that he got up from the bathtub. *Splash "Ah, my hands get wrinkled... I shouldn''t stay too long in the bathtub", said the young man before he continued, "Hehehe this is the benefits of living alone, I can go naked around the house, this is true freedom HAHAHA", "Alright some warm chocolate milk would do me good." *Spark *BOOM "Damn that thunder was so close,.. hm? what is that light? it''s coming from the fridge" said the young man as he walked near it. "Maybe is a calling to another world? heh, no way right, man I''m so thirsty." as the young man held the handle on the fridge... "Hmmm.. I somehow have a bad feeling about this....", "you know what, I trust my instinct" the young man let go of the handle and walked away from it... *rattle *rattle *RATTLE the fridge was shaking and the young man turned back to look at it with a really nervous expression. "Okay okay, I know I should open that fridge because fridge shaking by itself is not normal, but no I ain''t gonna fall for that," said the young man as he ran to his room but only to stop in front of the door. "Oi... this time is a black light..." black lines covered his head as he didn''t know what''s going on anymore. "Ah right this is a dream hah so stupid of me, maybe if I close my eyes everything would be back to normal" as the young man shut his eyes *Creak As the door opened,a black vortex appeared to be blocking the entire room. A tiny black light slowly came out of it. Once its out, the tiny black light didn''t waste any time and started to chase the young man. The young man openedhis eyes wide and couldn''t utter a word... but one thing was in his mind ''RUN'' *Boom The fridge opened and a white vortex appeared, A tiny white light coming out and soon flying to chase the young man too "This is a dream a DREAM !! I MEAN COME ON! DON''T YOU GUYS USUALLY USE A TRUCK?!" as he continues to run to the entrance of the house only to stop in front of the door... "Of course why wouldn''t there be a golden light !! ah, damn it !! I''m still naked!! You gonna send a guy naked?! AHH!!!" as he turned back only to saw the other two lights. *swoosh The three lights enveloped the young man as he disappeared from the earth. 2 Naked Young Man The Kingdom of Nostria was one of most the prosperous kingdoms in the land of Deo. With only twenty thousand-ish people living inside,they were always living in peace and harmony. The one that made this situation possible was the old ruler of this kingdom, King Gref. The reason for this particular kingdom was prosperous was because he made this place as a place where all races and all religions accepted as long as they didn''t break the kingdom''s rule. With that, business between merchants was booming because they could sell or buy stocks of items that only belong to a particular race in a particular land. Today all the citizens and soldiers were gathering below the palace balcony for a speech from the Queen herself. "Wah.. there are too many people.. HEY stop pushing!" said a citizen. "MAINTAIN ORDER!" said the soldier in front with a lance standing vertically as he held it. A hand suddenly tappedthe soldier''s shoulder, "You shouldn''t try so hard Lukas they are all citizens, not a duck." A well built brown-skinned man of 40-ish years old with an extraordinary beard and a buzz cut hair filled the vision of Lukas. "But Captain Zusk we have to.." "Shhh... just let them be, it''s been forever since the last time we heard the queen gave a speech" "But that aside sir, first I''m sorry for being too rude to ask this but you don''t look so well and that eye bags could fill a gallon of water" "Oh this .. hahaha ... I just patrol the gates last night ... hmm yes that''s right" said Zusk as he kept nodding ( Nobody should know I went to brothel last night ) "Oh you really are our role model sir !" said Lukas, ( You are not fooling anyone here captain, you never go patrol at night since you are promoted to captain!) "Aih I''m so sleepy, I''m gonna take a nap," said Zask as he gave a yawn "But sir! you have to be in charge of all of us during the speech!" said Lukas "Don''t worry about it, my position is almost exactly at the bottom of the balcony, the Queen would look at the citizens and not me, besidesI already mastered the art of ''Stand Sleeping'' hehe...ZZZzzz" Black lines appearedon the surrounding citizens and soldiers including Lukas "But still, it''s amazing how he can sleep while standing and still hold his lance upward" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the hall inside the kingdom A short purple hair was fluttering along the halls as she ran to a room with a big door made of royal wood. White skinned, slim figure, oval face, perky nose, small lips, green eyes that can make man can''t help but care. She was wearing a maid dress complete with white stocking and the headband. *knock *knock "Miss Sylviana the preparation for the speech is already done, we are all awaiting your presence" ..... .... .... "I''m opening the door." The sunlight filled the chamber, all the things that should be in this room were in this room. In the middle of the room was a king sized bed on top of it was a young woman seemed to be 25 years old wearing a pajama. Beautiful shiny silver hair draped around her upper body, A red lips that could make men can''t help but want to take a taste, A pair of velvet red pupils that could bewitch men with a wink, a cute small nose andflawless white skin that made snow gatheredto worship, and finally the big twin peaks that protruding proudly were there to complete this masterpiece. "Wake up miss, it''s time," said the maid softly "Hmm? what time is it Fei?" said Sylviana as she woke up and rubbed her eyes "It''s past 10 o''clock now." "What? oh Shit, Fei!why don''t you wake me up sooner!" "Manners!! miss Sylviana." "Oh c''mon it''s fine if it''s just the two of us nobody would know" but as soon as she said that her whole body felt cold and she looked at Fei who was standing there glaring at her with her ''Death Gaze'' "Al-al-alright fine stop glaring at me like that." Fei stopped her death aura and smiled, then said, "Okay miss let''s hurry up and change your clothes". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ At the balcony *Clank The citizens immediately shut up and looked up *tap tap tap A beautiful woman wearing a queen''s robe was standing while holding a rod with Nostria''s symbol on top of it while exuding a majestic aura. Behind her was Fei the personal maid. "My People of Nostria, I gather you all today to bring good news!" said Sylviana as she smiled proudly. "In 15 days our Kingdom will finally be the host of the annual ''Young genius competition of south Deo'', I personally hope that our young geniuses can make it to the top 10 in this event," said Sylviana. "Hmm I should stock up my items to sell at the event," said a merchant. "Ah I have to stock up the clothes since the ladies from other kingdoms might not know the beauty of Nostria''s original clothes," said a tailor ".....ZZZZZzzzz" said Zusk. "My people of Nostria, in 10 days we will open a tournament for the qualification to enter the event and only the top 3 shall be given the opportunity." "heh so our kingdom only has 3 quotas this year" mumbled a citizen. "if only the old king was still alive" sighed another citizen. "We probably gonna lose again," said a young man. Clenching her hand tightly ( I know that, I know that I''m not capable as my father), a warm liquid was building up and about to fall down from her eyes. *SWOOSH 3 ray of lights came down from the farthest sky right onto the edge of the balcony in front of Sylviana. "Wh--wh-What''s that," said the citizen. "Mom is that a God?" said a child while tucking her mother''s skirt. "C-C-Captain Zusk you gotta see this it''s God!" said Lukas. "Zzzzz yeah.... shake it zzz," said Zusk. the surrounding had another black lines across their head. the lights gradually faded and revealed someone from within. "it''s a...man?" said Fei. Finally, the lights faded into nothingness. "Ah.... " the man slowly opened his eyes. (what a gorgeous beauty) a shade of red appeared on his cheeks. "Hello lady, my name is Lyon.. wanna have dinner tonight?" said Lyon. "Yy-you... HOW DARE YOU!" said Sylviana. "Eh,... um, how dare I what?" "To sh-sh-sh-SHOW that DISGUSTING THING in front of me" as she pointed out Lyon''s ''dragon rod''. "Oh my." giggled Fei. "What thing?" as he followed the direction of her finger "@#$@$!$" "Wow that is a nice butt hahaha it''s shinier than the sunlight at this point," said the citizens. The crowd was laughing until their stomach started to ache. (Eh there are people behind me?) as he turned around and tried to explain "N-n-no this is not what it looks like, I was-" "GO DIE YOU PERVERT!" said Sylviana as she kicked his butt, and made him fell from the balcony. In midair, Lyon turned around to look at Sylviana "You unreasonable woman!". *Stab *Splash The blood sprayed on the ground like a shotgun. *pa! The whole crowd face-palmed. "Ouch you can almost feel the pain, there goes that nice butt." said a citizen as he was rubbing his own "IIIIEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH" a screaching sound exploded. *drip *drip "Oh God Lukas you don''t have to spray water on me I''m still your captain for God sake!" as Zusk turned around and glaring at Lukas only to see that everybody in the surrounding pointed their finger to his lance. *boom Lyon finally hit the ground and fainted after hanging on top of the lance. 3 I am Lyon In a small room with one window, the light illuminated the room and two people were arguing while one more person appeared to be sleeping....with a doggy style position. The wound on the sleeping person can be seen as ... well...there appeared to be a hole about eight cm wide on his left butt cheek and blood was oozing out. "Lukas, go and use the bandage on the guy''s butt," said Zusk "No sir, this is all your fault in the first place," said Lukas (Would bandage even has any meaning with a wound like that?) "Hey, how should I know a guy would fall from the balcony, besides, I AM NOT GONNA TOUCH A GUY''s BUTT!" "But you are the captain, sir." "Well... guess who just become a captain?" "Who?" "You, Lukas." "What? you can''t do that sir, you should do it" "But you are the captain now." "..." "..." "Alright you win," said Lukas as he reaches the bandage on the table As Lukas was about to touch the butt he was dumbstruck. It''s gone... the wound was totally gone like it was never there in the first place. "Sir it''s gone" "What gone?" "The butt''-" "The butt?" "The wound." "Oh you surprised me there for a sec," said Zusk as he took a closer look on the ''where used to be the wound'' located, "That''s amazing-" "OH God that was a crazy dream" A screaming voice comes out from the young man on the bed as he woke up startled. *puff Black lines cover Lukas''s face as he watched the two''s positions. "Hmm..? my butt feel ticklish," said the young man as he rubbed his butt... "uhh...Who are you?" "You MotherF*cker, Spear Of Crescent Moon!!" *Boom "Ah that''s just great captain now he has more holes to cover." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Sylviana''s chamber. "AAHHHHRRGGGGHHH why, why, why, why did it always happen to me when I give a speech !!" said Sylviana as she kept pounding the pillow on her bed "Calm down miss you are a queen," said Fei "B-b-but ... uwahh" as she leaped into Fei''s embrace and cried "There there it''s alright now," said Fei as she stroke her hair lightly "The last time it was a bird poop on my head and now it''s even worse" *sob *sob "Miss, do you remember what your father said?" "Woman''s breast is a man''s dream?" "What? No.. the ''A country may be built in a day but a king can only be built through shits and storms'' one" said Fei (now that I think about it she got her father''s bad manner in her blood). *knock *knock "Who is it?" said Fei "It''s Lukas, General" "Reporting to General, the mysterious young man has woken up from its slumber" "Got it, by the way, I would estimate that he woke up later than now." "Uh..." (no way I''m telling what happened) "It''s fine, go, I will meet with him personally." "Yes general!" (dodge a stab there good going me) "Miss, the young man has woken up, do you want to see him?" "Of course I will, I want to hear his explanation!!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *creak "Good afternoon miss and general," said Zusk while standing up from his seat "Good day to you too captain Zusk," said Sylviana *nod "Good work today Zusk," said Fei "So.. who are you, who send you, what is your cultivation level and why are you getting patched all over your body?" asked Fei "My name is Lyon Torga, I don''t know who send me here, and what is a ''cultivation level'' as for the last question you can ask your captain" "Hmm?" as Fei look around for Zusk who is already disappeared. "Then where are you from?" asked Sylviana "Well I''m from a world called earth, basically I''m an Otherworlder" "Hmmm, I never heard this ''earth'' before in the library," said Sylviana "Wow, you people seem calm about me being from another world, wait so that means there are others like me?" "Well yes there are but they always came from the Gate of World, GoW for short," said Fei "BY THE WAY, you need to repay me for what you made me see Mr. LYON," said Sylviana "No.." "Wh-wh-wh-WHat do you mean no?!" "No means no, in fact, my butt got more holes than it should because of you." "Not my fault you appear in front of me naked" "Okay shut it you two!!" said Fei "Miss why not have Lyon take an aptitude test and cultivation level test instead, who knows maybe he is talented" whispered Fei "Great idea Fei let''s do that instead" "Oi, don''t leave me in the dark what are you guys up to" "Oh, nothing hehehe" chuckled Sylviana sinisterly. "Tell me Lyon have you ever killed someone before?" asked Fei. *Thump *Thump Both of the women were seriously looking at his sudden change in expression. They both were convinced that this man was hiding his murderous aura. "..No" "THEN WHY THE PAUSE RESPONSE !!" said Sylviana. "hehe I just felt like it," chuckled Lyon. "Okay that''s enough, you can walk, right? oh, you can? good follow me." said Fei as she walked to the door. (you blind woman I got patched all over my body and you said I can walk? what the f*ck is wrong with-, oh hey I can walk). 4 Isve been waiting In the backside of a castle was a rectangle space wide enough to contain a small city, contrary to people believe it''s actually pretty clean. Bunch of strange things was placed inside the space such as a floating rock with the word "Deo" engraved on it, a large hexagonal arena, a building which contains books of magic and skills, a building that sells weapons, armor and accessories, an alchemy building and another building called "Guild". All sort of people can be seen enjoying the facilities, mostly the young ones. Two women and one man could be seen approaching the floating rock, one of the women had an aura of a royalty and beautiful silver hair while the other one is a purple short-haired woman with a maid outfit. The man, however, looks really not belong with the two other women, he got patched all over his body leaving his right eye out and a mouth along with disheveled long hair like a beggar. "Ah greetings your majesty," said the surrounding crowd while giving a bow "Good afternoon to you all, it''s alright keep doing what you doing," said Sylviana "Thank you, your majesty". "Hmm? who is that beggar walking with the majesty?" said one of the citizen "Shh! don''t you know he is the person that comes from above" said another citizen "you mean the guy with the impaled butt?" "Yeah, that''s the one." Lyon''s ear was twitching like crazy as he walked along the two woman and warm liquid starts building in his eyes. (It''s not my choice to be transferred here naked!) thought Lyon as he could only swallow his opinion. "Mommy mommy look, it''s that the God from yesterday?" said a little girl "Yes honey, that''s the one," said the mother "Yeay I can see a God, but what God is he?" "Umm I don''t know, what do you think?" "Ummm..... ah, I got it, mommy, his probably the God of butt because that''s the first thing he showed us when he came from the light." The warm liquid starts falling, slowly from his eyes onto his cheeks. He then looked at the two women in front and his pupil started shrinking. They are actually smiling evilly with their teeth shown but somehow the citizen didn''t aware of it. (THIS IS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG ISN''T IT, THIS IS WHAT YOUR ''HEHEHE'' MEANT BACK IN THE ROOM, ALRIGHT TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME, REVENGE SHALL BE MINE !!) thought Lyon as his vow of vengeance instantly dried up his tears. Beside the floating stone was a well built old man with long white hair and a really long white beard, the wrinkle in his face seems didn''t do justice to what merits he had done for the kingdom. "Good Afternoon your majesty, how can I help you this time." a deep voice come from the old man. "Please stop messing with me uncle Zitian just call me Little Sylvi like you used to" a shade of red appear on Sylviana cheeks. "Hahaha I still can''t believe how you are already an adult, seems like it was yesterday you keep begging me to fly". "Uncle Zitian please" the shade becomes deeper as she pouting. "Good afternoon grandmaster Zitian," said Fei with a bow. "Ah, little Fei you are still single?". "Sadly there are no man worthy of me yet" sighed Fei "Hahaha okay okay, who is this young man?". "He is Lyon, the man from the curtain lights yesterday," said Sylviana. "Oh I see, very interesting indeed," said Zitian. "What''s so interesting about him grandmaster?". "The people in this world should have one channel in/out to absorb/release heaven and world''s energy, while he has three channel," said Zitian as he rubbed his beard. A shocked face enters the two woman as they look at Lyon more carefully like an alien while Lyon''s mouth is stretching wider and wider. "Well actually I don''t know how or what will become of him but in theory, he should be three times more efficient in everything related to heaven and world but then again it''s only theory. Why don''t you just try and touch the floating rock". "What does the rock do?" asked the bandaged man. "More or less it should count your talents, numbers will appear according to the stone reaction and if your number is high enough your name may be engraved in the ''monument of talent'' list," said Fei. "The highest talent so far is reached by Jiangnu with the number of 284669 from the kingdom of Arcana behind him is Xiaxia with a number of 280677 from the kingdom of Meistas and yes this monument is only for the young talent below 25 years old," said Sylvianna. "Then what about your kingdom?" asked Lyon *sigh all three of them let it out at the same time. "No one ever makes it to the monument," said Fei "Alright, I got it, your majesty I have a proposal to make" asked Lyon "Hahaha you are one interesting boy," said Zitian "What proposal?" asked Sylviana coldly "If I can engrave my name in the monument you and I will have a date, and if I somehow I take the first place I will date both you and Fei, oh and you will also pay for the expenses during the date." silent . . . . dead silent . . . "HAHAHAHA I like this kid," said Zitian laughing hysterically. Sylviana''s face was red like the sun is about to take cover from her heat "You shameless bastard!! why don''t you just go die instead!!". "Calm down Sylviana," said Fei, "personally I have no qualms with that, but what''s in it for us if you couldn''t be engraved?" winked Fei "I will become your slave and you can do anything you want with me be it charging the enemy or washing your clothes." "Alright deal," said Sylviana "Miss?" asked Fei curiously "I''m sure he can''t do it, besides I can prepare a whole lot of punishment if he is my slave, I can make sure he is in pain". "But he has three channels, miss." "I know but I don''t want to lose to this bastard, besides, is only in theory" whispered Sylviana "Okay deal" said Lyon (Here we go, I''m from another world maybe even universe or dimension I don''t care, I should be the MC right?! I should have super cheat items or superb talent right? Don''t fail me now !!) as Lyon extended his hand and touch the "DEO" with his palm. . .. ... .... ..... ..... .... (shit) "Uhm...what now? hehe" asked Lyon to the three other people while laughing "HAHAHA, you are so talentless that it has no reaction at all I win the-" *BOOM *crack Thunder and lightning intertwined with each other despite no clouds, it seems like the sound of thunder is actually a crack of a space *BOOM *Swoosh A big blow of wind came from every corner to random directions while more and more cracks formed in the sky. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere in the red light district "Please come back again sweet captain," said a beautiful hostess "Hehe I will," *hic said Zusk while swaying. *Boom *Crack "Whoah" *bam "Ouch, that hurts," said Zusk as he rubbed his butt, "What the hell is that noise?" as he looked around and his pupil shrinking when he looked up, cracked space appear everywhere. (I guess I should stop going to the strip club) "Ah Captain are you alright?" said the beautiful hostess from before. (Nah, maybe not) smiled the captain. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back at the training ground. "DID THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN?" shout Lyon to Zitian "NO usually the reaction would be a manifest of mythical beings like a dragon or a qilin or a kunpeng, heck even a unicorn ever showed up before, but not this, this is af*cking apocalypse!! ". said Zitian while standing straight despite the wind. *zoom A black curtain light came down from the biggest crack space, Lyon''s eyes were shrunk and his mouth was agape when he saw what''s in the light It was a figure of a really beautiful woman with black devilish wings behind her back. Then, an alluring voice that could make man lost his mind, entered the Lyon''s ears, "I''ve been waiting for you". 5 My wife? The black lights finally dissipated and reveal a kingdom toppling beauty. Her hair was midnight-black and it was knot to a Japanese bun. The goblet-like waist of her can turn a man down on his knees and her skin was so perfect it made jade lost its luster. She had arched eyebrows of raven black and Cleopatra eyelashes over her hazelnut shaped eyes. Her nose was pixie to match her half-moon cheekbones. She had alluring ocean-blue eyes. They were dew-pond round. The succubus-like ears and her velvet thin lips made men dying to take a kiss. Finally, the big pointy breast and the perfectly round butt invite heroes to their early graves. Her dress was galaxy-black with stars, it reveals her left leg and she also wore a platinum ring with "L" engraved on it. "I finally get to meet you again." said the devil-woman as-as she approached Lyon, "Darling <3" whispered the woman. "D-D-D-Darling?!", said Lyon as he began to sweat. *Smooch The honey-sweet lips blanking Lyon''s mind, their tongue intertwined like two dragons mating. "hah-hah-hah" gasped Lyon. Even though the kiss was over their saliva still maintain a bridge between the two lips the atmosphere between them become hotter as red hue forms on both of their cheeks. Magically the bandages on Lyon starts falling apart on its own, revealing his startled expression. "I want more," said Lyon with a deep voice and straight face. "Hehehe, I''m sorry darling this is the best I can give you, I don''t have much time," winked the woman "But who are you? why do I ... why do I feel some familiarity?" "It seems your memory isn''t back yet, in short, just wear the ring I gave you, it holds 50% of the power of your past self, integrate with it fast and meet me in the dark continent, Kingdom of Myriad Devils after you reach initial Godhood." "Godhood?" "I''m sorry I can''t take you to the Myriad Devils, if they know about your past self, they will destroy you with all cost. You need to collect the remaining 2 rings which hold of your past power they are in the possession of Cecile and Maria." "But who are you? and what are you to me?" "I''m sorry I can''t answer all of your questions right now but I will tell you the answer of your last question." She chuckled and said, "I am your first wife, Lyon, my name is Selena". The innocent smile on her face made Lyon''s forget that she was a devil. A blurry image came into Lyon''s mind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the vast of green grass, an old cherry blossom is blooming along with the wind, a man and a woman can be seen under the tree fighting each other "Leave this place or I will kill you !!" said a charming 15 years old girl with the sword in hand "No this is my spot I found it first, how about you leave?" said the 13 years old boy. "No, I found this place first." "Okay I will leave but you gotta let me touch your boobs hehehe," said the boy as a creepy face starts to build up. "Okay fine touch it then," said the girl confidently as she straightened up her chest "What?!... Really?!... Alright!!" said the boy as he jumped on to the girl laughing. *Bam *chuuuu The boy''s face met first with the kick from the girl and was sent flying to the horizon. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- the blurry image came to a stop "Ah" said Lyon as he rubbed his head. *zzt The cracked space starts shutting one by one. "Oh no, remember what I told you, darling, collect the rings, Cecile will come and get you once you are in the Blue Continent she is now a queen there," said Selena as she flew to the crack space but only to stop at the entrance of the cracked space and turn over. "I will be waiting for you darling, oh and don''t worry I wiped out the memory of this town about what just happened." *zzzt The final cracked space finally shut down and the place went back to normal. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the cracked space Warm liquids were rolling down the woman''s beautiful face (I finally get to meet you again after thousands of years. Save me, my husband, take me out once again just like back then when you barge into my castle and rule the continent!). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lyon spat on his palm and apparently, there is a ring with "S" engraved on it. Slowly he put the ring on his left ring finger. A burst of power from the heaven and the world invaded his body like a torrent. A dark and corrosive power engulfed his entire body like a sphere of death. Inside the sphere was hell for Lyon. His bones were broken over and over again, extracting those impurities within him. He gritted his teeth as he saw his own skins had a literal dark crack all over. It wasn''t until an echo rang in his head that the process stopped, "I am omnipotent" *swoosh The dark power dissipated and there seems to be nothing different on Lyon''s appearance. "Ow my head hurts," said Sylviana. "What happened just now?" said Zitian. "I can''t remember a thing either." said Fei. The surrounding crowd also left confused and speculating. "Are you guys ready? I''m gonna touch the rock now." said Lyon as he use his right palm to inject heaven and earth into the rock. *ZINGGG A manifestation of a man came up above the floating rock but a sense of ridicule didn''t appear on the crowd''s faces, in fact, they felt fear and respect at the same time. Once the man opened his eyes an aura of a beyond a God can comprehend fall down on the world itself. *Bang *Bang *Bang All the crowd, even the animals and mythical beings in the jungle prostrated. However what Lyon didn''t know was that the aura also affected the neighboring kingdoms. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kingdom of Arcana, Throne room *Bang *Bang *Bang "M-My King.... what is this aura, it''s so frightening." said one of the guard "I don''t know either but this aura is more like a God, even I can''t stand it". "The direction of the aura came from Nostria, your majesty" "I already know that you fool!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kingdom of Meistas, Throne room *Bang *Bang *Bang "I can''t move a finger," said one of the guard as he tried to look around, "?!" shocked filled his entire face as he watched their own king also prostrated. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back at the training ground. Lyon slowly let go of his palm and the manifestation vanished along with the aura. He tried to get a feel of his new found power but it looked like he overdid it a little. The surrounding onlookers were finally able to get up slowly but only to get a mental attack once more after they saw the number on the floating rock. "Oh GOD what the f*ck." said a young man. "Is that real? Wait, is that even possible?" said a young woman. "Now I can die in peace after seeing that." said an old man. "Ow ow what was that aura just now?" said Sylviana. "Miss I think you should see the result first," said Fei. "Old generation will be replaced" sighed Zitian. "Wha-What?! how many 9 is that?!" said Sylviana. The result was 9999999... *Zing the number light up and turned into a symbol ¡Þ and the monument was also lightened up with 7 colors of a rainbow and a tittle "Genius of Eternity" was placed before the name, Lyon Torga. 6 Cultivate and Magic and Skill The crowd was stupefied as they were the result, some actually had tears wetting their face. The title on the monument shine everlasting and there was no sign of dimming in the slightest. This was hope, this was the sign they were waiting for, this was the coming of a new era in Kingdom Nostria or maybe even the whole Deo. "Can we make it this time?! Can we win this time?!" a young man said while grasping his hand tightly. "It''s hard to say, even though he has the greatest title, it''s only talent and not the cultivation level, not to mention he only has about 14 days left until the competition and 9 days until the selection," said a wise old man. The mood got heavy again as they realized the reality. *swoosh Three distinctive old men appeared in front of Lyon like a wind. One of the old men had a really skinny figure that looked like a skeleton. He had an oval face that had been eaten by time, very wrinkled. His eyes were tiny that it looked like he was always sleeping. He had only one hand holding a staff while the other hand of his was hidden inside his long robe. He seemed to be the smartest of the three. His name was Crux, the grandmaster of magic and alchemy in Nostria. The middle-old man stood with a crossed arm, he had a really well-built figure for his age. The muscles on his body were really firm and hard. He had no facial hair whatsoever but his spiky white hair makes it so that he looked younger than his actual age. He had a bright hazelnut-black-eyes that match his chiseled-square face. He wore a white tank top with short boxer pants and the flower pattern embroidered on it was to prove that he was a carefree guy. His name was Chun, the Supreme Commander in Nostria. The right old man had a chocolate-milk skin and a big muscle, especially in his arms. He wore a dirty apron and thick gloves, also boots. His timeworn face and white goatee matched his strict personality. He had a crew cut gunmetal-gray hair and jaded crow''s feet eyes. He was holding a hammer and a sword that still red and emitting heat. His name was Charlie the master blacksmith in Nostria. These three old men were popular in Nostria because of their merits and sadly also their demerits. The people called this trio ''Tri0 C Trouble'' because all their name started with C and always made a ruckus out of random things. "Ah grandpa Crux, grandpa Chun, grandpa Charlie good afternoon," said Sylviana. "Oh little Sylvi you are already here?" said Crux with a husky voice. "HAHAHA little Sylvi you should visit grandpa often you know," said Chun in a deep bass voice. "Have you eaten yet Sylvi? You should eat more healthy food more and stop drinking you know," said Charlie caringly. "Just let her had her youthful life, Charlie, nobody is a workaholic like you," said Chun. "WELL.. nobody is as carefree as you too you lazy ass commander!" said Charlie. "Stop it you two!" said Crux. "Shut it Crux, the only reason you wear your cape is that you are bald!" "That''s right, and what''s up with your husky voice. You chant so much but no magic came out of it you stupid old man." A shade of red grown deeper and deeper on both Sylviana and Fei''s face as the crowd watching their group with black lines. "Okay enough you three you are embarrassing little Sylvi and Fei." berated Zitian. "Since you said it I shall give you face," said Chun. "Me too." "Me three." "So who caused the recent commotion?" asked Chun "It''s this kid." pointed Zitian "He did? hmm never seen his face before, are you new here kid?" said Charlie. Then Fei, Sylviana, and Zitian explain the situation to the trio. "Hmm interesting," said Crux. "Do you know magic skills? what are your elements aptitude?" asked Crux. "I have no idea what you are talking about," said Lyon. "You don''t know magic skills or elements?" "No idea." "Then I shall explain it to you." "NO!! NO!! GOD NO!! I will explain it instead, nobody wants to f*cking hear your husky voice anymore." said Chun. In this world there exist cultivation and magic. First the cultivation. The cultivation in this world had realms to differentiate their power and there were 10 levels in each realm. The first realm was called Body-Tempering, this was the earliest cultivation realm. As it names suggests this level concentrate on tempering the body beyond a mortal human. Then comes the Transformation realm, in this realm one being will completely be null of impurities and become one with the world energies. The Heaven realm, in this realm one will be able to absorb the heaven''s energy to aid in combat. From the Heaven realm the next realms will depend on the cultivation type of the person, It''s called Elemental realm. Then the Soul realm, where one''s soul could be strengthen to use mental attacks. Beyond the Soul, the realm was the most sought by everyone Divine realm. A cultivator could live up to two hundred years in Transformation realm, then the life capacity grows two times after each realm. Second, the magic, only Heaven realm or above could use magic. There was Lv.1-10 where ten was the strongest in every magic realm. The magic realms are basic magic, then saint magic, taboo magic, soul magic, and the myth, divine magic. A Heaven realm cultivator can even use soul magic if they want to but the time to cast it will be so slow it might even take centuries or even a millennium to cast, this is because of the speed-absorption rate of heaven and world energies. The higher the realm the quicker the absorption. Spells also needed to be chant and write to perform. Then the question pop up, ''How does one cast a spell?'' it''s very simple really, the accumulation of heaven and energy the caster absorbs will be used to write and it will only be activated once the chant was said. The problem lies within the world and heaven energies itself, both energies are so fragile that once written it will dissipate quickly, so one couldn''t hold the written spell and activate it at a later time unless it was dense enough. The level of the spell could be differentiated by its color, the colors were white-blue-green-red-yellow-brown-orange-violet-black-rainbow from lv1-10 in that order, the color will only be shown once the chant was completed (while writing the chant will always be white). The spells from the above basic realm will have the ''realms'' written below it. Then what about the damage of magic spells? The damage corresponded to the accumulation of the heaven and world energies. So if the cultivator could accumulate enough energies, Lv1 basic spells could deal a devastating blow. If the world and heaven energies were used to cast magic, then what did one need to do to advance their realm? To level up one''s realm (ex lv1 to lv2), cultivator will also need heaven and energies store inside them (exception for body tempering realm). So if one uses heaven and energy from inside their body, their levels could drop as the consequences. But to break through to a new realm, what they need was understanding the mystery of the new realm instead of the energies. Skills or Arts were another different matter. Just like one ofZusk''s skill Spear of Crescent Moon, this didn''t consume heaven and world energies at all. The limit will be the cultivator''s own body and fatigue, and also their ability to guide the energies. "Did you understand that?" said Chun. "Yes." said Lyon calmly. "It''s okay if you-.... wait, what?! You really understand that?!" gobsmacked Chun. (Well I used to play games and read light novels so this ain''t that hard) thought Lyon. "I''m a genius," said Lyon while nodding calmly. Black lines covered the six people, as they thought (shameless!!). "Well...what are you waiting for, let''s go test your magic aptitude," said Crux. "I will do that later but first I need to discuss with both of the girls in private," said Lyon while smiling to the girls. "No way I''m gonna be on a date with someone like you," said Sylviana. "But miss you are the queen you must accept this loss," said Fei. "But-but." "It''s alright, remember I''m going to the date too, everything will be fine," said Fei. "Okay then, but under one condition, I cannot go on a date with you because of my status, so you shall not call my title at all to avoid chaos." "Okay I can deal with that, but you must not run away until the date is over got it?" "Deal." "Deal." "Then tomorrow wait for me when the sun is directly above you, in the fountain park at the center of this city," said Lyon "Alright." "By the way where are you sleeping for tonight Lyon?" asked Fei. "I''m gonna sleep in the room where I got the bandages. I can''t afford a hotel I don''t have any money." "Oh alright then, I will tell the guards to clean your room later." "Many thanks, beautiful general." wink Lyon. "Don''t mention it," said Fei. "Are you done yet kid?" said Crux. "Oh yeah sure, let''s go," said Lyon (My revenge shall be served ... cold.. HEHEHEHE) as he walked to the magic hall building. 7 My Talent My Magic My Desire From the outside, the building looked like a cathedral with three towers surrounding the main building. The door of the main building was huge and made of sturdy wood, however, there seemed to be no handle on it. Apparently, one couldn''t come and go as they pleased in this building, only people with the license from Crux could enter it. The seven people gathered in front of the entrance. "Open!" said Crux. . . . There was no reaction at all. "Open!!" said Crux once again, but still, no reaction. "OPEN!!!" shouted Crux while rising his staff into the air. . . . *grug *gruuggg*gggrrruuuuuuggg "Ah finally," said Chun. A smile also appeared on Crux''s face. . . . But the door still closed. "Sorry that was me, I haven''t eaten yet since yesterday hehe," said Lyon while scratching his head. The rest of the gang were disappointed once more, especially Crux. "Hey bald old man, how come you cannot open your own door?" said Chun. "Did you forgot the key?" asked Charlie. "There is no key to the door, there isn''t even a handle or a keyhole at that matter." "How about the license? Don''t you need it?" asked Charlie "No, I don''t need it cause I made this door myself." "Then what''s the problem?" asked Charlie. "Oh wait I know, it''s your voice old man HAHAHA," said Chun. "What? no way that''s the problem." denied Crux, but only getting a nod from the rest of the gang. *zzt The door slowly became transparent and revealed a middle-aged man. "Ah that''s it for today I guess, I''m gonna continue tomorrow. Oh, master Crux what are you-" "Quick everyone, get inside!" yelled Crux. Everyone rushed to the door like it was made of gold. "Get out of the way!" said Chun as he threw the middle-aged man outside. *zzt The door slowly became solid once more. *bam "Aww, what the hell was that for!!" shouted the middle-aged man outside the door. Inside the building was actually warm, bookcases were surrounding the wall neatly. There were flying fires could be seen moving to illuminate the room but strangely it never burned the books. The second floor could be seen from the ground floor, however, the third floor couldn''t. The third floor was not exactly a floor, to be exact it''s a room as big as a common bedroom and it''s right in the middle-top of the building. The ground floor had a wide staircase that led to the upper floor halfway then split into two ways, one was to the second floor while the other one spiraled its way through the room. At the center of the ground floor, there were three hollow windows. Each window had the same use, to detect aptitude. Many body-tempering leveled young man and woman took a queue using it while three middle-aged men could be seen assessing the group. One of the young men in the group looked different than the other. He had a red crew cut hair and pointy nose. His diamond-face and fiery temper could make people feel threatened. The eagle-like eyebrow matched perfectly on his round-serious eyes and thin mouth. He had a very tall figure and looked prideful all the time. He wore like many other, the Nostria academy uniform. Hanging in his back was a two-handed sword that abnormally big for a human to use. His name was Martis the best young swordsman in the academy. He had already reached the Transformation Realm level 6th when he was 18. "Hey hurry up already! I want to go back to my training!" shouted Martis, making everyone around him scared. Three middle-aged men were frowning at his attitude and wanted to rebuke, but hold it instead when a gentle voice of a young woman came. "Don''t cause ruckus Martis, or you will be disciplined." said a young woman coming out from the crowd. She had a gorgeous figure of a young noble lady and a cute oval face. Her white skin was like a pure white snow in the mountain and her ears were not so big but not so small either. The little nose of her was really cute, people couldn''t help but rush over and pinched. Her violet eyes and bright-cherry lips betrayed her calm personality. She had a long violet-orchid hair with twin tail style draped on to her shoulder. The undeveloped breast and short stature were like an unpolished diamond waiting to shine when the time was ripe. Her name was Luna, the class president and chairman of the student body in the academy. She held the title of ''Godmother'' because she once led an army under Fei''s order to unearth bandits in the forest, the army was made of students. She was at the 3rd level of Heaven Realm. "I-I''m sorry president," said Martis while giving a slight bow. *nod "It''s good that you understand," said Luna. Lyon''s group approach the three middle-aged man assessing the group. "G-Good afternoon O being of the great, the best magician, the best teacher, dungeon crawler, living legend, harem master, dragon peni-" *Ehem Cough Crux as he signaled them to stop. Black lines were covering the surrounding people especially the student, as they whispered between themselves saying ''scumbag'', ''pervert'', ''shameless'', ''just die already'', ''old senile got style haha'', okay the last one was Lyon''s own thought. Before Chun had the time to make fun of Crux, Crux raise his staff and a window of similar traits came down from the room above. "This is a special aptitude detector for heaven realm and above, place your hand and do not transfer heaven and world energy into it or it will break," said Crux. "Hmm? why don''t we just use the usual window instead?" said Sylviana. "What are you talking about little Sylvi? he is a level 9 Heaven Realm cultivator," said Crux. The surrounding people except for Lyon and the trio C were surprised. He looked only 20 years old or less and he was already a level nine Heaven Realm cultivator?! What kind of joke was this? "But you don''t know anything about cultivation before right?! How could you become level 9 already?" said Sylviana frantically. "Greatest genius is not all talked you know," said Lyon with his smug face. "But you got impaled by a spear on your butt tho," said Sylviana. The surrounding crowd heard their conversation and they start discussing the God butt all over the place. "Would you mind not to mention that again?" said Lyon as his hand wanted to rip apart her lips. "Okay enough just touch the window kid," said Chun. "Alright," said Lyon as he laid his palm on the window hollow surface. *ripple The window''s showed ripples for a second then it stopped reacting. "Hmm? no fire? no ice? no wind? anything?" said Fei curiously. "Usually the window will give a sign, like fire there will be actual flame inside the window," said Charlie. "Wait, this kind of reaction is somehow familiar," said Charlie. Then the trio C seems to realize something at the same time, their pupils become shrunk as they looked at each other. "Do you still have the book?! bring it here," said Chun hurriedly to Crux. "On it," said Crux as he raised his staff. Then a book that looks really old came down slowly. "W-What is it??" asked Sylviana. "When the three of us were young, we explored the dark continent a bit to challenge ourselves." Charlie then took a deep breath. "In there we luckily found the forbidden library, the Sin Library, the library that always moved around the world. There was actually no bookcase at all in that place. But we manage to found one book before we got kicked out by the place. The book we found was not a skill, not a spell either but a story. A story of over ten thousand years ago. Sadly the pages are incomplete but we manage to read some of it. It''s a story about a man, a powerful, powerful man he had attained the myth Divine Realm when he is only 40 years old!" This news shocked the people around him. "Where is that page? ah here it is, ''The young man put his palm on the hollow side of the window but nothing came out of it, only ripples. But this situation didn''t last long, the next moment.." said Chun hurriedly. *BOOM *Prak *Prak *Swoosh *ZZZt *Crack *Crack A fire was burning vigorously inside the window, A thunderous cloud accompanied by the wind and water creating maelstrom. A light pierced through the cloud and shine the world and the fire got darker and darker seeming to be able to burn the souls of the dead. Before the elements engulfed in chaos, the sky inside the window cracked revealing a space hollow. As they become more and more chaotic, the events became slower and slower then it stopped. As the surrounding thought, it was over, the reaction actually rewinds the event to the state it was before, ripples. Then when the ripples showed up once again, the true element showed up, it was.. "The World." said Chun dumbstruck. 8 My Date My Revenge Silence filled the entire building as they were all looking ''the world'' element. Geniuses came and gone in the fleet of time, but this time was one to remember in the history of Nostria. Nobody had ever seen this before nor they will ever again. It was the beginning of the most genius and perverted man ever live. "Citizen of Nostria who is here today in this building, I as Queen of Nostria has a selfish wish to make, please make this event a secret from everyone else outside the building, especially other kingdoms. As we all know, there is no denying that the shocking event in the talent testing from before was felt by possibly the entire kingdom of Nostria or maybe even outside our region. So I ask all of you please, keep this one event a secret at least for now." said Sylviana with a sincere bow. . . . "Well, since the queen personally asks, I guess I have to agree this time." said a student while rubbing his nose. "I mean this is probably the pride we are waiting for, right people?". said a member of the Magic Hall. *nod *nod*nod. "Everyone..." said Sylviana as a bright smile appeared in her face and a warm liquid almost came out of her eyes. "For those who are leaking the news us three will personally punish them and death is not out of the question," said Chun menacingly. "Alright, for now, everyone return doing what you doing and act as if nothing just happened," said Crux. "Yes sir!" said everyone. "Young man please take this book, it might have some destinies with you," said Crux, as he gave the old book to Lyon. "Okay, thank you." "Since we are done here, Lyon what is your preferred weapon to use?" said Charlie "Uh, I don''t know, I never fight with a proper weapon before. I usually just use whatever it is near me when I fight, even a handful of sand sometimes." (This kid really has no knight code!) said, Charlie, as he takes a deep breath. "How about a sword? it''s cool and popular these days." (So ignorant!) "Alright a sword it is then, tell me the length," said Charlie. A spark flash through Lyon''s eye (Chance!). "Oh I want a long ass sword like really long, about 1.5 meters long, you know what, make it a katana instead. While you''re at it please make a light armor with magic resistance, oh also a dual short sword. OH oh-oh a bow, definitely a bow, make sure to engrave my name on it and please make the arrows too." Hearing that made Charlie almost vomit blood, this kid, if given the opportunity he would even eat a cow whole (SHAMELESS!!). "Please grandpa Charlie," said Sylviana while with puppy-dog eyes. "Pretty please." Said Lyon, also with puppy-dog eyes. (Wait why are you begging me too!) *sigh "Since little Sylvi ask this grandpa than this grandpa must do it." "Yeay!!" shouted Lyon at the top of his lung. black lines cover the entire building. *Gurrrrr "Ah let''s go eat, I will pay the meal," said Chun. "Since brother Chun said that how can this old man miss this," said Crux smiling. "Oh brother Chun you are the best brother ever," said Charlie. "Alright stop it guys." (You told us to stop but we know you are elated right now and want to hear more you shameless old goat!) thought both of them. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next day, inside Lyon''s room. "Are you sure you want to do this," said Lukas. "Do it, Lukas, don''t hold back," said Lyon. "Alright then." The sun was above the fountain in the center of the city, the blaze of it shines the hair of two women sitting on the bench. One of the woman had a scarlet red hair tug into a ponytail and wearing white casual cloth plus a long pink skirt while the other one had a violet hair draped onto her shoulder as she was wearing a white tropical hat and a blue tank top with white jacket tied on her wrist plus a long blue tight jeans. The male onlookers couldn''t take their eyes off them because these two women were beautiful with its own style. One seemed like an innocent fairy while the other seems like a wildflower challenging everything in the garden. Although the violet-haired woman lost in the battle of the breast, her perfectly round butt, and sharp-beautiful face made up for it. Despite many people were staring at them, nobody dared to ask them out because they knew the identity of the violet-haired woman, the general. "Ah where is he?! we already wait for half an hour!" said the red-haired woman. "I don''t know either Syl- ehem, Patricia," said Fei. *tap *tap "Did I made you wait for too long?" asked a cold voice from behind them. "You sure did, why are you so la-..." stopped Sylviana midway as she looked at Lyon, dumbstruck. Lyon was actually wearing the same cloth as yesterday, complete with his over-the-top bandages. "Well what are we waiting for, c''mon lets walk around a bit," said Lyon as he shamelessly took both of the women''s hand. "Baby you look so beautiful and wild today," said Lyon to Fei. "My-my thank you, Lyon," chuckled Fei. "You look like an innocent fairy you know that." said Lyon to Sylvi. "Th-Thank you," said Sylvi. Unknown for the ladies that Lyon said this on purpose while they were walking between the crowds. "Hey is that the God butt?" said one of the crowd. "Wow which lady actually wanted to go out with that guy." said another. "She must have been desperate or their family might want to marry them off with a God." said an old woman. "Shhh, don''t you get it, one of the women is our general, you better lower your voice if you want to live the next day." whispered one of the young men. "Wow rumor said that our general never succeed in a relationship, she must have gotten really desperate." whispered an old woman. "The red-haired lady is probably from the countryside too. *sigh such a waste of beauty." said an old man. Both of the women actually heard this as their ears were twitching and they wanted to smack Lyon in one powerful slap in the face. But before they did that Lyon asked to go to the local restaurant and asked the waiters to serve the best dishes. The umami smell of food, the beautiful chicken breast basked in hotpot, the shimmering meat of fish, the variation of steamed tofu and mushrooms. All of this was only placed on their table. As the ladies were eating their food, they looked up only to see Lyon''s smile. "Why are you not eating your food?" asked Fei. "Can''t you see darling? I have bandages all over my body," said Lyon. "So?" asked Sylviana. "I can''t use my hand to grab the chopsticks," said Lyon. . . . "ahhh." Then Lyon opens his mouth. Both of the women looked into each other as they nervously grab the food with their chopstick. "Hmm, this is so good!" said Lyon loudly. The shade of their cheeks grows hotter and hotter because they have never done this before. "Oops there is a sauce on my cheeks, you know what to do," said Lyon with his smug face. With glaring eyes, Sylviana actually took a tissue and wipe the sauce on his face. "By the way Fei, you look really different today where did you get that style," asked Lyon "Oh our tailor said this is gonna be a new trend in coming centuries, so I wanted to try it out." (That''s one amazing tailor) thought Lyon. "While we are in this ''date'' I have a favor to ask you," said Sylviana with a serious tone. "What is it?" said Lyon. "I want you to compete in the coming Young Genius competition, we only have 3 quotas this year and I want to give you one of them," said Sylviana. "Okay, but in return, I want to know anything you know about the blue continent." "Blue continent? why do you want to ask that?" asked Fei. "You don''t have to know that," said Lyon. "Deal," said Sylviana. "Alright I think we can stop the date here I need to do something else in my room," said Lyon while clasping his hands. As they walked out of the restaurant, with no presence at all, Lyon''s mouth landed on both of their cheeks before running wildly into his room. *Stomp *Stomp Sylviana was dumbstruck and stomp the ground while shouting ''bastard'' over and over again while Fei had an unexplainable feeling growing in her heart. 9 Bubble butt and Ism going to the Academy? The bright sun was no more, replacing it was two giant moon up in the sky. The roads filled with street light and nightlife. Some people were selling street snacks at night, some young couple even sneaked out of the crowd into the realm of youth. But in a room with a single window stood a young man. He had the black hair of an abyss tied up to knot matching his lazy ass personality, His not so handsome face had a deep charm in it. The well-proportion body of his could make the woman wet in a glance. Sadly this was Lyon, the lazy ass perverted protagonist. "Maybe I should try to cultivate.... but how?" said Lyon as he titled his head. "Maybe I should feel the energy around me." Then Lyon sat down and clasped his hand as he tried to empty the mind. The surrounding energy flowed naturally as if it was meant to be inside Lyon''s dantian but the densest energy was actually from the ring. *Zing "Hmm? oh, shit I breakthrough again. Wow I am a genius." nodded Lyon. "Selena.. huh..., what did she mean by my memories? Am I also a reincarnated person? But I''m pretty sure I was transferred here by those three light. Huh? three lights... three rings... yup it''s connected, I don''t have solid proof now, but I''m pretty sure the ring holders were responsible for summoning me here .... naked. UH! SELENA you are going to get it once I get my hands on you!!" "Ah right the book there might be some clues in there," said Lyon as he opened the book. "Nope, nothing, what Chun said that time was everything inside the book." "Let''s try gathering energy to execute a simple magic." as Lyon gathered the energy on to his finger. The ring flashes and little dark dot launches it ways to Lyon''s head. A massive information of magic spells was filling his mind. Despite the pressure of massive information, Lyon didn''t even feel pain at all, in fact, it was like he was an entity that couldn''t be shaken. After two hours the massive information finally stopped, Lyon still looked the same but only he knew that he has a knowledge of all spells known to the world. "hehehehehe, Let''s try this magic." Lyon then wrote the magic chant in Gaia''s original language "Space Magic, Crack of Desire !!." *zing the color of the spell was black. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside Sylviana''s room. *drip *drip A droplet of water could be heard as a beautiful maiden was taking a sweet shower, She had a smooth skin and a perfect round butt. Her two mountains could induce the deepest beast inside a man. *Crack A space hole the size of a palm appeared behind the maiden unnoticed. The pupil behind the hole got wider and wider as desire built up like crazy. "Ah that bastard!, I will seriously make him pay for kissing me like that, no man has ever kissed mebeside my father." "Bastard Lyon, Stupid Lyon, Pervert LYON, Go die!" said Sylviana as she was slamming the wall. The eye behind the crack space became cold and colder as an evil smile appeared on Lyon''s face. The eye was gone from the space crack but replacing it was a hand. The evil hand stretch out to reach the bountiful butt but halted instead when it was centimeters away. Lyon''s took a deep breath then... *SLAP *Boing *KYAAAAAAAAAAAA *Bang The door was burst open by Fei. "What happened miss?" ask Fei as she was ready to strike any foe from any angle. "There was someone slapping my butt," said Sylviana as she ran to get behind Fei. "I sense a magic trace just now," said Fei as she was on high alert but still found no one. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside Lyon''s room. "Ah, that felt so good in my hand. The smoothness is real, the bubble shape felt so irresistible," said Lyon grinning. "Aih what''s up with this world anyway, getting summoned here naked, having a wife in one day, not that I mind tho, she is beautiful. So many questions yet so little answer, but most importantly why am I accepting this so easily. Like it felt so natural. Oh right I''m a college student no wonder I can accept things so easily." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next morning. *knock *knock "Lyon are you up already?" said Fei with her maid uniform. "No, I''m not." Black lines covered Fei. "The breakfast is ready in the hall will you be joining us or not?" *Clank "What are we waiting for then?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The hall was so majestic, it had a big window surrounding the one side of the wall. There was a picture of the previous king on the wall above the fireplace opposite of the window. In the middle was a long table with a red sheet draped on it and could fit about 10 people at once. The graceful woman was already sitting at the end of the table. "Lyon I have a question for you and you must answer it!" said Sylviana. *munch *munch "Whad ded bu said?" said Lyon while his mouth was full. "Ugh! stop eating and listen, the food won''t run away," said Sylviana. *one big gulp "ah, sorry hehehe," said Lyon with a smile while scratching his head. "Lyon do you know a special element magic? space element to be specific?" asked Sylviana coldly. "Hmm? I-I don''t know what you are talking about," said Lyon suspiciously as he looked outside the window and whistle. "rgggh. It was you isn''t it?!". "Ah the food is great don''t you think?" "wh-what? Why are you talking about food all of a sudden?" "Ah look at the weather it''s so great to take walk in the city." .... ... (SHAMELESS!!) was the word running through them. "Miss I think we should carry on to the main topic," said Fei. "You are right. Lyon, you will be attending the academy after this breakfast," said Sylviana. "What?! NO!" said Lyon. "Yes you will, you will do quest while you are there to earn your own money too." "Aih, fine.." (Cute school girls beware, here comes LYON!!). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Academy of Nostria was the second biggest building of the kingdom, It had almost everything for the students to hone their talent. The best thing about this academy was that it accept everyone under 25 years old without any restriction. In one of the classroom. "Alright class we are having a new student today." said the teacher. The students started to discuss between themselves. *Clank *tap*tap "My name is Lyon Torga, that''s right, the genius," said Lyon calmly. "Woah we are having the genius in our class?" said a young man. "Wow he has no modesty at all." said a young girl. "Alright silence, please. Why don''t you just get a sit and I will start the lecture". (Aih talk about luck, I was hoping to be in class with the number one beauty, Luna). "Okay I will start the lecture about magic spells, the term of magic came from..." four hours went by a flash. "And that''s it for today, see you tomorrow." said the teacher. "Ah finally, time to eat at the cafeteria," said Lyon as he stretched his arm. "Hello Lyon want to go to the cafeteria together?" said a thin young man, he had a blonde hair and a handsome face. He was Jugen Borg, the son of Baron Gersen Borg. He had a down to earth personality. "Sure why not," said Lyon. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the cafeteria. "You know I''m actually a new student here too," said Jugen. *munch *munch "Oh really? *munch *munch" said Lyon while eating. "Wow, you eat like a caveman haha." *Slam Suddenly a slap destroyed the table they were using, all the food were scattered on the floor. Lyon had a dark face seeing his unfinished food (That was my last good meal, I only have 5 silver and that food cost me 4 silver and 50 bronze, that money was not even mine, Fei gave it to me out of pity). All the people in the cafeteria caught the attention. "Hey look, the bully Poska is at it again, I heard he breakthrough to second heaven realm." said a young girl. "That''s what you get for being the son of a duke." said another. "It''s that Lyon? poor guy, even though he is the genius his realm is probably not high enough yet." said a young man. "That guy is at it again, let me give him a lesson," said Martis. A hand stopped him. "No your realm is not high enough to beat him, beside Lyon is at ninth heaven realm remember?" it was Luna. Poska had a bodybuilder body type and a square face. His hair was spiky and black. He likes to force people to join his group because of his background. For those who refused, had their family business fall apart, He even tried to force a girl to had sex with him but was caught by the royal guard, even then he got away unpunished. "Hey Poska you cannot do t-" "Shut up you trash, I see you are still stuck at fifth level transformation realm, truly trash." *Bang Jugen was sent flying across the corridor with a slap. "Join me and swear loyalty Lyon, and I will give you resources you can never imagine." . .. .... No response could be heard from Lyon''s mouth. "Oi are you deaf?" said Polska as he tried to grab Lyon. *Bang *Choke With a two quick successive move, Lyon broke Poska''s knee cap and made him kneel. Before Poska had the time to scream Lyon choked his neck while staring down on his face closely with rage that could resemble a demon. Heaven and World were surging on his left finger as he wrote something with quick speed. Then Lyon''s head slowly came closer to Poska''s ear and whispered "Fly". *Bang Lyon threw away the big body of Poska to the air breaking the roof. "Lava''s Burst." chanted Lyon. *Zing The rainbow color of the spell struck fear the surrounding crowd. *Zing *Zing *Zing Three rainbow colored magic brand appear on the floor. *Poof *Poof Like a machine gun, balls of lava shot up to the sky approaching the defenseless Poska. *Zing A sphere shield engulfed Poska before the attack hits. *Bang *Bang Since Poska was falling down, the rate of the hits increased even further *Crack *Crack *Crack the shield was cracking and finally... *Bang *Kacha Then a thin old man showed up out of nowhere inside the cafeteria and had shrunk eyes as he saw the incoming event. "Saint magic, Shield of Giant." chanted the old man. A shield over ten meters wide appear in front of the lava ball, but sadly it was too late. Eight lava ball already launched at the defenseless Poska. *Bang *Boom Finally, Poska returned to the ground with a gruesome wound, the burnt on his body and face made him unrecognizable even by his own mother. Silence filled the entire room, as everybody was watching the thin body standing in front of the lying Poska in fear. 10 Foolishly Falling into a Trap Lyon walked up to Jugen who was on the floor. "Hey, you alright?" "I-I''m fine, thank you, don''t you think you overdid it a little," said Jugen with his beaten up body. "Did I? I didn''t even use half of my power on that attack, or else this building was done for." (And if that happen I don''t want to know what those two women would do to me.). *tap*tap "Who are you?! Why are you doing this?! Don''t you know who he is?!" said the old man as he approached Lyon with a stern face. "My name is Lyon Torga, The Genius, as for why, mainly because he ruined my food, secondly he beat up my lunch partner." "Hmph!! Anybody can tell a lie, Lyon you are hereby punished by imprisonment for six years for almost crippling a fellow student. " said the old man as he suddenly turned his back on Lyon to tend Poska. "Heh...." smiled Lyon as his aura was surging to envelop the old man. However before the aura touched the old man, a beautiful voice came to the ears of everyone. "I can vouch for him," said Luna while grabbing her wrist with one hand like a queen. "Ah miss Luna if you can vouch for him then it must be true." said the old man hurriedly. (Hmm, apparently she has a higher background) thought Lyon as he retracted his aura. *Swoosh Lyon moved like a wind and approached Luna face to face. (Bro, I still have some bruises here and you already left me for a woman, at least heal me damn it!) thought Jugen while he smiled wryly. "Say, beautiful lady, are you single at the moment?" asked Lyon with a gentleman''s smile. *Whoah Everybody was startled by the sudden question. Nobody had ever asked this taboo question for years. That was because of Luna''s scary background, She was actually a princess from the Kingdom of Phantera in the north region. The Kingdom of Phantera was famous for its military force and history. She was here because she was fighting the arranged marriage her father had for her. "I am single at the moment." smiled Luna sweetly. "Great, nice to meet you, Luna, I am Lyon," said Lyon naturally. "Hahaha, you are so interesting, common people usually introduce first rather than asking their romantic life." chuckled Luna. "Well what can I say, I''m an uncommon genius." chuckled Lyon. "Lyon are you interested in joining the student council?" "Hmmm..." "You''ll be the Vice President, that occupation has been vacant for too long." "Hmmmm..." "You will get daily salary about 10 silver per day." "Hmm..." *Swoosh, Jugen lurked up behind Lyon and whispered "My Big brother Lyon, I heard rumors about the president, taking a shower here inside the academy at night when she had a ton of works. But we can''t get inside the academy at night because only the president and vice president have access, of course, the owner has it too but that doesn''t matter." Lyon''s eyes were brightened, then heaven and world energy condensed on his left finger as he wrote "Light heal" and chanted. *Zing Brown magic brand appear on top of Jugen''s head and fall through his body as the bruises were no more. "Thank you, big brother," whispered Jugen. "No problem little bro," whispered Lyon. Nobody had an idea that this friendship was the beginning of the epic tale of Jugen ''The Marksman of God''. "Okay deal!" said Lyon enthusiastically. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Who did this?!" said a fat old man. This man was actually Poska''s father Greg Glory the duke. just like his son, he had the personality of that of a tyrant. This duke had many wives but only a single son. Even the mother of Poska was actually approaching the duke because of wealth. The duke was always eyeing on the throne since the king''s death. He had devised a plan to kill the current Queen, but it always ended in failure since Fei was guarding her 24/7. He had already amassed support from 90% of the duke in the kingdom. However, since the Trio C and Zitian was still alive any thought of rebellion was suppressed instead. "It-it was Lyon, Fa..-ther," said Poska trembling as he still felt traumatized with the near death event. "The one that caused ruckus the other day?" "Y-yes it was him." "Why did he do this to you?" "I tried to make him join my banner but not only he refused, but I also become like this." "What did the teacher thinks about this?" "He was about to be punished by imprisonment but Luna vouch for him." "Princess Luna did? Hmm, this will be tough, endure this my son, at least you are not crippled. The time has almost come just endure this one." "Yes, father." (Hehehe Lyon just you watch!). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the Sylviana''s room. "Miss I have some good news and bad news regarding Lyon," said Fei. *sigh "It''s only the first day, what is the bad news?" asked Sylviana while rubbing her temple. "He almost crippled duke Greg''s son and put a hole on the cafeteria roof." *sigh "Of all people he can fight, it just had to be that guy''s son. So what''s the good news?" "He became a Vice President of the student council." "He what? How can that be?" "Miss Luna vouch for him." "Luna did? arrrgh she probably also saw the potential in him! That girl is quick-witted indeed." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The student council room was not grand or extravagant. It only had two desks, one small desk for the president, and one large desk in the middle of the room for the rest. The room was heading to the east, so the sunrise could be seen at the large window behind the President''s desk. "So Lyon, I hear you already got a position for the competition," said Luna while clasping her hand on the table. Lyon squinted his eyes. "Hehehe no need to worry, I have my own connection on this matter." "Hmm.. you are one dangerous woman, I have one question, why of all the position in this council the crucial Vice President is vacant?" asked Lyon. "You will know that answer in due time." smiled Luna. "For now sign this contract with a drip of your blood," said Luna as she handed the contract. (This is a trap ....I know this is a trap, I shouldn''t sign it.) then the whisper of Jugen echoed in his head (Bro, she take a bath at the academy at night,....at night...at night....only Vice president and President had access.....access...access.). *Slash *Splurt With one quick move, Lyon slashed his thumb with the pen and sprayed his blood over the contract. (Ah, me and my horny mind always bring more trouble than I should). *Zing *Zing A purple magic brand appeared as the blood and the contract made contact and at the same time, purple-magic-brand was imprinted on Lyon and Luna''s right arm. Under the magic brand were the words "Heaven''s Deal". 11 JUGEN!! "You fell into my trap hahaha!" laughed Luna. "W-What? what trap?" said Lyon (*sigh seeing her happy like that I couldn''t bear to explain.). "That contract was a trap, It is called the "Heaven''s deal" contract, It can only be made by Soul realm expert. It will bound your soul to mine as long as the contract not fulfilled. You can''t break it, you can''t kill me and if there is a time limit in the contract and you don''t fulfill it in time, your soul will be crushed. But rejoice as there was no time limit in the contract you just signed, and of course, the contract will disappear if you died prematurely." "Oh no, why did you do this to me?" (Again this is me acting). "Hahaha, don''t you ever wonder why the Vice President is actually vacant? well because of this contract. Nobody dared to do it." (So that means the bastard already knew about this but didn''t tell me!! F*ck you Jugen!). "Oh by the way only the contractors and the contracted can see the magic brand so rest assured." *sigh "Alright then, so what is the contract about?" "It''s easy, you just need to cancel my arranged marriage or showed up in my kingdom as my boyfriend." (No matter how you look at it, it''s not easy, but I like the second choice) "Okay why not?" said Lyon calmly. "Wow you are taking this very calmly, I like your confidence." smiled Luna. "Thank you I like me too, so who are the other members of the council?" "I think even Emperors would lose to you in terms of self-esteem. There are no other members of the council, only you and me." ''What? really? then what about that red-haired guy waiting outside the door?" "Oh, you mean Martis? he is my bodyguard''s apprentice from my kingdom." "Then what is the purpose of this ''council''?" "Of course to maintain order in the academy or creating events, you know, the usual stuff." "When do you usually work really late?" "Hmm? usually at the end of the month. because I had to make reports. Which is next week, why?'' "Wouldn''t that be easier if you have more members?" "Well, I can do it alone so..." "I want to help!" "Really," said Luna with sparkling eyes. "Yes, really." (really hehehe). "Okay thank you, Lyon, you really are a kind person." smiled Luna innocently. (I almost feel bad seeing that smile ..... almost) thought Lyon as he rubbed his chest. "Okay then I shall take my leave, Luna" waved Lyon. "Ah ..Unn.." Nodded Luna. (Aih, please let it be a success this time). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Academy was in an uproar because of the event just happened. First, the beat up Polska and then Lyon becoming a Vice President. The hole on the roof in the cafeteria was not patch up, in fact, the academy staff just let it be. They said it was an order from the above to make this be remembered. Who was the man or woman behind this order? no one knew but the crowd had been speculating that it was the mysterious founder. Only a handful of person knew the identity of the mysterious founder. The status of those people was amazingly high, that even the Queen of Nostria had to show respect to these people. "I wish Lyon would look at me." said a young woman. "Hah look at you? you would even lucky to get the attention of a man with a unicycle." mocked a young man. "It''s better than you who has nothing." mocked the woman back. Down goes the young man. People were laughing at their conversation but soon stopped as the man of the topic came from the entrance. "Where is my little bro Jugen?" said Lyon. "I think he is on his way home." said one. "Where is his home?" "Three blocks east from the west park." "Got it, thanks." *swoosh Then Lyon''s gone. "BRO I JUST TALKED TO LYON!!" said the one just now. "Bro, I''m Gutty let''s have a drink sometime." said a brawny man. "Bro, I''m Felon if you have any trouble in the market just contact me .." "Bro, I''m Dirk ..." "Bro,...." From that moment on, the young man''s life changed dramatically as in the future he had a powerful connection all because he talked to Lyon. He will remember this favor and told his descendant about it. It even became the decree of his family later on. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Of course, all of that was unknown to Lyon as he rushed to the big mansion of the Berg family. In the backyard of the mansion stood two people conversing with each other. One was a man and the other one was a beautiful maiden. She had an hourglass figure with bountiful twin peaks. Her glossy skin was like that of a baby with cream complexion. She had a golden-bright hair protruding out of her back cap. Her jade eyes were bright and wild, a perfect match for her gold-ore symmetrical eyebrows. The Cupid bow lips of her made the best combination with her diva''s nose. The clothes she wore was a tank top revealing her smooth waist and belly button, along with short pants for training, these prove her tomboyish personality. She had an aura of a demon exuding around her. She was Karina Aprilia (Only males descendant got the surnames). She was at the peak level of the Elemental Realm with fire and lighting affinity. She was the senior of Fei, the Nostrians called her by many names, ''The Executioner'', ''The Demon''s Teacher'', etc, but the most favorite one was ''The Golden Demon''. *Bang "Big SISTER PLEASE HELP YOUR LITTLE BRO!!" said Jugen while prostrating. "Help with your training?" grinned Karina. "Not training, I-i think someone is going to come here and beat the crap out of me!" said Jugen hurriedly. (No way I want to train with you, I rather go through mountains of blades or take a hot shower inside a volcano, only 3 people out of 100 survived from your ''training''). "Hmmm? that''s very rare of you to seek my aid, won''t you be ashamed if I helped you?" "No-NOT this time. This one is really dangerous big sister!! I can handle a beating from Polska but not this one, I will probably be dead from a single hit from this guy!" "Interesting, I can already sense someone rushing his way here." grinned Karina. "OH NO!!! please, big sister, I don''t care about face anymore!! save me !!" cried Jugen while shaking Karina''s slender leg. *Swoosh A shadow appeared behind Jugen. "Ju-gen.." a cold voice froze his body as he struggling to turn his head to the source. But the dreadful aura he was expecting wasn''t there at all. All he saw was a dumbstruck face of Lyon staring at her sister: "Big-brother?". Lyon snapped back into reality as he heard the calling. Then he dragged the panic-stricken Jugen five meters away from her sister. "Bi-Big brother I-.." "I forgive you." cut Lyon with a straight face. (You motherfu*cker!! Don''t tell me you..!). "You know what to do next right?" said Lyon. "Y-yes...big brother leave it to me." then the both of them approached Karina. "Big sister, rejoice as I, your little brother found the perfect husband for you, my big brother Lyon Torga the everlasting genius of Nostria or maybe even the world. He had all Nostria prostrated two days ago, and today he had taken revenge for me by beating up Poska," said Jugen proudly as he made a salute expression, altogether with Lyon nodding every sentence. *Bang *Bang Two men were flying and crashed into the wall *Thud *Thud "Argh I think my ribs are broken," said Lyon as he tried to get up. "I-i-i think mine''s gone big bro.," said Jugen laying on the floor unmoving with red warm liquid flowing out from both edges of his mouth. 12 It Is For Me To See *pant (Was that a kick or a punch? I couldn''t even see it.) thought Lyon while rubbing his chest. "H-hey little .. *pant* ... bro?" (Ah he passed out). *tap *swoosh Lyon''s eyes were shrunk as sweat poured on his face like crazy. In another centimeter, Karina''s leg would have blasted off his face *Swoosh *Boom The wind finally caught up with the kick and actually powerful enough to destroy the wall behind Lyon and also, two walls behind it. Lyon''s knees grew weak and shaking immensely, he had never ever in his life felt this pressure from a woman before. (This woman is dangerous ... I like dangerous ... oh God am I an M?). (C''mon my knees don''t give in to the temptation... I mean pressure... straighten up damn it.) "Oh? not bad," said Karina as she retracted her beautiful leg. "People would have knelt already and pissing their pants. Congratulation you are eligible to enter my training and by eligible, I mean must and you don''t have a choice," smiled Karina. "W-what about your little brother?" "Oh don''t worry about him, this is just his everyday meal." "I''m jealous." said Lyon in a low voice. "What?" "What? "Did you say something?" "What? no... I didn''t say anything." "Oh okay then. By the way, the training starts now. Hmm? What are you staring at?" "Ohh nothing, the training yeah? Okay, what kind of training," said Lyon sweating. --------------------------------------- The forest on the west of Nostria was the perfect place for the youngster to face life and death situation with the demon beast and also to... maybe.... ascend adulthood. Rumor had it that a mythical beast was residing in the area. However, what kind of mythical beast was it, no one knew. Thieves or bandits were scattered inside the forest. Some even searching of an expert tomb for riches. So anyone who wanted to go to the Kingdom of Meistas usually hired mercenaries from the local guild. The forest also contained medical herbs and sometimes a rare one. Many quests were placed because of this. "Here we are!" said Karina. "This forest?" said Lyon. "Yes, first let''s hunt 1000 Demon Mammoths and 500 Demon Vines for warm up" (This woman is nut, and she didn''t even change her clothes!! YES!!!). "Let''s GO!! Don''t lag behind me Lyon or you will face punishment!!" said Karina as she jumped 20 meters forward. "Ah shit, wait up!" said Lyon following Karina. The onlookers were shaking their head. "Aih another victim." said an old man. "Oh don''t be like that. my business is flourishing." said another old man. "The fact that your business is flourishing is bad news to us." "Why is that?" asked a young man curiously. "He gets paid by the relatives to cremate and bury the deceased." "Damn." said the young man. Seven hours later the curtain of night veiled the forest. *pant *pant "Hah-Hah... how many lefts do we have to hunt?" said Lyon. "About 300 Demon Mammoths left," said Karina. *gulp The sweat on Karina''s body soaked her tank top clothes and almost revealed the ultimate treasure!! *drip *drip "Oh no it''s raining!" said Lyon (YESSSS!!! Thanks GOD I LOVE YOU!!). "It''s only raining don''t be such a wuss!" reprimanded Karina. "Sorry." said Lyon as he rubbed his head smiling like a fool. "Someone''s coming, no it''s more than one, we are entrapped!!" said Karina as he looked around. Lyon''s face darken. *shrek More than twenty people came out of the bushes. "Well well well... Boys looks like we caught a really big fish today, the Golden Demon herselfHAHAHA.." said the leader. The underlings laugh along with their leader... "So what it''s gonna be, the boy''s life or you become our plaything.. hehehe...". The leader was actually a level nine elemental realm with water affinity, while his underlings ranged between level one to six elemental realm. This group was one of the famous bandit groups in the forest. Its subsidiary group was uprooted by Luna''s expedition which gained her title. "Run Lyon!! I will hold them back. Report to the guild and bring reinforcement." said Karina as she readied her stance. However Lyon didn''t move at all, he just stood there like a wooden block. "HAHAHA the boy is too scared to move." said one of the underlings. "Snapped out of it Lyon!!" said Karina. "HAHA It''s useless, my guess is that the boy is a newbie. Truly foolish of you Golden Demon!!" . .. .... "This was supposed to be my day," said Lyon in a low cold voice. . . . "Even the gods have given me rain.." . . . "Her beauty is not for you to see but for me!!" shouted Lyon, then he clenched both of his hand and: "ALL OF THE WORLD''S ELEMENT HEED MY COMMAND, COME! AND AID ME! BREAKTHROUGH TO ELEMENTAL REALM!!!." *ZING* It was like the world itself answered his call, the rain was dropping at a faster rate, the wind howls as if it was welcoming a new ruler, and finally ... *BOOM One lightning struck Lyon and enveloped him. *Zing Lyon massively absorb the energy from the ring as he made three consecutive breakthroughs. "I want that RING!!" shouted the leader as he jumped and approach Lyon. *Swoosh *Bang The leader was blasted off by a kick from Karina. "You need to get through me first." (Good timing Lyon! now we have a chance to reverse this situation.) Then Karina proceeds to chase the leader. "YOU LOT DARES TO PRY YOUR EYES ON THE WOMAN I FANCY? FACE DEATH!" shouted Lyon as he wrote two spells at once with both of his hand. "Saint Magic, Mother Nature''s Hug." a huge yellow brand magic covers the ground the underlings stood. *Grug A lot of vines were protruding out of the earth soil as it tangled the underlings. "Aarghh I can''t move!!" "I can''t cut these vines!!" "Forbidden Magic.... ....Abyss Bullets!" The moment Lyon said it despair covers the men who are tangled. Disbelief and regret filled their minds at the same time *zing*zing Nine white colored brand magic appeared vertically in the air *Puff Tiny black spheres with the size of a rice grain came out from the brand magic, however, the speed was so slow that even a baby who can walk could dodge it. The first man who was about to made contact with the sphere didn''t know that a gruesome accident was about to happen. Once the sphere touches his arm, the sphere actually went through it.. just like that. "ARGHHHH HELP MEEE!!!" *Zlurrrrp The man''s entire body was absorbed into the black sphere including his tears... "ARRGHHH" "FORGIVE MEE!!!!" "SPARE MEE!!" "AHHH NO NO!!" The worst thing was that the speed of the sphere and the absorption rate were really slow so the feeling of having all your bones and intestines being compressed couldn''t be skipped. Thirty minutes later. The rain stopped and a light curtain washed the young man standing alone. "Sorry Lyon the leader had a backup so I took a little more time to take care of them. Huh where are the enemies?." said Karina as she looked around. *tap *tap Then she approached Lyon curiously because he didn''t respond to her question. "You are so beautiful.." said Lyon as he gently touched her cheeks. Karina was caught off guard by his sentence. Then without warning Lyon''s lips locked into Karina''s as he embraced her under the curtain of light. Her eyes were in disbelief. The scenery looked like a beautiful painting. 13 Shattering Palm The moonlight and stars beyond seemed to exist just for this moment. The beautiful wind fluttered her hair and taking off her cap. When the cap dropped to the ground, Karina finally snapped out of her trance and pushed Lyon away. The both of them didn''t say a word for a whole minute, however, Lyon''s mind was occupied with fear. (Oh shit SHIT SHIT SHIT!! I''m so dead !! The F*ck did I just do?! I just kissed her like that? not that I mind though). A shade of red appeared on Karina''s face as she tried not to look at Lyon in the eye, but she still stealing a glance. (She''s so cute and beautiful..) thought Lyon. "I.." said the both of them at the same time. "Y-You first..." said Karina. "I-I''m sorry ....I-i-i didn''t do it on purpose!! please forgive me!! you can punch me or anything just don''t kill me yet." said Lyon while lowering his head. Karina chuckled seeing his expression. She then turned her backs on him and said: "It''s alright, I don''t need to kill you or anything. It''s just that ... that was my first time kissing a male. I guess it''s special in its own way." Guilt was the only thing Lyon felt where he was supposed to feel relief. Hearing the maiden said that with not so high or low voice made him realize that in the end, she was a really strong-hearted woman. Then Karina faced the night sky and said: "You owe me one for this, and not a single word about this comes out to the crowd." Lyon was in a trance seeing her like that, only the word ''yes'' came out of his mouth. "Alright let''s end today''s training and get back home, AND don''t be late for tomorrow''s training!!" said Karina smiling while turning to Lyon. "YES!" said Lyon while smiling back. ----------------------------------------------------------- The sun once again illuminated Nostria. Jugen was still in the bedroom recuperating along with her sister Karina. "Big sis, you looked like a girl in love for some reason." *Bang "AHHHHH!" Karina then broke his leg then said: "What did you just say?" "I-I said nothing." (Aih, how can I heal if you keep breaking my bones) Karina got up then walked out of the room, only to see Lyon already waiting in the backyard. Then the two of them started to go to the jungle and trained. This had been going on for Lyon in the past three days. "I''m going to teach you a skill," said Karina "Oh what skill?" said Lyon. "It''s a fist skill since my primary weapon is gauntlet after all." Karina then stepped back and punched a tree with lightning speed and then struck her palm. She only used two motion to activate the skill, a punch then a palm. *Boom As the palm made contact with the tree, all the leaves on the tree fell down. It didn''t take long for the tree to rupture from the inside and finally crumbling down. Lyon was dumbstruck seeing what happened in front of his eyes, there were no energies of earth and heaven used at all and the tree was as big as 1000 years old oak tree and it goes down like that with a punch. After retracting her palm Karina said: "This is actually the very first skill I learned, the ''Shattering Palm''. The idea of this skill is to jumble the heaven and world energies inside the enemy and make them explode from the inside." "The trick of mastering any skill is to use the energies outside of your body, not by absorbing them but guiding them in your moves." "In one on one battle, it is recommended that you use skill rather than magic because the cast time can leave you vulnerable." But then Karina sighed and said: "There is a limit to this skill, however, if the body is strong enough to handle a jumble or can control the energies inside, the explosion will not occur and you will be left open." then Karina seems to remember something : "I had this theory for a long time ago but never actually done it. If you somehow can guide more energies than you normally do, then the power you blasted off should be more powerful. But then again, this will be really strenuous to the body and leave you with more wound instead." Then without warning, Lyon tried to motion like what Karina did. *Bang The tree he punched shook wildly but no leaves fell down, only his palm imprinted on the tree instead. Karina chuckled seeing Lyon did this. "You cannot master a skill in one day dummy," said Karina. But as soon as she said that Lyon tried again ... and again... and again... (What do you know, besides your lazy attitude you really worked really hard for something you want) Smiled Karina. 5 hours later. *Bang Nothing changed. "Why not take a break first, and continue later?" asked Karina. "I can still continue Karina." *pak Karina hit Lyon''s head. "Call me teacher," said Karina. Then she said: "Well since it''s only the two of us, I guess you can call me Karina then. Hmm? why are you smiling?" Then Lyon motion his hand on top of his head to signaled Karina to do the same. As Karina motion her hand, she was surprised that there is something on top of her head. It was a pair of leaves, they came from the tree Lyon practiced on. The surprising thing was actually the leave didn''t fell down because of the shake, but from within, this could be seen as they both had traces of energies left. It took Karina six months to even had one leaf falling down and that was already considered a genius. But Lyon only took about five hours. This talent was out of this world. If the founder of this technique found out about this, he or she would shit his or her pants and quit cultivating and sell snacks instead. "If you have this speed of mastery, you might trample down the competition later on. Wait a minute the selection is two days from now right?" "Yes it is, but I already earn a quota for myself." "How did you do that?" "The Queen personally give me the spot." "The Queen did? Are you close with her?" said Karina with a jealous tone. "W-w-well not as close as you might think I am.," said Lyon nervously. "Hehehe I''m just messing with you." chuckled Karina. (This woman!). 14 Incoming Storm Today was the selection day and the registration to apply was already open. There was another announcement from the Queen that one of the three quotas had already been given to Lyon. There was an uproar regarding this unfairness but the applicants couldn''t do anything since it means they will against the Queen meaning the Nostria. Remembering the incident back in the academy, many applicants erased their thoughts of challenging Lyon to take one of the quotas. The applicants were not many either, they just applied because of the respect for Nostria. Deep in their heart they knew the chances of winning the competition was still low despite the genius partook in it. Because Poska still recuperating from the heavy injuries, in the end only Jugen and one other applicant got through the selection. Luna and Martis were not included in the selection because they were not originally from the Kingdom of Nostria. "Big brother I only applied the selection because of my sister," said Jugen while drinking his wine. Then he continued: "The only reason I passed the selection was that all my opponents gave up before the match even began. There was one that even stronger than me by three levels and he gave up. The reason they gave up was that they don''t want to embarrass themselves at the competition later on." *gulp *gulp "Ahhh, this wine is not bad. Then who is the other person," asked Lyon. Jugen then laughed and continued: "That guy''s luck is not better than mine, he always too late to say ''surrender'' and so he became the scapegoat or the ''sacrifice'' as the Nostrians say. I talked to him about the competition before and he said he will not participate on the competition day." "By the way what is the reward about winning the competition?" asked Lyon. "Last year it was a level 8 saint magic spells plus Spirit Fruit. But those were only from the kingdoms. You can also keep the treasures you find in the competition for yourself. There is an additional treasure if you have accumulated enough points. The points can be obtained by killing the guardian who guards the floor. By this time no one knows the depth of the labyrinth, the deepest anyone ever gone through was floor 79, and that was more than 250 years ago from the Arcana Kingdom." "Is there any rule to the competition?" "That''s the scary part, anything goes inside the labyrinth." "By the way big bro.." said Jugen then he continued: " What did you do to my older sister? whenever she is around you, she looks like a stern girlfriend while without you she became the tomboy I used to know and beat me up for no good reason. Don''t tell me you guys are dating?" "We are not dating, at least not yet. Hahaha," said Lyon. "You are amazing big bro, but be careful though, she had many pursuers outside of the kingdom. her pursuers are young princes from the neighboring kingdoms." "Even if the Gods pursued her I will not let her go haha!" said Lyon pridefully. "Then here is a toast for you big brother in law!". *clank. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Kingdom of Arcana. Inside the throne room of the castle knelt six young men in front of the king. One of them had an athletic figure and murderous intent. He had a long hair draped on his shoulder. His eagle eyes and eyebrow were menacing. He had a saber on his back and wind element affinity on his magic. He wore a black garment of the Arcana''s academy. He was Jiangnu, the genius on the monument he was at the first level of the elemental realm. "You six remember what''s your ultimate mission is right?" said the king to the six candidates of the competition. "Kill Lyon Torga inside the labyrinth!" said the six of them in unison. "Don''t fail me Jiangnu, He will be a threat once he become an expert, and his threat will not only for the kingdom but for you too." "Yes your majesty," said Jiangnu while cupping his hand. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Kingdom of Meistas. Inside the park of the castle, stood five people behind the King. There were three young men and two young women. The King was tending his garden while speaking to the five of them. One of the young women had a petite figure, and a lovely face adorned with beautiful earrings on her elf-like left ear. She had a thin lip with a small pointy nose. She was wearing the academy alma mater. She used Bow and a magic arrow for fighting and dual elemental of water and sand. She was Xiaxia the genius behind Jiangnu. She was also at the first level of the elemental realm. "What do you think about the competition?" said the King. "I think the chances of our survival is fairly high, my only threat would be Jiangnu and probably Lyon," said Xiaxia. "I trust your leadership, however, try to kill Lyon if you can or at the very least befriended Jiangnu. I had some information that the Kingdom Arcana will launch a war against Nostria when you guys go inside the labyrinth and they have back up from the Heaven''s Dawn Dynasty." said the King coldly, then he continued: "And... I got a personal letter that we are to aid the Arcana Kingdom in their conquest this time. The letter was sent personally by our Dynasty." "This subordinate understand." said Xiaxia. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the dining room in the castle. "I hear you were going out to the jungle with older sister Karina lately," said Sylviana. *munch *munch *gulp "Ah yes I was under her training," said Lyon. "Oh really? well, good luck then. I heard that only a handful of people survived her hellish training hehehe." said Sylviana teasingly. "Those are just rumors, I''m perfectly fine am I not?" said Lyon. (ARRRGGGHH be infuriated a little will you!) thought Sylviana while twitching her mouth. "Oh that''s right, grandfather Charlie told me to ask you to see him, he said your equipment is done." "OH REALLY?! I''m going then !! see you later!" said Lyon hurriedly. *SWOOSH "ARRGHH that piece of shit doesn''t have manners at all. What is he a monkey or something?!" "Language miss!" said Fei. ------------------------------------------------ Inside Charlie''s blacksmith. "Are you sure you want to wear this on your competition?" asked Charlie. "What do you mean by that? that was my design, of course, he has to." said one fat old man. This old man was Piones the number one tailor in Nostria. "This is perfect!!" said Lyon. Charlie was shaking his head while Piones was nodding. 15 Poking Sword The night at the academy was not as scary as an abandoned school in horror movies. The lights inside the academy were lit all the time even during the day. The reason for this to happen was because of Luna''s order. Tonight was the last night of the month, inside the student council room were two young people. Luna was working with the paperwork and reports, while the man beside him .... well that guy just made some tea for the lady. "Luna, here you go," said Lyon as he handover the tea he made. "Ah, thanks Lyon, you are pretty good at making tea," said Luna "Yes, thank you for your compliment." smiled Lyon (I actually stole the recipe from Fei!). "But somehow it reminds me of Fei''s tea," said Luna curiously. Lyon was sweating as he said nervously: "I''ll be honoured to be mentioned on the same level as Fei." as he thought (No shit Lady!). Then Luna continued on her work reports. (Aih, this is very dull!) thought Lyon. "By the way who are you submitting this report to?" asked Lyon. "Oh, the owner of the Academy of course!" said Luna enthusiastically. "Oh? Not the Queen?" "Well she is of course also get the reports." "Who is the owner of the Academy?" Then Luna looked at him with a sparkling eyes as she continued: "Listen carefully Lyon, This man identity is so secretive that only the higher up status can know, but rejoice as I, your President shall open your eyes." before Lyon realized it, Luna was already standing in front of him with her two tiny hands on her hips. She then took a deep breath and said: "The man''s name is Argeon, He is one of the most genius men in the last two hundred years. He had earned many merits outside his kingdom and known almost all over the continent. It is said that he had reached the seventh level of Soul Realm. He is an adventurer with a kind heart, people called him by many names but my favourite one is ''Argeon The Harbinger of Death'', it''s so COOL!" Lyon was dumbstruck seeing her out of her usual character. *ehem Cough Luna as she realized the dumbstruck face of Lyon. Then she continued: "Anyway, he is also my uncle, that''s why I can become the President so easily." Then she sighed: "But even so he is rarely at Nostria to take care of his Academy, and the reports I made every month never reached him." said Luna as she sat down. "Here Luna, have another tea," said Lyon. "Ah, thank you." "The moon is so beautiful tonight. Why don''t you take a shower and relax for a while, I will take care of the reports." "Hmm? are you sure you can handle this?" asked Luna. "Don''t worry this is nothing to me," said Lyon. "Alright then, thank you, Lyon, I''m gonna go relax, It''s really good having your company." Smiled Luna. (Once again, I almost feel guilty seeing that smile ... almost). *creak *thud "Alright then let''s do this, cheating style," said Lyon as he accumulates the energies on to his finger and writes a bunch of spells. "Auto Write","Data Conversion", "Follow Writing Style"..... *zing *zing *zing A bunch of white brand magic appeared on the papers and wrote the reports on its own. If people from the magic institute were to see this they would bleed internally. They write a lot of books by hands and sometimes ripped apart the paper when they wrote it wrong but this guy just sat there and watched the paper write itself, furthermore the writing style followed Luna''s. "Now then... I guess it''s time." "SPACE MAGIC, CRACK OF DESIRE!! hohoho I love this magic!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *drip *drip*drip*drip *drip*drip*drip*drip *drip*drip*drip*drip*drip The hot water was dripping down her hair, the glowing complexion was mesmerizing. It was like a little fairy taking a shower. *crack A space crack appeared behind the young maiden silently. "Woah" whispered Lyon as he saw the scene in front of him. Luna''s beautiful butts had a birthmark on her left''s. The firmness and elegant shape of hers can be compared to a tofu, smooth and soft. Her front combined with her innocent face could give a man one ticket to hell. The small round boobs, the cherry lips ... truly like a maiden from the east shrine. "You little fox," whispered Lyon. *Clank The lights in the academy shut down, and Luna freeze on the spot. Then she held herself together and whispered: "M-mo-mother--Luna''s scared.." Hearing the whisper, Lyon quickly enlarge his magic and jumped inside the shower room. *hug Two strong warm hands embrace the dewy body of Luna. *drip *drip The sound of water dripping from Luna''s body could be heard clearly by the both of them. "Mama is that you?" A sense of warmth was felt inside Luna''s heart as she began to calm down. . . "No, I''m not your mother Luna, but don''t worry as long as I live, you will never live in the darkness again," said Lyon softly. "Th-thank you Lyon." said Luna softly as a shade of red appeared on her face, then she continued "I-i think your sword is poking me, Lyon." ----------------------------- start of NSFW --------------------------------- Lyon''s dragon rod was reaching for the sky and lay on top of Luna''s butt. Even though it covered by the cloth of Lyon''s pants. *shek *shek *shek Lyon started to move his hips forward and backwards like and inducing magnet. "P-please just let me hold you for a little while..." said Lyon. "E-en, it''s alright if you just hold me a little while, but do you have to move like that?" "P-please bear with me a little I''m almost done". said, Lyon, as he moved even faster. *shek *shek*shek*shek *shek*shek*shek*shek*shek *zing The light was on again. "AAAHHHHHHHRRGGGHH" scream Lyon as he reached climax and furiously grabbing Luna''s breast while pinching her bud upward. "AAHhhhhnnn...<3" moaned Luna. ----------------------------- end of NSFW ;) --------------------------------- Gasping sounds filled the tiny shower room. . . "AHHH!!!" screamed Luna, as only now did she realize that she was naked. *Pak *Pak*Pak *Pak*Pak*Pak *Pak*Pak*Pak*Pak*Pak*Pak A furious slap combos hit Lyon''s face directly then ... *bang. A kick finished him flying outside the room. *gruk*gruk*gruk*gruk Sounds of the security rushing over could be heard. "Ah, quick hide inside the other shower room, it would be bad if they caught you and me in the shower!" said Luna behind the shower curtain. Then with a crawling motion, Lyon got inside one of the other shower room and shut the curtain. "Miss Luna are you alright?" said a female security. "Ah I''m fine, that scream was because I forgot something on my reports, hehe," said Luna behind the curtain. "Oh alright then, be careful miss Luna." said the security. Then she noticed that there was ANOTHER room with the curtain shut?!. *tap *tap *tap *shriik With one quick motion, the female security opened the curtain and ready to attack ... . . nothing. "We will be off then, miss enjoy your shower." "En." Then Luna started to feel pain on her breast area, there was a red imprint of a hand on each side of her little mountain. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "hah, hah, shit that was close.." said Lyon lying on the floor inside the student council room. 16 Peanut Butter Sandwich Today was the competition day and it had been five days since the night event in the academy. Lyon and Luna rarely saw each other since then. Every time they saw each other coincidentally, Luna would blushed and walked away not giving Lyon a chance to talk at all. The city was full of crowd and bazaar here and there. The local merchant would take advantage of the bustling atmosphere and drag a customer into their shop. There were many races inside the kingdom, there were elves, cat-persons, goblins, orcs, etc. Even the guild would take advantage of this situation and tried to recruit new members. Labyrinth of Simak were the place where the competition would be held. This labyrinth was so big that it had three entrances. The entrances were inside the Kingdom of Nostria, Meistas, and Arcana, however the entrance that opened every twenty five years were different each time. This time the Labyrinth opened inside the Kingdom of Nostria. The place where the entrance located was in the arena, west part of Nostria. *grug *grug grug The sound of horses galloping became more apparent as they moving towards the city gate. Both kingdom''s candidates were the one riding the horses with their king leading the way. It was the absolute rule that, neither Kingdoms shall bring an army during the competition and the current leader must lead the candidates himself, however the citizens of both Kingdoms are allowed to watch the competition as well. This rule was bind with the ''Heaven''s Deal'' contract. So every new leader of the kingdom must abide to this contract or face destruction from the other two kingdoms. The people who just came majorly wore red clothing with the exception of one person. He had a straight thin body like a skeleton along with his wrinkled triangle face. He wore the royal clothes of the highest status. His name was Folan Nux the current King of Arcana. The group of people rushed into the arena directly without stopping somewhere else. *neigh Scream the horse as Folan pulled his lead rope. *tap The King got down from the horse and approached Sylviana in the special spectator sits. "Welcome to the Kingdom of Nostria, I Queen Sylviana hopes that you can enjoy the competition on my humble Kingdom." said Sylviana to Folan as she cupped her hand. "Thank you for your welcome Queen Sylviana, ah, you are still as beautiful as ever." said Folan while cupping his hand. Then he continued: "Are you sure you don''t want to marry my son? the offer still stands you know, we can join the kingdoms together." Sylviana''s eyes turned cold for a second but Folan failed to notice this slight changes. "Hahaha King Folan is good at joking, how can I ever be worthy of your son." chuckled Sylviana. Then they both stop talking and sit on the designated location while the candidates waited on top of the arena. The sittings were divided into three sections, in which each section was for one kingdom. On the Arcana side sat Folan and his army''s general. The general had a muscular body and square face with white hair drape around his shoulder. He wore a really heavy armor but it looked so light the way he walked around unperturbed. He had a double-handed sword hanging beside his waist and a big shield with ''Arcana'' engraved on it, on his back. Nobody knew his real name, however people from the Arcana called him Paladin. The King was puzzled when he landed his gaze on the arena. There were no candidates from the Nostria at all. The only team there was the Arcana. (Where is he?) thought Folan. . . . "Peanut butter sandwich! Peanut butter sandwich! Get your peanut butter sandwich here! Buy two get one free only for today!! Only five bronze for one peanut butter sandwich!" a loud voice came out of nowhere from three rows below the balcony where Folan sat. Seeing the man shouting black lines covered Folan''s face and Paladin. "Ehm excuse me what is a peanut butter sandwich?" said one of the crowd. "Eh? You don''t know? Let me tell you brother." said Lyon while picking up one of the wrapped sandwich. "This is the hit of this day and age brother, look at this .... the top and bottom layer of this is called ''bread'' ... this item can only be obtained by special means ... using the basic fire magic this ''food'' is roasted to a certain level of heat. The middle part is the core of this creation .. the peanut butter. Ooops I can''t tell you how I make it, just try it for five bronze." "Alright then I will try one." said the young man. "Here you go brother, go tell a friend!" said Lyon while receiving the money. . *crunch . "Ah so soft, so easy to chew too. What is this food! this is simply godsend gift! Practical and Delicious I cannot believe SUCH A THING EXIST!" said the young man. Then he ripped the sandwich into two and give it to the person beside him. "Bro try it YOU MUST TRY IT!" said the young man. "B-But I don''t know you?" said the young man beside him. "I don''t care just try it!" said the young man. . *crunch . "Wow this is so good, this is unbelievable." "Hey I also want to try one!" "Give me two , I get one free right?" "Hey...." The crowd was bustling with the sandwich Lyon sell. "Alright guys I have many in stock so don''t worry." said Lyon while selling it one by one. *crowd bustling On the balcony, Folan was curious about the food and almost salivated seeing the crowd''s pleasure after eating it. While on the other balcony, Sylviana was itching to eat the food. Sylviana then whispered to Fei to buy two sandwiches. On the way to Lyon she met Paladin also rushing to Lyon. When their eyes met with each other they knew that it was a competition. *Swoosh *SWOOSH Both of them run like a shadow and appeared in front of Lyon in no time. *AAAAHhh *ahhhhhh The wind blow caused by both of them blasted away most of the low leveled cultivator. "Lyon miss Sylviana wants to buy two sandwiches." said Fei charmingly while handing over ten bronze. "For you Fei, this one is free." said Lyon as he accepted the bronze and gave four sandwiches. "Why thank you." smiled Fei. "Hmmph! Nostria can only afford two sandwiches? Pathetic!!" said Paladin. Before Fei wanted to say something he continued: "Here is twenty bronze." "Here.." said Lyon calmly as he handover four sandwiches. . . . . "Hey you fool! I bought with twenty bronze, where are my other two sandwiches?" berated Paladin. "You deaf stupid old goat!" shouted Lyon back. The crowd were surprised to see someone brave enough to confront Paladin. Lyon continued: "It was buy two get one free! not buy four get two free!" Fei was bursting in laughter as she held her stomach with her hand. The surrounding crowd had black lines covering their head. (this guy is so SHAMELESS). "YOU..." before Paladin utter another word. The sound of birds chirping were heard. It was the Meistas. 17 Commence the Competition The birds were actually a really large roc, with wings over 10 meters. It could almost carry seven people. The leading roc had a man with magnificent aura on it. He had a long white beard with a mustache connected to it. His time-eaten face and calm expression made people nervous to approach him. He wore a royalty dress with a bird looking down symbol. He was Tunri Garden, the current King of Meistas. Beside him was an elf woman with average-looking face wearing a loose mage-garb with a staff in her right hand. The staff had three branching-ends with three gems (Red, Blue, and Black) inside it. She was the General of Meistas, Fergana Orka. Looking at the birds in the sky, Lyon began palpitating. The eyes of the rocs were in sync toward the basket full of sandwich Lyon held. (No way right?) thought Lyon. "Hmm? what''s wrong?" said Tunri to his roc. However the roc didn''t respond to him at all. The roc just hovered around in the sky and refuse to come down. (Oh shit I knew it!) thought Lyon when he saw the roc behavior. Then a not-so bright idea came across his mind as he smiled. He lifted up the basket over his head and lured the roc. The eyes of the rocs flashed then their body dived in unison toward the basket. Seeing the events unfolded the crowd quickly disperse in unison as well. Paladin quickly jumped back twenty meters away. On the other hand Fei stayed beside Lyon as if to guard him from the incoming birds. *Boom Noticing the roc losing control, the King punched it''s head to the ground right before it crashed Lyon. *Boom *Boom *Boom The others also punched the roc to the ground. However the roc still struggle to approach Lyon albeit it''s powerless. *kurrr *kurrr The rocs chirped in low sound. "What is wrong with this beast? It never did that before." asked Tunri. However the question only met with silence. "I am very sorry for the inconvenience of my beast caused Queen Sylvianna." said Tunri with a slight bow toward the sitting Sylvianna. "No need to worry yourself King Tunri, unpredictable things could happen anytime, as long as everyone is safe, let bygones bygones." said Sylvianna standing. "You are truly a wise ruler just like your Father." said Tunri cupping his hand. *tap *tap *tap Lyon approached the downed roc and feed it a peanut butter sandwich. *Kurr *KUrrrrr The roc flapped it''s wings rapidly to show it''s favorable expression toward Lyon and also rubbed it''s head. The King had a gloomy face seeing what just happened. (I have nurtured this beast for a longtime but never did it flap it''s wings like that!) thought Tunri. "Young man are you perhaps a beastmaster?" Tunri asked. "No, I''m not a beastmaster, I''m just a genius that''s all." said Lyon while stroking the roc''s feather. Tunri had a blacklines over his head. "Young man, people should have moderation toward one self." lectured Tunri. "Will moderation bring me beautiful woman?" asked Lyon, still stroking the bird. "Err, well... no but-" "Then it''s useless." said Lyon. Then he continued: "The purpose of one''s life is more important than one''s manner, if you can''t get what you want because of some manner, why not end your life right now? it''s meaningless anyway." *zriing *zrrinng The candidates from the Meistas Kingdom pull out there weapons and point them at Lyon. However Lyon seemed to be at ease beside the tension. That''s right, because Nostria''s general was beside him. "You take that back!" said Xiaxia with her bow already pulled. Tunri was at enlightenment and stood still reciting Lyon''s word in his mind. The past him played over in his mind. He was a young prince back then who falls in love with a commoner. However since he was the only child the former King forbids him to make the commoner become Tunri''s first wife. Thus he had no choice to abide the King and moved on, but the feeling he had for her never decreased. So he endured again and again and finally became the King himself. The moment he became the King the person he wanted to tell the most was the commoner girl. However once he parade into her house ... no one was there. This caused him to be dejected and go back to his parents to swear that he will never married. Then years after years of dedicating himself into the ideal King of Meistas, he lost his young self. "Stay your hand!" after the reminiscing was over Tunri gain his composure once again. The candidates hurriedly retract their weapon. "Young man, you are indeed a genius. Across the people I have met my entire life, you are the only one that ever enlightened me. If one''s cannot get what they want because of some manners, it''s a life not worth living. GOOD!" said Tunri slapping Lyon''s back. *Kurrrr *Kuurrrrrr The other rocs chirped hungry for the sandwich. "Young man, how much is the ''food'' you sell?" said Tunri smiling. "Ah.. It''s usually one gold per sandwich." said Lyon smiling, then he continued: "But for you I will sell one hundred silver per sandwich."*nod *nod "That is so generous of you young friend, how about this I will give you half a gold (500 silver) for each sandwich? Take it as for the enlightenment fee." "Deal." The surrounding crowd wanted to said something but the voice never got out of their mouth. (It''s too late *sigh) thought the crowd. Tunri noticed this slight expression but it was too late for him to retract the deal (*sigh why do most genius shameless). (You are swindling a King, damn!! awesome big bro!!!) said the first buyer. He was actually Jugen in disguise. (Is this what you call marketing? I better ask big bro to teach me this later!). *Kaching Then Lyon got a bag with 20 gold in it. "Okay thank you for your business people the food is sold out!" said Lyon clapping his hand. *crunch *crunch Sylviana was eating the sandwich Fei delivered and forgot about what happened below. *Ehem "Miss I think it''s time to open the Labyrinth." Then Sylvianna got up of her chair and announce "Pweughple ogh.." *cough *cough "People the time has come for the Labyrinth to open." *zing A door .. no .. A huge gate open up inside the arena, the inside was a warp of space. 18 Grand Entrance The distortion inside the gate gave ominous feeling to the first timers. But not Lyon, he was excited instead. (Finally some dungeon exploring!) thought Lyon. "Before entering the labyrinth there are things you should now." said Sylviana to the crowd. "Upon entering the gate, all of you will be scattered into random floors inside the labyrinth. There even might be a chance of you never encounter anyone inside!" "Secondly, anything goes inside the labyrinth, life or death shall be determined by your skill!" "Thirdly, we can monitor each one of you from the outside of the labyrinth using the special monitor Grandmaster Crux had invented, you all will be resembled in ''yellow-dots'' on the monitor, but we cannot determine which is which. This monitor was mainly to scope the depth of the labyrinth. Upon death the yellow dots will disappear." "And finally, there is a gatekeeper in every ten floors so be careful." then Sylviana took his time seeing the crowd and candidates before continued: "The rewards from this competition are.." The moment the candidates waiting for finally came. The rewards were always tremendous and crucial to one''s cultivation and magic. The winner of the competition will be determined by how many points gained inside. "We will be giving out level two taboo magic and two spirit fruits to the winner!! Including five hundred golds!!". said Sylviana with a proud smile. *woahh *woahh The crowd began to discuss among themselves. This was by far the greatest reward ever given in the competition. Even both of the kings were surprised. A taboo spell usually a kingdom greatest treasure, they don''t provide them in the libraries because of how rare those were. However Lyon was nonchalant about the taboo spell reward as he already had access to even the rumored divine spell from his ''first-wife'' Selena. (500 gold!! Ah I will probably buy a room in the brothel and stay there until I broke!!) smiled Lyon. Seeing his smile, Jugen whispered: "Big brother, not just the taboo spell but that fruit can boost your magic attack too, who cares about the money right? it''s just a bonus." "Eh? what? ah yes the money is only a bonus hehe." nodded Lyon suspiciously. "Alright, candidates please get ready." said Fei. "Alright let''s go Jugen!" "Right! big brother!" "To the locker room!" said Lyon while running. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the locker room. "Wow big brother you look so cool! weird, but COOL!" said Jugen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- About ten minutes later inside the arena. *cheer *LY-ON! LY-ON! *LY-ON! LY-ON! Most of the crowd were students from the Academy and they were cheering on top of their lung. "Miss aren''t you going to cheer him too?" teased Fei. "Hmph!! he better win this." said Sylviana, then she continued :"LY-ON!!" getting into the rhythm with the crowd. In one of the sitting. "Princess why is your face getting red every time Lyon is mentioned?" asked Martis. "Uh- what? it-it''s nothing! And you are not allowed to discuss this again!" said Luna. "Y-Yes Princess!" (Why am I getting mad at) thought Martis. (Please don''t die Lyon!) thought Luna. Seeing the Nostria''s cheer, the Arcana''s will not take this down. *cheer *Ji-ang-nu!Ji-ang-nu!Ji-ang-nu! Hearing the crowd cheering for him, he raised his saber. *wahhhhhh!!! The Arcana''s screamed. Their king was smiling on the balcony. *chuuu *Boom An arrow shot upward and explode in the sky creating Meistas''s symbol. *Xia!Xia!Xia!Xia!Xia! *Xia!Xia!Xia!Xia! The Meistas''s supporter bang their chest every time they shouted. Xiaxia was standing still, then with a smirk, she held her bow up high. *WAAAAAAAAHHH!! The crowd screamed. Now its their king that had smile in his face. The Nostria supporter was at a dead end without their star Lyon. (Where is he?) was what running in their mind. They were restless, especially the girls, Luna and Sylviana. -------------------------------------------- Back in the locker room. "Did you hear that big bro? I think it''s our cue." "Then let''s do it grandly." smirked Lyon. ---------------------------------------------- *swooosh *swoooshhhh The wind inside the arena gone rampart as clouds gathered in the sky. *spark *spark The lightnings were coiling around the cloud, truly a view of a disaster about to come. *kuuurrrr *KURRRRR *KURRRR The rocs were restless as they flapped their wings rapidly on the ground to escape the place that instant. However the Meistas''s candidates hold them together. Both of the kings had grimaced expression on their face as they saw the current event. As they were about to complain to Sylviana they froze themselves. The Nostrian supporters were all standing up straight and that''s not all, even Sylviana was standing despite her status. Respect filled their face as they watched the incoming event. One really beautiful woman wearing a cap shouted at the top of her lung. "IF YOU CANNOT WIN THIS I WILL BEAT YOU LIKE I FIRST MET YOU!!" smiled the woman. . . *CRACK The space on top of the arena breaking apart and slowly two black figures can be seen falling down slowly. One of them had a long bow with no quiver. He had a fairly handsome face with blonde hair and he wore the academy representative clothes and seem to be the subordinate of the young man beside him. He was Jugen. The young man had a cross earring on his right ear, combined with his handsome face and long hair resting on both his shoulder he looked so lady-killer somehow. He wore a tight black coat with rolled sleeves on both of them but leave the zip open revealing his chest and packs. The coat had a sword planted to the ground symbol on it''s right chest area. His right hand was holding a night-sky unsheathed curved sword with about 1.5 meters long. He was Lyon. *tap *tap Then with a wave from his hand all the commotion gone back to normal. Both of the kings had nothing to say. They felt the tremendous magic just now, and finally felt worry for their candidates. (RARE SPACE Attribute?!) "Now you all may enter the-" Before Fei could finish her sentence... *SFWOOOOSH... Lyon and Jugen were the first to enter the gate and disappeared. . . . . "Charge!" said Jiangnu after realizing they are being outrun. "Tch! let''s go!" said Xiaxia. ------------------------------------------------------- Inside an empty dark chamber... "Ohhhhh.... I wonder if that human can do it... hahaha this is our chance." a mysterious voice filled the room. 19 Showcasing ones achivemen *Zing Lyon arrived inside the labyrinth first, however he saw no Jugen in sight. Apparently he was on the other floor of this dungeon. The floor Lyon was on had a narrow hall leading one way. It was only three adult men width with torches on each side all the way to the end of the hall. At the end of the hall was a double doors. It had two dragons facing each other and a sphere in the middle top engraved on it. *tap *tap Lyon walked closer to the said door but stand still right in front of it. (Aih I have a bad feeling about this, I shouldn''t open the door). Thought Lyon. Then he just stood there for the time being contemplating the decision. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The floor Jugen on was like another world. He was on top of a hill overlooking the jungle and rivers. *Zing "Big brother -er -er -er -er." The voice of Jugen echoes. *ROARRR A deafening sound came from the sky Jugen stood. "Ah my life and shitty luck, It''s the guardian! Fcking hell." Then with a quick motion he jumped down from the hill into the thick forest below. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the arena, Crux was handling the floating monitor. There were yellow dots in their respective floor. The leaders from the three kingdoms put their gaze on the floating monitor with different thoughts. There were twelve dots on the screen. One dot in 26th floor. Two dots in 50th floor. One dot in 24th floor. One dot in 69th floor. Three dots in 78th floor. One dot in 90th floor. One dot in 12th floor. And two dots in 37th floor. "That''s the report Miss." said Fei. "Are you sure that is the report? We had two candidates, the both kingdoms candidates in total have eleven, so the total should be thirteen right?" asked Sylviana. "That''s correct Miss, but this report was made by Grandmaster Crux himself and there were no errors. He gave us two possibilities of this happening. One would be the candidate had died inside the labyrinth, Second would be he or she is on the floor where the monitor can''t detect." "Hmm I see, now I wonder which candidates got inside the 90th floor. I don''t know if he or she is lucky or unlucky. Oh no I think I forgot to tell Lyon that every ten floors will be a different world rather than just a maze full of monsters, and also the guardian reside there. Aih I made a blunder. " said Sylviana shaking her head. "Don''t worry about it little sister I''m sure he can handle it." a beautiful voice entered both ears of the maiden. *tap *tap *tap The beautiful voice was actually came from Karina. "Ah Big sister!" said Sylviana. "S-senior!" said Fei. Both of them had a lot of respect for this legendary figure. "What makes you so sure about him big sister?" said Sylviana with a bit of jealousy tone. "Oh?" Karina seemed to realize the jealousy tone came from Sylviana. "What''s this little sister? Are you jealous?" teased Karina. "Ah wh-wh-who is jealous, m-m-me?! I don''t care if that guy is dead! Hmph!" smugged Sylviana while crossing her arm and turned her vision back to the monitor. Both Fei and Karina only smiled seeing their queen''s reaction. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back on Lyon''s floor. "You know what? F*ck it let''s open this thing." said Lyon. *push *Push *PUSH! But the door won''t budge at all. "Hmph! so you won''t open huh. Try this.." The heaven and world energy were absorbed at the three times speed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *gasp *gasp A shadowy figure was gasping beside a tree. "Hah hah, damn it!" said Jugen. "The mark on the wyvern''s body spelled ''90'' motherf*cker. How am I suppose to kill this beast! I better find the exit and fast!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the arena. *zing Bright magic imbued words appeared on top of the gate. ''The tenth floor''s guardian had been slain. One thousand points are rewarded to the avenger Xianxia.'' *Woahh The crowd were surprised at the announcement. Not even ten minutes were in and a guardian had been slain. "That''s Xianxia for you! She must be the one from the 12th floor!" said one of the crowd "She is wise indeed, taking the back route to kill the previous floor guardian." nodded an expert. *Xia! *Xia!*Xia!*Xia! *Xia!*Xia!*Xia!*Xia! The Meistas''s supporter got more excited. Tunri''s expression was calm and collected despite the achievement his candidate shown. Truly a fearsome king. Folan had grim face seeing that their candidates still had not killed the guardian yet. Sylviana on the other hand was calm and had the ''don''t give a f*ck'' expression on her face so as the other two woman. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The announcement was also shown to the candidates inside the labyrinth. On the 50th floor was a world of lava bursting all over the place. "Tch... that woman is lucky indeed." said Jiangnu. "Don''t falter, once we kill this mammoth our other comrades will regain their confidence!" continued Jiangnu to his other member. "Y-yes!" said the other member. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the 10th floor was a world with plain grass all over the horizon. The plant-like monster was full of holes. stood beside her was a beautiful lady, Xianxia. (This will irritate Jiangnu and deter his other member''s confident and boost my team''s) thought Xianxia. "Hah ... I still wonder should I aid Jiangnu instead ..." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the 90th floor. The black figure run with the wind inside the complicated jungle, but the huge dragon was hovering in the sky showing dominance. Upon closer look, the wyvern had one and a half horn on it''s head. It had green pupils and a scar on it. The night scales on it''s body and tail was so dirty and not perfect, this showed it''s experience in battle. *Thump *Thump *Thump (I really don''t give a single F*ck who killed the what guardian. Somebody SAVE ME!! BIG BRO!) screamed Jugen internally. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Four days later. *Zing ''The 20th floor''s guardian had been slain. Five thousand points are rewarded to the avenger Xianxia.'' "Again! is her again!" said the crowd. *Zing ''The 50th floors guardian had been slain. Twenty thousand points are rewarded to Jiangnu.'' "Yeah JIANGNU!!" the Arcana supporters were excited. "Ah so he is the one on the 50th floor." said the crowd. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Lyon''s floor. "Hehehe, it''s ready ..." smiled Lyon. 20 Mythical Being The thick energies on Lyon''s left hand was so thick that it would scare the leaders of the kingdom if they were to saw this. Then with a wave of his hand the spell were written in the air in an instant. "Forbidden Magic, Ragnarok Blast." chanted Lyon. *Zing The color of the spell was bright yellow. A level five Forbidden Magic. *ZIng A large yellow circle magic brand appeared facing the door. *Zing Then a smaller yellow circle magic brand appeared in front of the previous one. *Zing Then another one. *Zing. And another one. *ZING Then the final brand appeared. *Creak The largest yellow circle magic began to rotate. *Creak Then the next followed. *Creak *Creak *Creak. *ZZTTT *ZZTT A ball was condensed in the middle of the largest brand magic, it was made out of world and heaven energies, and it''s getting denser and denser. Lyon then chuckled a little bit then said: "Eat this." *snap *SFWOOOSH The condensed ball was shot to the door. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Back to the arena. *quake *quake *quake "Wha- what''s going on?!" said a person. "Ah-Ahh help me I''m swaying!" said another. The crowd was in panic and shouting everywhere. "Calm down people we the guards of Nostria will surely keep you safe." said a soldier. *tap *tap A tall brown middle aged man with extraordinary beard came behind the soldier. He wore a special made armor for captain. *pat "Alright Lukas leave it to me." said the middle aged man. "Wow really? Sure, go ahead Captain!" said Lukas. The middle aged man was none other than Zusk. *Ehem "For those men who are still panic I will personally destroy the brothel!" shouted Zusk with domineering voice. Black lines covered Lukas''s face. (I- I shouldn''t made captain calm th---- WHAT THE F*CK !! THE MEN CALMED DOWN!!) "For those women who are still panic, I will personally write letter to General Fei to raise the groceries prices by 200% for the rest of the month." Then despite the quake that happening, the crowd was really calm like it was another daily activities for them. (Yeah right, like hell I would destroy the brothel, that was my life!! And also, I wouldn''t dare to write letters to that general of mine, I would get demoted instead!) Then as he wanted to speak to Lukas he was surprised. Lukas seemed to be soulless right now. "Oi- OI are you alright?!" said Zusk as he shake Lukas. "I-I''m fine captain." "Really? you looked really pale just now." "It''s alright." said Lukas (I-I ...*sigh I wonder if I have to start going to the brothel). Meanwhile on each of the balcony, the leaders had grim face filled their charismatic face. "Paladin, what do you think the quake was about?" said Folan. "I personally have no idea your majesty. This had never happened before." said Paladin. "Oh.." then Folan entered into deep thought. On the other balcony. "Hmm Orka do you know about the quake?" said Tunri. "I can feel a tremendous magic being unleashed inside the labyrinth." said Orka cautiously. Then Tunri slam his eyebrows together: "Since this ''tremendous'' came from you, how tremendous is it in your opinion." *sigh "Not even my greatest defense spell could withstand such a force. Let''s just say that if and I mean if we send all our army against it, at least half of it will be gone, and the rest will be injured. But don''t worry most likely this kind of spell will take a lot of time to cast." Then Tunri also entered into deep thought. On Sylviana''s balcony. "I can only think of two possibilities about the culprit behind this." said Karina suddenly. "What is it senior?" asked Fei while Sylviana also prepared her hear. "One is that the guardian was strong enough it''s attack could sway the entire labyrinth and affects our arena." then she took a deep breath and continued : "However sadly this probability had a ninety eight percent chance to be negated, this is because guardian will not attack if there were no candidates on their world, and if there were any candidates inside, it would likely on the 90th floor, but look, the dot on the 90th floor still exist. With that kind of attack, the candidate is sure to perish." Then both Fei and Sylviana had entered deep thought. Sylviana was the first to exit her trance, and asked: "Then.. what about the other possibility?" Karina only smiled at her question. Sylviana seemed to get the hint : "N-no way right ..." but only to see Karina nodded. "But that''s impossible right? I know he is the greatest genius but he is still too weak right now ... r-right?" asked Sylviana. "Well ... If I never see him fight I would also not believe it. But that night ... I was in the event. Do you know why the bandits inside the forest are gone in the blink of an eye? There were no traces left." "Is it ... him?" asked Sylviana nervously. "Well I did killed the bandit leader and his left and right hand man. But at the time I get back to aid Lyon. The bandits are no where to be seen. Only vines protruding from the ground were left, however the vines seemed like they hold on something human-like size before it was empty air. As I arrived on the scene ... he was just standing there under the bask light of the moon." Of course Karina didn''t tell them the event where Lyon suddenly stole her first kiss, but nevertheless it still made her blush thinking about it again. *sigh "A man like that would probably leave this kingdom in no time. This kingdom can''t hold him." sighedSylviana. "Ohh what''s this, so you actually want to hold him?" teased Karina. "W-W-w ... Big sister you always bully me!" grunted Sylviana as she crossed her arm once again. *pat *pat Karina patted Sylviana''s head and said; "Hehehe you are so cute when you flustered." Nobody found Karina''s petting odd, she was already famous way before Sylviana took the throne. ----------------------------------------------------- *ping A new yellow dot suddenly appeared on the monitor. Crux and the others had a frozen expression as they saw the location of the yellow dot. It was on the 0th floor. This left the people inside the arena discussed between themselves. The 0th level was never before appeared in the record of the labyrinth, this was the very first. They all thought that the deeper the candidates go, the closer they are to the truth about the labyrinth. But they were stupefied because the existence of the 0th level shouldn''t be exist. There were no gates or doors or anything that leads to the 0th level from the 1st level. ----------------------------------------------------- The door opposite him got totally pulverized. Inside the door was a throne room adorned with red-golden curtain along the walls. Red carpet laid on the floor leading to the throne. Upon closer look, the walls were made of a strong material just like the door, but there were claw scratches. The floor was really crystal clean that one can see their own reflection. Filled with doubt, Lyon walked forward to the throne. He put down his sword to the side of the throne and sat down while leaning his head to the right supported by his right hand. He totally looked like a badass with his disdainful expression. . . . . "AAAHH it''s not cool if there were no one to show off to!" shouted Lyon. His voice echoes in the room. *Tap *Tap *Tap Footsteps sound came from behind the throne. Lyon jumped in fright and quickly holding his sword to the source of the sound. "Who goe-.. one,two,three,...,nine? nine tails?" gasped Lyon. The being in front of him had beauty that could kill a man with her wink. A mythical being nine-tailed Fox. 21 Big Sister & Little Brother She was a beautiful woman with slim, hourglass figure and nine big yellow tails moving occasionally. She had a peerless jasmine complexion. Her face was heart-shaped along with her blue rose hair that crashed on her shoulder. She had a defining blue eyebrow along with her flirtatious eyes, but both of the eyes had different colors, the left one had a fiery-lava eyes while the other was blue rose. Her small ethereal fox ears are moving every time her dimples appeared. She had a cute pointy nose along with her beautiful sorbet-pink lips. Her breast was beautifully big for her size, every time she walks they would sway a little this was so true as she was wearing a kimono-like dress with her cleavage shown while holding a pipe on her left hand which produced smoke occasionally. Truly a woman born to bring heroes to the grave. *fuhh The fox-woman slowly release the smoke from her enticing mouth. The smoke crashed on to Lyon''s face but he seemed to be in stupor seeing a ripe-ready-to-go-down Nine Tailed Fox. The woman slowly walked past Lyon and sat on the throne comfortably. "Oh my my ?, I was about to opened up the door, but you already blew it up." chuckled the woman. (Well if you keep saying like that, another thing would blow instead) "Oh you must be kidding me big sister, It took me four days to open that door." replied Lyon. "Oh my my ?, I''m a big sister now ?." chuckled the woman. "Yes, you are really beautiful big sister, The kings and gods would probably head over heels for you, alas this little brother can only sigh." said Lyon with oscar like acting. "Oh why is that?" "Because this little brother is only an insignificant ant compared to your pursuers." said Lyon while shaking his head. The woman only smiled in response, then continued: "If I was a little innocent beauty, I might fall for your tricks." chuckled the woman. Lyon then burst out laughing: "Hahaha, well big sister is really a deadly beauty, in my home we would call you Femme Fatale." He was not ashamed at all despite being caught. "Since you are my little brother ... would you ... help your big sister ??" said the woman charmingly. "Aiya, big sister, you are way stronger than me, my abilities are limited compared to yours." "That maybe so, but little brother I think you can do it. You have immeasurable talent and surpassed even mine. Especially you hold a special ring with abundant ... no ... endless energies." Lyon quickly grab his ring as he looked at her. "Don''t worry I will not take it from you, it is useless for me." said the woman. Lyon than relax his hand and said: "How do you know about this big sister." smiled Lyon. The woman chuckled: "With your knowledge, you can probably guess how can I know of this ?." "It''s that red eye isn''t it." Lyon spare no time to revealed his thought. "My,my what a smart little brother ?, I''m so blessed." *slurp *fuhhh The smoke traveled around the room and dispersed slowly. The situation inside the room was like the queen and her best general. "Little brother, please help us free from this labyrinth." said the woman seriously. "Us?" asked Lyon. "Yes, us, the guardians of this labyrinth." said the woman, then she continued: "We are cursed in this place as an undying creature, no matter how many years has passed, no matter how many times we were slain. We will live again, and again. I can''t remember the last time I''ve seen the world." the woman sigh. Lyon only stood there without saying anything. He didn''t know how it felt to be confined in a room for centuries, or maybe even more. The clawing on the wall was probably the result of the stress accumulated through out the years. "Big sister, are you the one who sent me on this floor?" asked Lyon. "You are really smart little brother ?. Yes it''s my idea to have you here and the others agreed to it." chuckled the woman. *sigh "Alright, this little brother will do what a gentlemen would do, I shall aid you big sister." said Lyon (I really should stop doing this just because the woman is pretty! ... But I CAN''T HELP IT! LOOK AT THAT BREAST! THAT CURVE! THAT BUM!). "Thank you, little brother, don''t worry this big sister and the other guardians will reward you handsomely. There are riches in this labyrinth you may take them all." said the woman. "Aih thank you big sister, but the riches can wait after I freed you all. By the way how do I freed you all?" "There are two ways of doing so, first is by killing Simak, that son of a b*tch who cursed us inside this labyrinth." said the woman with voice full of hatred. Then she calmed down and continued: "The other one is ... *sigh it''s probably not possible, but if you somehow find a spell that could break the curse then that''s that." Lyon then raised his right eyebrow: "Hmm, can I see your curse brand?" The woman looked at him confused : "Okay." then she stood from the throne and turned her back. She slowly pulls the kimono to the right, revealing the curse brand on her beautiful shoulder. The brand was black colored noting that it was a level nine magic with a bird engraved on it. "Okay enough staring you naughty little brother ?." said the woman charmingly. "Hehehe." laughed Lyon while scratching his head then he continued: "That''s a really high leveled curse, the ''Black Phoenix'' as just as you said the curse will only activate in a special labyrinth like this one, but one will be immortal, however the cultivation will stagnant." The woman had a bright eyes, hearing his explanation. Because he was right. "You know this type of magic? I thought your region wouldn''t even know this high leveled magic." said the woman. "Well your little brother is an amazing person." winked Lyon. "Oh my ?, you already have the guts to flirt with big sister?" winked the woman back. "By the way, that kind of magic it''s not that high leveled. Even though it''s a level nine ''high divine'' level magic. There are many spells that can top it." said Lyon confidently. The woman was surprised once again, this type of magic was consider really high and rare in her kingdom. Only leaders of those kingdoms had it and few at that. "Little brother you should stop boasting." said the woman. "But it''s true." "Okay okay it''s true." said the woman. "Big sister,trust me." said Lyon. "Yes, big sister trusts you." chuckled the woman. Lyon was irritated for the first time because of woman. He didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. "Hmph! big sister, can you call all the guardians of the labyrinth and have them gather here?" sulked Lyon. "Sure thing little brother." said the woman while pinching Lyon''s nose. (This sexy Fox!) 22 Make what? "I''m serious big sister." said Lyon helplessly. The woman chuckled: "Alright alright, if you say so, I will call them to come here.". Then the brand magic on her shoulder lightened up. ------------------------------------------------- At the 90th floor. The wyvern stopped hovering in the air as the brand on it''s stomach lightened up. Jugen notice this phenomenon and prayed that it was not an attack the wyvern prepared. *Roar *Swoosh The wyvern flapped it wings and fly beyond the clouds. *zing The world instantly turned back into a maze. Jugen stood there dumbstruck, before he was screaming: "I''M ALIVE, BIG BRO,OLDER SISTER I''M ALIVE!" ------------------------------------------------- *zing *zing *zing All the guardian''s floor returned to become ordinary maze. ------------------------------------------------- *tap*tap*tap Xianxia was running at the 29th floor, as she was running up the stairs and entered 30th floor, she was confused. She asked her comrade that she met on 27th floor: "We are at the 30th floor, right?" "Yes we are captain, I saw the floor from before to be 29th so this should make this 30th floor." said the comrade. (Hmm, that''s weird, Is the labyrinth changing I wonder) Then Xianxia said: "Well whatever it is, we need to keep going." "Yes!" ------------------------------------------------- "What the hell?" said Meistas as he looked confused at the 60th floor. "Where the hell is the guardian?! we were fighting it just a moment ago!". Mestas flew into a rage as he attack the nearby walls. His teammates were terrified and hoped the guardian to come back. ------------------------------------------------- Back at 0th floor. *zing *zing*zing Ten brands of teleportation magic appeared in front of the mysterious fox woman. *tap *tap The first one to appear was a petite girl with a beautiful face. She had green eyes and green-leaf-like short hair. She wore a white loose gown which enhance her innocent personality. "Big sister what''s the matter?" asked the girl with a smile. *tap *tap The second one to appear was a young man with glasses. He had chocolate brown eyes with wolf ears and tail twitching around. He had a skinny figure and a really handsome face with unique charisma. "Greetings overseer." said the man with a cupped hands. *tap *tap "Is he the one you talked about??" a ghostly voice came out from the third brand magic. The third one wore a purple cape with it''s skeleton hands holding a man-sized scythe. It''s face was covered with a white mask. It radiate death aura especially with those red eyes. *tap*tap "Why the hell are you still pretending to be a reaper or something?" an old voice came from the fourth. The fourth one was an old grandma holding a wooden cane. She always had her eyes closed, and loved to tell stories about her past. *tap*tap *huff *huff The fifth one was a big fat bald man with struggle of breathing, he also wore a cape the third one used. Needless to say he loved to eat, There was no food in the labyrinth so he had always stole the food from the candidates he killed. "I told you to lose weight you fat mammoth!" reprimanded the grandma. "It''s useless, you old witch! The state we were captured will remain the same no matter what." a rebellious tone of a boy came from the sixth one. The boy had a pair of horns protruding on his head. He seemed to be ten years old but it actually way way older than Lyon. He wore a magician robe of unknown origin. *tap*tap The seventh one was a topless middle aged man with huge figure. He had muscles of a bodybuilder, but his mouth was shut with a piece of paper that cannot be ripped by a simple means. *tap*tap "You guys are still lively as ever." a depressed voice came from a ..... bird? The bird was a white dove and it just lied there on the floor unmoving with half it''s eyes closed. He was a master of shapeshifting but really really lazy. *tap*tap*tap *kick *Sfwoosh The bird suddenly got kicked and flew across the room. "Hahaha that''s your own fault for laying there! I thought you were dead." an energized voice came from the kicker. Lyon had black lines over his head. The figure from the eighth brand magic, was a beautiful elf lady with long yellow hair tied, she had a sword on her waist with strange engraving on it. She wore a light armor with the same engraving. She had a rip arms that can shame men. *clank*clank A heavy footsteps came from the ninth magic brand. It was a man full of vigor wearing a full set armor except the helmet, again, the armor had an engraving which Lyon didn''t have the knowledge of. The man had a brown complexion and vertical scars on each eyes. He had a broken greatsword on his back. "You are not gonna believe this, on my floor was a person running in the jungle in fear. Since it was like that I pulled a prank on him by hovering in the skies and roar occasionally. HAHAHAHA it was so funny seeing his reaction." said the man with the armor. "Well do you want to know what happened on my floor? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! F*ck, overseer please let me go to the tenth floor instead of one hundred! next time." despite the high pitched voice, it got lower and lower when it was talking to the overseer. The last one was a woman with a warrior class traits along with two huge axes on her back. She had an orange colored long hair with determining pair of black eyes. Her defined nose and lovely cheekbones betrayed her strong personality. But what Lyon interested the most was those big melons. Combined with her bra and underwear armor, Lyon''s fantasies were endless. (Imagined being played by this fox and that woman, Huehuehue) thought Lyon. The woman looked at Lyon curiously, then she approached him and tap his shoulder which wake Lyon up from his fantasies. "Alright I decided. You make babies with me." said the woman. 23 Jugen Firs Everybody was dumbstruck, they couldn''t believe what she just said. Except for the dove, which currently struggling to get up. *Slurk With one quick motion Lyon was already topless and said : "Let''s do it!". "En!" nodded the woman. *pak *pak The fox woman hit their head until they were red swollen. "Let''s focus at the serious matter for once!" reprimanded the fox woman. "Sorry!" said both Lyon and the woman. Then the fox woman explained the situation to the guardians. *puff Once again the fox woman exhale the smoke :"Well little brother, I summoned every guardian here." "Is it true that you can undo the curse?" said the little girl while tugging his hand. "If you can really undo this curse, I will owe you a favor, you are welcomed at my kingdom anytime and I shall personally treat you." said the Wolf young man. "Alright guardians, give him some space." said the overseer. "Okay guardians, I have the spell to lift the curse brand on your body, but I also need your aid since I''m just a third level elemental realm." Then he continued : "The spell that we will use is called ''Holy Panacea'', It''s the most powerful lifting spell I know in high divine realm." The reason Lyon didn''t want to do a higher realm magic spell was because of the time to execute it would be too long, even for the ten guardians including the overseer. "So all we need to do is combined our ability to absorb the energies and put it into one individual, which is of course, me, to execute the spell." said Lyon. "Alright sure, lets do it." Then all the guardians including the overseer focused on gathering the energies. ------------------------------ Inside the arena. The crowd became restless as there were no more guardians getting killed. But the yellow dots always moving deeper and deeper inside the labyrinth, with the exception of the one on the 0th floor. "Hmm, there has been no activities lately." said Sylviana. "Well, the competition will end in three more days, so let''s just wait and hope." said Fei. "Do we still have the peanut butter sandwich?" asked Karina. "Oh we have one more left, senior." said Fei. ------------------------------- On the 90th floor. "Maybe there is a treasure vault on the 100th floor? considering what happened to the 90th floor, the guardian on the 100th floor might also be gone." then Jugen made up his mind and run towards the next floor. ------------------------------ On the 70th floor. "Still nothing ... but with this point I might have ended up winning this competition." said Jiangnu. Then he continued: "Either way, let''s make it to one hundred, our comrade probably have the same idea." "Yes." said his teammates. ------------------------------ On the 50th floor. "So this is the floor Jiangnu was at, it''s still a maze though. Then my theory was right, the guardians somehow gone or exit the labyrinth. I have a feeling something big is going to happen." said Xianxia. "My captain might be aiming for the one hundredth floor." said one of Jiangnu teammate that Xianxia met on forty sixth floor. "Hmm that might be true, let''s go there then." said Xianxia. ------------------------------ The sky was ever changing, only one more day before the end of the competition. "Hahaha by the calculation, my kingdom should win this competition." said Folan proudly. "Then let me be the first to congratulate you." said Tunri on the other side of the balcony. Sylviana got annoyed by these two old fogey then said: "The competition has not ended yet, but King Folan and Tunri already sure about the outcome." "Hahaha, this is called confidence, Queen Sylviana." replied Folan. "Sure in a war one must not be absolutely sure of the outcome before battle, but sadly this is only a competition." "By the way Queen Sylviana, your reward for the winner are really extravagant." said Tunri with a hint of mockery. "That''s right, I believe in our two man team with Lyon leading the way. They will surely grab victory in this competition." said Sylviana with a hint of pride. "Well, seeing that is only less then twenty four hours to go, I don''t think they could win, no?" said Tunri. Sylviana had no reply for that mockery. She only gritted her teeth and clench her hand. "A genius he might be, but he is too inexperience to compete in this competition, a lot of geniuses die before the mature." said Folan flatly. When he said that, Fei, Luna, and Karina had a murderous glint on their eyes. "You..-" said Sylviana. "I beg to differ with your opinion King of Meistas and King of Arcana." Karina suddenly said out of the blue. "Ah Karina, you are still beautiful as ever, why don''t you become my wife instead? I will make you my first wife you know." said Folan. "Hahaha you must be joking with this little girl, how can I worthy of a man such as you? Beside I already had someone in my mind." said Karina. "OH? Who is the lucky man?" asked Folan with a hint of murderous intent. "Ah I can''t tell you that, you might killed him." chuckled Karina. "Hahaha you got that right, none shall ever have you but me." said Folan then he continued in a low voice: "Besides, you will be mine soon." "Look! someone already entered the 100th floor!" said one of the crowd. "That must be the one on the 90th floor." "I wonder what will he/she find there." "Hahaha that must be one of our candidates." said Fei. Sylviana then asked Fei how did she came to this conclusion. "Well we all saw that Xianxia was in the lower floors, and Jiangnu was in the fiftieth floor when he killed the guardian. By this statement, we can conclude that the chances of one of our candidates being in 90th floor should be really high." "Hmph what if you are wrong? What if one or two of your candidates decide to join forces with our or Meistas candidates?" said Folan. "You? oh please, of all the competition, you or Meistas always killed our candidates inside the labyrinth." Folan and Tunri then shut their mouth. It was true, the competition before was result in complete annihilation for the Nostria. *zing "Congratulation to Jugen for the first one ever to reach the 100th floor treasure vault." "OUH YEAH BABY! SUCK ON THIS, LOSER! wait what? did you just said my voice would be broadcasted outside for one minute? oh shit, older sister the voice just now was not mine, I''m sorry I''m sorry I''m sorry I''m sorry-" said Jugen. The crowd inside the arena had black lines all over their head. However Karina only had smiles on her face with her eyes closed, but this smile had death aura over it. Sylviana thought (Aih, I don''t know if I should be happy or not, should I brag about this?). 24 I dare!!! On the 70th floor. "C''mon run faster slowpokes!" said Jiangnu(I''m going to kill that garbage, how dare he opened the treasure vault first.). -------------------------------------- On the 61th floor. "Looks like there is someone even luckier than me." said Xianxia while running to the next floor. "No one can beat you captain." said one of her teammate. -------------------------------------- On the 100th floor at the end of the maze was the treasure vault door. The room inside was not as fancy as the name,. There were no golds nor jewelries scattered around the room. There was only one bookcase in the middle, with three rows. The bottom row had a label ''Saint Spells'', the middle row had a label ''Taboo Spells'', and the top row had ''Soul Spells''. These ''treasures'' were the ones that a kingdom crucially needed. With these spells the kingdom would expand both by power and land in fact it could become a dynasty or an empire of it''s own. Jugen was standing in front of the bookcase, lifeless. If only he didn''t broadcast that voice from before, he might be happy as a horse by now. But alas fate didn''t go well this time. . . . "Ah!, big brother might be able to save me from older sister." said Jugen while tapping his own hands against each other. "The voice didn''t say how many scrolls I could take so... huehuehue." "I take this, oh and this, this one seems nice, oh that one has a cool name, ...." ---------------------------------------- On the 0th floor. The energies gathered around Lyon was massive and dense, with this much energy he could obliterate a small city or a quarter of a small kingdom like Nostria, Meistas and Arcana using his ''Lava Burst''. "Is this still not enough?!" asked the fox lady. "Just a little more." said Lyon. "Hurry up then, the labyrinth will close in less then 12 hours!" "Give it all you got guardians!" said Lyon. ---------------------------------------- Back at Jugen. "Okay my clothes can''t handle anymore books, I should have bring a spatial ring with me." sighed Jugen, then he continued: "Oh shit I forgot! the other team would soon came here, what to do, what to do?!" . . . . "Shit hope this works! please works!". ---------------------------------------- Back on the 0th floor. "It''s ready." said Lyon, then he quickly concentrate the energies on his right index finger. "When the spell is activated please stand inside the magic brand! Here we go!" ---------------------------------------- Back at Jugen. *tap *tap *tap "Finally the vault!" said Jiangnu. Then he stared at the only person inside beside his team. "Jugen where are all the treasures!!" said Jiangnu with murderous intent. "There were only this bookcase when I''m here please help yourself, I know I''m not worthy to pick all the soul spells so that''s why I only took the saint spells. I couldn''t protect it from you guys anyway." said Jugen with world-class acting. He totally learned this from his one and only big brother. Jugen still stared at Jugen, but then he saw that the label on the bookcase indicated that what Jugen had said was true. The label ''Saint Spells'' at the top of the row was empty while the label ''Soul Spells'' at the bottom row was still full of scrolls. Then Jiangnu retracted his weapon and walked calmly to the bookcase. "Pretty sensible, for a garbage. At least you are smart enough to know your worth. As a reward I will not kill you today." said Jiangnu to Jugen. Then he proceeded to retrieve the soul spells from the bookcase. *tap *tap *tap The last group finally arrived just when Jiangnu finished collecting the spells. "You are late Xianxia I already have the best treasures this labyrinth could offer." chuckled Jiangnu. "Oh is that so?" said Xianxia calmly. "Tch... you always getting on my nerve." said Jiangnu. Then Xianxia casually took all the spells on the middle row. "So you are Jugen? Hmm you are probably the weakest one in the competition no?" asked Xianxia. "It seems so." Jugen didn''t had a hesitation to deny it. "Do you have any clue on what happened to the guardians? since you are the first one here, you probably know what happened right?" "Sadly I too don''t have any idea. By the way how much time left do we have before this ends?" asked Jugen. "Hmph! Pathethic! You want this to end sooner because you want to show off those measly saint spells? I can''t understand you garbage." said Jianngu (The king told me to make a relationship with this kind of guy? *sigh no way) thought Xianxia. (You don''t know how much I wanted to see your expression after this competition huehuehue) thought Jugen smiling inwardly. Then the waiting game for Jugen began before finally the last hour came. ---------------------------------------- At the 0th floor. "Holy Panacea!" chanted Lyon. *zing The spells ignites with beautiful orange color along with ''High Divine'' written below it. "F*ck it''s two levels behind the ''Dark Phoenix''" cursed the grandma. *zing One giant orange colored magic brand appeared on the floor. "Just get the hell inside!" shouted Lyon. Then everyone except Lyon entered the magic brand. "Aren''t you going to enter this brand too? I can see you also have some kind of soul contract on you." Asked the overseer a.k.a the fox lady. Lyon smiled: "Don''t worry this is a personal matter of mine." *shhhhhh *shhhhhhhh One by one, the brand magic on their bodies slowly disintegrated. "It''s working!" said the woman in white. Then all of them cheered inside their heart ''FREEDOM, HOME, WORLD''. ---------------------------------------- Back inside the arena. *Boom A deafening sound came from the huge gate as the monitors in the sky got shut down. "What''s happening?" said one of the crowd. "There supposed to be another hour before the competition ends!" *crumble *crumble The gate slowly crumbles as figures were shot out from within. *boom *boom*boom The figures crashed into the wall. The figures were obviously the participants of the competition. *crumble *crumble Finally the gate got destroyed and covered in dust. But the surrounding crowd couldn''t see that there were twelve silhouettes inside the dust. "Ah that''s gonna leave a mark." said Jugen while rubbing his butt. "HAHAHA." a laughter came from Jiangnu as he shouted: "Rejoice your majesty, your candidate Jiangnu had huge success inside the labyrinth." *woah the crowd was astounded seeing the boast. "Good job Jiangnu I know I can count on you!" said Folan. "Congratulation King Folan." the first one to congratulate Folan was of course Tunri. "Tell me your exploits this time, let the others know what Arcana can do!". "Me and also my team had found ten Soul Spells inside the labyrinth." *woah The crowd was astoundedonce again. Even the king himself was stunned by the exploits: "HAHAHAHA GOOD GOOD!" clapped Folan. While this statement made the Nostrians grew ashen. "HAHAHAHAHA oh shit he really said it." suddenly a laugh came from the Nostria side, it was Jugen. "Hmph! what are you laughing about garbage?" mocked Jiangnu. "You fool! Do you think I would let you took all the Soul Spells? Well hear this you brainless shrimp, I swapped the labels!! Which means all you holding right now are the Saint ones." mocked Jugen. Jiangnu and Folan had grim face all over. On the other one Sylviana was laughing : "Hahaha Good Job Jugen." *Swoosh Jiangnu suddenly jumped toward Jugen to kill him. "Die!". *slash However before he could reach him, a slash came from beside him. Feeling the impending danger he relocate his force to defend against the slash. *Boom But the force was too big and Jiangnu crashed into the wall. "W-Who?!". The topless figure had the black katana in his right hand and stood there like a god of death. "Who dares to touch my little brother?!" said Lyon. *swoosh Then the warrior class woman jumped beside him and whispered naughtily : "I dare to touch ''it''" (T-T-That''s not what I meant but ok!) thought Lyon. However a jealousy aura soon enveloped him. 25 The Bullshit Before The Massacre Jealousy of a woman was not something a man can handle. Since ancient times, woman would most likely had taken drastic measures about this. Assassination, homicide, sometimes even war between countries. Now, Lyon had to face this jealousy, four to be precise. "Hmm, who is that girl Lyon?" asked Sylviana with deep jealousy tone and a deadly smile on her face. "I thought you are going to win this competition? I see, so you win something else indeed." said Karina while clasping her hand and twitching mouth. "I bought a new dagger yesterday and I want to test it''s sharpness on a demon beast, but now I have a new target." said Fei while waving her new dagger. "Hmph! Don''t forget, you are still bound to me by soul contract." said Luna smugly with her eyes closed. Then the warrior class woman chuckled: "I expect nothing else from the man I want to make babies with <3." then she proceed to hug Lyon. (Ah, she said it, she f*cking said it!) thought Lyon with a helpless expression. The women had twitched smile looking at Lyon and hearing that statement from the vulgar woman. "AHHHH the wind, do you know how much I missed you?" said the girl in white while jumping all around the arena like a kid. "Ah!! the sun!! my eyes!!" shouted the reaper. "That''s what you get from pretending to be the reaper!" reprimanded the grandma. "FOOD! real FOOD!." said the fat man while running to steal a peanut butter sandwich from a bystander. The bystander had no chance to take it back, more like they bystander valued his life more. "AUUUUUUU." howled the young man with wolf traits while sitting like a dog. *ehem "Sorry about that, That''s what happened when I was too excited." said the young man embarrassed. *kick *Sfwooosh *Boom Suddenly a tiny figure blasted into the wall. "Hahaha isn''t this great? you can fly freely now." said the elf woman. Upon closer look, the figure that crashed into the wall was a dove. It''s condition was really, REALLY, questionable. Only one of it''s leg was twitching. *clank *clank *clank "Haih, let''s open that paper from your mouth, with us being out of the labyrinth the effect should have been weakened." said the full armor man with a scar on his eyes. *shrek "Ah thank you so much! I really want to talk to you guys for so long now." a really squeky voice came out of the well built man. . . . . *TAP With one quick motion, the full armor man slammed the paper back on the well built man''s mouth. "HAAHAHAHHA, OH GOD what the hell! HAHAHA." laughed the full armor man. The well built man only squinted his eyes in response. "Hmm, a multi-cultured country? not bad, not bad at all." said the young boy nodding after he had surveyed the arena. *tap *tap *tap A gorgeous fox lady, approached the bare-chested man with her pipe stuck on her lips. "So little brother would you tell us where is this?" *puffff Then Lyon proceed to explain about where are they. *sigh "I don''t have any idea about this place." the fox lady looked dejected. "Don''t worry big sister, with your little brother here, you can rest assure to find your home." said Lyon while beating his own chest. "Thanks <3 I''m lucky to have a lovely little brother <3." smiled the fox lady while pinching Lyon''s nose. *grug *grug *grug Horses galloping could be heard from the arena. "Wh-what''s going on?!" the crowd began to panic. About thousand horse-armies clad in red surrounded the arena while about five hundred entered inside "HAHAHAHAHA, Sylviana this is the end of Nostria!" said Folan suddenly. Sylviana then retracted her jealousy aura, and began exuding her majestic one instead. "What is the meaning of this, Folan?" Sylviana had lost all respect to this person. "Surrender your kingdom to me and I shall pull back my armies, however if you chose to battle, then your armies are not the only one whose gonna face death!" said Folan menacingly. Despite the threat, Sylviana still kept her cool. However, Lyon was just a young 19 year olds, he was pissed. Noticing Lyon''s gruesome expression, both the fox lady and the hot warrior woman quickly hold Lyon''s right and left hands while shaking their head, signalling him to not do anything rash. . . . . However! . . . . Seeing Lyon hold hands of both of them, Sylviana was pissed instead. "You know what Folan? Fuck you! And your lecherous sons and daughters! Let''s do battle ... no let''s have a f*cking war!" said Sylviana in rage while slamming her hand to the edge of the balcony.. *pak Fei gone facepalm while the rest was shocked at her, even Lyon and the guardians ... of course, except the ready to cook dove in the wall with one of it''s leg twitching. Folan was in stupor for a moment : "Heh, alright then, for those who are not involve in this, you may leave, this includes the eleven of you." said Folan toward the guardian. However after seeing the beauty of the elf-woman ,fox-lady and the dual wielding axe woman he changed his mind : "On second thought, men! seize those woman for me!" Then both of the fox lady and the warrior class woman held Lyon''s hands even tighter. (Ah, AH! dang it start to hurt, with this kind of strength I don''t think that king will live much longer) thought Lyon. It''s not as if he didn''t want to kill the king for obvious reason, it''s just that, the women the king provoked are much stronger than Lyon himself. *Crack *Crack (Ah they''re broke! My HANDS!!! AHHHH!) thought Lyon while screaming inside, but both of the woman still held his hand even tightly (please let go, please let go, my hands always accompanied me at night on earth!), but Lyon didn''t dare to utter this word because he knew both girls were in killing mode right now. But not just both of the woman, in fact all of the guardians (except the dove) had murderous aura, especially the reaper under the sunlight. His eyes were literally burning, like there was literal fire in his eyes 26 The Star Tunri was at lost about whether he should aid the Arcana in this conquest or not. Although the order from his dynasty was to support the Arcana Kingdom, the eleven unknown person made his general really nervous. He was a really meticulous man, worthy of ruling a country, but alas he made the wrong decision this time. He could only hope not to provoke Nostria any further by not aiding the Arcana but this decision would surely let down his dynasty. "The decision whether to aid the Arcana or not will depend on whether Nostria could somehow obliterate the Arcana or not." said Tunri to his general and candidates before continuing: "Even if the Nostria could win this by just a hair we shall aid the Arcana, because we can''t simply let down our dynasty whom I suspect had made some sort of a pact with the Arcana''s dynasty. It is a good decision from you Xianxia to not hastily aid Jiangnu." said Tunri nodding. "I thank you for your praise your majesty." said Xianxia with a bow. "KILL!" Folan commanded the army inside the arena to attack the Nostrian. "Lukas! ready your weapon!" said Zusk getting ready. "Yes captain!" said Lukas. But soon an announcement came from the overseer The overseer raised her hand and said: "Queen of Nostria, rest a assured, for this is our saviors land we shall also aid you in battle .... no, I meant massacre!" then she took out an order: "Guardians, you know what to do." This statement made Folan furious: "My army from the outside, heed my commands and ravage the entire town!" *grug *grug *grug The sound of galloping horse indicated that the command was being execute. "I''m handling outside then, I want to know more about this kingdom." said the young boy as he jumped to the outside of the arena. "As a prince, I too shall experience what this kingdom could offer." the handsome wolf young man walked outside the arena. "Ah! my eyes! they are literally burning." said the reaper as he ran outside the castle to dip his head inside the fountain. *clank *clank *clank The full armored man confronted the entire army inside the arena: "So, are we going to do this one by one or all of you going at the same time.?" *Sfwoosh. *boom Paladin jumped from the balcony and face the full armored man: "Hmm you are pretty strong, what''s your name?" "A tiger don''t introduce themselves to an ant." said the full armored man. "Pretty domineering, then I shall-" *KICK! *Crack *Crack *Crack When the kick landed on Paladin''s chest, it broke his ribs and sunken his chest. Wave of energies entered his body as the bones inside him started to rupture one by one. Even the huge shield on his back got obliterated with a bang. *puah *Sfwooosh *BOOM Paladin had sunken to the wall beside the dove. The dove than shrug the dust on his body before glancing the dead Paladin: "Hmph! Pathethic!" said the dove while walking toward the other guardians with one of his leg dragged across the ground. "Yeah! instant kill!" said the elf woman while jumping around. "I feel bad for that guy" said the full armored man shaking his head. The surrounding armies came to a halt, they all felt fear toward the elf woman. Folan''s heartbeat was racing, He never thought that his best general were dead in a single kick to the chest. But he soon calmed down, reminded of the backup he got from Heaven''s Dawn Dynasty. "Don''t be afraid my men, the backup will soon come and we will reign victory." shouted Folan to gave boost to his armies. Hearing their confident king they were riled up once again. *HUAHHHH!!! "Good! that''s what I''m talking about!" the man in full armor jumped inside the army. *grab! "AH!" Karina jumped in fright as someone was grabbing her butt. "Hmmm, nice shape, good body, beautiful face perfect couple material." said the grandma while nodding, then she continued: "You, you can definitely breed a heavenly children." while pointing at Sylviana. "*sigh ... that brat is truly lucky to have these beautiful ladies falling over him." The three women on the balcony had red hue on their face as they heard what she said. "Really? so that means you all gonna be my older sisters? YAY!" said the girl in white while jumping on the edge of the balcony. However hearing the statement from the grandma, the three women finally realized that the three of them also had feelings for him, they didn''t dare to saw each other in the eye. *munch *munch "Dob worri I wll protac yu." said the fat bald man while sitting beside Luna. Hearing what he said Martis put down his weapon and sighed in relief. "Why?" asked nervously Luna. *gulp "Grandma told me so, she said that you are connected to little brother." said the fat bald man. Hearing what he said, Luna turned red as tomato. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Outside the arena. *WUAHHH *Splurttt *BOOOM There were many corpse laying on the ground and blood bathed the street. Some of them die intact with a hole on their chest, some of them were headless, and the rest of them became ashes. "Hmm, pretty nice infrastructure for a small kingdom." nodded the young boy. "Agreed, whoever build this was a head of it''s time." said the wolf young man. "Hmmm, maybe I could start my cult here." said the reaper. "Oh you''re eyes are not burning anymore." said the wolf young man. "Yeah it only burns if I see the sun directly." said the reaper while wiping his scythe from the blood. *cling* *Wurrr "F*ck!!!" cursed the reaper as he started to run to the fountain once again. Even the surrounding citizen had black lines covering their head. (Don''t tell me he is stupid?) was what they were thinking. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the castle. "Sir, I think we don''t need to do anything in this battle." said Lukas. Zusk paused a little before saying: "No..shit." Before long the Arcana''s army inside the castle were all dead by blunt hit from the full armored man. Seeing the bloody scene, Folan staggered backward and fell on his butt. (Demons! these guys are all demons!). "Hah that''s not even a warm up." said the full armored man. Then he continued: "Don''t worry we won''t kill you just yet, we will wait for the reinforcement to come." *flap *flap The dove perched on Folan shoulder: "Because that is how you will face true despair! HEHEheheh HAHAHAHA.." said the dove excitingly. ---------------------------------------- *WUUUUUU A huge roar entered the ear of everyone inside Nostria. A giant turtle at the size of small city was approaching Nostria, it was embroidered with a huge half sunrise symbol on its body. The symbol of Heaven''s Dawn Dynasty. It was carrying a lot of people on it''s shell. "Oh no.. that being provoke the demon!! Everybody get down!" said the young boy. ---------------------------------------- Inside the arena. "YOU ARE SO NOISY!" said the dual axe wielding woman as she let go of Lyon''s hand. She then took out one of her huge axe and threw it. *SFWOOOSHHHH "Oh shit look out!" said a squeeky voice. "Get Down now!" said the full armored man. The axe flew away with rotation speed that couldn''t be seen by naked eyes. It goes through every building like it''s nothing more than air. Everything it touches it sliced through. ---------------------------------------- Outside the Kingdom. "Hmm? do you hear that?" said one man on top of the turtle. *Boom The gate entrance was sliced in half, before the people on top of the shell react, their vision began to tilt to the right. *Boom *SPLURT The huge turtle was sliced in half horizontally and blood gushing out like a huge fountain. All the people on top of the turtle fell to the ground. 27 Provoked Again Inside the kingdom. "Keep yourself on the ground, the demon''s axe will come back to the owner once the target is dead." shouted the young boy. *sfwooosh True enough the axe came back with the same speed it launched. "It''s safe now." said the young boy as he started to get up. The citizens were dumbstruck once they got up from the ground. The building was still intact with no damage what so ever despite the stern warning from the young mage. "Don''t be fooled, the buildings were already sliced in half. If you don''t believe me, feel free to touch one of the building." Then one citizen touched his own home *Gruuuuug Then half the building tilted diagonally before finally fell to the ground. Now they felt fear, the cut was so clean that the building forgot to fall. Imagine if this was done to a human, they were dead before they knew they were dead. ------------------------------------------- Back inside the arena. *Sfwoosh *pak The dual axe wielding woman caught her flying axe with ease. Then she proceeded to held Lyon''s broken hand once again like nothing happened. The overseer only shook her head in response. This was only one axe thrown on impulse, how destructive it would be if there were two or using a skill with those weapons. This was the reason why overseer always put her on the 100th level, if she were to put in the 10th level, the competition would end prematurely. Lyon was literally dumbstruck seeing this woman''s core strength, Lyon guessed that probably she was the strongest among the guardians or even the overseer. With their help, this kingdom would probably become a dynasty or an empire in less than a year. Even the reinforcement beast got slice in half because it was too noisy, N-O-I-S-Y. The trio-c got nothing to say, even they felt fear from the guardians. "I told you Crux! This is one f*cking lucky pant!" said Chun. "I don''t think that matters anymore at this point." said Crux. "Yeah those eleven has tremendous fighting powers, I don''t think any of us could sense the power that woman released just now." said Charlie. They then shut their mouth. It''s true, they can''t even sense the realm those eleven were in. There was only one plausible explanation. These people are mostly at the peak of soul realm or maybe even the rumored, divine realm! "Luckily we have Lyon on our side, and they seems to be calling him savior. Having a backing like those eleven is even better than a whole dynasty. Besides, he is really a lady killer." chuckled Zitian from behind the trio. ----------------------------- Outside the kingdom. "Son of a b*tch! This little kingdom dares to oppose Heavenly Dawn? Court death." said the leader of the people above the turtle. He was a middle age man with fair face. He wore knightly armor with the same symbol the turtle once had on his right chest. However he and the other people got bloodstain from the turtle. He wasPrince Dome, the oldest prince and the next to be successor of the Heaven''s Dawn dynasty. He was a very lecherous man with high ambition, his 10th soul realm was all because of his father''s resources. He never had a real life or death situation in his life thus the emperor sent him here. "Men! charge inside! I wanted explanation of this!" commanded Dome. The army didn''t dare to go against his order. Dome was very tyrannical in his way, he would sentence to death someone just because he didn''t like his face. "Charge!" said the army. ------------------------------------------- Inside the castle. All of the guardians were gathering in the middle of the arena like this was their own backyard. Except of course for the dual wielding axe woman who still clinging to Lyon which ignite the other women''s jealousy. "So, what are you going to do after we exterminate the reinforcement?" asked the overseer. "Honestly I don''t know where this is, I have no clue this place exist." said the wolf guy. "Me too, well ... basically all of us don''t now where this is." said the young mage. The rest of the guardians nodded in unison. "Well our only hope is probably Lyon. He said he probably had a way to take us home." said the overseer. "If big brother said that then it must be true!" nodded the girl in white. She now had complete blind trust to Lyon since he freed them. "I can''t deny that." said the grandma before he continued: "That brat had talent for making woman falling in love with him, but his knowledge of magic even surpassed that!" "I must say, just this one time, I agree with you, old witch. Not even me would know that type of magic exist." said the young mage approving. "Then I guess we should aid our savior in the meantime as a repayment of what he has done for us in the meantime." said the reaper. "I agree, even though he had an array of magic spells, his cultivation is too low." said the full armored man. "Do whatever you want guys, I will follow." said the dove depressed. "Me too!" said the elf woman. *tap *tap *tap Sylviana was walking toward the guardians. "I Sylviana as the Queen of this kingdom, please everyone, accept my sincere gratitude." said Sylviana with a slight bow. Then she continued: "And I''m sorry for implicating you people in this." Then the guardians face Sylviana with the same respect they had for Lyon. "Don''t worry about it Queen Sylviana, more importantly please take care of us, because at the moment we have no where to go nor shelter at that matter." said the overseer. "C-c-certainly!" even though she knew that all of this was because they want to give Lyon face, she was still happy as her bet on Lyon paid off even more than it should have. "En, My name is Kyoko please take care of us." said the fox lady. "My name is Miko, big sister." smiled the girl in white. "My name is Reaper." said the reaper menacingly. *pak The grandma hit his head. "M-M-my name is Grim." said the reaper embarrassingly. "Sweetie, my name is Dina." said the grandma. "I''m Albert." said the young boy. "My name is Vale." said the wolf guy. "I''m Duffous, if you got any delicious food, please share it with me." said the fat bald guy. "I''m holy knight Tristan." said the full armored man while beating his chest. "I''m Pedro, despite my appearance I used to be a tailor." said the squeeky voice guy. "My name is-" *kick *Sfwoosh *Boom "Me-me-me first, my name is Elaine. Don''t worry that dove''s name is probably Parrot or something." said the elf woman. "It''s Parriot you uncultured swine! With an I!" said the dove beneath the rubble. Kyoko sent a signal to the dual wielding woman to introduce herself. Which she happily obliged to. "Hello love rival, my na-". before she could finish her sentence a loud voice "FOLAN WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!? I WANT AN EXPLANATION FOR MY DEATH BEAST!" shouted Dome. There were many expression in the guardians face right now. Kyoko face-palmed herself. Dina shook her head. Albert and Vale only sighed facing the ground. Tristan and Pedro chuckled. Elaine, Miko and Grim hold their mouth afraid of bursting to laugh "*whistle .... his dead." said Parriot beneath the rubble. *Sfwooosh The dual wielding axe woman disappeared from her spot. *swuuushh She suddenly reappeared under Dome''s view. She threw a punch with golden glow on her right hand to Dome''s gut. *zing *zing Sensing the incoming danger, the protective spells on his body activated. *shatter *shatter The magic brand was completely shattered without any resistance. *Booom *SFwooosh Dome flew out of the kingdom. "My name is Ryona, please take care of me, L--Y--O--NN <3" said the dual wielding woman cutely. 28 Conclusion The Heaven''s Dawn dynasty was a big empire with four vessel kingdoms under it''s reign. This dynasty was ruling the entire southeast Deo for thousands of years. But before it was a dynasty, Heaven''s Dawn was a small kingdom, even smaller than Nostria. One day, the young prince from the small kingdom had a fortuitous encounter of a legacy from a divine expert. The legacy includes the way to cultivate divine realms, Soul spells, and low Divine spells. Thus the kingdom prospered like it was never before. Within one hundred and twenty or more years, the small kingdom finally became a dynasty and taking down small kingdoms or let them join in. But alas, the later generation became more and more degraded because the comfortable life of luxury and power. The young prince from back then leave Deo to experience another world, seeing that his descendant was incompetent he only left a divine spell to protect the dynasty. That was why the dynasty could stand more than a thousand years. *sfwosh A blurry figure flew through the sky above the dynasty. "Hey what''s that?" said one of the gatekeeper. "It''s probably a bird." said another gatekeeper. "But its heading straight to the palace!" *Boom The black figure crashed into the throne room, rolling over and over and finally stopped right under the king seat. The king was an old man with wrinkled face. He had many concubines to his leisure and had sons and daughters. The king was trembling after he took a closer look at the figure under his feet. It was his heir the one who would replace him ruling this dynasty, Dome. "DOME! my son!" shouted the king. Dome''s condition was not as gruesome as it seen from the outside. There were no cuts on his body, the chest was still fine, there was not even a bruise visible to naked eyes. "WHERE ARE THE IMPERIAL DOCTORS! GET THEIR ASS OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!". The imperial doctors were the best doctors in the dynasty. The king hoped that his son could be saved from this tragedy. *grug *grug The imperial doctors rushed to the scene, one of them checked the pulse while the others checked the bones etc. It didn''t take long for the doctors to have a disbelief expression. "WELL? HOW IS IT? DON''T JUST STAND THERE!" shouted the king. "Y-Y-Your majesty, the prince is dead." said one of the imperial doctors. "W-WHAT?! HIS BODY IS STILL INTACT, HOW CAN HE BE DEAD. THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE BRUISE!" shouted the king. "That might be true, but the condition inside of him was a nightmare. His bones are fine and still strong but that''s just it, his vital organs were all gone. The heart was destroyed in a powerful blast. If it''s not for the defensive spells the prince would probably explode, or maybe the being who did this send the prince back on purpose." "Whoever did this shall pay, I will eradicate it''s entire region!." swore the king. "But sir, I don''t think it''s wise to rush this thing. We do not know of our enemies and if they could send the prince in this state there is no doubt that the being is powerful and didn''t care for our dynasty." said an advisor. The king then calmed down and took a deep breath to recollect his thought. "You''re right, I was being too hasty. Rest assured Dome your father shall avenge you." said the King before he continued: "Prepare a royal burial!" --------------------------------- Inside the arena. Folan was soulless at this point, he was deep inside depression. All of his plans crumbled in front of his eyes, the future he thought was in the palm of his hand disappeared into nothingness. He only knew that he was finished, his kingdom was also finished. Tunri sat down in relief seeing the event that occurred. He didn''t only save himself but kingdom Meistas as well, probably even the dynasty behind him. The Arcana supporters were scared at the incoming doom they are about to face. The fate of them was in Sylviana''s hand. But the Arcana was not the only one who got scared, there were two other people from Nostria that had the same fear. They were Poska and his father Greg. Greg was promised a high position from Folan if the Nostria fell, in return Greg would share information about Nostria to aid in Folan in this conquest. But apparently that was of no use, who would had thought that eleven person wiped out the entire army including the back up from a dynasty. *creak *chuu *slhup An arrow landed on the had of Jiangnu, marking the end of his time. "Sleep .... Eternally." said Jugen in epic voice. "What''s that?" said a beautiful voice with angered tone. "AH! beautiful older sister! I was just acting cool don''t think too hard about it." said Jugen. "OH really now? Then what about the voice you broadcasted Hmmmm?!" "Big brother sa-" *crack *crack *pak *crack The wailing voice of Jugen was like melody in Karina''s ears. *ehem "Citizens of Nostria, I hereby declare that the kingdom of Arcana shall become the vessel of Nostria and the name Arcana will be erased. For those who resist shall face death and those who doesn''t shall face glory." said Sylviana. Then she glanced at Tunri: "You don''t have any objections to this I persume?" Tunri then hurriedly gave a slight bow: "I have agreed completely.". He was truly a king that knew when to strike and retreat. "Now if I may, since the competition had ended, we will take our leave." said Tunri. "Yes you can leave." said Sylviana. Tunri could only sighed at her attitude, this wouldn''t happened if he didn''t side with Arcana. Then the Meistas ride their rocs and flew home. "Okay then, with that''s done. Fei, please eradicate our traitors, whoever you think is betraying this kingdom you have my permission to kill." said Sylviana coldly. She already knew about their plan to invade their kingdom, but she couldn''t do anything about it. Probably the trio-c could amount to something but it was still not enough. The appearance of the guardians was truly like a miracle her father gave to her. No... more like that young man was the gift her father in heaven gave to her. --------------------------------- A week later, Luna received a shocking letter, her uncle was detained in her own kingdom! 29 Train Again! After a week the atmosphere returned to normal like the war a week ago was nothing but an everyday occurrence. The guardians were blending in really easily. Albert was teaching magic in the academy and known to be a strict teacher despite his young appearance. Him and Crux often hang around inside the Magic Hall. Vale was also teaching in the academy in politic subjects, and was voted ''favorite teacher'' by the female students. However Elaine was voted ''favorite teacher'' by the boys. Duffous just hanging around in the imperial kitchen inside the castle, his cooking was also superb and made Fei acknowledge that she was inferior to him. But he rarely cooked a dish because of his appetite. Tristan always hang around in the military and taught them his experience, including Chen. Piones and Pedro was like a brother they never met, they always hang around talking about fashion and give instruction to Charlie''s smithing so that the end product not just had power but also elegant and beauty. Parriot on the other hand, just sleep inside his room all day, all night. Grim started a cult inside the academy and became one of the biggest group in just a few days. While Dina tend to water the flowers inside the castle. Miko always play with the girls, especially Fei, she would wear the same maid outfit Fei wore and trained under her about anything outside fighting. Kyoko spend most of her time with Sylviana and sometime she visited Lyon''s room, to chat with Ryona. *knock *knock "Lyon let''s go training in the forest, it''s been a while." said Karina outside of the room. *Sfwoosh A beautiful figure wearing a casual clothes suddenly appeared beside her. "L-Y-O-NN." said Ryona. The two woman saw each other in the eye, as sparks could be seen in naked eyes. "Well, well, what are you doing here?" teased Ryona. "I''m here to train Lyon, why are you here?" replied Karina. "Oh I just want to play with him, and maybe do ''something''." "What something?" "Well, a saint like you wouldn''t know." teased Ryona. "You-" *creak Before Karina could finish her sentence, the door opened. Lyon just stood there and enjoyed these two beauties in front of him. Before long, Karina grabbed his hand and jumped away from the scene and rushing to the forest. Ryona chuckled a bit before following them effortlessly. ------------------- With the forest being freed from bandits, it became the training ground for students in the academy. Lyon''s progress on Shattering Palm was enormous, now he could obliterate half of the tree. Being mentored by the Golden Demon her self, the crowd wasn''t surprised at Lyon''s mastering speed. "L-Y-ONN, you should train your speed more, a punch wouldn''t work if your enemy is way faster than you." said Ryona. "I can''t believe we have something in common. I agree with her suggestion, we should focus in your speed." said Karina. (These two women are devils, beautiful devils) thought Lyon. ------------------- Inside the Student Council, Luna was contemplating over the letter she received. She knew this was a plot from her father to made her go back to the kingdom. With how strong her father is, it was no wonder that her uncle would be imprisoned. "Damn it, it''s too soon." said Luna while biting her thumb. Then she sat down on her chair and write a letter to Lyon and a map. "Martis, we gotta go, uncle is detained by my father. I owe him too much." said Luna. "Alright we will go first thing in the morning." said Martis. "No, we are going right now." said Luna. ------------------- Under the waterfall was Lyon trying to climb up, however he seemed to be really tired, and only manage to climb half of the waterfall. On top of the waterfall were Ryona and Karina, watching him. "Ah I think we should stop for now." said Karina worrying about Lyon. "No, He could still make it, the man that I want to make babies with are not that weak." said Ryona, before she continued: "L-Y-O-NN ..., if you could make it to the top of the waterfall, then.. teehee~" *Shrugg Ryona taken off Karina''s top, revealing her mature black bra, really exquisite pair of heavenly peaks present themselves. "What are you doing?" said Karina flatly. "Oh you will see <3". said Ryona. The top cloth flew away to smash on Lyon''s weary face. *Inhale (THIS?! , THIS SMELLS LIKE KARINA!!, THEN ON TOP OF THE WATERFALL IS ...WOAHHHHH!!!). Lyon find the hidden energy he had, climbing through rocks like it was nothing, bursting the falling logs with a punch. *bang *bang *bang Resistance was futile, no matter if it was a log or fish or a rock, all got burst into debris. Lyon was training his speed and the ''Shattering Palm'' at the same time. After half an hour, finally Lyon''s hand touched the top. He got up on top with tattered pants and topless. There were scars from the training on his body, which made him more appealing and manly. The moment he saw those heavenly breasts, he dragged his leg slowly toward Karina. All the pain in his body were nothing before the treasure in front of him. However, it seemed his body had given up before he even reach Karina, and he fell down. *catch Lyon''s head was now resting on those heavenly objects, so soft and smooth. Karina sit on top of the shallow water stroking Lyon''s hair. "I wish I could touch you like this forever, but I know I couldn''t, you are like a dragon which soar to the sky, and I''m just a bird looking at your magnificent stride." said Karina softly. Ryona only stood silently beside them. *kiss Lyon surprisingly kiss Karina with one hand held her face and the other to sustain his body. "I will never leave the woman I kissed." said Lyon before he continued: "Nor the woman I want to make babies with" *winked Lyon to Ryona beside her. *puff Lyon was out for good this time. Both women only smiled at him. 30 Departure Inside Lyon''s room. "Woah TITS!" shouted Lyon, woken up from his slumber. Apparently he had a dream about his most favorite part of a woman''s body. He looked around his room and saw no one beside himself. (Damn it, with this kind of plot there supposed to be at least two women slept beside me!) sighed Lyon. "Ah! My whole body still ache." said Lyon after he tried to get out of bed. With a lot of struggle and ''Ah'' he finally stood up and changed his clothes. He slowly walked to the dinner hall where he found Sylviana and Fei, but now there are Karina, Ryona, and Kyoko as well. "What took you so long?!" said Sylviana in angry tone. "Hey give me a break, it took a whole ten minutes just to get up from my bed." said Lyon while slowly sitting down. Ryona then sat beside Lyon, under the watch of the other ladies. "L-Y-O-NN, say Ah." said Ryona while feeding him with a spoon full of meat curry. "En, this is delicious! Thank you Ryona." said Lyon after he munched the food. "Oh get a room you two." said Sylviana with a hint of jealousy tone. Apparently none of the other ladies had the guts Ryona had. "By the way, it''s rare to see all of you in the dining hall, is there anything you want to tell me?". asked Lyon. "As expected from my little brother <3 Yes, there is something the queen want to tell you." said Kyoko. *ehem "Lyon I just found an envelope inside the student council, to be precise it was on top of the president''s desk. The letter is directed to you." said Sylviana before she slid the letter. The envelope was made from a high grade paper, with unusual white wax seal. The wax seal had a shape of a tiger head bearing it''s fangs. As Lyon opened the letter, there were two papers inside, one was the personal letter, the other was a map. Lyon opened the letter: ''To Lyon. My uncle as you already know, has been held captive by my own father. I''m sorry to tell you this, but it looks like the contract has to be fulfilled sooner. It is my fault that uncle got captive like this, so it is my responsibility to freed him. I had given you a map to my kingdom. Be warned though, my kingdom is not like Nostria. My kingdom is big enough to be called a dynasty in your term. If you think you don''t have enough strength don''t come to my kingdom! I will try to buy some time, but I don''t think it will be a long one, so GET STRONG FAST! ps. I''m waiting for you. pss. You still owe me for ''that'' accident! Regards, Luna.'' After reading the letter, Lyon entered into deep thought. "Lyon, that letter is an official one, Luna wouldn''t stamped that seal if it''s just a personal letter. This might be our greatest chance to get an alliance with the ''Phantera Kingdom.''" said Sylviana. "Well actually ''Phantera Kingdom'' can be called a stand alone dynasty. It just won''t take any vessel kingdoms under it''s reign because of their overwhelming proud attitude." added Karina. "Oh yeah now that you mention it, senior don''t you have a pursuer in ''Phantera Kingdom''? I believe they are the current prince of the kingdom." asked Fei out of the blue. "Shut it, I don''t like those guys." said Karina in a cold tone. "Well little brother, if you are going to the Phantera Kingdom, I will tag along <3." said Kyoko. "I will tag along too, even if you said no." said Ryona cutely. "Well, I might bring Jugen with me to broaden both of your horizon." said Karina. "Are you sure teacher? I bet those guys would be too excited seeing you come to visit.'' said Lyon. "It''s fine, maybe I can finally end them this time." said Karina with a hint of killing intent. "Well, when do you gonna depart?" said Sylviana. "Why not now?" said Lyon. "Are you serious??" asked Sylviana. "I''m serious." "Don''t worry I will take ''good care'' of him." said Ryona. "That''s what I''m worried about." said Sylviana. "I will restrain her." said Kyoko. "Then it''s settled." said Karina. ---------------------------------- Outside the Kingdom was a red chariot without Nostria''s symbol engraved. This was done so that their arrival was not a diplomatic one, rather just a visit. Inside the chariot were the three beautiful women, while Jugen and Lyon acted as the driver. "Alright I think we are set to go." said Lyon. "Just be careful, on the way there." said a guard. "Sure, thanks man, keep up the good work." said Jugen while holding the lead rope. *hiyaa *neigh The chariot started to move with amazing speed. "Shouldn''t we tell them?" said the other guard. "No, we shouldn''t, just pretend we don''t see anything if they come back. HEAR THAT EVERYONE?" said the guard to the citizens. ---------------------------------- After two days from departure. The unique smell of ocean and the sparkling water entered the view of Jugen and Lyon. It was a magnificent view, the beautiful sand and the coconut trees were all in the right place. "Hey big bro, are we supposed to see an ocean?" said Jugen. "I don''t know, I never been there, according to the map it does." said Lyon. "I never seen an ocean when I visit Phantera Kingdom." said Jugen. . . . . *neigh . . . "Oh shit, the map is upside down!" shouted Lyon. The three women inside the chariot could only face-palmed themselves. Then the chariot took a one eighty turn. ---------------------------------- The chariot silhouette came into the view from the same guard. "Just like we practice guys." shouted the guard. *grugg *gruuugg Jugen slowed down the chariot to greet the guard but the guard acted as if there was nothing in front of him. Catching the clue, Lyon only tap Jugen''s shoulder and shaked his head. *neigh The chariot started to run to the north. Jugen and Lyon had a bit of tears running through the town. (THANK YOU!!) thought both of them. 31 What did you say? About three days after departure from Nostria. Lyon and the companions entered a road full of greenery. The cloud was traveling slowly and the wind crashed on to the chariot gently. *grugg *grugg "We are entering Lecryst city in about two more hours." said Jugen. "Yeah we need a good rest at the inn." said Lyon. "Lecryst city is famous for it''s auction, you might want to check it out." said Karina from the window. Two hours later, the city gate came into view. There were other caravans or chariots beside them and the guards appeared to be accepting money from them. "Big bro we have to pay a fee entrance to enter this city." whispered Jugen. "Sure enough." said Lyon. (This is nothing new, I expected this to happen. Maybe there will be something interesting in the auction later on.) "Stop, please pay the fee." said the guard. "How much is it?" asked Lyon. "Oh, you must be new here then, it''s um ..... 2 golds" said the guard. "But the chariot before us was only 1 gold." said Lyon. "Those guys were a regular so of course it is only 1 gold." said the guard flatly. "Somebody actually dares to stop me for entering Lecryst city?" said Karina suddenly from the window. The guard was stunned seeing Karina, he began to sweat and staggered backward. The Golden Demon was a legendary figure in Lecryst city. "L-L- ... Forgive me lady Karina! I didn''t know it was you. You may pass no questions ask." said the guard hurriedly. *tap *tap The chariot slowly entered the gate. Lyon was giving Jugen a look of doubt, only to see Jugen hand gesture meaning that he also didn''t know what just happened. "Looks like you are full of surprise Karina." said Kyoko. "Oh please, this is nothing." said Karina modestly. *neigh The chariot stopped in front of the inn along with other luxurious chariots. The inn was the best in town, complete with high grade food and service. Even the horse could get treatment and the best fodder. Only a handful of people with high status, power and money could reside in this inn. The name of the inn was ''Luxury'', this inn was not an ordinary inn, this inn was the only one that had branches all over Deo. Only the members of the inn could get inside. The members would receive a card, that resembled the rank and facilities. There were bronze, silver, gold, and platinum, just like the currency. *tap *tap *tap The five of them walked inside with Karina leading the way, apparently she was already familiar with this inn. She casually retrieve a golden card from her spatial ring and gave it to the receptionist. "Ah Lady Karina, long time no see." said the receptionist girl. "Yes, it''s been a while, Stella." said Karina. Stella was a petite girl with an attractive face. Her talkative personality was perfect for the job that handle customer directly. "Ah you are not alone this time, who are these two beautiful women and young men?" asked Stella, "The blonde hair boy is my little brother, Jugen." said Karina while pointing at Jugen. "Hello." said Jugen. "The woman with dual axe behind her is Ryona, and the fox girl is Kyoko." said Karina. "Then is that young man your boyfriend? aww." asked Stella before getting pulled by the ear by Karina. "No he is my student." said Karina. "Well here is your key to your room and the girls, and this is the key to one other room." said Stella. before she continued: "By the way, you might want to go to the auction tonight, there are some interesting items, rumor say that there is one item from a half divine expert tomb." Lyon and the rest of them shown an interest toward the info they just received. People would go crazy over an item found in half divine expert tomb. This lead to a question as why the owner of the item auctioned this item? Inside the girls room, Lyon and Jugen were also inside to discuss the auction tonight. "There will truly be hotshots from other places at tonight''s auction." said Karina. "I don''t think it will be a threat to us with Royan and Kyoko here." said Lyon. "Well that might be true, but do we have the money to buy things there?" asked Kyoko. "Well I have one hundred thousand golds in my saving, so maybe we can pull trough something." said Karina. "Don''t worry about the money, I have an idea. but I need your help Ryona." said Lyon. "You don''t need to ask, L-Y-O-NN <3." said Ryona while hugging him. "Okay, Jugen, get me five cloaks, five masks and bunch of scrolls." said Lyon. "Okay big brother!" -------------------------- The auction was owned by Treas family, and the Treas auction in Lecryst city was just one small branch of it. They had an amazing fame and fortune across Deo. The auction they threw was always fair and just. No matter what background one might be, they would think twice to rob the Treas Auction. Today in front of the Treas Auction stood five people wearing a cloak and a white mask differ to one another. But one thing in common was that the mask resembled the human emotions. The middle one wore an expressionless mask,. The right end one was wearing a joyful mask. Between the right and the middle one was the crying mask. The left end wore a curious mask. The last one wore a in love mask. The guest receiver walked up to them normally, since he knew that most people wanted to keep a secret of their identity. "I''m sorry sir or madam, our auction is still closed at this moment." said the receiver politely. "We came here to sell something." said the middle one with a deep voice. "I''m sorry, but if sir or madam want to sell something, yesterday was the last day to do so." said the receiver politely. *pak The middle one slammed a scroll on the receiver''s hand. "Let your owner or whoever is in charge, to take a look at this." "Y-Yes." the receiver instinctively run back inside to the manager''s room. -------------------------- Inside the manager''s room was two old men. One was skinny while the other had pot belly. Apparently they were discussing the upcoming auction. *knock *knock "Hmph! what is it?" said the fat old man. *creak "S-sorry to interrupt your discussion manager Fergal and inspector Lom, there are people who insisted to sell this scroll." said the receiver before giving the scroll to Well. Fergal then opened up the scroll. There was nothing exciting inside the scroll, there was only one spell written there, among with the drawing of a brand magic. Then he passed it to Lom to inspect the scroll. The more he inspected the spell, the more his eyes became serious, and finally his hand was shaking that even Fergal notice this. "What''s wrong Lom?" said the fat Fergal. "I-I-... IT''S A LEVEL NINE SOUL SPELL!" shouted Lom. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" 32 Deal The street in front of the Treas Auction was not as bustling as they expected. The onlookers didn''t think that its weird to wore a mask when the auction was about to open. For the locals this just an everyday occurrence. "This is a really nice mask, where did you buy this." said the middle one without tempering his voice. "Big brother, to tell you the truth it was pretty embarrassing buying this." said the one with the curiosity mask. "How so?" asked Lyon. "Well..." Apparently the shop which sold masks was already in closing time when Jugen arrived. He tried to stop the owner from closing the shop and begged him to buy five mask just like Lyon ordered. But lo and behold they were all sold out. The mask business was always in it peaks on the day the auction start. Then Jugen tried to look in to other shop, in which was closed too. Depressed, Jugen then walked back to the inn to bring the bad news. But on the way there, he saw five kids playing with an adult sized mask and surprisingly adult sized cloaks. Desperate in need of masks and cloaks, Jugen approached them. He offered golds in exchange of the masks and the cloaks, but the kids refused them. After much haggling and begging they finally came into term. The kids were playing ''five emotional heroes defeat the devil'' but they lack a person to play the devil. That''s right, Jugen came into play the devil. Since he learned acting from his big brother, the kids were also affected and play the heroes nicely. Their play caught the attention of the onlookers, some of them even threw money to show their appreciation. After the play was done, the kids got tired of playing and gave the cloaks and the masks to Jugen. Finally getting the items he needed, he skipped his way to the inn. "... and that''s how it happened." said Jugen. Everyone else was speechless. "I.. I don''t know what to say." said Lyon. "You hearing me is enough big brother." said Jugen. *tap *tap *tap Three people walked out of the room, with the fat man leading the way. "Esteemed guests, my name is Fergal, I''m the manager of this branch. Please excuse my rude receiver, he only followed the procedure." said Fergal with cupped hands before he continued: "Why don''t we start our business inside my office, please follow me." said Fergal. --------------------------- Inside the office, Fergal and Lom sat next to each other while the opposite of them was Lyon sitting alone, the other four chose to stand behind the sofa. "So esteemed guests, while we could enjoy the tea together, sadly the time for the auction was at near." said Fergal. "You''re right, I don''t like to beat around the bush either.'' said Lyon. Then suddenly the ''in-love'' mask lean towards Lyon ear and whispered: "Well I like to beat ''yours'' especially around the bush." (That''s totally not what I meant!) thought Lyon. *ehem "So, let''s talk about profits." said Lyon. "Yes, certainly. Our auction normally will have thirty percent of the money earned by auction and an admin fee according to the procedure, but seeing esteemed guests, I will personally grant you this membership card, so that esteemed guests can enjoy a reduced cost and exempted from admin''s fee." said Fergal while placing a card on top of the table. The card was exquisite with the word ''Treas'' written in magic brand style. "I see, you are going all out this time. I can bet only a handful of people own this membership?" asked Lyon while he played around with the card. "Precisely, this card is the top rank membership Treas can offer, it will take immediate effect and works on every branch in Treas." then he sighed : "In this little branch we could only get this one membership card and I''m giving it to you." "But this is the first time I want to auction an item." said Lyon curiously. "Yes, it might be so, but with this spell alone our auction will soar to a new height, my buddy Fergal here might get promoted and enter the big league, but I''m sure esteemed guests must have more than just one spell." said Lom. "Pretty smart." Then he took two more scrolls and put it on top of the table. "This is another level nine soul spell, and a level ten soul spell." "L-L-L-LLLL LEVEL 10?!" said both Fergal and Lom before they gulped down their own saliva. The man or woman they were dealing right now was frightening. He casually auctioned a precious spell like it was a basic spell. "I believe with your prestige, you won''t ask where do I get this from or for what purpose I want to sell them yes?" chuckled Lyon. Then the both of them revived from their stupor. "C-C-certainly, the reason we are famous is because we don''t pry into things we shouldn''t." said Fergal. "Then with your experience, what is the best base price for these kind of items?" asked Lyon calmly. *ehem "Well, this is actually the first time we will sell this spell, so far, only the ''big league'' had any experience with this." said Fergal before cotinuing; "Both of the level nine spells will be five million golds, while the level ten will be ten million golds with the minimum of one million bid increment." "Hmm?" (Holy shit, this thing worth that much? Then why the hell did I sell a sandwich, F*ck) "A-a-are you not satisfied with this?" asked Fergal before continuing: "Then what about seven million and fifteen million, same minimum increment, with the contract we will only take ten percent from the total amount." *nod *nod Lyon hurriedly nod. --------------------------- The five of them got back to the inn. "Ah we are rich!" yelled Ryona. "Don''t count the chicken before the egg hatch." said Kyoko. "Well either way looks like our financial problem is solved for now."said Karina. "Yeah, let''s go to the auction after dinner, I''m starving." said Jugen. --------------------------- Back in the Fergal''s office. "Lom did you sense their cultivation level?" asked Fergal. "I did, but I can''t determine two of them." answered Lom before he continued: "The one negotiating with you is only a level three elemental realm, the other one was a peak elemental realm while another was only a level seven heavenly realm." "Hmm the two were probably a hidden expert, we shouldn''t pry too much or this branch might face annihilation." "You''re right, I get a feeling that the last two knew I''m sensing their power. Luckily those people don''t give a damn about an ant." smiled Lom while shaking his head. *knock *knock "Manager, it''s time to open the Auction." said the guest receiver. "Right." said Fergal. 33 My bid The night was bustling with excitement, two moons were in full shape illuminating the city. Many young geniuses or young lords attended this auction, some of them concealed their identity while others just blatantly show their faces. Lyon and company stood in front of the auction''s entrance and quickly caught the attention of the surrounding. "Eh, isn''t that the masks I sold to those kids?" said one of the onlookers. "Step aside, step aside, my young lord is coming through." said a skinny middle aged man, he seemed to be a lackey for the young man behind him. The young man behind him was pretty good looking but skinny. He wore a dashing golden robe which envied by everyone. "Ah that''s young lord Lepe, from clan Fgur." said a young man. "I heard he is coming for the rumored item." said another. "Yeah if my father were rich, I would go after the item too." said another. "Get out of my way!" said a brawny man with scars all over his arms. He was carrying a man sized mace on his back. "Look out, its the mad man Hog." said one of the surrounding. "I heard the scar on his arms was because of a green serpent beast." said a young woman. "Yeah nobody would be mad enough to confront a beast that level alone." said another. "And there are many hotshots already inside the auction room, Gareth of the Eagle sect, Riku of the Mist clan, and others." said an observant. "Looks like there will be a fierce bid today, lets go in." said Lyon after he listened to everyone''s open opinions. "Ah, welcome esteem guests, we have prepared one of the best rooms for you." said the guest receiver before gesturing: "Please follow me." ---------------------- The auction room was a place like an opera. There were balconies for VIP guests and below it was the normal guests. People could not rent the room as simple as buying a ticket for a movie. They had to buy a cumulative items or had a membership or being invited by the manager to obtain one. But, the room Lyon was about to enter was on another level. The manager apparently gave the best room with luxurious facilities inside. There were foods and beverages served by the waitress 24/7, indoor bathrooms, and the room could contain about ten people inside. As Lyon and his companions making their way to the room, almost every other guests began speculating of who they were. "Who are they?" said one of the guests. "Maybe they are from somewhere with tremendous background." said a young man. "They could be from the Nove sect, I heard they were coming this time, so it must be them!" said another guest. Nove sect was one of the hegemon in the north region with hundreds of thousands of disciple under them. *grug *grug There were three old men riding a horse rushing toward the auction. *neigh Upon closer look, they wore the same black robe. Apparently they were from the same sect. "I''m sorry but we are not late are we?" said the one leading. "No, the auction hasn''t started yet." said another guest receiver. "Thank you, we are from the Nove Sect." "Ah, we have been expecting you, please follow me I will guide you to your room." "Hey, if that''s from the Nove sect then who are the five people from before." the guests entered into deep thought once again. -------------------------- Thirty minutes later "Good evening everyone, good news, today I will personally be the host." said Fergal with his green robe and opened arms. "BOOO..." "BOOOOO!" shouted Jugen. "We want a sexy lady not you, BOOOO!". shouted Lyon *pak *pak Karina hit their head until they were swollen red while the other guests had black lines on their head, including Fergal. *ehem "Alright we will begin the auction with the first item, 10 pieces of ''Restoration Pill" then Fergal took a breath to see everyone''s reaction before continuing: "I believe all of you already know about the effect of this pill but let the old me tell you once again. This pill can greatly restore one''s vitality to 70% from a near death situation, however this pill can''t regrown any limbs that is already lost." "This is just wasting time, everybody know about this pill, although its rare to come by, it''s not really hard to seek either. Hahaha I wonder which idiot don''t know about this." chuckled Jugen. "Y-y-yeah right, haha ... hahahaha." laughed Lyon nervously. Then Jugen squinted his eyes at Lyon. "Ten thousand golds" said one of the guest. "Fifteen." said another one. "Twenty." In the end the pills sold to one of the guest below for forty five thousand golds. The rest of the items didn''t manage to get into Lyon''s interest, but he definitely gained knowledge about pills. "The next item is the one you have been waiting for, the half-divine item." said Fergal as his assistant bring the item wrapped in cloth on top of the table. Looking at the wrapped cloth, the item was probably sphere shaped one. "But there is something wrong about this rumor." as soon as Fergal said that, the people were gobsmacked but his next sentence made the VIPs stood on their feet with hunger expression. "The wrong thing is that, the item is at the LEAST half divine." Fergal emphasized ''least'' as much as he could then he enjoyed their hunger expression. "C''mon hurry uo tell-" before one of the VIPs finish his sentence. "Fifteen ... Million." said Lyon casually bidding. The crowd was stunned for a second. "Ah what a brave hero indeed, the bidding has started, fifteen million going once." said Fergal seeing the opportunity. "Sixteen!" said one of the VIPs. "Eighteen million." said Lepe from the VIP. "Nineteen .... Million." said Lyon once again. "Twenty! " said the disciple from the Nove sect. "HMPH! Twenty Two!" shouted Hog. "Senior brother, if he raised it more than twenty five million, we can''t bid a higher number." said one of the old man. The leader of the trio nodded. "Twenty five million! My Nove sect want this." said the leader of the old men. Seeing the Nove sect dares to use it''s name to threaten others Lyon raised his hand to call the waitress and instructed her something. "Twenty five million going once...." said Fergal. The trio old men had smiles all over their face. *knock *knock *creak "Excuse me gentlemen I received an order to give you this paper from the VIP over there." said the waitress before she excuse herself out of the room. "Twenty five million going twice..." said Fergal. Then the leader read the paper which made all three of them grimaced. ''Eat shit'' Just as they finished reading the two word. "Thirty ... Million." 34 Money Money Hearing the thirty million golds bid, every other Vip instantly gave up. They were still thinking of counter bidding the Nove sect, but all those ideas got burned down. Noy just anyone could casually bid that much not to mention provoking the Nove sect at the same time. "They must be from another high-grade sect." said one of the guests "Not necessarily, they might come from a huge kingdom or even a dynasty." said another. "But either way, I wonder what the Nove sect gonna do." said another one. The three old men were livid and ripping the paper apart. "Thirty million going once ..... twice ..... sold! Congratulation to the VIP with the emotional mask!" said Fergal. "What are we going to do senior brother?" said one of the old men. "We should get to know them first so that we can check their background, then we can decide what to do." said the leader. *nod Then the guests started to stand up from their sit attending to leave the auction. "Wait, cultivators, the auction is not over yet," said Fergal with a smile, enjoying the surprised expressions. Then he continued: "The next items were the best items this auction ever auctioned." *creak *creak Before the guests could ask what the items were, the sounds of wheels rolling, filled the room. It was a wood table, with three scrolls on display. The scrolls itself didn''t have any special engraving or some sort, they were the most common scroll you could buy in a regular store. However, the next sentence from Fergal made the guests and VIPs eyes filled with greed. "The scrolls before your eyes are three special scrolls. Verified by our inspector Lom, these scrolls are two level nine soul spells..." before Fergal could continue the guests and VIPs opened their eyes wide. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" said one of the guest. "Please don''t joke about this." said one of the VIPs. Fergal smiled at their responses because he already expected this outcome. "Yes, I''m not joking about this. These two scrolls are legit, level nine soul spells. On top of that this one in the middle is a level TEN soul spell." *woahhh The guests and the VIPs stood on their feet appearing ready to burn all the money they had, to get at least one of these scrolls. These scrolls could greatly increase the manpower of a kingdom or a dynasty by a significant amount. Basically, an item that could change the course of history, at least at their level. *ehem "Good news is that we will sell these items separately so that all of you had the chance to get one." said Fergal. Hearing what Fergal said, Lyon smirked (Yeah right, he made it sounds appealing, but the truth is, with this strategy he would gain more money than sell it in bulk. But most of it is my money so...) Lyon was not the only one who had thought this way, most of the VIPs were too. The ones that got riled up were mostly the guests below. (Now then, this will be fun, will you go for the level nine or will you go for the level ten? or just sacrifice level ten to have two level nine?) thought Lyon. "Alright, the first item is a level nine soul spell ''Freezegaze'', this attacking type spell is an ice-elemental soul spell, the user will gain a blue gaze that if someone looked into the user''s eyes, it will have its soul frozen. Which means your enemy will be like a fish on a chopping board. However, if the person you blue-gazed had high soul resistance it might only frozen half or even not, at all. Okay, the starting bid is seven million with a minimum of one million increments per bid." "Ten Million!" said Hog from below. "Eleven Million!" said Lepe from the balcony. "Sixteen Million." said someone from the balcony. She was wearing a long purple robe with a bamboo hat which covered her face along with a sheathed long curved sword like Lyon''s on her left hand. "Hey, that''s Riku''s balcony." said a poor guest. "Looks like even the Mist Clan are interested in this." said another. "Unlikely, I think this spell is for her own, not for her clan." said an observing guest. "Sixteen Million going once." said Fergal. "Nineteen Million." said Lepe nervously. (Wow it''s already ten times the price.) thought Lyon happily. "Hahaha what an idiot, daring to compete with her will only get your body cut off in many pieces." said one of the VIPs. "Twenty Million." said Riku calmly, but her death aura was enveloping Lepe''s balcony like a thick fog which was unseen to naked eyes. Lepe''s body suddenly grew rigid, he felt chill like the death god was already placing its blade on his neck. He couldn''t voice out anything, his legs were shaking and finally, he fell down and wet himself. With no other guest dared to bid against Riku, the spell finally won by her. "The second level nine soul spell is ''Giant Soul'', this is a defend type spell. The target of this spell will have its soul strengthen like that of an ancient being, a giant. That''s right, this spell can be used on the user or whoever he or she pleases. Same price, same increments, made your bid." said Fergal. In the end, the spell was sold at an astonishing twenty-two million, by the one person people could never guess. He was Hog, even though he wasn''t on the balcony, he was rich due to the guild mission of hunting demon beast for a century, "Then this is the final and probably the best item this auction ever sell, the level ten soul spell ''Hell''s Recollection''. This is a special type spell, this spell could forcefully replay the memories of a dead body. No matter how old the dead body is, as long as there is a shred of soul left, it could be dug. I don''t need to mention how important this is to a big clan or an empire I presume." smiled Fergal before he continued: "The starting price will be fifteen million, with the same increments like before." Then before anyone could bid, someone shouted an unbelievable number that even Lyon was surprised. "fifty million!" 35 Give Up The words ''fifty million'' came from a handsome well built middle-aged man wearing a black robe in the VIP room beside Lyon''s room. He had a midnight black hair, with straight eyebrows and a clear black eyes. He didn''t bring any weapons with him, but there was an ugly clay art on his right hand which he held it dearly. The current people inside the auction didn''t know this person''s identity. "Sixty Million." said another VIP. "Sixty-five million." said another. "One hundred million." said the middle-aged man casually. *woah The guests were surprised to hear this kind of amount, this was a whole new record! "One hundred and one million. Friend, this one is from the Phantera Kingdom please consider our face." said one skinny old man with a white robe. Hearing the Phantera Kingdom, Lyon and co had a surprised look. They didn''t know that a huge kingdom like Phantera would show up in this small town. "Wow, never taught that we have a guest from the Phantera Kingdom." said one of the guests below. "I guess this special type spell really is important to a kingdom." said a young man. "Of course it is! If you can recollect the memory of the dead, you could fish out a traitor which is crucial to a kingdom''s survival." reprimanded an experienced old man. "One-fifty." said the middle-aged man calmly. It appeared that the middle-aged man didn''t give a f*ck about the Phantera Kingdom. Noticing this, the skinny old man exploded out his aura to envelope the middle-aged man, but the middle-aged man didn''t even bat an eye. *BOOM He instantly released his aura to envelope the old man instead. It was so massive that the old man instantly prostate to the ground until it cracked. The whole people inside the auction also felt it. Especially Lyon and co since they were the closest one. "He is strong." said Kyoko. "No doubt about that, I might have lost if he and I had a battle." said Ryona. The other three had a surprised look as this was the first time they met someone which Ryona acknowledge. "He is probably as strong as Simak." said Kyoko. Then she activated her red-eye to check his heaven and world energy. "Looks like, strong is an understatement." There were massive energies swirling around him like a tide. There were five noticeable elements they were fire, dark, light, wind, and water. A very rare, five elements aptitude. "C-congratulation to the VIP who obtained this wondrous spell. With that, the auction is now over, I personally thank you to all the guest who bears witness to this record-breaking moment." said Fergal with a bow. ---------------------------------- The VIPs will have the things they bought delivered by the waiter or waitress. However, Fergal personally delivered Lyon''s item, which was a sphere-shaped object. "Accounting the price of this item with the spells sir''s auctioned and the ten percent fee, you earned one hundred forty-five million and eight hundred thousand golds." said Fergal as he handed over a spatial ring to Lyon. After checking the amount was correct, Lyon shook Fergal hand and got out of the room. Fergal only looked at the departing figures. He didn''t know that he just made a deal with someone that everybody wanted to kill the most later on. ---------------------------------- On the way back to the inn, three old men stopped their track. They were from the Nove sect. "Friend, may we get a chance to get to know each other?" said the leader. However, Lyon didn''t respond at all. The five of them just stood there looking at them. Nobody could tell what kind of expression they had behind the mask. Seeing that the five of them didn''t respond he became sceptical and wryly smiled: "We three are from the Nove sect, and you are? . .. ... Still no response, the surrounding were looking at the three and chuckled. The three of them felt like an idiot. As the three of them about to flare up, Lyon said: "State your business." in a deep unrecognisable voice. "Ah, we are wondering if the five of you want to join us for a tea." said the leader with a slight bow. . . . (Who the f*ck ever invited someone to drink a tea at night!) thought Lyon. "Are you, .... an idiot?" said Jugen. Then the surrounding chuckled louder than before. Lyon held the sphere item and showed it to them: "Is this what you are looking for?" The eyes of the old men were filled with insane greed. Lyon slowly moved the sphere to the right, and the eyes of the old men followed his movements. He moved it to the right, and they still followed it. He raised it up and still, the old men follow it. *HAHAHAHA After some time they finally realized that the surrounding people were laughing at them. Blinded with rage the jumped at Lyon attempting to kill him. "You dare to humiliate me, DIE!" said the leader, in the end, they forgot to investigate about Lyon''s backing. *flash *slash They halted their movements. The ''in love'' masked person was already behind them. *tap*tap *tap*tap*tap Then the five of them proceed to walk to the inn. The three old men were still standing in their paused motion in the middle of the road. The onlookers were confused at just what happened, even experts couldn''t understand. It wasn''t until a bird decides to perch on one of their shoulders. *shreekk *thud Half of the body slid down diagonally with a thud. The experts were terrified, (what level must one have to be to be able to pull this off!) that''s what they were thinking. One of the onlookers was Riku who still wore her bamboo hat. Apparently, she was late to see who did this and only came just in time to see the bird perch. (Could it be?!) then she touched the other two old men and the same thing happened. The slash was in the same spot even though their height were different. (No doubt about it, this slash, is as if the person forgot to die combined with the ''One as if Three'' comprehension.) Then she quickly asked the onlookers of the identity of the one who did this. ---------------------------------- Inside Jugen and Lyon''s room. "Hey Jugen, bring me a wine will you, the wine from the inn is fine. Here use the money we earned." said Lyon. "Gotcha big brother." said Jugen after he finished changing to his regular clothes. *clank After Jugen shut the door, Lyon smiled evilly: "Ah I always wanted to do this" *zink He let out all the golds inside the room which made it looked like there was a mini mountain of gold. Then he took off his mask and get naked. "YAHOO!" then he jumped right into the mountain of golds. ---------------------------------- Inside the hallway of the inn. *whistle *whistle Jugen was whistling and walked slowly to the inn''s kitchen to get the wine. On the way there he saw a person wearing a bamboo hat running in his opposite direction. Jugen paused for a while and just ''meh it ain''t my problem''. *whistle *whistle ---------------------------------- *clink *clink*clink Lyon stood up again and face the mountain of gold. "Alright, that was not as comfortable as I thought. Time to return them." *Zink *Creak *Boom Just right after the money went back to the spatial ring, the door was opened by the bamboo hat person, she was Riku. The scene was as ridiculous as you imagined. Eyes wide, mouth agape, Riku was in stupor seeing that butt. "Ah, I can''t explain." Lyon chose to give up. ( Wait ... Why am Ithe one saying that?!) 36 Ism Here (Should I turn around or not.) thought Lyon. He was tense because he knew that the person behind him was stronger. *grug *grug The three women rushed to the scene. "What''s happening here?" asked Karina wearing her regular clothes. Seeing the butt, she seems to forget that there was a person wearing a bamboo hat in front of her. Kyoko only shook her head. *tip *toe *jump Ryona suddenly jumped at Lyon''s back pushing him down while shouting: "Me First!" *thud The thud woke up the rest of the girls from their stupor. Slamming her eyebrows, Karina asked: "Who are you?". With a red shade on her cheeks, she tilted down her bamboo hat out of embarrassment and spoke softly: "I..I... I want to seek the person who killed the three old men on the street. NO-no I''m not here for revenge." said Riku. "What are you going to do to the killer then?" asked Kyoko. "I want to seek an advice about the technique he or she used," said Riku while her index fingers keep bumping with each other which made her more lovable. "Oh you want to seek my advice?" said Ryona after Lyon wore a black robe. Looking at Ryona, glimmering stars of hope appeared on Riku''s eyes. She took off her bamboo hat and revealed an astonishing beauty. She had a bright-green-leaf hair perfect for her oval face. Her pointy ears described her identity as a proud high elf. The ocean coloured eyes and cute little nose belied her deadly rumours and ascertain her cute personality. The surrounding people would have thought this girl was a flower seller type girl. Combined with the cupid pink lips, every time she talked nervously, people just want to adore her even more. "C-c-can you teach me how to slash like that?" asked Riku nervously. "Oh that''s an easy trick," said Ryona innocently. Riku didn''t know what to say, even her master could only comprehend ''one as if it was two'' concept. "C-c-can you show me?" asked Riku. "Sure, where is your axe?" "A-a-axe?!" "Yes, an axe," smiled Ryona. "You made that slash with an axe?!" "Yes, what''s wrong?" asked Ryona confused. (Is it even possible to achieve that feat with an Axe?) thought Riku. *tap *tap "Big brother, I bought the wine ... Eh? what''s going on?" said Jugen while holding a bottle of red wine ''Lecryst Exclusive'' looking at everyone in the room and one other person. Then Karina proceeded to explain the situation. "So what''s her name?" asked Jugen. . . Everybody was silent. . . "Ss-s-SORRY, ... my name is Riku from the Mist clan," said Riku hurriedly with a bow. "Oh I know you, you are that famous Riku, I never thought you would be her," chuckled Karina. "Y-yes," shade of red printed on her cheeks. "Well anyway, I can only show you tonight, tomorrow we have to depart to the Phantera Kingdom," said Ryona. "Oh, can I tag along with you?" said Riku. "Hmm, since your Mist clan always been neutral, why not?" said Karina. "Oi, are you sure? This might get political you know," whispered Lyon. "Don''t worry, with her tagging along, everything will get smoother," whispered Karina. *clap "Alright then, let me show you how I do it, watch and learn," said Ryona. *flash *slash *thud Feathers from inside of two pillows exploding out along with a chair which cut in half diagonally. The amazing part was that the two pillows and the chair had parallel positions but they had the same cut. *woah Riku''s eyes were glimmering as if all the stars in the night sky gathered inside. Nobody noticed when did she pull out the axe or when did she return it, there was no axe at all in the motion they saw. *clap *clap "Alright good job, now I want to sleep. Jugen, ask the receptionist for more pillows," said Lyon. "OK," said Jugen as he rushed out again. "Alright ladies, this young master want to sleep, if you don''t want to join me then please go back to your room," said Lyon as he tried to approach the bed. *thud The robe Lyon wore was cut in half diagonally and dropped down, revealing his dragon stick to the women. . . . . "Te~hee <3," chuckled Ryona. The rest of the women had red hue on their faces, but they were not even trying to cover their eyes. *clap "Alright that''s enough of staring, my hubby needs a rest <3," said Ryona as she pushed the other woman outside the room. . . . "That woman!" gritted Lyon. ----------------------------- Early in the morning, many guests from the auction started to go home or whatever the place they want to go. One red chariot was heading to the Phantera Kingdom on the north, in front of them was a white chariot with Phantera Kingdom''s symbol on it. Apparently, Riku was on foot to get to the auction, so transportation was not an issue. "Big bro, make sure the map is not upside down," said Jugen while holding the rope. "Don''t worry, we just have to follow the chariot in front of us," said Lyon. It took only half a day before they arrive at the Phantera Kingdom. Along the way, there were tiger statues on both sides of the road leading to the gate. Unlike the city of Lecryst, the entry didn''t require a fee. On a bird view, the Phantera Kingdom had a hexagonal shape with a huge white castle in the centre, however, its only has two gates, the north and the south. There were rivers flowing from each angle of the hexagon, the current went from the west to the east which indicates that this river was not a natural phenomenon. The source of the water was from the Undine Lake nearby. ----------------------------- Inside one of the chamber sat a young princess. She was wearing a red gown which brought the fiery-noble aura of her origin. Her braided hair had hairpin embroidered in tiny diamonds which enlightened her purple hair. At this moment a magic brand which only she could see flashed on her right arm. She had a confused look, she never thought that he would come in less than a week. *zing *zing*zing *zing*zing*zing Six red magic brands appeared on each angle of the hexagon. "LUNA, LEAVE IT TO ME!!!" "LUNA, LEAVE IT TO ME!!!" "LUNA, LEAVE IT TO ME!!!" "LUNA, LEAVE IT TO ME!!!" "LUNA, LEAVE IT TO ME!!!" A shout so loud every person inside the kingdom could hear it. The princess was stunned for a while, then she said: "Would it kill him not to show off, idiot". However, both of the edges of her mouth raised upward a little, revealing something beautiful that had been hidden so long from the world. 37 Undercover The Kingdom was in an uproar. Nobody dared to do this kind of feat before, not just because they don''t know there was such a magic for it, but because offending the Phantera Kingdom was not worth it. In the throne room stood a middle-aged man, wearing a royalty dress with white tiger roaring embroidered on it. He had a handsome face with a white-snow beard that connected to his sideburns. That pair of golden eyes and not-so-thick eyebrows were the perfect combination for his serious personality. He had the tendency of tapping his index finger on the throne. After hearing the terrible news at the auction and now somebody just shouting his daughter''s name, he was really in a bad mood. "Guards, search for the imbecile that dares to shout my daughter''s name so casually and bring him to me," despite the bad mood, he didn''t raise his voice to command, but the guards still felt fear and respect toward this man. The man on the throne than got up from his seat, and revealed his stature. He was a tall man with bulging muscles that could slap a person to reincarnation. However, there was a black-stripped white-tail, which as long as his arm. This person was the current King of the Phantera Kingdom, Anskar Phantera. When he was young, he was the only one after the founder of the kingdom to be accepted by the ancient beast, white tiger and gained its inheritance. Since he was accepted by the ancient beast, the throne was naturally his. *knock *knock Anskar was in front of Luna''s chamber. *Clank *Creak The father and daughter met face to face. There was only a tension between them, however, Anskar thought nothing of it. "You should know why I''m here," said Anskar calmly. Luna''s glare didn''t diminish at all, "I want to know father ... why are you doing this? Is it true, because you want a grandson with the strongest bloodline." "Who is the one that shouts your name?" said Anskar, refusing to answer Luna. Then she stopped her glare and sighed, "He is my hope ..." . . *tap *tap . . There was no anger inside Anskar''s eyes and he just walked away. Luna gritted her teeth and slammed the door. ------------------------ Wearing a disguise, Lyon changed his appearance into that of a scholar. Not even Jugen and Karina knew that this was Lyon. Wearing a green robe and glasses, he scrambled his hair up. The guards were searching in every road for the person responsible, however, they had no idea that the person they were looking was buying a snack on the street vendor like it was none of his business. What he was buying was a squid snack being grilled with open fire with a stick piercing through. Glazed in melted butter, with a sprinkle of cheese on top of it, the people couldn''t help but buy it. This was the most popular snack in the Phantera Kingdom and it cost about one gold per bag, with one bag containing about ten sticks. *grug *grug Two guards were rushing to where Lyon was at. "Excuse me, sir, do you have any info about the incident just now?" said one of the guards. *tak *tak The sounds of the snack about to ripe entered the three. "Hey, old man, give me two more bags for these gentlemen. They worked so hard, I want to give them something as appreciation," said Lyon. Both of the guards were surprised but they didn''t mind (Finally, someone recognises our hard work!). "What was the question again?" asked Lyon. "Oh right, do you have any info about the incident just now?" asked one of the guards. "Oh, that, I did that," said Lyon. . . *tak *tak . . "HAHAHA, you''re joking right?" laughed the guards. . . . "Hahaha, you got me there," said Lyon (Well, not my fault, I already admitted it.). "Here you go, that would be three golds," said the old man which was the vendor seller. *caching Then Lyon gave the guards the snacks he promised, "I have no clue what just happened, but maybe if you could trace the magic back, then you might know the culprit," said Lyon while munching his squid. "But you need a special talent to pull that through, which luckily, I know someone like that." *munch *munch "Oh, who is it?" said one of the guard after gulping down. "My wife hahaha," said Lyon. *gulp "Brother please help us, our King is not in the mood. It would certainly help if your wife could find the culprit." said one of the guard. "Sure, but let''s meet the king first, to gain his permission," said Lyon. ------------------------ Then the three of them walked up to the inn to pick-up Lyon''s wife. *knock *knock "Honey, let''s help them search the culprit," said Lyon from in front of the room. *creak A beautiful person appeared right in front of their eyes. She was wearing a beautiful Phantera''s woman clothing. Her white clothing was a match to her blue rose hair which she tied it to a bun. Although her pair of eyes had a different colour from one to another, it only brought more charm, like sweet summer memory. "Bro, you are such a lucky man." said one of the guard. "Thank you," said Kyoko. ------------------------ Then they proceeded to take an audience with the king. Surprisingly, he was not alone in the throne! Luna was there beside him. Hearing the news that someone might know how to catch the culprit, of course, she would be worried. Lyon was stunned when he arrived inside of the throne room, he was looking at Luna''s peerless countenance at this moment. "Your majesty, these are the people that could help us trace the culprit." said one of the guard with a bow. Anskar raised his hand to signalled the guard to leave. "What proof do you have that you can trace magic," said Anskar looking at Lyon. "Oh, it''s not me, it''s my wife over here," said Lyon. Then Kyoko activated her red-eye, to inspect Anskar. "Your majesty, I see you have four elemental affinities of rare attributes. You have the wind to aid your journey, fire to boost your stamina, thunder to smite your opponents and lastly the special attribute of a white tiger," said Kyoko with a relaxing tone. The King was startled for a while because what Kyoko said was right, the affinities of a king could only be known by the members of the royalty. Even though Luna was also startled, she was more curious about the green robe guy. She was pondering for a while. "Hmm, looks like you know what you''re doing, then I shall grant you permission, you can ask the guards if necessary," said Anskar before he continued, "Don''t worry if you could find the culprit you shall be rewarded, and one more thing, don''t spread my affinity to anyone or you will be penalized." "Many thanks," said both Lyon and Kyoko. *tap *tap *flash As Lyon walked outside approaching the door of the throne room, his right arm flashed. Lyon only smiled at this, (She is clever indeed). Luna, on the other hand, had little giggles and she was trying to hide it from his father by burying her head in her right arm. "Hmm? what''s wrong Luna?" asked Anskar. Luna then started to run away to her chamber. Anskar was dumbfounded, (What''s wrong with my daughter?). 38 The Custom After being granted permission by Anskar, both of Lyon and Kyoko started their investigation. They inspected the edges of the hexagon and found remnants of energies that undoubtedly belong to Lyon. Of course, she did not point that out, instead, she misleads the guards that she needed more days to investigate this matter and the guards gladly obliged since the king himself didn''t set a time limit. ------------------ Beneath the kingdom was an underground prison with a narrow hall. Criminals were chained inside their cell. At the end of the hall stood a steel door engraved with the Phantera Kingdom''s symbol. There was not even a small window on the door, just pure steel door. Inside the door, sat a middle-aged man on a wooden chair. He held a lit up candle by his right hand to which enlighten his bottom part of his face a little. "Hahaha," the middle-aged man laughing by himself, "I never thought my niece would get a young man like that." The middle-aged man was the owner of the Academy in Nostria, Argeon Phantera the Harbinger of Death, Luna''s uncle. ------------------ At night inside the inn, Lyon''s group was discussing something. "By the way, Lyon, do you know what is the identity of Luna''s fiancee?" asked Karina. "No idea," said Lyon while shaking his head. "Ugh, her fiancee name is Draco Vishap, a prince with a dragon bloodline. I don''t know what is his cultivation level, but he is probably as strong as me," reprimanded Karina. (I could already guess he had a dragon bloodline the moment she said his name was Draco), thought Lyon. "So anyway, he is going to come here to take her hand tomorrow." "Oh, okay then, let him come, but on another issue, who is your pursuer?" asked Lyon with his eyebrows slowly met with each other. Hearing his question, Jugen said, "Let me do the honours," then Jugen began to narrate, "Big brother, your rivals are bigger and stronger than that ''snake''. "One is from this very kingdom, the prince of the Phantera Kingdom the son of Anskar, Arectum. Although he is not as talented as his father,the-" "Wait! Wait! His name is, A-rectum? REALLY? HAHAHAHA." laughed Lyon, however, nobody got the joke. "Anyhow, he is the least you should worry about, that guy just abuse his father influence to gain recognition. The second one is from a dynasty, you heard it right, my sister''s charm knows no bound. "And then the third one is a King from the west, He accidentally met my sister during her training in the west was captivated. Then ..." There were too many that Lyon quickly lost interest in listening. Then Ryona whispered from behind, "Wait until you hear mine <3." (GOD!) -------------------------------------- The sun and the moon quickly change their shift, and two days had passed. *grug *grug *grug A young man riding a horse clad in armour stole the attention of everyone inside the kingdom. He didn''t wear a helmet and let his long red hair fluttered with the wind. His armour had a dancing dragon engraved. His handsome face had a haughty expression like he was a heaven''s chosen. He was not alone, he also brought his two bodyguards with him and they were heading to the arena. The Phantera Kingdom had a special custom. The groom-to-be had to stand inside the arena, and accept challenges from other to prove his worthiness to take the bride-to-be. This was done for the sole purpose of proving that the groom-to-be was a strong individual that could protect the bride and that it has the strongest bloodline. This custom was not applicable to the prince. -------------------------------------- The arena was also hexagon shaped. Unlike the arena in Nostria, there was only one balcony for the royalties. There were no dukes nor viscount, nor marquis. However, this balcony was long enough to contain other royalty guests. Right now, on the balcony were Anskar and the beautiful Luna. Anskar didn''t have any general beside him, but Luna had Martis standing beside him. "Miss, are you sure that he will show up?" whispered Martis. "He is already inside the arena," smiled Luna. Martis was confused. *grug *neigh Draco finally arrived in the arena. *woooaaaah The crowd was ecstatic, to see some action from the powerful dragon bloodline. He walked up to the arena and raised his hand to rile up the crowd even more. Then with a slight bow to Anskar, "I apologize beforehand as my father and mother will be late because of some matter." "That''s alright, we will begin once your parents arrived," said Anskar calmly. Nobody what he was thinking. -------------------------------------- Inside the prison. *creek The steel door was opened casually, apparently, it was not locked at all. The middle-aged man from inside revealed himself. His face was similar to his older brother Anskar except for the lack of beard, He had a slimmer figure than his brother, but those muscles were not to be messed around. Along with a black-stripped white tail that moved around violently. He was topless and wore tattered white pants. *crack *crack He stretched his arms and loosen his neck, all the prisoners quickly pretended to sleep. They didn''t want to mess with this Harbinger of Death. The king was alright since he was calmer but this guy would rip them off just because they snored. "Looks like the plan is in motion," said Argeon smilingly. "Hmm? You guys didn''t hear what I said just now right?" *HIIIII "Sleeping, sleeping, we are sleeping!" said one of the inmates while shivering under his blanket. "GOOD," said Argeon. -------------------------------------- *grug *grug A royalty chariot lead by three generals arrived inside the arena. They were from the same kingdom as Draco. *tap *tap Two people came out of the chariot, one male and one female. They both exude a royalty aura. The male was an old man with a wrinkled face but absolute charisma, he had a long white hair and beard, wearing red royalty cloth with a dancing golden dragon embroidered. He was Draco''s father, Drago Vishap. The female was a beautiful middle-aged woman, with a peach complexion. she wore a gown in the same colour and embroidery. She was Draco''s mother, Fina. "I''m sorry we are late," said Drago with a hint of respect. Anskar didn''t seem to mind and stood up, "It''s alright, come to join us in the balcony, the ceremony custom is about to start." After the king and queen head up to join Anskar, on one of the seats in the audience sat, one young scholar with his right hand flashing nonstop. (Goddamnit woman, just because people can''t see doesn''t mean I''m not annoyed!), thought Lyon with a forceful smile. On the balcony Luna notice his reaction and couldn''t help but chuckled. . 39 Romance? "I hereby declare the custom to begin!" said Anskar while standing and spread his arms forward. *WOAHHH The audience riled up once more. "I"m here to take Luna as my bride, as the Phantera custom goes," Draco then took off his armour to reveal his tight black training shirt, "Please test my abilities to prove my worth." Although he was saying that, he didn''t take it too seriously as he believed that beating a trash wouldn''t mean anything. The girls were screaming his name to get his attention. But he only looked at Luna with only dirty thoughts on his mind. Then he motioned his lips toward''s Luna. ''I''m only gonna made you my concubine'' Luna knew what he was saying as she also motioned her lips. ''Trust me, I would rather marry a monkey then you.'' Draco face was fueled with anger. Meanwhile, the scholar just scratched his itchy hair, even though he didn''t know that they were talking. "C''mon hurry up!" shouted Draco. *swoosh *thud Amazingly it was Martis who brave enough to confront him. "Please," said Martis while holding his greatsword. . . . . . "Hahahhaha, are you kidding me. This trash wouldn''t even last one hit from me," said Draco. Anskar notice that his parents didn''t reprimand the son of their attitude. "Begin," said Anskar. *tch "I will give you handicaps, I will only use one hand to beat you and if you can land a single hit from me, it''s your win," said Draco. Martis gripped his greatsword tightly and veins were popping out. He slammed his eyebrows and his eyes were filled with rage. *Swoosh Martis jumped at Draco with high speed, but Draco only smiled in response. He shifted his body to the right to avoid Martis slashed. As Martis''s greatsword about to touch the ground, Draco punched his side. *boom Martis was sent flying to the edge of the arena, however since he was not out, the battle continuous. *tap *tap Martis was struggling to get up as there was blood on the right edge of his mouth. *swipe *tap *tap *tap Martis clearly injured as he was moving more slowly than before, "Phantera Art, Tiger Tornado." *swing *swing Martis rotate his body along with his greatsword moving away from the centrifugal force and a huge violent tornado was release toward Draco. *sfwoosh *swoosh "Amazing, he mastered the Tiger Tornado even though he was still young." said one of the audience. "That''s not all, for a top-level heaven realm this feat should be impossible, even if his affinity is wind." said one of the experts among them. "Hmpph! Useless art!" Then Draco motion his right arm, to literally slap away the tornado. *sfwoosh With a slap, the tornado was disintegrated which bring a smile to Draco''s face, but he soon had a surprised expression. (He is gone?!). "I GOT YOU!" a screamed took Draco by surprise. *Sfwoosh "HIYYYYYAAAAHH." Martis swing down as hard as he could to take advantage of the boost from natural gravity. However, "Hmph!" Draco smiled at the incoming attack once again and crouched "Too slow," Draco slightly bent his body to release a palm to Martis''s stomach. *Sfwoosh Martis was sent flying under everyone''s eyes. *Boom *Thud Martis was spat out from the wall unconscious and he left a human-sized indent on it. *tap *tap The imperial doctors from the kingdom quickly rushed to the scene to bring Martis away for treatment. "Is there no one else in this kingdom that dares to challenge me?" declared Draco. "I haven''t even used my bloodline yet!" Anskar was still calm despite Draco''s action, which made him looked more unfathomable. Like he was watching a blabber from an ant. "There is one!" shouted a beautiful young girl from the balcony. With her shout, she stole all the attention in the arena, including her own father. "Hmph! Who dares to challenge me with cultivation under soul realm?" replied Draco with his menacing gaze toward Luna. Then that skinny hand of her pointed out someone that never ever crossed someone''s mind. She was pointing toward the east side of the arena. "No way right?" said one of the guards that got treated squid stick with cheese sprinkled on top by Lyon. "To be honest I don''t care, someone needs to teach that guy a lesson." said the other guards who got the same snack from Lyon. Then Draco shifted his vision to the scholar guy. He really looked like a nerd you couldn''t imagine fighting. There was a reason why Luna was so confident at Lyon''s capability despite his third elemental realm was no match for Draco. The night before the custom day, Lyon contact her through the same magic he used when he shouted at her. --------------------------- It was when Luna was taking a shower, a magic brand suddenly appeared behind her, "Pssstt! Hey Luna," said Lyon from the magic brand. *Kyaa!!! Luna''s screamed woke a nearby maid, "Are you okay miss?" asked one of the maids from outside the door. "Ah, I''m fine, I just slipped myself, you are dismissed," said Luna. "Yes, miss." "Lyon? is that you?" asked Luna. "No, It''s a mysterious voice who is gonna give you a system that will change your life ... of course it''s ME!!" shouted Lyon. Apparently, Luna didn''t get the joke. "Listen, I know you are confused as to why I arrived here early and not getting stronger first and I''m going to explain it to you," said Lyon seriously. Luna then began to listen, she even forgot that she was still in the middle of a shower. "It''s because I''m strong." . . . . "huh?" Luna was confused . . . "You explain nothing!" reprimanded Luna. "Aih, alright then .." Lyon then explained that he could breakthrough anytime he wants and he had myriad of spells. He didn''t explain about Selena or the three rings, because he was too lazy. "Are you telling the truth?" "Yes, of course, I wouldn''t contact you just to lie you know." "Why are you telling me this." "Well, so you can sleep peacefully tonight and not worry about a thing." Luna instantly felt a warm current inside her heart. Like a heavy weight on her mind was being lifted off by him. Since her mother died, she was like snow white without the seven dwarves nor a step-mother but more beautiful. His father became cold and colder after her mother''s death, thus she was lacking love or attention. But by growing up into a young woman, she began to understand her father''s changes, at least some of them. "Thank you, Lyon," said Luna affectionately. "En, of course, leave it to me, okay I gotta go, goodnight.." "Goodnig-" "Oh, by the way, there is some soap left on your left butt, bye!." *zuut The magic brand vanishes. *RRRRGGHH "Teehee~ .. that idiot." chuckled Luna after she gritted her teeth. --------------------------- Back inside the arena Lyon with his scholar getup approached the arena with a smile. He had no intimidating aura or something like that. Just a simple walk to the stage, however somehow the audience even the ones on the balcony had an eerie feeling from him, they didn''t dare to utter a single word. It was absolutely silent and only the tapping sound he made when he walked was heard. 40 Potentially The Most Dangerous All eyes inside the arena were on the man the princess chose. He stood there with a smile on his face seemingly harmless, but nobody had the courage to utter a word for some reason. "Can we begin?" asked Lyon earnestly to Anskar. Anskar then snapped out of it, "Ah, yes you can." "So, are you ready prince Draco?" said Lyon while tugging his glasses. ------------------------- Beside the empty seat, Lyon left at, was Ryona and the rest of the gang also in disguise. "I finally had the chance to see hubby in action!" said Ryona. "Me too I personally never see him fight," said Karina. (I also want to see what is his capability to make her head over heels for him.), thought Riku. "I did see him fight, although I was semi-unconscious at that moment," then Jugen told them the stories of how he and Lyon first met. "Hmm, overseer have you checked his elemental affinities?" asked Ryona. "Now that you mention it, I always forgot to do that, the last time I did was only checking his ring," said Kyoko. *open The moment she activated her red eye, her hands were trembling in an instant. Warm liquid began to escape the pores of her skin. She didn''t utter a word for some time. "What is his elemental affinity?" asked Ryona after noticing her silence. "Ah," Kyoko snapped back to reality. The others were confused seeing her reaction. "Well, as far as I know, he used Fire magic and space magic once, oh and also that sound magic from before was an elemental magic spell, so that''s three," said Jugen. Kyoko only smiled at Jugen''s explanation, "Those, are just the tip of the iceberg." Then she looked at Ryona, "You really do have a keen eye to pick a man like him." "He is the most potentially dangerous man I''ve ever met, none can be compared to him. If he can mature enough, then with basic spells like firebolt he could burn half of Deo." The rest of the gang was stupefied, especially Ryona, she never praised someone like that before. "As for the affinities, take my hand," said Kyoko. *Zurrrr The vision of Jugen, Karina, Riku, and Ryona become more enhanced than before, now they could see the energies through Kyoko''s red-eye and when they move their vision to the man of the topic ... *Swoosh. *Spark. All the nature energies swirled around him like a tide ready to sail through the enemies. Fire, Ice, Water, Earth, Space, Sound, the more they concentrate the more they discover. In their eyes, he stood there like a true god. Draco''s blue dragon seemed to be oppressed by Lyon''s world element and could break any moment. "A-amazing," a slip of word came out of Riku''s mouth. However, they didn''t know that this was not even half of his true power yet, once he retrieved the other two rings, they would understand that true god was only an ant. -------------------- "Hey, are you ready or not?!" shouted Lyon. Draco then woke up from his unknown doubt, (Why am I doubting, why did I felt fear?). "HMPH! Don''t be so hasty, you are only a low third level elemental realm. It won''t take too long to drag you to the grave." said Draco. "Oh, right I forgot about that." *tap *zing *tap *zing *tap *zing *tap *zing With every step Lyon took, he casually breakthrough like it was nothing to mention. Then when he came face to face with Draco, he already at the peak of the elemental realm, the same level as Draco. "How about now?" said Lyon while looking down at Draco. *woah The crowd goes nuts at his instantaneous breakthrough. "Holy f*ck, can a human really breakthrough like that?" said one of the inexperienced audience. "Not only that, those seem to be a stable rapid breakthrough, no man in the history had ever done that!" said an old experienced audience. Anskar and Drago quickly get up from their seat, they wonder who was that man that did the feat even legends couldn''t do. "My daughter, who is he?" asked Anskar. "Oh him? He is just my vice-president," said Luna with her nose slightly pointed to the sky. (Vice-president?!) "S-s-so what if you breakthrough rapidly, I bet your foundation is rotten!" said Draco as he lashed out a fury of punches. *bang *bang*bang*bang Lyon received the sudden attack directly and was blown directly. "Hahahaha, see you are no match from the one with the Dragon Vishap blessing!" . . The audience was silent once more. . . Suddenly a laughter came from the man who lay on the stage, "Hahaha, you truly disappoint me, if that is the true strength of your Dragon Vishap, you better take your own life right now." *thud *thud Lyon got up only to notice that his glasses were broken and his clothes were dirty. Then he decided to take off his shirt and get rid of the disguise. "AH!, That man!" said one of the audience. "You know this guy?" said another. "C''mon tell us!" "Hmph, you old thing, let me tell you. There is a new rising legend a few days ago in Nostria. A man came down from the sky using three rays of lights, he duped the eonic genius by the Deo rock, ending the Simak Labyrinth and destroy one of Nostria neighbouring kingdom in the process." "Oh that legend, I heard he was sent from the heaven itself." said another audience. The legend became more and more ridiculous as it passed on. Lyon was topless once again, but this time he didn''t bring a sword with him. He just stood there with his ripped muscles which release some kind of heat. Nature was happily dancing around him and he seemed to focus on his surrounding. "Let me warn you this if you don''t use your ''snake'' power this will be a bit boring," said Lyon while closing his eyes. "YOU!!! FINE I WILL GIVE YOU THE HONOUR OF WITNESSING MY TRUE POWER." Then Draco''s skin slowly covered with blue scales that''s hard as steel leaving only his face. The Vishap was famous in their water element art capability. Those who had the power from an ancient beast may have a special art belonging to the beast. Lyon then slowly opened his eyes, revealing that they had changed colour to green. "Disappointing." *Sfwoosh *punch *crack *palm With one quick glide, Lyon instantly appeared in front of him and launch his technique ''Shattering Palm'' and broke those scales like a glass. Then he quickly grabbed his body by the neck and slowly whispered to him right in his ears, "You, should wear your armour, now fly." *Sfwoosh Draco launched into the air, "AAAAAARGHHHHH, my energies, the-" *Boom His body exploded in the air and blood pouring down on Lyon''s body and Lyon stood there like a death god who just got baptized. Basking the audience with fear. 41 Secret Phantera Ar This scene would etch in their memories forever, but what the audience saw was different compared to Karina and co. There was a vividly new element coiling on his body. It was an ancient beast with green scales and four short hinder legs. Its mouth was like a crocodile but had a long white moustache on its nose fluttering. That pair of eyes looked like they were made of jade. The being rested on Lyon''s shoulder looking proud as if it were the one that killed Draco, it enjoyed the audiences expression. "True Dragon!" blurted Kyoko. "Wow, never thought my hubby would have a dragon element," said Ryona. "It''s not an ordinary dragon, its a ''True Dragon'', it had the highest grade among the dragons. The legend said they are a proud being, love to bask in praises, furthermore, there was no record of other beings being tutelage by the said dragon." "Oi do I really have to take my shirt off?" asked Lyon. "Of course you do, it''s a lot cooler that way, look, the women in the audience literally would suck your ding-dong if you show a little bit of affection towards them." said the true dragon. "By the way, who are you?" asked Lyon. . . . . . . "Oh right, I forgot you still don''t remember your past," said the true dragon. "Listen we used to have a master-student relationship, you were a handful back then, but I did teach you the dragon way." *sigh "We used to have a fun training together, peeking the woman''s bathtub to train our agility, getting caught to train our endurance..." "That''s the dragon way?" asked Lyon with a doubt. "E-hem, at least my dragon way, which I passed it down to you. Okay, that''s for now, you got something else you have to worry." "WHO ARE YOU! WHY DO YOU DARE TO KILL MY SON RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! AND I DEMAND EXPLANATION FROM YOU TOO ANSKAR!!" *SPLURT Anskar''s hand suddenly moved and thrust Drago''s chest to grab his heart. "Y-y-you ... generals!?" "They already dead." a new voice suddenly filled the balcony. It was Argeon, with Fina''s head dangling on his right hand. "W-w-why.." asked Drago to Anskar. "The reason I imprisoned him was to lower your guard, and you bought it too easily when I bring you to the prison hall," said Anskar. "Also, this arranged marriage was to bring you here and kill you without instigating a war," said Argeon. "And no, this is not about power, it''s vengeance." then Anskar clutched his hand. *sfwoosh *thud Drago''s body was thrown to the stage right beside Lyon. *sfwoosh *sfwoosh *thud *thud Anskar and Argeon step on the stage. "Hahaha, you must be the young man which my niece mention in her letters." Anskar had a gloomy face, "How come I didn''t know any of this?" "You are too strict, big brother, of course, your daughter would share this info with his open-minded badass uncle," said Argeon with his arms spread open and his head shaking, "By the way, kid, you might want to step out of the stage for a sec, cause things are gonna get bloody." "Stay!" said the true dragon. "But," "Don''t worry, the vishap is about to come into being and you are the disciple of me." said the true dragon. "I choose to stay," said Lyon calmly. "HAHAHA, good!" laughed Argeon. *sigh Anskar only shook his head. Meanwhile, on the balcony, Luna still trying to accept what just transpired. His uncle which she was forbidden to visit suddenly came out of the prison and kill the generals and Drago''s wife. *Froowsh A huge water pillar suddenly came out from Drago''s body. A huge shadow appeared inside the water pillar. *flap The water was instantaneously dispersed with a flap of its wings. It was a wyvern with six small wings and clad in deep blue scales. That pair of eyes of its was as blue as an ocean on the beach. It has four strong hinder legs and little spikes on its back line. *AHhhhh The audience was in a panic, they hurriedly fled the arena and pushing each other, leaving a handful of people still sitting there. The ancient beast had a cultivation level of a second level low divine realm, but apparently, it''s still recuperating its strength. "Who are you, to dare to kill my host," said the vishap. "You might not know me, but surely you know the name of Leyna!" shouted Anskar. "Mother..." said Luna softly while she got nervous. The vishap entered a deep thought before its finally remembered, "Ah, that woman had the perfect talent and affinity to be my student. But alas she chose to abandon my teaching and chose to be with that white kitten!" "Then why did you kill her!" shouted Anskar. Luna''s pupil begun to shrunk, her father always said that her mother died because of an incurable disease. "I had to kill her, if she were to share my teaching with that white kitten, they would soar into new height, leaving the vishap teaching rot in history." Hearing the wyvern''s reason, Anskar''s fury cannot be contained anymore, "Your life shall end here." "Hmph! That''s a bold statement for a half-divine realm!" snorted the vishap. *zing Using the power of a white tiger, Anskar cultivation rose to the first level of a low divine realm. "Let''s do it, big brother!" said Argeon before he threw a sceptre at the vishap. *zing The sceptre broke into pieces and became a net to entrap the wyvern and pushing him down to the stage. "Secret Phantera Art, First Move, Tiger Killing The World." Argeon was the first to move, he shot himself toward the wyvern and punched the immovable wyvern with everything he got. *BOOM *tremble When the punch connected, the world was trembling and the stage cracked all over the place even the ground was cracking. "Secret Phantera Art, Second Move, Tiger Ascend to Heaven." *Blurk Anskar was the second one, he kicked the wyvern up to the sky piercing the clouds. Then Argeon stretched out his right hand to the right and condensing heaven and the world energies into a sphere, while on the other side of the sphere was Anskar''s left hand. "Secret Phantera Art, Final move, Twin Tiger Ruling The Heaven!" shouted the both of them. Then those two threw up the sphere in the sky. "HAAAA!!!" Both of them jumped at the sky and kick the sphere at the same time, *Sfwoosh The sphere shot out like a bullet up to the sky, there was a white tiger shadow climbing the sky. The wyvern could only look at the incoming attack. It also saw the white tiger shadow behind the sphere, "You!!!!" *BOOM The surrounding cloud immediately dispersed. 42 Magic Technique *zing Anskar cultivation level dropped significantly, this was the backlash of borrowing the power of the white tiger. "Did it .. did it die?" asked Anskar while catching his breath. "I don''t see it in the sky, so it might be," said Argeon. (Oh don''t say that!), thought Lyon. *blurrr A spinning water pillar shot out from the sky aiming at Anskar who was lying down. "Big brother!" said Argeon. *sfwoosh Argeon managed to swiftly drag Anskar away from the water pillar. *boom The water pillar hit the stage and it created a crater wide enough to become a pool. *flap *flap The vishap revealed itself with all his six little wings flapping furiously. There was a gruesome hole in its chest. It seemed that their attack missed the heart by a feather. "No wonder you had that tail, it was from that cat!" said the vishap. "Hahahaha, stupid cat, with that attack failed your demise is imminent." *furrrrr The water energies from the world gathered inside the vishap''s body getting ready to attack another blow. *ripped *tap *tap A beautiful woman rushed to the broken stage with her gown ripped showing her beautiful legs "Please don''t kill my father!" shouted Luna. Hearing the shout, the vishap held its energies, "Ohh? And why shouldn''t I kill him?" "Because he is my father, although stubborn he is, he always did things for my sake, I don''t want him to leave me." The vishap intrigued with how this event unfolded, "I see, you are that woman''s child." "Be my vessel, then I shall spare him." "No don''t do it!" shouted Anskar with one of his eyes closed because of fatigue. "Don''t do it, my niece, you know what your mother fate was like," said Argeon. "Well what is your choice?" asked the vishap with a smirk. . . . Luna was in silence for a while, she looked at her father''s condition. He was lying on the ground with no ounce of strength left. The strong arms that used to hold her up when she was a child, were now too weak to even throw a rock. That man was breathing heavily, barely keeping his consciousness. Warm liquid started building up at her corner eyes. He was carrying the burden of vengeance. Every time he looked at Luna, he reminded of his wife. Remembering that he was not there when his wife needed the most. A slow and warm current started to explore Luna''s cheek. She was smiling at her father and words didn''t come out of her mouth but Anskar knew what she said. ''Sorry, I love you father'' "Very well!" laughed vishap, "With you as my vessel I shall regain my peak faster than my last host!" (Kid, don''t let her become that lizard''s vessel, her lifeforce will be absorbed as an exchange for its power, in other words, she will die), whispered the true dragon to Lyon''s mind. "Oi lizard," shouted Lyon. "Hmmm?" the vishap stared at Lyon for a while, "You, who are you? which descendant are you from?" The vishap was surprised that Lyon also had an affinity with water, and even a lot denser than its! (Is it Leviathan?) thought the vishap. Lyon was a bit confused should he said ''from his mother and father?''. "From my father and my mother," Lyon finally decided to say it. The true dragon face-palmed himself. Ryona and the gang also chuckled at his answer. "You dare to mock me!!" the vishap somehow lost all its reason, it was afraid if Lyon had a terrifying background, but with a gruesome hole in its chest, it had become impatience. "Cut me some slack, what am I supposed to say?" said Lyon. . . . "Hmm, your green eyes, reminded me of something." said the vishap. . . . Then the wyvern started trembling, its movement became rigid as if it was seeing a ghost. He remembered a lost legend of a dragon race. The race was considered a god among the dragons. The oldest race since the start of creation. Their body was really flexible, sometimes they were as small as a puppy, but when they are fighting with its true form, they could be as big as a whole empire or half of a continent. "True ... Dragon...." the vishap said softly, (This man is dangerous, if he matured he could wipe out my race with a thought! I must kill him now!). The vishap then bared its fangs at Lyon ready to pounce at him. Ryona was ready to strike at any given moment but stopped by Karina''s hand, signalling her that he should gain life and death experience more. "We will save him when he is in a really dangerous spot," whispered Karina. "Alright kid, it''s time to cook some lizard!" said the true dragon. "Can''t I just summon you?" said Lyon. "Well yeah, but I''m too lazy to fight a lizard." *blurr The wyvern shot up his water pillar at Lyon without any warning. *boom *greeegg Lyon managed to get away from the pillar. but the water dragged its way to Lyon''s direction. While running Lyon was absorbing the heaven and the world''s energies to prepare a spell. "Hey kid, why are you running around? Sure with my element active you will gain more agility and strength, but come on you were my student once, this is too disappointing." asked the true dragon. "Hey don''t blame it on me, I don''t even know the first thing about you." "Oh right, my bad." *bang *bang *boom A kick suddenly hit the wyvern from the back and made it fell down on the broken stage, while her tail managed to hit the kicker and slammed him to the wall. After the dust was settled it was revealed that Argeon was the one to kick the wyvern down. "This is your chance kid," said the dragon. "My spell is not ready yet." "No! Just do what I said." *whisper *whisper "You can do that!?" "Just try it!" Lyon then closed his eyes and write the spells, but this time was in a circle, "Soul Spell, Soul Ashes!" *zing A white magic brand appeared in front of Lyon *blurr *blurr A spiral of ashes headed toward the wyvern. Amazingly, the ashes shot toward one point of a target when the original spell would just spread around all over the place. ''Try to write your spell in a circle but don''t lose the momentum! The circle means that you will be focusing your spell to a single point in the centre of your spell thus amplifying its power. Unless of course if its original effect was a single hit target spell, then this technique would fail and the energies would explode because of over-amplifying.'', was what the true dragon whispered. *boom The wyvern got hit directly by the ashes as it slowly getting corroded. It was struggling to get up, only to fall down once more. *howl *HOWL The wyvern last howl could be heard by the entire kingdom to the Undine Lake, then it slowly covered in ashes and its life was no more, leaving not even a soul behind. *swoosh The ashes disappeared with the wind. 43 Rainbow Soul Spell The last howl was the indication of Vhishap Kingdom''s downfall. The Phantera Kingdom took over the kingdom not as a vessel but as one. The Vishap Kingdom''s citizen was spared by Anskar as they had nothing to do with the incident regarding his wife. One more legend was added to Lyon''s tale. The brave young man who defeated a wyvern with a single magic spell ending the Vishap Kingdom. It''s been two days since the incident happened and Anskar still recuperating on his bed to regain his strength while Argeon was forced to look at the report of his academy Luna. Inside one of the rooms in the castle is a special chamber with only a single item. A casket made entirely of Ice. Inside it lay a beautiful woman, the spitting image of Phantera''s Princess. but more mature and ripe. She had a pale complexion compared to Luna''s but nonetheless, she was still the Quen of Phantera, Leyna Senth. Kneeling before it was Luna with a peaceful look on her face. So many memories were surging in her heart. The moment when she was crying her mother would be the first one to embrace her. Now she was an adult herself, able to make a decision and taking risks. How much time fly no one would know. "Wow, she is beautiful." a familiar voice entered Luna''s ear which made her woke up from her reminisce. "Yes of course she is, she is my mother," said Luna while wiping a hint of tears on the corner of her right eye. . . . The both of them looked at each other in silence. "So." The both of them said at the same time. "You first." the both of them once again said at the same time. . . . "Hahaha," chuckled the both of them "Well, I guess the contract was fulfilled then," said Lyon while rubbing his head. "Yeah... I guess so," said Luna with a hint of sadness in her eyes. . . . "Oh, by the way, I''m still curious about what you did to me in the bathroom, in the academy." (OH shit! I''m not gonna explain that to you in front of your dead mother! How innocent can you be?!), thought Lyon as he tried to make a smile but failed each time. "Well..?" asked Luna curiously with her eyes blinking and getting closer to Lyon each half-a-second. "HMMM??" asked Luna, but Lyon didn''t dare to face her. *sigh "I guess I have to ask father about this," sighed Luna. "DON''T!" shouted Lyon, "Whatever you do, don''t ever ask your father about this." "Why?" asked Luna while her tight index finger touch her beautiful lips with a confused look. "I-I-it''s a man thing," said Lyon nervously. . . *ehem "I heard you have a brother?" asked Lyon. "Hmm? No, I don''t have one." "Really? But I heard that one of Karina''s pursuer is the son of your father." "Oh, he is an adopted son of my father, but he is already dead." "You''re not sad at all?" "No, He betrayed us once years ago and father personally killed him. He took advantage of our kindness and put a spear on our back." *sigh (This girl''s life is so miserable), thought Lyon. "Hmm??" "What''s wrong?" asked Luna. "Your mother ... she still had her soul intact?" asked Lyon. "Yes, this special ice casket could hold her soul inside." Lyon then smiled at Luna increasing her confusion. "Do you want to meet your mother?" asked Lyon. . .. .... "W-w-what did you say?" Luna became really nervous. "I said, do you want to meet your mother?" asked Lyon while stroking Luna''s hair. "That''s my boy!" the true dragon approved Lyon''s action, "You might forget a lot of things, but seducing women is still your biggest forte. HAHAHA!" "Shut it, you still owe me a huge load of explanation after this." "D-do you mean it?" asked Luna with a face full of hope. "Yes I can, however, her cultivation level will reduce to zero, meaning she had to train all over again to regain her peak." "YES, YES it''s fine as long I could embrace her again! Please, Lyon, do it!" said Luna with tears already wetting her face. *hug Lyon embraced Luna softly to calm her down. He stroked her hair slowly and put his chin on top of her head. "Calm down, you don''t want to see your mother with tears on your face, right? You would look ugly and your mother might not recognise you hahaha." Lyon slowly let go of his embrace, only to notice that his robe was dirty with tears stain. "Step back." *sfwooosshhh *sfoooosshhh A dense energy was coiling around Lyon''s hand as his hair was fluttering. ------------------------------------ Inside one of the chamber was Kyoko, Riku, Ryona and Karina, Jugen seemed to be in another room in the castle. "Hmm?" Kyoko seemed to realize that there was movement from the surrounding energies. However, she could feel that they were gentle energies. (Someone is using a high levelled, support spell, is it him?) *tap *tap "Ah where are you going overseer," asked Ryona. "I want to check something out." "I want to tag along," asked Ryona. "Sure." In the end, all three of the girls followed Kyoko. ------------------------------------ *creak Kyoko and the rest finally made it to the chamber where Lyon was still concentrating. "Wow, my hubby looks so cool <3" whispered Ryona. "E-en.." Karina nodded slightly. *tap *tap "Oh big sister what are you doing here?" said Jugen. *bang "Shh!" (You don''t have to hit me you know! God my head is swollen again!) *tap *tap Argeon was happened to walk by and then he decided to join with the rest, observing Lyon. *tap *tap In the end, more and more people came to watch, but they didn''t know that it will take him a whole month to execute the spell. "I should have asked their help absorbing the energy!" said Lyon to the true dragon. "Yeah maybe, who cares anyway, with this you will gain more affection and respect!" nodded the true dragon. "Luckily she still had her body intact, otherwise this would take dozens of years." sighed Lyon. ----------------- One month later. Lyon finally motions his finger and write the spell. "Hmph!" Lyon opened his eyes, "Soul Spell, Soul Ressurection!" *zing*zing*zing*zing*zing *zing*zing*zing*zing*zing*zing*zing *zing*zing*zing*zing*zing*zing*zing*zing*zing *zing*zing*zing*zing*zing*zing*zing*zing*zing*zing A numerous rainbow brand magic covered every inch of the ice casket. *ZING All the brand magic fused into one sphere. The brand magics were moving around the spell as it slowly entered Leyna''s body. "I''m hungry!" *thud Lyon passed out after he shouted. *zing Leyna''s body glowed for a while before dimming down. "Ng-Nggh", Leyna woke up from the ice casket while touching her head. "Aw, I had a really long dream." "Mother!" Luna screamed at the top of her lung and run toward her mother''s embrace. 44 Teacher Long "Mother, mother, mother!"said Luna while sobbing endlessly. She held Leyna tightly and nervously afraid to let her go even for a second. The scene was so beautiful that everybody inside the chamber had tears in their eyes except for Lyon who passed out on the ground. Leyna smiled, and stroke Luna''s hair slowly, "Wow, look at you, you are so big now, c''mon big girls don''t cry." *sob *sob Luna slowly let go of her embrace and wipe the tears out of her face and try to force a smile. Argeon still couldn''t believe his eyes, everybody else might get tearful in their eyes, but he still couldn''t believe he just saw someone being resurrected. (Oh I got to tell big brother!), then he rushed to Anskar''s chamber. *thud *thud Everyone inside the chamber began to kneel one by one, their right arms were on their chest and they closed their eyes for a moment before facing down, "Long Live the Queen!" Leyna calmly raised her hand and everyone was pardoned to stand. Leyna noticed that there was someone laying on the ground, "Hmm? who is this young man?" "Oh! Lyon are you okay? hey Lyon!" said Luna nervously, while keep shaking his body. Seeing her reaction, Leyna could easily guess that her daughter had feelings for this young man. "Oh, are you forgetting your mother already?" teased Leyna. Realized what she was doing she stop what she was doing, "N-n-no, mother this is not what it looks like." "It''s alright, we have much time to catch up to," chuckled Leyna. "Please bring this young man to a chamber to be treated," commanded Leyna. "Yes!" the guard gladly accept the order. Karina and co followed the guard who brought Lyon which leaves Luna and Leyna inside the chamber. "Now then, let''s see your father," said Leyna. "Yes!" smiled Luna. ---------------------------- Inside Anskar''s chamber, "Are you telling the truth?!" asked Anskar "Yes, big brother when did I ever lie to you?" said Argeon. "Then I must go see her now!" said Anskar as he struggled to get up from his bed. Argeon didn''t stop him but instead helped him walk toward the chamber where Leyna was. As they step outside, they noticed that snow began to fall, wrapping the yard and the river. In a narrow hall, with a falling snow scenery, the two finally met once again. Despite the strong stature of Anskar, he was trembling right at this moment. The woman who he always wanted to meet again was finally in front of his eyes. Their memories started to replay in his mind once again. He let go of Argeon and started to walk hurriedly but unsteadily. He was swaying as he walked but in his eyes was only on one thing, his lovely wife. *bruggg Anskar embraced his wife tightly just like Luna, not letting her go, afraid she was gone the moment he did so. The only sound that could be heard was the snow falling to the ground, it was very peaceful, but Luna finally saw something she never thought of. Her father was crying, yet no sound was able to come out of his mouth. His tears were all over the place, his cheeks, the floor, everywhere near his face was covered in his tears as he just held her mother tightly and tightly. The two finally reunited once more and the falling snow was happened to be the same as the very first time they met. ---------------------------- Another legend was added to Lyon''s tale, and he finally had a nickname, ''The Sage''. His name was carved in the history of the kingdom by Anskar personally. There will be a statue of him located on the river intersection in the castle yard. The statue was of him topless and in a motion of reciting a spell. But Lyon didn''t know about this until later on when he revisited this kingdom. ---------------------------- One day later. Lyon was still on top of his bed laying motionlessly for the outsider to see. But the truth was, he was having a critical conversation with the true dragon. "So, what is your name?" asked Lyon. "Call me Shen Long, and I''m your teacher." said the true dragon. "Alright then, I will call you teacher Long then." "Hahahaha, even though you can''t remember it, your mind subconsciously do. You used to call me teacher Long too back then." "Well, first thing first, where did you come from? How can''t other people see you?" "I''m now an element unlike back then I now had no true body," sighed Shen. "I found you when I was hovering over the world and just came across this continent, I know your aura more than anyone else kiddo. So I come right to you." "Knowing that it was you, I''m really glad we didn''t sacrifice in vain." there was a tinge of sadness inside Shen''s eyes. "Listen closely to this short story. There was once a continent hidden from the world, and only an exile from its race or clan were the inhabitants. To be exact there were only twelve inhabitants, I was one among them. Even though they were treated like criminals by their own kin, they live harmoniously in that continent. "Then after some time, we were greeted by the thirteenth inhabitant. We were so eager to greet him or her, but when we found out, we were stupefied. "It was a baby, a human boy." Shen''s voice became hoarse as he looked at Lyon tenderly. "We were wondering why would a human boy came into this hidden continent. But the boy looked at us innocently without any fear. He blinked his eyes, and pull my moustache while laughing." "Then we decided to take care of the boy, checked his affinity, talent, alchemy, basically anything. The result astonished us, it was the most ridiculous thing we ever saw. The boy was talentless, don''t have any affinity, he was a total trash." "But we loved him anyway, we trained him to be the best cultivator with our knowledge." Unknown to Lyon, his face which was laying down on the bed was covered in warm liquids from his right eye. 45 I was Dead? "With no special talent or affinity, you decide to learn everything instead," said Shen. "It was the wrong way of cultivating but seeing how earnest you were when you were seven years old, us twelve divert a way for you to cultivate everything." "But alas, it still fails, after several more years, you were a fine young man, by this time we were training in another world, peeking, sneaking etc. "But you still stuck on the peak of heaven realm, since you learnt everything, you need to comprehend every element to gain access to the elemental realm. Thus we knew it was time to let you go venture yourself. "Then long after you were gone, it might be centuries or even more than a millennia-long, we received a grievous news," Shen took a deep breath as fury capable of swallowing the heaven itself reflected on his eyes. "You were dead." "I-I''m dead?" asked Lyon. "That''s right, you were dead." "We quickly rushed to the world you were in, there were three girls, sobbing around your dead body.We thought they were your killer until we saw the rings on their finger.We asked them who the killer was, but they also didn''t know in detail, they only saw a group of shadows" "Seeing your lifeless and soulless body our rage couldn''t be contained anymore, us twelve ended up ending the world itself, but we knew it won''t bring you back," sighed Shen. "Then we decided to cheat the heaven itself, we used a rebirth technique on you and the three girls and it came with a price of our celestial bodies. We hoped that upon your rebirth, you will be blessed with all of our talent combined!" "From that moment on, we promised to split from each other in the hope of finding you since we didn''t know how long it would take for you or the three girls to rebirth, and among the twelve I got lucky." *bang Lyon quickly knelt down, "I might forget anything you teach right now or about you at all, please teach me again!" Seeing Lyon knelt, he remembered a certain event of the past. It was the same mimic. "Please teach me, teach me, teacher Long!" nagged the young boy. "Hahaha, not until you can touch my whiskers!" "But that''s not fair, you can fly!" "Deal or no deal." teased the dragon. Then the young boy and the true dragon ran around playing tag. "Anytime kid," said Shen with the same tender loving gaze. Lyon''s eyes slowly opened and he saw no one else was in the chamber. He gazed into the window and saw the falling snow. He approached the window and noticed that he was only covered by a blanket. (This is most definitely Ryona''s doing!), thought Lyon. *sigh He let go of the blanket and watched the falling snow, (Who am I exactly, nggh? tears? ... I guess my body, ... no, my soul subconsciously remember.) sighed *creak "Not this shit again," whispered Lyon, "Here look, lo-" as Lyon turned around he was stupefied as it was Anskar, Leyna and Luna staring at him. . . . If there was a hole nearby he would probably jump in right now. (Stay cool, stay cool) *tap *tap Lyon slowly covered his body with a blanket, and sit down on a chair, "What do I deserve to receive this honour?" *ehem "We would like to thank you for your aid, during the incident in the arena and of course for reviving my wife," said Anskar. Luna, on the other hand, was still red as a tomato, (What is that hanging between Lyon''s leg? a tail? that''s a really weird tail, but why do I feel embarrassed). Luna still stole a glance to look at Lyon but shied away when Lyon looked back. Leyna noticed her daughter''s reaction and could only sigh, looks like her husband didn''t teach her anything regarding a male. "Oh that''s fine, no need to thank you at all," said Lyon before drinking a nearby wine. *clap "So mister saviour, when are you going to marry my daughter?" said Leyna full of smiles. *Blurgggh Lyon sprayed the wine in his mouth. "M-m-marry?!" Anskar was also surprised. "Yes that''s right, you don''t have any objection right?" Leyna was still full of smiles but, to Anskar it was like the smile of a devil. "Y-y-yes." *tap *tap "My daughter told me some interesting event she had with you in the bathroom inside the academy," whispered Leyna. *gulp "If you don''t want to become a eunuch mister saviour, you better call me mother from now on." *gulp "M-m-mother," said Lyon nervously. "Good, good, that''s my son in law." . . "But I can''t marry her right now, I''m sorry, there are still a lot of things I need to do, besides, I''m still nineteen this year," said Lyon trying to calm down, "After everything is done, I promise I will come back to take your daughter''s hand." . . "Mother! Please don''t force him to make a decision," said Luna, "Oh my, my little daughter had truly been smitten by you," sighed Leyna "Mother!" "Alright, alright I will stop teasing you <3," said Leyna. . . "Luna why don''t you take Lyon and his friends, to the Undine Lake?" said Leyna. "Y-yes mother." "That''s where your father and I had our first date, aw the memories," said Leyna while holding her cheeks. ---------------------------- The Undine Lake was really nature''s masterpiece. The water was so clear and fresh that one could see the bottom of it. It was a favourite picnic spot for the people even from outside the kingdom. Legend said that this lake was once full of sand, and not water. The one who changed it all was a being called Undine. Undine was never spotted in the last thousand years in Deo, either they migrate themselves or just hiding from the world nobody knows. There was only a record of Undine drawing inside the book in the library. Even though the Phantera Kingdom had snow falling to the ground. The Undine Lake was not affected at all, it still had a warm environment and crystal clear water. 46 Smooth Lyon The breeze of nature crashed on to Lyon''s face, the fish was swimming around the water, the branches on the trees were dancing. Truly a great place to relax or settle in. By the law of the Phantera Kingdom, nobody allowed to build houses or villa at the Undine Lake.This was made to keep the lake''s beauty. *splash Lyon was the first one to jump inside the lake, scaring all the fish away and the women were on a tablecloth preparing the picnic food. "Kid, try to go to the deepest part of this lake," said Shen. "Why?" asked Lyon. "Just do it, you might find some good things." *blurr Lyon swam to the centre of the lake to find a weird turtle shell covered in a thin sand. The turtle shell was as wide as a Sylviana''s chamber. Lyon approached it and saw that there was actually a door leading inside the turtle shell. *knock *knock . . . There was no response. *bang *bang *blob Lyon started to lose breath. "Oh right, I forgot you are still a human after rebirth hahaha." laughed Shen. Lyon only squinted his eyes, but he soon lost focus as his vision became blurry. *creak The door was opened, and a hand grabbed and pulled him inside the room. Lyon couldn''t see the person clearly before he blacked out. ------------------------- "Hmm, have you ladies seen big brother?" asked Jugen. "I think he was swimming a while ago," said Karina. "Don''t worry he''ll be fine," said Kyoko. *hah! *Hyahh! The tree was sliced but it was not deep enough to make it fall down. Riku was training with Ryona, to master the concept ''One as if Three''. "The core of training this concept is speed," said Ryona calmly. *pant *pant "S-Sp.. *pant... speed?" said Riku. "That''s right the first thing you need to do is train your speed, then control." nodded Ryona. *slash *creakk *boom *boom *boom Three trees were cut and tumbling down, "In that movement, I only use one motion slash to the tree in the middle, but why were the other two got sliced too?" asked Ryona. "It was wind, the wind of nature will aid you to attack when you slash something with the correct speed and control. So use the world''s energy whenever you attack, although it will drain your stamina more, it also great as endurance training," said Ryona. "Yes, master!" said Riku. ----------------------- *ptak *ptak *ptak The sound of burnt wood from the centre of the room filled the atmosphere. The ground was made of a sturdy and inflammable wood. The ceiling was made out of onyx of the highest grade with white diamond embroidered on it made it looked like stars in the night sky. There was a pot on top of the fireplace with a delicious looking soup inside. The soup was glazing with caramel-coloured chopped potatoes and other veggies. The aroma of the soup was strong, indicating the spices inside. A beautiful hand was rotating the soup in a strong manner. She had a burnished complexion and a magma-red short hair which covered her right eye. Her dewy pair of eyes were green as jade, a perfect combination with her plucked eyebrows of vermillion-red. She had thin lips of a succubus which could entice man even when she didn''t want to. Her figure was svelte with those perfect sized pair of men''s dream. The final touch of this masterpiece was the perfect heart shape butt of her. She was wearing a black shawl across her white tight shirt which didn''t cover her belly button. Her lower garment was made of a brown fabric which she wore like a towel in Lyon''s earth, leaving half of her left leg visible from knee to her toes. "Ah, too salty." said the woman, "Hmm, I need to get more water then." *Zseet, *Thud The woman slipped her self and fell down butt first, "Aw, this always happened." *pak *pak The woman got up and brushed off her butt. Then she brought a bucket of water from the sink, "One, two, One two, easy now." *pour "Ah, is this a little too much?" then she proceeded to take some additional spices from the top shelf. *creak "Oh no!" *gruggrugrugurgug A bunch of spices were falling down from the shelf and hit the woman, "Aw, I should get a new shelf." Meanwhile, Lyon was resting comfortably on top of the bed made of fur, it was so comfortable that he slept like a baby, but the woman''s clumsines made his eyes twitching. *Ah *Oh noooo *Woops, almost, ... AH *clank *clank "ng-Nghh?" Lyon was trying to get up from the bed and saw the condition of the room. The room was a mess, there was spices everywhere, poddles on the floor, but amazingly the pot still stand straight and no soup was spilled. "Ah, you woke up? Wait just a minute, I will prepare the soup now." said the woman charmingly. *slurp "Perfect," said the woman before she grabbed a bowl to give to Lyon. *tap *tap (Oh no!), thought Lyon when he saw the woman was about to walk on a puddle. *Shrugg Lyon quickly jumped off the bed with his wet clothes, to grab the woman. *Swing But it was too late the woman tripped forward and the soup flew threw the air. Then Lyon''s eyes quickly divert to the soup. *swing Lyon accidently tripped by the poodle, and swing backward. *brugg *smooch The two people had their eyes opened wide. *tak *tak *tak *swirl *swirl *swirl *swirl. The sound of the bowl falling was heard, the soup inside it splattered on the floor. For the woman time felt as if it was frozen, their lips connected with each other by this ridicoulus event. Nobody would ever believed her story how her first kiss went. "Ah, I''m sorry!" said the woman as she tried to get up from him. *shrugg *smooch But as soon as she tried to get up, Lyon pulled her hand and kissed her. She couldn''t believe her eyes, this man just kissed her again. The lips connected for a while before Lyon let it go. "Apology acccepted," said Lyon with a smile. "That''s my boy! HAHAHAHA." said Shen. 47 Elize *ptak *ptak Their eyes were locked at each other. This crazy event had left the woman petrified. She didn''t know what to do or what was going to happen. She just pulled this guy from the outside and somehow they kissed each other already. "hah, hah, HAC-" *berg Before Lyon could sneeze, she closed his mouth and pinch his nose to cancel it. "Please change your shirt first, I will get you a new bowl," said the woman with a red hue on her cheeks. "En," nodded Lyon Then the both of them got up from the ground and do their things. "Hmm?" Lyon was trying to absorb the heaven and world energies to prepare a spell to dry himself up, but it seems he couldn''t do so. "The energies seem to be locked outside this room," said Shen. "There is such a thing?" "Yes, and there is much more than you imagine. The world is a vast place, so it wouldn''t be weird if something like this exists." Then Lyon changed into the clothes the women provided. The lower garment was a golden fabric with black spots along with a white thick robe to adjust its size. The top garment was like a black tight swimsuit with a different fabric. After changing the clothes he looked at the woman which was staring at him with a bowl of soup in her hand. "Y-you never cover yourself when you change in public?" asked the woman nervously. (Ah, right, I forgot!), thought Lyon. "Thank you very much for the soup," said Lyon hurriedly as he grabbed the bowl in her hand to avoid the topic. *slurp "Wow, this is really good!" said Lyon after the first sip. *tap *tap *sit Lyon sat near the fireplace, to enjoy the soup even more. With a warm soup in a chilling place and beautiful woman, it was a great day for Lyon. "Second please," said Lyon while handing over the empty bowl to the woman. The woman instinctively took the bowl and filled it again. As she handing over the bowl she sat down opposite of Lyon, the two sat opposite each other with the fire standing in between. "Who are you?" asked the woman. *slurp. "Ah, this is so good, ehem, my name is Lyon, what about you beautiful woman," asked Lyon. "My name is... Elize," said the woman before continuing, "How did you find your way here? This place was covered in heaven and world''s energies, even experts couldn''t detect this place." *slurp "Really? but I just dived into the lake go to the centre and bingo, there was a huge turtle shell with a door," said Lyon. "That''s because of your sensitivity with the elements in the world," intruded Shen. "Hmm, I guess you are special in some way," said Elize. "Are you not afraid of me?" asked Lyon. "Why should I? You are definitely weaker than me." "Then why did you save me?" "Well my mom used to help people a lot, I guess I got that from her and if somehow you turned against me for some reason then I''m just clumsy." sighed Elize. Judging from her expression Lyon concluded that something complicated must have happened. *ptak *ptak "So about just now... I," "No, just don''t talk about it," said Elize. "Let me help you cleaned up the mess then." Elize face was full tomato red seeing the condition of her room. Together they started to clean up Elize''s room until it was spotless. "Haha cleaning up like this makes us like a newlywed," said Lyon while he was wiping a puddle on the floor. Elize got more and more embarrassed. *wipe "By the way, how do you differ day and night if you live under the lake?" "I don''t know, I just sleep whenever I wanted to." "Seriously? I want that kind of lifestyle," sighed Lyon. "But I wish I could enjoy the outside world longer," spoke Elize softly. "What''s that?" asked Lyon. "N-nothing." . . . . *tap *tap *pat Lyon suddenly stopped his wiping and approached Elize which was collecting the spices and pat her shoulder, "What did you say Elize? You need to speak it out!" The two came face to face once more, but this time Lyon''s stare was too intense which made the strong Elize nervous. "I..I." Elize became stuttered. "Speak it out loud! What is it that your heart desire!!" shouted Lyon. "I.. I.." "Let the world hear your wishes!" "I WANT TO LIVE LONGER! I WANT TO LIVE IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD LONGER!" Elize cried her heart out. . . . *ptak *ptak "Good job!" said Lyon with an assuring smile. *pant *pant Elize''s breathing became hurried, but her mind was clear somehow. Like there was a light in the lonely darkness. "Let me help you, but first explain to me what is your situation." (I doubt he could help me, but somehow seeing the confidence in his eyes. He might change something.), thought Elize. Then Elize explained what was her situation. Elize was cursed to not be able to walk outside of the world for more than three hours if she does she would explode. This curse was special made and not ordinary cultivators or magic users could undo it with a simple spell. It was called a ''chain curse''. It means that the curse was layered by a bunch of other curses. Lyon''s Holy Panacea could only undo one curse but if he did that, the other curse would incite a ''spell failure'' which means it would explode the bearer of the curse. Lyon, of course, had another spell to use against such a curse spell. However, three hours was not enough to accumulate the energy necessary to chant it even if the whole kingdom of Phantera and Nostria unite to gather the energies. "Hmm, this is hard," said Lyon. "Don''t worry Lyon, I never hoped to be saved anyway," said Elize. "No, don''t say that I''m sure I will find a way," said Lyon while biting his thumb. *glow *glow Lyon was unaware that the thing he bought from the auction was flashing right now in his chamber inside the Phantera Kingdom. 48 The Caster *splash The scenery on the lake was still as peaceful as ever. A fish sometimes jumped out of the water the birds were hovering in the sky, and the sun was bright but not too hot. *blurrr A beautiful figure was diving and scared the fishes away. Her orange hair was waving and glowing like there was a sun in the lake. People would have mistaken her for a mermaid if they didn''t see her legs. She was wearing a white fabric like a towel to cover her lower part while her upper part was held by a black bra with a strap made out of caramelised flexible wood which enhanced her sexiness. She seemed to be looking for something under the lake but she didn''t know that ''something'' was beside her, inside a turtle shell. *splash Ryona decided to go to the shore and join the others. *tap *tap *tap Riku quickly approached Ryona with a towel on her hand, "M-master, here is your towel". "Thank you," said Ryona before asking, "is hubby back yet?" "No, he is not back yet, let''s just eat the food," said Kyoko. "B-but," stuttered Luna. "It''s alright, if he came back after we finished the food then it''s his own fault!" said Karina. ----------------------- Lyon didn''t know that he was going to lose the imperial foods that Luna provides. "Teacher Shen, is it possible to break her curse?" asked Lyon. "Hmm, we could ask the caster to undo it if it''s possible," asked Shen. "Elize, who put the chain curse on you?" Elize''s eyes look gloomy and sad as she recalled about who the caster was. *grab Lyon''s hands held Elize''s as he noticed her gloomy expression, "Trust me." Elize then looked at Lyon''s unwavering eyes before she motioned her mouth. Lyon''s pupils shrunken as he heard Elize''s answer. His eyebrows slammed together as veins popped up on his face. His breathing became hurried. Elize could clearly feel the horrendous aura that wanted to rip off the world and felt a bit scared. "Calm down boy!" said Shen. Only then Lyon''s breathing became normal gradually. How could he not be mad, the caster of Elize''s chain curse was ... Elize''s mother. What kind of mother that would do this to her own daughter. Her name was Felia Slor. She was considered a top-notch mage expert, only five people in her world could be considered equal. She was a kind person that help a lot of people in her world, but fate had other plans. One day she received a grievous news that her husband had been killed. In a rage, the woman chased after the killer and acquired a clue that the killer was hired by someone else. The killer didn''t mention who the one that hired him was. It was a code of his organisation, so no matter how torturous Feli became, his lips were tightly sealed. Fearing that her daughter would be the next target, she travelled the world and finally came to Deo and the rest was self-explanatory. Hearing her explanation, Lyon''s tense aura became normal once again. "Did your mother visits you often?" asked Lyon. "Usually only on my birthdays," said Elize. "When is that?" "It''s in another six months." "Alright then." Lyon''s answer, left Elize confused. "Teacher Shen, could you accompany Elize while I''m gone, I''ll be back six month''s later." "Hmm? Are you sure?" "Yes, just buy me sometimes, in case I''m late." "Okay then." *fuzzzz A smoke suddenly appeared on Lyon''s shoulder which startled Elize. "Lyon, your shoulder! it-it''s smoking!" said the panicked Elize. "Don''t worry, I want you to meet someone," smiled Lyon. "Don''t be scared of me, little girl." said the smoke. "Ah!, it just talked!" Elize stepped back. The smoke slowly dispersed and revealed Shen Long''s body. "This is only my corporal body made by the world''s energies, I will keep you company while Lyon is gone." said the dragon. *uwahh Elize''s eyes were like a kid who saw a new cool toy. She curiously touched Shen''s long moustache-like whiskers which always fluttering. Shen had blacklines over his crocodile head and he glanced at Lyon. *uwahh Lyon was like Elize, he too stroke the long fluttering whiskers. *sigh *ehem Shen''s cough was the alarm they need to act more behave. The both of them were deeply embarrassed. "Hah... "hahaha.." Lyon started to laugh. "te~ehe. .."Elize slowly laughed together with him. Shen only smiled wryly at them. "Hey you still got three hours for today''s quota right?" asked Lyon. "Hmm, yes I have what of it?" *grab *bang Lyon quickly grabbed Elize''s hand and opened the entrance. What he saw was a wall of water, "Follow me!" *splash *splash *splash Lyon quickly swam to the surface while dragging Elize with Shen leisurely followed them from behind. *fuwahh Lyon was the first one to get to the surface and take a deep breath, "Let''s go they are waiting." said Lyon to Elize. Meanwhile, on the shore of the lake, the girls and Jugen already began their feast. *munch *munch "Too bad big brother is not here," said Jugen as he grabbed another chicken leg. "Don''t eat too fast you might choke," said Karina. "GAG! gaggagag!" just after Karina said that Jugen began to choke. He was holding his own neck, trying to fix himself. Karina noticed this and sighed before she approached Jugen. Realising her sister was about to come, he nervously dragged himself backwards, like he was running in a horror movie, "gagggag" *shrek *shrek Jugen began to crawl back, but resistance was futile. *sfwoosh *bang! Karina jumped and kick Jugen''s back to the ground. *bwuah *stuhb Jugen vomited out the chicken leg, like a bullet and hit a nearby tree. *splash *splash Lyon began to walk on the shallow water of the lake hand in hand with Elize. "Hey, guys." Kyoko was the one who approached them first, "Hi, what''s your name?" "E-Elize." "Come and join us Elize," said Kyoko as she dragged her to their feast. . . . . (Oh I know where this is going) thought Lyon. Lyon sat down, and try to take a roasted beef, but Luna took it first and give them to Elize''s plate. Then Lyon tried to fork out the roasted noodles, but Karina stole it from him. (Yup, I knew it.) 49 Its Gone! "So little sister Elize, did that naughty guy do something to you?" asked Karina. Hearing Karina''s question, Elize''s face was turning red as she remembered what had happened. The girls noticed her burning expression and then glared at Lyon, who still had an empty plate. "I-it was an accident!" said Lyon trying to prove his innocence. "What accident? <3" asked Ryona. Elize''s face was almost as red as her hair colour, she wished there was a hole in the ground to cover her face. "W-w-we accidentally kissed that''s all!" said Lyon nervously. Elize couldn''t take it anymore, as she finally buried her face with her palms. (DON''T DO THAT WOMAN OR THEY WILL GET MORE SUSPICIOUS!), thought Lyon. "Ohhhh, then why would you need to change cloth then?" asked Ryona. *gulp "Well, there was this place where heaven and energies cannot get inside, so I wore what Elize provide me with." "It''s true." an old majestic voice came out from the lake. The group looked at the source of the voice and was dumbstruck especially Kyoko. Of course, he was none other than Shen Long, the true dragon. (NICE!) signalled Lyon to his teacher. "Let me introduce my self because the last time you kids were watching me on the ring right?" smiled Shen and his iconic fluttering whiskers. The girls had a wryly smile on their face as they embarrassed being found out. "My name is Shen Long and I''m one of this brat''s teacher," said Shen with a slight bow. The woman also bowed nervously in response. "I owe you one," whispered Lyon. "If you remember your past, you owe me a whole lot more," replied Shen. "Don''t be nervous, you can think of me as Lyon''s parent," "What you see right now is my corporeal body, so I had no real strength, luckily I won''t die even if my corporal body got destroyed but it does sting a little on my element form." Then Shen began to narrate of what exactly was going on back in the turtle shell. "Aw big sister," hugged Luna. "Leave it to big sister Ryona, you shall not be bullied by anyone." "I will help out too," said Riku. "C''mon here, take this shrimp it''s the best," said Kyoko. "Did they just become best friends? I really don''t get woman sometimes," said Lyon while shaking his head before he continued, "Unlike us, right Jugen ..." (Oh right, you still fainted). "Ladies, can I have one of the food." "No!" Time really flies when one enjoys their activities and it''s about time for Elize to comeback. "Don''t worry I will visit you often," said Luna. "En," nodded Elize with a smile on her face, her happiness was unbound. "C''mon I will take you home," said Lyon. *splash Lyon hugged Elize, as he swam to the turtle shell. Their clothes were fluttering as they go deeper inside the lake, the fishes were swimming along with them and the corals were swaying with their rhythm. On his chest, Elize looked up the man who brings her joy for the first time since forever. (Will he be able to set me free...) thought Elize as her gaze was on that absolute confidence man. *grip Elize''s grip became harder which ignited Lyon''s confusion. *blurr blurblurr, (What''s wrong?) *blur blurr (Thank you) *blur blurr (What?) Lyon shook his head. Suddenly two delicate hands held Lyon''s cheeks, *kiss As their lips touched, a ray from the sun illuminated them as if the heavens were blessing this scenery. If someone photographed this, he or she would win the best photo award of the year for sure. *creak *ptak *ptak *sfwoosh Lyon quickly grabbed an empty bowl and pour the heated soup over and over again. *uwahh "That hit the spot." Then they both sit opposite of each other once again. "I will leave my old clothes here," said Lyon. "Why?" "Well a "As a memento I guess, besides I wanted to see how your mother would react hahaha... I''m just joking." "No, I will keep it." "Huh?" "I said I will keep it." "Are you sure?" "En," nodded Elize. "Then I will keep this clothes," said Lyon. "En!" smiled Elize. "Teacher Shen please take care of her," said Lyon. "Sure thing kid." "Well, this is goodbye, for now, the next time I came there would be a huge banter between me and your mom, so prepare your heart and be strong okay." "En! I will." "See you!" *splash "See you!" said Elize as she gripped Lyon''s old clothes tightly on her chest. . . . "Aren''t you going to reveal your true form to him, undine?" asked Shen. ------------------------------------- *neigh Lyon and the rest began their travel back to the Phantera Kingdom. *zing As they entered the borderline, they were greeted with a night sky, totally different from the sunny lake. *grug *grug They were greeted with the utmost respect from the guards and also from the citizen. The one that welcomed them in the castle was Leyna with a face full of smiles. *tap *tap Leyna whispered into Lyon''s ears, "Did you do it?" "Do what?" *sigh "Did you bang my daughter yet?" "WHAT?!" "MOM!" reprimanded Luna with a red face. "Right right, you must be tired for today, so go to your chambers." *tap *tap Lyon was tired indeed and he walked down to his chamber like a living dead. *creak "Huh?" Then he checked the wardrobe, under the bed, inside a blanket, nothing. (It''s gone!) thought Lyon. *creak He opened the window and there were no footprints on the snow. *sigh (I guess it''s legal to scream now). "IT''S GONE!!!". *grug *grug Ryona was the first one to come inside Lyon''s chamber. "What happened?" "It''s gone!" "What is gone." "The ball is gone!" *sfwoosh Ryona quickly approached him and grabbed his crotch. *grab "Ahn." Lyon moaned a little. . . . "Not that ball! the sphere we bought in the auction." *pfew Ryona released a breath of relief, "You scared for a little while there hubby <3." *kyaaa A scream was heard coming from the kitchen. 50 Come Forth *tap*tap *tap*tap *tap*tap Lyon and the girls were rushing to the scene and as they were approaching the kitchen, they saw Luna with her hands covering her agape mouth. "What''s wrong?" asked Lyon. Luna didn''t even looked at Lyon and just point her finger at the kitchen. The kitchen was in a disastrous state, all the utensils were all over the place. There was a pot still boiling a water with half opened lid and the chefs were passed out on the ground. *tap *tap Argeon also arrived at the scene and immediately retrieved the chefs on the ground and take them to the imperial doctors all by himself. *sfwoosh A black shadow moved at a blinding speed from the right side of the kitchen to the left. People under the divine realm couldn''t catch up its movement. Kyoko and Ryona managed to see a glimpse of its figure. It was a small figure like a small dog. *munch *munch Hearing closely, there was a sound of something or someone eating vigorously under the kitchen table. Curious, Lyon approached the table and noticed that the sphere they bought from the auction was on top of the table cut in half like a capsule. *gulp Lyon nervously peeked under the table and what he expected was far from his imagination. It was a pup, a wolf pup. It had a blue-night fur and a beautiful ocean-coloured pair of eyes. It was as big as Lyon''s palm and currently, its eyes were fixated on the cooked lamb in its embrace. Black lines cover Lyon''s head then he tapped the table to get its attention. *tap *tap Those big pair of eyes were staring at Lyon innocently. It seemed it didn''t see Lyon as a threat whatsoever. However its tail was not moving wildly like a happy pup, it just stared at him while blinking occasionally. "What is it Lyon?" asked Karina as she joined Lyon. "Aw, what a cute puppy," said Ryona suddenly from Lyon''s right. The wolf pup still didn''t have any reaction and just stared at them innocently. *munch *munch The pup continued its meal like those people were not of its business. Ryona extended her hand trying to hold the pup but was halted by Lyon''s hand. He said, "It''s not wise to hold the pup while it''s enjoying itself." while shaking his head. Then Lyon got up and search for something to lure the pup out. "hmm?" then his eyes were on a rack of lamb, (It''s time to show my cooking skills!) thought Lyon. The stove from this world operated using heaven and world''s energies. *wurrr With a touch of his finger, the fire was ignited. He took a really basic pan and pour oil in it. While waiting for the pan to heat up, he seasoned the raw rack of lamb with a pinch of salt. The women were astonished at his movement, they never knew Lyon of all people could cook. *kra *kra Lyon began to put the rack of lamb on to the pan and seared it, which resulted in those beautiful sound. Then he put the garlic on to the pan to boost the aroma of delight. *sniff *sniff Under the table, the wolf pup caught the aroma and slowly crawled out of the table to look at Lyon who was still cooking. After several minutes, Lyon put down the fire and place the rack of lamb on top of a long white plate. *chop *chop Lyon cut the rack of lamb into six stunning pieces and put each of them on seven different plates along with the knife and the spoon. "Please," gestured Lyon acting like a waiter. *munch *munch "HMM, my god this is so good!" said Karina. "Hmmmmmmmm!"Riku already closed her eyes and savouring the taste. "Hmm, hubby you need to make more!" said Ryona. "Lyon, do you want to work on the imperial kitchen? Be my personal chef!" said Luna. "Little brother <3 you know this is not enough for me right <3," said Kyoko. Lyon only waved his hand and smiled at their responses. There was one more piece and Lyon took it and slowly approached the wolf pup. He put the food right in front of the drolling pup. *sniff *sniff *munch *munch *munch After the pup took the first bite its mouth was automatically rushing to finish the lamb. "Slow down little guy, the food won''t run away," chuckled Lyon. The pup finished the lamb under a minute and licking the plate clean, it started to approach Lyon''s leg and rub its head against his legs. Lyon smiled and picked it up with one hand but it suddenly climbed over his right shoulder and resting quietly with its eyes closed. The women were still curious and wanted to hug the cute pup but sadly it already sleeping. "So do you have any name for it?" asked Karina. "Oh oh how about name him Phantera?" suggested Luna. "Hmm, but it''s not from this kingdom, Tera might be good," said Ryona. "I approve master''s opinion." nodded Riku. "Why do you name a male wolf Tera?" said Kyoko. "How do you know it''s a male?" asked Lyon. "Well, I''m an ancient beast myself so I know by nature." "You mean this little guy is an ancient beast?" "Yes he is." nodded Kyoko. "What ancient beast?" "That is what has been bothering me, I have no recollection of an ancient beast like this one especially with a fur like that." "Hmm..." Lyon came into a deep thinking before he clapped his hand, "I know the perfect name for this little guy." "Grow up and be the most notorious wolf of all, the suns and moons shall shift with your howl. Gods, Immortal nor Devil shall escape your wrath. Be my stead, the fastest of all, together we will tear the heaven asunder! Come forth, Fenrir!" shouted Lyon. *Auwwwww Despite his closed-eyes, the wolf pup answered Lyon''s call to give approval of his name. 51 Mist Clan Luckily, the chefs of the imperial kitchen didn''t suffer severe injuries. Their injuries could be treated in under two days. Lyon personally apologized to Anskar and Leyna for the disturbance Fenrir made. However, Fenrir didn''t even feel the slightest guilt about it and just slept on Lyon''s right shoulder all the time. The day came to an end and it was finally time for Lyon to head back to Nostria, but this time Luna tagged along with her academy uniform. Lyon still wore the clothes he got from Elize and attracted a quite number of girls, especially with Fenrir on his shoulder. *grug *grug The chariot was moving in a leisurely manner, inside it the women were chatting with each other like they were sisters in their past life except for one girl. "What''s wrong Riku?" asked Ryona. Riku seemed to be fidgeting about something. "Master, c-can we make a trip to my Mist Sect?" asked Riku nervously. "Oh where is that place?" cut Lyon in. "It''s about further east from the Lecryst City." "What is it like in there?" asked Luna. "Well, most of the students are female so-" "WE''RE GOING!" ordered Lyon to Jugen. "Bu-" "WE ... ARE ... GOING," said Lyon. *neiggh Then the chariot headed east toward the Mist Clan. ----------------------------------------------------- Following the road which Riku told, they met a dead end. The thing that blocked the road was a huge hill which was impossible for the people to climb especially the ones with a chariot. "Are we heading the right way?" asked Lyon, "I think so?" said Jugen. *tap *tap Riku held up a circle shaped blue sigil with three ''~'' engraved on it. *flash The sigil and the hill flashed before their eyes and the hill instantly became blurry like a hologram. "Now you can enter the Mist Clan." *neigh The chariot went in and the hill became normal once more. ----------------------------------------------------- The Mist Clan was actually a valley surrounded by fake hills. Each of the hills was equipped with an illusion so that nobody could ever climb it over. Despite being in a valley, the size of it was a little bigger than Lecryst City. According to Riku, the Mist Clan was split into five different regions. There were North, East, West, South, and Central. The most prosperous one was obviously Central followed by North, South, West then East. Riku was from the East. According to the assessment when she applied to this clan, her talent was in the ''low'' category thus she was sent out to the East region. The East region was the place with the least benefit among the five, it has the lowest food ratio, lowest skill art, and lowest Energy Beads distributions. Energy Beads were beads that could accumulate heaven and energies by itself, so cultivator took advantage of this item by absorbing the energies to boost their cultivation level. (Energy Beads also had rank on its own, low, medium, high, and top beads. In Deo, there was never a sighting of beads above top beads.) Riku lived in a small house right at the edge of the fake hill they just got in to. She was from a rich family so she could afford a small house in the East region. *neigh *tap *tap "Ehem, welcome to my house," said Riku with opened arms. . . . An awkward silence filled the air. *clap Lyon was the first one clapping slowly before anyone else got the clue. *clap*clap*clap*clap *clap*clap*clap*clap*clap . . . *creak "Oh hey Riku, I see you have come back from the trip, how was it?" a beautiful voice was emitted from the person that opened the door. She had a resemblance like Riku, but more mature and older. She was Riku''s mom, Tiene Alkras. *tap *tap "Oh, I see! You finally make friends!" a loud voice was heard from behind the chariot, that man was middle-aged and had a ripped but slim figure, a perfect swordsman. He was, of course, Riku''s father, Yiaz Alkras. She got her hair colour from her father. Both the husband and the wife were renowned sword masters, their merits were uncountable to the Mist Clan which explained their richness. The only reason they stayed in the East region was that of their own child. They didn''t want her to earn the Central spots from the back door because it will harm her development as a swordswoman and also her character. Riku was actually an introvert when it came to making friends, but she had an indomitable will to learn to become stronger. Since she was an only child, her parents give nothing but the best for her. The teacher which mentoring her was actually Yiaz and Tiene''s teacher, an elder from the Central region. *bow To everyone''s surprise, Yiaz actually bowed at Lyon and the rest, "Thank you for being my daughter''s friends. *sob *sob, she is an only child and an introvert on top of that. *sob *sob." "Dad stop embarrassing me!" said Riku. But Yiaz still bowed. "S-sir, it''s alright we will always be her friend," said Lyon. *sfwoosh Yiaz suddenly moved as fast as lightning. . . "Eh?" Lyon was stupefied "Remember, only FRIENDS... right," whispered Yiaz with a bloodlust grin. *gulp *pull "Alright alright, that''s enough coming from you," said Tiene while pulling his husband''s ear which made him screamed in pain, "Ah-ah-ah, I''m sorry my honey my dear, forgive me!". "Since you are all came to visit us, please come in," said Tiene with a smile. (This is why I''m an introvert) thought Riku. The others could already guess what Riku was thinking and they could only smile wryly. While they entered the house, a bulletin board was crowded. Apparently, they only read one particular notice titled ''Ascension''. Ascension in the Mist Clan could only mean one thing. A chance to be accepted in the Central region. Each of the four regions had the same chance of being accepted in the Central region. The conditions were: 1. Students had at the least level eight Soul Realm. 2. Students had mastered the intermediate level of Mist Sword Art. 3. Students will do battle against one of the students from the Central region, the outcome shall be decided by the elders and head of the Mist Clan. 52 Blood Sword The dinner table was luckily enough could accommodate for ten people. With the help from the girls, Tiene managed to cook amazing dishes that wowed even Fenrir. "Riku, are you going to attend the ascension this time?" asked Tiene. "Hmm, I don''t know yet, I''m still one level away from the requirement and I don''t know when will I breakthrough," sighed Riku. *munch *munch Fenrir ate his pile of meats like there was no tomorrow. "Oh, if it''s only one more level, I can help you with that," said Lyon in a leisurely manner. The others were surprised at his statement, aiding someone reaching a breakthrough was really a rare thing to do. This was because they would need to give them their treasures a.k.a beads. A soul realm cultivator needed an exorbitant amount of medium beads and those beads were already rare in Deo. "Really?" Riku''s eyes were glimmering with hope as he looked at Lyon. "Sure, no problem at all." nodded Lyon. "Thank you, Lyon, if there is anything you need help with you can ask Yiaz," smiled Tiene. "But-" said Yiaz. "Right my husband?" smiled Tiene. "R-right". By this conversation, it was easily deduced who had the most power in this household. (Mothers are really scary, *gulp, I wonder what heaven or hell awaits me) thought Lyon as he remembered about the girls he had a relationship with. "By the way, when is this ''Ascension'' gonna start," asked Lyon. "It''s two days from now," said Riku with a hint of a gloomy face. "Hey, what you got to worry about, your master is here," said Ryona. . . "What? you are my daughter''s master?" said Yiaz. "But you could be her older sister," gasped Tiene. *ehem "Let me reintroduce them." "Ryona is my master with skilful abilities and she even surpassed your old master from the central region. Lyon is her boyfriend and Kyoko is her overseer. "Luna is the only daughter from the Phantera Kingdom while Karina is the Golden Demoness from Nostria and Jugen is her little brother." Hearing the true introduction from their daughter, they were surprised. Their daughter could actually make friends with important figures! It usually took power to know someone with power, but her daughter must have stepped a dog shit luck to know these women. They still confused about Ryona and Lyon''s relationship, why would a strong woman like that want someone with a mere peak elemental realm cultivator. (I guess love is blind) thought both of them. Of course, how could they know that Lyon was the man with the most talent? He had no knowledge about cultivation a month ago. Heck, it took him under five minutes to breakthrough from the third to peak elemental realm. "Are you ready?" asked Lyon suddenly. "Ready for what?" asked Riku. "To breakthrough of course, what else?" "Right here?" asked Riku. "Yes, try to absorb the heaven and the world''s energies." Then Riku closed her eyes and started concentrating to absorb the heaven and world''s energies. Soon, she felt a warm current of the energies, it was the purest of the purest form of energies. Rumour said that even the top beads still have fifty percent impurity in their energies. This could only mean one thing, the energies she absorbed now belong to somebody. However, there were no records of someone cultivating using the energies from another cultivator. *zing *zing *zing It took no time for Riku to breakthrough, she even leapt three levels and entered the peak of the Soul Realm. "Whoops, too much there haha," chuckled Lyon. Yiaz and Tiene had their eyes bulging. It took them several years even with medium beads to leapt three levels of cultivation in the soul realm, but her daughter did it even before the foods got cold. Riku took a deep breath and finally stabilized her realm. Once she opened her eyes, she noticed that her parents looked at her in disbelief. "Is there something wrong with my face?" asked Riku. Her question woke them up. "Did you just breakthrough three times?" asked Yiaz. "Yes I did and I already stabilized the realm," said Riku before continuing, "Thanks a bunch Lyon, if there is anything I could do, please ask." "How about giving us a tour?" "En!" Answered Riku, "Mom, Dad I''m giving my friends a tour." *creak Everybody left except Tiene and Yiaz. Yiaz mouth was still opened and couldn''t believe what just happened. *sigh "Looks like he is not a simple young man," said Yiaz. "Please don''t state the obvious," said Tiene as she began to wash the dishes. ------------------------------------------- The East region street was packed with peddlers and merchants, but none of the items could catch Lyon''s group. Instead, what Lyon''s eyes caught was the peddlers and the merchants and last but not least the students. They were all beautiful women! "Students, this is a very special event just right before the ascension so make sure you hear this clearly. With the entry fee of one hundred thousand golds you have the chance of earning this legendary sword!" said a man in front of the East region arena. The legendary sword he mentioned was a red-blood coloured sword with weird runes engraved on its hilt. "Don''t worry, this is not a lottery type but instead you have to fight for it. Win the final round and this sword shall undoubtedly yours. This is a special competition when you reached the final round, you shall face our representative instead of other challenges. There are only twelve slots so better hurry up." "Hehe, this type of thing is definitely a fraud right big brother?" asked Jugen. *kaching! . . . The moment he said that Lyon was already giving the entry fee to the guy. Jugen was speechless but Lyon kept rubbing his hands with an evil grin. Ryona, on the other hand, was excited to see Lyon in action again, the opponents this time most probably had a soul realm cultivation, a high one at that! "The slots were all sold, I hereby declare the competition starts, the first battle is ... Lyon vs Reka!" 53 Lyon vs Reka The mini-competition had a mini ring not more than ten steps from the middle to reach the edge. The rules of the competition were simple to follow. There were three ways to won the match, the opponent chose to give up, the opponent stepped out of the ring, and the last one was incapacitated. If someone accidentally killed the opponent then they will be punished according to Mist Clan law. *swoosh Lyon was the first one to jump on the ring with one hundred percent confidence. The onlookers were astonished to see someone with a mere elemental realm would dare to compete in this competition. *swoosh Lyon''s eyes stared directly at the opponent that just arrived, she was considered a beautiful girl but still pale in comparison to the women Lyon had relationships with. That being said she was still a student from the Mist Clan, so her body was really slender and sexy. Reka was a cultivator of the eighth soul realm and fighting against Lyon made her confuse, "Say, are you really gonna fight me?" "No, I''m going to compete with you, I rarely fight a woman," said Lyon before he continued, "Of course, if we fight about something else.. then... hehehe." with his nose open and closing like a pig in heat. "Y-you! I''ll kill you!" said Reka as she was about to pounce Lyon at the next second. "Hold it!" said the judge before he pointed at Reka, "Miss, if you threaten to kill once more, you will be disqualified!" "Uh, grrr! fine! I apologize," said Reka with a bow. The judge nodded at her reaction, "Let the competition begin!" *cheer The onlookers were cheering despite this was a little competition. "Hmm, I''m really curious, is there really someone stupid enough to enter this competition with a cultivation of elemental realm?" said one of the onlookers. "I don''t think so, he might be using an item or some sort to hide his real cultivation, he might be one of those reclusive geniuses," said a careful girl. "Now I''m curious, at first I was curious as to who is the representative of the competition, but since you say that, I hope the first match is entertaining." said one of the students. "Are you ready? I won''t hold back," said Reka with her hand grabbing the hilt of her sword. "Please hold back, but before that, would you take a look at this pet of mine," said Lyon as he grabbed the sleeping Fenrir on his right shoulder. *sigh "The reason I entered this competition was to seek someone strong enough to nurture him, clearly I''m not strong enough compared to you." *tap *tap Then Lyon approached Reka in a leisurely manner. (This man is not nervous at all even though his opponent was eight level above him.) thought Riku. Then she too became to relax her grip,(Even if there is a trick, I''m sure I can handle them). Upon having closer look at Fenrir, there was a shade of red on Reka''s cheeks. (So cute!). She couldn''t help but gently rubbed Fenrir''s forehead. Lyon slowly grabbed Reka''s hand and put the sleeping Fenrir on her palm, "Thank you." said Lyon softly. Reka nodded with a smile, "En." *boing . . . *boing Lyon suddenly grabbed Reka''s bountiful breast and fondle them gently while Rika was stunned silly. "Hmm, en, pretty good, good shape, good round, my favorite indeed," said Lyon while he kept nodding his head with closed eyes. Reka''s hand started to shake as there was something boiling inside of her and ready to burst. "Oh, your face is red, you are enjoying this aren''t you, ... lewd," said Lyon as he stepped back and shook his head. *wuwuu Fenrir jumped out of the woman''s shaking palm straight to Lyon''s right shoulder. "I''ve enough! I swear I will kill-" "DISQUALIFIED!" said the judge emotionlessly. *Ehhhhh? The crowd couldn''t believe their eyes that the battle will have this kind of outcome. The peak Elementalist realm boy won the first round against someone with eight-level soul realm. (This what is this, this is incredible!) thought the male crowd, including Jugen. "B-b-but sir! That''s not fair! He was the one that instigates the matter first," protested Reka. However, the judge calmly answered, "That might be so, but I already gave you a warning right? Threatening to kill once more and you''ll be disqualified." "N-no way..." said Reka. "Hey that''s not fair old man!" said one girl from the crowd. "Yeah yeah, how come you didn''t disqualify him instead?!" said another girl. "This competition suck!" said another girl. "Hey-hey-hey, girls, Lyon won fair and square, he followed the rules in the entire battle." said one of the boy students. "Yeah that''s right, he won using tactics! It still legal!" said another boy. "That''s right, big brother was always fair play, tell us what rules did he break if you want to disqualify him!" Jugen joined the fray. Soon the crowd got separated into two group, the boys and the girls. The boys were clearly outnumbered by the girls, but they saw Lyon as an idol! A beacon of hope!. In the Mist Clan, the girls dominate everything, skills, talent, everything. With Lyon''s existence, they finally had the chance to shine! To show the girls that the boys also had skills and talent! Lyon didn''t know what he had done could affect so much. The only reason Lyon participated in this competition was that he wanted to grope some fine Mist Clan woman. That was it, it was his perverted nature that led to what it is now. "We demand an explanation for this." said the group of girls. "What more explanation do you want?! This is as clear as days, Lyon didn''t break any rule." At this rate, the competition couldn''t go on, so the judge finally made a statement. "Lyon didn''t break any rule that was provided, yes he touched or grope Rika''s breast but I never said Rika was not allowed to touch Lyon''s penis either." The girls were speechless while the boys were roaring with victory! 54 Second Round One became two, two became four, four became eight and so on, the supposed to be ''mini-competition'' became the hot topic of the entire East region in just one battle. The main character of this topic was, of course, Lyon, the man who stood up for the boys. Even though he himself didn''t know what he did. While the competition resume with it''s battle, Lyon was walking with the rest of his friends, but this time, they were surrounded like VIPs. The boys unconditionally became their bodyguard like he was a leader of a gangster or something. "Move-move out of the way, the prince is coming through." said one of the boys. "Who is the prince?" asked someone curiously. "Are you kidding me? Don''t you hear the latest news?!, You pathetic little fellow let me pour you with some juicy info," said a boy with spectacle. It didn''t even take the sun to set to made Lyon''s name known all over the East region. The boys were working fast, there was already a dumpling with Lyon''s name engraved on it, the dumpling was called ''Avenger Dumpling'' as a revenge from the boys to the girls. They vowed that every time Lyon goes fighting on the ring, they all would be eating the dumpling right in front of the girls. As Lyon was walking down to a tavern, all the boys cleared up the area in under five minutes. With accumulated experience, the bartender knew this young man and his group were important groups. "Now then, could you explain to me what just happened?" asked Karina. Lyon scratched his head, "Hehe, well you know me, I''m just trying to have fun." "It may be fun to you, but what about Reka? She must have felt miserable," said Karina with her cap slightly risen up to reveal her demon glare. *gulp "Alright, alright I know that already." "Lyon, Reka actually had an older sister within the Central region, she is also among the top five cultivators, rumor said that she is the top candidate to become one of the elders there," said Riku. Meanwhile, outside the tavern. "Hey-hey prince Lyon is in there! UWAHH!" One of the ''bodyguard'' was blasted off outside the tavern. *tap *tap *zeet Another bodyguard slipped in and block the figure of the entrance of the tavern, "Heh, you want to meet our prince? You have to fa- UWAHH!" The figure was a beautiful woman with a better countenance than Reka, she wore a special elder white robe and there were two twin swords on each of her sides. Unlike her straight-haired little sister, she had a straight hair with twin bun on her head which made her really cute. However, her breasts were only as big as Luna''s, but heaven was not blind, they gave the girl a really elastic butt. "Lyon! Get the hell out!" shouted the woman. Inside the tavern, "Lyon, who is that?" asked Luna. "I have no idea," said Lyon before he shouted, "The tavern is open, woman! just get in!" . . . "That''s our prince for you, he won''t even give a face to an elder." said one of the ''bodyguards'' that got kicked to the side. "But this is an elder we are talking about!: said the other one. "Don''t worry, you got the dumpling?" "Yes." *munch *munch "He will win!" .... Meanwhile, the beautiful woman''s face was really gloomy, she just got promoted to an elder in the central region but her little sister was humiliated in public. "If you don''t get out now, I will destroy the tavern!" "Not mine!" . . . The woman''s mouth was finally twitching, she lost her cool and slammed the door open. *bang Just as she stepped inside, her neck was already at the mercy of a huge axe. (W-what speed! I didn''t even hear the movement of the wind!). She couldn''t even be nervous anymore, death was literally about to embrace her. She didn''t dare to probe her cultivation, she didn''t need to, she lost before anything even began. "I hate loud noises, the only reason you are still alive is that because my hubby said so," Said Ryona. *shreek *thud The wooden door behind her was cut in half. (How?!) thought the woman. *zing Ryona put back her axe and sat down beside Lyon like nothing happened. "Well, who are you?" asked Lyon. After recollecting her breath she began to calm down, "I am Reka''s sister, Naeya." "Do you want me to apologize to Reka?" asked Lyon calmly. "Yes!". "Sure." "Huh?" (I thought he would retaliate and said no, I mean that was how it supposed to be right) thought Naeya. "Thank you," Then Naeya walked out of the tavern. ... "Huh? She looked fine." said one of the ''bodyguards'' *munch "No, he won, our prince won! Don''t you see how restless that elder was? There was no sound of fighting what''s so ever, no blood not even sweat. That''s how awesome our prince is." said the other ''bodyguards''. -------------------------------- The second round was about to start and the star of the competition was already standing on the ring. Somehow there was a wind keep crashing on Lyon''s back which fluttered his hair forward slowly. He looked really majestic like this battle was gonna be the battle that will change the world. *munch His supporters were all standing below the ring and took a bite the Avenger Dumpling at the same time. However, *tap *tap The enemy this time was ... a ... DUDE! "What do you say we settle this battle with one ultimate blow?" proposed Lyon. The crowd was stupefied, the one that proposed this was actually the weaker participant! *cheeer *CHEEER The onlookers were livening up to the excitement "DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!" "DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!" The opponent only nodded in response and took his stance. *tap *tap The judge was the same one that oversees Lyon''s match with Reka, "The battle between Lyon and Ernan, Begin!" Right at that moment, Lyon grinned as if he already had everything under control. 55 My Soul The tension between the two was enormous, they decided to settle the round with one single blow, Even though the onlookers want them to finish in a single blow, in their mind they already have a winner. "Ernan most definitely won this round," said one of the expert. "Will a miracle happen twice?" said a young boy. "Just believe, our prince is really awesome and sneaky, I doubt he would grab Ernan''s penis, he must have another way," said one the ''bodyguard''. *drip *drip The sound of liquid dropping from the sky filled the area and it''s getting harder and harder. "Lyon, I will show you my finest martial art, Fist of Lion," said Ernan as he closed his eyes to feel the movement of the energies. Lyon didn''t respond to Ernan''s statement, (Ah my good luck, it''s raining!). Then Lyon grabbed an item which was hidden inside his pocket to make sure that it''s there before he grinned evilly. "Hmph." Ernan opened his eyes with full focus. "It''s about to start, don''t miss any detail!" said one of the onlooker. "I got my dumpling ready!" said one of the boys. *munch *munch "I already ate half of it." said another. Lyon stretched his right hand toward Ernan, taunting him to make the first move. Ernan smiled in response. *HAAAAHHHH!!! Ernan let out a massive warcry like a king of the jungle. *munch *munch The boys ate their dumpling even faster, like a rat. *Swoosh Ernan ran toward Lyon with invincible momentum, but Lyon didn''t seem to care at all. Just before the last step, Lyon grabbed the item and threw it on the ground. (Now!). *Thud. Then Lyon jumped to the side to avoid Ernan''s trajectory. *slip Ernan right foot stepped on something slippery and launch him forward. "Ah? It missed!" said one of the onlooker. "Holy damn! A miracle again!" "But wait, where is Ernan going!" *sleet Ernan momentum couldn''t be stopped, even by himself. The moment his right foot stepped on something, he knew he fucked. Combine with the wet ring, he tried everything in his power to stop his momentum but to no avail. Luckily the speed slowed down just right before the sides of the ring. *phew Ernan breathes of relief was short before an ultimate technique attacked his back. "Out of bound kick!" shouted Lyon. *bang *thud "The winner from out of bounds, Lyon Torga!" said the judge like it was a normal day in his life. *gulp *choke Some of the boys manage to swallow the dumpling, while other''s were choking because they want to laugh at the result but the voice stuck on the food in their throat. *yeah!! *go, prince!! The boys who manage to swallow the food roar in victory like it was them who battle in the ring, while the rest passed out from choking and dragged to the local doctors. *ehem "Since we have our winners, to determine the finalist, the last three will do a battle royal in three hours from now, that is all," said the judge as he walked out from the ring. Ernan only sighed at the result and walked away, he just lost to a mere peak Element Realm. No, to be exact, he lost to a banana peel! ---------------------------------------- Lyon and the others decided to go back to Riku''s home. "Ah, how was the walk? Is there something interesting going on?" asked Tiene. "Well.." Riku then explained everything including the young elder from the Central Region but not the way Lyon win the competition. "Wow," Tiene couldn''t believe so much thing happen. "Ah, it never changes, no matter how many time passed in Mist Clan, the boys vs the girls are always a thing," said Yiaz. "Sometimes I don''t understand, everywhere you go, you always cause trouble and not just any trouble, it''s always a big one too," said Karina as she shook her head. "Also, most of the times, it involve a beautiful woman," said Jugen with a slight envy. Lyon was speechless, he never thought about it before, (Wow, now that I think about it... Nah, I don''t wanna think about it, low key is not my style unless I infiltrate a kingdom or a queen''s room maybe). "Well, hubby, what is your strategy for the battle royal?" asked Ryona. "Yeah, I heard the other two were women, you are not gonna try to grope them are you?" said Luna with a menacing glare. (Girl, you just read my mind.) thought Lyon. (Grope? hey, what are you guys talking about?!) thought Yiaz before Jugen whispered and explained. (Goddamn it! That lucky bastard! Why didn''t I think of that back then, Argh!!). "Hmmm.." Tiene glanced at Yiaz as if she knew what he was thinking. *gulp With just a glance, all the negative thought inside Yiaz was deleted like a file from the recycle bin. "Well?" Luna determined to get an answer from Lyon. "To be honest, I don''t know what to do. I don''t think they would take the same bait." "Why don''t you just breakthrough to Soul Realm?" suggested Karina. "I actually don''t know how to?" said Lyon while scratching his head. "Little brother, to understand the soul, you must have a clear will," said Kyoko before continuing, "A soul is a combination of will and mind." (A combination of will and mind?) thought Lyon. (What is my will? What''s in my mind?) then Lyon began to picture it. (My mind, what is it, oh it''s coming I can see it ... It''s a ... boobs .... what the fuck?!) then Lyon shook his head to try again. (Ah it''s better, a figure, ... a woman .. oh no ... it''s naked!) *shake head No matter how many times Lyon try, the results were the same, just the amount of women increased each time. (Alright so be it, then what is my will? ... combination of will and mind .. hmmm ... ah, no way right? It can''t be. Please don''t let it be that! Am I really like that?) *gulp (It''s not being the most powerful cultivator, not being the wealthiest merchant, not being the smartest Alchemist it''s ... it''s ...*sigh, I want to bang beautiful women.) *zing (I hate my life.) 56 Biane and Clemora The ring was full packed with people from the Mist Clan. This competition had never been this popular before and some even doubt if it will be more popular than now. Although it was raining just three hours ago, the ring was now dry and shiny. The committee of this competition really took it seriously. About one-fourth of the audience were holding the ''Avenger Dumpling'' and ready to eat them once the battle started. However, looks like they had a rival this time. Half of the audience was also holding a dumpling, ''Ruler Dumpling'' while the last one-fourth were neutral. *Ly-on! *Ly-on! *Ly-on! The boys chanted his name like he was their hero but their chants soon overpowered by their rival. *Lady Clemora! *Lady Biane! The girls had their own heroine to support and with them being half of the audience, their cheer easily crushed the boys. Clemora was a beautiful woman of a high noble family from a faraway kingdom. She had a slender figure and snow-white complexion with nobility air seemed to surround her in everything she did. She had a mermaid-braided brown hair that looked really stunning. Her blue ocean eyes and her little nose were the perfect combinations of this masterpiece. The breast was not too big nor too small, just perfect. She was wearing an all-white noble clothing including a pair of thin gloves. She was really calm despite the atmosphere in the competition. She just gently put her right hand on top of her sword''s hilt on her waist, ready to strike any foe at any given moment. *tap *tap *tap The next person to arrive was also a beautiful woman capable of making people knelt with a snap of her finger. She had an hourglass body of a diva, but be warned, getting into her bad side and they will not live past that minute. Her movement was full of grace and precision, no matter where she walked, the men will always steal a glance at her. Her pink and wavy hair combined with her snow white complexion was like a beautiful angel just descend from the heaven. Her pink-strawberry lips were not too thin but not too thick either, it was as if it was made for smooching. She had an ample breast and a lively attitude to boot. She was Baine, believe it or not, she was Clemora''s elder sister. "Well, well, I see you are as punctual as ever, little sister," said Biane with a hint of mockery. "And you are always lagging behind stepsister," said Clemora calmly. "Hmph!" smugged Biane. They were sisters with a different mother, although they always acted like this in the public, the truth was they care each other and always support when they needed the most. Both sisters hail from the North Region of the Mist Clan and mainly because of them most of the South, West and especially East Region did not participate in the competition. "That red-blood sword is as good as mine," said Biane proudly. "Although your cultivation is higher than mine, don''t think you will get it easily big sister," said Clemora. *zing *clank A greatsword came out from Biane''s spatial ring and pointed it toward Clemora with her left hand. The sword was curved with the length of half her height, It had an unknown fur right on its chape. The blade was rough indicating it had been used too many times. "Do you think you can defeat this? ''Whirlwind of Santana''" asked Biane. Biane was famous inside the Mist Clan and she was the favorite to ascend to the Central Region this time. Her blade was known to be made from unknown ancient beast carcasses and the enemies she butchered it with were uncountable. However, *clank Clemora unsheathed her sword and crossed the Santana. The blade was exquisite and had an aura of the righteous. It was a longsword with a long blue phoenix feather on its hilt. Although it''s thin, it seemed to be unbreakable. "I think my ''Blue Phoenix'' could steal a victory," said Clemora. Clemore was the favorite to ascend this time after Biane. Her exquisite sword''s skill had sliced her way to victory many times. There was once a pursuer of her that challenge her to a duel and if he won they would go out together. Sadly, it didn''t take a minute before the man got cut wounds all over his body. "Looks like this is gonna be fun," said one of the onlookers. "No kidding, the top two favorites for ascension were in the battle royal right now, people always debate which one is stronger and we will have that answer soon," said another. "Hmph! Don''t be ridiculous, our prince will definitely win this round, miracle will ... no ... he is the miracle," said one of the boys. *munch *munch "Lady Biane, Lady Clemora, you shouldn''t fight each other yet, save that for last, first off you need to get rid of that PERVERTED BEAST!" said one of the girls. *munch *munch *clank *clank Biane and Clemora both retracted their weapon. "She is right, where is he anyway," said Biane. "Looks like you got yourself a rival in lagging behind," chuckled Clemora. "I bet he ran out of strategies and left, in the end, he is still a peak Elemental Realm cultivator," said Biane. *swoosh *swirl *swirl *crack An unfamiliar black katana made its way and stabbed on the ring. *swoosh Soon a figure jumped from out of nowhere and land on the hilt of the katana with his right foot. The figure smiled at the beautiful women in front of him. "I didn''t run awa-" *ptak *thud (IT BROKE!!). The finest work from Charlie broke into two, as it couldn''t handle Lyon''s weight. (Are you kidding me! This thing can slash a building, but can''t handle my weight?! Oh Charlie''s gonna have a heart attack) thought Lyon. ------------------------------- Meanwhile inside Charlie''s house. *gasp *gasp "Hah! .. hah! My heart stopped beating for a second there, what happened?" 57 Clemora vs Lyon The onlookers were laughing at the scene in front of them and all their tensions were gone. It was supposed to be cool, but the result was really embarrassing. Even Karina and the rest covered their faces. "Hahaha, what was that about?" laughed Biane while holding her stomach. "Hehehe," Clemora was covering her mouth to save her grace. Lyon scratched his head in embarrassment, "Can we begin the battle?". The judge nodded, "Let the battle, begin!" *cheer The crowd was back into their previous mood. "Rock, paper, scissors! Ha!" both of the women immediately decide who will face Lyon first. Lyon didn''t even mind and only smiled in response. (I still can''t believe I breakthrough with perverted soul) thought Lyon. "It''s my turn first, big ... SISTER," said Clemora while she emphasized the ''sister'' "Tch," Clemora faced Lyon while pointing her sword, "I shall give you a way out, give up now." "That''s Clemora for you," nodded one of the girls. "Just beat him to a pulp lady Clemora." "Yeah beat him." Lyon grabbed the hilt of the broken sword, leaving the other half still stuck on the ground. While grabbing the half-sword over his right shoulder, he taunted her with his left hand. Taking a deep breath Clemora replied, "Very well I admire your courage, I shall make it a swift battle, prepare yourself." *tap With one step, she already launched her self toward Lyon. (Too slow) thought Lyon. One move to the side was enough to dodge her piercing sword, but her attack just began. *thrust Rapid thrust was aiming at Lyon''s limb in multiple directions, but Lyon only saw them in slow motion. He gently dodged, leaving not even a scratch on his hair. "How is this possible!" said one of the crowd. "Hmmph! munch." mumbled one of the boys. *gulp "Our prince can do anything!" Lyon jumped back to end her attacks, "Is that it?" said Lyon with a teasing tone. "You.. you are a peak level Soul Realm!" said Clemora losing her calmness. "What? How is that possible?" said one of the amateurs in the crowd. "He must have an item that hid his cultivation," said one of the more experienced. "Amazing, an item that could hide a peak Soul Realm into peak Elemental Realm. You cannot just buy that in a store," said a merchant. "I told you, our prince is amazing," said one of the boys while stealing a glance at the girls. "Tch, it''s only a peak Soul Realm! Both lady Biane and Clemora are also a peak Soul Realm," The girls will not back down no matter what. Lyon smiled and teased, "I never said I wasn''t ... so are you gonna go more serious this time?" "Very well," suddenly a blue aura of an ancient beast permeated the ring. If one heard clearly, they would hear the sound of a phoenix cry. (This is more like it, come on!) *clash Suddenly two swords, no, one sword and a half, were already locking each other. If Lyon was a bit too late his right leg would have been chopped off. *clash *clash Their movement was like a play in an opera, what''s more, the half-sword was able to keep up with a sword from an ancient beast. (This man, is incredible, using half-sword he could keep up with me) thought Clemora while in her rapid slash. (This woman, ... is not bad hehehe) thought Lyon while countering her every move. *tap (Oh no) thought Lyon while he missed a step and about to fall backward. (An opening!) Clemora immediately took advantage of this. She quickly took a half-step back and launch her devastating move, "Phoenix art!Blue Phoenix Soaring the Heaven!" With all her strength she swung her sword upward. *screech There was a vivid blue phoenix coming out from the art. "Is, is it over?" said one of the crowd. "It should be, nobody ever leaves unscathed from her special move," said one expert. "Good job lady Biane." the girls were cheering and ate their ''Ruler Dumpling'' with a blatant mock to the boys. The boys agitated at first, but one of them raised his dumpling up and it was quickly followed by the others. Their trust in Lyon was unbelievable, that''s because they knew nothing wrong will happen. His friends were still watching and did not agitate in the slightest so why should they. "Look!" Lyon was still standing in front of Clemora, but her sword was pinned down by Charlie''s finest, half-finest. Both swords were shaking indicating that their power was equal, none of them backed down. "Lady, you are strong and beautiful, but you should not cut my family jewels. I mean .. you haven''t tasted it yet," teased Lyon. Suddenly Clemora had a burst of strength out of rage and manage to make Lyon stepped back. *thrust She didn''t waste any time and launched a thrust at Lyon who still haven''t taken the back step. Seeing the incoming danger, Lyon put all his strength on his toes to spin his body to position himself behind her back and dodge the thrust at the same time. *Klik *thud Clemora quickly elbowed him and sent him backward. Wasting no time at all, Clemora thrust once again to finish the battle. However, She didn''t do it, she stopped her motion as Lyon smiled at her with a wink. Clemora then retracted her sword and put it back to the sheath before she walked back to Biane. Biane and the crowd were confused at the outcome, (What is she doing?) was what on their mind. *ehem "Big sister, is your turn to fight him, be careful," said Clemora. while maintaining her grace. Biane squinted her eyes at her little sister, there was a hint of red on her cheeks but she didn''t mind it too much in the end, she thought it was normal to have red cheeks while doing an intense battle. As the crowd attention shifted toward Biane, Clemora swiftly reached her back to fix something. Yes, that''s right. Lyon just unstrapped her bra before he got elbowed! 58 Bianes Turn "I don''t know why she acts like that, but don''t think you can survive my onslaught," said Biane as she waved ''Santana'' effortlessly, "I''m a lot stronger than her." *cheer The crowd definitely looking forward to this battle because of Biane''s fine skill in destruction art. Wherever she fight, that place would get wrecked like a monster just run wild. "What do you think about this battle?" said one of the newbie. "Hmm hard to say, Lyon is definitely quick enough to dodge Clemora''s barrage of thrust, but Biane is not just fast, her skill could spread to the whole ring," said one of the onlooker. Suddenly the air flow on the ring was changing, however, before Lyon had time to notice this, Biane already began her first attack. Biane slashed her greatsword without even moving half a step forward and the wind was helping her creating a slash almost invisible to the naked eye. *slash Sensing the incoming danger, Lyon quickly dodged to the side to avoid the invisible slash while leaving a piece of his hair. *boom The slash continued and embedded itself to a nearby wall. *cheer The crowd was in the high mood after seeing the first slash. "He got lucky!" said the newbie. "Maybe, but Biane wouldn''t stop with just one attack, she is a brutal lady." said an expert with a sigh. *slash The second slash was coming and so was the third right behind it. Lyon had no time to relax and started to jump around the ring. (I cannot keep this up, there must be a way) thought Lyon. *slash The next wave of attacks came and there was more invisible slash than before. (Goddamnit! Is there really no interval at all when she launched the art?) Lyon''s eyes manage to steal a glance at a gasping Biane while he jumped around. (I see! I''ve been dodging the wrong way) Then when the next wave of attacks came, Lyon did the unthinkable to the crowd. He launched himself toward the invisible slash. "Is he crazy?!" said one of the onlookers. "Do he want to die or something?!" said another. The crowd definitely stupefied by Lyon''s stunt because jumping right into the enemy''s attack was the stupidest thing a cultivator could do. Biane squinted her eyes at his action, (Did he figure it out?) (Now!) Lyon jumped forward just right before the slash made contact with his clothes and saw the second attack behind it. Just as his toes touch the ground, Lyon spun himself to the side to dodge the second attack. Surprisingly, the third attack was also dodged at the same time. "What?! How did he do that?!" said one of the newbies. "Fascinating, he is truly a skillful cultivator, he must be seeing the weakness of Biane''s attack." said a careful onlooker. (Hehe, I was right. Her slash was never an area skill art, the moment she gasps for breath I know there was something fishy about her slashes. There is a reason why she never moves from that spot!) (Her art was a slash that will change direction according to the target''s distance, hence she threw the first attack to make me jumped further from her) (In other words, her slash had a motion of being linear first before moving in the direction according to the way Biane slashed. The further I am from her, the more limited space I could dodge to, making me either get out of the ring or accept injuries) thought Lyon. "I see, so you did figure it out," said Biane with a tinge of a smile. Lyon wasted no time and launched at Biane to avoid her meddlesome arts. However, his movements became slower and slower as he approached her. There was a strong wind current crashing onto Lyon''s body like a tidal wave. (This woman is really, really meddlesome.) thought Lyon. *slash Biane threw a strong slash from her greatsword making Lyon blown back a few steps. Although his sword was not even half the size of ''Santana'' it''s still could withstand some serious attack. "Don''t blame me for this," said Lyon as he gathered energies for his spell. "Hmph! Bring it on, I will wait until you cast the spell, that way you will lose willingly," said Biane with a haughty manner. "Don''t regret it," smiled Lyon. With a slick motion of his right hand, he wrote the spell, ''Buff spell, Agility boost!''. The rainbow-colored spell caused an awe to the crowd''s eyes. No matter what, a rainbow-colored spell was still considered rare, even if it was a basic spell. *zing Lyon''s body flashed for a second, but nothing had changed. "Is that it?" asked a newbie. "In my observation, the spell was executed perfectly so it''s already in effect, but I don''t know what does it do," said a dejected observer. Biane was not a rash person, she also knew the spell was executed perfectly. (Buff spell? I never heard of it before, where is this young man from?) so many questions popped up in Biane''s head. Kyoko however, could see the difference on Lyon''s body using her red eye. His body had a faint green glow surrounding him. "Try attacking me again," taunted Lyon. *slash Biane quickly attacked Lyon with her slash before Lyon could even take another breath. But her slash was slower than before in Lyon''s eyes. *dodge With the same movement, he dodged through the attacks and closing into Biane once again. "Useless!" shouted Biane with a swing of her sword, attempting to blow Lyon once more. (There it is!) Lyon now could react fast enough to dodge the slash. *slash *dodge Lyon squatted and let the slash went above his head. "Yeah!" the boys were ecstatic seeing their hero could dodge Biane''s quick slash. Nobody had ever done that feat before in North region. *jump Lyon launched himself at Biane''s vulnerable state after swinging the greatsword. Seeing the incoming Lyon, she closed her eyes preparing for the pain she was about to receive. *slash . . . *boing . . . *boing (Eh? I didn''t feel any pain ... in fact, it might be the other way around) thought Biane as she tried to peek open her eyes. Lyon''s face was literally buried on those magical things. The slash from Lyon was only to open up her cleavage. "Hehe.." mumbled Lyon pervertedly. Biane''s face was instantly turned red of embarrassment. 59 You Both Should Give Up Biane''s face was as red as a fresh apple but she suddenly felt weak to even resist Lyon''s onslaught. *slash *dodge Lyon quickly dodged the incoming attack from the side and distance himself from it. "Are you alright big sister?" asked Clemora while she keeps on guard toward Lyon. Her question seemed to wake Biane from the stupor and regain her senses. "You will pay for this!" said Biane before continuing, "Little sister, it''s been a while since we fight together." Clemora squinted her eyes in an agreement. They knew each other since they were a kid and they were closer to each other than their own parents. Even though they looked like they hate each other if one of them was hurt the other will be the first one to destroy the enemy. *cheer "Oh could it be?!" said a nearby newbie. "Yes it must be, watch this, you will learn the essence of fighting in a pair." said an expert. "Go lady Biane, go lady Clemora, beat that lecher to the blue!" said one of the girls. *munch *munch The boys ate their dumpling aggressively, signaling that they will not back down in a fight, even if Lyon had to face two strong competitors at the same time, they still believe in him. *swoosh Clemora was the first one to launch an attack with her famous barrage of thrust. Lyon could definitely dodge the thrusts easily before but not this time. Her thrusting speed seemed to increase by folds, the audience could only saw her hand blurred. (Looks like she is going all out!) thought Lyon. He was pushed back to the side of the ring before Clemora suddenly jumped back and revealing those familiar slashes from Biane. "Ah he has nowhere to run!" said one of the onlookers. *munch *munch The boys also felt nervous for Lyon. (Good job) thought Lyon. *boom The slashes made a resounding explosion when it made contact and a lot of dust scattered. Silence filled the atmosphere as the crowd couldn''t see Lyon outside the ring, so he must have been ... They were waiting for the judge decision, if Lyon was obliterated then both ladies will be disqualified and put under Mist Clan law. However, the judge didn''t make any announcement nor movement when he saw what just occurred. As the crowd tried to barrage the judge with thousands of complaints, a voice came from the dust. "That sting a little," said Lyon while he walked out of the dust and stretching his neck with his right hand. *cheer The crowd was back in the high mood, there was no record in history when someone survived an attack from that duo. There were bruises all over his body, but they were healing in rapid speed that could be observed in naked eye. "What?" Biane and Clemora were stupefied as they saw what happened. His healing capability was of course because of his three-channel absorbing the heaven and world''s energies. "My turn," as soon as Lyon said that his figure blurred. "?!" Biane was caught off guard when Lyon suddenly appeared right in front of her eyes. "Look out!" screamed Clemora, "Ngh!" Lyon suddenly felt a heavy burden and a force pulling him down to the ground. *crack The ground where Lyon stood cracked because of mysterious force. "Santana''s judgment," whispered Biane as she seemed to unaffected by the force. "G-g-gravity ... huh ... that''s not fair lady," said Lyon while he struggled to smile. "Hold him still sis," said Clemora as she readied her self to launch her famous art. Biane nodded in response. (Strange, why won''t Biane attack me instead, I was already vulnerable, unless ...) "Now, big sister! Phoenix art! Blue Phoenix Soaring the Heaven!" Clemora unleashed her art the same time Biane jumped back. *boom Once again part of the ring blew up and scattered the dust, making people clueless about Lyon''s and Clemora''s state. After the first explosion, the crowd didn''t dare to make speculations. This young man was indeed a miracle or perhaps a joker, an unpredictable variable. As the dust cleared up they saw the two figures posing like a sculpture. Lyon was holding her right wrist up pointing the sky while his right hand was holding over her slim waist. They both looked like a high-class noble couple. Lyon''s face was right in front of Clemora''s view, she was still bewildered about how did it come to this. (Why can''t I resist him! Why am I so entranced ... is this ... is this ...) a lot of things were going on in Clemora''s mind. *slash "?!" Lyon quickly let go of Clemora who was still bewildered and dodge the slash. *tap *tap "Are you okay sister?" asked Biane. "Ah, ... En," Clemora clearly lost her grace whenever she remembered what happened just now. (Since I cannot get close to you, then all I have to do is attack you from afar) thought Lyon as he started gathering the energies. "I will not let you!" noticing what Lyon was doing, Biane franticly attacked him with a barrage of slashes. *swoosh *swoosh Her attacks came in every direction possible and Lyon had hard times dodging it because his concentration was split into two. *crack The ring''s surface soon covered with cracks whenever her attack missed. (It''s ready!) *jump In the air Lyon write his spell and chanted,"Soul Spell, Gravity Falls." *zing A green magic brand covered the ring''s surface. *bang The two women instantly knelt, before they eventually went all fours. *thud. Lyon leasurely walk between them, "I''ll give you a chance to surrender, now." "No way, fat chance!" said Biane. "I will not back down either as long as my sister is with me." said Clemora with a resolute voice. *sigh "Please don''t force me," dejected Lyon. "What? Are you a coward?! Just because I''m a woman you gave me mercy?" berated Biane. Lyon shook his head and squatted between them before putting his hands on their back. "What are you gonna-" *klik *klik *boing *boing ... (Being a pervert is not so bad). 60 The Proposition The women''s faces were red as a tomato, not only their bra was unlocked, they were helpless about it. "So?" asked Lyon. "You shameless bastard! Can''t you just knock us out? Coward!" reprimanded Biane. Lyon took a deep breath before slapping Biane''s butt. *pak "I told you already, I''m not gonna fight a woman." "Then what if we never surrender? Are you going to strip both of us?" asked Clemora. "I would do more than that," teased Lyon, However, Clemora''s face turned even brighter than red. "Stay strong, sister, he wouldn''t dare to do that. Our origin is from the Yuqen kingdom. If you let both of us go now, we will forget everything that just happened," said Biane. The crowd began to discuss between themselves. "Wow, the Yuqen Kingdom, that kingdom rumored to have the strongest military force under a dynasty in all Deo," said one of the onlookers. "I heard the rumors about them coming from a faraway kingdom, but I never thought it would be the infamous Yuqen Kingdom," said another. "Hmm.." Lyon seemed to be in deep thought. (He is doubting! Using my background was never my style, but we don''t have any choice right now) thought Biane. "S-s-so... what is your choice?" asked Biane nervously. "Let me think for a while," (At least he is doubting for sure, I shouldn''t press him on, this was also to lure time for the magic to wear off) thought Biane. . . . After a few minutes, there was still no voice from Lyon''s voice except the humming. (Damn it! This magic is really potent!) thought Biane as she became impatient. "Y-you will also get a reward from the Yuqen Kingdom, I can vouch for my name on it," said Clemora. "And we could recommend you to the Yuqen''s military," added Biane. Lyon''s eyes lit up all of the sudden and hope burst out inside both of the women. "I don''t know any Yuqen Kingdom, hahaha ..." said Lyon innocently with his right hand holding his backside of the head. All the crowd had black lines over his head, (We were waiting for your answer damn it!). Both of the women couldn''t believe it either, (What kind of remote place where you from?!). While Lyon''s friends were laughing like they were expecting this to happen. "What it''s gonna be?" asked Biane. "What is the position do I get in the military?" asked Lyon. "With your talent, becoming the supreme commander who could mobilize the entire kingdom is not impossible nor it is far away," asked Clemora. (Hmm, that really sound so cool, supreme commander eh? Not bad) thought Lyon. "That really sounds tempting," said Lyon while he intentionally paused his sentence. Hearing what he said the women had their eyes lit up as hope once again burst out however his next sentence instantly killed it. "But, it was really a good plan to lure the time for the magic to wear of," said Lyon with a sadistic smile before he continued, "A shame really, if you fight against any normal magic caster, then by now, the magic had worn off. But mine? hehehe ... it would take at the very least twenty-four hours to even start disintegrating." (twenty-four hours?!) both of the women were surprised, How could they not? There was no magic that could last this long. The longest magic ever recorded was only six hours and that''s just a weak magic spell nobody used for combat. "Heh, don''t joke with me, there is no way this magic could stay active for twenty-four hours, it''s impossible, but you can still take our offer," said Biane. "Let me tell you what is in my soul Biane," said Lyon before he squatted right in front of Biane. Lyon held Biane''s chin with his right hand and looked at her directly in her eyes. Biane was an unyielding woman, she would never back down from a fight, but right when she saw Lyon''s face, she finally felt the word she never thought would come in her life ... fear. "You might think I want to become the strongest cultivator in the world, that''s why you offer me the position and riches that coveted by many, but you are wrong." When Biane tried to talk back, it was cut off by Lyon''s next sentence, "Then, you now think I am the type of cultivator who wants to have a peaceful life, reach an atavism or something, once again you are wrong." Biane couldn''t talk anymore, she was trying to offer different options but the last sentence cut her hope short. "Lastly, you might think I''m just a vagabond cultivator, the go with the flow guy, just want to reach immortality, you are still wrong," said Lyon with a smile. Then Lyon drew closer to Biane''s right ear and whispered something which made Biane''s eyes shrunk with fear. (Of course he didn''t want power, money or skills. His soul was not made for any of those. He is ... he is just a perverted beast!) Lyon looked at Biane once more with a sadistic smile. "Ek!" *grab Lyon''s left hand got inside her cleavage and slowly pulled out her bra which was a sexy purple one and immediately put it inside his ring. *moan As Lyon''s left hand groped her heavenly treasures nonstop. His right hand started to join the party and play with them like it was a clay doll. "Oh? Are you enjoying this?" asked Lyon sadistically. Whenever Biane wanted to reply, she let out a moan instead. --------------------------- Meanwhile, Lyon''s friends had different opinions about the match, in particular, Ryona. "Lyon is truly powerful but he is really a pervert right master?" asked Riku. Ryona was biting her left thumb while watching them on the ring agitatedly. "Master, what''s wrong?" "I love him but this doing is too much for me," said Ryona. Before Riku could reply Ryona cut her sentence. "I want him to do me too!" asked Ryona with a crazed look on her eyes. 61 Ism not Joking Although the crowd saw what happened in the ring, none dared to utter a word because provoking the Yuqen Kingdom was the last thing you wanted to do. They swore not to mention this event to the outsider, even the founder of the Mist Clan had to pay respect to their king. "I must say, he got some immortal balls to be able to do that," whispered an onlooker. "I don''t think their pursuers would dare to do that either when they know that those fairies came from that kingdom," said a gossiping old woman. Biane was moaning in pleasure as her face couldn''t become any redder then now, "Ahn..." "P-p-please stop it ..."whispered Biane. (Fine, I don''t want to humiliate you any further either ... eh? My hands! It wouldn''t stop!) thought Lyon as he became palpitated. "Pl-ease ... no ... more, ah! Not the tip!" (Why am I feeling so good, being touched by this beast!) thought Biane as she slowly drowned in pleasure. Clemora had her words stuck in her throat, whenever she was about to say something it got erased when she saw her sister''s state. Since the farthest of Clemora''s memory, Biane had a very bossy attitude. She always led something whenever the opportunity presented itself. She was definitely a role model for the other kids. Brave, unyielding, proud were the things even Clemora herself admire. But now, that image took a hundred and eighty degrees turn. Her haughty face was no more, her pride was no more. For the first time, she finally saw her sister struggle. Lyon''s hand was fondling her breast with delicate movement, to be exact, like milking a cow. (It''s coming something is coming!) thought Biane as her body started trembling. *kyaa With a pinch to Biane''s nipples, she reached climax and lost all her strength in an instant. Lyon caught her falling body and noticed that she was still breathing heavily. (What a strong woman, I have to admit, if I was the one that climaxes under gravity pressure, I would accept if the earth decide to swallow me) thought Lyon. Lyon decided to hold her up and walked to the side of the arena where the medic team already assembled. "Sorry, I might overdo it a little," said Lyon as he walked. However, Biane couldn''t utter a voice at all, so she leaned toward Lyon''s chest and bit it instead. "Ouch, hehe ... I deserve that, you know, you are really cute Biane," said Lyon with a sunshine smile. His statement cause Biane''s face turned red once again and bit Lyon''s chest even harder. "Okay, that started to hurt." As the medic team retrieved her to be treated there was a visible bit mark on Lyon''s chest. *tap *tap Lyon walked back leisurely to Clemora who was still on all fours and squatted in front of her. "Well?" Lyon sadistic smile showed itself once more. "Eek! ... I surre-" before Clemora could wave the white flag, Lyon shut her mouth with his hand. While his other hand just unbutton her top and explore the twin heaven mountains. With one quick motion, Lyon put the sexy white lingerie bra inside his ring. Clemora''s eyes turned glassy, as warm liquid began to build upon the edges. Despite her graceful demeanor, she was a crybaby to the heart. But Lyon was not a bastard either, even if he was a pervert to the very soul. Seeing the woman about to cry, he retracted his arm that shut her mouth. "I surrender!" Clemora''s shout signaled the end of the match. *zing Lyon deactivated his magic and the pressure on Clemora''s body instantly vanish. However, her body was already exhausted and her vision became blurry. *hold Lyon held Clemora up like Biane and walked to the side of the arena to the medic team. Clemora''s head was resting on his shoulder as she was worried about what happened next. People would talk about this event secretly and their name would be tarnished. Lyon noticed her worried as he saw the tears finally raining down on her cheek and also his chest but unbeknownst to everyone including the judge itself, Lyon was absorbing the heaven and world''s energies all this time. "The winner of this round, Lyon Torga!" said the judge. *cheer The boys were ecstatic as they directly provoking the girls by biting the ''Avenger Dumpling'' fiercely. As Lyon gave Clemora to the medic team he walked slowly to the center of the ring, "Hello everyone who was seeing the battle, I''m very grateful if you don''t tell anyone what''s happened." said Lyon with a smile. (Yeah right, I doubt anyone could shut their mouth up) thought the crowd. "This is not a request ..." then Lyon''s voice became deeper and violence, "It''s an order!" Lyon write a spell in the air with really dense energy, "Soul Spell, King''s Order!" *zing The rainbow-colored spell struck fear to everyone''s eyes while a rainbow magic brand covered the whole place including the crowd and bystanders. The judge and other experts had no time to cancel the magic as they were struck dumb by the enormous size of the magic brand. "Ahh! What is this thing?!" a weird black sigil suddenly appeared on the people''s body under the magic brand. "Forceful Contract?!" the experts instantly understand the black sigil on their bodies. "No way! Not possible! How can that kind of spell exist?!" said another expert. "It disappeared? Oh, wait no! It engraved on our soul!" said the judge. "Order! The one who even thinks about the match shall have their cultivation reset while speaking means death!" This powerful spell also had demerits, the caster''s life expectancy shall be waived by three hundred years as a cost. A Divine Realm cultivator had zero chance of getting struck by this spell unless its soul was comparable to the Soul Realm or a low leveled Half-Divine Realm cultivator. *shrink The magic brand on the sky slowly disintegrated and vanish. *zing "Ahhh my cultivation! it''s gone!!!" said someone in the crowd. "Ahh, mine too!" said another, "He is dead! My friend is dead!" said a newbie as he saw his friend fell to the ground lifeless. *clap "Now you know I''m not joking," said Lyon with his hand behind his back. On the bed, the closed eyes of Clemora had a smile on her face. 62 The Captive Somewhere in a vast world where there were no suns nor moons, stood a prison. This prison was as big as a castle but it only held one captive. This place was heavily guarded with men and spells, not even a rat could escape from here. How dangerous would one be that something as extraordinary as this had to happen? A middle-aged man wearing a royalty dress was walking with a torch in his hand. The guards at the site were really respectful toward him and the captain led the way. The location the middle-aged man was going to was the deepest part of the prison, underneath the ground. As they were walking to the deepest floor, what greeted them was a hall with a single door at the end. The door was made of strange material and it was harder than steel. It was covered in magic brands that active all the time. The only key to this door was literally at the hand of the middle-aged man. Not even his bloodline could open this door, this was to make sure his bloodline wouldn''t make any stupid mistake like opening the door without considering it first. *zing With a touch of his hand, the magic brand activated and unlocked the door with a ''clank''. The middle-aged man put the torch to the nearby slot and it instantly illuminated the room. There was only one man in the room with his hand chained to the walls. He looked like a man in his fifties with his messy gray hair and weary face. He had a skinny figure like he had no qualification to be a captive. His ripped long pants were the only thing keeping his warmth. He always had his head lowered like a dead slave. The middle-aged man approached him nervously. "Your master is already dead a long time ago, I personally confirmed this," said the middle-aged man. . . After waiting for some time he had not received any response from the captive. "I came to the world where you told me your master was at, but it was nothing, there is no such world!" Once again the captive responded with nothing. "It has been more than ten thousand, no maybe almost a hundred thousand or maybe even more than that. Surely your master is dead." The captive said nothing. "Come and join me instead! You will live full of riches! Together with your power, ruling two or ten worlds wouldn''t be a problem!" This was the middle-aged man intended to do. Every year he would come to this prison only to persuade him to become his man at arms. This activity had been in the captain''s mind for quite some time. He was a strong cultivator, in fact, it could be considered top three in the land, but he was only a prison guard captain. The captive didn''t respond as everytime the middle-aged man had tried for the last few years. Seeing this, the middle-aged man let out a sigh and turned back, "I will leave this torch here," *clank The door shut down and the magic brand''s activated once more. "Your majesty if I may," excused the captain. "Speak," said the middle-aged man. "Why do your majesty always persuade this old man?" *sigh "How old are you?" asked the king. Hearing his question, the captain answered with a brimming smile, "I''m one thousand and two hundred years old and my cultivation is level seven Middle Divine Realm." He answered it in the hope of getting a more suitable job. "Hmm, that means when you were born here you never see the sun nor the moon right?" "Yes," the captain answered the question but wonder why would the king suddenly asked that. When the captain was a child he never saw the sun or the moon except for the ones from the other world. There were no records of it either in the library. It was said that this world was the only one without the sun or the moon. "A long time ago this world actually had two suns and one moon," said the king before continuing, "It was the imperial order that declared this to be a secret." *sigh "I think, since you guard this place then you have the right to know about the truth regarding our suns and moon." Then the king stared at the captain intensely, "They were obliterated." As soon as the king said that, the captain''s pupil shrunk as his eyebrows raised up. What kind of weapon could destroy two suns and one moon?! Did they enrage the heaven? So many questions popped up in his mind. His reaction was exactly like what the king expected, "It was not a weapon, nor it was a natural disaster." Then his eyes turned serious, "It was a man, the very same man inside that room!" The answer was like a thunderclap inside the captain''s mind. What kind of monster could destroy two suns and one moon?! Not even the very peak of Divine Realm could pull that off?! *gulp "Y-your majesty, is the prison enough to hold him?" "I certainly hope so, the prison was made by the finest workers and spellcasters in this world." The captain sighed a breath of relief. ------------------- As they walked out of the exit, there was something going on inside the room. *zing "Huh." the captive was awoken by the sudden magic. He checked his soul and what he saw was making him trembled. The chains were also shaking and broke in no time. "It''s gone!" said the captive with an ecstatic voice. "The King''s Order is gone! it could only mean two things, one, master was setting it off, "Two, master cast another King''s Order! But either way, MASTER IS ALIVE!" "HAHAHAHA, Heavens! You were afraid of my master! Now he is back! I will fight alongside you this time Master! Let''s make the Heavens kneel!" shouted the captive with tears started rolling on his face as nostalgia hit him. "I can''t meet master with tears, he would get mad at me," said the captive while rubbing his eyes, "Wherever you are in the world, I will find you master! As long as you are alive this old bones shall pave your way! But first!" *snap The captive snapped his fingers *boom The whole prison suddenly collapsed. 63 Final Round Of course, Lyon didn''t know what happened in that world, what concerned him right now was the final opponent of this competition. After digging more information, nobody had ever won this competition. Everybody in the past event always lost to the representative and that red sword still ownerless. Nobody knew the identity of the representative because he or she always wore a mask and a black robe to hide his/her figure. They all only know one thing and that was the representative''s techniques were all from the Mist Clan. Some investigations were made and the Central Region was the most suspicious one, but it came out with nothing. However, the crowd was more worried about Lyon instead. Someone that could pull off a really rare level ten soul spell must have a terrifying background. Retaliating was the least in their minds right now. The judge gulped before saying, "The Final Round will begin immediately, you only have thirty minutes to take a break." Only thirty minutes to take a break was truly a challenge for some, but Lyon could rest three times more efficient than normal cultivators. He could fight anyone with the same level cultivation for three days straight if the opponent could last long that is. Lyon decided to take away the two pieces of the sword in his spatial ring and thinking of how to apologize to Charlie. (Oh I hope he is strong enough to not faint) thought Lyon. Meanwhile, the boys went to the store to stock up their dumplings and half of the girls stayed to watch Lyon got beat up by the representatives. *tap *tap Yiaz and Tiene decided to come out from the house and joined Lyon''s friends. "Mom? Why are you here?" asked Riku. "I heard that your little boyfriend here had made it to the-" "FRIENDS!" cut Yiaz. Then Tiene glared at Yiaz which made him took ten steps back while keep mumbling ''I''m sorry!''. "The neighbors were talking about it over and over and I decide to watch it," said Tiene. "You mean us deciding it?" asked Yiaz from the back. However, Tiene''s glare made him changed his mind, "Yes, you decide it, my queen." Riku''s face was red as the other people were watching them. (This always happens!) thought Riku as she bit her lips. But soon she came over it. "Oh yeah mom, you told me you ever made it to the finals right?" asked Riku. Her question instantly piqued Jugen and the rest. "Hmm, yes I did," said Tiene as she was trying to recollect her fight. "She did?" asked Karina. "Yes, on the battle royal round, mom told dad to fight the last contestant and after he did so, mom told dad to surrender," said Riku while nodding repeatedly. Black lines covered the listeners including some onlookers who overheard them. "That representative is really fast, I had hard times keeping up with its movement," said Tiene as she turned serious. -------------------- Years ago. Two figures were standing on the familiar ring, one of them was wearing an expressionless mask and a black robe, while the other one was a beautiful woman full of vigor. She was the spitting image of Riku, Tiene. "The final round, Tiene versus the representative, start!" said the judge. *woosh The representative quickly closed into Tiene with one step. *clank The crowd couldn''t look the movement clearly, but all they knew was both Tiene and the representative had locked swords. Meanwhile, the young Yiaz was biting his fingers. "''You''re pretty fast," said Tiene while she began to sweat. However, the representative had no response. *spark The two crossed sword multiple times, proving the tenacity of their weapon and skill. *thud Tiene stepped back five times and prepared her skill, "Mist Art, Mist bullets!" Tiene thrust her sword toward her enemy which was five-step away. *shoot As she thrusts, a mist condensed like a bullet aiming at the representative. *spark Her opponent stood on the ground and fend off every bullet she launched. *cheer The crowd was ecstatic seeing the actions of both. But Yiaz worried about Tiene''s stamina, this battle was too intense for her. (Tch! I only can use one more skill before my stamina ran out!) thought Tiene as she also kept parrying the representative attacks. "That mask of yours is really annoying, I can''t tell if you know fatigue or not," said Tiene in the middle of parrying. However, her opponent still didn''t respond. *tap Her opponent seemed to misstep, (Chance!). "Mist Art! Mist of the Half Moon!" shouted Tiene as she swings her sword downward. *clank *swirl *stab Before anyone realized it, Tiene''s sword was flying and stabbed the ground outside the ring. While her neck was at the mercy of her opponent. "Mist Heart!" shouted one of the onlookers. "The art of deflecting your enemy by striking the core of your opponent''s art," whispered Yiaz. "The Final round is over! The winner was the representative!" declared the judge. Since then, everybody had another clue about who was the representative. He or she was definitely from the Mist Clan. ------------------- Now. "And my cultivation at that time was level two Half-Divine realm," finished Tiene. "Then don''t you think this is dangerous for Lyon?" asked Riku. "May-" "Look its the representative!" said one of the onlookers. All eyes were on one person. Its figure was taller than Lyon by a head and its mask was that of the emotionless mask like the one Jugen bought, or earn. *swirl *stab A sword made out of crystal stabbed into the ring. (Wait, This looks familiar!) thought Lyon. *swoosh The figure jumped and somersault from outside the ring and land on the hilt of the sword. The crowd was surprised at this event, (This is exactly like what Lyon about to do!) was what on their mind. The figure lifted its right hand and pointed at Lyon, taunting him to come over. *cheer The crowd was in a high mood as they would expect a really intense battle. Lyon smiled wryly in response. 64 Intense Battle "The final round, Lyon vs the representative, start!" declared the judge. *tap Both Lyon and his opponent moved at the same time *clank *spark It took them less than a second before they clashed against each other, Lyon''s half-sword definitely played a huge role in this. Kyoko''s red eye activated and scanned Lyon''s opponent. "Level five low Divine Realm," whispered her. "What?! Then Lyon gotta get out of there!" said Luna nervously. "Relax, this competition prohibits killing," said Karina before continuing, "Besides, with she watching the fight, the chances of Lyon getting crippled are close to nil." Of course, the woman Karina talked about was none other than Ryona, who was ready to strike at any given time. "You are holding your true prowess aren''t you?" asked Lyon. But his opponent didn''t respond. *jump Lyon distanced himself from the opponent to release some tension in the fight. (Whoever he or she is, it is stronger than me by folds, aih, I already miss that old dragon). The truth was, Lyon''s speed couldn''t match up with his opponent''s movement. His agility buff barely made him possible to dodge some attacks and his chances to counter the attack was also pretty low. (Using high tier magic is almost impossible since that mask-person wouldn''t let me concentrate and low tier magic won''t do anything either) thought Lyon. *clank The two crossed swords once again, even though it seemed they were on par with each other a true expert could see the difference. Every time Lyon''s opponent crossed sword, the crystal sword seemed to have the upper hand in length and never delivered the killing blow and Lyon took advantage of this rule. He only allowed an opening on his head or his heart for the opponent to strike, which he or she couldn''t because of the rules. "He is a genius indeed, taking advantage of everything is one of the cores of a cultivator," said one of the experts. "I agree with you, fighting someone that had two entire realms above you is not easy, I would give up five minutes ago if I were him," said an admiring expert. *gasp (It''s been forever since I run out of breath and he or she didn''t even use an art yet while I don''t have a sword art) thought Lyon. They were fighting continuously without even a single breath was wasted. It was so intense everybody got goosebumps, if Lyon made just a single mistake then it was safe to say that he had lost. However, despite the hyper-speed battle, Lyon didn''t even make a single mistake, this was a feat not all cultivators could do. The sun was almost set and fatigue finally hit Lyon. Everybody was on their feet hoping he would make a miracle once more. Lyon''s friends nervously watched the battle as if they were the ones fighting. "This has been the longest final round this competition ever had." said one of the onlookers. "Yeah, this competition might be more amusing than the Ascension," said another. "Is there no weakness at all?" asked Jugen. "There always be a weakness," said Kyoko. "Then do you know it?" "By far, the only weakness hubby''s opponent have is," Ryona paused a little then smiled, "Underestimating him." Lyon was always the person who would give up, given the chance. He was not the kind of person who never gives up and strode the path like a fool. The only time he would do so was either to impress girls or impressing more girls. He would strike when the chance came and would lay low when it didn''t. (I need to finish this battle soon) thought Lyon as he saw cracks on his half-sword. "?!" then Lyon realized something important during the fight, the weakness! "hahahaha.." suddenly Lyon laughed and caught the attention from the crowd. His laughing also made his opponent stopped its motion. "Is he broken?" said a newbie. "Maybe so, not everyone could battle under the pressure of a Divine Realm while being at the Soul Realm," sighed a veteran. (How can I not notice this sooner) thought Lyon while laughing at himself. The dusk was closing in and the moon was shining brighter and brighter along with the stars. The last sun rays illuminated the ring from Lyon''s back. Taking a deep breath Lyon started to condense the heavens and the world''s energies on his right hand. Seeing his action, the opponent started to move as well. As far as the opponent knew, Lyon was a terrifying spellcaster even he or she felt a threat. As the opponent was about to release its onslaught, Lyon pinned down the crystal sword with his leg to cancel the opponent''s art. Lyon smiled, "I know your weakness," whispered him. Even though the mask covered its expression, Lyon could tell that his opponent was surprised and confused. Lyon jumped back only to step forward and began the offensive. *clank They crossed swords once more but this time visible crack clearly spread all over the half-sword. *crack Half of the finest sword Charlie ever made finally broken into bits, but Lyon''s right hand wrote the spell in that split second, "Space Crack!" *zing The familiar magic spell once again made its appearance. "Your weakness is .." *tap With a single tap from the ground, Lyon jumped back and entered the space crack, and reappeared behind his opponent, "Your mask!". The opponent caught his voice and turned over. Holding the other half broken sword, Lyon stabbed his opponent forehead. *crack The mask cracked into vertically. *swoosh However, before Lyon could saw the face, the opponent quickly left the ring with a single step, leaving him the only person on the ring. All of this happened like a slow motion, but the crowd saw it in the blink of an eye. They still trying to figure it out what just happened. There were so many crucial things happen. A rare space element spell was used and the opponent suddenly left. Lyon couldn''t stand anymore and kneeled on one knee on the ring. "For the first time in the history of the competition! The Winner! Lyon Torga!" said the judge. *cheer The crowd finally back roaring, a miracle just happened once again. --------------------------------------- Meanwhile in Nostria, "Charlie!" Chen was shouting inside a restaurant. "Quick get the medics!" said Crux. Apparently, Charlie passed out. 65 The Red-Blood Sword The competition finally had its winner for the first time and last time. Yes, there will not be any more competition quite like this, as if this competition was just a little game to amuse someone. Lyon was told by the judge to take his prize, the red-blood sword, inside a little tent behind the market. In there the judge and the committee were waiting for his arrival. Lyon decided to get inside the tent alone and let the other to go to Riku''s house instead. As Lyon stepped inside the tent, he saw his prize hanging upside down inside a glass cube. Unlike his previous weapon, a curved-sword, this sword was a double-edged one and it was slightly thinner. The sword occasionally emitted an ominous feeling to the people who observed it. At the edge of its hilt was a red-scarlet gem and there was a moving dot of white light inside it while the hilt itself was actually covered in an unknown material like a black-silk. The main part of the sword, which was the blade, had a deep-red color even thicker than a normal blood. So, how many people, how many beings would it have to kill to have a color like that? Nobody knew the answer. *tap A footstep came from behind the glass cube, it was Lyon''s previous opponent. however, (Are you really that poor!) thought Lyon as his face covered in black lines. Apparently, his opponent wore the same broken mask but now covered with band-aids which barely holding it together. The judge and the committee had no comments on this, in fact, they didn''t dare to voice it out. *sigh Lyon retracted his own mask, which was exactly like the one the opponent used, and tug it to its hand. At first, the opponent didn''t understand until Lyon explained it, then the opponent quickly turned around and change its mask. (I cannot believe I had to explain that gesture!). *ehem "Mr, Lyon, first of all, congratulations for being the winner of this match. We can give you the prize, but you have to get it yourself," said the committee. "What do you mean," said Lyon with a displeased look. "Grrrr!" Meanwhile, Fenrir suddenly glared at the committee too, sensing his master displeasure. *gulp The committee didn''t dare to act like a higher person in front of Lyon, because he also got the KIng''s Order. Imagine what he would do in person, painful dead that''s what. "C-calm down, Mr.Lyon, It''s not that we can''t hand you over the prize, it''s just that we can''t even touch it," said the committee nervously. However, Lyon still glared at him like he was a prey in a jungle combined with Fenrir who deliberately showing his drool. *tap Lyon tapped the committee shoulder while laughing, "Hahaha I''m just joking with you, look at you, telling someone to calm down while you yourself are nervous." "Ah, you got me there Mr. Lyon," chuckled the committee with his cold sweat (Yeah right, after seeing what you did, it would be weird not to get nervous). "Back to the topic, why can''t you just hand me over the sword? It''s right there," said Lyon as he pointed at the glass cube. *sigh "Mr. Lyon, do you feel the ominous feeling emitted from the sword?" "Yes, what of it," "Well, the truth is, your opponent over there was the one that found it years ago. But your opponent couldn''t wield it!" (But what does it had to do with the ominous feeling?) thought Lyon before saying, "But he or she is stronger than me," However, Lyon''s opponent shook its head hearing his response. "The sword chose its own master," said the committee after taking a deep breath. "Really?" said Lyon in a surprising manner, (Nope, I already guess this was the case, by the way, what''s wrong with the ominous feeling! You deliberately doing this aren''t you!). "Nobody knows the requirement set by the sword itself but your opponent had tried offering it to its friends and the result was the same, they got rejected," "Thus the beginning of the competition," cut Lyon. Everyone inside the tent except Lyon himself was surprised. "W-wow, you are truly a genius Mr. Lyon, I had the feeling that this sword definitely belongs to you." said the committee. (THIS IS JUST BASIC DEDUCTION, YOU IDIOTS!) thought Lyon while saying, "Oh no need for such praise." (That''s because it sounded more like a sarcasm!). *Klik The committee opened the glass cube from the front and gestured to Lyon. "So I just need to grab the hilt?" "That is correct," said the committee. *grab The people inside the tent was waiting with anticipation, they won''t even blink at all. . . . . However, after waiting for half an hour, there was nothing going on. Even Fenrir went back to sleep. "Hey, are you playing with me?" "Absolutely not Mr. Lyon, usually about now there is something happening," "Then why is - Ngh!" suddenly Lyon gripped even tighter and his eyes became serious. Everyone else''s eyes started to brighten up.(Finally) was what on their mind. (Oh, no I wanted to fart!)thought Lyon as he began sweating. As he was about to confess he notice everyone was looking at him with anticipation. (Think fast! What to do!). Then a not-so-bright idea came inside Lyon''s brain like a current. "Haaah!" Lyon began to scream gradually. Everyone''s hands were gripped tightly in anticipation, like a researcher waiting for its experiment. "HaaaahH!" Lyon began to scream even louder, catching the attention of people walking outside the tent. "Hmm what was that scream?" said a young girl. "Hey is from over that tent let''s check it out!" said her friend. In the blink of an eye, the tent packed with a bunch of people witnessing Lyon gripping the infamous red-blood sword. (Shit! Why is it more crowded!) thought Lyon, (Ah forget it! Here goes nothing!) "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA *fart AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Lyon screamed at the top of his lounge and manage to rile up the crowd too. (Nobody notice? Mission success!) thought Lyon as he was catching his breath and accidentally touch the scarlet gem with his thumb. *zing 66 Worthy? In the blink of an eye, the light dot shot itself toward Lyon''s forehead. Although the tent was full packed with people, nobody noticed that the dot light inside the scarlet gem was missing. Not even Lyon aware of this. The light dot was actually traveling into Lyon''s sea of memories. There it saw the world where Lyon came from, Earth. The light dot was observing Lyon''s growth from when he was a baby, the first time he started to walk, speak. First girlfriend, first heartbreak and even Selena were there. As the light dot wanted to return back to the sword disappointingly. It saw a huge gate on top of the sea memories. The gate was adorned with mythical magic brands which were unknown in Deo. It was chained from eight ways with a huge lock in the middle. The light dot was curious as it hovered around the huge gate before it gave up having funny ideas. As the light dot moved toward the exit, a huge suction sucked the light dot inside the lock. Inside the gate was a whole new world, a far cry from Lyon''s earth. There were huge mountains and vast oceans. But most importantly there was a man with boundless charm and vigor standing on the cliff topless. Revealing his ripped muscles to the world below him. With a wave of his hand, he could change the day into night. If he wanted today to be raining, then raining it shall be. Even the sun didn''t dare to make the world too hot because of him. "Assemble," said the man softly. *swoosh *swoosh In a split second, there was a whole battalion kneeling behind him. The uniqueness of them was, they were all wearing a different outfit. One was even wearing a short pant like he was just waking up from sleep while the other even wore a pajama. But even so, their eyes were full of respect and praise toward the man on the cliff. In the man''s opinion, wearing an army outfit or battalion had negative impacts toward a war. Being in the outfit one most comfortable with would boost their fighting capability to a new height while also serving as an undercover like a trojan horse. "What is your order? Master," said the man that seemed to be the leader of the battalion. The leader had a slight resemblance to the captive in the unknown world. "Hmm," then with a wave of his hand, the day became night just like that. The night had four moons hanging in the sky with stars filling the galaxy. There were auroras everywhere making this world truly a magical place to be. "I want it to be romantic tonight, so made all four of the moons closer," said the man on the cliff without even turning around. If the cultivators in Deo heard his request, they might think that their master was a spoiled lunatic. How could even one pull the moon closer and even four of them? "Yes, master!" however contrary to people believe, the leader answered the order with absolute confidence. "En, you may start," said the man on the cliff with ease. "Yes!" said all of them. *swoosh The battalion set out to the sky aiming at the four moons. "Hmm?" the man on the cliff seemed to notice something as he turned around facing the light dot. The light dot was confused, this was still a memory, its being shouldn''t be noticed by anything. Yet, the man was clearly staring at the light dot. "A young weapon sentiment huh," the man chuckled before grabbing the light dot in his hand. His motion wasn''t fast but the light dot couldn''t even move. "Are you here swimming in the sea of memories, seeking for a talented owner?" asked the man playfully. "Whose memories are you into right now?" asked the man again before continuing, "Is it mine?" Seeing the dot light didn''t have any reactions the man concluded that it was the case. "I wonder if I''m worthy of you, all of you sentiments really had a high pride," chuckled the man. *snap *zing He snapped his finger and in an instant half of the world were covered in magic brands including the sky and what''s more astonishing was all of them had rainbow colors. "I AM LYON TORGA, THE ENTITY WHICH EVEN THE HEAVENS JEALOUS AND AFRAID OF, ARE YOU WORTHY OF ME?!" shouted the man who revealed his identity. At the same time, the four moons began to move closer and closer to where he stood. Nobody could ever believe that it was possible to move the moon! ----------------------------------------------------------- *crack The glass cube suddenly broke into pieces and caught the attention of the onlookers. . . . *boom Suddenly an enormous pressure filled the entire area and the ground was shaking like an apocalypse. "What''s going on?!" asked the judge. "I don''t know! No reactions had ever been this big!" said the committee. Lyon''s hand which grabbed the hilt suddenly started to bleed and baptized the sword as a magic brand with the red-blood symbol etched itself on Lyon''s back palm before disappearing. "Haah!" Lyon twisted the sword and it disappeared. As he looked at his palm which was oozing blood just now he was surprised. There were no wounds nor marks that could make the blood escape. (Weird, I definitely felt the sword was sapping my blood but at the same time I could feel the unimaginable power from the sword) thought Lyon. As the sword disappeared, the pressure and the shaking also gone with it. "Congratulation Mr. Lyon!" said the committee. The masked people nodded in to respond before walking out of the tent. "Thanks, whoever your name is, let''s go Fenrir, ah he passed out, must have been really hungry," said Lyon as he walked out (Man, I need to go to the toilet). "Hmm, do you smell that?" asked the judge. "Yes, it''s the smell of victory!" said the committee. (Really? Man victory stinks!) thought the judge. 67 The sMiracles Lyon decided to go back to Riku''s house to take care of his bladder. Meanwhile, Fenrir was taking care of by the girls. His consciousness slowly came back to him as the fragrant of cooked meat entered his nostrils. "Heh, to think that Lyon would cause another ruckus," sighed Karina. "I guess no matter where you put a diamond, it will shine," also sighed Luna. "I''m lucky to have a big brother like him," said Jugen with a hint of pride. Tiene suddenly dragged Riku''s arm to her room, leaving the others in the dining room. "What is it, mom? You seem so flustered," asked Riku Taking a deep breath, Tiene firmly grabbed her shoulders and stared at her seriously, "Be honest with mommy, you like Lyon, don''t you?" The sudden question left Riku baffled for a while, "Wha-what are you saying? Of course not! Besides, he is master''s hubby." Tiene shook her head, "Riku, my little girl, I will tell you this honestly, if I had not married your father, I might already be under the sheet with Lyon by now." "M-Mom!" now it was Riku''s turn to become flustered, (How could she say that with a straight face). --------------------------------------------------- The Nostria Kingdom. Sylviana was leisurely walking in the garden with her loose garb, making her looked like a celestial. Her every movement might incite a deadly desire in men but luckily Fei was always there beside her. "Is he back yet?" asked Sylviana while plucking a flower. "Oh? You are missing him already?" teased Fei. "No! I wanted to know if Luna is safe or not, their result would make a difference in our kingdom," said Sylviana hurriedly. "Yes, yes of course," teased Fei. After fooling around with Fei, Sylviana sighed, "When do you think the Heaven''s Dawn Dynasty would attack?" "By my experience, they would probably probe us first to gauge our strength, since Miss Ryona blasted the prince away from here," said Fei. "How will they gauge us?" "There are a couple of ways, first is probably send a scout or an undercover to live alongside with the Nostrians and gained info by bribing the guards or other means," "While second is by talking with a traveler merchant or something similar to that," Sylviana nodded in response, "What do you think we should do now?" "Wait, attacking the dynasty is out of the question for now, although we have those eleven people I doubt they would listen to you." *sigh "You''re right, those people would probably listen only to Lyon," dejected Sylvianna. "Then all you have to do is marry him, problem solved right?" clapped Fei. "Would you, stop saying about marriage already, I mean how about you?" asked Sylvianna, (Oh no!) *kyaaa "Sorry!!" -------------------------------------------- The Ascension was what the Mist Clan anticipating next, joining the Central Region meant prestige and benefits. They would have the finest art, the finest beads, the finest everything the Mist Clan could offer. But the Ascension test was really difficult, in every Ascension, there were no more than five disciples could ascend. Some of them even tried to bribe the elder but got bashing instead. Today was the day of the Ascension and Riku was already gearing up. Accompanied by her parents and friends, they walked to the Central Region for the test. Every step they made, people would take a glance. That''s because Lyon was leading the walk. His name was spread out overnight in East Region as the ''miracle''. Fans even thought of him as a god, if he calls your name, you will be blessed for the rest of your life. It was really ridiculous, but Lyon pretty much enjoyed basking in praises. He casually waved his hand as if he was the king and the girls were his harem. "He just waved at me!" said a young man. "Lucky you!" said another. "I wished Lyon would bring me to his bed," said a young girl. "You? Hahaha, even a puke would puke seeing your face," said a young man. "Yeah, but this puke won''t even want to sleep with you," The onlookers laughed at their conversation. The Central Region had a pathway made of the night stones, it would lit up during the night automatically. Unlike in Nostria, when there was an event such as this, street vendors were not allowed to open a sale. The reason for this was that the elders afraid of having their candidates eat a wrong food or someone poisoned their food, thus interrupted their performance. The Ascension was held in the Central''s arena, where they would be called one by one to do the procedure. Every procedure would be inspected by the elders and the head of the Mist Clan on top of the balcony. After they done the procedures they would be called once more on the arena to be announced if they are worthy to ascend or not. As Lyon and his friends arrived at the arena, they were sitting on the audience sit, leaving Riku on the arena waiting to be called. As Lyon glance at the elder''s panel, the middle chair was missing someone. "Eh, brother are you new here?" asked a young man beside Lyon. "Yes, I am, did my outfit sold me out? haha." "It sure is, brother, you might don''t know this, but the head of the Mist Clan is the number one beauty here," "What? Really?" Lyon definitely piqued interest in this. As he glanced the sits once more, he noticed a familiar figure sitting there. It was the elder beauty which entered the tavern. (Ah! I almost forgot I need to apologize to her little sister for groping her). Naeya seemed to notice being stared at and she started to look at the ones. When she saw who was the one staring at her, her eyes glared like a tiger ready to maul its prey. But Lyon''s eyes suddenly had his eyes wide opened as he saw the figure that about to sit in the middle. "No way." 68 First Tes The figure that entered Lyon''s line of vision was extraordinary. She had a slender body with the aura of a ruler, making people wanted to kowtow right away. Her angelic-white complexion filled the gap between mortal and deities. Her unusual snake-like pupils brought a unique charm as non-other being could. Her natural looks and cold demeanor, brought heroes from all over the land to seek her hand in marriage but none were considered worthy enough. Some even tried to threat the Mist Clan but got killed instead. However, what Lyon surprised was that she was not wearing any fancy clothes like a head of a clan should be. What she wore was something ordinary and cheap one could find in the local boutiques. (Wow, what a modest leader) thought Lyon. But he soon took that back when he saw what was on her forehead. (Band-aid?). (Aih, she is just a cheap leader) sighed Lyon disappointingly. According to Lyon''s prediction, the opponent he faced in the last mini competition was the same person as the woman who sat on the middle sit. However, the head of the Mist Clan was not aware that her cover was easily guessed by him. "I hereby announce the start of the Ascension!" clapped the woman. *gong The sound of gong reverberated the entire arena as the start of the Ascension officially began. Then one elder jumped from the panel and landed on top of the ring to oversee the first test of the Ascension. With a list in his hand, he started to call the disciples names one by one. *ehem "Garuid, please step forward," said the elder. "Yes!" The person who responded to his calls was a huge man that looked like he had a boundless amount of strength. The elder then retrieved a half-pillar-like pedestal from his spatial ring and told Garuid to rest his palm on top of it. The pedestal was made from a unique stone with high density while on top of the pedestal was nothing but a smooth square surface. As Garuid put his palm on top of the pedestal the crowd was waiting for the result seriously. The first condition to ascend was having the cultivation of ninth level Soul Realm, any lower than that meant instant failure. . . . However, there was no reaction at all. "Um, elder, is it broken?" asked Garuid. "There''s no way it''s broken," said the elder before checking the pedestal out. "Did you inject your energies yet?" asked the elder. "Oh, right I forgot! Hehehe" laughed Garuid. *bang The elder smacked Garuid''s head and sent him flying. "Next person, Hander, please step forward," Seeing the last person was sent flying, all the disciples got nervous as they were called. *zing "Hander, level eight soul realm, you pass the first test," said the elder. "Next, Twayne, please step forward," One by one of the disciples passed the test, but a name caught Lyon''s attention. "Next, Biane, please step forward." Lyon looked at her former opponent and smiled at her haughty manner. Despite what happened yesterday in the competition, Biane was still full of vigor as always. *zing "Biane, a peak level of Soul Realm, you definitely pass! I also think you would breakthrough to a half-divine realm in near future." "Thank you elder," said Biane with cupped hands. The elder nodded in response. As she walked down from the arena she managed to spot Lyon on the crowd. Her mind was full of thoughts right now, she hated him for the fact that he harassed her, but at the same time she began to have an unexplainable feeling toward him. In the end, she decided to approach him told the man next to him to give up his sit. The man beside Lyon happily obliged to the request and gave up his sit. As she sat there, the two of them didn''t talk at all, they just watch the test going on, making Lyon felt awkward. "So, how are the injuries?" asked Lyon with an apologetic tone. "It''s fine, it''s getting better, but my breasts were soring the whole night," said Biane with a straight face. "Are you mad at me?" asked Lyon. Biane glared at him but didn''t answer the question. "Next, Clemora, please step forward," "Oh look it''s your little sister," said Lyon. However, Biane didn''t respond either. Clemora still had her grace much like the first time Lyon saw her. Just like her older sister, she acted as if nothing happened yesterday. *zing "En, You two sisters are definitely the gem of your kingdom, peak level of Soul Realm, PASS!" "Thank you," Clemora cupped her hands. As she walked down the arena she spots Lyon smiling awkwardly at her and her sister which was sitting beside him. Suddenly she felt nervous recalling the event yesterday. (S-should I smile back? S-s-should I call out to him?! God!). Steeling her heart and clenching her hand tightly, she almost-gracefully walked toward Lyon and sat behind him. Just like her older sister, she didn''t initiate a conversation making Lyon even more awkward. "Uhm, did you get any good rest yesterday?" asked Lyon. Being asked by Lyon, Clemora suddenly felt even more nervous, "Y-yy-yes." Biane looked at her sister''s unusual behavior which made Clemora''s face had a shade of red. (God, this is really awkward! What''s up with this one line conversation anyway! This is online dating all over again!) thought Lyon. "Next, Riku, please step forward," "Yes!" Riku definitely a high rated cultivator in the Lecryst City, but here she was just a mere cultivator compared to others, especially from the Central Region. "Are you sure about this? The last time I check, you were still at level seven," doubt the elder. "It''s fine, I''m sure I could pass the test," said Riku. Seeing the unwavering will in her eyes, the elder could only sigh, "You know, your master over there had high expectations of you," "Yes, I know I will not let him down," "Are you really sure about this?" "Yes!" (Goddamn it old man! Just let me touch the pedestal already!) thought Riku. 69 Feast On Your Enemies, Scarlet! Without waiting for any more nonsense from the elder, Riku slammed her hand on the pedestal and inject her energies. *zing "?!" the elder was surprised at the result, (Impossible! Her cultivation is at the ninth level already?!). "Wow, two weeks ago she was only a seventh level Soul Realm, I wonder what lucky encounter she had stumbled into when she was in Treas auction," said a young girl. "Looks like I need to visit that auction more often," said a young cultivator. "Well did I pass?" her voice woke the elder up before he regained his composure. No matter what a two-level leap in cultivation was still astounding. "Riku, ninth level, PASS!" shouted the elder. One of the elders in the panel was nodding in excitement. "The last one, Reka, please step forward," said the elder. Hearing that name being called out, Lyon''s eyes immediately search for that familiar figure. However, nobody showed up which made Lyon confuse and felt guilty. *swoosh At this time, one of the elders from the panel jumped on the ring and whispered something. The elder that oversees the test sighed, "That will be all," *swoosh Lyon suddenly jumped on the arena, "Wait wait, please wait a minute old man." The crowd was amused seeing this, nobody had ever dared to cut in an event and confront an elder. The last time this happened was ending in a punishment for the confronter. Both of the elders had grimaced face, they wouldn''t think that there would be people calling them ''old man'' out of the blue. Such disrespect deserved to be punished by the Mist Clan law. However, since they were the elders, they should at least hear out what he wanted to say. "What is it kid?" asked the elder. "Why did you call the test over? Reka is not even here yet, we should wait," said Lyon. Naeya was amused seeing this turn of event, she was smiling deviously. This smile was overlooked by Lyon because he thought Naeya was praising him for his conduct of responsibility. Nevertheless, it was something that Lyon never thought of. "The fact that she is not here means that the Ascension is nothing to her," said the elder. (She must be depressed because of me! Damn it!) thought Lyon. "But even so, can I just replace her on the test?". Lyon''s suggestion caught all the attention of the crowd including the elders in the panel. "Is that even allowed?" said an onlooker. "Depends, there is no absolute rule after all," answered an expert. "Wow, such a manly guy, I wish I had a man like that," said an admiring girl. The elder in front of Lyon squinted his eyes, "Why would you do that? Are you her boyfriend or something?" "So what if I am!" shouted Lyon. His shout surprised everybody. No one in the history of Mist Clan ever dared to talk back or even shout to an elder. Today''s Ascension was surely the one that etched to the history book. "Holy f*ck this guy is too manly!" said the same admiring girl. "I know right, I want a man like that, no one under the heavens shall fear him!" said another girl. "You!... Stop being so unreasonable! There is no way you could replace someone! I won''t allow it!" The elder reaction was something everyone thought of. Every single disciple in the Mist Clan knew, opposing the elders meant that one would stagnate in their cultivation. This was because the beads supply for the opposer would be cut or not received a single bead. Meanwhile, the girls had almost the same thought, (Will he do that to me too? Will he stand against the world for me?) Everyone wanted a different partner, but one thing was for sure. They need a company, someone who would stand by them even when the world turned against them. Someone who will lift them up when they were down. Someone to protect and be protected. "Hmph! Useless blabber!" said the elder as he turned back and walking back to the panel before saying "Guards, send him to the punishment hall!" The head of the Mist Clan watched this event with a hint of a smile that escaped everyone''s eyes. If only someone could see her smile at that moment, their heart would be captured in an instant. "Then, if I beat you ... would you allow me to replace Reka." The sudden sentence seemed to freeze the time. Everybody instantly stopped whatever they were doing, including the elder who halted his steps. "Just now, what did you say?" The elder''s voice become deep as he heard something ridiculous. "If I beat you, you will allow me to take Reka''s position." "You snotty brat! Nothing is gonna change just because you said so!" "It will," said Lyon calmly. Even he himself didn''t know why was he always calm under such pressure. "Y-You!" then the elder turned his head to the elder''s panel with cupped hands, "Head, please allow me to do a battle of the death with this kid, the Mist Clan is better without him." Even Lyon was surprised at this outcome, he only wanted to replace Riku not to take the elder''s life. The head of the Mist Clan contemplated for a while before nodding in response. *cheer The crowd was in a high mood along with the approval from the head. They were here originally for the Ascension, who would have thought that they would see a battle to the death. "I shall personally see this battle," said the head before jumping down. "Hmph! A mere peak Soul Realm dares to confront me!" "Originally I only want to replace Riku, but since you are being unreasonable and ask a battle to the death, so be it," said Lyon taking his stance. (You both are unreasonable!) thought the crowd. "Feast on your enemies! SCARLET!" *zing With a flash, the red-blood sword was in Lyon''s hand. The aura permeated from it even made the elders in the panel nervous. 70 Battle to the Death? As the sword was shown to the world, the thirst of blood permeating from it. The weaker cultivators felt their entire body numb. They could see what happen but their bodies were instinctively afraid of the red-blood sword. "Just to make this clear, if I won this battle, I will replace Reka in the Ascension and if I passed all the test, my spot in the Central Region shall be given to her," said Lyon to the head of the clan while gritting his teeth. "Sure, I will allow it," smiled the woman. "Don''t get cocky kid, You will not live past this hour," said the elder. "Well since you both are eager to battle then," the woman clapped her hand and followed by a gong sound. The elder moved in a swift manner and approached Lyon in a defining speed. He intended to end the fight with just one critical blow. *clank The elder''s thrust met the red-blood sword but the force was instantly nulled. Scarlet didn''t even budge receiving the incoming attack. Seeing his swift attack didn''t work the elder quickly jumped back to a safe distance. (That sword is really tough) *flash The elder''s pupil shrink in astonishment, there was a horizontal cut on his left cheek. (How!?) thought the elder as he looked at Lyon who still standing in the same spot. "tch.," wiping his blood, the elder started his onslaught once more. *clank Once again, the sword only met scarlet as his cheek had another cut. "Mist art! Mist of Maze!" Slowly, a thick mist condensed the entire arena, enveloping both Lyon and the elder. The crowd couldn''t even see their figure in the thick mist, even experts had a hard time. "Mist of Illusion," contemplated an onlookers "That''s right, by using the energies around you, you could make a mist just like a spell. But nevertheless, the impact is still a far cry froman actual spell," said an observant "But the ability to make your enemy blind of your attacks is still a critical value," said another. Inside the mist, Lyon was standing still and not moving at all. (This sword absorbed my vitality like a torrent!). The elder was taking his time hidden in the mist, observing Lyon''s every move. (He is not panicking? Maybe he is just scared and gets numb. Hehehe this will be over in a flash). "You are wide open!" the elder made a silent jump toward Lyon''s open back. *clank (Impossible!) thought the elder as he bewildered by the outcome. His sword was once again met with Scarlet. However, what he was stunned the most was because Lyon didn''t even turn back when he made the block. *flash There was another cut on the elder''s face. Once again the elder hid in the mist. "Mist Bullet!" the elder thrust his sword and launched a mist bullet toward Lyon''s back head. His accuracy was truly among the best in the clan *block Once again the attack got block by Scarlet. *flash Another cut appeared, but this time it was not on the face but rather his right arm. (Gah! Why am I the one getting a cut out of nowhere! What is he?!) the elder started to get impatient. Nothing in history ever exist something like this. Even the gods would probably confuse at what''s happening right now. "Hah!" the elder started his barrage of attack revealing his location to Lyon. *clank Every single attack he made was blocked by Scarlet. An attack from the top? blocked. A slash from the side? blocked. A feint to thrust Lyon''s heart? blocked. All of this happened in under a minute, and Lyon didn''t even move half a step. It was like the only thing moving was his right hand which held Scarlet. Slowly the mist faded away and revealed both of them to the surrounding. *gasp The crowd was stunned seeing their figure, they would have thought the match was over by the time the mist faded. But the result was in fact almost taken one hundred and eighty. Taking a safe distance from Lyon was the elder which now had many cuts on his body. But the gruesome was the blood seemed to never stop flowing from the cut. The elder didn''t notice at all, his vitality was draining slowly with each cut. His eyes focused on the opponent which he thought was just an ant. "What are you?!" shouted the elder. Lyon didn''t answer his question, he was just standing there looking at the miserable elder. It was not like Lyon didn''t have the answer. it just that he couldn''t answer him. Lyon''s vitality was also draining but at a lower speed than before the first time he called Scarlet. The head of the clan looked at the miserable elder seriously. Nobody could have guessed what she was thinking about. Naeya, on the other hand, was gulping really hard seeing the miserable elder. She couldn''t have imagined a peak Soul Realm could do so much damage to a Half-Divine realm cultivators. "This, this is a dream right?" said an onlooker. "No, it''s the reality, brace yourselves because I think we just witness the birth of a legend," said an expert. The elder''s breathing slowly become calmer by seconds as the energies were swirling around his body. "Is he gonna?!" said a young cultivator. "Quite possibly yes, he is going to use his ace art!!" said another cultivator. (Tch... I can''t hold on much longer I need to move now or never!) thought Lyon. Everybody was on gripping their hands tightly. The match will be decided by this final move. "Be honored, because you shall be slain by my finest art," said the elder. *tap Lyon started to run toward the elder, (Fool!) thought the elder. "Mist art, Glaze-" (?!, I can''t move! My limbs are numb!) as he glanced at his limb he instantly knew what was the cause. *stab With the very last ounce in Lyon''s strength, he jumped and thrust his sword toward the elder''s heart. *zing The red-blood sword crazily sucked the blood out of the elder, revitalized it''s endurance and also Lyon''s own vitality. "That''s enough," said the head of the clan. 71 How Can I not be? Lyon retracted his weapon and glared at the head of the clan. This battle was supposed to be a life and death one, what did it mean to stop it just before he finished the opponent? "What is the meaning of this?" asked Lyon despite his fatigue. The sword had taken so much of his vitality, so fighting another battle was almost impossible. Even so, he didn''t worry about what''s gonna happen to him. He knew Ryona would do something before anything bad happen. The head of the clan looked at Lyon calmly despite his tone. She was really calm and collected through in and out. Nobody could guess what she was thinking. Especially with those snake-like eyes, people could feel the cold radiating from it. The crowd was also eager to know what was going to happen next. The head never goes back on her words before, so this outcome really surprised them. What was going on probably deeper than their knowledge? "Please give me some face and let this one slide," said the head of the clan with a tone full of respect. It was really rare for the head to do this, only a select people could make the head said something with that much respect. Not even a king would necessarily deserve one. "On what basis, do you think I would do what you told?" asked Lyon. The crowd was surprised to see him actually tried to negotiate back with the head of the clan. Only madmen would do so, but then again only madmen would accomplish great things. Even the head was a bit surprised seeing someone would talk back against her. It had been too long since she can remember the last time someone did so. Now the woman saw him in a new light. (So, he is someone with a backbone after all, interesting, I can''t wait to see his reaction when he knew my identity) "You will know when the time comes," said the head of the clan. The woman''s sentence made Lyon confused. (What is she implying? Do I know her?) thought Lyon. Glancing at the elder who only had a breath left, Lyon was confused about what he should do. "Tell me, is he going to be dead in the end?" asked Lyon. This was what Lyon worried the most, he won''t let a seed of revenge spread even if its an old man. One of the many reason cultivators fell was because they thought an ant wouldn''t grow. The head of the Mist Clan revealed a rare smile at Lyon. She never thought that he would still doubt her. "Yes, you can rest assured that his life is no more, but he still has a value this time." Nodding at the woman, Lyon tense body became more relaxed, however, his next sentence stunned the crowd once more. "As compensation, I want Reka to be instantly accepted in the Central Region without any test or conditions required." *slam One of the elders in the panel slammed his chair, "Impudent kid! Know your place! Who are you to make propositions to our leader!" Lyon glanced at the furious elder, "Do you think you have a place to cut in my and your leader''s conversation?" "Y-you..!" the elder didn''t know what to say. Lyon was right, an elder also didn''t have any place to cut in the leader''s conversation. With just a single sentence the elder was defeated. Not accepting that he was defeated by a kid, the elder almost jumped on impulse if not the head raised her hand to stop what he was doing. "I will allow it," said the head calmly. "But leader.." the elder couldn''t accept the outcome. In his mind, everything should go with the procedure. Nobody was allowed to have a backdoor. The head of the Mist Clan knew this elder''s personality, he was an honest man and full of pride. This kind of traits was surely what any leader wants in their subordinate. However, this kind of personality was also the thing that could hinder his growth to become a great leader. The leader the Mist Clan seek was an honest one, but being honest was not enough to maintain the clan. If honesty brought the destruction of the clan then it meant nothing. Naeya, however, was an open-minded elder since she was the youngest one. She took in everything that''s happening in front of her as a study case. There must be a reason why something like this was happening. Why would the leader allowed a student ascend to the Central Region through a backdoor for the first time or why would the leader let the elder live a little longer. "Since that is the case, I''ll be back on my seat watching this ''Ascension'' of yours," said Lyon as he walked back staggered. The head commanded the guards to bring the miserable elder to the interrogation room. Along with that, the head excuse herself from the crowd and followed the guards behind them. Once again, Lyon''s name was the hot topic in Mist Clan. A new tale of his journey was added to his history book. The young man who defeated an elder single-handedly and made a proposition to the leader which was later agreed on. He had become a figure to look up to, all the young kids on the arena that day had starstruck eyes. The man who made the impossible possible. The man who defeated an Half-Divine Realm with the cultivation of peak Soul Realm. All of this was happening right in front of their eyes. As Lyon sat back on his seat, he breathed a sigh of relief. He felt like a burden in his heart was lifted up slowly. Although his body was aching all over from the cause of low vitality, he still tried to sit properly. (Aih, I should really stop my perverted thought. It always brings me more trouble) *pull Suddenly Lyon''s body was pulled to his left side. Landing in a soft cushion-like thing felt like heaven. (Aih, forget it! With girls like these, how can I not be perverted?!) 72 Mist Edge Lyon was inciting everyman''s jealousy. The surrounding couldn''t help but cursed him inwardly. Although the feat he did was astonishing, did he deserve such rewards? He wasn''t even a king or an emperor yet and he already basks in beautiful women, even the elders could only sigh. The dead tired Lyon slowly recuperate on the soft cushion while watching the continuation of the ''Ascension''. Ryona slowly combed his hair with her finger. She looked like a queen taking care of her emperor. None of the other ladies dared to interrupt them. Not to mention Biane and Clemora, even Luna and Karina had to wait their turn. *ehem "The second test of the Ascension may begin," said the other elder who whispered a message from before. Once more, the disciples who passed the first test was being called out one by one. Each of them were to display their skills in the intermediate level of Mist Art. This includes a variety of a skill if the disciple managed to create one. The intermediate level of Mist Art contained three main arts which could be varied according to the disciple''s style. The first one was the ''Mist Edge'', this art used the heaven and world''s energies to sharpen their weapon by coating them with it. The book said that whoever learn this art to a peak level or beyond said that his or her weapon''s sharpness couldn''t be seen clearly like a mist was covering it. Although the art sound so simple, the execution was not so. The concentration and focus must be on point since once they lose them, the art immediately disperse. "Fleur, please step on the ring and show us your prowess," said the elder. "Yes," A thin young man stepped on the ring with his shallow sword. He was a well known young man in the South Region. He had done almost a hundred missions from the clan and his talent could be considered the best.a When his eyes became focused, the shallow sword''s edges started to glow a little. Even a low cultivator could see it. The elder nodded, "Do you have a variety for your art?" "eh?" With the sudden question from the elder, the ''Mist Edge'' got canceled instantly. . . . "Fail!" declared the elder. The outcome truly surprised the crowd. They would have thought that Fleur might pass this test effortlessly. "I-i can do it again! Please give me one more chance!" begged Fleur. "Hmph! A cultivator never begs to others!" the elder got more infuriated seeing the disciple''s behavior before continuing, "You should train more on your concentration and focus, just a basic question made you lose it." "A real cultivator will not get nervous over something as trivial as this. If you always begged to make the world favor you, don''t blame others if the result is not what you want. Go back and train once more, I hope to see some improvements by then." Although the voice was loud and harsh, the elder actually gave a pointer to the disciple about his flaw. "I will tell you what you already know, the cultivation world is long and hard, if a simple failure like this made you waver. You will be stuck on your realm forever." The encouraging word from the elder made the disappointed Fleur saw a new light. After regainin his wits, Fleur bowed to the elder and walked down the ring full of motivation to train harder. "Next, please come forward," The elder continued the test once more. Although there were a hanfdful of disciples that passed the test. There were also the ones like Fleur. Every pointer the elder gave was carefully listened by those who failed. "Biane, please stepped on the ring," "Yes," Answering from the audience seat, she jumped and land perfectly on the ring. Before the elder could say anything, Biane''s Santana already coated with heaven and world''s energies, making the people struck in awe. The density of the energies was by far the thickest of them all. Even the crowd''s eyes would occasionally blink as if the greatsword''s edges was right in front of their eyes. "Do you have a variaty of the art?" asked the elder. "No," Biane answered calmly. Nobody knew if she was telling the truth or not. But one thing for sure was that her concentration and focus were very well mantained despite her burst personality. Only a strong cultivators could control one''s own. Lyon was looking at this outcome with a hidden smile. He knew stright away that she had a variation of that art. That was because he already face one of it in the competition from before. (Beautiful women always had innate acting skills. It''s like a default skill they had since they were born or something) mused Lyon. "Disciple Biane, you pass!" declared the elder. Biane cupped her hand and gone back to her seat next to Lyon. Her sister, Clemora also passed the test effortlessly. She also said ''no'' when she was asked about the variaty, much like her sister. "There are more promising disciples this ''Ascension''", said an onlooker. "You''re right, I bet Clemora and Biane would get ''ascended'' to the Central Region," said the onlooker''s friend. "The last disciple, Riku, please come up to the ring," said the elder. "Yes," said Riku. Being the last one, Riku was not nervous at all. Although she looked like an innocent angel, her movements could made the shadow weep. Coated with the energies, her ''Mist Edge'' danced along with the movement she made. The elder''s eyes were wide open. Usually ''Mist Edge'' was only executed when it was time to land a critical hit. (This young girl! Every move of her ''dance'' aimed at the surrounding and her art is not diminishing even one bit! Such talent, how could we overlooked it until now!?). Of course, this dance was not Riku''s self taught ability. It was given to her by none other than her greatest master, Ryona. 73 Legion? The dance Riku was doing definitely caught not just the elder attention, but everyone too. An expert was trying to see an opening in her dance but failed everytime he thought he had it. Every rhythm and every strike she did could be considered flawless. Not to mention her natural beauty, the scene was like a maiden dancing on a grassy field under the moonlight. As Riku finished her moves, it took a whole minute for the others to realize that it was over. Even the elder couldn''t believe what he just saw. *clap One of the elders in the panel stood up and began clapping his hands furiously. He was the original master of Riku. His clapping incited a butterfly-like effect and soon the whole arena was clapping her performance. Receiving such standing applauses was a new experience for Riku. Her face was flushed red while she bowed repeatedly. "Disciple Riku, definite PASS!" shouted the elder. ------------------------------------------ All the clattering outside could even be heard inside the interrogation room. The room was a simple square room that could only fit about five people in it. The head of the clan was sitting opposite the miserable elder. She was tapping her finger on the desk as if she was waiting for something. "You can laugh at me if you want," said the miserable elder. "Maybe, but what does it do to me?" asked the head of the clan calmly. Her response took the elder by surprise, "You are definitely amazing, being so calm even when your enemy is right in front of you." The head of the clan stared at the elder intensely, she had a deduction before but never wanted to believe that it was true. "So it is true, isn''t it? You are part of that ''legion''." The elder chuckled at the agitated woman in front of him, "Yes I am, they promised me power beyond I have right now, so why wouldn''t I be a part of that ''legion''." Taking a deep breath the elder continued, "Are you interested in joining the ''legion'' too? Head." *boom The head slammed the table and it was obliterated in an instant. The elder already more or less guessed the head''s reaction and he only chuckled at the sight of it. "Where is the ''legion'' base at?" asked the head with a murderous tone. "You think too highly of me, I am at the lowest of the lowest rank in the ''legion'' I didn''t have the knowledge of where the base is at. Who knows, maybe there was more than one base." His answer caught the head of the clan off guard. He was at the Half-Divine realm and still considered the lowest of the lowest in the ''legion''. What kind of person standing on the top then? The elder knew what the head was worried about, "All I can say is that the person who recruited me was stronger than you, the person beat me with only one move." "What is the ''legion'' goals? What did they want to make?" These questions were looming in her head for quite some time. It was already hard enough to seek their information and once she got the lead, the person was none other than an elder of her own. "Who cares what their goals are?! All I want is power! I''m sick and tired of being an underling to you!! So what if they wanted to rule Deo entirely?! As long as I have enough power I could rule other worlds too!" said the infuriated elder. The head of the clan only looked at him without saying anything. (Am I really a bad leader?) was what running through her mind. After a brief of silence and recollecting his thought the elder asked, "Tell me, is the young man part of your plan?". Of course, the young man the elder refer to was obviously Lyon. "No, he is not," the head shook her head before continuing, "But he is my wild card." The elder chuckled, "That boy is amazing, I must say he had talent in battle. But the only reason he could beat me is that weird sword," The head nodded in her response, "He is chosen by the sentiment in the weapon after all," "He might be the key to all your troubles with the ''legion''. Although the reason he fights me was unreasonable as it is," the moment he said that, his eyes widened a little as he realized something. "So that''s it ... HAHAHAHAHA!" the elder suddenly laughed crazily. The head of the clan squinted her eyes at the elder''s reaction. "No wonder the excuse was unbelievably shameless," said the elder. "What is it?" asked the head. "The reason he fought against me, was because he knew I am from the ''legion''!" said the elder dropping the bomb news. "What?! That''s not possible?!" said the head. "Hmph! Even the sentiment accept him when he was only a Soul Realm cultivator, what impossible thing he couldn''t achieve?!" When he put it out like that, the head couldn''t retort back. (Did he knew about the ''legion''?). The miserable elder chuckled once more, "Looks like the legion had a fearsome enemy to get rid of, you better nurture him, head. A lot of geniuses die prematurely." "Why are you saying all of this?" asked the head. She thought that he was a loyal dog of the ''legion'' but half of the conversation indicated otherwise. "I will never see the sunlight tomorrow anyway, why would I hold back my thoughts? I only joined the ''legion'' only for the power they promised me, I never said I''ll be their dog." said the elder. The elder looked at the woman in front of him full of respect, "You know I''ve always been the greedy type of person since I was a kid." The elder continued, "As a gift for taking care of me all this while, I will tell you something about my recruiter." Taking a deep breath he continued, "The person is in the arena." Hearing the info, the head of the clan slammed her eyebrows. The elder knew that the next thing was his execution, "May I call you ''that'' one last time?" The head of the clan nodded. "Goodbye Master Reka!" *slash The elder''s head rolled on the ground as his soul was extinguished. 74 The Last Tes The last test of the Ascension was what the crowd was waiting for. The two test from before could be said just a show for everyone to see, but the last one was where they would see blood, sweat, and tears. The true potential of the disciples shall be uprooted. Some of the crowd were new and not familiar with the last test of the ''Ascension'', especially seeing the locals excited. One young man couldn''t help but ask, "Hey brother isn''t the last test kind of vague? I mean the outcome will be entirely judged by the elder and the head of the Mist Clan." The excited person happily answered the lost lamb, "Brother, it is not about the outcome, the test your about to see is one of a kind." Taking a deep breath the person continued, "You will see our disciples exert their utmost and deepest potential, and what else is there than a life and death situation." The young man got confused and ask, "But the clan prohibits killing right?". But his confusion was soon answered by the excited person, "True, but if the disciples consider this a friendly match, then they would one hundred percent fail the last test. Only on a life and death situation would one gave it all. So you better open your eyes wide brother, no disciples shall let this opportunity go easily." Suddenly a sudden cry caught the crowd attention, "Look it''s the disciples from the Central Region," Walking from the north gate of the arena right under the elder''s panel were three powerful figures. The left figure wearing a blue robe was a burly bald man that looked the oldest and the biggest of the three. He had a staff made of Celestial Wood that was almost impossible to break by normal means. His name was Geffen Manis the current number three disciple in the Central Region. The right figure of the trio was a man wearing a glasses in a dark cloak. But many of his opponents were fooled when the thought he was a spell caster. Right under the cloak was a weapon nobody would expect, a morning star. His name was Feiran Gua, the current number two disciple in the Central Region. The one leading the other two was a thin young man wearing a green robe while holding a pair of chakrams. His handsome face had a scar under his right eye exuding a fearsome charisma. His name was Vindre Lars the current number one disciple in the Central Region. "Look its Feiran Gua, I still wonder how he covered that morning star under that cloak and short body of his," said an onlooker. "After all this years the Celestial Wood staff didn''t even scratch," said another. But most of the attention fell onto Vindre Lars, the current number one disciple in the Central. There were rumors surrounding him that he rejected the offer from the head of the clan about becoming one of the elders. Nobody knew what was his goal after entering the Central Region. "Oh? There seem to be a lot of talented young ones this Ascension," said Geffen. "Yeah but it will probably less than five people gonna make it, right Vindre?" asked Feiran. Vindre didn''t respond to Feiran''s question as he seemed uninterested in the Ascension. After all, this was the test to uproot the potential of the disciples and not his. A match with him probably ended in less than five moves. The head of the clan was finally back on her seat after a while. She did not waste any more time as she declared the last test to commence, "It is time for the last test to begin." The crowd was ecstatic, there were cheerings in every corner of the seat. "Ryona, do you think your disciple can make it?" asked Lyon while yawning. "Of course she can, I am her master after all," chuckled Ryona. "Oh I''m getting sleepy," said Lyon trying to get up. *grab. An insurmountable strength was pulling him down on the same heavenly cushion once more. "You can sleep on my lap hubby <3" (Ah, I have a feeling she will **** me one day, BUT I don''t mind though!) thought Lyon. *ehem "From this moment, we will not call up your names anymore, instead those who feel ready to battle just step on the ring," said an elder in the panel. Most of the disciples didn''t aware that the test already began, the more they doubt themselves the more negative the elders had their opinions of them. They looked at each other as they could feel each other''s nervousness. The last step was within their grasp, however, fear caught up to them. The fear of getting beaten to a pulp, the fear of oozing blood was running in their mind. Although they were all cultivators who were familiar with death, ''pain'' was something else entirely. This was the difference between true cultivators and cultivators you found on the street. How far would one endure, how many tears would one shed, it was not the beads that made cultivators strong, it was not winning that made cultivators grow. It was pain and failure! *swoosh Three figures jumped at the same time, catching all the eyes in the arena. Seeing the three figures were all beautiful women, the men disciples had their face turned red in embarrassment. The three beautiful women were none other than Biane, Clemora and of course Riku. Their unwavering eyes and superb will was presented in front of everyone in the arena. They stood there like valkyries ready to fight the demons from the deepest hell. "I must say, those three probably the cream of the crops this Ascension," said Geffen. "I detect no fear in their stance, not even a shaking hands," smiled Feiran. "Interesting," the silent Vindre finally said something before he jumped on his own on the arena facing the three of them. As the other two was about to follow him, Vindre glanced and said, "Stand back.". Just two simple word yet the two didn''t dare to disobey. The three girls could feel the pressure the Vindre exuded, they readied themselves as they about to face probably the strongest opponent yet. 75 The Battle Without waiting for the head''s signal, Vindre launched his chakrams to the left and right aiming at the three of them. This direct assault was just Vindre''s way to gauge his opponent agility. *swoosh Without a single doubt on the crowd''s mind, Biane and Clemora easily dodged the incoming attack. Riku, however, chose to run forward between the chakrams and initiated an attack. (If you got an opportunity to attack, attack! Don''t waste any single opportunity you have!) Ryona''s teaching echoed in Riku''s mind. Her steps were like a shadow, fast and traceless. Along with his unsheathed sword, she used the Mist Edge art to amplify the strike she was about to blow. *clank Her eyes were wide open as she saw what''s happening right in front of her. Her sword was met with a third chakram which Vindre retrieved from his spatial ring. She noticed that his fingers were dancing like he was playing a tune on a piano. "Look out!" warned Biane as she slashed her greatsword to deflect the other two chakrams that aimed at Riku''s back. After both of them jumped to a safe distance, a sudden gust of wind hit Vindre''s face as a cry of Phoenix was heard behind him. *boom A loud bang reverberated inside the arena. Vindre was quick enough to turn his back and block the dangerous attack with the third chakram. But her amazing feat was only met with a graceful smile from Clemora. *swoosh Those familiar slashes appeared once more as they headed toward Vindre with amazing speed from behind. However, with a flick of his finger, the other two chakrams suddenly threw itself onto the slashes. Clemora immediately retreated to a safe distance on the corner of the ring. Somehow Clemora''s positioning made Vindre''s spot exactly in the middle of a triangle with Biane and Riku on the other points. The crowd almost forgot to breathe as they saw the intensity of the battle, even the dust couldn''t make them blink. "Look! The ladies actually had the upper hand in this battle!" said an excited onlooker. "Well, it still the start and we still don''t see Vindre in full power yet," said a calm observant. Although being in the center of their strategy was disadvantageous, he didn''t get nervous at all. His breathing was still normal even after those heart-stealing attack. "Hubby, what do you think the ladies will do?" said Ryona while combing Lyon''s hair. "I don''t know, I never knew how girls think at all," said Lyon. "Just your guess is fine." "Alright then," "First of all, since they knew Vindre could pull a third chakram means that they have to think that he has more and could control it too. The questions that popped in their mind would be how many chakrams can Vindre control?" "The way to do that was by attacking his openings since they got an advantage in numbers, a pincher attack was the best way," "But why would they want to make Vindre pulled out more chakrams? Isn''t the less chakram the better?" asked Jugen as he was intrigued by his big brother''s analysis. "It might be so for a common cultivator, but that was actually a false thinking if they were facing an expert. The more you go full power the more draining the stamina is to maintain it. If you let an expert excess their stamina as minimum as possible, then your life will end up in their hands sooner than later." As Jugen contemplated in his seat, Lyon continued his guess, "After they did that successfully, that''s where the true match began. The condition they are in will be much worse than they are now, plus with Vindre going full force, things might end in under ten moves. But if they somehow survived his onslaught then they have the chance to beat him." Although Lyon''s voice was not loud, the nearby crowd could still listen to his opinion clearly. "B-brother? What do you mean by beating him?", one of them asked what they were all thinking. It was already hard enough for one to exert their utmost potential while this guy just spouted nonsense like beating a Central disciple? Not to mention this was the number one disciple in there even if this was the worst one it would still be an impossible feat to do, even if it were three against one. "It means what it means. They are planning to kick his ass down." "B-but Vindre''s cultivation realm was probably at the level six or maybe eight Half-Divine Realm while those girls were only peak Soul Realm, one was even the ninth." "Cultivation is not the way to decide the outcome of a battle." As the guy was about to refute him, he remembered that he had the right to say that statement. His battle was more amazing than this since the odd was almost zero yet he singlehandedly defeat an elder. in the end, the refuters gulped their words down to their stomach. "Besides, with a master like you, it is a matter of course that she wants to beat him despite the impossibility." "Owh, hubby you know me really well <3". The fight was continued just like Lyon had predicted. The three ladies were now in a deep fatigue dealing with Vindre''s astonishing seven chakrams. They did try to cut the thin wire that connected to his fingers but it was no use, that thing was tough as an adamantine. They realized that a room for error would mean fatal for them. His seven chakrams almost leave no opening to strike and everything seemed hopeless to them. "Are you done?" asked Vindre coldly before continuing, "I applaud you to making me push this far, you three definitely belong in the Central Region!" However, his assuring statement didn''t change the women''s expression at all. "Sisters, I will be the decoy of those seven chakrams whileyou both attacked him when the chance arrived," "Are you cra-" before Biane could express her opinion, Riku already stood against Vindre. "Attack me with all you got, senior!" shouted Riku as she readied herself. "GOOD! This is what it means to be a cultivator!" applaud Vindre. The crowd instantly thought that she was out of her mind, but the next move of her blew their expectation. *swoosh All seven chakrams moved at the same time but different speed, Vindre''s control was really astonishing. With Mist Edge active, Riku began to move her slender hands and leg to an unknown yet familiar rhythm. *clank*clank*clank*clank She managed to deflect the chakram and dodge the rest of the attack smoothly. Leaving the crowd and Vindre with wide opened eyes. 76 Sylph Dance Her movement made the crowd forget that this was a battle. They thought an opera was playing right in front of them. No matter which directions Vindre launched his chakrams it couldn''t even scratch her body. This technique was beyond their comprehension, even a talented cultivator was having a hard time to identify the move she did. Vindre''s face started to twitch and his fingers moved even faster than before. They were twirling around along with the scream from the wind which struck fear to the world. But even if the intensity was two times or more, Riku still capable of dodging and blocking his attacks. However, her position was at a standstill which was disadvantageous for a long run. As Riku was moving gracefully, the memories of her training echoed in her mind. --------------------------------------------------------- It was back at Undine Lake when Ryona trained Riku in the forest nearby. Riku was sitting by the side and observed her mentor dancing in the middle of the forest like a faerie. Her graceful movement seemed to guide the surrounding to the direction she wanted it to be. With every swing of her axe, the trees swayed along while its leaves were plucked with the strong wind. Riku was in awe, combined with the beauty and her graceful motion, it was hard to believe that this woman could kill without even batting an eye. Gradually, Ryona''s movement getting slower and slower and just when Riku thought it was over, the defining blow came into her vision. *boom Three pairs of wing suddenly appeared on Ryona''s back as she was facing the sky and all the leaves in the vicinity fell down. It was like a flash in Riku''s eyes before the wings disappeared into nothingness. After a brief of silentRyona began to explain her technique, "This technique or art is called the Slyph Dance, it is the perfect technique for cultivators that focused on agility such as yourself," said Ryona seriously. This technique had a significant meaning to her. The Slyph Dance had a deep root to the Sylph race itself, although Ryona is not a Slyph, she was lucky enough to learn from them personally. It was a fated encounter they said. Slyph has a really high affinity with the wind element thus they could control the flow of it naturally. By making use of the wind, a Sylph could move almost with no frictions in the air, but sadly, their bodies were not strong enough to withstand a lethal attack. Then that''s why the Slyph Dance was born. There was even a saying, ''If a Slyph was dancing, not even a dust could hit them.'' However, it was a new case if a non-Sylph was trying to learn this technique. There were conditions to be met, The first one was, of course, the affinity with wind element. If the first one was not met, it will be entirely impossible to even learn the basic of the technique. The second was a high agility. Since the Sylphs had wings on their back, their movements were swifter than most of the other races, at least in the air. But a non-sylph who had no wings must advantage their fast response against incoming attacks. The last one was a blessing of a Sylph. Without the last one, the technique would never be completed. Sylph Dance was derived into three stages. The first one was the defensive stage, followed by attacking stage and the last one was the Slyph stage. Every stage had different rhythms especially the last one since the rhythm was unique to the user of the technique. --------------------------------------------------------- *cheer The crowd was cheering the three of them nonstop. "C-mon guys, you can do it." "Yeah! Break the record guys!" *boom Suddenly, Vindre felt a massive weight on his body as his feet started to break the ring. As he glanced at a nearby figure, he saw Biane standing straight with her greatsword stabbed to the ground. On the other end, Clemora was coming at a high speed with her sword glowing blue. (This is it!) thought the three of them, "GO! CLEMORA!" "AAAAHHHH!!!" The scream that defined the meaning of victory was shout as the cry of blue phoenix was loud and clear. *boom A clear blasting sound reverberated inside the arena and dust covered the most important spot on the ring. The crowd was on their seat hoping for the result they would never dream of. The silence made them wish they could just buy a huge fan and waved at the dust. "Ahhh!" A spurt of blood was spraying out of the dust followed by Clemora''s body which was covered with horrendous wounds. The next one to be sent flying was of course Biane. Looking the two of them, they were definitely incapable of fighting anymore. As the dust gradually cleared, they could finally see the state of Vindre. He was wounded and his clothes were torn, there was a clear fatigue on his expression. However, what made Riku opened her eyes wide, was a pair of chakrams in his hands. (He could control nine?!) thought Riku, as their goals seemed to become impossible. (NO! I refuse to give up!). Riku ran toward the fatigue Vindre with hope in her heart. She didn''t care whatever happens to her. As long as she could move, she could fight. *swoosh There were now nine chakrams dancing in the sky like a vulture. *clank The Slyph Dance managed to block them, but this time she was moving forward. *slash A chakram managed to scratch her as her form was imperfect. She gritted her teeth and moved forward. *slash Another slash cut her hand, another slash cut her face, another slash cut her left thigh, another, another and another, until Riku couldn''t move anymore. But the amazing part was, she still standing. Tiene was already sobbing in Yiaz arms as she couldn''t look anymore. *swoosh (OH no! She passed out!) thought Vindre as he already launched a chakram at her vital point that could make her cripple. (Shit I''m too weak to retract it!). The chakram was moving closer and closer to Rikku and the crowd''s mouth was opened up entirely to the horror they were about to see. *BOOM A huge axe suddenly dropped in front of Riku, cutting the chakram in half and its momentum. *CRACK The ring was cut into a perfectly clean half by the force of the axe. Riku who was actually still could see with her right eyes half opened, was embrace by the woman who taught her the dance. *clap Lyon suddenly clapping in the midst of silence. His action easily led to a domino effect and in an instant, the whole arena was giving a standing ovation. 77 Eyes Wide *whistle "Good job!" "You are my idol Riku!! "Biane we love you!!" All the clamours were very well deserved for those three. There was no one in the history that ever made a disciple from the Central Region sustain injuries and even pushed him to use his full power during the Ascension. "Say, brother, are you interested in joining our legion?" suddenly a voice entered Lyon''s ears from his side. Lyon didn''t notice a person was already standing beside him where Biane used to sit. He had the most common face and common figure one could find anywhere in Deo. Lyon stopped his clapping and lazily looked at the guy who offered him an invitation. However, before he could say anything, the guy continued, "Our legion can offer you greater power! High-quality beads daily!" Seeing Lyon didn''t even have a reaction to his offer, he retracted a bead of a high-quality one on his palm. The bead was at the size of a rice and everybody would kill just to get this single item, but Lyon didn''t even bat an eye to it. The guy was stunned for a second, but soon he let out a smile as Lyon casually picked the bead. Lyon carefully inspected the bead he just picked up like a diamond ring. "Don''t worry, it''s not a fake bead, you can try it." smiled the guy. Lyon looked at the guy once more with a confused expression only to meet with a ''be my guest'' gesture. *flick Lyon flicked his finger and let the bead flew into his mouth and with a gulp, he swallowed the bead whole. However, he felt no changes whatsoever. The guy who offered him the bead had bulging eyes that about to pop from its socket. He still couldn''t believe that Lyon just ate the precious bead. If some cultivators were to know about this, they would rush and gutted Lyon. Lyon looked at the guy and realized something. "Y-you ...*sigh ... I am not supposed to eat that, am I?" said Lyon with a sour face. With bulging eyes, the guy shook his head. (Fuck!) thought Lyon. *ehem Regaining his sense, the guy continued to offer him the invitation. "How about it brother? Don''t worry about the bead, we still had many more. Sometimes accidents do happen." (Fuck you! That was not an accident!! Anything else can be called an accident but not that! That was just so stupid to be called an accident!) Lyon was crying inside. "What is your legion about?" asked Lyon. He was a bit sceptical and about to refuse him, but that accident made him change his mind. "I am sorry, brother, but you have to join first to know our goals," said the guy with an apologetic expression. Lyon squinted his eyes, as he thought (Wow, only a dumb protagonist would join this kind of fishy group). "Is your legion some kind of a cult?" asked Lyon. "Yeah, I guess you can call it that, sort of," said the guy like he was doubting his own answer. (This guy is really pathetic, which fool would even join his legion) chuckled Lyon. If the beheaded elder were to hear this, he probably strangled Lyon to death. "So you are joining?" asked the guy. "No," said Lyon. "Oh ok then," the guy just walked away as nothing happened. Lyon didn''t know if he was disappointed or not, in the end, he paid no heed to it. However, when he glanced back, the guy was already out of his vision. Lyon then decided to join Ryona to the infirmary where Riku and the two girls being treated. Ther he saw the three women laying on the bed, groaning. Riku''s parent was obviously beside her daughter, while the other two seem to have no relative visiting. Sitting between Biane and Clemora, Lyon was kind of happy somehow. "Does it hurt?" asked Lyon. Both women instantly glared at him, if it wasn''t because they were badly injured, they would send him flying already. "Sorry, that was a stupid question," said Lyon after he realized what he asked. "Why is nobody visiting you guys? Don''t you have a relatively high status in your kingdom?" Lyon decided to say what was in his mind, this was because judging by their weapons and stuff, they should have high status in the kingdom, but the fact that no one was coming, intrigued him. "A-actually ..." *knock *knock A soothing voice from the outside the door caught everyone''s attention. "May I come in?" "Yes," said Lyon. *creak The person behind the knocking was unexpectedly the head of the Mist Clan. With that familiar band-aid on her forehead, Lyon quietly chuckled a bit. "First of all, congratulation on Ascending to the Central Region. We are lucky to have three talented disciples this time around. May your greatness let us soar in heaven." said the head of the mist clan with cupped hands. "No, no need to reply to my gesture, your health is more important," said the head as she waved her hand. Looking at Lyon who was sitting calmly, she stated the reason for her visit. "May I speak with you in private?" Her tone made Lyon confuse if she was being serious or not. "Alright, I''ll be back later guys." "Please excuse us," then the head said to Lyon to follow her. The hallway they were into was not decorated in anything at all, even the red carpet had lost its vibrant colour. At the end of the hall was actually a single door made of sturdy old wood. "Are you really that cheap?" said Lyon while his head was leaning back on his hands along the walk. "As the head of the clan, I must save up resources and made less expenditure on things that are unnecessary." "But this is too much, don''t you think?" the head of the clan only smiled and continued walking. *creak. As they arrived at the room, Lyon was not surprised at all to see the degrading quality of the room. Although everything was clean to the point it reflected light, their quality was something one could get in the street. Facing her back, Lyon said, "C''mon what is it that you want to tell me? I need to go back quickly.". Lyon was about to heal the three girls up before the head invited him to talk. "Oh don''t be in a hurry, you are my boyfriend, aren''t you? Won''t you talk to your girlfriend a little while." The head turned around and a whole new person was right in front of him. She was the reason why Lyon was fighting the elder. "R-Reka?" said Lyon with his eyes wide open. 78 I Cans The woman standing in front of him was Reka, the girl Lyon fought in the competition to get Scarlet. She just stood there with a mischievous smile on her face. Lyon didn''t notice it before, but she had a really cute smile along with her dimples. "You have a lot of explaining to do," said Lyon after his mind shut down for the many questions that popped up in his head. Reka chuckled and tip-toed to the nearby bookcase. She directly pulled out a really ancient book as its case was really damaged but amazingly there was no dust on it. Then she directly gave the book to him as he confusedly accepted it. Lyon noticed that there was no title in the cover, there was not even a symbol. It was only made of a thick paperboard. Lyon decided to skim through the book as Reka sat down to her seat. She looked at him with an awe, she could see how focused he was when he read the pages. He only took under three seconds to open up a new page and under three minutes to close the book. He contemplated for a while before giving the book back to her. He took a really deep thought and Reka even held her breath as she didn''t want to disturb him. Then Lyon looked deep in her eyes, "Are you ready to hear my assessment?" Reka nervously nodded, although she was a lot stronger than him, his seriousness overwhelm her. She only felt like this when someone was stronger than her, but this young man was only a Soul Realm. "With my bright mind and talent, I Lyon Torga had a conclusion that!". Suddenly the weather became cold as rain was hitting the window. "I....." *boom A loud thunder was heard as the room flashed white, but Lyon was approaching Reka in front of her desk. As he slammed his hands on the desk a loud thunder came once more interrupting his speech. "Ca" *boom "Nno" *boom "T" *boom "GODAMMIT NATURE!! JUST LET ME FINI-" *boom Then Lyon had his face down as the rain was getting harder and harder. When he tried to open his mouth another thunder followed suit. Lyon pulled back his mouth inside as he looked really pissed. Lyon suddenly leaned his face forward toward the stunned Reka. He reached out for her ear and whispered what he was about to say. ''I cannot read...'' *Boom The room flashed once more as Reka''s pair of eyes opened wide with her mouth agape. She couldn''t believe what she heard. She was in total speechless. This man could defeat an elder whose cultivation was one realm above him singlehandedly but he couldn''t read? Is this the way of heaven making things fair? The clouds were dispersing at a rapid speed and the rain was no more. What replacing it was the stars from the night. (Nature, you a bitch) cursed Lyon inwardly. After regaining her senses, she coughed a little to make the atmosphere less awkward. However, she failed to maintain composure and burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha... ouch my side.. hahaha.." (Chance!) Lyon quickly tickled her sides and made her laughing and moving like a maniac. But it was only a short moment before an elbow hit his chest and sent him flying across the room and hit the wall. (I forgot she is stronger than me) *thud. "Oh no, I''m so sorry!", Reka hurriedly approached him to check his condition. "I''m fine, don''t worry about it," said Lyon with a caved in chest. "Are you sure?". Reka could clearly see the caved in chest, a normal people would be horrified if this was done to them. "I''m fine *cough" (There was literally blood when he coughed just now) thought Reka. Then Reka put his right hand over her shoulder and walked him over the nearby sofa to let him rest. Although the sofa was not comfortable it''s better than on the floor. She then began to narrate what was the book about. The book was actually a report of her personal investigation toward a certain group. The group had no exact number of its members, but one thing for sure was that there was a recruiter, which means there were ranks in their group. The report didn''t contain any information about how they operate nor what their goals were. It mostly contained people that she killed in the group. They were a loyal bunch and didn''t dare to sell the group out. The group often called themselves ''Legion''. The last sentence of her caught Lyon attention the most as he reminded of a guy back in the arena. (He also asked me to join the ''Legion'' is it the same as what she talked about?). "Why are you so obsessed with the group?" his sudden question stopped Reka''s explanation who was sitting by his side. A tinge of sadness could be seen in her eyes as she was remembering the event when she was just a kid. "They killed my parents," said Reka softly. A warm current was building up on the corner of her eyes. The image of the calm and collected head of the clan, in the end, she was also a girl. Lyon didn''t say anything and just let her calmed herself down. He knew that now was not the time to embrace her. Sometimes, you had to just be there and do nothing. Not like he could do anything with his condition anyway. She quickly wiped it off before it ran down to her cheeks. "Sorry you have to see that, it''s embarrassing," said Reka with a tinge of red. "I-it''s alright, that was not embarrassing. Have you seen anyone eating a high-grade bead? Now that is embarrassing." said Lyon. "Hahaha, who would eat a high-grade bead! Only a stupid person would! hahaha," her mood was changing quickly from zero to one hundred with a couple of sentence from him but her answer made one hundred to zero for Lyon. "I know right, hahaha," (That was me though). 79 Exhortation When Reka finally settled down from laughing, Lyon told her that he was invited to the said ''legion''. This fact didn''t surprise her because a man with the caliber of singlehandedly overcome an opponent with an entire realm above self would be sought even by the heavens. "Of course I would say no, I won''t just join a shady group," said Lyon. However, his sentence made Reka a little confused, "Wait, didn''t you already know about the legion?". "Today is the first time I heard about the legion," said Lyon with a confused expression. "Then what about the elder? Didn''t you know that he was from the ''legion'', isn''t that why you agreed to his request of battle to the death?" "What? No! I never knew he was from the legion. The reason I took that battle was for you to get a shortcut to the central region as my apology, in which now I know it was a useless thing to do." sighed Lyon. If the dead elder were to know this, he would commit suicide right there and then in the interrogation room. Reka chuckled as she realized that she and the elder were overthinking it. "Why would you go that far, for a girl you didn''t know and only molested," said Reka with a teasing tone. Lyon never thought of it before since he just went with whatever his instinct told him to do. "I don''t know myself, maybe I''m just a ridiculous playboy whose head was only filled with women." (In the end, why am I so perverted? I never know the answer, was it because I lack love back on earth or was it because I was betrayed?) thought Lyon as he entered into deep silence. (Oh yeah, I was always that guy who''s always forgotten when things go smoothly, and remembered when things go horribly). "Hey-hey, are you alright?" Reka''s voiced woke him up, "S-sorry what were you saying?" asked Lyon. "Nothing, you were dozing for a while." "Listen, I have a confession to make about all of this," said Reka as she changed once more to the head of the Mist Clan. But unlike her usual black hair, this time was white and her snake eyes were as narrow as a needle. "Reka was a persona I use to investigate the legion and at the same time to blend in with the people of the clan," said Reka with her pink thin lips. "The reason I took the competition for the red-blood sword as Reka was only for fun, but as you probably guessed I am too the person behind the emotion mask," "Then what about Naeya?" asked Lyon. As far as he knows, Naeya was supposed to be her older sister, but her strength didn''t match up. Beside knowing someone with a Divine Realm her age must be more than a hundred years. "Yes, Naeya was a part of the plan to erase the doubt of people had in my identity, so I was never related to her, to begin with," said the head of the clan. (Well she certainly played her part well) thought Lyon as he remembered the incident in the tavern. "Then what is your real name?" asked Lyon. "My name?" chuckled the head of the Mist Clan. As far as she remembered, she never told anyone her real name. Not even the current elders nor the generations before knew her real name. They always called her by her occupation. She never had someone close enough to tell them, her real name. *knock *knock "Head, the last test is soon over, we need your presence," asked one of the elders from outside the room. "Oh is it time already? Okay I''ll be right there in a minute," said the head of the clan. "Yes," the elder walked back to the arena first. "Sorry Lyon looks like that our conversation has to end right now," said the head with a smile as her hair turned back to black. "You can rest here until you get better." As soon as she got up from the chair, her walk was paused by a weak force. Her right hand was held by Lyon whom lying on the sofa. "This conversation shall not end like that," said Lyon with a tinge smile before continuing, "Sit down and tell me your name." The head of the clan was surprised for a while before chuckling and sat back down on the chair. "My name is Krysta Aegis." "Can I see your tongue?" asked Lyon out of nowhere. "Er, sure?" said Krysta before she opened her mouth. (Ah, so it''s a human tongue, I get my hopes up) thought Lyon as he fantasized something he shouldn''t. "Alright, you can go now," said Lyon as his curiosity had been fulfilled. Krysta was confused for a while then bid her goodbye to Lyon as she walked back to the arena. As the room was for himself, he suddenly jumped up from the sofa like there was nothing wrong. His dented chest was healing throughout the conversation just now. After checking that his body was alright, he absorbed the heaven and world''s energies while walking back to the infirmary. There were no changes when he got back from the infirmary except there was one new guy who was chattering with Karina outside the room. He seemed to be someone with a big influence by the way he was dressed. "I know my eyes didn''t deceive me, you actually came to see me in this event," said the guy. Karina was not interested in talking with him, but the guy just went out his way inside the room and started chattering, so Karina dragged him outside. Lyon remembered that Jugen did say that her sister had a lot of pursuers and he guessed that he was probably one of them. "Oh my teacher, you two looked perfect together," teased Lyon. "He is your student? I see he indeed had good eyes, here you go kid," suddenly the guy gave him a pouch of money. As Lyon looked inside it was only one hundred gold. "Aiya, mister, you are so handsome and perfect for my teacher, a man as high as yours, do you think this is enough? The other pursuer even dared to give me one million gold, here is the proof," said Lyon as he retrieved a bag of golds with the exact amount of one million gold for the guy to see. "Hmm, indeed," then the guy retrieved a bag of gold containing five million before shoving it over to Lyon''s hand. "How about now, aren''t I the best pursuers?" "Aiya, mister, although this is a lot amount of gold, this is not enough you know, my master and I need those high-quality beads, some of her pursuers even gave me seven high-quality beads!" said Lyon as this time he didn''t need to prove it anymore. (Seven?! My father only gave me ten of those, and I haven''t used it yet since I was slacking). After a long thought, he decided to gave ten high-quality beads to Lyon. (If my father asked, I would just say I got robbed by the neighboring Dynasty). Little did the guy know, Lyon was going to make him really poor. 80 Weapon Grade Unbeknownst to the people outside the room, just right behind the door was Luna planting her ear on the door. She was listening to the whole conversation and giggles once in a while. Her reaction piqued the interest of the other women and Jugen. It didn''t take long before they all planted their ears on the door even the sick ones like Biane. Lyon was acting like he was in deep thought. He occasionally looked up and about to say something but always ended up in shaking his head. "What''s the matter, little brother?" asked the man nervously, (Don''t tell me it''s not enough?! That was half of my fortune already!). "Aih, It''s nothing," said Lyon dejectedly. "W-what''s the matter little brother? Please speak what''s in your mind," said the man. Karina giggled under her hand as she noticed that the man unconsciously took Lyon as his master and afraid of making him displeased. "Where are you from big brother?" asked Lyon. "Oh, that''s right I forgot to introduce myself to you," said the man before taking a deep breath, "I''m the son of Duke Cullen from the Black Sun Dynasty, Feliric Cullen." Lyon was a bit surprised at his background and smiled inwardly, "Aih, big brother, why don''t you say so earlier that you are from the Black Sun Dynasty, this little brother thought you were from a kingdom, but if it''s that dynasty then I have no issues to tell you what''s in my mind." Lyon stepped closer to Feliric and said, "Big brother, do you know the Heaven''s Dawn dynasty?" "Yes, I do know it, what of it?" asked Feliric. "Recently, the prince came into our kingdom with a lot of gifts, he even gave my teacher''s father a huge land to govern, but my teacher rejects it right away," sighed Lyon. "Your point is?" "Beads!" said Lyon with a pair of deep piercing eyes. "Beads?" "Yes! Beads! My teacher only cares about cultivation rather than worldly things, so even if you give her a dynasty to rule, she would reject you straight away," said Lyon before he sighed once more. "My teacher always dreams about possessing some high-grade beads but alas she would never take something that has been given to me." Feliric glanced at Karina only to saw her startled a little before nodding repeatedly. Then he slowly retrieved a ring from his pocket and gave it to Karina with a heavy heart. (This is the accumulation of the last one hundred years of high-grade beads which my father gave me, although I never use it, it still one hundred years worth!) thought Feliric as if he were bleeding inside. Karina gladly accepted such gift since she was in the need of raising her cultivation level because her own student already overtaken her by a whole lap. "Aih, thank you so much big brother, my teacher always shy at this kind of thing so I thank you on her behalf too," said Lyon while laughing inside. "But brother," "What is it now?!" shouted Feliric in rage before he saw Lyon backed away panic-stricken. "S-sorry, I didn''t mean to yell," said Feliric trying to ease down the tension he built up. "W-well, there was this one other thing," then Lyon casually but gently showed Karina''s right hand on top of his. "Look at this beautiful hand, as big brother very well know, my teacher uses her fist whenever she fights, you don''t want to watch her bleed her hands do you?" Hearing his explanation, a rush of blood almost came out from his mouth. He knew that his crush was a fist cultivator so a gauntlet was necessary, however, a good gauntlet was harder to find than swords. One cannot just simply buy gauntlet on the market, some gauntlets must be adjusted to the wearers so that it fits. The price for one was always higher than swords or spear but it was still below hidden weapons in most cases. The auction rarely had it either, even if they did, only those at king''s or emperor''s level could compete for it. With a gulp, Feliric asked, "I-I see ... what grade do you want your gauntlets?" "Ah this lowly one still don''t know the grade of weapons, can brother enlighten this lowly one?" asked Lyon humbly. Feliric thought that this was a chance to trick Lyon about the grade but then he remembered that Karina was also beside her so he quickly erased it. With a cough, Feliric explained, "Grade of weapon or armor in that matter, is divided into, basic->man->earth->heaven->divine, from the lowest," "Brother, from what I heard, there was a weapon with a sentiment in it, what grade is a weapon with it?" asked Lyon once more since his Scarlet was one. "If it has a sentiment, it must be at the heaven grade for the very least," mused Feliric. "Then don''t you think my teacher deserve at the very least a pair of heaven grade gauntlets?" asked Lyon with a smile. *splurt Finally, Feliric puked out blood. Not to mention divine grade weapons, even earth level grade one was already rare. He even doubted that a divine grade weapon existed in Deo, he only heard that kind of existence in other higher world. Emperors or hidden experts always on the lookout for these weapons if they were to be auctioned. They gave up on searching such grade weapons inside a market because there was no chance for it to be able to sell well in the streets. Even heaven grade weapons were only auctioned a couple of times for the last hundred years. The reason they didn''t search on other worlds was that they used a different currency there. Gold was not a valuable thing anymore, even high-grade bead there was almost equivalent as silver in Deo. (Did I ask too much?) thought Lyon as he saw Feliric was struggling with his breathing. "I-I will send my men right now to seek out the weapon," said the man before he excused himself. On the way back he heard Lyon''s voice from behind, "Ah, thank you once more for the beads!!! ... Oh, and the golds!!" *splurt Feliric once again puked a pool of blood before passing out outside. 81 Mysterious Antique Store Karina knew if that Feliric dared to touch her, he would die right there and then. That was because she could sense the deadly intent released from Lyon''s body as he watched him exit the hall. "Well, what did you two talk about?" asked Karina. Of course, she was referring to the head of the clan. "Yes, I was about to tell you that, it''s better if we get inside first," said Lyon as the both of them entered the room. After locking the door, he began to narrate them what was going on about the ''legion''. All of them had different expressions regarding the topic. There were those who didn''t know anything about it like Ryona, Karina, Jugen, Kyoko, Riku, and her parents. Luna, however, had a sort of thinking on her head which caught Lyon''s attention. "Luna do you have something in mind?" asked Lyon. He knew that this girl had wide connections and very acute among the girls he had known so far. "Yes, regarding the matter of the ''legion'' my father also did research about it years ago," said Luna as her hand was supporting her chin. "According to my father, the ''legion'' was somewhat a new group that rose without a warning or anything. It just suddenly exist and invites promising cultivators to join their banner with mouth-watering offers," Luna contemplated a little while before she seemed to remember something. "Oh yeah, my uncle found something interesting regarding the ''legion'' in one of his travels." As everyone''s vision fell on to Luna she continued, "Their movements lately were pretty direct and open. There were a bunch of people who just revealed themselves to be part of the ''legion'' and raid a tomb of powerful cultivators at the Divine Realm and keep the treasures for themselves rather than submit it to their recruiter," This was an odd occurrence since usually, a group like this would submit their treasures to the ones that had the upper rank. Meanwhile, the low ranked ones would be bestowed gifts by the said upper rank, at least that was it for a clan. Since they kept their own treasures, their goals became more and more unclear. Was it power? Was it wealth? Nobody knew. "My guess is this group made from other worlds, most possibly a higher one than Deo," stated Lyon after he contemplated for a while. "Since the current situation is unknown it''s better to stay away from the ''legion'' for the time being." The girls looked at him with a confused gaze which made Lyon a little bit uncomfortable. "W-what is it?" asked him. "To think that someone like you would be uttering such words," said Karina with a slight ridicule. "Yeah, it really is something," nodded Luna. Kyoko had no comments but she clearly chuckled under her sleeves. "W-who do you think I am?" said Lyon trying to defend his pride. "Pervert!" said Luna without holding back. "Lecher!" said Karina with a chuckle. "My hubby <3 !" said Ryona. "Super lecher!" said both Biane and Clemora on their bed. Every answer was like a sword piercing through his heart, except for Ryona of course. (I mean, what in the f*ck is super lecher even mean?!). Cupping his hands he said, "Ladies, please, this noble one is a saint with the heart of gold, I aid those who are in need or those who want to breed-...Uh- I meant ''to read''. Isn''t that right Fenrir?" Fenrir snuggled out from his clothes and made his way up to Lyon''s shoulder. However, the answer Lyon sought didn''t appear after quite some time, so Lyon whispered something under the ladies eyes. (If you agree, there will be chopped lamb for dinner). "Wuwuwuwu ..." Fenrir immediately responded to Lyon''s earlier question by nodding his head and wagging his cute tail. The ladies had black lines covering their head, (This is just downright shameless) thought all of them. "See even the pure Fenrir agreed with me, so it must be true," laughed Lyon with a long nose. Seeing his smug face the ladies chose to not dwell on the topic any further. After laughing until he was tired, Lyon began to do what he originally intended to do. With the abundant energies, the spell was chanted. The three women were enveloped in a bright blue colored magic brand as their bruises were rapidly healing in naked eyes. The spell Lyon used was to enhance one''s regeneration capability by many folds so that it appeared that the magic almost instantly wiped off the bruises. But magic could only do so much, in case if there was a poison inside someone''s body or a parasite, magic couldn''t do much help. As the magic brands started to dissipate slowly, the three of them healed most of their wounds. However, since the magic was to accelerate the regeneration, their fatigue was even worse than before. The moment the brands dissipated completely, the three of them instantly fell into a deep slumber. Although the spell was rare among the supporting type, Yiaz and Tiene didn''t dare to inquire about it. In their minds as long as their daughter was safe, all other things didn''t matter. (Oh, right I forgot, I''m about to ask regarding Biane and Clemora''s status, but I guess it''s too late now) thought Lyon as he was watching them sleep like a baby. Lyon decided to take a stroll once more in the market, but this time he was accompanied by Jugen. Since street vendors were forbidden, only official stores could attract the tourists. Lyon started to go to antique stores, but none of them could catch his eyes. There was one antique store that caught his attention. Compared to other stores this one was a standout on its own. The building looked like it was surviving a disaster as the woods were all old and chipped off. It was more like a haunted house rather than an antique store. With every step, Lyon made the platform ''squeak'' a little. Despite so, he bravely continued onward along with Jugen who could piss at any moment. The items inside the store were placed neatly on a table and side tables, but there was one thing that bothers Lyon. It was not the sleeping old man at the end of the room, but the items were all chipped or broken! 82 I Can Play Zither? Jugen was perplexed as the place was not promising like any of the neighboring stores. Dust was all over the items on the tables and there was nothing that could catch his interest. However, since his older brother was actually looking around the items seriously he chose to keep quiet about it. Actually Lyon only came here on a whim, he read a lot of novels about cultivation and usually, this kind of shabby place held the most treasures. "I know you are confused as to why we came here little bro, but trust me, the fact that this place still stands means that this store has amazing value," said Lyon while going through the items on the place. Unknown to Lyon and Jugen, the old man in the back opened his eyes for a second before closing his eyes once more. There was something that caught Lyon''s eyes, the item was probably the most attention-seeking of them all. That was because this item looked normal among the rest. "Brother, you played zither before?" asked Jugen as he saw Lyon touching the zither. "No, I have no recollection of doing that," said Lyon as he plucked one string of the zither. *ding The sound reverberated inside the room like a melodious angel was playing a harp, guiding the humans to the promised heaven albeit it was a single note. But this time the old man didn''t even react at all. Lyon was confused at this item since there was no actual price tag on it, in fact, all the items had no price tags. "Old man, how much is this zither?" With his eyes still closed, he replied, "If you don''t know the true value of the item, you don''t have the right to buy it.". His reply shocked the both of them, this was their first time meeting a store like this. What kind of a store would refuse a potential buyer? "Then what is the true value of this zither?" asked Lyon as he felt a little irritated. The old man didn''t respond to his question as he felt that this young fool would only waste his time. Lyon squinted his eyes as he grabbed the zither and placed it on top of his thigh while one foot was holding him from falling. To the outsider, he looked like he was sitting with one leg. He was facing the old man who seemed to be unperturbed by his action. While taking a deep breath he cleared his mind and only left with nothingness. *ding The first note was played and he let it echoed across the room before continuing. His fingers were moving like this was its natural habitat. With every pull of the string, the heart of the ones listening would beat along with it. Bit by bit, the sound was more and more intense as if Lyon was guiding a story about a grand battle. Sadly, the string couldn''t make enough sounds to attract the people outside the store so the ones that enjoy the melody was Jugen and perhaps the old man. Jugen was easily entranced by the melody as his mind was somewhere else. He was imagining that he would go into war and bring the head of the enemies as presents to the world. The old man opened his eyes wide as old memories were surging inside him. The moment of life and deaths were playing inside his head. The moment where everybody referred to him as the young genius. The moment where he was at his prime. Then Lyon played the melody slow and long tune to change the mood. The memories of loss and constant disappointment played inside both Jugen and the old man''s mind. Death of loved ones or unrequited love, everything was attacking their heart as crocodile tears flow from their eyes. The old man vision instantly changed as he saw his younger-self confessing to a girl which filled his mind every single day. "I love you," said the young man. "I know, but we can''t be together yet, so get a lot stronger okay? I will wait for you," said the young girl. Lyon slowly raised the beat, and the old man''s vision changed once more to where he face hellish training. Demon beasts were his everyday meal as his cultivation rose to a fearsome level and he was known to be the prominent genius at the time. Then Lyon slowed the tune down and finally, it was time for the young man to take the girl''s hand in marriage. Backing with huge resources, fame and cultivation the young man strode through the street with pride as the happiest day of his life was about to come. Lyon suddenly pulled four to five strings at the same time as the vision once more changed. The young man thought that it''s going to be the happiest day of his life from that moment onward. But he was betrayed by the love of he would think to be everlasting. Rage, rage, rage, was what in his mind. The young man was lost in the darkness as vengeance filled up his mind and soul. He didn''t care which young lord was it that slept with the woman he loves the most, he didn''t care about the heavens either at that moment. Lyon paused the melody. . . . . Without any warning, Lyon immediately raised the beats in his melody like it was the last thing he could do. The young man was screaming at the top of his lung and caught both of them by surprise. "Who dares to interrupt this young lor- AHHH!!!" the young man cut his limbs into pieces but still kept him alive for more torture. Every bone was broken as the body was full of holes in a short amount of time. Meanwhile, the woman was fear-stricken, she was watching the horror as some blood sprayed on her beautiful face. After the torturing was done, the young man stared at the woman which broke his heart, his personality. With tears running down his face he grabbed her by the neck. The woman was struggling before she gave up and stuttered, "I-i''m s-s-sor-." *crack The young man broke her neck and throw her to the side before his knees slammed to the ground but suddenly the vision stopped and the old man regained his senses but only to see no one in the store. The zither was placed back but the player was nowhere to be found. ---------------------------------------------- On the streets. "Aiya big brother why would you lie to this little brother, you play like a master back there," said Jugen with a sneer. Lyon was watching his hands with a confused look (Since when I could play zither?) 83 Relaxing Pills With confusion in his eye, Lyon tried to connect everything as to why he could pull that unbelievable play. (Calm down me... let''s think about it for a while... but where should I start! Damn it!) thought Lyon as Jugen caught his state of confusion. "Hey big bro, are you alright? What are you pondering about? Ah, don''t tell me you are thinking about my sister''s butt?!" said Jugen with a finger pointing at Lyon. *pak Lyon smacked Jugen''s head and said, "Can you not accuse me of thinking something perverted?" while shaking his head in denial. Jugen was speechless as he thought (Hey you can''t blame me like that since you are that type of a guy, Goddamn!! I need a stronger word than shameless!!). "If I would think about your sister it would be the time when I first kiss her, right-right, at that time I killed a whole lot of..." in the middle of his sentence Lyon realized something crucial (Wait a minute... That''s right... Why didn''t I feel nervous when I kill at that time, not to mention I killed a whole bunch of them like it was something I do every day...). (Don''t tell me... at that time when I was engulfed in a black sphere?) thought Lyon as he remembered the words from his ''first-wife'' Selena about the ring containing half of his original power. (It must be that then, there is no other explanation... at least for now). With an interest in mind, he looked at a pill store in front of him along with an amusing smile. Jugen who saw this immediately had a bad feeling (Was it not enough offending a hidden expert in an old store?!). But it was all too late to turn back since Lyon already heading his way to the store with strides of confidence. People nearby immediately made way for him out of fear but also out of marvel. Nobody wanted to mess with a legendary figure who killed a Divine cultivator while being a Soul cultivator, not to mention the cultivator was an elder of the infamous Mist Clan. As he stepped inside, he immediately stood in front of a rack full of pills with their designated name and price tags. There were ''Relaxing pill'', ''Cloud Tiger pill'', ''Tide Heaven pill'',and so on. Lyon was browsing these pills intensely that even the clerk of the store was afraid of helping him, while Jugen stood behind Lyon as any little brother would. With one hand on his chin, he looked like he was thinking about something that nobody would understand. Lyon occasionally taking a glimpse at the bottom right corner and the top right corner of the rack which piqued the people nearby to do the same. Finally, after some time, Lyon took a deep breath as he reached a conclusion. (I don''t know any of this shit... like what the hell is a ''Tide Heaven pill'', I don''t even know whether there is a tide or not in heaven and what a ''Cloud Tiger pill'' does? And I''m pretty sure ''Relaxing pill'' is a drug like cocaine or some sort.). "C-c-can I help you, sir?" A young feeble voice entered Lyon''s ear as soon as he was about to turn back. Being faced by the clerk''s question and the stares of the customer nearby, Lyon nervously said, "Yes, I need a bag of cocai-ah I mean Relaxing pills." The customer nearby immediately made contact with each other signaling their confusion. Why would someone like him buy a bag of Relaxing pill? Even so, the clerk didn''t ask any questions since they wanted to empty this batch of pills as soon as possible. With a quick succession moves a bag containing ten pills of Relaxing pills were ready even before Lyon could grab his money from his spatial ring. "Hey big bro, are you sure you want to buy that pill?" whispered Jugen behind him. "Hm? What''s wrong with the pill?" asked Lyon. *sigh With a dejected face, he explained what the pill was actually for. Every sentence that entered Lyon''s ear made his face darken and loomed for despair. It turned out that the pill was made for an old man in which cannot satisfy his woman anymore. In a simple term, to wake the ''dead dragon''. There was only one word in Lyon''s mind right now (Fuck!!). The image he built was destroyed in a single purchase in a pill store. Although he looked calm in the outside, he constantly sought for excuses as he pretended to browse the pills some more. (Nothing! Nothing! I cannot come up with a single excuse!! I could lie and pretend to buy it for a relative but would they believe me?! Rumors will spread that I have a dead dragon!!) *ehem Lyon approached the clerk and said, "Excuse me, may I know from where your store got all these pills?" Albeit nervous the clerk responded, "Ah yes, our store got all of them directly from the infamous alchemist Sir Dew of Fugar clan. It means that our pills are straight from his cauldron." "Sir Dew?! You mean that Dew?!" interrupted Jugen. "What? What''s up with this Dew guy?" asked Lyon. "Big bro, he is one of the top ten Saint pill makers in Deo!! Well, he is number ten, but he could create Saint grade pills which is a rare feat to accomplish in this world. He sure lacks behind the other top nine but a Saint grade pill makers is a Saint grade pill makers." (So are you praising him or not?!) thought Lyon as he was about to grab the bag of Relaxing pills. *tap *tap Silent footsteps that could only be heard by few entered the store as a familiar figure stood behind Lyon. However, before Lyon turned to face the figure, the figure said, "This old bones had eyes but couldn''t see a master in disguise, please forgive this lowly one as he sought to listen to another of your play," while giving Lyon a slight bow. Jugen noticed that Lyon was gripping the bag of pills more tightly than it should have been. As he took a peek at Lyon''s expression he thought (Oh Lord...). 84 Froze The customers nearby didn''t know much about the old man''s identity, they only knew about the fact that he was the sole owner of that old store. Despite being a weak looking old man, they didn''t dare to disdain him since the one he was speaking with was none other than the man who slew an elder. *throw Lyon threw the bag behind him in a casual manner yet managed to catch every pair of eyes nearby. The old man instinctively caught the bag with his right hand albeit he didn''t know what''s the point of giving him one. "Take it, as a gift, for letting me play that zither of yours. I will come by some other time when fate permits," said Lyon still with his back facing him. His voice was not by any means weak but not strong either, however, people can''t help but follow along with his lines without any question pops inside their head. Even though the old man was a bit confused, all that matters was that Lyon would play it again. "Thank you for this gift," said the old man enthusiastically before he continues, "If you have any problem in the Mist Clan told them that they would also have a problem with this Old Sean." With that, the old man walked away from the store leaving the customers dumbfounded. However, the name which the old man mentioned in his sentence woke them up like a rooster in the morning. One of the customers spontaneously said, "Old Sean!!" His junior curiously asked, "Who is Old Sean? Why we never heard of him?" With a deep breath, the senior explained, "Old Sean is the name of the hidden expert who protected the Mist Clan for a long time now, rumor has it that he was even stronger than the current Head, another rumor has it that he taught the current Head, either way, not even the Head would offend him." However, soon one of the customers realized a dreadful thought, (So... the hidden expert can''t get ''it'' up?).The rumor spread like wildfire in a forest, it didn''t take long before the other customers took the same conclusion. With a big grin, Lyon turned back and walked out of the store with big strides as if winning something grand in his life. Jugen behind him could only shake his head in astonishment (Big bro is awesome, even the gods favor him, truly a talented genius, but damn I felt bad for the old man, it''s a good thing he is a reclusive expert). As Lyon went outside, Fenrir came running with meat in his mouth. Oh wait, that''s a ferret... "Hey, little guy, are you going to eat that?" said Lyon nonchalantly. *pui Fenrir threw the ferret away which actually was still alive but in a critical condition nonetheless. It didn''t even take a minute before a bunch of people came rushing to the scene bringing murderous intent toward him. Jugen who was beside them thought (Aih, the pet, and the master, they are all the same *sigh). Fenrir immediately worked his way up to Lyon''s shoulder as if asking for protection. The bunch of people immediately halted their movements and stopped right in front of him. "Mister is this pet yours?" said the leader of the bunch, before continuing "We are from the-". Immediately before he finished his sentence one of them tugged his sleeve and whispered "Senior, he is the one who killed an elder whilst being a Soul Cultivator, Lyon." *ehem "Excuse my rudeness, Mister Lyon, I''m here by the order of my master from the Kafrin Clan. It appears that your pet attacked my master''s fiancee''s pet all of a sudden and carried him here in a critical condition. This infuriates my master, Trigo Kafrin and he wants an explanation." said the leader of the bunch. The leader was definitely lying in order to survive. The actual order was to kill Fenrir on the spot and retrieved the ferret. However, seeing that he was facing Lyon, he truly doubt he would give a damn about Kafrin Clan. "What happened Fenrir?" asked Lyon while petting his head. *wu wu wu. Fenrir was trying his best to explain the situation to his master. With every *wu, the captain and the rest of his team began sweating profusely. (Aih, I can''t believe in my entire career, my life and death would be decided by a little pup wolf!!) thought all of them. After Fenrir finished explaining the situation, Lyon appeared to be in deep thought in a second before his vision landed on the dying ferret. "Hmph! Dare to attack my companions? Fenrir! Finish it! Let me handle the rest!" said Lyon coldly. *wu *slash With one quick slash of his claw, the ferret was no more. Meanwhile, the captain and his squad gripped their weapons as if they were about to face the greatest battle of their life. "Bring me to your master," said Lyon coldly. This revelation made the captain and his squad confused and glad at the same time. "Ah yes, of course, mister Lyon, let me lead the way," said the Captain albeit his nervousness. Even though he lost his cool for a bit, the squad still respected him considering who was the one he was talking to. The Kafrin Clan was offending someone of Lyon''s caliber, not to mention he just got protection from Old Sean himself. One could only predict what would happen to them. The people nearby who noticed this could only sigh. The Kafrin Clan was a clan with one of the most talented founder. It has last quite some time but unfortunately the last few descendants of their clan were disappointing. They could only use their background to abuse others when things got worse or whenever they tried to exploit something. Jugen quickly caught up to Lyon and ask "Big bro, what happened? What did Fenrir tell you?" Lyon replied, "No idea..." Jugen froze. 85 Restauran The sun was at the highest peak scorching the entire Mist Clan without any shades of clouds to be seen. However, seeing Lyon was walking surrounded by an army of Kafrin Clan, the sun did not stop the nearby crowd''s curiosity. The army, of course, noticed this,as they were soon halted outside a restaurant. Despite so, a few of them were still trying to peek inside to gain some information. The restaurant was filled with the grandeur of that an elite society would have. Red carpets and personal waiter/waitress were placed in every table there was. Silver plates and other utilities shone the place with exquisite cleanness. Everyone would feel appreciated like a noble every time they ate here. Only Lyon, Jugen and the Captain of the squad was allowed to enter. Not even the Kafrin Clan would dare to bring an entire army inside this restaurant. As Lyon walked inside, he noticed that there was a second floor in which only held about seven to ten tables and that all the eyes on the first floor even a few on the second floor were on him. His distinctive clothing alone was enough for most people to understand who he was. "Uwaa, hubby, that wretched thing took little Rook," a crying beautiful woman was in the embrace of the man beside her. "It''s okay dear, just wait for the great news... ah speaking of the devil, here is the man that would bring you just it," said the man beside her as he noticed the captain walked toward them. As the captain getting close to their tables, the man hurriedly said, "Well what are you waiting for? Spit it out, tell me that you killed that rat..." "Sir... We-we have a situation," said the captain with a dejected expression printed all over his face. He was in a tight spot which only had decisions which all of them wouldn''t end well. The man looked at his captain in disbelief, (It was a simple task of killing an animal, you have a whole army behind you and you couldn''t kill it?! WTF..) thought the man. He stood up from his chair and slammed the table, "WHAT KIND OF SITUATION?! YOU HAVE THE WHOLE SQUAD BEHIND YOU TO CHASE A-A-A RAT!!" *thud "I''m your situation," said Lyon as he sat down opposite him. . . . Everything went quiet right at that second. Even a fly would stop flapping their wings for afraid of offending him. The man and woman finally noticed Lyon, and the ''rat'' he was referring to also sat on top of his head. Although Fenrir was glaring at the couple in front of him, Lyon casually poured a glass of wine for himself and drank it like it was meant to be as he signaled Jugen to do the same and sat beside him. (God! So domineering!) thought the other customers. It was clear as day that Lyon would lead the conversation to his favor. His charisma and domineering manners clearly top class. It wasn''t until the whole bottle was empty did Lyon started talking. "So I hear you want to kill Fenrir? Or was it a rat?" asked Lyon calmly. Even though there were no deep intonation, both of them, no, even the others felt suffocated. It was as if a death god presented himself in this restaurant!! "I-I''m Trigo of Kaf-" before the man could finish his sentence, Lyon cut him short, "I know... Who you are..." Trigo was forced to gulp down his own words. The woman beside him also felt restless since her fiancee was her only shield. "G-guard!" however, once more, Lyon cut him short, "Here, take these and give it to your squad, go back, you are not needed in this conflict," said Lyon as he threw over seven bags with a swing of his hand. *chink Sounds of a large number of golds were ringing inside the bags. As the Captain took a peek the amount of it, he quickly bowed to Lyon with a grateful expression. His steps as he walked out of the restaurant was as firm as steel and there was no regret in his facial expression that proved otherwise. "Walked out of this restaurant and my clan will hunt your fam-." "Go, because I told you so, go to Nostria if you are worried and told them that I sent you," cut Lyon again while waving his hand without looking at the captain. The captain halted and faced Lyon to give him a bow once more before finally walking out of the restaurant. "Y-y-you!" the man couldn''t let handle the fury inside him and puked blood on the spot. However, what amused Lyon, was the waiter or waitress professionally wiped the blood out of the floor and cleaned it like it was new with no stain at all. Seeing what happened the man puked once more with more blood this time. Again the waiter/waitress cleaned it, no question asks. After calming himself down, the man sat on his seat, "That is right, I order the must-kill order on that companion of yours." Suddenly Trigo felt the temperature went down really fast as cold sweat poured out profusely. He never felt anything like this before since most of his days were filled with pampering and joy. Trigo couldn''t take the pressure anymore and activated and amulet in his pocket. *swoosh An astral of an old man figure immediately presented himself in front of Trigo. "G-great grandfather please help me!!" shouted Trigo. "The Kafrin Founder!!" one of the customers inside the restaurant exclaimed. He was the most powerful person inside the Kafrin Clan, Huyan Kafrin. "Young one, you are a genius and fearless person, it only took me a single glance to realize this, but know that most genius failed midway because of their arrogance," said the old man in the astral form. "Is this... a threat?" said Lyon coldly. He didn''t even flinch when he said that. "If you think of it like so then it is..." said the astral figure. *stab Scarlet penetrated the astral figure with a quick successive move as Lyon was already standing on the table. "Hmph, you are still inexperienced, you cannot stab an astral figure!" "It was never my intention," said Lyon with a wicked smile. 86 Two Deaths "What are you playing at?" said the astral figure with a menacing gaze, however he soon trembled as he realized something crucial. He was standing in front of his great-grandson!! He quickly turned around as the nightmare was in his vision. Trigo had a sword stabbed in his chest to his disbelief. He thought he was saved seeing his great-grandfather appeared. "Little animal!! Sto-." With a smile on his face, Lyon whispered, "Scarlet, feed the blood of your enemies." The astral''s pupil shrunk as he heard what he said. *boom Trigo''s body was getting thinner at rapid speed observable from the naked eyes. He tried to scream at the top of his lung but nothing could come out of his mouth. Everyone saw the despair he was in but no one would dare to utter a word. It was less than five seconds before Trigo was reduced to a skeleton-like-human. His body lost all signs of strength as he swayed and fell on the floor lifeless. People held their breath as they never thought he would die even though his ultimate background was here albeit only an astral. "Trigo!!!" wailed Huyan. Although he was a useless descendant of his, he was still one of his. "Little ANIM-" his shout stopped midway as he turned around and faced Lyon''s eyes staring down at him with killing intent as deep as the ocean. Although he laid down Scarlet, it only brought more heavy pressure to Huyan as Lyon''s hair seems fluttering from the intent he emitted. The way everyone saw it, it was like a vigorous white tiger staring at an old rabbit. (His cultivation is definitely lower than mine!! but why!! WHY DO I FEEL FEAR?!!!) thought Huyan as his real body was feeling restless. He was occupied by his own thought that he didn''t realize there was movement in the heaven and world energies surrounding Scarlet. Lyon slowly retracted his intent as he turned his back on Huyan. "WHERE DO YOU TH-". *SLASH. Before Huyan could finish his sentence his astral body was ripped apart with a single slash. The last thing he saw was a sword that killed his great-grandson coated with heaven''s and world''s energy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside a hidden cave sat a man with a nervous expression before he vomited blood. With his body trying to catch breath he yelled, "Huyen, Huyin, come here!" Two men were rushing to the scene as they immediately pay respect to Huyan, "Huyen pay respect to grandfather." "Huyin pay respect to father." Although they noticed a blood trail from the edge of his mouth they didn''t dare to inquire about it. With a nod and calming down for a bit Huyan bring the disastrous news, "Trigo is dead." "WHAT?!" exclaimed the both of them. They had the same disbelief look as they couldn''t believe someone would dare to offend the Kafrin Clan. But what''s more depressing was, Trigo was Huyin''s only son! Furthermore, neither of the three people could produce any more child!! Lyon cut not just his sentence, but also his family line! "WHO IS IT!" Huyin and Huyen both lost in rage as killing intent emitted from them. "I don''t know who it was, I only know he is a young man, a talented one at that. However, I know the place, it was at that ''restaurant'' in the Mist Clan, go there and bring him to me I will kill him!!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since the astral itself was made with heaven''s and world''s energy then a sword coated with them would be able to break it. Such speed of comprehension could only make people shook their head. Everybody now knew how ruthless and fearless he was. His point was as clear as day, wanting to kill his companions means dead no matter who they are, be it Gods be it Immortals he would kill them all. Nobody dared to pick up their silver spoon to eat as for afraid of offending Lyon. (To think that his death was caused by that little ferret stealing that little pup''s meat.) thought one of the customers who saw what happened while Fenrir was taking a nap on top of Lyon''s head after the commotion was over like it was none his business in the first place. After jumping down the table Lyon was walking towards the exit of the restaurant with his hand behind his head feeling relaxed. Jugen watched Lyon''s back as he lamented in his mind (*sigh, Big bro is getting stronger and stronger while I''m still as weak as before, I''m afraid the time will come when I couldn''t even be any of use to him and my journey would end). His wife in the future would always laugh at him every time he brought up this story whenever he was drunk and getting sentimental. At the exit, Lyon was stopped by two waiters which treated him with respect and said, "Mr. Lyon, we afraid that you have broken the rules here of killing someone, the penalty would be determined by how many people you kill and have you meet with the owner." The other waiter continued, "Seeing that you have killed one person, I believe the punishment is not severe for a man of your caliber." "You mean two?" said Lyon. People couldn''t believe he would say that. It was severe enough to kill one person, and he said two! What mad-man! With a smile one of the waiters answered, "Do not worry Mr. Lyon destroying an astral figure is not considered a crime here." Lyon smiled back, "Who said anything about an astral?" (What? What is he talking about?) both of the waiters and the surroundings were confused at his statement. Trigo was the only one that died in this event. "IS-is it possible?!" one of the expert customers exclaimed while standing up. He looked at Trigo''s fiancee with fear. The woman was still standing up and well but this made him skeptical. She hasn''t said a thing since the astral got destroyed!! The man approached the woman from behind and touched her right shoulder. *slid The woman swayed down to the left side, but it was only half of her body that was swaying! "By the gods! It''s one of the most dangerous concepts! Two as if it was one!" said the expert with shaking hands. 87 My Master Everyone was lost for words. Only the most skillful cultivator could understand concepts, not to mention one of the most famed ones, yet this young man just did it. They only knew what they saw was a figure who later would be the brightest star in the sky. The one who would define an era. But now, what would the owner do to an individual of this caliber as punishment? This question could only linger in their thoughts without an answer. Albeit surprised, one of the waiters said, "Excuse our miscount Mr. Lyon. The rumors of your strength hold true but more importantly, you are an honest person. A cultivator like you is truly rare." Lyon replied with a smile, "A cultivator seek strength but often forget the true nature of ones being, thus the reason for failing to reach their new height," (Hah, I''m so wise). His quote was replied with silence. (Eh? What''s wrong?) thought Lyon. However, his curiosity about the situation didn''t last long. One of the cultivators inside the restaurant stood up and applaud, "You are absolutely right, fellow cultivator. Thank you for sharing such a crucial point, this cultivator is in your debt. Now excuse me as I will try to breakthrough to the next realm!" (Holy shit it''s true?! I just made that up!) thought Lyon as he felt guilty. Then another cultivator stood up, "I''m also in your debt, I think I had an epiphany just now, thank you for your guidance!" He rushed out as soon as possible to do a secluded training. (Wow, wait...) thought Lyon. "To think that I would find guidance in this restaurant, thank you, fellow cultivator! I bid you goodbye." said another one. "Me too!" (Oi! Don''t go!!) "Me three!" (Please stay!!) More and more cultivator was leaving the restaurant with smiles on their face. Almost half of them was gone in under a minute. (Oh fuck! The restaurant''s gonna out of customers because of me! ) thought Lyon but his good acting kept the other''s suspicion away, except for Jugen. (To think that you could worsen your situation, the killing was already a crime, now you drove the customers away? bro...) thought Jugen as he took a glance of his big brother. The pair of waiters were speechless on what''s happening. They couldn''t decide if this was a blessing or not. The only hope they had was on their owner. "Please follow us, Mr. Lyon." said one of the waiters as they proceed to lead the way on the third floor. On the third floor, Lyon''s vision immediately filled with two ''shoji'' doors like those in Japan. (Never thought I would see one of these in this world). "Please wait here," said one of the waiters as he opened the door and quickly closed it, preventing anyone from peeking inside. It didn''t take long before the door opened but the one coming out was not the waiter. It was a bald man with a distinctive scar on his left cheek. His muscles were hidden under his loose monk garment. When their eyes met, the bald man nodded with a smile before walking past Lyon. "Legion, was it?" said Lyon under his breath. "Hm?" The bald man''s eyes squinted with surprise as he turned his body around. *thud However, his gaze could only land on the sliding door. The room was brim with light from the lamps on each corner of the walls and the yellow hue inside it gave a strange relaxing feeling to everyone. But what''s suprised Lyon was the figure sitting in front of him, the owner of this place. "Never thought it would be you," said Lyon with a smile. -------------------------------------------------------------------- In a faraway world where no suns could be seen, one man was standing in the air above a pile of rubbish which was a castle not too long ago. His tattered clothes didn''t do justice to describe his power at all. With his hand behind his back and the chains on his hand fluttered along with the wind he looked up at the night sky. There was a sea of men and women in kowtowing position below him, it stretched through the edge of this world be it in the mountain, inside a cave, or on a deathbed, they all did it. However, this amazing sight couldn''t even get the man''s interest since it worth nothing to him. A tiger wouldn''t care to a bunch of kowtowing cats! A surge of emotions could be seen on the man''s face as he reminisced the golden days. "Why are you silent now, HEAVENS!" shouted the man. His shout was so deafening that anyone in the vicinity had their ears bled, but they still held their position. The man chuckled, "Of course you are, because your greatest threat, MY MASTER, IS BACK!" said the man before he continued, "He, who was talentless, he who was hard-working, he who would give this pathetic being a chance, but most importantly, HE, WHO WILL REPLACE YOU!" The man retracted his right hand as the heaven and energies vigorously rotated in between his knuckle while the air seemed compressed with the pressure. People below him all palpitated as they feared the god of death wanted to claim their life. "Giant art! Space Breaking Rift!" shouted the man as he released his right punch to the air in front, *break The space in front of him instantly shattered to bits, there was not even a crack, it was an instant hole! Inside the hole was a rift full dimensional storm, not even a god would dare to enter inside as their body couldn''t handle the shredding power it had. However, he just walked into it nonchalantly with only one goal in mind. "Even if there are currently millions and millions of worlds, I will find you my master, Lyon Torga!" said the man as he jumped to boost up his acceleration. After he was gone the sea of people looked up an saw the space hole. To their horror, the hole was not closing or rather it was at a really slow rate. The world itself had trouble recuperating! 88 Punishmen An aroma of fresh jasmine slowly seeped through Lyon''s nose as he noticed a lit candle on top of the desk in front of him and the fire would sway to the right every time the figure turned the page of the book she was reading. There were so many questions inside Lyon''s head but he decided to hold it in for a bit, waiting for the figure to noticed his presence. *thump The fire swayed to the left as she closed her book and the waiter beside her immediately cleaned up her desk and put the book away inside the bookcase behind her chair. With a wave of her hand, both waiters bowed and leave the room. "I also never thought to see you again under this circumstances, looks like karma is a thing after all," said the figure with a wicked smile. She was none other than the woman Lyon met inside the bar, Naeya, the supposedly Reka''s ''sister''. (So she already noticed my presence but still read the book, what a sly woman) thought Lyon. "What can I say, it is fate that brought us together, maybe we used to be husband and wife hahaha, you never know," said Lyon jokingly. (Bro, you only met her two times! And the first time she almost died!) thought Jugen as he saw his shameless big brother. Naeya was speechless seeing his response, so many people she had dealt with but this was the first time she saw someone like this. (This man is on a different league of shameless) thought Naeya as she decided to brush of Lyon''s joke. "I see you are not with your girlfriends this time, you know I could kill you for what you did last time right? Mind you, I''m not as weak as the elder you killed." said the woman with a menacing glare. Her killing intent was not hidden as it enveloped Lyon like a coat. However, Lyon seemed to not feel a thing as he said with a sly smile, "Well, would you dare to?" Naeya slowly retracted her killing intent until it was nonexistent. "You are right, I can''t risk the destruction of my clan for my personal feud, however, I still don''t get it, how come a powerful woman like that would fall for you?" This question also piqued Jugen''s interest. He knew Lyon was powerful but Ryona was on a whole other level. What was his secret? "That is for me to know, I think, we should talk about the consequences of killing inside your restaurant rather than about me, " said Lyon with a wink. *blush There was a tinge of redness on her cheek as she realized she was prying over personal information. "Y-y-you are right, we should talk about that," said Naeya with a visible nervousness. *ehem Naeya cleared her throat before she said, "The consequences of killing someone inside Snake Den restaurant differs depending on who the individual killed or do the killing." "So depending on someone''s status the consequences might not be as severed as the crime they committed?" asked Lyon. "Yes, and you are a smart person, so I think you already know why," said Naeya. Lyon only responded with a smile. The prosperity of something in this world was how strong you are or how strong your backings are. Since the Snake Den restaurant had Mist Clan as their backing, they could handle some matters with justice in their mind. But if they were to offend someone stronger than them, a war could be ignited. Although Mist Clan was a strong clan, they are not the strongest in Deo. Lyon was never a justice-seeking warrior or a hero seeking for fame. He would do whatever he wanted and enjoy his life. So this kind of matter didn''t bother him at all. Wherever it is, it''s always survival for the fittest, only the strong survived and if being strong was the only option of enjoying life then he would be the strongest of them all. "Well what kind of status do I have now?" asked Lyon. With a deep breath she let out a sigh, "You are by far the trickiest case I''ve ever faced, first of all, the man you killed was the last son of the Kafrin clan, moreover, you killed him in front of his founder. You could say you ended the Kafrin bloodline directly." "Hm? Couldn''t his father just made another one?" asked Lyon. "He can''t, none of them can''t. It was because of the Kafrin clan''s scripture that they could only have one child every generation," said Naeya while shaking her head. "The things men would exchange for power," sighed Jugen. "What''s done is done, he is dead, Scarlet even sucked out his soul, you might call it a true death," said Lyon. "On the other hand, Master favored you, even a blind person could see that. Especially after you could obtain Scarlet when no one else could. You have the talent but you are not yet mature in terms of cultivation. Although you could overcome someone on a higher realm than yours, that''s because you never fight a true expert." "The founder of the Kafrin clan is a strong man, and he would come here sooner or later to seek his revenge. With the last of his family line dead, I think they already stop caring of offending the Mist Clan. But don''t worry, since you destroyed his astral figure, he would still be recuperating but he would surely send someone to bring you down to him." "So the punishment for you is this," said Naeya with a serious look before continuing, "Don''t let any harm befall Snake Den until you settle the feud between you and the Kafrin clan, also don''t die." "We will not support you on this battle to avoid casualties, even though we are stronger than them, we couldn''t win unscathed, and it would be troublesome if Master were to be sick or injured within this time," said Naeya. "Don''t worry, I''m a responsible man since that was the punishment then so be it. If they want to settle the feud with blood, then Scarlet would be more than happy to kiss them." 89 Conversation With a clap of her hand, she said, "Well that''s it, I wish you good luck, Lyon," but before she could get up of her chair, Lyon said, "I have a few questions that you must answer Naeya." His tone made her crossed her eyebrows but she still willing to hear him out. She was an elder of the Mist Clan yet someone from below her realm told her that she must answer his question, how domineering was this. "Tell me the identity of the bald man, the one inside this room just right before me," said Lyon. He was just ''testing waters'' when he said under his breath the word ''Legion'' but to his amazement, the bald monk actually looked surprised. This particular event made him curious, thus he sought information of the bald monk. In his mind, there were only two possibilities about his identity, first, he was one of the Legion, second, he was someone who knew about the Legion. However, realizing that the bald monk didn''t chase him inside made him tend to agree of his prior deduction. "Hmm? Why do you ask that?" asked Naeya with her eyebrows still crossed. "It is regarding Legion," said Lyon. His sentence was like a thunderbolt inside Naeya''s mind. She knew the severity of the Legion did to her master. "Are you saying that..." "Yes, I suspect that man to be one of the Legion," said Lyon flatly. "Are you sure? What proof do you have?" asked Naeya. "I don''t have any proof right now, thus I ask you about his identity, I might come up with something then," said Lyon. Releasing her breath, she calmed down once more. "Since it is regarding Legion, I suppose I should tell you." While crossing her arm she said, "That man is called Samhok, a strong cultivator live in the temple Ming in mount Yong. He was their representative and always come here every two weeks or so to deliver batches of Ming Tea Leaves. He is known as an honest and kind man even here in Mist clan, so I highly doubt he was one of Legion." "I see, is there anything unusual in the past months or so?" asked Lyon. While pressing her index finger on her lips she tried to recall anything unusual in the past months. "Nothing worth mentioning," said Naeya while shaking her head. "I see, thank you the-" before he could finish his sentence, Naeya interrupted him "WAIT!, there is something but I doubt it would worth something," said Naeya as she lightly bit her lips. "Tell me, anything is better than nothing at this point." "Fine, the batches of Ming Tea Leaves was dropping from about six months ago and it still decreasing. Usually, we got around three thousand or so per batch but now it hits around five hundred max." "Do you know why?" asked Jugen. "I did ask him about it but he only shook his head with a smile. He is rather the quiet type," asked Naeya. "How can I get to temple Ming?" asked Lyon. "Big bro, are you gonna go there?" asked Jugen before Naeya could even answer Lyon''s question. "Yes, we must go there," *ehem "The way to temple Ming is not that hard, just look at mount Yong and go there," said Naeya flatly. . . Lyon and Jugen had blacklines over their head, (NO SHIT!) . . "C-can you direct me more precisely?" asked Lyon with a wry smile. "Ugh, fine," Naeya then opened the top drawer of her desk and retrieved a scroll tied up with red ribbon. "Here, this is the map, follow the route written there from Mist clan and you''ll be there." Lyon took the scroll and slowly gave it to Jugen as he recalled what happened last time. (Wait, I still haven''t learned how to read!! Why can I read the pills in the pill shop but not this?! Is it a different language?). Lyon decided to not overthink it, as long as he was with someone he won''t need to read. Although deep inside him he knew how fundamentally crucial it was to learn how to read, he always forgot about it since the language which he spoke was understandable by the people here. "Hm, okay then, just contact me when they are looking for me, I won''t be going outside of the Mist clan anytime soon anyway," said Lyon while cupping his hand and proceeded to go outside. Left alone inside the room, Naeya was feeling perplexed as she never included the possibility of Samhok being a member of the Legion. (Is it possible? If so what is his purpose?). ----------------------------------------- Outside of the restaurant, Lyon took a deep breath before walking nonchalantly with his hands behind his head while occasionally whistled and Fenrir was sleeping peacefully on top of his head with a soft snore that could only be heard if one decided to concentrate on listening. From the outsider''s point of view, they seemed like they didn''t have any problems at all. "Hey look, that''s him," whispered one of the people nearby. "Yeah, that guy is the one that has been the talk of the town, a rising legend, the only outsider who could kill an elder while being a Soul Cultivator." said one of his friends. "True that, but have you heard the latest news?" said another one from behind them. "What? c''mon you gotta tell us!" said both of them. "There was an incident inside the Snake Den that was very interesting. I heard that he killed the only son of the Kafrin Clan, the last generation was dead by his hands!" This news shocked both of them, but they doubt the validation of the fact their friends just spoke out. "Oh c''mon there is no way that would happen." "It''s true, my cousin was inside the restaurant when it happens, besides, you guys saw him being escorted by the Kafrin Clan''s guard right?" Indeed, they did saw him being escorted by the guards, but they were soon dismissed including the captain. The rumor soon spread like a stone falling into a calm water. The more they spread the more it got exaggerated. 90 Heavens Dawn Black clouds were surrounding a place somewhere far away from the Mist Clan. With every drip from above, the dry road slowly soaked while the dust of a busy city could no longer be seen and children were rushing back home since the sunset was not viewable. A flapped wings were going through the rain with no regards of the chance of getting struck by lightning. This type of birds was known for its weird habit of flying while it''s raining. The reflection in its eyes revealed the sheer size of the entire place. It was three to four times of Kingdom Nostria! In the center of the city was a palace where the ruler of the region resided. Symbols of a huge half sunrise banner embroidered it but one seemed to be out of place. As the heavy wind passed by, the banner lifted up to the side for a second, revealing a man-sized hole. The bird was quick-witted as it quickly hopped on the side of the hole watching the scene below it. The leader on the throne carefully listened to the soldier in front of him without leaving any words behind. "Our scouts have received some info about the cause of Prince Dome''s death," paused the soldier before continuing, "It was a woman named Ryona from the Kingdom of Nostria, our scout said that it was a single blow to the gut from her that made him flying and indefinitely, killing the prince." *crack The right side of the throne cracked a little as the leader''s right hand gripped it too tightly upon hearing the reason for his son''s death. The soldier was having cold sweat but he knew he had to continue the report. As he gulped a chunk of saliva he continued, "Nostria is a small independent kingdom, their strength was lesser than our four vassal kingdoms, that is until the Simak''s Labyrinth exploration not too long ago." "Upon the end of the event, there was supposed to be an attack from the Arcana Kingdom to occupy the Nostria Kingdom with our aid in which the prince was our representative. However, there were thirteen mysterious people that single-handedly stopped their attack or their tactics, completely, with absolute strength." (Thirteen?! Thirteen people stopped an entire army? Not to mention my army?) thought the leader as he was glad he didn''t rush out to seek revenge unprepared. "Who are these thirteen people? Where are they from?" asked the leader. "Our scout said that these thirteen people came from the Simak''s Labyrinth, the ones that responsible for the trial in every ten floors." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "What?! Impossible! How could that be?!" said the leader as he was once a participant in the event as a guest. "Those things are monsters! The Labyrinth sealed them because otherwise there was no point in the test itself!" The leader stood up with rage and disbelief in his face while the soldier nervously continued, "A-a-actually, there were a few more things that the scout said." "What is it?" said the leader as he sat down once more with cold sweat building up on his forehead. "R-Ryona, sh-she was dubbed to be the strongest of them all and this information was obtained from the other twelve. Her cultivation level was unknown but some guess she was in the divine realm, not the half one." "D-divine?! A-a true Divine Realm cultivator?!" The leader''s pupil shrunk as he heard the news. Ryona''s cultivation was even higher than his by many folds! (I have to seek aid from the other worlds for this revenge) thought the leader. *creak The entrance door of the throne room was opened revealing a soldier rushing inside. He bowed to the leader and whispered something to the other soldier. "Are you sure?!" asked the soldier. Nodded the gasping soldier. "What is it?" asked the leader. "Your majesty, we just found out that Ryona has a husband. This young man identity is also mysterious as he came from the sky." "What the hell do you mean he came from the sky?!" "Uh..." (I really should think my words before talking) thought the soldier. Shaking his head the leader said, "Never mind, so what''s wrong with this husband of her?" A man that could make someone powerful as Ryona to be his wife must be something beyond imagination. "Actually he is a heaven''s realm cultivator..." . Silence. . "What did you say?" asked the leader with disbelief. The soldier gulped once more before saying, "He is a heaven''s realm cultivator but the other twelve people called him a savior. Rumor has it that he was the one that broke the seal." Silence sank in once more as the leader contemplated. The leader didn''t question the validity of the news this time since from the beginning it didn''t even make sense. However, he knew the soldier wouldn''t give him false news as that would result in their own death. (Lyon Torga, whoever this man truly is, he is the key to my revenge!) thought the leader. The leader stood up, "I, Drake Arabasta, as the king of the Heaven''s Dawn Dynasty, heed my decree! Find any information and capture Lyon Torga at all cost and I want him to be alive!" "Yes, your majesty!" the soldier rushed back to deliver the holy mission for the others. The room was soon empty, only leaving the king behind. "Don''t worry my son, no one ever live after offending the Heaven''s Dawn!" shouted the king. It was at this moment a piece of paper swayed from the top of the room. The thunderous boom of the weather made it unnoticeable until it landed on top of Drake''s head. "Hm?" He took the paper and noticed that the paper was still new while the ink was still wet. It was clearly had been made not too long ago. Warm liquid started to appear between his finger as his grip was shaking. His forehead started to sweat with his pupils shrunk in disbelief. The sounds of wing flapping were heard as the bird flew through the rain once more. It wasn''t long until a scream of rage was heard throughout the city. As the paper was torn by his massive strength he walked out of the room. The pieces of paper slowly drifted by the wind from the hole on the wall and it coincidentally almost reattached themselves as they read. ''Nostria''s Declaration of War'' 91 A Single Though Different from Heaven''s Dawn, the weather in Nostria''s region was more serene and calm despite the recent event. Everyone was doing their work and make a living like they always did. The Academy was now more lively than ever before with a lot of new faces coming in and out. The rumors of Arcadia''s defeat spread like wildfire to Nostria''s neighboring kingdoms thus incite their youngsters to learn from the academy, especially since the new teachers there were directly involved in the war. But one middle-aged man was sitting alone in his office looking gloomy despite the liveliness in the Academy. His black-gold robe was made out of a rare fabric, one that couldn''t be found in the commoner''s store. A single glance was enough to know that his origin was at the very least a noble of a kingdom. The man repeatedly tapped the top of his desk with his fingers as a warm liquid slowly coming out of his creased forehead. His mouth opens and closes as he contemplated whether to speak up or not. "Fuck!" shouted the man as he lifted his desk upside down, scattering the papers on top of it in the air along with his noble bearing. "Why the hell I have to sign all of these papers!" *thud It was as if nature answered the question, a name tag fell right on top of his head which engraved the word ''headmaster''. His mouth was twitching but there was nothing he could do to his situations. The man was none other than the self-proclaimed badass uncle of Luna, Argeon the hidden headmaster of the academy. With a sigh, he took the name tag on top of his head as he muttered, "You know, at least give me some motivation to sign all of these papers.". He slowly picking up the mess that he created as if the world''s burden was on his shoulder. "Huh?", one of the things on the floor caught his interest. It was a plain red-blood envelope but as he turned it around, his blood was rushing to his brain. "Heh," His mouth slowly curled as he began to laugh, "HAHAHAHA!". Outside of the room was a couple of young male students making their way through the corridor. "W-w-what was that?!" one of them asked. "I-I don''t know, it was coming from that door over there", replied the other. "Oh, it''s the headmaster''s room." "Don''t ''oh'' me! That''s the freaking headmaster''s room!" "That''s what I just said!" *tsk "Don''t you know, the headmaster rarely, I mean RARELY to the close point of NEVER, came to the academy. In fact, there exists more than forty whole class of our alumnus that never seen his face the entire time they spent here!" *gulp "So you mean it''s a g-ghost? No way right, c''mon we''re twenty-four years old already, we only need one year left to get out of here." "You''re right, let''s pretend we never heard that and go to the cafeteria." "HAHAHAHA!" "Eek!", both of them shrieked while running frantically to the cafeteria. Thus the origin of one of the mysteries in the academy began. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the castle was a devastatingly beautiful woman sitting on a marble chair. The grass and the flowers around her would dance as if praising her beauty and their fragrance of spring could even calm the strongest storm. The faint wind frequently fluttered her silver hair as she sipped the tea on the table. Memories of her childhood days slowly resurface. There was the same scenery except for this time there was a handsome man, a beautiful silver-haired woman, and a cute little child not older than four years old. The man and the child were playing on the grass with a ball while the beautiful woman sitting on the familiar marble chair. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "C''mon father pass me the ball!! the ball!" waved the child with both hands. "Okay, here I go, smash it as hard as you can!" said the man before slowly threw the ball. *boom! "Ah?" the beautiful woman covered her open mouth as she saw what happened. The little child frantically run to her and tucked her sleeves, "Mother, why is father crouching like that? Is he alright?" The beautiful woman chuckled before wiping a little snot on the child''s face with her napkin, "Sylviana, your father is alright, she is crouching like that because he admits defeat." "Oh really?! Haha yay, I won! I won!" shouted the kid while jumping around. "Your majesty, your majesty," A faint voice slowly woke Sylviana from her trance. "Huh? What?" Sylviana looked around but there was no one there. "Over here your majesty, It''me Parriot, I''m a bird." The bird was on a branch of a peach tree nearby, it was the same kind of bird that flew to Heaven''s Dawn. "The message has been delivered and I already scout their layout." Sylviana stood up and gave a slight bow, "Thank you for assisting me in this ordeal, you are technically an outsider yet you guys helped us so much." "Please think nothing of it, after all this was partly Ryo-," *Boom Before he could finish the sentence he flew to the sky once more, except this time unwillingly. It took Sylviana a second to realize that Elaine was already in midair in the middle of a kick motion. *thud "Wow look at him go, must be my new personal record. Oh hey Sylvi! Wanna come with me? Let''s go check if I beat my record or not," before Sylviana could answer anything she was already dragged to the city. Hiding behind a nearby wall was a purple-haired woman wearing a maid dress. Her small mouth slowly curled up into a sweet smile, "In the end, you are too a human being, you always wanted a friend even when you said you never wanted to." With a single deep breath, the bearing of the maid was no more and it was replaced by something more oppressive. A single thought to become a maid, a single thought to become a commander, this is Fei. 92 Love and Women Walking in the busy street, Lyon casually put his hands on the back on his head leisurely. The latest celebrity had been the talk of the town with everyone''s gaze was full of admiration. Sadly what makes Lyon disappointed was that the majority who did it were males. "Hey Jugen, does the language used in naming the pills different from the one that we speak?" Jugen who was following behind him casually answered, "No it''s not, why do you ask big bro?" Lyon stopped his track and turned around, "Then can you show me the map you just got?" With a flick of his finger, Jugen pulled out the map from his spatial ring but only to be taken by Lyon and spread the scroll. "See this word? What does it say? How can I not recognize it?" asked Lyon as he got his finger on top of a certain word on the map. "It said ''map''," said Jugen with a confused expression. "Huh? Don''t you lie to me Jugen!" replied Lyon with an annoyed face. Lyon suddenly point a finger at someone, "Oi, you, yes you, do you have a brush with ink on you? I want to borrow them for a minute." The man didn''t dare to offend and hurriedly handed them over whilst palpitating. With a beautiful stroke and intensity, Lyon made a word besides the ''map''. Though it was unrecognizable language back on earth, any calligrapher expert would know it instantly that a master wrote it. "See this is a ''map'' word," said Lyon with a confident look. However, Lyon didn''t get the reply he sought as Jugen was staring at the word with awe. Even with a shallow knowledge of writing skills, one could feel that this word was as precise as it was beautiful. "Oi, wake up," Lyon''s voice woke him from a dreamlike state. "Huh? Sorry, big bro, I didn''t pay attention." *sigh Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Compare this word with the word I just wrote, they didn''t look the same! So how can they have the same meaning if not a different language?" concluded Lyon. "Ah, I see the problem now, big bro try to squint your eyes a little and look at the two words once more," said Jugen with brimming confident. Lyon proceeded to do what he was told and the two words gradually blurred in his vision, but at one point before they were completely unreadable the two words looked exactly the same. (Well fuck me, it does look the same. So the problem was not about the language, but their handwriting even beats that of a doctor on earth!). Suddenly, Lyon realized something familiar with that ugly writing. (This! Don''t tell me this is the leader of the Mist Clan''s handwriting?! God, I''ve never met in my life a woman with bad handwriting such as this, heck I guess you learn something new every day). With a sigh, Lyon patted Jugen''s left shoulder, "You have a talent to be a pharmacist." (Huh? What the hell is a pharmacist?) thought Jugen. Instead of a face full of smiles like he was expecting, he wore the mask of confusion instead. "Hey, don''t you think Ryona acted a little different lately," asked Lyon suddenly as he continued his stroll. The sudden change of topic made Jugen forget the question he was about to ask. "You think so? I never notice it though so I can''t answer, big bro." Recalling the first time they met, Lyon sure something had changed her. He couldn''t quite put the finger on it but something was definitely different. He would suspect that Ryona was the frontal type but day by day it seems that it was changing since she lived in the castle. "Yeah, I''m sure of it, the first time I met her she was wild just like your older sister but have a more frontal approach, now she is like... I don''t know... I can''t quite put a finger on it but if I have to say then... she acted like an innocent wife, you know, one of those ones that wait at home for her husband to come back from work." Jugen contemplated a little before saying, "Isn''t that like a good thing? What kind of man wouldn''t want a woman like that? Just imagine it, big bro, you came home from tiresome hunting in the forest and you are greeted with a beautiful smile just as you open the door." Lyon shook his head, before smiling, "You are an amateur at this Jugen, though you can read scribbles like it was nothing you are lacking in this department." Then Lyon continued, "Let me put it this way so you could understand. I would use your example. Now imagine this, you are in the forest hunting like you always do. The sweat on your face and the meat in front of you are the fruit of your labor." "But instead of going home, you face the woman beside you, equally tired but she still wiped yours with a towel she has brought." Jugen''s eyes slowly opened wide as the sudden realization was like a hammer pounding his fragile knowledge. But not just him, the surrounding who overheard their conversation was dumbstruck. "Your thinking was not wrong, but to say that ''every man would like a wife like that'' shows that you are lacking. Women have various personalities, you want to make her your wife NOT because you want to change her into something else, but because you accept all of her." Lyon took a deep breath before saying in a mild manner. "I may very well be a perverted man to the core, but I do know about love. If I have a wife, I hope they won''t change drastically because of me, so that every time I met her it would be just like the first time where I fall in love with her." With that, Lyon casually walked back to where the girls were at, leaving his surrounding dumbstruck including Jugen. Even the women nearby were having their heart skipped a beat. However, unbeknownst to Lyon, a particular figure was watching him from the shadow before leaving its position. Upon closer look, there was something on the ground. It was a book that looked like it was ripped in half but one could still make up the title for it. It was ''The Perfect Wife Guide." 93 The White Tiger Bloodline The light from the day slowly disappeared as the night sky taking its shift just as Lyon walked in the hall. The dim light from the candles illuminated the place but to Lyon, it still quite hard to adjust to because he had neon lamps installed back on earth. As Lyon''s hand about to touch the door handle, an electric flash ran through his brain. . . . (My perverted instinct is tingling!). After the cumulation of perverted thoughts and acts, this was one of his special yet disgraceful technique. Instead of touching the doorknob, his hands slowly pressed against the door while his right ear kissed it. *thump *thump His heart started to race as he waited. Who would have thought that the world''s greatest talent was some perverted guy in front of a door trying to listen to the girls'' conversation? And this happened just right after he made a speech about love! His image only lasted for one chapter! "Ahnn..." a moan came out from the door. Lyon''s right ear twitched as fast as the sound he heard. His eyebrows raising up and down before he slowly made a wicked smile. (Huehuehue, keep going, ladies!). "Hey, where are you touching! Stop it, Luna! Ahnn... <3" (Hohoho so she is the one eh? I wouldn''t have thought of that but who was the target?) thought Lyon as his breath was getting heavier like, literally a smoke came out of his nostrils. "Tell me, is being a fox the cause of these massive jewels," said Luna while her hands were groping through the person''s clothes. "Wha-what''s gotten into you, why are you being, ahn! Not so rough!" (Fox? FOX! OH MY GOD! Kyoko!!) Lyon screamed inwardly. "H-hey Luna what''s gotten into you," said Karina while she stepped back and covered her knockers. "T-there are sick people lying here you know," said Riku while she was on the bed. Though her breasts were not as big as the others it sure was bigger than Luna''s. Her parents decided to go home beforehand so she could only depend on herself. "Shut up, you wouldn''t understand," said Luna while kneading Kyoko''s breast. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Biane stayed silent beside her active personality while Clemora''s cheek was red as a tomato. "I see how Lyon always stole a glance to peek at you, sister Kyoko," said Luna with a pout. (She noticed that?! I expect nothing less from the godmother of our academy.) thought Lyon behind the door. "Ahn, p-please, Ryona help me!!" said Kyoko to the strongest woman in the room. Though one couldn''t see her double axes, her aura alone was enough to feel her power. However, before Ryona could have said anything. "Back off, sister Ryona, you''re next then sister Karina," though she was weak based on cultivation realms and levels, her mentality was unbeatable. This was because the white tiger bloodline running through her veins. Nothing under the heavens could suppress the white tiger. "D-don''t tell me you accidentally activate your bloodline?!" said Karina with a worrisome tone. Luna didn''t answer it directly, but Ryona knew that this was the case. She had never met a person that could oppress her just by one word the person said. (This is the power of the White Tiger bloodline? Hahaha my hubby really attracts strong women <3) thought Ryona as she looked at the door. "Th-the... Ahn! Activation of the... Ahn! By accident must be vented to turn it off!" said Kyoko while struggling to keep it understandable. Luna suddenly stopped her movements as her gaze landed on Ryona that leaned against the wall. Ryona looked at Luna before giving a final glance at the door. With a smirk, she casually walked near the door before stopping right in front of it. *pant *pant While panting Kyoko said, "Watch out Ryona, her bloodline trigger is her jealousy so you should know what you must do." "You got it, overseer," said Ryona with a smile on her face. "I need your help sister Karina so come over here." "Eh?" Before she knew it, Karina was already beside her. (OHHH! What''s this! A two vs one?) Lyon was as excited as a dog seeing a bone. *tap *tap The sound of footsteps entered Lyon''s other ear as the scene was getting good. A figure with a handsome feature was attracting nearby young students from the Mist Clan. His blonde long hair and brown bow on his back exuded a noble air. This handsome fellow was none other than Karina''s little brother, Jugen. As Jugen was about to call his big bro his mouth was suddenly covered by a hand. To his surprise, it was Lyon''s. "Shh! just go somewhere else and don''t bother me for a while, c''mon go," said Lyon under his breath. (A-amazing! I only blinked for a very short amount of time but he was already in front of me! Not only that but no sound was made! Like the wind never existed in the first place! And he is fully in control of his power with that speed!) thought Jugen as he proceeded to take a stroll once more in the clan. As he glanced back he saw Lyon back in his original position without even missing a single inch, "Truly a talented cultivator." whispered Jugen softly while shaking his head. Meanwhile, inside the room, Luna was jumping on both Ryona and Karina with her hands ready to kneaded their breast. "Luna wait! What if someone outside heard us!" said Karina hastily. "I think it''s a little late for that," with a chuckle Ryona striped her upper robe and dreams of men spilled out, beautifully covered with black silk bra. "Lyon Torga!! Prepare to pay your sin and die!" A shout from the end of the hall surprised everyone. Their eyes locked on one man with his readied sword. He was a middle-aged man with an outfit screaming that he was from the Kafrin clan. "Is he going to take revenge here? Is he insane?" said an onlooker. "Nobody will be sane when their only son was killed." sighed his friend. Lyon slowly got up from his position and faced the man that just shouted his name. Nobody dared to utter a word because of his silence and the sudden cold air was enough to make anybody understand. 94 Blink The clouds in the night sky calmly passed by the bright full moon while the wind blew gently to give the serene feel to the crowd under it. The branches on the trees swayed like it was dancing to entice the peace of an atmosphere. Alas, the perfect scenery couldn''t be fully enjoyed as the crowd below was focusing on two men that''s facing each other. Though the fire in on the walls was unmoving, everybody could feel the cold was growing. Meanwhile, inside the girl''s room, the girls'' eyebrows crossed. Ryona was about to burst open the door behind her before Luna with her White Tiger bloodline activated, stopped her by just a hand on her shoulder. Ryona quickly turned around, "What are y-," before she could finish her sentence the expression which Luna''s showed shut her mouth. "Calm down." Just those two words made Ryona which was more than powerful enough to take on an army, submitted. While Karina was adjusting her clothes, she saw the difference between Luna before and now. These drastic changes also didn''t escape Kyoko''s special eyes. Though she looked the same physically, her demeanor was changing. Her calm and collected expression made everything seemed to be under her control. White aura could clearly be seen seeping from her body by Kyoko as the silhouette of White Tiger emerging behind Luna''s back. (S-such power, maybe I am a stronger cultivator than her, but never could I have that kind of commanding aura) thought Ryona. She always felt that Luna was like her little sister, be there to be protected, but tonight''s experience made her wonder that maybe she was the little sister instead. (Even the Teacher submitted to her! I knew it, she is definitely no ordinary princess) thought Riku on her bed. Suddenly a voice was heard from outside the door. "Hmph! I hear you even manage to kill an elder here, such feat at a young age, you are definitely no ordinary talent." said the middle-aged man with contempt. The news was all over the place, the only outsider daring enough to kill an elder inside the clan but get''s away with it. He heard it everywhere in this town so it''s not hard to find Lyon''s location. "But don''t think I''m that weak! I will use everything to kill you and avenge my son! After all, a Soul Realm is still a Soul Realm!" said the man as he released his deadly intent. Lyon stayed silent like a statue the whole time the man spoke. The weaker cultivators would say that he was too scared to move but the stronger ones was able to tell the difference. "What''s wrong kid? Oh, I see, if you are willing to kowtow and apologize to my son I will let you take your own life." said the man with a laugh. "Oi Fenrir wake up!" said Lyon while patting his companion which was asleep on top of his head the entire time. Fenrir lazily opened his baggy eyes. "I''m pissed right now, so can you keep up with me? Don''t want you to fall down because of my speed," said Lyon with half confidence and half-joking. Fenrir responded with a nod and grabbed Lyon''s hair tightly with his paw. With a quick finger, Lyon wrote a spell with rainbow color, "Saint Magic, Speed Buff Hermes". With his chant, the spell activated as a rainbow-colored circle magic brand appeared on top of his head before dropping through him. The event happened so fast the crowd had their awe''s stuck on their throat, blink three times and it''s over. The middle-aged man could only watch the magic activated since he had absolutely no time to speak let alone react. (Is-is that an Insta Cast? No that can''t be right, it would take a huge amount of mana to cast a Taboo level spell let alone a Saint one! And if my eye didn''t deceive me, it was the highest grade! Rarest of the rare!). Luna was taking a peek through the keyhole on the door to see what''s happening while Ryona was pouting since she couldn''t do anything even with her strength. Her eyes opened wide as she saw the spell activated in under a minute. She was observing from the start and she saw the ludicrous speed of which Lyon absorbed the heaven''s and world''s energies a.k.a mana. It almost looked like an instant cast but it wasn''t at all, (My heart is beating faster than before) thought Luna as she had a shade of red on her face. "Kid if you teach me the spell that you just used, I will personally remove our animosity." said the middle-aged man with confidence. In his eyes, that spell worth much more than his worthless only son. With that spell, the Kafrin clan would have a new trump card and could be a force to be reckoned with. *hiss Lyon was taking a deep breath as the answer to his demand. Unbeknownst to Lyon, the door beside him opened a little with the eyes of the girls were stacking up to peek at them. The peeked were now the peekers. With a smirk, Lyon said, "I don''t care if your cultivation is higher than mine, let me show you the price of pissing me off, oh, and don''t think I don''t know that you are stalling for time." "Hm?!" the middle-aged man was surprised by Lyon''s bull''s eye deduction. Exactly the middle-aged man came here with his father to kill Lyon but his father came a little later than him. "Oh and Luna, I always stole a glance of your butt too so don''t fret!" His sentence sent an electrifying current to her body as her complexion turned red and the entire aura of White Tiger was washed off. She couldn''t say anything but looked down and bump her index fingers. "Hmph! Try not to blink before you die." *swosh Sensing the immediate danger the middle-aged man raised his sword to guard. "Hn?!" (I-I can''t move my arms! Move damn it!). Though he could see Lyon was coming straight at him his muscle won''t move. His brain was fast enough to know what''s in front of him but not fast enough to move his arms. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. *blink *clank It was then that the muscle finally kept up with his brain and put on a guarding position. (Huh? What?). Lyon was not there. "I told you don''t blink," said Lyon coldly while standing behind him facing the crowds instead. Fueled with anger the middle-aged man turned and slashed Lyon. However, (why... come on slash him! What''s wrong?! huh... why can I turn my head one hundred and eighty degrees?). *thud The middle-aged man''s head dropped to the ground. He was still conscious when he saw his own body fell down but the last thing he saw wasn''t that. The last vision of his life was a red-blood sword on Lyon''s right hand. 95 You? The gentle wind of the night woke up the spectators as they were trapped in a timeless shock. It took a whole two seconds before they realized there was a severed head on the ground. "D-did you see what just happened?" asked a weaker cultivator. Many people had this question in their mind already, but he asked it first. "I-i don''t know, honestly all I see was Lyon charging right in front of that old man, but then... I blinked," said his senior who was a core disciple in the Mist Clan. Their point of view was, of course, different than the girls especially Ryona. Being the strongest cultivator in the room she knew what every little amazingness Lyon did. Even her eyes were wide open when Lyon took the first step. (Between that single second, he moved as if the wind didn''t exist! The fire on the candle didn''t even move half a centimeter! A slyph dance? No, it was different) thought Ryona. She bit her lips as all of her vision landed on that lean yet strong back of Lyon. (The more I know you, the more mysterious your being is, I wonder hubby, who exactly are you?) Three girls on their bed couldn''t see Lyon''s prowess but they knew how amazing it was since they saw the expression of the girls who did. (The man, teacher called husband, is he really that strong?) thought Riku. (Not only he killed him with a single swing, but he also canceled Luna''s accidental bloodline outburst). Kyoko was left in deep thought. Retracting his sword Lyon said, "So anyone knows who this guy is?" while pointing the middle-aged man''s head. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. (What the fuck?!) thought everyone. They couldn''t believe their ears when he said that. What kind of blood-feud battle if you don''t know who you just killed? Seeing everyone''s expression Lyon continued with his arms opened as if it''s not his fault, "I mean, I don''t even know his name." His sentence rang a bell in the crowd''s head. (He is right! Holy shit we forgot about it, he didn''t even have the time to introduce himself yet!). They could only put on a wry smile after on. "MY SON!" a shout was coming from one of the crowds and an old man came rushing to the scene. Although he doesn''t look strong, his eyes were full of experience and the aura of his exude that of a divine aura albeit a little. Clearly, his cultivation was above that of a Soul Realm. The old man came crouching down while holding his son''s head. "You will pay for this!" shouted the old man to Lyon. But sadly his target wasn''t there anymore. "Huh? Where did he go?!" said the old man while looking at the surrounding. There was a man with a unique getup, he didn''t wear a robe like the others. "YOU!! YOU KILL MY SON!" shouted the old man. "Nope, it wasn''t me," said the man. He was indeed Lyon, but he denied that he killed his son. "I''m just a spectator here, I''m not from the Mist Clan that''s why I wore this cloth." (HOW SHAMELESS CAN YOU BE?!) The crowd already knows that the man was Lyon but nobody dared to point that out. They didn''t want to risk having their head severed like the other guy so they kept their mouth shut. "I think I saw that guy killed your son," said Lyon while randomly pointing someone from the crowd. The old man glanced at his direction and readied his sword. "You kill him?! You trash! I''m going to end you!" "Eek! It-it wasn''t me." The man immediately denied it with denying gestures from his both hands. The man glanced at Lyon, but his expression made him think five times in a single second before randomly pointing someone. "Him, it was him." "What are you talking about it wasn''t me, it''s her." the man was quick-witted and pointed a woman behind the man that was blaming him just now. The woman quickly reprimand the man "What are you talking about?! I''m your wife idiot! You are so done when we are home!" *tsk The quick-witted man clicked his tongue before saying, "Not you, behind you." The man pointed a girl behind her wife. "Eh? There is no way I could do it!" The girl quickly denied it. "Think for yourself how can I beat your son he was stronger than me." The logical argument from the girl made the old man creased his eyebrows. (The girl''s right how can-) before his thought finished, another argument entered his ear. "O-of course you can, you seduced him and then wring his neck when he let down his guard," said the quick-witted man. "Husband! What the hell are you talking about?! The culprit was a man." reprimand the wife. "R-really now?" said the quick-witted man while he thought (Woman you want me to go to an early grave or what?!). "I-I guess the man was so beautiful I thought it was a woman, ahahaha." They clearly saw the fake laugh he made. "STOP MAKING FUN OF ME!" the old man shout shut the whole blaming game. "If the one who is responsible for this doesn''t come out when I count to five, I will kill everyone here. Don''t think the elders from your clan can save you!" *tap *tap The sound of footsteps came from behind the crowd, "Oh, what''s happening guys." Everyone looked at the source of the voice, The man was handsome with a redeeming feature. His blonde hair was resting on his shoulders while the brown bow on his back made him looked like an elf. (A beautiful man?) thought the old man before his tension finally build up. "YOU ARE THE ONE!" the old man jumped straight at Jugen who was defenseless. (He is fast!) thought Jugen while he instinctively jumped back and trying to reach the bow on his back. (I can''t make it!). "Hmph! Try to train your brain in the next life old man." His voice made the old man who was still in the middle of a jump opened his eyes wide. His pupils managed to glance down and saw a figure squatting down. (YOU!). *slash Lyon slashed upward severing the old man''s head and both arms which were holding the sword to hacked Jugen. Blood spurted everywhere as the head flew in the sky before dropping down with a loud thump. Lyon knelt down and hold his chest after retracting Scarlet. The gasping voice he made was a clear message to everyone. No matter how heaven-defying someone was, there was a price that must be paid. After he regained control of his breath, he slowly got up but only to fall down, this time along with his consciousness. 96 Young Love Inside a cave in Kafrin clan was a recuperating ancestor with his beard swaying with the wind. His avatar had been slain by Lyon during their encounter in Snake Den thus left a soul wound inside him. A wounded soul was really tough to heal than physical ones and the medicine for it was even rarer, not to mention the sky-high price. Currently, in Deo, the pill-makers capable of making such medicines were probably among the top three. Even a big empire might not have one, not to mention a mere clan. The ancestor''s eyes suddenly twitched before he vomited blood. With blood stricken mouth he spoke while his hands trembled, "My-my-my lineage is dead! It''s over... it''s all over!". He slumped down before screaming as if he lamented the gods above. His cries echoed inside the cave as his hair slowly disheveled and his face grew more wrinkles than it should. The rapid age progression wasn''t the side effect of the method he cultivates but it was from the tragedy of loss. As Lyon''s face crossed his mind, the sadness on his face instantly turned into rage. "I will not rest until I kill you! I will use any means necessary to kill you and your beloved ones!" With the new profound will, the ancestor left the clan signaling its end, but the seed of revenge had been planted as the storm started to brew once more. However, the mood was different in Mist Clan as a new wave was crashing the city. Lyon Torga once again proved the impossible was possible. The young man killed two cultivators that were clearly above his own realm and they couldn''t even fight back. The moment was decided in an instant and people couldn''t exactly explain how the battle went, but the result was apparent. The man himself didn''t know that he did so much more than just that. He set an example that in battle, cultivator level and the realm they were in, was not the entire factor to win a fight. The treasure one''s possessed, the quick wit, experience and so much more, could easily turn the tide of battle. The talk of the town was currently on the bed with his eyes closed. It had been three days since the battle but Lyon didn''t even budge. People closest to him began to worry that it might be much more serious than it looks but Kyoko quickly denied it. Her eyes could clearly see the torrent of which mana was absorbed into his body. "He should wake up very soon," said Kyoko softly. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Before anyone could react, Lyon''s eyelids moved a little. As he opened his eyes with the speed of a snail, his vision gradually becoming clearer. "Ngh?" "Lyon!" suddenly he felt a warmth embrace on his neck as wavy purple hair lightly brushed his face. He was about to make a joke out of it before he felt a warm liquid touching his cheek. With a gentle smile, he lifted his other arm and caressed her back. "Hey, it''s fine, I''m fine, so stop the crying okay?" the soothing voice slowly calmed Luna''s heart. She slowly retracted her embrace before facing Lyon''s face. Their eyes locked each other as if the surroundings were a mere figurine. Luna''s heart beats faster each half a second, the only man in her heart was in front of her right now. The moment they met, the time they spend, the way he came to rescue her kingdom. (Honestly, when exactly did I fall for you?) thought Luna as she was getting closer to Lyon''s face. The image when she offered the vice-president position, the moment where he comforted her in the bathroom, the moment where he came with a blasting announcement and abolished her arranged marriage. She was affirming these memories as she felt a warmth feeling running through her heart. However, there was always a shadow covering her mind. Lyon was popular with women and all of them were beautiful and more talented than her. All she had was her status as a princess and president of the student council. There was definitely a little chance that Lyon would fall for her. As the doubt was growing stronger, she stopped her advance and they just ended up staring at each other. *ahem Kyoko interrupted them with a cough, she was mature enough to see that they would pause at that motion if it were to be left alone. The cough made Luna''s face red as a tomato as she realized she wasn''t behaving like she was normally. A princess was usually the one that is pursued by their suitors but this time the princess was the one making the first move. This occurrence was rare to nonexistent except if it was arranged marriage. "I-I''m sorry!" said Luna as she lowered her head. Lyon was not dense enough to ignore these little details of her action. (You are lucky I''m not stupid emotionally) chuckled Lyon inside. With a smile, Lyon used the arm he was caressing Luna with to write a spell. Even though the surroundings noticed what''s happening the couldn''t stop it. "Basic Magic, Iluminate!" Three white circle magic brands suddenly appeared behind Luna''s back and illuminate the room. The surrounding including Kyoko couldn''t help but covered their eyes. "Huh, what?" Luna was confused as to what happens. However, before she could turn around he felt something was touching her chin and lifting her face. *kiss Her eyes were opened wide as opposed to Lyon who had his eyes closed. Nothing could describe the feelings she had at this moment. All the doubts she had were dissolved like a cotton candy falling into the water. Lyon then felt his nape was being pressed by gentle soft hands. Their lips continued to lock until the window beside his bed opened with a sudden gust of wind. As she tucked some of her hair behind her right ear she looked at Lyon with a smile, "I love you" 97 Talent and Strength The room illuminated for a while before it slowly faded. Kyoko and the girls, including Jugen, finally readjusted their vision to normal. All they could see was the dumb grinning look of Lyon. Luna stepped behind as her complexion was brighter than ever before. Nobody could see exactly what happened between them but they all have an incline. With a sigh, Lyon suddenly said, "I''m still weak," while shaking his head. Though he was shameless, it was a really tough line to mutter for a man, especially in front of beautiful girls. They were all surprised by his statement. The man with the most potential, the most talent, had just said that he is still weak. He was the one that could leap levels and killed a cultivator of higher realms of his own. Lyon definitely realized how weak he was and how the battle could go wrong. The main problem was his vitality couldn''t keep up with Scarlet. He was lucky that only two people showed up to kill him if it were more than that, his life definitely ended and also his loved ones. Then he reminded of what Selena told him, that the ring he wore right now only possessed fifty percent of his past powers. Every time Lyon make a breakthrough and leap levels was because of this ring and he could feel the endless stream of manas coming from it. Sadly, cultivation was not all about absorbing mana but understanding what''s the next realm was all about, without it, it''s all meaningless. "You are strong, Lyon." A voice broke the silence in the room. Everyone was looking at the source of the voice. Her golden hair and tomboy like attitude always captivated Lyon''s heart. She was his teacher, Karina Aprilia. "The fact that you realize you are weak, means that you are strong. The fact that you admitted it in front of us here, means that you are strong. As long as you keep training, it is only a matter of time before you become a true expert," said Karina with her arms crossed under her breasts. "Talent never means strength, they are two different things." continued Karina. "Talent only means how fast you understand something, while strength is how you use that something." Everyone that heard her lecture couldn''t help but nod. *knock *knock The door was opened and an old man came in, "Excuse me,". At first glance, this old man had nothing out of the ordinary but the cultivation Kyoko sensed from him said otherwise. (This old man is an expert!). Kyoko and the others quickly had hostile expressions and ready to strike if he did anything funny. Ryona, on the other hand, was at ease. Jugen immediately stood up and greet him, "Ah, sorry we don''t have any sits left, please use mine instead." "I''m very sorry then," said the old man as he received the gesture. Karina whispered to him, "Who is he?" His sudden appearance caught everyone''s attention but Jugen''s gesture halted their hostile expression. "Remember when I and big bro go out for a stroll? We met him at one of the shops and you wouldn''t believe this, the shop sells a lot of broken things." Jugen explanation was as bad as it can get. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Karina creased her eyebrows before Jugen continued, "Well anyway, big bro was pissed at that time because the old man mocked him when he was interested in the zither, saying something like ''only the destined one could play that'' ." (Well he didn''t exactly say that, but it''s close enough I guess). "Then the most unexpected thing happened, with one leg to prop the zither, he played those strings like an expert." "He could take you to a dreamscape like an experience where the reality was under the tune he played." finished Jugen with stars in his eyes. The women except for Ryona. were surprised when he said that. The man could actually play the zither to that level? No one in Deo could accomplish that feat With a deep breath, Jugen continued, "Because of his majestic plays with the strings. the old man feels like he owes big bro a favor." Jugen tried to skip the part where Lyon gave him the illusive Relaxing Pill. "How rude of me, looks like I''m getting senile. I should introduce myself, people call me Old Sean in this clan, pleased to meet you all" the old man took a bow. Riku how was in bed, jumped in fright. "W-what? Are you the Old Sean?" With a smile, the Old Sean responded. "I believe I am that person unless there is someone with the same name as me in this clan." "I-it''s an honor to meet you," Riku was trying to bow to greet him but Old Sean quickly gestured her not to, since she was still recuperating on her bed. Biane and Clemora looked at each other before nodding their heads at the same time. Their actions slipped everyone''s eyes since they were focusing on Old Sean instead. He looked at Lyon before saying, "Sorry I couldn''t help you, I was running a personal errand when it happened and when I heard the news I rushed here." "It''s fine, old man. I was never expecting you to help me anyway," said Lyon nonchalantly. Rikus was sweating like hell. Don''t forget that he was still the hidden expert in Mist Clan, the old man''s name has almost the same weight as the head here. (Of course, only Lyon could calmly say that to an expert) thought Riku. "Haha, I miss my youth self when you said that," chuckled Old Sean as he slapped his own thigh. The surrounding couldn''t help but rub their eyes. "All right, tell us your purpose of coming here, I doubt you would just say hi and wished me well," smirked Lyon. "You are as sharp as your fingers played with those strings young man," said Old Sean with admiration before he took an item out of his spatial ring. "This is?" Lyon was surprised to see the item Old Sean took out. 98 Reason The item Old Sean took out was the zither that Lyon once played before. The plain-looking instrument had nothing special ornament on it that you probably could find one in a regular shop. "That zither!" Biane suddenly shouted in exclamation. Her eyes were trembling with excitement as she saw it. Even the cool Clemora couldn''t help but grip her own bedsheets. "Oh? Is something the matter?" Old Sean turned his head to look at them both. They quickly get out of their bed and cupped their hands, "Please sir, if you can be so kind, can you give us the zither. We would compensate you well." Their statements caught the old man''s interest. For the commoners, this was nothing but a piece of wood with strings attached to it. It won''t worth a silver for a secondhanded good like this. "Young misses, what is it that makes you interested in this plain instrument?" said Old Sean with a smile. He could see that they were from a noble family from the clothing they wore. No commoners could buy that kind of silk. "We can''t tell you right now but we really need this item," said Clemora as her gaze was fixated in on the zither. "Young miss, can one of you play the zither?" asked Old Sean with keen interest. His past experience with Lyon made him learn to not judge people by it look nor their age. Nobody knows a true master until they decided to play. "No, we can''t, we need it for something else," said Biane with a firm resolution. Old Sean had a hint of a disappointment in his eyes that skipped their attention. "I see, then do you know the origin of this particular zither?" He couldn''t afford to be impolite against them since Lyon was here. "Yes, we know, we know it very well. In fact, it was the reason why we come to this place," said Clemora. Their reason finally unfolded to everyone in the room "I see, but sadly I cannot grant you that request." His rejection caused the two women to grit their teeth with disappointment. Even though the two women expected this, it was harder when it became a reality. However, before they could point out another option, "That is because this zither is not mine," the old man smiles as he glances at Lyon who looked at him with a disinterested face. "This is my gift for you, master Lyon," said Old Sean as if he was gifting something to his own ancestor. The way Old Sean greeted Lyon surprised everyone who was watching. The powerful hidden expert in the Mist Clan just called him master. Nobody could believe their ears and nobody would believe it even more if they were telling the people outside. "Oh? Since when did I agree to become your master," smiled Lyon while shaking his head. The man was fearless even when talking to someone evidently stronger than him. Everyone would be delighted to be called master by such expert but this was not the case for Lyon. In his eyes, the old man in front of him already passed his prime and it would be difficult to grow even stronger. His statements even surprised the old man himself. There were many people requesting him to be their master or protector but he always refused them since those were mundane matters, but when he decided to call someone his master, the man refused. He couldn''t cry nor smile (I wonder if this is karma). "It would be my greatest honor if maste- no, young noble would accept this gift from this old bone." No matter what he would always try to be on Lyon''s good side since he wanted to listen to his plays once more. He lived long enough to know that Lyon was a man of a generation, nobody could replace him in another era. The way he could trigger memories through his play and make the listeners experience it all over again was a godsent talent. He could leave them crying or smiling at the end of his tune. Everyone could feel his desperation for pleasing Lyon and this made them curious about his capabilities of playing the zither. (Is he really that good) the thought crossed everyone''s mind except for Jugen. The guy kept a cool expression since he was the only one other than Old Sean that experience the dreamscape. "Fine, I will accept this gesture of yours," said Lyon as he put the zither on top of his lap. His finger lazily plucked one of the strings on the instrument. *ding It was like an angel whispered to their ear in a single note. The mana was dancing as branches of the tree outside the window swayed and let the wind carried its leaves. Everyone who heard it couldn''t help but closed their eyes as if something were guiding them to shut the other four senses. Lyon didn''t continue the tune and put on a grinning smile. Even though his expression didn''t exude that of a master, his skill was undeniable. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Old Sean took a while before he regained his senses. "Truly a master beyond words. No one could ever do that by just a note," whispered him under his breath. Kyoko, however, managed to glimpse the wonders of what Lyon just did. (After he plucked that string, the mana hovering in the air suddenly turned its course and create a perfect symphony with his note. That''s not just some dumb luck if it were to continue I wonder what would it like) Then Lyon suddenly grabbed the zither with one hand and shoved it to Biane and Clemora. It took a whole second before they knew what''s going on. "Eh? A-are you sure?" Biane was the first one to ask this. "What compensation would you like? Please state the price," Clemora on the other hand, spoke straight to business. "Compensation? Oh just take it away it''s not that valuable to me," said Lyon nonchalantly. Jugen was surprised (Holy Shit big bro! The old man is still right in front of you!!) Contrary to Jugen''s thought, Old Sean only smiled wryly in respond. 99 Astral Under their dumbstruck look, Lyon suddenly got up from his bed. He stretched his arms and made a couple of little jumps before he bumped his own fists. "Alright, I''m good as new," said Lyon with a newfound spirit. "Oh big bro, apparently the two people you just killed turned out to be from the Kafrin Clan... or was it Khufrin? You know, the ones Naeya said about your punishment," said Jugen beside him. "Oh really? Then my problem is solved? Well, ain''t that convenient," chuckled Lyon wholeheartedly. "Sadly no," the voice came from Old Sean with his head shaking. "I recognized the two dead men, they were not the ones who founded the clan." "The one who founded the clan was much stronger than that, the current young noble couldn''t hope to win against him," as much as he respected Lyon, he must say the truth. "Are you sure? Big bro did destroy the guy''s astral being," Jugen was rather annoyed by Old Sean''s tone. In his eyes, Lyon was his idol. People might be blind but he was there for most of his fight, so he knew pretty well how amazing his big brother was. Old Sean couldn''t help but be surprised. "Young noble did that!?" "Yes he did, I was there too," said Ryona. . . (Huh!) now Lyon and Jugen were the ones that surprised. "What!? Really!? Wait, you followed us didn''t you." The quick-witted Lyon was able to grasp the situation. "En!" Ryona nodded with her enchanting smile. She didn''t even try to hide it. "S-since when did you followed us?" (This woman is quite scary). Putting her index finger at the edge of her lips while looking at the roof, she answered, "It was when you go to the pill store." (From there? Wow, I didn''t even notice... WAIT A MINUTE!) Lyon suddenly grabbed both of Ryona''s shoulders before whispering. "Did you hear what I said to Jugen back on the street?" "Yes! Loud and clear hubby <3" whispered Ryona back. Her soft breath directly hitting Lyon''s face. He was talking about how Ryona being a different person lately. She was the type of woman who would make the first move but all of that change since they left Nostria. "I see, good... good, welcome back," said Lyon as he took a step back with a charismatic smile. However, Ryona suddenly stepped forward and leaned toward him. It was evident to everyone about what''s she was going to do. *ahem Luna suddenly made a cough that stopped her advancement. (There is no way I would let you do that, today is my special day) thought Luna as she closed her eyes. Lyon noticed this cute jealousy of her before patting her head which caused her cheeks gradually red. Ryona could only pout in response. "Only a cultivator of Middle Half Divine Realm could make an astral projection," said Old Sean in an attempt to break the ice. "However, destroying an astral was a feat almost next to impossible," continued Old Sean before standing up with his hands behind his back. "That was because no material could touch the astral projection." "Astral projection will disappear on its own with the time of its appearance determined by the realm of the user. This skill is the most useful if the individual has a grand status, the ones that its name or its attendance has enormous weight." "Since an astral deeply connected to the cultivator''s soul, method of soul skill would work on it, but sadly those skills are rare and take a lot of time to even learn the first phase." Old Sean shook his head. "I have to disagree," this time Kyoko refuted him. He was an expert in this clan but always seem to be underwhelmed when faced with these guys. Kyoko approached him only to drag his chair and made it her seat. With her left foot being on top of her right, she flicked her finger and a lengthy pipe smoke came out from her spatial ring. *puff The smoke outpouring from her mouth making a spiral before dissipating in the air. Her blue rose hair was resting on her shoulder to her breasts. With the way she leaned back on the chair and her right hand holding the pipe, her left sleeve dropped down a little as her left arm, revealing her supreme complexion. It took only a centimeter if not two, to reveal her right breast. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. *gulp Lyon and Jugen couldn''t help but swallowed down their saliva. However, of the two, Lyon was almost down on his knees. (Such mature charm is deadly!) thought Lyon as he held his ground. *puff She breathed out the smoke once again, "An astral indeed connected to one''s soul. However." Kyoko once again took the pipe in her mouth. With another smoke, she continued, "However, you are wrong if you think only a soul related skill could harm it." As the tobacco inside the pipe''s chamber lit up, another smoke was let out. Even though Kyoko was taking a little longer time to explain, nobody dared to interrupt her. No. more like Lyon wouldn''t forgive anyone who did. "Astral can be made if the cultivators had a fairly strong soul, but the source of it was never the soul itself. The soul only acts as the channeler. What did the soul channel? Of course, it''s the mana gathering around." "S-so it''s like magic but without a chant?" said Old Sean nervously. "That is almost, correct," said Kyoko as she closed her eyes. (Almost?) Old Sean''s face was brimming with curiosity. "Magic can still be interrupted with an object, but an astral can''t, at least not any object," replied Kyoko in a lazy manner. Her eyes were half opened and gave a unique seduction feel. (Damn, my heart is racing!) thought Lyon as he was palpitating. His reaction caught Ryona''s attention who was nearby. With a wicked smile, she whispered, "Overseer always act like that when someone was asking a question with a quite long explanation." (Huh!! Damn!! Guess who is going to ask plenty of questions and ace the exams? Your A''s college boy Lyon Torga!) thought Lyon with his shameless brain. 100 Smooth Lyon Strikes Again! The stream of white smoke coming from Kyoko''s seductive lips was as dense as the fog, one normally saw in high places such as a mountain. However, it couldn''t linger for a longer period of time before it disappeared. "The very structure of an astral is the world''s and heaven''s energy, or mana for short. Which means only those things made of the same thing could touch each other." Kyoko stood up and tapped her pipe on the edge of the window. "In simpler terms, magic, arts, and an object imbued with mana could harm the astral, which effectively injured the user''s soul." Old Sean had his eyes glimmering with knowledge. Learning is a continuous process, it only ended when the person died. "Thank you for your guidance miss!" said the old man while giving a bow. This was an honor that could make anyone proud. It was more than just a bragging right, receiving his bow meant a leap in status. No matter where anyone lives, having a high status was something almost everyone strived for. Sadly this didn''t apply to Kyoko. In her eyes, he was just an ordinary old man with his ordinary cultivation realm. His bow was nothing but a mere respect anyone would give to their benefactor. With the explanation done, she returned her pipe to her spatial ring and turned around facing Lyon which had a bit of drool on the edge of his mouth. "Well, little brother, what are you going to do next," Lyon was still in a daze, living his own fantasies before her question snapped him back to reality. "Eh? What?" "Huft, honestly... your thoughts always fly to heaven''s knows where when it comes to Kyoko," said Karina as she pulled up a black napkin from her pocket and threw it to Lyon''s face. "There you go, go wipe yourself." In the corner of the room, Luna was seen rummaging her pocket to find her napkin before finally giving up. "Oh? Hehe sorry about that," said Lyon as he wiped his drolls before keeping the black napkin in his own pocket. "Thank you, teacher," he said the last word in a softer voice that only both of them could hear. "E-en," Karina nervously nodded her head and quickly glance aside, avoiding direct eye contact with Lyon. He noticed that there was a red shade gradually building upon her cheeks. (You are really cute like that) thought Lyon before he came back to matter at hand. "I see, what to do now huh, well my original plan was taking a trip to the Phantera Kingdom which Luna resides but somehow we ended up here hahaha," "S-sorry for dragging you down in this mess," Riku agitatedly apologize since she was the one that made the request. "Oh, it''s alright, this place is also fun," said Lyon nonchalantly (Well the girls here are cute, especially the head of the clan). "Glad to hear that," replied Riku with a rare smile on her face. She was always a serious type but in the end, she was also human. "Oh right, old man, do you know anything about a group named Legion?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Suddenly the room fell silent as all attention was weighting down Old Sean. "I see, so you heard of them too," said the old man while stroking his beard. "I don''t know much about them sadly, but I did hear rumors about them." "Anything is fine old man, even rumors," said Lyon hastily. "Alright young noble. The rumors that I heard actually came from a different world than ours, it was a place with denser mana. Cultivation realm like mine now was considered weak so they didn''t even bother me," "Where is this place, what is it called," asked Lyon. He was always interested in learning this new world he was in. He was once in the library to look for this multi-world structure but he never found one. "The world is called, Mabia. It''s a vast world compared to Deo. To go there one must go through the gate sets up in the far east, where Luderia Dynasty resides." "Luderia!" Biane and Clemora accidentally spoke at the same time. "Hmm? You know the place?" asked Lyon to them both. "Of course we know the place, its where we came from," said Biane proudly. "You are saying that making everything. Lyon suddenly took her right hand with his other hand clamping them. He stared at Biane''s eyes as if she was his world. The sudden motion caught Biane off-guard but she didn''t resist in the slightest. The world in her eyes suddenly turned pink as beautiful sakura petals flew by behind Lyon''s face. In that instant, she forgot how Lyon treated her in the arena. *thump *thump Her heartbeat gradually increased as her face couldn''t help but blush. (W-what happen) her mind slowly going blank. "Do you believe in fate?" said Lyon softly. Biane''s ear twitched a little when she heard what he said. Her brain receives the signal but her words were stuck in her throat. "Eh?" responded Biane. In her hometown, she met a lot of suitors with their gullible speech to win her and her sister''s favor, but she could easily fend them off. However, facing Lyon was different. His approach was that of a pure reaction. He didn''t start with a speech but he started with his hand clamping hers. The warmth feeling she felt from her hand made her common sense slowly dissipating. "Y-ye-" *pak *ugahh! Lyon was knocked out by the women around him and there were a few red bumps on his head releasing smoke. "Sister, sister!" Clemora was shaking her lovestruck older sister. "Eh?" The world Biane saw immediately crumbled and in its place was Lyon laying on the ground. "Are you okay sister? You seem out of it, did he do anything to you?" Biane bit the edge of her right thumb, "Perhaps," said Biane with a blushing face. (Big bro, you are truly a LEGEND) thought Jugen as his respect towards Lyon actually increased! 101 Troubles Ahead Lyon slowly got up as he patted his cloth to clean the dust. "Alright, old man can I ask you to protect the Mist Clan from that Kafrin guy? Tell him to come and find me if you can''t kill him unscathed." His overbearing confidence could amaze anyone even with half a brain. The ancestor of the Kafrin clan was stronger than him by many folds, it was beyond their imagination to think that Lyon would beat him in a battle. However, those who were close to him knew his capabilities very well. Especially, Luna, she was there when Lyon''s talent being assessed. "Yes, young noble, in your honor I shall do as you ask!" said Old Sean with a bow. Though he didn''t know Lyon much as a cultivator, he knew that his friends were incredible enough to protect him. (Besides, I can only sense faint disastrous energy emanating from the woman with the fox ears, while the other one make my legs wanted to run for life). Lyon casually accepted the gesture and turned his way to both Biane and Clemora before saying, "Well, I''m guessing you two will be going back home then," with a hint of disappointing tone. The charmed Biane had a clear hesitation in her eyes. Clemora who noticed this immediately answered on her behalf, "Yes, we will be going back soon since our task here is done." Realizing she was being outrun by her sister, she agitatedly said, "But, you are always welcome in Luderia," Clemora suddenly tugged her older''s sister and whispered, "Sister! Now is not the right time!" Biane bit her lower lips, "Gah! If only ''that'' is not happening right now." "Exactly, and with his personality, I think that there will be more trouble than what it should." The distress caught Lyon''s attention and he could hear everything they said. (Am I an exacerbate?). With a clap, Biane said, "Sorry Lyon, things are a bit hectic in Luderia right now. So I really REALLY wouldn''t recommend you to go there in the near time." "Oh okay," said Lyon with a smile. However, his thought was running a different line (What''s this? A foreshadowing? Ah heck!). "Will you be safe though? I mean the journey is pretty far right?" With a concerning tone, Lyon asked. Even though Clemora felt nothing, a stream of warmth running through Biane''s heart. "Don''t worry, we have our own carriage and guards, they are dying to go home too," said Biane. "Yeah, and the road is safe since it is under Luderia''s jurisdiction most of it," added Clemora. With a sweet smile, Biane suddenly pointed at Lyon''s nose under his watching eyes. "Next time we meet, I''m gonna play the host, so don''t forget to come by!" Then the both of them cupped their hands and waved goodbye to Lyon and co. As their footsteps couldn''t be heard anymore, Lyon still looked at the closed door. He had a serious look in his eyes that could penetrate anyone''s soul. (Those two... just raised a death flag) thought Lyon. He was aware that those kinds of lines usually ended up in a tragedy. This was happening before in the Phantera Kingdom where the ugly lizard managed to stay alive despite the gruesome wound. (I can''t let them die!). Perverted he may be but he was first and foremost a man. What kind of man would he be if he did nothing after having an incline that something bad will happen? (But wait, this might be deeper than just killing some bad guys and saving maidens. C''mon Lyon think, what are the clues). Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Lyon was in deep thought as he rummaged through his memories. The conversation they just had, the events that were happening, were flashing in his mind. He slowly opened his eyes, "Old man, that zither you just gave me, would it by chance came from that Luderia Dynasty?" Old Sean was caught off guard by his question. "Why do you ask that?" "The moment they want your zither, you asked if they knew the origin of the instrument and then they said that they knew. Then they revealed that they are from Luderia, which means there is a high probability that it came from there." "Yes, young noble is correct. The instrument is indeed originated from that place," Old Sean didn''t even try to deny it. "But why is young noble interested in this?" Lyon only chuckled in response, "That zither had nothing special. No engraving, not weaponized, cheap materials, just a plain old zither. However, why they wanted that? According to their clothing, they are not just some commoners either. That means that they knew the significant value it posses, and by the value, I meant about the sentimental values." Lyon turned back and finally facing Old Sean, "Why did you have that zither?" The question Lyon shot caused everyone''s attention to once again weighted down on Old Sean. However, Old Sean was more critical as he realized what the question meant. Lyon''s question was ''why'' instead of ''how''. Which meant that Lyon probably knew or didn''t care about how the zither landed in his possession. In the end, Old Sean sighed, "I had... a connection to the current king in Luderia or more specifically his daughter. I can''t tell young noble what happens between me and her daughter but know it so that I did it out of my personal vengeance. The zither was the king''s wife''s memento." "I wouldn''t tap into that matter since it doesn''t concern me. Tell me Luderia''s situation right now, surely you know," asked Lyon as he waved his hand. He knew that there were things a man just couldn''t say in front of a crowd. "It''s a political struggle since the king is on his deathbed, the nobles are fighting each other to have the princes or princesses of their choice to win the throne." (Man, that sounds really troublesome! Wait, did he say princesseS? As there is more than one? Hehehe) Lyon suddenly chuckled down as he looked at the ground. Nobody in the room could make up his expression. 102 Reques It has been about four days since then, and Biane with her sister was preparing to go to their hometown. Their carriage was clad in white with an engraving of a golden swallow flying down. This symbol was Luderia''s identity and honor, anyone would gain respect just by having it. People who walked by couldn''t help but take a look at the expensive carriage. "What do you think that carriage cost?" a wandering junior cultivator asked his senior. "Just by the symbol on the door, you should know where this carriage belongs. Those with a higher status can buy better materials and gets the best carriage-maker which results in a beautiful carriage." replied his senior. Black lines covered the junior cultivator as he thought (I''m asking about the cost!). *tap *tap The sounds of footsteps were caught by their ears before they glance at the incoming figure. "That''s!" exclaimed both of them at the same time. The figure was a young man with a well-built feature. The durable yet enticing black compression shirt was hugging his leaned muscle while his untied black hair was resting on his shoulder. The golden sarong with black spots swayed as he walked toward the lining carriages. His deep black eyes seemed to contain an unwavering will, ones that couldn''t help but be charmed the more they looked at them. "Older brother Lyon!" the both of them hurriedly greeted him to pay respect. Lyon accidentally set himself as a role model to the males in the Mist Clan. Killing an elder, winner of the mini competition to gain Scarlet the legendary weapon, ended the Kufrin Clan or was it Khufrin Clan? No matter. "Oh hey guys, do you know which carriage is Biane''s or Clemora''s?" replied Lyon after he received their gesture. The duo shook their head in response, "Sorry older brother, if only we paid more attention," Lyon waved his hand, "Don''t worry about it." As soon as he said that, he glanced at the white carriage which distinguishes itself from the others. He squinted his eyes as he examined the symbol on the door. (Heh, that symbol looks familiar as the one Clemora has on her bra... wait a minute... THEY ARE THE SAME SYMBOL!). While rubbing his chin, he approached the expensive white carriage. *clank Two spears were suddenly pointed at Lyon. "Turn back young man, you don''t want unnecessary problems, do you?". The voice came from one of the guards wearing silver armor with the same symbol as the carriage. His voice also caught the nearby onlookers who were passing by. "Hey isn''t that Lyon?" said one of them. "I wonder if he is going to start another fight," "I doubt it, look at that symbol, they are from Luderia Dynasty. I doubt Lyon is going to act recklessly with their identity," said another. "No, in fact, if anyone dares to offend them, it''s older brother Lyon," one of the onlookers refuted. The two of them glare at each other and argued on their own, forgetting the purpose of why they were here in the first place. "You must be wrong about something, I''m here as a friend to Biane and Clemora," replied Lyon with his opened arms despite the hostility he received. He wouldn''t act unreasonably without a justice cause and the guard''s reaction was normal for that was one of their jobs. *clank "How do we know if you are not here with hostile intention?" The guards were really cautious. However, they couldn''t be blamed since the situation in Luderia was in chaos internally. Any mishap and it probably caused the future ruler to change. "Lyon what are you doing here?" a serene voice came from behind the guards. Clemora suddenly came out from behind the carriage. Her cool demeanor was still intoxicating. However, even when the guards heard and saw the source of the voice, they didn''t let down their spears. She raised her eyebrows as she saw there were many onlookers looking at them. "Guards, please ceased your weapons." "With all due respect miss, this person is really suspicious, I''ve never seen the clothes he wears thus his origin is questionable." said one of the guards. Clemora waved her hand, "It''s alright, he is a friend of mine." The guards looked at each other before nodding and retract their spears. With a shrug, Lyon approached the woman, "Hey, how are you?" A hint of a smile was unnoticeable on Clemora''s beautiful lips, "Nothing much, are you looking for my older sister?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. (Never say yes to this kind of question if you are having a conversation with a woman unless you don''t want a harem) thought Lyon to himself. "No, I was looking for either of you actually, since I have a request." "Oh, what kind of request?" asked Clemora as her interest was piqued. Lyon scratched the back of his head while saying, "Can we talk about it inside your carriage?" Clemora squinted her eyes toward Lyon as if the word suspicious was written all over his face. "Well?". Remembering the huge favor Lyon did in the recuperating room, she didn''t have much choice. With a sigh, Clemora said, "Fine, let''s go in. But don''t you dare do anything funny!" "Alright, I promise! maybe." Lyon said the last word with a really soft voice that only he could hear it clearly. "Guards, standby and don''t let anyone approach the carriage!" ordered Clemora as she was the first one to enter the carriage followed by Lyon. Sitting on the leather-coated seat, Lyon faced Clemora who was in front of him with her legs crossed. He could definitely smell the feminity in the carriage but he was confused whether it originated from the carriage itself or Clemora instead. "So what request are you talking about?" "Oh, it''s simple really, can I join you on your trip back home?" asked Lyon with a dumb smile. "What?! No, impossible. We told you already, the place is hectic and full of troubles right now, so you won''t enjoy your time there." Clemora quickly rejected the request. 103 Start of The Journey Inside the carriage, Lyon was seen actively engaging a negotiation with Clemora, "I promise I won''t make trouble for you or your sister." He looked at her with deep jet black eyes of his. "You think a promise is something I could afford to rely on?" said Clemora with a deep icy tone. Then Lyon nonchalantly said, "C''mon don''t be like that, we are friends aren''t we, besides I need to go there to visit my girlfriend," as he gave a piece of paper to Clemora. Her mouth twitched a little when she heard his reasoning but all of that was erased when she read the writing on the paper she just received. ''I know about the political struggle, I can offer you my help if you are interested because I know I am.'' Realizing what he was doing, Clemora said, "That''s a surprise, you have a girlfriend there?" "Yeah, of course, who do you think I am?" said Lyon with a shrug. "Then what if I can''t offer you a ride, what would you do then?" asked Clemora as she smirked. With a dejected face, he said, "I guess I have to take walk then, maybe on the road there is a nice person that could take me for a ride." In the eyes of regular people, they were just chitchatting like an old friend asking a favor. Only those with an acute and sharp mind could tell that their sentences were not as their ear told them. Clemora clearly saw a new light on him, he was more than just a perverted cultivator. She had searched his origin but to no avail. The people in Nostria keep saying weird things like that Lyon actually came from the sky like a divine being. However, one truth remained, that he was dubbed the man who will define an era, the everlasting genius. The more she knew him the more mysterious he gets. There were those who believe and there were those who do not. In the end, Nostria was still a small kingdom compared to the others so their credibility might be questionable for some. Clemora took a deep breath before saying, "Okay fine, I''m not that heartless you know." "Alright! By the way, did this carriage just arrived yesterday?" asked Lyon as he touched the top interior of the small room. "No, it came here today as scheduled. Why do you ask?" "Ah, nothing, I''m just curious." (No wonder I''ve never seen it before) thought Lyon as he admired the interior design of the carriage, but his eyes occasionally took a peek at the most beautiful thing there. "Okay, you can stop doing that now," said Clemora with her eyes closed. She knew what Lyon was up to from the very beginning. "Doing what?" Lyon feigned ignorance and keep repeating what he did. (Such shameless level is ridiculous) thought Clemora as she almost lost interest in continuing the conversation. "Hmm, I just remember, where are the other women you were with?" "You mean Karina, Kyoko, Ryona, and Luna?" reaffirmed Lyon. (Wow, he named them all) thought Clemora as she was astonished before replying with a nod. Lyon''s face suddenly became gloomy, "Luna suddenly wanted to go back to her kingdom and trained her bloodline with his father." (And we just had our first kiss!). "They said the uncontrollable bloodline could cause a deficit to her cultivation in the future if she let it be." It was apparent that Luna was on the verge of fully control her bloodline so she needed someone with more familiarity to guide her. Then he continued, "Ryona is training under Kyoko''s tutelage. I''m honestly surprised by this, I thought Ryona was the strongest of the bunch or maybe because I never saw Kyoko fight before." "Karina and Jugen go back to Nostria to take a break and checked out the situation there. So I''m all alone now. Oh, and Riku is now recuperating in her own house with her parents." Clemora only nodded in response, before going out of the carriage. "Guards, this young man will be joining us in our way back to Luderia." The sudden announcement caught the guards off guard. "Miss, I don''t think that''s a good idea." said one of the guards before he continued, "That young man is suspicious miss and we can''t afford to have more trouble than there is." "I agree with him, we are only ordered to take you and miss Biane back to Luderia." said the other guard. "So you think I don''t have the right to take a guest in my carriage?" said Clemora with a commanding tone. "We wouldn''t dare miss!" the guards immediately backed off. However, it was evident in their eyes that they were pissed. Though this had been unnoticed by Clemora, it was, however, under Lyon''s watchful eyes from the window. "What''s going on here?" a beautiful figure walked in. "M-miss Biane!" the guards immediately paid respect. The beautiful person was Biane, the woman with gravity affinity. Her diva figure was always mesmerizing. "It''s nothing older sister," said Clemora as she shrugged off the situation. Biane looked at the two guards before saying, "Are we ready to depart now?" "Yes, we already did a check up on the carriage, the horses are ready at any time." said one of the guards. "Older sister, you might want to take a look inside the carriage first," chuckled Clemora as she covered her mouth. "Hmm? Are you trying to prank me? Hah, you are too naive. Well whatever, I was bored anyway." said Biane as she waved her hair and confidently walked to the door. "Okay, NOW," said Lyon as he suddenly opened the carriage door. "Eh?" Biane who was about to open the door got pushed away by the sudden opening of it. She immediately lost her balance and fell back down. However, before Biane could hit the ground her hand was pulled by a warmth thing. Opening her eyes, she saw the man once again. "Are you alright?" The man and woman looked like lovers that haven''t seen each other in a long time. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Clemora had her mouth agape staring at the situation (What the hell just happened?!). 104 Trap? Biane was in a stupor as if she was living her own world. It took several loops of Lyon''s question before she realized what''s happening. "Ah, yes I''m fine," responded Biane. She didn''t realize that a red warmth liquid was coming out of her nose. "I''m sorry, I must have opened the door too hard and it bumped your face," said Lyon apologetically (Well actually no, I opened it on purpose but it looks like I''m a little bit too late... I need more ''smooth'' practice hehe). Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "It-it''s alright, it''s just bad luck, no need to feel apologetic for it," said Biane with a sweet smile. She still had not realized that there was blood coming out of her nose. "Are you sure? There is blood coming out of your nose tho," said Lyon softly. He knew how Biane''s relationship was with Clemora so he made sure that only Biane could hear what he just said. If Clemora were to find out, it was no doubt that she would bully her just like her older sister did when they were a kid. Only then did Biane hurriedly wiped the blood out of her nose in a swift manner. However, that still could not erase the red nose she had. "Biane, I''ll be joining you ladies back to Luderia, so please take care of me," said Lyon while cupping his hand. "Eh? EEH?!" Biane was surprised by his announcement. She was sure that she told him it''s a bad time to come to Luderia. She instinctively glanced at her sister which only responded with a nod. "Are you sure?" Biane still couldn''t believe it. Any sane person would definitely avoid problems but this guy was about to do the opposite! "He is hellbent on coming to Luderia," said Clemora with a sigh and yielded arms. Biane then returned her gaze toward the young man in front of him before briefly closing her eyes and said, "Alright, it''s time for the departure." "Yes, miss!" replied the guard as they immediately sat on the driver seat and one of them was holding the reign. Lyon suddenly raised his arm, "Oh, I will sit on the driver seat too, I''m sure it has enough space for three people right?" The guards looked at each other before the one holding the reign said, "I''m sorry, but you should enter the carriage with young misses, leave the hard work to us." "It''s alright, I want to get familiar with the roads anyway," said Lyon as he waved his hand while smiling. "I''m sorry but I must insist that you enter the carriage," said the other guards as he was getting impatient. "Besides you are their guest, it will be impolite if you sit with us." (Their guest huh?) thought Lyon as he chuckled inwardly. "C''mon, it''s alright, right Clemora?" said Lyon as he turned his back toward the guards and winked at her. Clemora obviously noticed this notion of his. "If that is what you wish then so be it, but in return," she seemed to be fidgeting and had her face blushed before continuing, "F-Fenrir must keep us company instead." "That''s all?" Lyon proceeded to grab something from on top of his head. A sleeping little wolf was revealed as Lyon grabbed its red collar. "Wake up, time to do your master a favor," said Lyon as he swung the little wolf toward Clemora. "Wu?" The little wolf opened his eyes mid-air before Clemora softly received him with a hug. He was still confused as to what happened as he stared at his master who just gave him a thumbs up. Only then did Fenrir''s eyes looked disinterested. "Aww, your fur is so soft <3," said Clemora as she rubbed her cheeks to Fenrir''s back. His disinterested look made Lyon twitched his mouth. (You lucky son of a bitch!). However, Clemora''s sudden change of attitude stopped his twitching and turned into a wicked smile as he stared at her for a while, together with Biane. Realizing the stare she received she hastily cough to get out of the awkward situation she made for herself but a shade of red was really visible on her cheeks. With the permission, he got from Clemora, the guards didn''t have anymore excuse to play against him. Lyon chose to sit in the middle of the duo as the group marched on toward Luderia. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *tap The sound of horses'' hoofs hitting the ground was all Lyon could hear on the road. The guards were not talkative either as if they were a machine. Sometimes a random caravan would come from the opposite direction but that was all. Lyon didn''t ask the ladies how long was it for the journey to Luderia but slowly he realized that dusk was setting in. The road in front of him was heading toward a forest with a path for travelers. As his eyes lazily look at leaves that swayed because of the wind he reminisced about a certain lady he had experience within a forest. (That sure bring back memories) thought Lyon as he smiled. The lady he was talking about was surely no one but Karina. The kissing scene he had with her looked like a painting painted by a legendary artist. *bump The carriage''s right wheel hit a rock and woke Lyon from his reminiscing. He noted that the night was about to set in as he said, "Don''t you think we need a break first, it''s dangerous to go through a forest in the night." The guard beside him refuted, "There is no need for that, we know this road''s layout more than our parents." Lyon was caught by surprise as he heard his remark, "Wow, that''s a really interesting metaphor you just used." The guard only replied with a ''hmph''. Lyon then leaned back with his hands behind his head as he leisurely said, "Hmm, what if a group of bandits or assassins suddenly showed up and attack us." Both guards suddenly turned rigid as they heard what he said. "Hahaha, of course, I''m just joking I mean this is under Luderia''s jurisdiction or whatever right? There is no way that would happen," said Lyon as he patted their backs while laughing. The guards looked at each other before nervously laughing. "Hahaha, I mean, please... don''t make it so obvious," Lyon''s voice suddenly turned cold as he said the last part. 105 An Assassin The guards were evidently nervous as they heard Lyon''s tone. One of them smile wryly and asked, "Ha-haha, what are you talking about sir?" Cold sweat was vividly visible in the corner of the guard''s forehead running down through his right cheek. With a confident smile, Lyon said, "Nothing I''m just messing with you guys, I mean there is no way that would happen right?" "Do you guys mind if we stopped here for a while, I need to take a leak," said Lyon nonchalantly. His sudden request was by no means an odd one. It was very usual for a traveler to take a leak midway, especially if it''s a long journey. The guards begrudgingly accept his request and parked the carriage to a nearby tree. "Hmm? Why are we stopping?" asked Biane over the window. "Ah, I need to take a leak haha," said Lyon while rubbing his own head. (Such vulgar words! To a lady nonetheless, sigh, I guess it''s the way he is) thought Biane as he responded, "Eh? I-I see, go do your thing then." As she fulfilled her curiosity, she immediately closed the window. It was unclear how her expression was, since Clemora which was inside, was sleeping with Fenrir on top of her thighs. "Alright, guys, I''m gonna go a little deeper to find a nice tree to piss," said Lyon as he turned his back against the guards and waved his right hand. The guards responded with their usual manner, but their eyes proved otherwise. They were looking at each other before the driver received an item out of his spatial ring. The item had a shape of bamboo that only a finger''s long in length. There was a hole on the top and the bottom side. He held it in his mouth as he blew the item. *huuu. The produced sound it made was like a silent wind permeating the forest. Biane who was still inside the carriage clearly heard the sound but she shrugged it off as it was nothing unusual. Lyon who was still holding his dragon also heard the sound running through the forest. He smiled as the last drop of his piss hitting the ground. "The show is about to begin, I need to hurry up." As the sound gradually dispersed, a group of shadows was running through the forest. The leaves fell as they jumped from one branch to another. Lyon was about to walk back to his parking spot where a black figure stopped his track. He couldn''t guess the gender since ''it'' was clad in a black coat and a black mask. There was no special engraving or symbol either, only ''it'' eyes were visible. "Eh? Who are you?" asked Lyon innocently with one of his eyebrows raised. His question was only answered with silence. Lyon creased his eyebrows as he continued, "Are you lost?" Once again, only the wind was kind enough to answer him. However, Lyon was unaware that the figure in front of him was permeating killing intent from the start. ''It'' had killed many people to gain a thick killing intent and many people would fall on their knees begging for their life just from it alone. But in Lyon''s case, he was still standing nonchalantly like it was any other day. Even cultivator stronger than ''it'' would be cautious but the young man in front of him was full of openings to give a critical strike. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Hello, can you hear me? Hmm, you don''t look like a bandit from the way you dress, so I''m guessing you are an assassin?" said Lyon with a smirk. His voice rang a bell inside the figure''s head as ''it'' eyes opened wide. ''It'' was doubting whether to strike or not since there was a high chance that it could be a trap. Lyon suddenly spread his arms with eyes closed while sighing, "If you really are an assassin, then you must be one of the worst. The fact that I can talk to you proves that you are still a rookie." Even though Lyon never did an assassination, he did know one of the basic, at least on earth in the movies. An assassin should walk like there was no footing, should breathe like he was dead. His presence must be more hidden than the victim''s shadow. Lyon noticed the anger in the figure''s eyes as he smirked, "What''s wrong? Did I hit the nail too hard? How much did you get paid for doing this?" Though Lyon''s tone was annoying to the assassin''s ears, others might like him more. Lyon stretched his right hand as he taunted the figure, "C''mon stop wasting time, I have two maidens and a pet to save." "ARGH! Stop mocking me!" The figure shouted with his burly voice as he leaped toward Lyon with blinding speed. The soil he made a footing to propel himself was still in the air where he appeared under Lyon''s gaze. The assassin smiled as he saw Lyon opened his mouth in surprise, (Hehe, I got you! Now Die!). It didn''t take long before his eyes slowly opened wide. The opened mouth of Lyon gradually becoming a smirk once more. At this exact moment, the assassins felt a bad premonition (why are you smiling?!) as time runs really slow in his eyes. Lyon took half a step back and bent down as he put his hands inside his pocket while the sarong swayed. *flash *tap *tap *tap The assassin staggeringly walked three steps passing Lyon. His eyes were still in disbelieve as he heard Lyon behind him saying, "An assassin with pride? Please... you are just a mercenary clad in black, a weak one at best." The assassin tried to retort but his word stuck in his throat as a thin red line slowly circling his neck. His knees hastily becoming numb as he slumped down to the ground. With blood trailing from his neck, his vision gradually faded as he saw an unfamiliar figure holding an axe. 106 Guards Lyon looked at the figure who was walking toward him with a smile before stretching his right arm forward with a thumbs up, "Good Job Ryona." The figure was naturally yours truly. No one in Deo could have such delicate skill for a brute weapon. "To think that they only send one assassin to hunt you down, you are being underestimated, hubby," said Ryona softly as she clings to his arms. Lyon''s face suddenly turned bright red as his nose was enlarging with every heavy snort. He was not the kind of guy who would get a nosebleed out of this or the type that pushed the woman away. (Oh you are so wrong if you think I would shy away!) thought Lyon as he greedily moved his arm that fell between Ryona''s breast. *pak *pak "Now is not the time!" a loud shout startled both of them after being hit in the head with a fan. Though the fan was made out of paper, it was depending on the user who much damage one could do. Kyoko suddenly appeared behind them with her fan-folded while tapping it on her hand. "Oh, Sorry overseer!" Despite Ryona''s haughtiness and strength, she still showed respect to the fox woman in front of him. In fact, if it wasn''t for Kyoko, she would still wear her bikini armor. While rubbing his head, Lyon said, "That''s right, I gotta go back. Stick to the plan ladies." Then he turned and walked toward the carriage''s spot. Though it''s not far, the luscious trees made it hard to navigate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The twin moon in the sky illuminated the forest as if nature was guiding the travelers while the stars were dimmer than them, they provided a romantic scene quite well. Sadly, the fantasy-like scene was a hundred and eighty degrees as to what actually happened below. Besides an exquisite white carriage, were two guards from Luderia sitting on a log. They were looking at each other and distress was apparent on their faces. One of them was palpitating as he gulped his saliva while his silver boots keep shaking. "H-hey, are we really gonna do this?" The cold attitude which he gave Lyon was nowhere to be seen and was replaced by nervousness. "We already blow the signal, there is no turning back now," said the other guard, but from his tone, it was clear that he was not in a calm state. "But maybe there is another-" before he could finish, the other guard slammed his own thigh. "There is no other way Olga! For all we know, this is the best we can do." Sighing, the man took out a locket from his pocket. Despite having a spatial ring, he always kept it there. The brown locket was nothing special, but the man looked at it with warmth gaze. "Fritz, is that?" asked Olga. With a click, Fritz opened up the locket. There was a picture of three figures. A man, A woman, and their daughter. The three of them smiled in the picture as the woman sat on a chair while the man was holding her hand. The child naturally looked playful on the ground. "The choice that I made just now, was a price I must pay for being weak," said Fritz while closing his eyes before continuing, "I lamented the gods over and over but they don''t listen, or maybe there was none, to begin with." Whatever Olga was thinking, it only stuck there after Fritz said his peace. (Why did I become a guard in the first place) thought Olga. Unlike Fritz, Olga was unmarried and he didn''t have any special relationship going on either. (When I was a kid, I always saw them as cool, ''I want to become one'', ''I want to become one!'') Olga thoughts wonder as he stared at his past-self. -------------------- On a sunny day, A little kid suddenly approached a gatekeeper, "Hey, mister what guards actually do?" The gatekeeper looked at the little kid, before kneeling down to face him. Under the heat of the sun, a normal man would be furious by just about anything and it made the little boy nervous. However, to his surprise, the gatekeeper smiled and said, "Guards means to protect! So if their hirer is in danger it''s the guard duty to save their life!" The little boy looked at him with stars of admiration, "That is so cool mister!" "Haha, you think so?" "En," the boy nodded, "When I grow up I will become one!" -------------------- Before he knew it, Olga''s eyes produced a streaming warmth liquid that fell across his cheeks. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. *clank. *clank. He slammed his thigh as his armor produced its unique sound. "Sorry, I-I''m so sorry mister!" muttered him. "I-I-. Somebody will die because I am too weak! I''m afraid to die! Because I''m a coward!" Even though Fritz heard Olga''s voice, he chose to be silent. Fritz was much more mature than him but in this case, both of them were one and the same. *swoosh. The wind gust suddenly hit them as they covered their eyes instinctively. As they didn''t feel the wind anymore, they took a glance at what''s in front of him. A group of four people with the same black coat and masks stood before them. (It''s them!) thought both of them. Olga quickly wiped his tears and stood up, along with Fritz. Though the four of them didn''t exude any killing intent, Olga and Fritz could feel their knees weaken. As Olga was about to say something, one of the four of them put its index finger on its own mouth, signaling him to keep quiet. The same person extended his arm and open his hand to retrieve something. Fritz was the quick-witted one and gave him the item he just used to summon them, along with a piece of paper describing their targets and a spatial ring. After they checked the content in the spatial ring, they nodded at the same time before rushing toward the carriage without a second thought. 107 Confession Inside the carriage, Fenrir''s ears suddenly twitched as he immediately stood while glaring at the door. Biane who took note at this also glanced at the door as her eyes were full of focus. The looming danger they felt was getting nearer and nearer. Fenrir instinctively barred his little fangs and tighten his grip on Clemora''s thigh. His breathing was getting rapid as a faint fog getting out of his nostrils. "Uh?" Clemora was wakened up from her sleep only to notice her sister signaling her to keep her mouth shut. It didn''t take long for her to grasp the situation and readied herself. What worries them was that they were like a shooting mark that could not move. The space in the carriage was clearly too small for a battle and they didn''t know how many enemies were out there. Their only chance was none other than... *Auuuuuu! The howl that pierced through the heavens stilled the entire forest and all of its being. The four assassins were only half a step left to reach the carriage but their bodies instinctively froze. *boom The carriage''s door was blasted open and three shadows came out of it. Biane, Clemora, and Fenrir immediately took a fair distance from the carriage. (Assassins!) thought both ladies. Clemora readied her weapon as she said, "What''s going on here, this place is still under Luderia''s jurisdiction. To defy it means defying the entire Luderia." The four figures looked at each other before laughing. "Hahaha, who gives a crap about that, we are here because we were paid to kill you two and take the zither to our hirer." said one of them as he revealed himself to be a man from his voice. Biane furrowed her eyebrows asked, "Did you kill our two guards?". She noticed that their guards were missing from their spot. The four assassins chuckled hearing her question. "You mean those two that wore a silver armor?" said the same man as he pointed at a spot. (Tch! Those damn assassins!) thought Olga as he walked out from his hiding behind the tree before Fritz followed suit. They had their heads facing the cold soil below as they didn''t dare to face them. In their minds, the assassins would just avoid conversation and do the deed but reality was not as they expected. "Olga, Fritz! Thank goodness you guys are still alive! C''mon, we can handle them together! Once we arrived at Luderia let''s have a feast for our success!" said Biane with her sincere tone. Their eyes slowly numbed as their pupil''s shrunk when they heard what she just said. The two men gritted their teeth as they still hung themselves down. A warm liquid slowly built up on the corner of their eyes before running down their cheeks. The cold silver armor they wore could not protect them from the heavy sin as their knees shook. Biane was always fair to them, a rare master in their eyes. Though she was a bit too active, it was no doubt that she was kind and just, to them. She never mistreated them from the day they got the job either. Even with the bright twin moons above, Biane couldn''t see the tears falling down, wetting the soil where the guards stood. "Hahaha, how rich this is, never thought I would be a witness of something fun tonight. I thought it would be just another boring killing session but no! Hahaha I truly am thank you for this... mister guards," chuckled the assassin as he added a bit of sarcasm at the end. Olga and Fritz gritted their teeth as they couldn''t retort to what the assassin just said. Biane furrowed her eyebrows once again and asked, "What do you mean?" as she pointed her giant sword toward the assassin. "Hmm? You still don''t get the situation do you?" chuckled the assassin. "Don''t tell me," with a gloomy realization Clemora said. "Hah! Looks like that girl over there gets it, or should I spill it to you?" "Sis-" Clemora halted as she saw her sister''s back. It was subtle but she noticed that Biane''s entire self was shaking. (So you do realize it) thought Clemora. The assassin chuckled once again, "I love this! I fucking love this! I will give the honors to your ''guards'' to explain the situation." (Feel Despair!). *clank Fritz''s knees gave up as he slammed his head toward the soil and cracked his helmet. Olga could only glance his partner''s silver armor reflecting the light of the twin moons above. "We are sorry! Madame!" shouted Fritz as he clenched the soil. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. His voice brought tremble to Biane''s figure. "What are you talking about Fritz?!" shouted Biane. *clank It was Olga''s knees this time. He slammed his head with the same if not more amount of force that cracked his helmet. Though there was blood running from his head, the pain was nothing than what he felt inside. "IT''S US! WE WERE THE ONE THAT SENT THEM!" shouted Olga with evident grief. His confession sent a thunderous strike to Biane''s heart. She could feel her entire body numbed in an instant. She knew yet she refused to believe that was the case. She was hoping and hoping to a slim chance that it wasn''t them. "Older sister calm down!" said Clemora as she tapped her shoulder. Then she faces the two guards, "Who told you to do this? I doubt you would do this on your own accord, tell us who and we will reduce your punishment." Her question gave Biane a thin light to her mind. (Maybe everything was not the way it seems). "Reduce your punishment? HAHA! You can''t punish someone if you are dead." The assassin was laughing as if having the time of his life. "But it''s fine, just tell them, you useless guards! Let it be your parting gift to them!" Olga clenched his fist as he said, "We-we don''t know, A figure wearing a gray cloak approached us with a letter stamped with Luderia''s symbol. The letter threatens us that if we don''t do this, they would kill us and our family!" Both Clemora and Biane opened their eyes wide at their statement. A Luderia''s symbol on a letter means that it was from the royal family. That means one of the princes or princesses ordered their death. 108 Reality and Little Wolf Olga and Fritz could not tell the citizens or the royal guards about this since it would backfire. The power of the royal family could brand him as a con artist and have them banished or killed since they were just guards. *clap The assassin clapped as he said, "Good one, good one hahaha, you ladies should see your faces when you know the truth." Gripping her sword, Biane''s eyes looked more mature than it was before, "Look up, you two! You did nothing wrong! You guys are the same as us, a victim in this board game." Clemora also readied her sword as she glared at the four assassins as her blue phoenix aura exuded a vivid light. The kowtowed guards looked up at their master holding a sword against four assassins. They knew that they were no match against them and yet. "How pathetic..." Olga suddenly said to himself as he slowly stood up. (What kind of guard have I become, How can I live if don''t atone my sin!). "Raaagh!" shouted Olga as he regained a new will. Fritz had his eyes opened wide as he looked at his partner. Though he was younger than him, they always treated each other as equals. "Olga, you.." *splurt Fritz''s suddenly slapped by a spray of blood that covered his right cheek. He couldn''t believe his eyes of what''s happening in front of him. The hard shining silver armor was tainted by the blood of its owner. There was a sword protruding through the chest region where the red liquid slowly flowing to the edge it. Olga''s vision gradually blurred as he felt weak (What''s happening? Why am I feeling numb all of a sudden? I''m tired let me close my eyes for a while, ah madame will reprimand me for this, but it''s alright). "Olga!" shouted Fritz and Biane on to the top of their lungs. *slash The assassin retracted his sword and slashed Olga''s neck, ending him through and through. The assassin was a different one from the talkative. "Hahaha, the fool, to the end of his life he didn''t know that he was also one of the targets to be assassinated." "What- what do you mean!" Fritz asked frantically. "We did what the letter told us!" "Tsk, tsk, tsk. We know nothing about the letter you received. For all we know, the people we should kill are the ones who summoned us in the forest which means you two and then kill the one on the list that you gave us, oh and obviously witnesses." said the assassin casually. Fritz took a few steps back as despair was hugging him tightly. The darkness shrouded his mind as the light of hope was no more. In the end, he was used thoroughly as a pawn. *splurt A spear suddenly penetrated his chest from behind, spraying his blood to the swaying grass. However, he felt nothing. the pain didn''t concern him anymore. He could see Biane was frantically screaming but he couldn''t hear her. He could only move his mouth ''sorry'' but his voice didn''t come out. Fritz slumped down as the locket in his hand dropped to the ground. "I''ll kill you!" shouted Biane as her bloodshot eyes were full of killing intent before she thrust the ground with her sword. The land quacked as a heavy force raining down on the assassins in the radius. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Hmph! What can a two Soul Realm cultivator do against the four of us! Your chances are slimmer than winning a lottery!" said the assassin as he the heavy force from Biane''s skill didn''t take too much effect on him. Clemora was swift enough to engage two assassins at once. Though it was impossible for her to handle them in a normal situation. Their speed was greatly reduced by her sister. The cry of blue phoenix would occasionally be heard as she battled. The downside of Biane''s skill was that she couldn''t move from the spot where the her sword was. "Hahaha, what a futile effort, what can you do now? You guys are outnumbered and weaker than us!" said the assassin as he approached Biane with the other one. *flash *splurt A black shadow flashed in front of them as their neck splurted blood. The both of them instinctively stopped the bleeding with their hand and said, "Which son of a bitch did that!" "Wuwuwu Grrrh!" The black shadow was none other than the little great wolf, Fenrir. Since both of them were slowed by Biane''s gravity skill, Fenrir had a massive advantage. "You little shit!" the two assassins focused on him and readied their weapon. "Hmph," Fenrir smirked at their reaction and showed them his butt. "I''m gonna burn you alive!". The assassins leaped toward him. However, Fenrir jumped back passing in between them plus catching them off guard. Their eyes could follow his movement but their feet were still in the air. *tap As soon as the assassins reached the ground they leaped back to Fenrir''s direction. But as soon as their feet leave the ground and turned their face, both of them had their eyes opened wide as they met a sharp claw. *splurt "Argh, my right eye!" The assassin shouted he pressed his right eye to stop the bleeding that flowed like a stream. The other assassin did the same but it''s the left eye instead. Fenrir was crouching an analyzed the situation as he prepared his next attack. Despite his lazy behavior, the little wolf was something else when it''s about the battle. His hunting instinct activated as he felt their killing intent. Though he was a young pup, he was always hanging around with Lyon and facing danger together, albeit sleeping most of the time. Lyon''s style greatly influenced Fenrir''s fighting style even though they were two different beings. As Fenrir could combine both the style and his hunting instinct at a young age. It was unimaginable what Fenrir will become when he matured. "Ngh!" Biane gritted her teeth as her grip getting weaker (I must hold on! I must! for them, I must!). 109 The Strongest in the Fores Under the peaceful night, sparks could be seen inside the forest. The sound of clashing metal broke its silence. A cry of a divine bird, echoed as the figure danced her sword to find an opening. Though it was two against one, she didn''t back down in the slightest. Though there was a gap in their strength, her cool demeanor and steady breathing help her control the battle. However, she knew that she had to act fast because time was not her best friend right now. "Tch!" One of the assassins spat his blood to the ground before saying, "Hey, where is that rookie? Why hasn''t he come yet?" (There is another one?!) thought Biane and Clemora as they both grew cautious. "He is supposed to be here by now, killing that witness shouldn''t take this long!" said the assassin frantically. Both of the ladies could connect the dot as to who the witness identity belong to, there was only one other person besides them that was on the journey back to Luderia. Gripping her sword tightly Biane chuckled before she smirked at the assassin albeit fatigue was clear on her face. With sweat was clearly appearing on her forehead she gulped and let out a breath before saying, "Despite the cold blood running in your vein, you are too naive," The assassin furrowed his eyebrows as he said in a deep voice, "What do you mean?" Wiping the sweat with her other hand, Biane said, "You just send your rookie..." She paused her sentence before her eyes opened with a hint of ridicule, "To the strongest cultivator in the forest right now!" . . . The assassin laughed as he heard her statement, "What are you talking about woman? The strongest in the forest right now you say? He was only at peak Soul Realm at best!" "Oh, I get it, you must be imagining things right now, you know there can only be one outcome of this and your mind delude you to make a fake hope! HAHAHA!" Suddenly a familiar black figure leaped on him with blinding speed. "Hmph! You think I would fall from the same trick, you little animal!" said the assassin as he slashed his sword toward the incoming attack. *splurt To his surprise, his blade didn''t even scratch the target like what his brain told him. Instead, the hand that he used to swing the sword had a thin claw wound spiraling from his palm to his arm. Fenrir landed on the other side while dragging the soil with him to add friction. He was a cautious beast and taking every little detail in the battle. A split-second distraction was enough for him to launch an attack. "Raah!" shouted Clemora as the cry of Blue Phoenix followed. *boom The two assassins were blown back with their cloak tattered and blood was trickling from their arms which held their weapon. Clemora was taking a distance while catching her breath. Though she has the upper hand because of her sister''s gravity skill, she was still a Soul Realm fighting two cultivators of a higher level than her. The talkative assassins wiped the blood off his arm before saying, "Just stall for time, no need to engage them seriously, the girl with the gravity skill is about to hit her limit." Then the four assassins grouped together facing the three of them, making Clemora furrowed her eyebrows. (I guess they are not just a bunch of fools huh, shit!). Clemora retrieved her weapon as her vitality was greatly reduced. She clenched her teeth as she glanced at her older sister who slumped and had her forehead prop up by her hand that gripped the hilt. The assassin chuckled, "Any time now boys! By the way, we need to punish that rookie too for taking too long." The other three assassins nodded in agreement. In their mind, if the rookie showed up, this mission will be over already since he wouldn''t be affected by the gravity skill Biane performed. Biane slowly grabbed the hilt with her left hand as she looked down toward the cold soil. As her vitality was drained to sustained her skill continuously it was a miracle that she was still conscious. "Hehehe, you can''t punish someone if they were dead," said Biane under her breath. The assassin twitched his mouth as he heard what she just said. Just a moment ago he was also saying the same thing but now she used the same insult. "You!" Even Clemora couldn''t help but chuckle despite her fatigue. "Hmph! Do you still believe in that delusion of yours? Hahaha, what a joke," smugged the assassin. The smiling Biane suddenly twitched as she felt something was building up from her stomach to her throat. *splurt Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Biane vomited blood while her eyes gradually lost its focus. She tried to blink a few times to regain it but to no avail. The skill gradually evaporated as the source was diminishing and the assassins stretched their limbs to get their feelings back. (This is bad!) thought Clemora as she tried to move but felt her legs froze. "The strongest cultivator in the forest, you are going to make my head bigger than a mountain haha." A sudden voice suddenly broke the silence. The four assassins opened their eyes wide with full of caution, they quickly swept through their surroundings with their gaze but notice nothing. With one last smile, Biane finally let go of her hand and fell backward before a warmth chest received her. "Sorry, I''m late, but it''s fine now," said Lyon as she put her on top of the swaying grass. He looked at the beauty and adjust her hair that was covering her face. The four assassins gulped their saliva as they saw the young man, no to be exact to the thing behind him. There was a magic brand as big as a person standing vertically, but what surprised them the most was the middle of it. "A-a-a Spatial Crack! A Space attribute cultivator!" blurted the four of them together. Lyon stood up and faced the stunned assassins, "Now then," his voice suddenly turned cold "Let me show you the greatest irony an assassin could have!" 110 Fury of The Battle Maiden. Under the tree''s shade, Clemora sat down. She was struggling to keep her eyes open because whatever happened next was up to the young man that stood in front of her. His black hair swayed along with his sarong as he faced the four assassins without any hint of fear. His standing making him look like a war god who was about to chop some fish on the board. Lyon crossed his arm as he smirked toward the group of four. His sentence was still lingering inside the assassin''s heads. They were wondering as to what he meant by ''the assassin''s irony'' but one of them was focusing on him instead. A space attribute cultivator was among the rarest of the rare. They were among the ones that could overcome cultivators of a higher level than their own and changed the tide of battle in an instant. In their eyes, one meter and one kilometer were the exact same thing. Blink and your head might be flying. With cold sweat, the assassin said, "H-hey now, no need to be so hasty, I-I tell you what, since if we fight it out nobody would leave here unscathed, why not you join our group instead?" If a cultivator with such attribute were to join their rank. Their prestige surely shot to the stars. In Deo, there was probably no one that had the same attribute as him. He was worth more than an entire battalion. "Oh? Interesting, what is it for me?" said Lyon while rubbing his chin. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. His answer contradicted Clemora''s guess. She was in a disarray but her strength made it impossible for her to mutter a word. The assassin was surprised to hear his response. There was only a little chance that he thought Lyon would be interested in the offer. Seeing his chance the assassin began to relax as he said like a shrewd merchant, "We offer beads! Great quality cultivation beads! I see you are at the peak of Soul Realm, you just need a little push and we can offer you just that." No matter who they were, as long as they were cultivators, they would certainly aim for a higher cultivation realm. That was because the higher one was, the higher the power they will get and so their prestige and status. "Is that all?" Lyon looked disinterested. The assassin''s confidence was broke into pieces like a steel ball hitting a glass. "A-are you sure?" He couldn''t help but to ask once again. This was the best offer he got, he invited the others with the same offer and they all agreed before. "None at all." Lyon shook his head. "None? Then what about half of ours will be yours too?" The assassin hastily offered. This was once in a lifetime opportunity. If he could recruit him, not only he would not suffer any wound but he gained a superb cultivator in their rank. The sow he will reap made him salivate. "Not even if you offer all of your cultivation beads I would be interested," said Lyon with a smirk. The assassin furrowed his eyebrow, "Don''t you want to breakthrough to Half Divine Realm?" "For me, that is only a matter of time, I could breakthrough whenever I want to, maybe even a realm you can''t even dream on," said Lyon nonchalantly. (Yeah well, actually I can''t, I need to understand the next realm first though, besides, I already shit a top-grade cultivation bead in the bathroom before) thought Lyon as dark lines appeared across his head. The others looked at him like he was a crazy man who loved to boast. There was no way to break through the next level of any realm without external help unless they want to grow old, which contradicted the reason for cultivating. He thought Lyon was pretending to decline like a cheeky buyer but that was not the case. He was simply not interested in cultivation beads. "Then what do you want?" asked the assassin coldly. "What about beautiful ladies?" asked Lyon as his nose gradually enlarge like a pig in heat. The four assassins looked at each other before laughing their hearts out. "Why don''t you say so, brother? A woman was never an issue if you joined us!" Lyon rubbed his chin once again, "Oh really now? What kind of woman will you provide me?" "All kind of woman!" the assassin immediately replied while waving his hand. "Young girls, innocent ones, noble ones, cold ones, everyone!" "Oooh!! Interesting indeed, but how will you get it for me?" asked Lyon. "Easy! Just put a sword on their neck and they will do anything to you!" the assassin laughed maniacally. Lyon''s expression turned cold, "Does that mean?" The assassin faced Lyon and opened his mask. The man''s face was disfigured because of a burn and stabbing wound. While one of his eyes was still bleeding from Fenrir''s assault. He smiled as he said softly under his breath, "****." *flash *boom A blinding light fell from above and crashed. The ground from which the assassins stood was flying high in the air with them. The assassin with an opened mask managed to take a glimpse below. "A woman?!" (Holy shit! She made the ground fly with a fucking fist!) even Lyon was surprised, but he didn''t show it to the public. The woman was none other than Ryona with her vibrant orange hair fluttering from the impact she made with the ground. (Such strength!) thought the group of four as now they were the ones feeling a looming danger exuded from the pretty lady. Ryona was expressionless as she only had one thing in mind, ''butcher''. *swoosh With a single leap, she was already in the middle of the four assassins who were still in the air. "Berserker Art," said Ryona as she spread her arms and wielded her two axes while closing her eyes. As the twin moons were highlighting Ryona''s beautiful face, she opened her eyes, "Havoc!" Lyon opened his eyes wide of what''s happening above. Ryona moves were being aided with the wind every time she swung her double axes. As she hacked one, she quickly jumped to the next in a rotation with blinding speed that created a winding spiral as they go down because of gravity. *tap Ryona landed her feet gracefully as the wind spiral disperse, revealing nothing but only her. Not even a speck of blood was seen. It was like the four assassins never existed. (So this is what happen when Ryona is angry) gulped Lyon. 111 A Shoulder to Lean on The cold wind was getting warmer with the time continuously flowing. As the ray of supernal light beginning to fill a glade, the leaves were fluttering as if welcoming a new hope. The luminal glow slowly erased the looming shadows and expose the lush greensward. The sound of grass hitting each other gave the hues to the spring-like forest and proved its living breath of life. Butterflies could be seen pirouetted in pairs as they approached a batch of wildflowers. Despite the riffling sound of the grass, the fluty piping of birds still filled the serene calmness. Nature''s beautiful phenomenon was focusing on one individual. The silhouette was sitting on top of the greensward in a meditate state seemingly derived from worldly desires. A warm ray of shimmering gold light slowly uncovered his charismatic feature and the complexion of a young man. If the angels were to be sent down, they would think that he was a seraph. A little bird dared itself and sat on top of his head while the others quickly followed suit. Like a statue, the figure didn''t disturb by the sudden event. If cultivators were to watch this they would die from envy. What the figure did was the ultimate skill of ''clear mind'', this allowed the user to gain a depth understanding of things in the world, enhancing their mental state to further development. "Man I need to take a piss," said the young man under his breath. *flutter All the birds immediately flew in a different direction, scattering the heavenly image. Even the riffling grass stopped producing sound while the gold shimmering light from the sun dimmed for a second. The young man lazily stood up and go to a nearby tree to do his business while whistling. The young man was of course none other than Lyon himself. "Lyon, Biane has woken up," A distance voice was calling him. "Oh I''ll be right there!" said Lyon as he hurriedly fixed his clothes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the carriage, Biane was resting peacefully by the side while her eyes slowly fluttered. "Biane, Biane..." She heard a soft voice repeatedly calling her name. She definitely felt the warmth from the tone her ears caught. She could tell whose voice it belonged to and she playfully closes her eyes as to tease him. "Biane wake up, Biane!" Lyon kept calling her name but she still didn''t open her eyes. However, Lyon caught her taking a peek through her right eyes for a split quarter a second. Lyon smiled as he understood the situation. Since inside the carriage only host the two of them, there was nothing that could hold Lyon back. "Biane... I''m sorry if only I came earlier," said Lyon with a sigh while slowly rustling her hair. Biane who was only pretending to sleep, had her heart floating in the sky. (Hehehe) she couldn''t help but chuckle inwardly. She was really enjoying this single conversation from Lyon. Lyon''s thumb gently touched her bottom lip as he said, "If only..." *thump Biane''s cheek gradually became red as she had no way to stop this natural reaction from her body. (If only what?!) her heartbeat was getting stronger. Lyon took a deep breath before continuing, "If only... You let me squeeze your boobs right now." . . Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. . *silence . . . "Ehh!" Biane suddenly risen up from her slumber with her eyes opened wide. "Ah!" Lyon was taken by surprise as his reflex propelled his head up. *bang A loud bump was heard as the roof of the carriage had a visible dent on it. The sound of rapid footsteps was getting closer before the carriage door opened revealing a frantic beautiful woman. Her face had a hint of Biane but not too close. "Lyon, what happened to your head?" asked Clemora as she saw a lump. "Nothing, I just felt like stretching and accidentally hit the roof hahaha," said Lyon as he got out from the carriage leaving the two women. Clemora looked at the ceiling where Lyon hit his head. (His head is clearly the harder material here) thought Clemora. The two women looked at each other as the sad expression was evident on their faces. They recall the night before where their lives were hanging on a thread and felt the cold shiver once again. "I guess, this is how politic is huh," said Biane softly. The betrayal and the death from the two guards still shock both of them. They were one among the loyal guards to them, yet in the end, those years of loyalty could be flipped easily. Then again, they couldn''t blame them considering the situation they were in. Being threatened by the royal family means not only one individual will be inflicted, but their loved ones too. Luderia''s power and sovereignty were too powerful that petty feelings were just scrapping to the people that seek its throne. "Why did they have to die too I wonder?" asked Biane to her cool little sister. In terms of political view, Clemora was definitely the superior one and Biane will not hesitate to ask either. "My guess is that they will be the scapegoat," said Clemora before explaining. "Since our status had value in the politic war, our death must be explained thoroughly. They could have easily made up a story such as we were killed by our own guards and the zither being stolen by them, luckily the royal guards managed to track them down and retrieve the zither, or something along the line." Biane sighed, "Do you have a feeling which royalty did it?" Clemora shook her head, "I can''t say yet, I need more clues, but one thing for sure is that we need to get to Luderia quickly. I''ll be in the driver seat with Lyon, you can rest here and recuperate with Fenrir," said Clemora before leaving. *neigh The horses were up and running as Lyon held the reign with Clemora beside him who was directing the way from the map she was holding. "Why don''t you rest up inside Clemora?" asked Lyon. "She needs a full rest, I don''t want to disturb her," answered Clemora without looking at him and busies herself with the map. Lyon chuckled, (You really care for her that much huh, others might fail to see, but I can see it. You are really tired right now) "Alright after this is just a straight line to Luderia''s front gate." "Oh great, then you can rest too, leave the rest up to me," said Lyon as he forcefully put her head on his right shoulder. "W-what are you.." "Shhh... just relax." Clemora was trying to get up but her fatigue clearly overcome her. Her face was bright red, "F-fine, just don''t do anything funny!" said Clemora as she bashfully closed her eyes. "Don''t worry I won''t," chuckled Lyon as he set his target toward Luderia. 112 Lucky Driver The hooves were hitting the ground as the horses dragged the elusive white carriage. The trees parted as they went to a straight line and the blinding light shone above them as they exit the forest. Lyon couldn''t help but covered his eyes to readjust his vision. "Wow." The sun was nestling itself behind the vibrant clouds as birds flew by in pairs, flapping their wings to the edge of the horizon. The smell of agriculture from both sides of the road was a refreshing medicine from the bustle everyday work. A stream of the river flowed through the middle as a bridge made of paving was there to cross it. The shine from above made the water glitters as if they were made of birthstones. From the bridge onward the road was no longer made of dirt but paving instead. A little further, a huge brown gate with the swallow symbol could be seen right above it. The gate was made of a thick wood where the locks were made of a huge metal bar. As the gate was mostly open at times, the locks had never been used in quite some time. The horses'' mane was fluttering to the right as they run toward the paving roads. Two soldiers that guard the gate immediately noticed the incoming carriage and waved at them to stop for an inspection. With a neigh, the horses came to a complete halt. One of the soldiers was checking inside the carriage through the window while the other approached Lyon. "Good morning travelers, haven''t seen you around before, where are you from?" asked one of the soldier. He noticed that the carriage belonged to Luderia but there might be imposters. After all the place was in hectic situations so it was normal for him to be cautious. "Good morning, eh, soldier? My name is Lyon, I''m here to escort the lady beside me and her sister inside the carriage to their homes." The soldier squinted his eyes to look at the sleeping beauty beside Lyon. She looked familiar yet not familiar to him. "Hnn?" Clemora''s eyes flutter before lazily opened her eyes. Releasing her head off Lyon''s shoulder, she tugged her hair behind her ear. "L-lady Clemora! Welcome back!" said the soldier with a bow. The other soldier immediately followed suit as he saw that the one inside the carriage was actually Biane. It took a second before Clemora realize what''s happening. (D-don''t tell me he saw that I was sleeping on top of Lyon''s shoulder?!). With a shade of red, Clemora cough. "You only saw me going back sitting beside my driver, got it? No more in-depth details! You know the consequences." "Y-yes lady!" the soldiers were scared out of their wit. They were a nobody in this game of chess if they forced themself to be a piece than prepare to pay the price. Then Lyon commanded the horse through his reign to get inside Luderia. As the carriage went, the two soldiers were talking to themselves. "Damn, what a lucky lad that driver is," said one of them while shaking his head. "Tell me about it, Lady Clemora was highly sought after just like her step-sister Biane, but no man had the opportunity like that driver, I bet his ancestors grave is exploding right now haha," laughed the other as he patted his partner''s shoulder. "I heard rumors that half of the aristocrat was asking for their hand in marriage but they refused them all despite their father''s encouragement." "Tell me about it," said the soldier while shaking his head. "I wonder if the driver is lucky or unlucky though, he is definitely a newcomer but the state Luderia is in right now is not favorable." The other soldier sighed as he said, "Tell me about it." He looked at his partner that said the same thing over and over again while squinting his eyes. "What? Something on my face?" said his partner. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "No, nothing, it''s just that, this shift feels longer when nothing is happening," "Tell me about it." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the gate was a massive city bustling with noises. The building was themed like in ancient Europe as the medieval aroma permeating in the air. The road was big enough to fit three carriages at once and still have a sidewalk made of solid paving. "Uwah, this is really a bustling city huh," said Lyon stating the obvious. Though Nostria was a kingdom, this was on an entirely different level. "This is only the lower class of the city where commoners do their everyday job and try to make ends meet," said Clemora before continuing, "Just keep going north and we will enter the noble and royalty region." "Clemora, do you believe in the power of the masses?" asked Lyon playfully. He made it so that the horses walked slowly with each tap of them was clearly heard. "Yes, I do, I mean, why do you think I still sit with you in the driver seat," said Clemora as she winked then smile at him. Lyon looked at her with one of his eyebrows risen up. Then he noticed that the people around him were talking between themselves as they looked at the duo. (I see, so I''m the scapegoat huh) instead of being angry he was amused. (Then, you''re wrong if you think I would lay low and accept this) chuckled Lyon inwardly. "I guess you need to send them a clearer message," said Lyon before stretching his right arm and grabbed the farther part of Clemora''s shoulder, pulling her closer to him. His action was always unpredictable and contradicted people''s common sense. She was trying to be subtle, that''s why she warned the guard from the entrance, but all of that was for nothing. Clemora had her eyes opened wide then glaring at her driver. Even though she was blushing, she slowly made a fist so that only he could see it. Lyon smiled as he saw the cute side of her, before he whipped the horses, "Let''s go!" As the carriage went to a deeper region, the rumors started to spread like a wildfire in a forest. 113 Lyons Express The bustling noises filled the kingdom as they left for the core region of the place. "Is that lady Clemora?" whispered one of the passersby. "Yes, I think so, I mean look at the carriage, it belonged to the noble family," said another. "But did you see how that driver just pulled her closer to his chest." "I did, I don''t think that''s an ordinary driver either, to be able to do that without dying after." "Maybe he is someone important from another kingdom? Or maybe beyond the gate?" "I never saw him before, but one thing for sure is that things are about to get rowdy." People couldn''t help but agree with his statement. She was one of the topmost beautiful people in Luderia, not just her looks but her talent and skills in other things that also made her one. Many pursuers were trying to get her hand in marriage but got rejected flatly. Now, out of nowhere, Clemora was leaning on an unknown youth with ordinary bearing. He had no special features except his unique cloth. Some will say he was a hidden expert, a chief of a clan but most will be skeptical. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The sound of the horses'' hooves was riffling in the city as the white carriage leaving dust to its behind. Under his reign, he overtook about six carriages in front of him with ease and thrill. With each turn, the white carriage would drift along. Though the road was supposed to be a straight line, Lyon purposely made a turn and went around the city. The soldier couldn''t let this slide or they wouldn''t have any face left to the citizen. Thus the two soldiers with their horse chased the elusive white carriage belonging to a noble. "H-hey, don''t you think we should slow down a little?!" asked Clemora frantically while she gripped Lyon''s body around, afraid to fall off the seat. "What do you mean? This is not slow for you?" asked Lyon with a smile as his vision fixated on the road. "What do I mean?! There are two soldiers chasing us down!" "Oh, Clemora you just lost your cool demeanor you know," chuckled Lyon. Clemora''s face instantly turned bright red as she hid her self on Lyon''s compressed shirt. "Now is not the time!" "Hahaha, you will love me after this! Hah!" Lyon increased the speed as the horses immediately obeyed and pushed themselves to a new limit. Then he stretched his left arm to the left so that the pursuers could see, "C''mon!" taunted him. Both soldiers with their ego, accept his challenge. "Don''t underestimate us!". *squawk The squawk of seagulls filled Lyon''s ears as his left side of view turned into a port. (I see, this place is on the edge of the continent) thought Lyon as he let his hair fluttered with the wind before making a right into the central plaza. The plaza had a stage in the middle and a statue of a swallow behind it. The stage was big enough for a show or any kind of performance and it actually well maintained. With a wicked smile, he held tight Clemora with his right hand. "Go!" Lyon commanded with his left hand. To everyone''s surprise, the horse took a forty-five degrees turn to the right as it circling the arena before appearing behind the two soldiers chasing him. "W-what?!" exclaimed both of them before Lyon bliss through the middle while their mouth gaped. (Alright I guess that''s enough playing then) thought Lyon. "Guys, do you believe in magic?" shouted him as he took a sudden turn and headed to an alley. "Huh?" the soldiers were caught off guard by his question before realizing he took a turn. "We got him! That path is a dead-end!" said one of the soldiers. "What? Where are they?!" to their surprise, the alley only consist of a wall as far as they could see. There was indeed a track but it indicated that they run through the thick wall. "N-no way right?" said one of them as his mouth twitched. One of them sighed, "I''m not being paid enough for this," as he walked away from the scene with his partner. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In a lonely corner of the street, the wanted white carriage leaped out of a spatial crack as they headed toward the inner region. (Wait, this world is already full of magic... Man I should have said a cooler line) gloomed Lyon as he got inside the upper-class part of the city. This part of the town was definitely a lot neater than the previous one. Though there were not many people compared to the last, their bearing and culture were vastly different. The way they walk and the way they talk was almost like they were trained from when they could cry. (Well I wouldn''t judge but, there are more beautiful girls here than the time I spent running around the city, I guess fortune could make the difference after all). "Oh, where is your house anyway?" asked Lyon. Clemora didn''t answer, though she was still hugging him like a koala. Since her face was buried on his side, Lyon couldn''t see her expression. Lyon furrowed his eyebrow and stopped the carriage. He slowly pushed Clemora away as her face lifted up. Her eyes were like a dead fish as her cheeks suddenly puffed up. (OH NO!) Lyon hurriedly pushed her away but still held her collar as she faced the ground. *blergh Stream of disgusting things splatted the ground continuously. "Lady, I don''t know what you ate but that amount is amazing haha." "Shut." Clemora''s eyes opened wide before she could finish her sentence. *blergh Another stream splatted the ground. *creak The carriage''s door opened little by little as a slender hand reached the ground. *blergh It was Biane turn this time as she had her eyes spinning around leaving a little droll in her wake. Lyon forcefully smiled as he said while his index finger scratching his cheek, "Well, I guess, you ladies didn''t enjoy Lyon''s express that much huh." "Of course not!" shouted both of them. 114 Their House The clip-clop from the horses'' hooves finally came to a stop in front of a mansion. The fences were adorned with various flowers as its coiled around the tip, almost touching both of the lamp''s frame. As the gate was made of thick wood, one couldn''t see what''s hiding behind it, however, from one glance, they would understand that the owner''s status was no ordinary noble in the street. *creak The gate was cut in half as it slid to the right and to the left. Revealing an old butler that took a bow. "Welcome back lady Clemora and lady Biane." Though the butler was clearly old, his voice was as fresh as any middle-aged man would sound. "Yes, thank you, Graff," said Clemora as she jumped down from the seat and proceed further in the mansion. Biane followed suit as she held Fenrir in her hands. "My, you two sure don''t look so well," said Graff as he continued with a chuckle, "Ah, please hold your liquor next time." "N-no it''s not like that, we just have a... rough travel," said Biane as she glanced at the man who was responsible for this. "I see, thank the heavens that my lady is fine, but who is this youngster?" asked Graff before he approached Lyon who was still gripping his reign. "Let me introduce myself, I''m Graff, the butler of house Elgome." *thud Lyon slowly climbed down from the seat before he stretched his right hand, "I''m Lyon Torga, nice to meet you." Graff was a bit surprised by his gesture. In his everyday life, every time he met a guest from his masters, they would act all high and mighty, refusing even to shake his hand. In the nobles'' eyes, he was nothing but a commoner. (Is he perhaps also a commoner? His bearing definitely not that of a noble, but his charisma, that sharp look of his, there is something that I just couldn''t put a finger. Of all my life I never felt like this) thought Graff. "Nice to meet you too sir Lyon," said Graff as he reached out Lyon''s hand and gave a firm handshake. Lyon shook his head with a smile, "Lyon is fine, my status is not that grand for you to call me sir." Graff was clearly taken off guard. His request was a first in his entire career as a butler here. Everyone would like to be referred with a higher title if they were possible, but this youngster flatly refused such courtesy. "Haha, sir Lyon surely joking, you are my masters'' guest, so I''m afraid I have to call you with a ''sir''," Lyon smiled before walking behind both ladies, "Whatever, suit you then." With his hand behind his head, Lyon looked at his surroundings. There was a well-maintained garden with a greenhouse in the center of it. The maids were tending the plants while some of them were cleaning a little fountain nearby. (I guess, this is what a noble life is like huh, Hmm, I wonder where Ryona and Kyoko are at the moment). *Creak Biane opened the door entrance, "We are home, father." She declared it clearly so that every room in the mansion heard what she said. In the middle of the room was a charming middle-aged man, with a well-built figure. He was wearing a gold robe with a black swallow engraved on it. He was looking at a beautiful scenery painting before the trio arrived. "Oh, we have a guest," said the charming middle-aged man as he noticed Lyon standing behind both of his daughters. "Hmm, where are you from young man, are you one of the noble''s sons? If so what rank?" asked the man with a deep look in his eyes. Clemora stood in between them and said, "He is not one of the noble''s sons, but" "Then he is worthless, excuse him, I do not want to waste time," said their father as he waved his hand like he was trying to shoo a dog before continuing, "Take the item to my desk and we will have to discuss both of your arranged marriages next, I think your future husband will come tonight." Biane''s furrowed her eyebrows as she said, "Father! Watch your tone, he is our...", "You dare to talk back to me?!" shouted her father. Biane instinctively took a step back as her head hung down. "Do you have something to say too, Clemora?" Clemora could only do the same as Biane. (Damn it! Why am I so weak in front of him!). "Hmph!" the middle-aged man turned his back and walked back to his room. "Oi-oi, don''t you think you owe me an apology?" said Lyon nonchalantly. "Hmm?" the middle-aged man turned back and face him once more. "Apology? You are the one who supposed to do that to me!" With the cultivation of peak Lower Half Divine realm, he tried to suppress Lyon just like he suppressed his own daughters. Lyon lazily responded, "If you are trying to intimidate me with your current cultivation realm like what you did to these beautiful ladies, mine as well make me a tea, father-in-law." Clemora and Biane were surprised to see how nonchalantly Lyon said that to their father. Even the nobles of Earl rank wouldn''t dare. "Fa-fa-father-in-law?! Who are you to qualified to be their husband?!" Even their father couldn''t help but gawk against his response. "Me? I''m Lyon Torga, nice to meet you," The middle-aged man almost vomited blood as he gulped back down to his throat while Biane and Clemora tried to hide their chuckling. Lyon laid on the nearby sofa under their gaze, "I''m still waiting for that apology you know, besides, I saved your daughters in the forest and the only thing keeping you alive right now is because you are their father," "Don''t believe me? Want to test it?" said Lyon as he smiled wickedly. He slowly raised his right hand. "Lyon, please stop," said Clemora before averting his gaze to his father. With a deep breath, she said firmly to his father, "F-Father, There is something crucial you need to her, and that young man is a key part to it." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Her father looked at her determining eyes before nodded in an agreement. 115 Reverse Scale Clemora and Biane immediately recounted the event that happened in the forest to their father. His eyes gradually looked serious as he heard their explanation. "And that''s how we escaped from the assassins clutch," said Clemora as she purposely missed out on how Ryona killed the assassins in a brutal way. Biane took out the zither, "This is the item father, it was kept by a hidden expert in Mist Clan by the name Old Sean." "Old Sean, hmmm, it doesn''t ring a bell, but alas, it matters not right now, I will take the item and you two should prepare yourself for a banquet tonight in the castle ballroom, the invitation was for the younger generation only so I will not be joining you," said their father before he continued, "There you two shall meet with the one you have an arranged marriage with." Biane immediately replied, "Father, for the last time, I will pick who my husband will be and so will my little sister!" The feeling of the oppressed daughter finally erupted. Life was always for those who lived it. Biane finally found the courage she needed to fight for her freedom. Clemora looked at her older sister with awe. She might be the smart one out of the two, but she without a doubt always look up to her older sister. Unlike her, Biane was brave and daring. In Biane''s case, it was never about the odd, it was about how much she wanted it. His father opened his eyes with surprise before he furrowed his eyebrows as anger built up inside him, "You dare to talk back to me?! Think about the result you would be having if you married to a higher rank noble! You will live in leisure!" "Are you sure it is about living in leisure? Not about power and possession, you would have?" asked Biane with a smirk. Her father couldn''t retort at her since she was right. "Why don''t you understand that the life you have right now was from the title of nobles handed down from our family! Can you imagine if my title is promoted to a duke!? We would have real power in Luderia! All I ask is you to see the bigger picture." Clemora became irritated as she reprimanded, "Bigger picture? Your daughters would have been dead right now, but all you said to us was to head to the banquet tonight! Do you really care about us? Are we just tools in your eyes?!" Seeing how both his daughters objected him made his forehead full of veins as his hand slowly made a fist. "Our ancestors made it to the rank of the noble because of their merits, not marrying into a higher up! Father do you forget what a noble truly means?!" said Clemora with her determining eyes. "Gah! You girls and your naivety! How many nobles do you think did this before us?!" reprimanded her father, Clemora couldn''t retort his question as reality was not as pretty as fairy tales. What differs the elites from the commoners was that they dared to sacrifice something for a bigger gain. They would kill, abuse, steal, et cetera, but they would keep a smile to the public. True some were just and right, but they were too few to mention. "Hmph!" their father grunted as he continued, "I expect you both to be corporating in the banquet tonight, he is of an esteemed guest. Your future husband will be none other than.." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Me." Lyon casually completed his sentence. His voice caught the three of them by surprise. Biane and Clemora, in particular, couldn''t expect this kind of reply. (Is this heroic or narcissism? It must be shameless) thought both of them. "You!" said their father as he pointed at Lyon. "Yes, me." nodded Lyon nonchalantly. "You still owed me an apology... Elgome," said Lyon with a cold voice. "Don''t speak of my surname so lightly you commoner!" before he continued, "An apology you said? Why should I do that? You are just an outsider here, you are the one who should apologize to me!" Elgome grunted before continuing once more, "You should blame your useless father or grandfather for not leaving you any hereditary title!" Lyon''s eyes flashed as a memory resurface. It was the most gentle True Dragon''s eyes he had ever seen. With its loving gaze and soul body, he said, "Anytime kid..." Lyon''s usual lazy eyes became sharp as if it would rip a bone with a glance. Though there was no wind, his hair slowly fluttered. His hand slowly turned into a fist as veins coiled around his forearms. Greenish aura slowly enveloped his entire body as his pupils turned divine green. Elgome instinctively took a step back, (What the, what kind of power is this?! Is it his bloodline?!). The figure in front of him was no longer a youth with commoner''s bearing. He was now facing a different entity, not even the king made him felt this way. He couldn''t help but having a batch of cold sweat on his forehead. "W-what are you doing?! Ghghhg," Elgome panicked before a hand strangled his neck. He was clearly having the highest cultivation realm in the room but he couldn''t even fight back the force that the arm was emitting. *boom His body was forcefully pulled down as his knees destroyed the hard flooring. The blood that rushed to his mouth stuck in his throat. His bulging eyes were looking for help as he glanced at his daughters, however, they could only look away. Then he averted his gaze to the ''commoner'' who was strangling him like a chicken. "I was already lenient to let you off with an apology... yet, you dared to say my grandfather is useless?!" Lyon then leaned to his ear, "Hereditary you say? Then let me show you what my grandfather gave to me!" Lyon raised his left arms as a massive torrent of mana spiraling it. "Hah!" he threw Elgome outside the window, breaking the glass and leaving a massive amount of dust as a bunch of furniture was broken in his launch. A nearby maid noticed his master was on the ground facing the sun with one of his eyes open. However, before she could get near, a person leaped out of the massive dust. Elgome''s eye opened wide as Lyon hide the sun with his back, "True Dragon Art! Palm of Shattering World!". A dragon silhouette was coiling around his left palm as he attacked. *Boom A faint of a dragon roar was heard as it connected to Elgome''s chest. He could feel every meridian inside him exploding as his skin cracked like glass. *Boom A wave of wind was created at the center of the impact as the whole Luderia quake. The ships at the port were swaying uncontrollably and people falling down to the ground because of imbalance. Lyon stood alone at the center of a wide crater as his hair fluttered. 116 Panic The entire Luderia was in a state of panic as everyone was going outside their building and hit the street. "What was that!? An earthquake!?" a junior frantically asking. For the record in history, Luderia never had an earthquake ever since it existed. An old senior citizen replied, "No, look closely, up there.." as he pointed to the sky. The onlookers couldn''t help but averted their gaze to the sky. *gulp The junior gulped down his saliva as his mouth formed a twitching smile, "You''re kidding right..." He couldn''t help but having cold sweat. In fact, he was not the only one that experienced this, almost the whole citizen did the same. The old senior said with his hoarse voice, "That''s right! An earthquake would never do something to the sky! Look, the clouds are missing!" In the sky, the lonely sun looked much brighter than before as if it ruled them. Though the temperature was not as high as in a dessert, the people got the message. This was not a natural phenomenon. In the upper-class region of the city, the nobles also did the same as the commoners. "Is it a hidden expert?" a local young noble said. "Ah brother, we can''t pinpoint the source of the impact since it was underground but we can be sure that it was from an external force." said a friend of his. "Well, it matters not, no one can defy the royal guards of Luderia anyway. Well, time is nigh, I will buy a new set of clothes for the banquet, join me, my brother." thus both of them went to a high-class boutique. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the palace of Luderia, in a particular room with a door made of an enchanted wood. A skinny old man with a long white bird was gazing at the window that overlooked the city, With a white silk clothing and his pale white skin, he still exuded a kingly bearing despite the sickly face. His eyes turned sharp as he said, "Such tremendous force that could shake the entire land, to think that even my hand is still shaking." The old man snapped his finger. *thud A shadow took a knee behind him silently. "What information do you have regarding the incident just now," the old man still looked at the city below him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Your majesty, my apology, I cannot retain the information of the culprit behind this." said the shadowy figure while gasping. The old man raised his eyebrow and avert his gaze to the kneeling shadow, "Not even a name? What happened?" The shadowy figure gulped as he remembered what even had befallen him before saying, "I was... hunted." "What? You were hunted? by who? Who could possibly make prey out of you, Higarde The Elusive?" The old man evidently tried to keep himself calm. *splurt Higarde suddenly vomited blood as it stained the carpet. "It was two women." (two women?) The king recounted his memories but no name came out in his head that could possibly beat Higarde. "As I was nearby, I immediately sprung to the source of the event, however, two-woman stopped me in my track as I was right in front of the location," said Higarde as he kept pressing his chest. His eyes sharpen as he said to the ruler of Luderia, "Those two women were definitely not from Deo, I cannot fathom the depth of their cultivation level." The old man was about to mention the Luderia Seal he gave to Higarde but the notion erased once he mention that the two women were not from this world. Luderia Seal had significant value as it has the same weight as him being in person. "Then, it''s a miracle that you are still alive," sighed the old man. "No, it''s not a miracle, they let me live..." said Higarde as he shook his head. "That means?" The old man became cautious as he took a step back. "I''m here to give your majesty a massage from one of the women, particularly the one with fox ears," said Higarde as he was relaxing his breath. The old man furrowed his eyebrow, "How did she know that you served the king?" Taking a deep breath Higarde said, "She deduced my identity through the Luderia Seal as I failed to cover them. Forgive me, your majesty, by her pressure alone I couldn''t help but speak the truth." The old man sighed and waved his hand, "It''s not your fault, if even you would do that, others will probably broke sooner, so what is the message you want to give me?" "Thank you, your majesty, the message was simple," Higarde turned serious as he said, "Your majesty must give a declaration that the event that just transpired was nothing but a natural phenomenon. Naturally, I was not to disclose the location either." The old man reluctantly agreed to this term, he didn''t dare to say what happened if he were to refuse. He knew that his people were smart enough to differentiate between a natural phenomenon or not but alas, he had no choice. He dismissed the injured Higarde, as he spoke softly toward the window, "This game of chess is will come to an end soon enough, as I can feel my life is withering away the proper successor should be appointed, with the arrival of the ''wild card'' I wonder how my children will fare." He closed his eyes before shouting, "Guards, bring me a brush!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The maid''s body froze as she saw the man completely obliterate her master in a single blow. In her eyes, her master was among the strong cultivators in Luderia, yet this young man in front of her that seemed not older than twenty years old completely broke her imagination. Lyon turned to the helpless maid, "Tell the head butler to meet me inside the living room, there are things need to be discussed." She instinctively nodded out of fear and frantically searched the head butler. Lyon sighed as he walked toward Biane and Clemora in the wrecked living room, (Now then, how should I talk to them after I killed their father). 117 Odd? The two women were waiting for him in the wrecked living room. Lyon couldn''t guess what reactions they would have. As his transformation slowly turned back to normal, he barred his steel heart and took a step to confront them both. "Do you hate me now? " Lyon asked as he closed his eyes. He was ready to hear what they were about to say, "It''s funny, normally, a person would take revenge if someone were to kill their father," said Biane as she looked at the floor below. "But we feel nothing for him," said Clemora while smiling helplessly. The atmosphere became gloomy as sadness filled the room. The sadness from their expression was not because of Lyon killing their father, but because they felt nothing when it happened. They knew deep inside them that their father was only using them as stepping stones for him to reach for the top but they refused to believe it. In their wishes, they only want a family, a true family, the ones that actually cared for each other, not using one or another. Clemora said softly under her breath, "Was it a blessing or a curse, to be born in a noble lineage," as a warm drop of liquid started to gather around in the corner of her eyes. She bit her bottom lip as the tear finally ran through her cheek. Biane was taking a deep breath, as she looked at the ceiling and her surroundings. She tried to remember the good times she had with her father, but nothing came out. It was only in her imagination that his father was a caring person. "Thank you," said Lyon as he watched the two gloomy ladies. He put both of his bands on the back as he turned around and tiptoe while rocking back and forth. While smiling, he said, "Listen, I don''t know what kind of childhood you beautiful ladies had, nor would I understand how you feel right now." Biane and Clemora slowly averted their gaze to that lean yet strong back of him. "But, if it''s a happy memory that you want, you can always go and create one. Dwelling in the horrendous past and hoping something will change is stupid. Fate has its own way of dealing with you ladies, but so are you. How do you face fate?" "Accept it, denies it, the choice is all yours. Both of you are one of the strongest women I''ve ever met in this world," Lyon turned to face both women with a smile on his face. He wiped their tears with his thumbs and held their cheeks before saying, "Tears do not suit you at all, put on a smile, the world is vast and big, your journey has finally begun." Both women smiled as they closed their eyes and pressing Lyon''s hand that held their cheek to feel the warmth even more. Lyon''s eyes opened wide as both women suddenly leaned to his embrace. Their hair was fluttering from the sudden leapt, as their soft lips met his chiseled cheeks. He felt the touches of a heavenly scene, his cheek slowly got wet as he didn''t know whether it was their tears or their saliva but it mattered not. Lyon tried to open his mouth, but only to be stopped by a slender finger. Clemora chuckled as she said, "Please don''t say anything, I know your perverted nature will ruin this so just stay passive this time." Her argument made Biane chuckled as well while Lyon with his gloomy look stared off them. The three of them stayed like that for a while before both Clemora and Biane got off from his embrace. "Thank you, Lyon," chuckled Biane before she continued, "Never thought I would say that to the man that killed my father." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Lyon could only smile wryly before saying, "Are you sure you two had enough? I could embrace you much longer you know, oh and my lips are dry." Clemora got her cool demeanor back and coughed, "We have something more important to discuss, like what we should do now that ''he'' is dead." Lyon nonchalantly said, "Well, since I killed him, things will get a little wild around here in the near time. On that note, I believe there is something odd with your butler." Biane furrowed her eyebrows as she said, "You mean Graff the head butler? What''s wrong with him?" He had been a loyal servant to their family ever since they were a kid. Lyon casually asked, "When you finish your mission, which is regarding the zither, you must have sent a letter to your fath- I mean ''him'' right?" To which they replied with a nod. It was true, the letter to request a carriage and successfully retrieving the zither was sent to their father. Lyon smiled as he said, "Then you request a carriage from here to send you home, but with his personality, I doubt he personally made the arrangement." Biane was still confused but Clemora lost in deep thought. She seemed to almost getting what Lyon was trying to say. "You mean that Graff was the one that made the arrangement?" asked Clemora after she contemplated. "Unless the maid had the right," said Lyon. But Clemora immediately denied it, "No, only Graff has the privilege to made one since he was his personal butler." Lyon smirked as he said, "Then try to remember when we first got here." Clemora was deep in thought as she tried to recount the event back then. (Hmm there is nothing odd going on back then) thought Clemora as the event replayed in her mind over and over again. "Wait a minute..." Clemora opened her eyes wide as the event replayed one last time. "No way..." said Clemora softly. Biane was at lost, "What is it? What''s wrong with Graff?" Clemora averted her gaze to her older sister, "When we first arrived, isn''t odd that... he didn''t ask about the two guards?" . 118 Start the Questioning Biane was struck with a sudden realization as her eyes opened wide. (She is right, why didn''t Graff ask that? Could he be a traitor?). She shook her head when she had the thought. "There is probably a reason why he didn''t ask that I mean it''s been a while since we saw him right?" said Biane as she looked at her little sister. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Yes, but it is still strange if Graff didn''t ask that, presuming he was the one making the arrangements for us," said Clemora firmly. She knew in this game of chess, foes and friends are a side of the same coin. The two of them were in a stalemate as they could only fall silent. "Well, I did tell one of the maids to call him here but it seems he is a little bit late," said Lyon as he broke the ice. Lyon''s body suddenly swayed as he lost his balance. His sudden motion couldn''t help but be noticed by the two women who then caught him from falling. "Hey are you alright?" asked Biane concerned. She noticed that Lyon could not fully open his eyes as he struggled to breathe. "Let''s put him on the sofa first," said Clemora as both of them propped his shoulder and laid him on the nearby sofa. Lyon smiled weakly, "Man, that move really took a toll haha." "Don''t say anything yet, just focus on resting," reprimanded Biane. Lyon couldn''t help but smile as he closed his eyes peacefully. They looked at the young man that sleep soundlessly. His perverted nature and arrogance would always betray his acute and sharp mind. Brave yet shameless, strong yet ingenious, even the gods would wonder what kind of training would one need to become like him. "Oh, hubby is sleeping," suddenly a voice perked Clemora''s and Biane''s ears. They instinctively averted their gaze to the source of the voice. There stood a figure that cannot be more familiar to them. The way she would always call Lyon was unique to her own. The strongest cultivator that they knew yet, Ryona. "Yaho!" Ryona greeted them as she waved at them with a smile. Biane was surprised to see her coming since Clemora told her that she was training under Kyoko, just like what Lyon told her before the departure. However, her sister knew that Ryona would be around as she did saw how she reduced the assassins into dust that swayed with the wind in the forest back then. "Ah, nice to meet you sister Ryona," said Clemora and Biane at the same time. She nodded with a smile as she sat down near the sleeping young man. "You were really cool back then hubby, even I felt shivers from your moves." Nobody knew if Lyon was hearing what she just said or not, but she said as if he was. Clemora had a sudden curiosity as she asked Ryona, "Sister Ryona if it were you, can you handle his attack?" The room fell into a deep silence as Biane and Clemora were interested in her answer. In their minds, Lyon was the kind of person that could battle a cultivator that was of a higher level than his, so her opinion as to the strongest cultivator they knew yet would be a good gauge of how powerful his True Dragon Art was. Clemora shook her head as she said, "I would still be standing but I would lose one if not two limbs in the process. Of course, this is assuming that he was only using it once." (That powerful!?) thought both of them. They initially guessed that Ryona could withstand it because of her cultivation level but her statement proved otherwise. Not even Ryona could get out unscathed from Lyon''s True Dragon Art. *tap *tap A rapid footstep was approaching them as a figure revealed himself at the entrance. Biane and Clemora suddenly remembered that they were waiting for the figure to arrive. However, they were perplexed as the main character was sleeping soundlessly. "Lady Clemora and Lady Biane are you two alright?" said Graff from the entrance. He was surprised to see the living room was wrecked and a crater formed outside. "Yes, we are alright, thanks for asking," answered Clemora calmly. Graff sighed in relief while touching his chest, "Thank goodness." "Eh?" Biane exclaimed in surprise, she was just about to introduce Ryona to Graff but she was nowhere to be found. (She was just here a moment ago, where did she go?). "Hmm? What''s wrong lady Biane?" asked Graff in confusion to which Biane immediately replied, "Oh, it''s nothing haha." "I see, ah, that''s right, I heard from one of the maids that I was called by sir Lyon?" said Graff as he glanced at the sleeping young man on the sofa. "Ah, I must have been taking too long tending the carriage, I need to properly apologize to sir Lyon later," said Graff as he shook his head. "Graff, I have something to ask you," said Clemora as Biane tensed up. "Yes, lady Clemora," responded Graff as he put his white-gloved hands behind him. (Since Lyon is sleeping, I have to take charge of this conversation reveal the truth. Thankfully older sister know that this kind of things is not her forte so she would at the very least only listen) thought Clemora as she took a deep breath. "Are you the one that makes the arrangement for the carriage that we would be using to go back home?" asked Clemora. Graff was a little surprised by her question. He was wondering as to why lady Clemora would ask something like that out of the blue. "Yes, the master ordered me to make an arrangement for lady Clemora''s and lady Biane''s arrival," answered Graff. Clemora calmed herself down as she heard his answer. (Now we know that he was the one making the arrangement but this still doesn''t prove anything yet, the next question hopefully will) thought Clemora. "Can you explain your arrangement?" asked Clemora as her eyes turned sharp. She didn''t want to miss any detail at all as she wanted to examine both his answer and his body language. 119 What Did You Say? Graff stood firmly while he answered her question, "This humble self was going to the carriage lodging in the mansion and ordered the two guards lady Biane are most familiar with to pick misses up." (So he knew about the two guards then) thought Clemora as she contemplated before she asked, "Then when we first arrived, why didn''t you inquire about their whereabouts?" Biane tensed up since this was what they were wondering, in these crucial times the enemies might be right under their nose. Even though Graff could be a traitor, she still hoped that he was not. (C''mon Graff don''t let it be you). Since her father was not around much, it was Graff that would spend time with her when she was a kid. Graff calmly answered with a smile on his face, "Yes, I didn''t ask about them since I saw sir Lyon and lady Clemora was in the driving seat together. It would be unbecoming of me to ask such mundane matter at the time." Clemora evidently had a blush on her cheeks, before shaking her head. (I need to focus at the matter at hand right now). Biane, on the other hand, had a sigh of relief. In her mind, Graff was already clean with his answer. "Thank you, Graff," said Biane with a smile. The head butler stood with a confused face. before saying, "I didn''t do anything, m''lady." Biane shook her head, "Hmm, you did something alright." Clemora fell silent as she watched her sister. By far, from her two questions, Graff proved himself to be innocent, unless if he was that good in acting. Biane averted her gaze to her little sister, "I guess that''s it huh." Clemora could not refute her and could only nod with a sigh in the end. She lacked the proof to prove that he was innocent nor he was not. "I''m sorry, with my inferior knowledge I''m incapable of following the conversation," apologized Graff politely. "No, no it''s not your fault at all. You see, we have been through a lot on the way back home," sighed Biane. She glanced at the sleeping young man, "If it''s wasn''t for him, we might not make it back." Graff suddenly tensed up as he heard what she said, "Oh my, what happened?" "We were betrayed by the two guards you sent, they led us to a place where a group of assassins would ambush us," answered Clemora in her sister stead. *thump Graff kowtowed as he said, "Forgive this lowly self as he put danger instead of comfort to his masters. Please punish me as you please!" Biane immediately propped him up as she said, "Don''t worry it''s not your fault, you wouldn''t know that this will happen," she sighed as the gloomy expression was growing on her face before speaking in a soft voice, "It wasn''t theirs either." Before Graff could react, Clemora cut in, "They were threatened to do that by someone, somebody was eager to send us to the next life." "Oh! Tell me m''lady! Tell me who would dare to take your life, I will finish them myself!" said Graff with conviction his eyes. Clemora sighed, "We don''t know who the person was behind it, that''s why we need your help to figure it out." "Yes, m'' lady I will provide as much help as I can," answered Graff to her request. Clemora nodded but inwardly cautious. Unlike her naive older sister, she was being critical in this situation. With a sigh, Biane said, "The person behind it is most likely from the royal family, probably one of the candidates that seek to be the next ruler." "Since we are under Princess Aelina''s banner, we can easily cross her off the list. There is no way she would antagonize her own subordinate," said Clemora as she took a drink from a glass nearby. "I see, then it must be the other candidates, Prince Weiss, Princess Chloe, and Prince Frey," said Graff while contemplating. "Well, we don''t know their personality first hand since all they showed could be just a facade," sighed Clemora. "I''m sure m'' lady would find the culprit, but without any clues, this discussion would bore no fruit," Graff words made a sense to them both before continuing, "Why not enjoy the banquet tonight, m''lady might get some clues there, after all, I heard that all the candidates would be there too." Clemora''s eyes turned sharp as she questioned, "How do you know about the banquet?" "Ah, the Lord told me to prepare the carriage for you two for tonight, that''s why I was late for Sir Lyon''s summon," said Graff with an apologetic tone. Both of the ladies tensed up, "When did he tell you?" Biane immediately asked. "It was before when m''lady arrived," said Graff. Biane breath a sigh of relief while Clemora asked, "Then do you know when did our house get the invitation for the said banquet?" "I believe it was this morning that the letter came m'' lady." Clemora contemplated in deep thought. (Is it a coincidence that a banquet held tonight just as we arrived back home on the same day? Or is it the mastermind''s plan? If the latter, then he or she knows that we are still alive, the next question would be... how? or who tells the mastermind?). A lot of possibilities were running through her brain as she selectively eliminated the suspects in her mind one by one. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Excuse me m''lady, but where is the Lord? Since there was an earthquake just now, I presume the Lord would immediately look for this humble self to do some clean up with the maids," asked Graff to Biane. Since the living room was tattered in shambles, he couldn''t help but ask. Biane was confused as to tell him the truth or not. "Ah, well, he was going back to his room, I think? Yeah, I think he did," said Biane as she nodded with closed eyes. "Ah, I see, if m''lady will excuse me then," Graff bowed before heading toward her father''s room. (Oh no, I need to distract him) thought Biane. "Uh, Graff can you noticed the two guards'' family?" Graff turned to face Biane as he said with a bow, "Certainly m''lady, though they betrayed us, they were threatened after all, I will notify their family about their death. Don''t worry m''lady, when we discovered the identity of the cloaked person, I will personally choked him to death for playing with their'' lives." Clemora''s eyes opened wide as she pointed at Graff, "You.. what did you just say?!" 120 The Traitor Inside the wrecked living room, a woman was pointing at a butler with her daggering eyes. An outsider might perceive this as a master who was reprimanding her servant. However, the truth was more serious than that. Graff was caught off guard for a second before composing himself, "I''m sorry m'' lady did I say something wrong?" "Clemora what''s wrong with you?" asked Biane with the look of a sister that would lecture her little sibling. Clemora didn''t pay any heed to her older sister''s question. Her eyes were fixated on the head butler of the family. She waved her hand violently while saying, "Enough pretending traitor!" Her words made Biane averted her gaze to the old man that accompanied her childhood. She instinctively took a step back while listening to their conversation. Graff couldn''t help but stutter a little bit, "T-there might be some misunderstanding m'' lady." Though he was accused he still maintained his professionalism. With a sneer, Clemora said, "You are one hellbent traitor, I commend you to actually be this good. Without my older sister, I would never know that you are a wolf in sheep clothing." Biane was at lost to what her sister just said (What did I do?). Graff stood silent despite Clemora''s sneer. It was very common in his line of a job to be insulted, sneered, etc. He won''t be the head butler if he couldn''t take these things. "Being the most trusted person by your lord, you are in a key crucial position," said Clemora before continuing, "Who was it that hired you? Which banner are you from?" Her sword was already pointing at the old man as she said so. Her cautious nature developed even further after the recent event in the forest. Biane was still at lost, "Clemora, why do you think Graff is the traitor? I thought it was cleared up a minute ago?" "He was that dangerous older sister, he made it with logic to appeared innocent. I wouldn''t have been able to know it either if it wasn''t for his blunder," replied Clemora as her gaze still on the old man she believed to be a traitor. Graff stood silently as he stared at the sword pointed at him. His calm attitude was not befitting of his profession. Any normal person would be on guard against such a scenario but even his breathing was relaxed. "What was his blunder?" asked Biane. "We never said that the person threatened the two guards was wearing a cloak nor did we say that both of them are already dead but he said that ''he would choke ''him'' to death if we identified the cloaked person''." Biane was surprised with her eyes opened wide staring at Graff that stood calmly. Her eyes slowly turned into anger as she pulled out her giant sword from her spatial ring. With gritted teeth, she pointed her weapon to the old man. "Even more so when you said that the candidates would also come to the banquet. I doubt your lord would tell you that, nor the maids would know. Then when the ''earthquake'' happened, you stated that you are in the carriage lodging but you took to long to come here. A head butler such as yourself would certainly rush here to check on their master''s condition without being asked but the reality was, a maid told you that Lyon requests your presence." "The identity of the cloaked person that gave the letter with royal seal to the two guards was none other than you, Graff!" *clap *calp The silent Graff clapped his hands as his mouth curled up to a smile. "To think that you could deduce that, I guess you are not just some pampered noble ladies huh." His tone and the way he addressed them was different from before. It was apparent that he had stopped pretending. The wolf finally opened his sheep''s outfit and revealed them to its prey. "Hmph! Tell us who do you work for? What did they offer you?" asked Clemora sternly. With a wicked smile, Graff replied, "Let''s not be so hasty now. First, I''m a little surprised that you two would survive such an ordeal in the forest, the goddess of luck must have smiled upon you." "Graff, you disappoint me," said Biane as her killing intent gradually spread. "Disappoint you? Hoho, I''m not that young to care for such matters," chuckled Graff. He spread his arms before saying, "I could fight you two right now, but your father would be troublesome later." Both Clemora and Biane could only stay silent. "But what choices do I have now, I need to retrieve the zither either way," said Graff as he blurred past the two of them and picked up the zither on a table beside the sleeping young man. The two of them immediately turned their heads and stared at the traitor with the zither in his hand. They knew that they were no match against the old man right then and there. "Wuwu?" a black fur at the edge of the sofa where Lyon sleep, raised its head. (Fenrir!) thought both of them. "Hmm?" Graff glanced at the little wolf that just woke up from his sleep. His sleepy eyes looked at Graff that was holding the zither with no interest. Fenrir yawned as his little eyes closed once again. Graff''s mouth couldn''t help but twitch (This Little Animal!). As he was about to pick up Fenrir, Biane and Clemora shouted at the same time, "Stop!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "You said you are too old to care for such things," said Clemora as her last hope in saving Fenrir. Graff retracted his hand as he smiled, "You are right... before I go, let me give you a gift, the banquet invitation is real, you might find your answers there. HAHAHA!" They could only grip their hands as they saw the old man tried to make an escape. "Would you shut the fuck up! I need to sleep!" *Boom Graff was dumbfounded in the air (eh?) as he hit the nearby wall. 121 Reason The wrecked living room was filled with dust once again. The debris from the broken wall was piling up on the floor as the hole revealed the inside of another room. One could see that there was a skinny figure slowly slumping down from a wall inside the unfamiliar room as cracked was seen behind it. *cough With dust covering Graff''s outfit he coughed as blood spurted out from his mouth staining the floor. As his breathing was rapid, he struggled to get up on his own. Little by little, he finally propped himself up but the pain on his chest made him twitched. While gritting his teeth he ripped his upper torso as his eyes opened wide with horror. "You''re kidding.." The old man was in disbelief as he saw his own chest. The right side of his ribs dented as one could make a trace of a foot landing there. Graff couldn''t help but gulped, he knew his own body more than anyone else in this world. A kick should never make damage like that, especially from a mere Soul Realm cultivator. However, what dreaded him the most was that he could feel the right side of his ribs would break by just a tap from a finger. As the dust slowly cleared up, he looked at the figure responsible for his horrendous state. The guest that he revered as sir was standing tall with his hands dug in his own pocket. Despite the distance of their realms, Graff felt that he was the lower leveled one. *tap *tap Lyon slowly approached the head butler as if he was strolling in the park. Upon closer look, one could see a faint greenish aura that had a divine bearing exuding from his figure. Not even the dust dared to touch his majestic aura as he stood in front of the critical injured old man. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Graff lookup at his assailer with calm eyes. Despite his ridiculous injuries, there was no sense of grudge building inside him. With his struggle breathing, he said, "S-Sir Lyon, you are definitely the star of our younger generation, no I dare to say that you currently are the best, the strongest, not even the first prince of Luderia could hold a candle against you!" Lyon seemed unperturbed with Graff''s praising as he said, "I know." Graff unintentionally splurted more blood as he heard what he said. He was wondering if that was shameless or confident of him. Clemora and Biane couldn''t help but chuckle behind Lyon. Though they didn''t have much experience with him, they knew that he would answer like that. "It''s a shame, you would have escaped from here if not for being noisy beside me," Lyon proceed to pick up the zither that laid on the ground unscathed. Graff could only watch as he did so, the target he was supposed to retrieve was casually picked up by a young man. "So, I''m guessing you are working for the first prince?" asked Lyon while checking up the zither he just picked up. Graff smiled as he said, "There is nothing to hide anymore, I''m already at my death door." "What did he offer you that makes you betray us?" Lyon was not the one asking the question, instead, it was Biane. She was the type that put camaraderie first and a traitor was her bane. "Ah, Lady Biane, you always put others before you, your naivety would kill you someday," Graff chuckled before his coughs keep up. "Enough, just answer my older sister''s question," said Clemora as she confronted the ex-head butler. While closing his eyes he said, "It was, a chance." The two ladies were confused as he heard what he just said. Graff laughed while seeing their expression. "What do you mean by a chance? A chance for what?" Biane was eager to know his answer. Graff''s eyes slowly turned shallow as he said softly, "To destroy your father." His words struck a flash of lightning to Clemora and Biane. They initially thought that the offer would be something more materialistic like money or a high position in Luderia but the reality was something else. "Quite a word you use there," said Lyon as he put the zither into his spatial ring. Unbeknownst to the people around him, his greenish aura was getting thinner by time. "I expect nothing less from Sir Lyon," said Graff as he smiled. He could turn his sadness into a happy one in just a snap of a finger. That was a professional butler for you. Clemora caught on what Lyon was saying after a quick contemplation. Usually, in that kind of situation, one would not use the word ''destroy'' but the word ''kill'' instead. "Why?" asked Biane as he looked at the pitiful old man. "Revenge," Clemora immediately answered for him. Graff helplessly smiled, "That is correct Lady Clemora, revenge. I''m sorry to say that mine was so big I wouldn''t mind killing you both in the process to achieve it." Graff shook his head as he continued in a soft voice, "It''s been too long overdue." "What happened?" asked Biane. Graff looked at them with pitful eyes, "The world is vast, beautiful yet brutal. You see before I was the head butler here, I''m a grandfather with one granddaughter as a family." He was interrupted with his own cough as blood inside his body was getting less and less. His skin was getting paler with sweat was forming upon his forehead. At the same time, Lyon''s greenish aura was completely gone as he felt his body slowly numb. "She was such a sweet child, but one dreadful day when she was playing with a ball in the streets..." Graff paused as his nightmare flashed before continuing, "She was run over by a noble riding a horse. The noble said that it was her fault for standing in the way and she gets what she deserved." "I wailed on the street, seeking for justice that never came. The warmth of my granddaughter gradually fades as I held her in my arms. That was the turning point where I would become this house butler seeking a chance to thoroughly destroy him." Baine was about to sympathize where Lyon suddenly said, "That''s too bad, you can''t destroy someone that was already ''destroyed''." 122 I Miss! Hearing what Lyon said made Graff confuse to find his meaning. He looked at the two young misses beside him looking at the floor while their expression was hard to recognize. "Sir Lyon, I''m sorry, I don''t quite get the meaning of your wording," said Graff while smiling wryly. "I killed him," said Lyon nonchalantly. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "W-what? How did-" Graff''s words stuck in his throat as Clemora pointed out at the crater outside. Graff squinted his eyes as a sudden realization hit him like a truck. He remembered seeing the maid expression as he was told that Lyon wanted his presence. It was fear, dread, he clearly saw the maid was shaking from head to toe back then. "By destroy, you mean.." Graff gulped his saliva altogether with his blood down from his throat. (No way... that crater outside...). Clemora nodded, "Obiletirate." Graff''s eyes opened wide as he heard what she said. He knew how much their father only used them as a political item so he knew what she said was the truth. He looked at the young man in front of him with a sense of awe. He himself was incapable of destroying somebody down to the last bit but the figure in front of him did so to a cultivator much higher than his own. No remains, all gone. With a gulp, Graff said, "May I ask if Sir Lyon the cause of the earthquake?" "What do you think?" asked Clemora back. Graff helplessly smiled, "Forget it, Luderia will... no, the entire Deo''s fate will be under your flick of a finger. Such monstrous strength at a young age, it''s too bad I will not live to see when you fully mature." Lyon kept silent, even though he probably could extend his life with one of his spells he won''t do it. The fact that Graff would really kill Clemora and Biane already decide his fate. Even so, Lyon had respect for the old man. Willing to go for such length for revenge was a quality, not anyone could have. "Well, I do not have much time left," said Graff as his breathing was getting slower. "Reality might not what you expected but trust me, feeling all of the meridians exploding is nothing you could possibly imagine," said Lyon. Graff smiled one last time as he said, "Thank you, Sir Lyon, I will tell my granddaughter that her strong grandpa was defeated, by none other than the greatest genius that ever lives!" (My revenge was fulfilled not by me but it is enough to know that he suffered before his death, Feilin, will you pick up grandpa?) thought Graff as he lost his vitality and closed his eyes. "Grandpa! Why are you sleeping, c''mon mom and dad are waiting inside, you don''t want grandma to be angry do you?" a little girl''s voice opened Graff''s eyes. A wide-field meadow filled his vision as a little girl with twin tails hold his wrinkled right hand. "Huh? Why are you crying? C''mon, let''s go already, whoa!" Graff picked up the little girl as she sat on his shoulder. "Hahaha, Let me tell you a funny story of how I met the greatest cultivator that ever lived and how he woke me up from my dream!" said Graff as he walked toward his home. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The bright sun in the sky was the opposite of what the two ladies inside the garden felt. Standing in front of the manually made grave, Biane couldn''t help but teared up. The old man was always beside him when she was a kid. In all her childhood memories, he was the embodiment of both the father and mother. Even though Clemora was not really that fond of him he was still a greater man than her father. Ever since their mother died he did take care of them with almost no mistake was made. However, even the kindest man had a bad side. On this day both of them learned a valuable lesson of life they will remember for a long time. Lyon watched the two of them not far from their position. (Gh... I''m at my limit huh..) thought him as his body finally numbed all over. He fell forward as the wind would take him. "Oh my, little brother just as I wanted to say hi, you fell to my bosom," a mature voice entered Lyon''s ear as his face landed on a soft platform. He knew who was the person that embraced him but his consciousness was fleeting away. . . . . . . (No!) thought Lyon as he opened his eyes wide. His wits refused to let this chance go even if it cost his life! (C''mon, don''t fail me now body! It''s Kyoko! Kyoko for fuck sake!). Both of his hands slowly opened as they went around the narrow hips before finally pressing against the luscious pear-shaped butt. "Eh?" Kyoko was surprised to experience this development. With her butt being pressed by Lyon''s hands, the two looked like they were embracing each other to make love, especially with Lyon''s face still buried inside her breasts. His warmth breath was continuously touching her chest as Kyoko couldn''t help but blushed. As she was about to reprimand the young man, she canceled her intention. She felt the grip was loosing as Lyon closed his eyes on top of her breast. She smiled helplessly as she said, "Hmm, you can''t do that to a woman you know..." "Ryona, I know you are greeting your teeth, come out here and carry him, laid him to rest on the sofa," said Kyoko to lonely corner. A figure came out from the shadow as it revealed itself to be the one that Kyoko called. While rubbing her head, she said, "I-I totally not gritting my teeth overseer." Ryona further releasing Lyon from Kyoko and carried him like a princess to the sofa in a quick manner to avoid her teasing. As she laid down Lyon''s head, suddenly the hand that was put around her shoulder pushed her nape toward him. Her eyes opened wide as she felt a gentle spring on her forehead. . . . (Wait, this isn''t her mouth, ah well... there goes consciousness) thought Lyon as he passed out. 123 Little Discussion Time flew by as the lonely sun was now replaced by its lover, the moon. Despite the clouds were dispersed forcefully by Lyon''s art, nature started to heal themselves as they once again snuggled in the sky. Inside Elgore''s mansion in the now tidied living room, four women were chatting despite the recent event. The maids, even though scared, still choose to work for Clemora and Biane since jobs with a well-paid wage were scarce in the lower class of the town. The commoners'' usually looked for a comfort zone and stability rather than power, once they were accustomed to something it''s very rare for them to change. Kyoko was sipping her tea while closing her eyes. Her fox ears perked at the touch of the warm liquid before slowly relaxed as her tail waggle. Despite her innocent motion, she was the most mature one among the four. As she put her cup on the glass table, her red and blue eyes looked at Clemora and Biane that sat across her and Ryona. "With your father gone, what are you going to do now? The sole reason you are in this game of chess was because of him right?" Clemora and Biane contemplated as they heard what Kyoko just said. It was true that the whole reason they were in this mess was because of their father''s ambition. Now that he was gone to the point of no remnant left, their reason to be involved was no more. Biane shook her head, "We still have one, no, two reasons left." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Kyoko looked at her as interest built in her eyes. "The first is that we are still under Princess Aelina''s banner. Even though my father was a shrewd man, Princess Aelina was not or at least that''s how I think so," said Biane as her tone turned low to the last part. Due to the recent events that took place, she began to doubt the trusts that she had put into others. In less than three days she had been betrayed by those closest to her. "At the very least we need to confirm where Princess Aelina stood in this war for the throne," said Clemora as she helped reaffirmed her sister''s argument. She could see that her older sister was having a personality development and she would help at any cost. "I see," Kyoko crossed her legs while her head was being propped up by her left hand that sits on top of the table. Her lazy manner further implied as her right index finger orbited around the cup of tea. If outsiders were to see this, they would believe that Kyoko was the owner of the mansion instead. "Well, what is the second reason?" asked Kyoko. Biane''s eyes turned sharp as she said, "To confront the first prince, Prince Weiss." The reason the two of them were being targeted was because of that man. The source of it all was none other than him. "I cannot forgive for what he has done, threatening and manipulating the innocent to claim the throne. I know that a kingdom, especially as big as Luderia there will be some underhanded tactic but there are some things that go too far," explained Clemora. The two sisters might be the opposite of each other but even then there would be some things that they both agree and this was one of those things. Kyoko leaned back while closing her eyes for a quick second before saying, "That''s not bad of a reason, but do you have what it takes to confront that first prince?" Clemora and Biane were gripping their fist as they knew the power they had right now was nothing before the first prince. "Then what about Princess Aelina, what are the odds of her against the first prince?" the silent Ryona suddenly asked. She was not that good in this kind of thing so she would step in only when an opportunity arose. Clemora shook her head, "If we are talking about raw power, then Prince Weiss clearly excels over Princess Aelina, but the decision of the next ruler was entirely up to the current king. That means which one of the children he favors would change the course where Luderia is heading." "However, if Princess Aelina was the one being pointed to be the next ruler then we have a chance to confront the first prince, I think," added Biane. Clemora looked at her older sister with confusion, as if something was different. "W-what? Why are you looking at me like that?" Biane noticed her little sister''s strange look of course. She tried to touch her own face to see if there was something stuck. "That was quite smart coming from you, older sister, never thought I would see the day," Clemora chuckled. "YOU!" Biane was furious albeit her blush. Kyoko lightly clapped her hand as the topic was going sideways, "Then my advice for you is to go to the banquet that will be held later tonight." Her words sent a flash to their thoughts as they just remembered about the invitation they received from their deceased father. Even Graff said that the candidates would be there in the banquet too, so this was definitely an opportunity for them to gain critical information. "T-then what about him?" Biane pointed out at the sleeping youth on the sofa, he was sleeping with a round black fur going up and down on his chest because of his breathing. "Don''t worry about hubby, knowing him, he might join the party a little late," chuckled Ryona. Kyoko sighed, "That''s true." By now, Kyoko and Ryona knew what Lyon was probably going to do if he woke up. Though he was unpredictable at times, they could still guess a thing or two. "Then what about you two? Will you come with us?" asked Clemora as she tried to persuade the strong cultivators in front of her. Kyoko shook her head, "No, we will not entirely interfere with this, this was all little brother idea, both of us will only act in the shadows," Though Clemora was declined, she was not disappointed as she knew that Kyoko and Ryona would certainly help if danger arose, especially if Lyon was going to join the banquet. 124 Sisterss Beauty Inside the grand palace was a huge room that could contain hundreds of men. The ceiling was adorned with a painting of ''swallow piercing the blue sky'' with the wall as its canvas. The glimmering lights from the chandeliers illuminated the place as the clean clear floor reflected its light. Three windows on the east side of the room were opened to reveal a balcony with the sea as its view. Two long tables made from an ancient wood was covered by a white royal tablecloth each. They were placed paralleled at each other in the middle of the room, creating a space in the middle for the people. On top of them were gourmets made by the imperial kitchen, only the finest from the country were placed. Despite so, the smell in the room was that of an orchid combined with the breezes that the wind from the sea sent with the butlers and the maids, stood respectively on the sides to provide the necessary service for the guests to come. The door on the south side was opened as guests coming one by one. Just from the material of their clothing differentiate themselves from the commoners. Many young influential figures could be seen in this place, either they were popular because of their deeds or because of their ancestors. "Oh, it looks like the party has not started yet," said a youth with his hand behind his back. "Well, being punctual is not a bad thing brother," said another. With this, the chain of conversation began. Business, trades, relationships, the youngsters sought an opportunity to gain something out of this chance. They may be from a different banner but in this banquet, everyone smiled at each other. "Hmm, I heard the four candidates would be present today? I wanted to see the first prince," a girl was sighing as if she lost her love life. "Ah sister, the banquet has just begun just wait a little bit, they will come," said another girl. ------------------------------------------------------------- The sound of hooves hitting a pavilion filled the air as a familiar white carriage drove by. The horses neighed as they stopped at the entrance. With a bow, the butler opened the carriage door as a red heel touched the floor. Though the sound the heel made was quiet, the young men nearby couldn''t help but stretched their necks to look. The moonlight shone above the carriage as the figure revealed herself. Wearing a tight red dress adorned with a black fire pattern on the edge plus a split on the left side she walked up the stairs with confident. Her black hair was resting on the right side of her shoulder to her right breast as her bright complexion further beautified it. Her occasionally revealing thigh could rip a virgin''s soul as her sharp eyes looked at the entrance unperturbed by the crowd''s gaze. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Is that?" one of the young men recognized the beautiful woman. "No doubt, that''s lady Biane one of the top beauties in Luderia, many want to take her hand and all of them failed," said a friend of his. "God, even her fragrance is mesmerizing," said the young man. "It''s not over yet, look behind her." The onlookers noticed that there was another figure coming out from the same carriage. In contrast to the earlier woman, this time the figure was clad in blue. Wearing a short pleated skirt with a knee-length silhouette of an A-line type dress, her cool demeanor was further enhanced to the next level. The blue phoenix applique and her half-sleeve were the perfect combinations along with the mandarin collar style plus the illusion back. With her black hair bang across her forehead, she let the rest of them rest on both her shoulder. "Ah, lady Clemora, the sisters of beauties are here!" even though they were nobles, they were still young men. "Yes, yes, but I heard an amusing rumor of lady Clemora," "Ah, that''s right, the one where she snuggled up on her driver? I think it''s not the current driver though." "Oh, you have heard of it too?" Clemora walked past by them, ignoring their chatter. Her calm footsteps proved that she didn''t mind about the rumors at all. With a smile, she finally entered the banquet along with her sister. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The sisters'' duo immediately brought the attention in the ballroom. The two of them stood side by side as they radiated something called ''beauty''. Different tastes, different styles, different bearing, equally beautiful. Some women were jealous some women were in awe, but the men were obviously charmed. Mane of the young men had the idea of approaching them, but they felt lacking. Only the high status might have the chance to talk to even one of the beauties. *tap*tap A sound of footsteps approached Clemora and Biane as a figure suddenly offer a glass of wine, "Lady Biane and lady Clemora, how about a drink?" The young man was wearing a golden robe and looked dignified. "Hey, isn''t that Marques Raynoldus? Son of Duke Armand?" a group was gossiping from afar. "Yes, that is him, I heard he has been interested in courting both of the sisters for quite some time." "With his father''s power, I don''t think Elgome wants to refuse this." Biane and Clemora looked at the young man before accepting his offer, "Thank you, Marquess Raynoldus." The young man was all smile, "Just Raynoldus is fine, besides we will be a lot closer in the future haha." Both of them furrowed their eyebrows as they remembered that their deceased father set an arranged marriage for them. Biane was about to flare up before Clemora tugged her dress, "I see, are you the one that our father mentions?" Raynoldus nodded, "I believe so, my father met yours a couple of weeks ago to discuss the arranged marriage, but on the other hand, I heard some bad rumors about lady Clemora." Clemora made a bewitching smile, "Oh what rumors?" Raynoldus frowned, "That when you arrive this morning, you snuggled up to your driver''s chest? Is this true? Is he your lover?" The onlookers looked at Clemora as they waited for her verification. Despite so Clemora was calm and keep her smile as she answered, "Yes." 125 Princess Aelina Her answer sparked everyone''s eyes as their dumbfounded looks were a sight to behold. The time seemed to freeze and only the wind was blowing. With a smile, Clemora put the glass back to Raynoldus''s hand. Only a second later that Raynoldus and the onlooker awoke from their state. With a furrowed eyebrows, Raynoldus asked, "Which of the question is the ''yes'' one?" Clemora shook her head, "That is for me to know." She averted her gaze to her older sister, "Let''s go taste some of the finest dishes, It''s been too long since we had one." Biane answered with a smile, "Yes, I''m really starving." The two of them left Raynoldus without blinking an eye. This kind of attitude toward the son of a duke was unprecedented. Normally they were the one that should feel honored being in an arranged marriage with someone of high status. "Did that just happen?" the onlookers started to chat among themselves. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I couldn''t believe my eyes either," said another. The Elgome house was famous for its kissing ass attitude, the only two being different was the latest generation of theirs. These two women were not the kind that can be pushed around as the world sees fit. One youth was shaking his head, "They are not only beautiful, but they also have integrity. I respect them more now. No wonder many wanted to take their hand." Raynoldus''s left hand was making a fist as he gripped it tightly as he heard what the onlookers said. To him, this was the same as humiliating him in front of a crowd. He stared at the back of the two sisters as he whispered under his breath, "I will make you two pay for this!" Clearly, he could not act anything rash now. If he did so, he would be offending the hosts of this banquet, the four candidates. If that were to happen, not even his father Duke Armand would take his side. Gritting his teeth, he took a step back from the attention of the crowd, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Clemora and Biane were enjoying the dishes as they discussed the current situation. "Which banner does he belonged to?" Biane suddenly asked her sister. Clemora contemplated for a while before answering, "I think it was Prince Weiss or at least that was the last information I heard from eavesdropping the other nobles." "I see, so ''he'' tried to get into two banners at the same time so ''he'' would have a backup," sighed Biane after she gulped a red wine. The ''he'' they were talking about was none other than their father. "Maybe, but we must focus on the matter at hand, the banquet is about to start any minute now," said Clemora as she averted her gaze to the entrance. from the north door. *creak Sure enough, the door on the north side was opened slowly. The room was in silence as their attention landed on the slender figure that opened the door. Her chestnut hair was draping on her shoulder as her glowing skin further enhance her ethereal beauty. She had a cute dainty nose that was perfect for her sorbet-pink cupid lips. Her dreamy blue galaxy-blue eyes were orbit shaped together with her seashell-shaped ears, made her look like an angel sent from above. She wore a white corset that wrapped her svelte figure perfectly. Her white steampunk skirt looked amazing with her knee-high stocking. Her royal bearing was beyond comprehension even for the nobles. The young men inside the room could only gulp down their saliva. The beautiful woman in front of them was beyond their reach. They could only feel envy to the man that could make this woman his wife. "Ah, its Princess Aelina, the number one beauty of Luderia, maybe Deo!" the group of young men started their own discussion. Even the women couldn''t help but admit their defeat. Her looks and status were too high for them to reach. Clemora and Biane looked at the leader of their banner. With all the events that recently happened, they will not easily trust someone, even if they were close, especially Biane. Princess Aelina was the first of the four candidates that came to the banquet. Her presence was surely felt by everyone in the room. Many of them wanted to curry favor to the princess even though they were from a different banner. She answered all of them with a sincere smile that was void of impurities. "Good evening Princess Aelina," said both Clemora and Biane at the same time with a bow. Princess Aelina was a bit surprised seeing the two of them before accepting their gesture. "Ah, Clemora and Biane I never thought you would be able to make it to the banquet, your mission must be done then? Thank goodness I sent the invitation," chuckled Princess Aelina. The onlookers left them alone since they didn''t want to be a sore thumb. Three beautiful ladies were chatting if someone was dumb enough to suddenly interfere them, that someone probably offended all the young men in the room. There was only one more beauty left that could withstand their conversation, but she was evidently late. The trio headed to the balcony that was facing the sea. The sound of the wave crashing the cliff was capable of calming one soul. Princess Aelina swirl around before facing Clemora with an amusing look, "Clemora, I heard all about it, you have a lover now, haven''t you?" Clemora chuckled before saying, "Princess Aelina believe that rumor? Everyone was just making their own assumptions. Besides I''m just using him to chase away my suitors." Princess Aelina shook her head, "No, no, no, you must not do that to an innocent man. Oh, what a poor driver, what kind of fate do you have to meet this cold lady." Clemora had her mouth twitched while Biane was bursting in a laugh. Their relationships were evident from their conversation. "Ah, you must introduce me to this scapegoat of yours, I''m not that fool you know, you wouldn''t snuggle up to a man even if it''s to chase your suitors," said Princess Aelina with a calm tone. Clemora sighed, "Yeah well, it''s not that I don''t want to introduce you it''s just that..." "Hmmm??? Do I smell jealousy?" said Princess Aelina while her eyebrows moved up and down in effort to tease her. Biane shook her head, "I don''t think jealousy is the right word..." "Oooh! Now you got me really interested, I must meet this man!" said Princess Aelina with her determining eyes. Both Clemora and Biane sighed. They knew there was no helping her when she made up her mind. 126 The Four Candidates? Looking at Princess Aelina having a curiosity of a cat, Biane and Clemora couldn''t say anything. "So, when can I meet him? Ohhh this is so exciting, we should arrange this at once!" said Princess Aelina while tapping her index finger on the bottom of her cupid lip. If the onlookers were to hear what she just said, the royalty would be in a disarray. Their number one beauty was actually excited to see a man, Luderia might be set ablaze by jealousy. Biane suddenly chuckled at her request before she said, "You don''t need to meet him, he will meet you instead." Clemora couldn''t help but nod in agreement. "Really? You mean he is coming to the banquet? Is he the son of a noble from a different kingdom? Because there is no way that he came from Luderia, otherwise people would already recognize him," asked Princess Aelina. Clemora contemplated for a while before replying, "No, he is not the son of a noble or anything as far as I know." "Oh, is he a prince, or even a ruler?! Wait, no, if that was the case, I would know him. Does he come from the otherworld?" asked Princess Aelina. "Hmm, I guess technically you could say that," answered Clemora as she too was not sure. "Hmm? Technically? What do you mean?" Princess Aelina curiosity had become deeper than the initial. "It''s hard to explain, why not Princess Aelina do the investigation herself? I mean, Princess Aelina has so much more resource than us," said Clemora with a smirk. "Petty!" Princess Aelina stuck out her tongue. However, her expression soon gone back to normal, "But how will he get in? The invitation was only for you two.". This place was heavily guarded and strict to regulation, not even a duke could do anything he wanted. Biane said with a chuckle, "Don''t worry, knowing him he will find a way," The princess furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at Biane. She soon found amusement in Biane''s word. (Hmm! I can''t wait to see how he will enter this banquet!). *creak The north door opened once again as the attention fell to a chubby figure. He had brown hair that was slicked back combined with the royal robe of vibrant colors. His sharp eyes scanned the room as he walked toward the crowd. Despite his looks, the bearing he made was without a doubt belonging to the royal family. "How is everyone doing? I hope you guys enjoy the meal," said the chubby figure with a smile. "Ah Prince Frey, thank you for your hospitality, the atmosphere is neat and great, I can enjoy the gourmets and further my business relationship," a youth raised a glass of wine. Prince Weiss took a nearby glass filled with red wine as he raised the glass, "The hospitality does not come just from me alone. My older brother and Sisters were involved in this too." "Yes, of course, Prince Frey," toasted the youth. It was evident from the words that the youth chose, in whose banner he was under. "Prince Frey is the second prince. Though he does not have the talent in cultivation like the first prince, his ability in other fields such as pill-making was quite good," said someone in a group. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Yes, I agree, they say that if Prince Frey is keeping up with his training, he would enter the top ten pill-making in Deo," replied another. The advantage of a good pill-maker was that they could summon strong cultivators to do his bidding. People would want to curry favor pill-makers, especially the one that was still young and have a bright talent. If Prince Frey were to be the ruler, he could establish a relationship with other kingdoms easily. Prince Frey averted his gaze toward the balcony where he could see her sister with her two beautiful friends. With a smile, he started to walk toward them. The three ladies naturally noticed that he was approaching, but a figure suddenly came out from the north door once again. Clemora and Biane furrowed their eyebrows as they looked. Unlike Prince Frey, the figure was a well-built man with handsome features. He had an undercut style hair with an earring on his right ear. Wearing a V-neck black robe adorned with a golden lightning pattern, most women in the room couldn''t help but blush. The man smiled as he walked inside with confident. With every step he took, there was an undeniable bearing of a ruler. One would instinctively follow him if their soul was weak. The onlookers watched him as he picked up a glass of red wine and prepared a toast. He glanced at the crowd with a smile that could rip a maiden''s heart, "Looks like everyone is here, let me do the honor for-" His voice stuck in his throat as his gaze landed on the balcony. (Impossible!) thought Prince Weiss as he identified the two women beside her sister. Biane and Clemora stared at him with eyes full of killing intent. The vengeance that built up inside them was ready to burst out at any time. However, they know that they couldn''t just jump at him. "Prince Weiss, what''s wrong?" asked a woman coquettishly. Her question send a ringing bell inside Prince Wiess''s head as he said, "Ah yes, I''m sorry everyone I just remembered that sadly, Princess Chloe won''t be joining us today. So with this toast, I signaled the start of the banquet!" The sound of thunderous applause filled the room as the banquet finally started. Prince Weiss was instantly busy with guests that rushed to get to know him. Meanwhile, Clemora and Biane slowly retracted their killing intent. Princess Aelina noticed the change but she kept it inside her thought in the meantime, as Prince Frey was approaching them. "Good evening older sister, I-" Prince Frey''s greeting was cut by Princess Aelina, "Where is Chloe? Do you know anything?" Though he was slightly annoyed, he was used to this sister of his. With determining eyes he answered, "I heard she is missing.... again." 127 Approaching Princess Aelina sighed as she heard what Prince Frey just said. Her youngest sibling was always the troublemaker, even in this critical event, she won''t come. Prince Frey averted his gaze to the two beautiful women beside her sister. With a smile, he said, "Good evening miss Clemora and miss Biane, your presence surely light up the banquet tonight." "Oh, what''s this, are you trying to hit on them?" said Princess Aelina as her eyebrows moving up and down while staring at her little brother. Prince Frey had a little sweat as he stared at her sister. Her moving eyebrows always gave him an uncomfortable feeling. "Royal sister, would you please stop doing that kind of thing?" "What kind of thing?" asked Princess Aelina as her eyebrows furrowed. "Nevermind," said Prince Frey. He knew that having a conversation for that kind of thing would be useless and time-consuming. Biane and Clemra smiled wryly as they saw how these siblings acted. Though they were royalty, they still a brother and a sister after all. "I heard that Princess Chloe actually going to an academy in the otherworld, but I don''t know which world sadly," said Clemora to break the ice. Prince Frey saw this as a chance to start a conversation, "She is, she is even more talented than older brother Weiss. Fortunately, she is not the kind that would put Luderia in her eyes. Ruling this country means nothing for her." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Princess Aelina nodded, "She enrolls in the Verandum Academy in our neighboring world, Mabia." Biane and Clemora perked their eyes as she heard the world''s name. (That was the name where Old Sean heard rumors about Legion). Then she sighed, "Maybe she has a crush there. Well, I wouldn''t blame her, the cultivation level rate for Mabia was higher than Deo." "Don''t worry, she is still here in the palace, but I don''t know where." The dignified voice didn''t come from any of the four. Biane and Clemora took a step back as they saw the source of the voice. "Oh older brother, what are you doing here? I thought you are going to receive the guests," asked Princess Aelina noticing her two best friends'' motion. "Yes, I was in the middle too, but I saw you guys hanging out over here, so I might as well say hi," replied Prince Weiss as he averted his gaze to her friends instead. "What a lovely evening, to be graced by the two infamous beauty, miss Biane and miss Clemora." His praise didn''t get any reaction from the two women. "It''s truly is a surprise that you two could make it here. I hear that you two were away for quite some time?" "Yes, we just got back this morning," said Clemora calmly despite facing the conductor of the drama. "Oh, with a new driver too if I heard correctly," replied Prince Weiss with a smile. "He is more than just a driver older brother," chuckled Princess Aelina as she covered her mouth. "Haha, don''t mind Aelina too much, she loves to tease and make jokes," laughed Prince Weiss. The onlookers could only watch from afar as they converse with each other. They couldn''t make up what they were saying because their status was beneath them for them to join in. "How is your father doing by the way?" asked Prince Weiss with a shrewd smile. Clemora was calm and collected as she replied with a smile "He is well, or should I say, beyond well." Her answer brought confusion to the three royalties before they began speculating what she meant by that. Clemora smiled as she saw their expression, while Biane eyes were sharp as she looked at Prince Weiss. "Please excuse us as I and my sister would like to taste the gourmet inside," said Clemora with a bow before dragging Biane out of the scene leaving the three royalties. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the living room of the Elgome family mansion, a figure was sleeping soundlessly on the sofa. His eyes twitched as he slowly opened them. The blurry vision finally getting clear as he focused on the thing that was on his chest. He squinted his eyes as his right hand grabbed the black furball and hanged it in the air. The black furball slowly turned around and revealed itself as Fenrir. With his little triangle nose perked up, his cute little eyes were still closed as his tail occasionally waggle. "Oi," called Lyon to his companion. Fenrir lazily opened his eyes as he saw his master. The two of them stared at each other for quick two seconds before Fenrir closed his eyes once more. Lyon''s mouth couldn''t help but twitched as he saw his attitude. He got up and sit on the sofa while his hand still gripping the sleeping little wolf. "Alright, let''s go!" said Lyon as he put Fenrir on the usual spot. On the way to the entrance of the mansion, he would occasionally meet the maids in the mansion. Needless to say that they were scared and turned frigid, but they still greet him with a ''good evening''. Opening the gate he looked at the palace with a smirk. . . . "Wait a minute, how should I get there? I don''t have the invitation! Hmm... should I sneak like a thief or do the grand entrance like what I did with Jugen back then," contemplated Lyon as he started to walk to the palace. --------------------------------------------------------------------- In front of the gate were two guards on a night shift. One of them squinted his eyes as he saw a figure was walking toward them. "Hey, look at that, someone is coming," said the guard while tucking his partner. "I know man, I have eyes." replied his partner. The figure was none other than Lyon with his right hand propping his chin as he appeared to be in deep thought. "That''s a hella of clothing he wore, a thin shirt in the middle of the night," said the guard in awe. "Dude, I have eyes." replied his partner "Oh shut up," said the guard as he approached Lyon. 128 Argument and Power Though it was a really cold night, the young man with his compressed shirt felt as if it''s just any other day for him. Busy contemplating he didn''t notice that a guard was approaching him. One of the guards got near enough to the young man and greet him politely, "Good evening sir," His voice slightly startled the young man as he broke out from his contemplating. Furrowing his eyebrows, he looked at the guard but soon noticed the building beyond the gate. "Good evening to you too," said Lyon with a smile. His annoyed expression was erased the moment he knew had arrived at the destination. "May I ask where are you going sir?" asked the guard politely. It was normal for him to ask this question since Lyon''s clothing was out of the ordinary. "Oh, I''m going to the banquet," said Lyon as he pointed out the building on top of the stairs. The guard looked startled for a while before furrowing his eyebrows. (With this kinda getup? You must be joking right?) thought the guard. "Can I see your invitation letter?" Nevertheless, he must verify it first. "Hmmm..." Lyon was suddenly in deep thought. His action caused the guard''s suspicion grew in folds. "Well, sadly you can''t," said Lyon as he shook his head. His words turned the guard''s suspicion into confusion in a snap of a finger. The guard couldn''t believe what he just said, (Huh? What do you mean you can''t?!). From all the guests he received not one person ever said ''you can''t''. "Uhhh, why not sir?" asked the guard. Usually, the guard was allowed to reject Lyon right there and then but his curiosity got the hang of him. "Well, because my wives got it and they are inside already," sighed Lyon as he acted like a pitiful husband. The guard almost believed his acting before asking the question, "W-who are your wives, sir?" "It''s Clemora and Biane," The guard squinted his eyes as he immediately put up his weapon, "I''m sorry sir, but I have to ask you to leave." Lyon looked confuse at the guard sudden change of mood, "What? Why?" With a smirk, the guard proudly said, "Lady Clemora and lady Biane are the top beauties in Luderia, they are not married yet! If they do, surely we, no all Luderia would know!" "Hmm, I guess you''re right," said Lyon as his expression suddenly turned calm. He knew that there was no way to prove to them that he was their ''husband'' so he stopped his act. (Well, you asked for it). "Okay, okay I''ll leave, but I want to clarify something first," this time Lyon was the one smirking. "Is your job to guard the gate and receive the guests of the banquet while preventing outsiders to come inside, right?" continued Lyon. His sudden question caught the guard off guard for a second before replying with a nod, "Yes, that''s right." Lyon spread his arms, "Then, those ones that are beyond the gate that you guard is no doubt a guest right?" The guard contemplated for a second before affirming with a nod, "That''s correct." Since the guard was watching the gate for the whole duration of the banquet with his partner, then whoever person that was behind the gate was no doubt a guest for the banquet. "I see, that''s all I need to know then, good evening sir," said Lyon as he turned back and walk to a distance before turning a corner, disappearing from the guard vision. The guard furrowed his eyebrows for a while before shaking his head and returned to his post. "Man what weird guy." "I know, I have ears," said his partner. The guard was too tired to reply to his nonsense and got back at guarding the gate. . . . "Damn, aren''t these stairs kinda too high?" a voice startled the two guards as they immediately turned to the source. Their eyes opened wide as they saw the young man they just referred weird just stood at the base of the stairs. "Yo," greeted Lyon with an innocent smile. "Y-You!" The guard was about to approach him before Lyon waggled his index finger side to side. With a smirk, Lyon said, "Based on our conversation just now, I am a guest of the banquet." "Ghh!" The guard gritted his teeth. (So this was your plan all along?!). He didn''t know how Lyon got there, the fence was impossible to miss and he was going the opposite way just now. None of that matters since the reality was in front of him. "Of course, if you are a man surely you would not betray your own words," said Lyon. His obvious sarcastic tone annoyed the guard but he could do nothing about it. "You are a shameless man you know that!" Lyon spread his arms, "A little bit of shamelessness can get you far in life." The guard almost splurted out blood before he gulped it down. As he was about to refute, his partner patted his right shoulder. The guard looked at his partner shaking his head before averting the gaze back to the trickster. "Listen guys, I''m just playing with you, I could force my way in but that would make too much-unwanted attention. I could kill you two in silence but I''m not a killing addict," said Lyon as he sighed before he looked at the two guards doubting face. "Oh, you guys don''t believe me?" said Lyon before the manas around him turned greenish as they swirl around his figure with his eyes slowly turned sharp. The air rapidly got denser and heavier around the two guards. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Gah!" The two guards suddenly kneeled as a pressure heavier than a mountain was raining on them. (S-such strength! From his presence alone?!). Lyon suddenly averted his gaze to the east with a smile before releasing his pressure. The two guards were unharmed but they still struggled internally. With their forehead drenched on a cold sweat, a voice suddenly turned them rigid. "What''s all the ruckus here?" 129 Princess Chloe, Will You Forget About Me? The source of the voice came from the west side, as a slender figure slowly approached the three of them. The moon shone down as it revealed the beauty. She had a brown-apricot hair that was tied up into a ponytail with a single string of curly hair hanging down the left side of her cheek. Her snow-white complexion and her pinkish-red lips were the perfect combinations with her small yet pointy ears. Her cute little nose would make anyone want to take a piece. She wore a short red cape that was covering her shoulder and a bit of her breast region but it still left a hint of cleavage. Her tight pale-white school vest outlined her narrow waist as she wore a black box-pleated skirt, embroidered with a golden swallow. Her movement brought grace as her bearing was revealed. Her steps were making the world kneel by her presence and admired by her beauty. The guard stood up straight like a pole as they saluted the figure. "Good evening Princess Chloe." Lyon raised one of his eyebrows with a smile as he heard her identity. (Is this luck? No this is fate!) thought Lyon as he laughed inwardly. "Well, would you mind explaining yourself?" said Princess Chloe with a cold voice toward the guards. The guards were having a hard time to explain the situation. They could tell her that the young man was trespassing but they would suffer too since they couldn''t explain how. Seeing the troubled guards, Princess Chloe furrowed her eyebrows as she turned to the smiling young man standing on the base of the stairs. As she was about to say something the young man voiced out first. "Good evening beautiful..." said Lyon as he enjoyed her beauty before turning his head up in the sky. Instead of being delighted, Princess Chloe further furrowing her eyebrows with an annoyed expression. (Another one of this kind!). She was a princess after all, everywhere she went in Deo, people would curry favor her. Only in her academy, she didn''t get this kind of attention sure there were a few but not everyone. "Surely, you must have heard that kind of line a million times, just like how many the stars above us." Lyon''s second sentence got Princess Chloe''s intention halted. She was about to tell the guards to drag him out but her annoying feelings lessened. With a smile, Lyon suddenly leaped and landed near Princess Chloe, "A princess walking alone when there is a banquet, either she is heartbroken or hates the crowds, if its the latter, will you show me around the palace?" The two guards almost had their hearts running from their bodies as they saw how this young man acted. Nobody in Deo dared to get closer to Princess Chloe as she thinks that Deo was beneath her. "Hmph! How bold of you to assume I would do that," said Princess Chloe with a hint of disgust. Lyon sighed as he shook his head, "You''re right, I''m just a stranger to you after all... guess I have to do it myself then." Princess Chloe''s mouth twitched as she heard what he just said. She couldn''t believe this kind of man existed. Lyon calmly turned back and walked to the east side with his hands behind his head. "Hey wait!" A call made him stopped in his track as he turned to the source of the voice. The evident annoyed little princess made him chuckle inwardly. "Changing your mind?" asked Lyon with a hint of tease before continuing, "You got nothing to lose anyway, besides, your cultivation realm is probably higher than me, what can I do?" Princess Chloe immediately sensed that Lyon was at the peak of the Soul Realm. She was a lot stronger than him so there was a minuscule probability that something bad would happen. Even though she didn''t care that much, Luderia was still her home. "Tsk, fine, I guess would act like a princess once," said Princess Chloe. She would never think back then that taking a stroll would have this kind of outcome. Usually, she would flatly reject the request but her boredom was killing her inside. She didn''t care for the two guards as they know how fierce she was. They wouldn''t tell a soul as long as they live regarding this, or their heads would be deep underground without their family knowing. The two of them walked as the princess was in front of the young man leading the way. ------------------------------------------------------------------ The ponds were glimmering with sparkles as the reflection of the stars was on it. The creaking voice of a frog was occasionally heard as the wind continuously fluttered the grass. As the lotus flower was highlighted by the moon, two figures were seen walking beside the pond. Princess Chloe didn''t say anything for the duration of the walk while Lyon was lazily taking his time following behind her. "Hmm, don''t you want to ask me anything, like which noble I''m from or why would I want to take a stroll in the palace? Don''t you afraid if I were to make rumors about this?" Princess Chloe suddenly stopped her track as she chuckled, "Why should I? Your own family would disown you if you make that kind of rumors. I won''t even ask your name, I would forget about you anyway since I won''t be going back to Deo. I''m not interested in ruling Luderia since this world is too weak compared to the academy I currently enroll." Lyon said nonchalantly, "Oh hey, I''m in the academy too, in Nostria to be exact." (Well I did attend the class once). Princess Chloe chuckled while shaking her head, she refused to talk further as they walked through a long hall leaving the pond. They could hear a lot of chattering behind a wide double door. Lyon stopped his track as he said with a smirk, "Princess Chloe." She stopped her steps as she calmly turned back to face Lyon, "What?" "Are you sure you will forget about me?" asked Lyon still with his smirk. Princess Chloe annoyed, "Are you still worried about that? I told you that-" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Suddenly Lyon flashed as not even the wind could follow him. He smoothly tackled one of her feet and caught her with her left hand. Their eyes meet each other as they could feel each other''s breath. There was greenish mana that Chloe overlooked swirling around Lyon''s feet. She was caught up by surprise before rage was boiling inside her. *pak A resounding slap was heard as her left palm landed on Lyon''s right cheek even though her body was still being supported by his left hand. Enduring the pain, Lyon quickly sent a palm to the double door. *boom The door opened wildly as it caught the attention of the people inside. 130 You Will Remember Me The wave crashed the high cliff as it almost reached the balcony. The room was in silence as the people inside looked at the north door. Their eyes opened wide as they saw what''s happening. The figure of a man holding a beautiful woman as if they were in the middle of a dance, were printed inside the spectators'' brain. The beautiful woman''s left-palm landed on the young man''s cheek as if she was caressing them. The young man stared at her beautiful eyes playfully despite the enormous attention weighing him down. (What a beautiful woman you are... but that slap could easily break my jaws if I didn''t reinforce it with my True Dragon Blessing, damn...) thought Lyon as he smirked. "Ah! is that?!" one of the banquet participants recognize the woman that was held by the young man with unique getup. However, his words stuck in his throat for some unknown reason. *SPLURT CLemora burst the water she just drank as she looked at the young man and who was he holding in his hand. Her uncool demeanor was fortunately noticed by none since everyone''s eyes were on the same thing. Unlike her little sister, Biane was laughing heartily as she held her stomach. She was thinking about how Lyon would show up but this was beyond her imagination. (Oh god it hurts! Hahaha!) thought Biane. Princess Aelina had her mouth opened wide as she saw them. She knew her little sister well enough to know that she wouldn''t let anybody held her like that. Prince Frey was furrowing his eyebrows with the face of disbelief. The youngest of the sibling actually had a lover? Even the handsome and highly admired Prince Weiss couldn''t believe his eyes. He was asking himself with some questions that he himself couldn''t come out with an answer. Princess Chloe was fuming with rage as her expression could make the heavens wailed. Lyon noticed this sudden change and he could feel that things had turned for the worst. He immediately intensified the True Dragon Blessing just in case. "Hmph!" smirked Princess Chloe as she put down the hand that slapped him and raised her left leg to hit Lyon''s face with blinding speed. Lyon opened his eyes wide. *boom A loud boom was heard as the spectators could only steal a breath before they were surprised by the outcome. Princess Chloe was smirking with victory before furrowing her eyebrows. Her leg was actually caught by Lyon''s right hand as the wind from the impact fluttered his hair to the left. Even though Lyon really felt the heavy kick, he still put on a victorious smile toward the beautiful woman. "I bet, you will remember me from now on," His words only put gasoline to a bursting fire. With gritted teeth, Princess Chloe grabbed his compressed shirt before throwing him to the middle of the banquet. The crowd immediately made way for the incoming figure that was launched. Lyon hit the floor as he was dragged further by the clean floor before stopping right in the middle of the floor, in between the two long tables that held the gourmet foods. He lazily got up before patting the dust that was never on his compressed shirt before looking at the beautiful woman across him with a smirk. "Wait a minute, isn''t he the rumored lover of lady Clemora?" one of the onlookers suddenly started a wave of discussion. "Yes, there is no mistaking it, there is no way people in Luderia would wear that kind of getup," nodded another onlooker. "But. isn''t he kinda cool wearing it?" said a noble girl with a blush on her face. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Hey-hey, are you really having a crush right now?" teased her friend. The discussion went on but Lyon''s eyes were currently fixated on the beautiful princess with a fury on her face. (There are many kinds of bonding, and this.. is the most interesting one!) thought Lyon. *tap *tap Princess Chloe slowly approached Lyon with increasing speed before leaping to him with a swirl. Lyon smirked as he drooped down before her left foot whipped his head. *swoosh Her whipped kick was powerful enough that the wind created a slash that advanced further for a brief time. The crowd was captivated by her strike, they knew that that kick was a natural whipped kick without any aid from art or magic. However, they soon realized that her attack was not stopping there. Princess Chloe squinted her eyes as she noticed that she missed her strike while in mid-air. Lyon opened his eyes as he felt two hands were using his shoulder as support. He didn''t have the time to be more surprised as his vision suddenly filled with a beautiful knee coming straight at his face. *boom A loud resounding boom was produced as everyone could see the moment Lyon''s face was kissing Princess Chloe''s beautiful left knee. With blood trailing in the sky from Lyon''s nose, he smiled as his figure dropped on the floor. The crowd was gulping at the quick exchange, no, the quick strike from Princess Chloe. The rumor of her being more talented than the first prince was slowly becoming true. The quick-thinking she demonstrated just now was something that could only be attained by either talent or experience and by how young she was, the onlookers believed the former. "Is he dead?" asked one of the nobles. He was sure that the blow would have destroyed his skull. The others were having the same kind of question in their heads. Some of them glanced at Clemora who was looking at the young man that was facing the floor. Her cool demeanor had no hint of worry as they speculated that the rumor may be false despite her saying yes. The other three candidates, however, looked at their little sister instead. Even though they were the older siblings, they couldn''t stop her current actions because it would only a futile attempt. The young man that was hugging the floor smiled with blood from his nose staining the clean floor. (Black with a white-circle pattern, good choice!). 131 Where is He? Princess Chloe stood straight as her eyes were vigilant toward the young man that was on the floor. Regardless of what the surrounding says, she had her focus on this fight. She knew that when her knee hit Lyon''s head there was no bone that cracked. Normally people would die receiving a blow like that from her, especially if they were in the lower realm. She squinted her eyes as she noticed one of Lyon''s finger moved. "Stop playing dead, or I will make it your reality," said Princess Chloe with a cold tone. Lyon immediately got up as he wiped his bloodied nose before saying, "Am I that obvious?" with a light chuckle. The onlookers were surprised to see him survive that kind of blow, not to mention from the princess. Even though his nose was bleeding, that already was such an amazing feat. Lyon suddenly raised his eyebrows before turning to a nearby table and said, "Clemora? Biane? Wow, you both look really beautiful," with a thumbs up. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Clemora and Biane couldn''t help but blush a little, even though they received such praise a million times, it was different when someone you like said it to you. As Lyon greeted them, a looming shadowy figure made his back tingled. With a smirk, he whispered, "Got ya!" Princess Chloe raised her eyebrows as Lyon suddenly turned toward her with his left palm moving forward to her left chest. Her brain knew what was going on but she couldn''t do anything since she was in the middle of a leap. She closed her eyes as she prepared for the impact. *boom The loud boom was making their way as the beautiful figure was pushed back five tiles. Despite so, she had zero visible injuries but her forehead was palpitating and her breathing was getting rapid. The onlookers had their mouth opened wide as they saw Lyon could actually fight back. She was famous for her agility and quick-thinking in battle but this rumored driver actually pushed her back. Fortunately, however, the onlookers including the three other candidates didn''t realize that something else was going on from the palm Lyon sent. (This garbage of a man! He-he... What kind of attack was that!) thought Chloe inwardly as she knew what was going on. She knew the moment the impact hit, she didn''t feel a palm, at least not the one that pushed her back. Even though she closed her eyes at the time, she knew what she felt. Lyon repeatedly opened and closed his left fist as he looked at it. (Fine contour, great elasticity, firm yet soft) thought him as he tried to get the feeling once again. He now had the look of a perverted man despite his good looking, He smiled as he looked at the blushing Princess Chloe. Lyon couldn''t tell whether she blushed because of the fuming rage or the attack he just did. *clap *clap A sudden clapping was heard before everyone slowly averted their gaze toward the source. "What a fine display of skills!" The one that said it was none other than the first prince as he walked toward the two. "You two are really a show-stealer and bring more hype to this banquet, I admit it myself that this kind of banquet is really boring." The onlookers tentatively listened to the first prince as he must be up to something. What was the real purpose of having this banquet? This had been looming in their heads from the moment they receive the invitation. Prince Weiss spread his arms as he continued, "Their fight truly gave me such an inspiration that I will propose a tournament, no... a battle royal!" His sudden announcement gave the onlookers a wild look. They watched each other''s expression as they discuss among themselves. Hearing the distress from the crowd Prince Weiss smiled as he said, "I know, I know this was out of the blue and crazy. But! As you know the king or my royal father didn''t have much time left in this world sadly. The decision must be made before his passing or else Luderia will be in chaos and the neighboring kingdom would dare to strike us." "What exactly are you planning, first prince?" the voice caught the attention as they saw Prince Frey calmly confront his big brother. The way Prince Frey called him made people realize that the candidates have stopped pretending. They could feel that the feud for the throne was about to reach the final conflict. In the last years, they have been hiding and attacking from the shadows in an attempt to take the ultimate prize, but as reality suggested, it didn''t work. Prince Weiss smiled as he said, "I''m just thinking that the next ruler of Luderia should be decided sooner. With a battle royal, the four of us would send our candidate or ourselves to battle." "I object," said Prince Frey without thinking any further before he continued, "This would only favor those with strength. To be a good ruler, one must not only have considerable strength but smart and wise as well in other words the mental strength." "So what are you suggesting?" asked Prince Weiss. "I demand a pill-making on top of your battle royal!" requested Prince Frey with determining eyes before he continued, "The pill-making technique requires high mentality or the stability of the state of mind. If one rule with arrogance and emotion, Luderia wouldn''t last long." The crowd instinctively nodded as they agreed with his explanation. An egoistic ruler would make the people suffer more and killed the country from inside out. "Alright, I agree, what about you, youngest sister?" nodded Prince Weiss before he asked Princess Chloe. The now calm Princess Chloe shrugged as she said, "I don''t care about you guys, you three can fight the throne for all I care, why would I want to be the head of a chicken if I could be the tail of a phoenix?" (Besides, I''m in the middle of a fight with- huh? He is gone?) Lyon had disappeared from the spot he was standing under everyone''s eyes. Princess Weiss nodded, "Okay, then what about you Princess Aeli-". His sentence stuck in his throat as he glanced at the balcony. The wave crashed the high cliff as the moon shone above a young man that knelt in front of Princess Aelina with her right hand kissed. 132 Would You Tell Me Your Name? The wave crashed as bits of the seawater managed to reach the edge of the balcony. The young man closed his eyes as his lips planted on the beautiful woman''s right hand. Graced by the twin moons, the two of them looked like a couple from a fairy tale. Princess Aelina couldn''t help but look away to the horizon as her cheeks gradually turned red. She covered her mouth with her left hand as she occasionally stole a glance at the young man. Lyon opened his eyes as he stared deep into her shyly eyes. He slowly stood up as Princess Aelina gradually lookup to his towering figure. With his playful smile, he tugged a strand of her hair to the back of her ears. He slowly put his hand on her waist before he leaned into her left ear and spoke softly, "I will catch you..." "Eh?" Princess Aelina suddenly opened her eyes wide as she heard what he just said. *swoosh "Kyaa!!" Lyon threw her up in the sky as she quickly pressing her skirt down. The crowd had their eyes bulging out as Clemora spat out her water once again. (What the fuck?!). However, the next scene automatically answered their question. Lyon quickly used the edge of the balcony and leaned back half of his body horizontally toward the horizon. The crowd blinked once before they saw that a figure was already whipping her feet against Lyon''s head horizontally. The scene was quick for the onlookers but slow for the fighters. Lyon once again caught a glimpse of ''paradise'' as the kick missed his head. With the wind blowing from his side, he took a good picture with his eyes and saved it inside his brain. Laughing inwardly he quickly rolled to the side to get a good space. The two fighters stood against each other once again as the wind fluttered their hair. The onlookers couldn''t help but swallow a chunk of their saliva as the atmosphere was getting heavy. "Who are you exactly?" asked Princess Chloe as she took her stance. (He must be no ordinary person to have survived this long against me, especially with his current cultivation level, what kind of fortuitous encounter he faced?). "Hmm... Well, I-", his words were interrupted with a woman screaming and falling down the sky, missing the balcony before everyone''s eyes. (Eh?) "Kyaa" *swoosh "Oh crap!" Lyon quickly used the edge of the balcony to propelled his jump. The wind was blowing wildly against his face as he kept his vision on the princess. "Got ya!" Lyon managed to grab her slender hand as he pulled her closer and embraced her. He quickly whispered, "Close your eyes." Princess Aelina instinctively did as she was told while tightening her grip. She could feel the strong wind wildly hitting them as the sound of the next wave was coming. With a smirk smile, Lyon enhanced the True Dragon Blessing even further as divinely greenish aura enveloped his figure. *Boom Princess Aelina hesitatingly opened her eyes before it slowly got wider and wider. (You''re kidding right?). The man she was clinging to. had a totally different bearing than before. He looked at the horizon as if this world was a disdain. But what surprised her more was that his right arm buried into the cliff and made a huge crack to prevent them from falling. (Hmm, I bet I looked cool now hehehe). Laughed Lyon inwardly as he kept his expression. He calmly glanced at the clinging beautiful woman, "Lady, are you alright?" Suddenly the roar of the wave came as it hit the couple along with the high cliff. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The soaked couple had their faces hidden by their own hair as they still hanging on the side of the cliff. They could only hear the breezing wind as the two of them kept silent. *purr Suddenly Lyon let out seawater from his mouth like a sealion fountain. . . . "Bhuaahaha." Princess Aelina burst into laughter as the water inside her mouth came out like a shotgun and hit Lyon''s face. "Oh, I''m so sorry! Let me wipe it with my nap- oh." "Hahaha," contrary to her expectation, Lyon actually laughed instead of angry. Princess Aelina slowly lips slowly curled up to a smile. "Well let''s climb up, the crowds are waiting," said Lyon after he had his fill of laughter. He signaled her to go over to his back for a piggy ride. She bashfully did what he said and circled her arms around his neck. He could feel her breast pressing his back as his nostrils getting bigger. He pulled his stuck right arm and began to climb up the high cliff. (Why wouldn''t I use the spatial magic? Well, hehehe.) thought Lyon as he climbed the cliff at a slow rate. He suddenly felt that her face was resting on his broad shoulder as she said softly, "Hey, what it''s like to live freely?" Lyon suddenly stopped his track as the situation didn''t call for his perverted nature. He sneakily used his left hand and slapped the wind behind her back. If anyone was to see this they would probably quit cultivating. His slap actually turned the wave back to the ocean! This was only the surface of the True Dragon Blessing''s power. His plan was to keep the wave keep crashing them while Lyon would seek an opportunity to do some ''things''. However, he knew from her tone that this was not the right time. "Hmm, well, it''s fun and dangerous at the same time," answered Lyon as he picked up his speed. She smiled wryly before replying, "I see." "Being a noble must be tough huh? Rules and stuff, even though you have everything it meant nothing if you are restricted," continued Lyon while climbing the impossible wet and tall cliff. Princess Aelina chuckled (He thinks I''m one of the nobles... hehe). Then she leaned closer as she whispers under her breath, "Hey.. would you tell me your name?" Lyon smiled as his fingers buried deep inside the cliff before propelling him and Princess Aelina high into the sky passing the balcony. Their wet hair fluttered with the wild wind as she closed her eyes. The crowd noticed two figures leaping up to the sky shadowing the twin moon. They had their jaws dropped to see them both suddenly in the sky as if flying. Upon reaching the highest point of his jump, he spread both his arms and legs as if sky diving before pulling the beautiful woman on her back to the front as he carried her like a princess. The sarong and the skirt fluttered as he answered, "Lyon Torga." *boom The two of them landed on the balcony as Lyon immediately dispersed the True Dragon Blessing. He slowly opened his eyes as he smirked against the powerful princess in front of him while still carrying the beautiful woman. 133 Hungry Caveman The onlookers couldn''t say anything as the scene was breathtaking. This young man had surpassed all of their expectations and their brain was still processing on what''s happening. Lyon slowly put Princess Aelina down on her feet as he said with a wink, "Go somewhere safe and dry yourself unless you want to catch a cold." She reluctantly moved away from him before stopping and made a slight bow, "My name is Aelina, I hope to see you soon." Lyon nodded with a smile as he watched the beautiful figure made her exit in which the crowd instinctively made way for her. Averting his gaze back to the princess in front of him he said, "Now then, where were we?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Princess Chloe closed her eyes and let down her stance, "Enough, there is no point in fighting further. I won''t be here much longer anyway." She turned away as her hair whipped the air leaving Lyon standing alone on the balcony. Lyon was amused by her reaction, he knew that the wild princess in front of him didn''t go all out on the attack. She was composed albeit a little emotional during the fight. (I might have lost if the battle dragged too long) thought Lyon. Currently, his body couldn''t use True Dragon Blessing and its arts to the fullest. He knew he needed to break through to the next realm, however understanding it was the hard part. "If fate permits, we will meet again," said Lyon to the departing princess. She walked like she didn''t hear what he just said and left the banquet to god knows where. Lyon shrugged before he headed to the spot where Biane and Clemora were at. The crowd made way for him out of fear. "Man, I''m hungry," said Lyon as he took a lump of roasted meat and bite it like a savage. Left and right, he took them all. The empty plates slowly stacked as the crowd had their eyes bulged. With his clothing still drenched by the seawater, he looked like a hungry caveman. The crowd gulped as one of the nobles said softly under his breath, "What a beast, I thought this is a banquet for the elite, not an ''all you can eat'' restaurant." One of his friends smacked his head, "Shhh, better keep your opinion for yourself, besides, if you got the strength who would dare to oppose you even if you eat with stinky feet?" The noble girls, however, had a different opinion on their own. "My, his savageness is, somehow appealing..." "Speak for yourself, I like my man to be well mannered," one of them disagrees before they start their own discussion. Clemora sighed as she reminded the hungry caveman, "Don''t eat too fast, you might choke." With a gulp, the chunk of food in his mouth went through his throat, "Yeah, that''s the stuff." Biane smiled as she offered him a red wine using her own glass in which Lyon happily obliged with Clemora wiping a stain of sauce on his cheek with her napkin. The scene proved to the crowd that the rumor was more than it was. Prince Frey looked at him with rumbled thoughts. From the way he looked at it, he knew that he was with Biane and Clemora, which means that he was probably under Princess Aelina''s banner. While Prince Frey was in deep thought Prince Weiss was already approaching the satisfied Lyon. "Good evening, young man, I see that you have a lot of power in you that almost rivals mine." With a smile, he continued, "I will give it to you straight, join me in my conquest to be the ruler of Luderia, I will make you the general of the army, all the resources you need, I will provide!" This tempting offer made the crowd drolled. Given a prestigious position that was full of respect on top of massive resources, one would be crazy to even think of refusing it. Clemora and Biane squinted her eyes with rage, however, before they could refute. "Prince Weiss, I thought you would make me the general?", a foreign yet familiar voice suddenly heard as one figure distinguished himself from the crowd of nobles. "Hey, it''s Marques Raynoldus, son of Duke Armand," whispered one of the nobles. Prince Weiss couldn''t help but clicked his tongue as Marques Raynoldus approached him. "My brother Raynoldus, don''t you worry about that thing, I will reimburse you well once I''m the ruler. Though he was gritting his teeth behind his lips, he couldn''t help but nod. However, he didn''t stop there and actually approached the trio behind the long table. "What is the meaning of this, I thought our father had an arrangement for our marriage?" said Raynoldus as he was fumed with anger. Since Prince Weiss was behind him, he took the chance he got to confront the ladies. "That was our father''s idea and without our consent, you think we would accept that? If we were weak women we would probably married off years ago," said Biane as her tone matched her red dress with black fire pattern. "Gh! The agreement has already been decided, or are you two going to betray your own father? Your own family?" "Family? Please, what do you know about ''family''?" replied Biane without hesitation before she continued, "Family supposed to be the one that supports each other, not sacrificing one for a selfish gain!" The atmosphere suddenly fell into silence as Biane said her piece. In the end, in greater things, she was right. A family was never about blood, but about bonds. "That''s right, what Lady Biane just said is correct," said Prince Frey with a smile. Though he had a chubby figure, he still had a royalty demeanor. "That''s what my vision is all about as I strive to become the ruler," continued Prince Frey with a nod. "Hahaha," suddenly the room was filled with a burst of hearty laughter. The onlookers furrowed their eyebrows as they look at the savage standing between the two beautiful women. "C''mon Biane, Clemora, we are going home, we are done here," said Lyon as he headed for the south door of the room while lightly chuckling. The two ladies were surprised before quickly catching up behind him. *crack At this point, no one noticed that the huge crack Lyon made on the side of the cliff was getting larger. 134 Lyons Weakness? His overbearing attitude made the nobles speechless. Everyone wanted to curry favor to the ones with high status but he just went to the entrance just like that. This action of his caught the anger of the two candidates left in the banquet. "Where do you think you are going?" asked Prince Weiss as he slammed the long table and split it in half. Except for the onlookers, only Prince Frey still looked calm on the outside. The crowd could feel that the tension in the room was getting heavier. "Do you know what are the consequences of daring to refuse my offer?!" said Prince Weiss in a cold tone. The nobles could only nod as they knew that Prince Weiss was actually tyrannical. He would use any means necessary to reach his goal but still looked calm and collected on the outside. He would prepare a legit excuse to cover up his acts, along with evidence to twist the truth. Lyon didn''t even bat an eye and still walked to the door in the south. The nobles gulped at the scene, (What a man!). Their thoughts were unified as they secretly admired him. However, unbeknownst to them, Lyon''s face gradually albeit slowly, turned a shade of red. (Oh god, I''m getting dizzy!) thought Lyon as his steps quicken. Biane and Clemora instinctively walked the same pace as him. Clemora took a peek at his expression before the admiring face of her was replaced with a twitching mouth (Eh?). (Don''t tell me, the reason we are going home was that you have no tolerance with alcohol?!) thought Clemora as the reason was unbelievable. The man that could destroy someone of higher realms was actually weak to alcohol?! "Hey, are you listening?! Someone stop him!" shouted Prince Weiss. The nobles didn''t dare to disobey him and grudgingly chased the three of them. As they were about to reach the target. *hic The sound of hiccup suddenly stopped their track as Clemora didn''t dare to guess about what happened next. Biane opened her eyes wide as he looked at Lyon, "Are you.. drunk?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. All the people inside the room went agape as they saw the former calm Lyon suddenly staggered as he turned to face them. His face was shady red as he smiled at no one. He slowly walked to the crowd as they split to the left and right to give him the way. Clemora and Biane were palpitating when they think about what Lyon''s gonna do next. The young man was unpredictable, anything could happen. Prince Weiss instinctively took a half-step back as he saw the drunken man slowly approached him. "W-what do you want?" asked the first prince nervously. *hic Lyon answered him with a hiccup before saying, "Y- you tell me!". He put his hand on Prince Weiss''s shoulder as a support for him to stand. Prince Weiss was having cold sweat that fused with his fuming anger. He grabbed Lyon''s hand that landed on his shoulder and held it in the air. "You dare?!" *pak "Shut the fuck up and listen!" Lyon slapped him and sent him flying over the other side of the room, crashing the other long tables with gourmets on them before Lyon himself stumbled with a thud. (WHAT!) the thought crossed everyone''s mind with a flash. Their eyes bulged as if wanting to come out of their socket. "Shit, the floor is hard, you fatso, come here and help me stand up," the ''fatso'' he was referring to was none other than one of the candidates, Prince Frey. He was a highly admired pill-maker, a promising genius, yet someone just called him a fatso. At this point, a few nobles vomited blood and stained the spotless floor. (This, isn''t this kinda too overbearing?) thought the nobles as they wiped their mouths. Prince Frey burrowed their eyebrows as he remained in his position. He didn''t know if the young man in front of him really a cultivator or just a mad man. "Fuck, fine! Your royalties are so full of yourself... Let''s see here," Lyon contemplated as he propped up his half-sleepy head with his right hand. "Oh, right I have this one." With a flick of his finger, he retrieved an item from his spatial rings that made Prince Frey''s eyes opened wide. Even Prince Weiss that recovered from the fall couldn''t say anything for a while. "T-th-that''s!" a few knowledgable nobles recognize the item Lyon''s was holding. "A zither?!" exclaimed the nobles. "It''s not just a zither..." said Prince Frey softly under his breath, "That''s..." His words were intercepted by Prince Weiss, "That''s ''the'' zither father was looking for, the lost heirloom from the late queen." Hearing the first prince acknowledgment, they started to see the zither with great interest. This item may very well be the turning point for this game of chess. As if not noticing their gaze, Lyon casually put the zither vertically to help him stand up. The creaking sound that was made from the contact of its edge against the floor sent a sting to their heart. *hic "Alright, I''m gonna play some music, hmm... the balcony seems nice," said Lyon as he didn''t bother to pick up the zither and just dragged it. (Oh God please treat it with respect!) thought the onlookers as they wouldn''t dare to voice it out. He just slapped the first prince and sent him flying, what chances do they have. Prince Frey wanted to say something but his curiosity overwhelmed him while Prince Weiss was waiting for a chance. (How to take an item from someone that is drunk? Wait until he passed out) thought Prince Weiss. Sitting on the fence of the balcony, he placed the ordinary zither on his lap. "Alright everyone gathers around." . . . Lyon furrowed his eyebrows for not having an answer. Seeing his expression the nobles including the princes quickly gathered in front of him. "Rejoice! As you guys will be one of the first to hear this killing note." As his finger was about to pluck the string... . . . . He paused. "Wait..." he furrowed his eyebrows as he focused his gaze on the zither. "Oh haha I was about to pluck the wrong one," said Lyon as he moved his finger to the designated string. *ding *BOOM The balcony suddenly collapsed along with half of the room into the raging sea. 135 Pride of a Noble "Hmm?" Lyon rubbed his chin as he contemplated a little. He was opening and closing his eyes to make sure that there was nothing wrong with what he saw. *sigh *hic "Why are all of you floating in the air?" asked Lyon with his eyes half-opened. The nobles were floating in front of him with some having tears on the edge of their eyes pouring to the sky as if the gravity was reversed. "Ah, I think I pulled the wrong string, but damn, I never expect that kind of reaction from you guys haha *hic". The nobles had blacklines over their head before someone shouted, "We are falling!" "Huh? *hic" Lyon averted his gaze below before realizing that he was still sitting on a fence with no ground for his feet. He could see the raging wave below before he calmly averted his gaze to the helpless nobles and the two princes. "So what, you are all cultivators, you won''t die from a fall like this," said Lyon as he slowly stood up on the fence he was sitting. "Yes, but it''s gonna hurt!" said Prince Weiss as he constantly looked at his surroundings to figure something out. "Huh? What are you? A ball-less prince?" said Lyon nonchalantly as if the fall was nothing. "Be a man all of you! If this kind of thing scared you, how dare you call yourselves a noble! Use everything you have to survive the fall with the least injury!" Though fuming with anger, what he said was right. The nobles and both of the royalties agreed inwardly. Would a noble run away from such an ordeal? The answer was no. This was one of those times that separated them from commoners, the same goes for royalty. "He is right," said one noble while smiling despite the impact was getting near. "I am a noble, though I may not be gallant, I am still holding my status!" said the noble with heavy conviction. One spark was all it took to make a chain reaction. "H-he is right! I will not let you down my ancestors!" Another of the nobles gripped his hand and put it on his chest. One became two, two became four and so on. Before the two princes knew it, all the nobles were influenced. (To think that in this kind of situation he could motivate them, who are you exactly?) thought Prince Frey as he looked at the drunken young man with the zither in his armpit. Lyon stretched his arm to the front as he said valiantly, "GO! Face your fear!" "Ruaarggghhhh!" the nobles yelled as they change their falling movement into a bullet that heads straight to the raging sea. Not caring who it was, they charged through, dragging the two princes down with him. "Hey-hey wait!" said Prince Weiss as he fell at a faster speed. Lyon nodded before he raised his index finger in the air and the mana gathered at blinding speed on the tip. With quick succession, he wrote his most convenient and favorite spell of all time. "Space Magic, Crack of Desire!". His chant was impossible to be heard by the falling nobles. He casually entered the magic brand and disappeared from the spot, leaving them to their fate. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Clemora and Biane were standing on the edge of the floor as they saw the debris and parts of the room fell to the sea. A few bits of light with various color was seen as they fall. The nobles were using all they have to survive, treasures, arts, magic, everything. However, Clemora and Biane couldn''t make out who''s who. Biane couldn''t help but bite her under-lip after she said, "Do you think Lyon is fine? That disaster really came out of nowhere, who would have thought that a single pluck from the string from him could bring half of the room down to the sea." She believed that Lyon would definitely survive this kind of fall but considering his state of mind, she doubted that he could leave unscathed. Clemora shook her head, "I don''t know for sure, but he definitely can survive this kind of fall, after all, he has the rare space attribute." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Her casual remark caused Biane to look at her with surprise in her eyes, "He has the space attribute?!" "Oh that''s right you passed out in the forest and inside the carriage when we traveled home, so you wouldn''t know. Wait, didn''t he used gravity magic on us in that arena back then?" "Yeah he did, I would have never forgotten that despicable act of his," said Biane while lightly stomped her feet to the floor. *crack The floor cracked as she immediately took a step back. Her emotion made her forgot that the floor was now unstable. Clemora, on the other hand, was in deep contemplation. (Didn''t he also used that ''King''s Order'' magic? What kind of attribute is that? According to my investigation, he also used a fire attribute magic at the academy, a high level one at that... don''t tell me he is a triple attribute type cultivator?! If that was the case then the title ''Everlasting Genius'' is no joke!). She shook her head with a smile, "To think that kind of man exists in Deo." "Hmm? What are you talking about?" asked Biane to her little sister in which she only replied with a smile. *thud Suddenly a sound of something dropping came from behind. They looked at the source before hurriedly went over. With the zither in his embrace, he was kissing the floor. His eyes were spinning as if the world moved in a spiral. The two beautiful women hanged his hands over their shoulders as they dragged him outside. "Heh, a bunch of fools," said Lyon in his sleep. The wails by the nobles below the cliff were unheard as the debris hit protruding rocks. The few nobles that managed to get away before the fall was frantic, many thoughts ran through their minds. 136 Brewing The twin moon was replaced by the sun once again as the day started. The early birds were chirping as some of them landed on a branch in one of the trees in the garden. The sound of water fueling the plant was vivid clear as the mellow atmosphere set in. Inside the mansion was a familiar young man, sleeping soundlessly as if the world couldn''t wake him up. As a matter of course, the usual black-furball was sleeping on his chest, moving up and down with the young man''s breathing. Sadly, this scenario betrayed the actual reality in Luderia. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luderia was in frantic, whether they were commoners or nobles. The news of the accident in the banquet had spread wide to its citizens. The commoners were discussing among themselves as the news spread. Two of the candidates were included in the accident, this sent a wave of mixed feelings toward them. Prince Weiss was more oriented to a military rule, his fame struck wide to their neighboring kingdom. Despite his good-looking, he was a talented cultivator with many merits of conquering the nearby land. His shrewd ways of dealing with things made him one of the top contenders in ruling the kingdom. Meanwhile, his little brother, Prince Frey, was one of the most talented pill-maker. He had channels with powerful cultivators as the promising youth was dubbed to be the next in top ten, of pill making in Deo. However, these two candidates were said to be involved in the accident yesterday night. Both of them along with some nobles were recuperating from their injuries, Though they didn''t have any serious injuries, It will take them quite some time to heal. "So, with the two princes recuperating and His Majesty lifespan about to end, that leaves only the two princesses left to fight for the throne right?" said one of the commoners. His friend shook his head, "The power to rule Luderia is too much to be simply brushed off because of injury. Though both of them were on a bed recuperating, it doesn''t mean that they cannot do anything." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The nobles in the upper-class part of the kingdom had a different opinion on this matter. The young ones that saw what happened were struck in fear as they couldn''t forget the image of the collapsing. Some of them even refused to go out of their homes for a while. One of the victims in the collapse was Raynoldus, son of Duke Armand. Being treated by a professional doctor it would still take him days or even months to recover. Despite using treasures and the likes, he still had a few broken bones. Resting on his bed, he spoke to the middle-aged man sitting beside him, "Father, is Prince Weiss alright?" The middle-aged man closed his eyes as he spoke after a sigh, "I heard his condition is not far off from you." "I-i see, even the First Prince couldn''t leave unscathed," sighed Raynoldus before he continued, "What is His Majesty''s reaction after knowing this?". "You should focus on resting first, the king is relieved knowing the two of them still alive. He could only apologize and reimburse us as it was an accident," said Duke Armand. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Raynoldus nodded before he slowly closed his eyes, a figure of a drunken man playing zither suddenly filled his mind. He opened his eyes as he said, "Father, I have something to tell you." "Hmm? What is it?" From his tone, Armand knew that this ''something'' is crucial. "The Elgome''s family has canceled the arranged marriage of I and the both of his daughter," said Raynoldus as the rage on his tone was clear. Duke of Armand squinted his eyes and said with a heavy tone, "He dares to do that?" His son nodded and replied, "I heard it from the two women themselves, and there is this one young man that I wanted dead." "He was the rumored lover of Clemora, but by the looks of it, he was taking the two sisters in his arms. He humiliated me in the banquet in front of everyone, including the candidates," continued Raynoldus. "What is his name?" asked his father. "Lyon, he was an uninvited guest that came to the banquet. His presence ruined everything! He slapped the First Prince and fight with Princess Chloe toe to toe, not to mention that he dared to flirt with Princess Aelina right in front of everyone," explained Raynoldus. His explanation brought confusion to Duke Armand. (Slapping the First Prince?! Is my son still sane? Who would dare to do that? Not to mention fighting against Princess Chloe). Raynoldus looked at his father''s expression before realizing what he said was unbelievable and crazy to the people that were not involved in the accident. "What I said it''s true father, I swear it on our ancestors grave! He is a really strong cultivator despite his young looks. If father don''t believe me, you can ask the others as well." Seeing how serious his son was, his doubts were reduced greatly. For a noble to swear on their ancestors'' grave was a heavy thing to do, for their fortune came from them. "So, where is this Lyon? Where is he at right now?" asked Duke Armand. Raynoldus shook his head, "I don''t know, but he was one among the victims of the fall." Duke Armand immediately summoned one of his servants and ordered him to bring the list of the victim. This list was made upon the order of His Majesty himself to count the total reimbursement that was needed. He carefully looked at the list, combing them one by one. In the end, he put the paper on his son''s chest. "There was no ''Lyon'' among the list," said Duke Armand. "Impossible! GHh!" said Raynouldus before he vomited a chunk of blood. "Just rest first, I will dwell on this matter further," said Duke Armand as he calmly stood and leave his son''s room. Raynoldus smiled as he looked at his father''s departing figure, "Face the price of humiliating me, Lyon! You have made an enemy out of me and the princes! Half of the kingdom wants your head!" 137 His Name Is? As the upper-class part of the city was in hidden chaos, the situation in the palace was calm despite the incident. The banquet room that was half destroyed was already in the process of repairment, with the resources Luderia held, this kind of thing wouldn''t even shake off their economy. In the throne room, an old man with a royal garb was sitting on the throne. The room was wide and bright, the red carpet was stretched out from the royal seat to the entrance. The old man had a wrinkled face that marked his life adventures. Though he may look weak, if one was careful enough to inspect him, they would now that he actually had entered a deep cultivation realm. From his eyes, it was evident that the vigor he had once had in his youth was diminishing to a great amount. He had faced a much brutal yet beautiful life up to this point. The old man let out a sigh as he faced two of his daughters kneeling before him. With a hoarse voice he said calmly, "As you know, your father might not live much longer." The two princesses only knelt and faced the floor. "Chloe,..." called the king. Princess Chloe immediately stood up as she said with a slight bow, "Yes, royal father." Despite facing the ruler of Luderia, her eyes were sharp and her body was calm. Was it because of family relations? Not even Princess Chloe herself knew. The king looked at his youngest child before saying, "I will ask you one last time, are you sure you don''t want to fight for the throne?" He had asked this question more than he could count. This question usually ticked of the princess but this time it was different. She knew that this was the last time her father would ask her. With a deep breath, Princess Chloe answered, "No royal father, I will not fight for the throne." "The future that I seek is not in Deo, but in another. It might not be Mabia as well," continued the princess. The king nodded to her answer. His persuasion had finally stop as he looked at her determining eyes. He knew that this child of his had talent that Deo could not contain, he knew that this child would someday, spread her own wings. "Very well, then I will relinquish your title of princess." His words sent a flash inside Princess Aelina head as she instinctively stood up. Princess Chloe, however, was calm and collected. "Royal father! How could you?!" said Princess Aelina. Relinquishing a title meant that her power in Luderia was stripped into that of a commoner. She will not be receiving any special treatment just like she used to be. "Calm down my daughter," said the king calmly as he slowly blinked his eyes. "I believe this is also your sister''s wish, she is about to soar the skies, we cannot burden her with a title such as a princess of a downtrodden world," continued the king. "But!" Princess Aelina wanted to refute but her brain didn''t come out with anything. The king chuckled as he saw his daughter''s expression, "Don''t worry, I''m only relinquishing her title, that didn''t mean that I have stopped being her father." Princess Aelina had a shade of red since she seemed to misunderstand the situation. "Thank you, royal father," said Princess Chloe as she took a bow once more before leaving, "Goodbye... father." "Oh, one more thing Chloe, I will give you one piece of advice," The departing Chloe halted before turning around. "Don''t be like your oldest sister," said the king with a tinge of emotion. "En, I won''t," answered Chloe as she disappeared from the spot and headed to the gate connecting to Mabia. "This advice is also for you Aelina," said the king as he averted his gaze to his daughter. "En, I know, father," nodded Princess Aelina in response. The king slowly gripping the throne''s armrest as he said with a hint of guilt, "I did wrong, I did wrong to that young man years ago." "Royal father, please stop blaming yourself," said Princess Aelina with concern. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. He shook his head, "If if only I realized it sooner..." before he looked at the distance. "It was all older sister''s fault... if she had not cheated, she would be in the world of the living," said Princess Aelina in an attempt to ease his father''s sadness. "No, I had my part of the blame as well, without knowing the cause I attacked that young man out of anger for losing my daughter. Being betrayed by your lover, then being betrayed by your own kingdom that you pledge your loyalty to." Princess Aelina took a deep breath before saying, "Father, we have found the zither that mother left us." *crack The king accidentally put too much force in his grip and cracked the armrest made of gold, "A-are you certain my daughter?" He looked at her daughter''s eyes as he was determined to know the truth. Princess Aelina nodded, "Through the rumors and timeless investigation, I sent a couple of girls to the designated place and they have found it, in fact, they were in the banquet yesterday." "Are they one of the victims in the accident?! We need to reimburse them at once!" said the king as his old body suddenly stood up from the throne. "Calm down, father, they are not one of the ones that fell to the ocean," said Princess Aelina with a smile after seeing his father back on his feet. "There is just a bit of a problem," continued Princess Aelina with wryly smile. "A problem?" asked the king with a confused look. "Yes, a problem, though it''s not severe," said Princess Aelina before she explained, "The two girls did found it and it even made an appearance in the banquet yesterday, sadly I wasn''t there when it happened..." she blushed as she recalled the event she had with a certain young man prior the incident. *cough She let out a light cough to retain her calmness albeit a tinge of red still visible running across her cheeks. "According to the witness that missed the fall, the zither was held by a young man." The king raised his eyebrows as he asked, "T-this young man, by chance, is his name, Sean?" 138 Building Up Princess Aelina shook her head as she said, "No, his name is not Sean, his name is Lyon." "I-i see..." The king sighed as his expectation failed him. He was hoping that at least before departing from this life he could see him and properly apologized. "So, which noble''s son is he?" continued the king. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Princess Aelina lightly chuckled as she said, "He is not a noble''s son, in fact, he is not even from Luderia at all." The king raised his eyebrows as he asked, "What? I thought the banquet was only for young nobles?" "Exactly," chuckled Princess Aelina before continuing, "He even had a little spar with little sister." (A spar with Chloe? Is he mad? Lyon is it... Hmmm) thought the king as he combed his beard. "Where is he from?". "I did not look into it yet, but his getup is really unique. Not even the library contained the source of his clothing. So chances are, he is an otherworlder," said Princess Aelina as she contemplated a while. "Hmm... did Chloe won the spar?" asked the king as his eyes couldn''t hide his curiosity. He knew that the daughter of his was still in a growing phase and her latent talent in both fighting and magic was deep. Princess Aelina shook her head, "The spar ended prematurely as the incident happened." She chose to hide the event that was actually ended their spar. Things would get more complicated if she did. "I see, well, I guess it''s time to visit this Lyon, he is still in Luderia I presume?" asked the king. "Yes, father, I believe he is resting inside the Elgome''s mansion, but aren''t you going to visit the princes first?" said Princess Aelina. The princes were being treated by the imperial doctors in their own royal chamber. Though there were on the bed and resting, they still had not given up the chase for the throne. The king shook his head, "I already did, as long as they are fine that is good enough for me." As now was a dire time for them to prove their worth, he could not play favorites, not even the daughter in front of him had any special favor. "Well, I can''t let royal father meet Lyon yet," said Princess Aelina as she cleared out her throat while closing her eyes. Her sudden prohibition made the king squinted before compelling in the end, he didn''t even ask why he couldn''t come either. Princess Aelina smiled as she saw her father''s reaction. She knew her father long enough that this reaction of his was predictable for her. "I''m sorry royal father, I hope you understand." The king nodded before he sighed. "I know, I know," said the king as he sat back on the throne. With a smile, Princess Chloe excused herself and headed to the exit before gradually disappearing from the king''s sight. Alone in the throne room, the king rubbed his beard as he contemplated. (Hmmm, is the young man Sean''s son?) thought the king before he immediately shook it off. "Hmmm... no, the chances are there but too slim....?!" A flash of light suddenly sparked his mind as he couldn''t help but stutter a bit, "D-don''t tell me..." He remembered what his messenger told him before he whispered under his breath, "T-the wild card." The fact that he could enter the banquet uninvited, the fact that he spared with his youngest daughter and still live. "If he can make such tremor, then infiltrating the banquet wouldn''t be a problem, not to mention sparing with Chloe." The king sighed as he said to himself. "I''m starting to wonder if it''s an accident at all." ---------------------------------------- Prince Weiss was standing up against the window as he surveyed the city. Though the injury may not be visible, he was definitely not at one hundred percent. He gritted his teeth as a drunk young man appeared in his mind. *shatter The window was smashed as the bits rode the wind. "F-first p-prince, please stop using your strength for a while, you are still recuperating," said one of the imperial doctors behind him. "Hmm?!" the prince grunted as he only glanced at the innocent imperial doctor. His unsightly expression caught the imperial doctor to shriek and took a step backward. This was Prince Weiss''s true color, the one that without a mask of lies. "To think that I would be caught off guard and..." the prince paused as the resounding slap he received play its tune. His hands slowly made a fist as the knuckles filled the room with a crack. "I will make you pay, Lyon!" *knock *knock The door to his chamber was knocked as he replied with fury, "Who is it?!" "It''s me," a man''s voice was heard from behind the door. Prince Weiss suddenly turned calm as he said with a smile, "Ah uncle Armand, please come in." ---------------------------------------- Inside Prince Frey''s room, the prince was sitting on the bed as he contemplated. With the treasures in his possession, he managed to escape with minimum injuries. Unlike his older brother, he didn''t have such a deep cultivation level. "Lyon... What part do you play in this race?" His talent in pill-making made him more controlled emotionally than his peers. Though he was called ''fatso'' by Lyon, he thought it as nothing more than a rambling of a drunk. The fatso stood up as he looked at the window, "No matter, with the battle royal and the pill-making contest is underway, there is no way I can lose." ---------------------------------------- In the mansion, the young man that was sleeping soundlessly finally twitched his eyes as he slowly woke up. Upon looking at the black furball, he complained, "You know, at this point in time, I should wake up with an oblivious sexy lady on my side, panties only, and hugging my chest. Ahh, I hope the time is not far." He grabbed the black furball before getting up and put it on his usual spot. 139 A Visi Lyon stood up as he looked around only to find no one but himself. With his hands supporting his head from behind, he walked nonchalantly as if it was his mansion. As he stepped outside, the blinding light from the sun blinded him for a second before his eyes adjusted. He could make out two figures were in the garden inside the greenhouse. He slowly opened the door and the thousands of plant variations filled his gaze. Despite the look from the outside, the greenhouse was pretty spacious. The pot was neatly placed on a rack on each side. In the middle of the greenhouse, there was a mini banyan tree that tall enough to hit the roof. The serene smell hit his nose as he slowly closed his eyes to enjoy the atmosphere. He suddenly felt a hand was covering his eyes as a giggle was heard. Lyon smiled for a second before his expression vanished with a twitching nose. He lifted his right knee as he heard an ''eh?'' from the figure that covered his eyes. *boom "Guh!" the kick sent the figure rolling to the outside of the greenhouse. Lyon slowly retracted his kick as he stared at the figure on the ground with a smile. "You smell like your older sister, but she won''t do that, so it can only be you." "Oh c''mon big brother, you don''t have to kick me for that," said the figure as he stood up with his hand covering his stomach. The handsome blonde young man that could be described as beautiful was none other than Jugen, the sole follower of Lyon since the academy. "Only sexy cute women are allowed to do that to me," said Lyon after he clicked his tongue. Jugen twitched his mouth as he thought (Man... aren''t you too shameless?). He shook his head as he said, "Well anyway, how his big brother journey to court the princesses?" Lyon immediately turned away and rubbed his chin as his smug expression showed up against the roof. "Well, I did, meet one princess yesterday, she had a fiery temper and we bonded with our fists." "What do you mean bonded with your fists?" asked Jugen curiously. "You know, first start out as enemy then as husband and wife, hahaha!" his hearty laugh was interjected as Clemora appeared in front of him and said, "Except that she is probably gone to Mabia by now." "Oh that''s right, she said she enrolled in an academy there," mused Lyon as he stared at the ground. "Isn''t that what the old master in the Mist Clan said he heard rumors about the Legion group?" asked Jugen. "That is correct," said Biane as she was still carrying a watering can. Clemora clapped her hand as she easily changed the topic, "Anyway, there is a more pressing matter. The battle royal and pill-making contest is going to be held in less than three days." "What''s the prize?" Lyon looked at her as his eyes were glimmering. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Clemora and Biane squinted their eyes against him. The last time there was something like this, they were the ones that being taken advantage of. "Well, I can''t say, since the ones that are participating are chosen by the candidates," answered Clemora in the end. "Oh that''s right, I haven''t seen the candidate you are supporting in the banquet, what''s his name?" asked Lyon. Biane and Clemora smiled wryly before Biane said, "Well actually..." *knock *knock The greenhouse door was knocked as a silhouette was standing behind the glass door. "Um, excuse me..." Hearing the voice, Clemora immediately held Biane''s hand and stopping her from saying anything. This gesture was skipped by Lyon as he carefully tried to figure out the silhouette identity. "Please come in," said Clemora from the inside. The door slowly pulled as it reveals a slender figure. Jugen was instantly mesmerized by her but Lyon, on the other hand, looked at her with a smile. He knew who the woman was, that chestnut hair, how could he forget? They have their own little accident during the banquet. "Good afternoon, Lady Biane and Lady Clemora, sorry for interrupting..." Princess Aelina held her words a little to look at the man that made a deep impression in a single night. "Oh? What a surprise to see you here, Lyon," continued her as her tone was as soft as a harp. "Good afternoon to you too, err, Aelina..." replied Biane with her rigid voice. Her sister, however, was playing the act masterfully, "Good afternoon Aelina, sorry you have to find us all the way here." Clemora was a quick-witted woman, she knew that from the moment she said ''excuse me'', the princess would have some other plan, put that with Lyon not knowing which one the candidate she was supporting. It was obvious that her true identity was still hidden from Lyon. "Hello Aelina, how are you?" asked Lyon as he approached her and pushed Jugen to the side with no hesitation. "I''m fine, thankfully I didn''t catch a cold," replied Princess Aelina with a smile. "More importantly, how are you, Lyon? I heard that the banquet met an unfortunate disaster after I left, are you fine? Did it hurt somewhere?" continued the princess. "Eh? I''m fine of course," (Crap, I didn''t even remember what happened clearly!). She touched her chest as she released a breath of relief, "That''s good then." Clemora once again clapped her hand as she said, "I have an idea, why don''t you two stroll the city for a while? Besides, I and my sisters need to tidy up somethings." Both of the subjects referred by Clemora had a surprising look on their faces. *swoosh "Let''s go then!" Lyon immediately pulled her hand (Eh?) and dragged her outside. The three figures left in the greenhouse had their eyes bulged as if about to jump out of their sockets. "She didn''t even answer yet..." exclaimed both of the ladies. Meanwhile, Jugen was the first one to recover from the shock. After following him on his journey he slowly adapted to his surprise. "Big brother, you are truly a legend... Ah, crap, I forgot to tell him my purpose of coming here!" 140 A Stroll and A Guard The street in the upper-class part of the city was quiet, unlike the downtown. With the recent event, there were fewer people than usual. In this empty street, two figures were walking side by side. The young man was staring at his front while his hands lazily supported his head from behind. With the accompany of a beautiful woman, he felt bliss as he sometimes smiled at this world he was currently living. The young woman beside him emitted a heavenly beauty. Though she was wearing casual noble clothing, it still couldn''t hide her if she were put among the masses. The two of them walked without talking at all, which was a very rare case for the young man. "Oh look, a batch of pigeons!" said Lyon with enthusiast as he pointed at the objects he was referring to beside a fountain. His sudden words sent the princess into a slight fright as she didn''t expect him to suddenly shout. "Eh... What of it?" asked the princess as her mouth twitched a bit. "Well, have you ever run through it, it''s an amazing sight you know," asked Lyon with a smile. "Um... Well..." She was having a hard time answering the question. For all she knew or been taught, such act only befitting of those from the commoners. Before she could come out with an answer, her hand was dragged once more as her body instinctively followed. In front of her eyes, the world seemed to run slower than usual. The pigeons were slowly flapping their wings as they took off from the paving. The sound of hearty laughter ringed in her ear as she averted her gaze to the frivolous young man. She could clearly see that his eyes were closed as he ran through the pack of pigeons. The princess felt the gentle hand that held her''s as she thought (How warm..). Her heartbeat slowly increased as the adrenaline started its motion. (Such freedom...) Her eyes closed as her feet started to run faster than Lyon''s. Lyon was surprised as the lady she was dragging was now dragging him. (Eh? Wait a minute!). She closed her eyes as her chestnut hair fluttered against the wind. With every unwavering step, she took, she felt that the ''her'' she wanted to be was slowly revealing ''herself''. (Not to live as a princess, but to live as a person!) thought the beautiful woman as she charged through. *thud (Eh?) suddenly her feet hit something as she tripped forward. She could see the reflection of her face as she fell. Closing her eyes she prepared for the impact. . . . The more she waited the more agitated she became. She braved herself as she opened her eyes slowly. Her reflection was there staring at her once again. "What''s gotten into you? This is not a race you know..." said Lyon nonchalantly with a smile. One of his hands was grabbing her clothes as she hanged because of it. Her face blushed as she couldn''t help but covered her face with both hands. "Ah well, a little water won''t hurt," said Lyon as he let go his grip. *splash The princess fell into the shallow fountain as her whole clothing was wet. She immediately stood up as her body soaked from head to toe. With her chestnut hair covering her face, Lyon couldn''t make out her expression. She blew an air as strings of her hair moved along before coming back to hid her face. "Hahaha," laughed Lyon without care. After having his fill, Lyon stretched his hand as he said, "Here, let me help you get down." The princess took his offer as she stretched out her soaked hand. However, she landed on his wrist instead. Hidden to Lyon''s eyes, she smirked. (Eh?) Lyon was surprised before his hand was pulled and lost his footing. Since he was standing straight at the edge of the fountain, it was really easy for him to fall. *splash Like her, Lyon immediately stood up as his figure was soaked and his hair was also covering his face. Both of them were staring at each other albeit their eyes couldn''t see directly. The sound of footsteps was heard as a figure was approaching. A clanking sound was apparent as the figure got nearer. Wearing a silver armor with a silver sword, the figure revealed himself as a guard patrolling the street. "What a quiet afternoon, I wonder why do I even need to patrol this street," sighed the guard as he slowly got to the fountain. "?!" The guard immediately took a step back as his heart leaped for a second. (Ghost?!). He could see two figures were facing each other. From their outline, he could make out that they were a man and a woman. He gulped as he thought (Did a couple died here a century ago? I-i think I heard something like that...). Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. His armor rattled as he tried to draw his sword with his shaking hand. "I-in the name o-of Luderia, I will vanquish you and let you rest in peace!" His voice caught Lyon''s and the princess''s attention as they turned around to face him. "Eek! I-i''m warning you! Though I''m not an exorcist, I''m still Luderia''s guard! By my mother''s milk that gave me courage... no wait I-I mean my heart of loyalty." (Shit! Why am I embarrassing myself to a couple of ghosts!) thought the guard as he started to hate his life. "Pfft! Hahaha!" both Lyon and the princess burst into laughter as they heard what he just said. Hearing their laughter, the guard''s fear turned into anger as he realized something, (Wait a minute, why would a couple of ghosts appeared in the afternoon). Drawing his sword, he pointed it at the two of them, "You two may be nobles but to... to...to...to...?!" His voiced stuck as he took a glimpse at the woman''s face. Chilled to the bone the guard was, as he realized that the figure was more terrifying than a ghost. Not because of the face, but rather her identity. 141 A Greeting The guard gulped his saliva as he saw the woman clad in usual noble clothing. His hand wouldn''t stop shaking as he recognized the soaked slender figure. (That''s Princess Aelina!). The princess noticed the guard''s fear as her eyebrows raised. Looking at the young man beside him, she needed to think fast, lest her identity would be revealed. Her right hand slowly raised with a shooing motion, hidden from Lyon''s notice. However, the guard was not to keen on guessing even with a blatant cue. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Realizing this, the princess made a fake cough, to take control of the situation. "Guard, I think you should continue your patrol and fill your shift," said the princess with her head held high. She got off from the fountain before facing the dumbfounded guard. "Well, what are you waiting for?" asked the princess as she put her hands on her waist. "Y-Yes Pr-" his words were quickly interjected by Princess Aelina as she said "Go now!" while pushing him to run on the road. The rattling from his armor gradually dispersed as he left the scene. She immediately turned around only to notice Lyon was already sitting on a nearby bench. However, she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she saw him already dried. Even his hair didn''t even leave a wet mark, as if he never plunged into the water. With her soaked clothing and body, she approached the laid-off young man with her head hung down. Before the princess could ask how, Lyon suddenly said, "Aelina, you are not an ordinary noble. are you?" His question made her heart leaped as she thought (He noticed!). She was trying to hide it from him because she would be afraid that he would treat her differently after knowing her identity. She took a half-step back that Lyon didn''t care to notice. "I-i... what do you mean Lyon?" He slowly looked at her with an irresistible smirk as he said, "The fact that you could even shoo the guard away with a command from you, gave out your identity." (Ah! He knows! He knows! He knows!) thought Aelina as she felt that she was in a corner. Lyon continued as he said, "Combined that with your beauty and the fact that you knew Biane and Clemora only prove one thing," She gritted her teeth as she gripped a piece of her clothing tightly. "You are a noble of a high-rank one, aren''t you?" "Yes! I''m a ..... yes, of course, I am haha." Aelina quickly looked away as she forced a laugh (That was close!). As she still looked away, Lyon suddenly approached her and said with a low voice, "Keep this a secret." Without further ado, Lyon suddenly wrote a spell right in front of her. Before she realized it, white magic brands encircled her entire body as a gust of wind breeze through her clothing and her hair. *bang The magic brands disappeared as the last gust of wind hit her face and send her entire clothing and hair fluttering. She dumbfoundedly looked at Lyon with his smile before she blinked in realization. Her soaked body had now dried in less than three seconds! Lyon looked at her with his eyebrows moving up and down, "Pretty neat huh." His expression made her feel uncomfortable somehow, but she still replied politely, "Yes it is, I never thought you would be a wind attribute cultivator." "Well I,-" Lyon''s sentence was cut as something approaching them. A sound of hooves hitting the paving road filled the air as a high-class carriage drove by them. "Stop the carriage!" a shout from the inside made the driver hold his horses. With neighing from them, it stopped not far away from the two. Lyon was nonchalant as ever as he didn''t recognize the carriage at all or more so, he didn''t care. However, the princess beside her was fidgeting as she knew whom the carriage belonged to. The door slowly opened as a figure stepped out from it. The handsome feature on his face made him known throughout Luderia. Combined with his talent in cultivation, he was most favored to be the next king of Luderia. That''s right, the figure was none other than Prince Weiss, the first prince. "What a pleasant surprise to meet you both here," said Prince Weiss. His tone had a hint of cruelty and dejectedness. Princess Aelina couldn''t help but furrowed her eyebrows. "I was on my way to visit you but lo and behold we meet here as if it''s fate," continued Prince Weiss, as he looked at Lyon with a smirk. "Greetings, First Prince," said Princess Aelina with a slight bow as if a noble would. "Hmph, greetings to you as well," said Prince Weiss coldly. "Listen, can we talk later? I''m still in the middle of a date here," said Lyon nonchalantly. . . . Everyone beside the speaker had their eyes almost jumped out of their sockets. (Dude?! That''s a prince you are talking to right now!) thought the driver. Even Princess Aelina couldn''t believe what he said as her mouth slightly opened. Prince Weiss was fuming with anger as a rush of blood almost jumped out from his throat. "Y-you!" His breathing was rifling as he almost lost his cool, only in front of this young man his true colors easily shown. He closed his eyes before calming down and said, "I see, so that''s your plan huh." Lyon raised one of his eyebrows as he didn''t know what the prince meant. However, Princess Aelina knew, as the ''you'' in the prince''s sentence was actually referring to her. "So like... are we done here? There are places the two of us need to go," said Lyon. "Yes, we are done here, everything will be settled in a few days time anyway," said Prince Weiss while chuckling as he head inside the carriage. With a little whip from the driver''s reign, the horse neighed and walked away. Lyon didn''t even bother to look at the departing carriage as he said to Princess Aelina, "Your first prince is weird." The princess only chuckled in response. 142 What If? After the encounter with the first prince, both of them continued their stroll as if nothing was going on. In between her walk, she suddenly asked the young man in front of him, "Lyon, what do you think of Luderia?" The question didn''t stop his stroll as he looked up the blue sky. With his hands still supporting his head, he nonchalantly answered, "Hmm, not bad I suppose, but the fact that it was dominatingly ruled by humans make it less variant, that''s all." From the moment Lyon stepped inside this ludicrous place, he didn''t even see any demi-human. Unlike Kingdom Nostria, Luderia prohibited the entering of such race. The humans were a prideful being, they always thought that the other races were beneath them. His remark made the princess contemplate while walking, "Hmm, can you elaborate a bit more?" Her response stopped Lyon from his walking before he turned around to face her. "I never thought you would be interested in this kind of stuff," said Lyon with a smirk. The princess''s eyes opened wide as she just realized what she had done. (Oh no! I just dig my own grave!) thought her. Cold sweat was building upon her forehead as she took a half-step back. With a shaking head along with her hands, she said, "Oh, it''s just a hobby of mine, just a hobby!" Lyon chuckled at her expression as he said, "No need to get all worked up you know." (He bought it!) thought Princess Aelina as she was relieved. With a smile, Lyon turned away from her and continued his walk before Princess Aelina naturally followed after him. "I don''t think I''m an expert in handling political situations or handling a kingdom this big, but if you want my opinion, I don''t see what''s wrong in sharing." Princess Aelina tentatively perked her ears as she was ready to listen. "There are indeed pros and cons of having more than one race in a kingdom. I will say about the pros first. For example, if a kingdom has multiple races as its citizens, they would have a wide variety of kingdoms to negotiate with, unlike the kingdom with only one race." Lyon took a soft breath as he continued, "On the military side, unlike humans, other races had specialties because of their race. I don''t think I need to explain this one further as I''m sure you already know by a simple imagination." The princess listened to his explanation as she put her slender finger on her chin before asking, "Then what about the cons?" Lyon closed his eyes for a while before continuing, "Like the pros, the cons are not to be trifled with. One of the most problematic cases would be, infighting." "Infighting?" asked Princess Aelina as she raised her eyebrows. "En, infighting. The idea of having multirace citizens is quite noble, it may work on smaller kingdoms, but once they grew to the size of an empire, it''s a different matter," answered Lyon. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "There would be some imbalance. One race might be more populated than the others and their pride started to sink in. Indirectly, that one race would oppress the other races and treason to overrule the empire is not an impossibility." "An empire without land is nothing, an empire without a ruler is nothing, an empire without a citizen is also nothing," ended Lyon with a smile. The princess entered a deep contemplation after hearing his opinion. (So that''s why royal father made an ultimatum of only humans are allowed to enter Luderia. If the races were busy fighting each other, we would be destroyed. Even if we could end the fighting, our resources would be expended and the neighboring kingdoms would see this as a chance to wipe us out). "Well, what do you think about my opinion? Pretty amateurish huh?" teased Lyon as he looked at the contemplating young woman. Hearing his question, Princess Aelina shook her head, "I don''t know about amateurish or not but your opinion definitely brings new light to my point of view." Unbeknownst to her, she exuded her royal bearing when she said the sentence. This occurrent made Lyon furrowed his eyebrows as he said, "You know, if I looked at you really closely, you have a slight resemblance to Princess Chloe." "Eh?!" his remark caught the princess off guard as she took a step back. "Y-you think so?", said the princess as she couldn''t help but looked away, not daring to face his starry eyes. "En, your chestnut hair and that face, if you tied up your hair in a ponytail manner, I might have mistaken you as her older sister hahaha." "Wha-what? Ah stop it, you are making me blush, she is a beautiful princess while I''m just a noble," said Princess Aelina. "Right." chuckled Lyon before Aelina followed. *cough The beautiful princess made a cough to lead the conversation as she asked, "If you were an emperor, how would you handle your empire?" Her question made Lyon contemplate for a while before smiling at her face. "Isn''t it obvious, with a lot of beautiful women as my citizens! No matter what race they are, I would handle them with care and lots of love!" said Lyon as he nodded while closing his eyes, grinning as he imagined the perfect empire. His answer made the princess dumbstruck. Her mouth was wide opened as she heard what he just said. She tried to put the Lyon that explain the pros and cons of multirace kingdoms and this Lyon together but failed to do so. Lyon looked at her as he said, "I see, you are speechless at my magnificent idea HAHAHA!" He faced the sky as he put on a burst of hearty laughter. In a corner of a shadow, a godly beautiful figure with fox ears was shaking her head while the other beautiful figure one, was crouching down with her left hand on her stomach as little giggle would sometimes sneak out from her mouth that she covered with her right hand. 143 A Pill Store The two of them continued their stroll as Lyon''s mind still stuck in his imagination. He occasionally laughed as he saw the possibility of making such an empire in the future. Meanwhile, the princess was still lost as to his idea. She timidly walking behind him afraid of getting influenced by his perverted nature. "Oh a pill store?" said Lyon as he suddenly stopped his track. Unlike the shitty and unmanageable antique store of Old Sean, the building his gaze was on was made out of high material. With the combination of stone and wood, it made the said building looked high-class. From the size that Lyon could see, it was apparent that it had at least three-story floors. Lyon nonchalantly walked inside the store with confident in which the princess followed after. She didn''t know why would he go to such a store at a time like this but she won''t question him about it. The display of pills inside was neatly placed as a stair on the edge of the room was visible. With the commoners couldn''t afford the items here and most young nobles were recuperating on their bed, the ground floor felt desolate. "Good afternoon, young sir, you look handsome today. How can I help you?" said a male clerk as he took a bow in front of Lyon. "Oh, I''m just strolling around," said Lyon as he gently waved his hand with a smile. "Feel free to look around sir," said the clerk with a smile. The clerk stole a glance at his back where he found a beautiful woman stood behind him. She looked around the neatly placed pills in the store as no amazement appeared in her eyes. Seeing her dissatisfied eyes the clerk approached her with his hands rubbing each other. "May I- ?!" his words stuck in his throat as he finally saw her face. Their eyes locked each other as one was afraid while the other one was surprised. "Oh, the woman is with me, I''m sure you recognize her, she is one of the top nobles in Luderia Hahaha!" said Lyon with a burst of hearty laughter. (The woman you say?!) as he was about to reprimand the frivolous young man, he saw Princess Aelina put a finger on her lips. He gulped as the cold sweat on his forehead dropping at a quick rate. The young clerk knew that the election for the next ruler in Luderia was not far off. If he were to offend one of the candidates, he would perish. In the end, the clerk put a wry smile as he said, "Yes, yes, pri- Miss Aelina is one of the most powerful nobles in Luderia." "Yeah, can you believe it, even I cannot believe her identity, hahaha!" said Lyon before he suddenly put his right hand around the clerk''s nape and slightly pushed it down with his arm. His expression suddenly changed like that of a devil that wanted to collect his soul as he whispered coldly like a snake, "So show us the good stuff man, I know the ground floor is full of poor grade product that''s just business tactic, but you don''t want to offend that lady would you?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The clerk gulped as he actually knew more than him how dreadful it was for him to offend the said lady. "Y-yes certainly, please follow me to the second floor," said the clerk as he led the way upstairs. "Hmm? Lyon, what did you say to him? He seemed panicked for a second," said Princess Aelina as they walked the stairs. "Well, nothing you should be worried about," said Lyon with a chuckle. The clerk who heard their conversation gritted his teeth. (I''m still obliged to show you the second floor if I still want my head on my body, but it still pisses me off when you threaten me). Unlike the first floor, the pills inside the second floor were treated differently. Instead of putting one pill as a display, they put the whole sum on their stock in the display. Since the pills were rare, the prices were justified. However, Lyon could see that there was still another stair leading up. "This the second-floor sir, the pills here-" his words were stuck as he was forcefully turned around into the position once again. Lyon''s devilish expression made an appearance once again as he whispered coldly to the innocent clerk, "Oh, what''s this mister clerk, I still see a stair leading up, don''t tell me you want to offend the great lady? Hmm?!" The clerk gulped his saliva as he thought (What are you, a bandit? How could the princess take a stroll with you?!). He carefully pulled a napkin and wipe his cold sweat as he answered with a guilty tone, "Sorry sir, but the top floor is not selling any pills." "Lyon I could hear you, you know," said Princess Aelina with her arms crossed. Lyon quickly retracted his arms as he said, "Yeah well, I''m just curious about the top floor, hehe." The princess sighed as she said, "The top floor is a place to make pills, there are only cauldrons, and a bunch of materials up there to be sold too but no pills." Lyon mused before he replied, "So one can freely make pills upstairs?" The princess nodded, "Yes, but you need to pay the materials and the rent of cauldron if you don''t have one. After that, if they managed to made a pill or a batch of pills, they can keep it for themselves or sell it in this store, with this store taking twenty percent of the profits." "I guess it won''t hurt to try," shrugged Lyon before heading the third floor leaving the other two. In the shadowy corner, Kyoko stood silently before Ryona asked, "Overseer, didn''t you once said that you used to be a pill-maker?" With a flick of a finger, she pulled out the smoke pipe from her spatial ring, She calmly sucked the pipe as smoke hiddenly permeating the air. "Yes, I was and still am actually." 144 Introduction of Alchemy The top floor in the building was pretty spacious compared to the lower floors. There were three cauldrons with different colors, one was silver, the other was obsidian-black and the last one was gold. They were positioned in a tringle point with a rack filled with materials standing in the middle. In this way, the pill-makers couldn''t accidentally interfere with each other. As Lyon took his first step, his vision was greeted with a desk counter and a surprised-looking middle-aged man with auburn hair sitting behind it. "Oh, a young alchemist?" said the middle-aged man with a smile. He was pretty sensitive about the stuff as building a relationship with a pill-maker was better earlier than later. "Hmm? Are you talking to me?" said Lyon while pointing at himself. "Hohoho, of course, young man, who else but you standing in front of me?" said the middle-aged man calmly. "You must be mistaken then, I don''t even know what alchemist even mean," said Lyon with a chuckle. The middle-aged man had his eyebrows moved up in a surprise, "Oh, perhaps I am indeed mistaken then." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. However, before Lyon could respond back, the middle-aged man continued, "Alchemist is the term for the people that made pills, for the lower class, it is called a ''pill-maker'', however, that term wouldn''t be used in other higher cultivation rate worlds." *tap*tap Footsteps followed after Lyon as the princess revealed herself toward the middle-aged man. However, unlike the clerk, the middle-aged man was calm and collected even after seeing her face. In fact, there was a spark of joy in his eyes. "Oh my, oh my, such esteemed guest, to think you would grace me here in this time," said the middle-aged man with a smile. The esteemed guest he was talking about was none other than Princess Aelina, one of the candidates to succeed the throne. "My friend here would like to try making pills, is it possible for you to rent a cauldron and a basic recipe? Of course, you can put it under my tab," said Princess Aelina skipping the pleasantries. Once again, the middle-aged man looked surprised, he averted his gaze between the princess and the young man before curling in a smile. "I see, I see, you both are on a date! My how I miss my old days," teased the middle-aged man. Princess Aelina couldn''t help but blush as she said with a stomp. "Uncle Rowland! We are just taking a stroll!" The middle-aged man called Rowland laughed as he saw his nephew getting angry. "Sure sure, whatever you say, my cute niece, by the way, what is your name, young man?" "My name is Lyon, nice to meet you, uncle." answered the young man calmly. "Likewise," said Rowland before he teased his niece once again, "See, he even called me uncle already, I will prepare a huge gift for your wedding!" "Uncle Rowland!" said the princess cutely with a stomp. "Hahaha, alright, alright, but on a serious note, I wonder if your little sister would ever get married in the future, with her high pride-" *cough The princess coughed before saying, "We are getting sidetracked here uncle, let''s focus the matter at hand first." "Yes yes, sorry, my age is getting on me," said Rowland as he averted his gaze toward Lyon. "By our short conversation, I want to ask how much do you know about the art of pill making?" "None," said Lyon without a slight hesitation. "Well, you are definitely a confident young man hahaha!" said Rowland while patting his back. Princess Aelina looked at them both with a wry smile (I will never understand the bond between men, they could just hit off in a second). Rowland then rubbed his chin, as he said softly, "Now then, where to begin.." He mused for a while before reminded of something. "Oh right, there is one pill-maker here that is using the gold cauldron, you are lucky Lyon, you get to see it first hand, don''t worry I will guide you to understand the art. I may not be the best but I know the basics." Lyon nodded as the two of them along with the princess walked behind a certain young man that was calmly standing behind a golden cauldron. The fire was not lit yet and the ingredients or materials were neatly placed beside him. "Lyon, the first step of making a pill, is to calm your heart, or at least that''s what''s the instruction in the book said," said Rowland. (The book? What book? I thought you know the basics!) thought Lyon as he nodded. Rowland nodded in affirmation before continuing, "The next step is the fire, you see, the fire for heating the cauldron is not an ordinary fire you use by casting a spell." "Then what?" asked Lyon. "Just watch," said Rowland as he cued Lyon to look at the young man. The young man placed his hand on his chest as a white flame ignited on his hand. However, the young man didn''t seem to feel that his hand was burning at all, in fact, not even his clothing was affected. "What? How did he do that?" asked Lyon in a surprise. "That''s called the soul flame, every cultivator is born with it, but most stay dormant until the Soul Realm. The flame wouldn''t hurt anything nor put a scratch on your clothing, but it is strong enough to burn impurities in one''s ingredients, well at least to some extent," explained Rowland. "To some extent?" replied Lyon. Rowlan nodded before continuing, "The colors of the flame indicate the level of impurities it can erase. This is also used to gauge one''s prowess in the art of alchemy. The white flame is the first step of an alchemist, it is said to burn zero percent up to ten percent of impurities in an ingredient." "The grade of the flame is the same as the color in magic brand, but I still never see beyond a red flame," sighed Rowland before continuing, "Like, cultivation, if the flame is not trained, the soul flame will be white forever. So a lower leveled cultivator might have a higher grade of a soul flame than a higher leveled cultivator." 145 Rowland The Fox The young man in front of the stilled cauldron stretched his hand that was covered in white flame. As if the flame had its own thought, it moved under the golden cauldron and lit it. Lyon noticed that the golden cauldron was actually lifted up by the white flames as it occasionally moved up and down. (This is some witch trick, isn''t it?) thought him as he reminisced of an old cartoon in his original world. Though he commented that inwardly, he didn''t lose his focus as he carefully examined the event in front of his eyes. The young man that was conducting the art of alchemy, take a bunch of ingredients in the rack before putting it inside the cauldron. Lyon didn''t recognize a single ingredient the young man was taking. Rubbing his chin, Lyon approached the young man and peeked inside the golden cauldron. He saw the batch of ingredients swirling inside the golden cauldron. They slowly lit up before fusing into one piece of light. "Lyon, this is the moment where the impurities of the product being stripped with the soul flame," said Rowland softly. Lyon squinted his eyes as he saw bits of white light raining down from the piece of light like glitter. (So the bits of lights are the impurities?) thought Lyon. "Ha!" the young man shouted as he flicked his finger, this sudden motion also startled Lyon who took a step back. The piece of light was jumping out of the golden cauldron and landed on the young man''s palm. There was only one pill produced and the color was white like a normal medicine in Lyon''s world. (Hmm, this looks like a regular flu medicine) said Lyon unimpressed. "Congratulations young alchemist, the pill you make is a success!" said Rowland to the young man. "Ah, thank you, manager, though this is the lowest grade of a pill it still took me a long time to make it," said the young man while shaking his head. Rowland patted his shoulder as he said, "Don''t worry, as long as you keep training, you will get better eventually." "Ah, you are too kind, manager," said the young man with a smile. "Hahaha, nevermind that, it''s time to pay up, let''s go to the counter," said Rowland as he hurriedly stood behind the said counter like a cashier. The young man smiled wryly as he followed after him, "I intend to keep the pill, how much should I pay in total?" "Don''t worry I already keep a tab for you, with the ingredients you used and the rent for the golden cauldron, it will be... eight million golds," said Rowland with a smile. Hearing the prize, the young man almost splurted out blood. (Eight million?! Might as well kill me now!). Rowland nodded, "I know, I know, it''s cheaper than the usual price, this is because you are a young aspiring alchemist." (Cheaper?!) was the young man''s thought before fainting with blood oozing from the edge of his mouth. Lyon saw the familiar clerk dragging the fainted young man from the third floor as Rowland approached him with a smile. "I will give the tab later, making such a pill must be too much for him," said Rowland while shaking his head in a disappointment. (I don''t think it''s because of making a pill) thought Lyon as he smiled wryly. "Hmm? Where is Aelina?" asked Lyon as his gaze didn''t find the beautiful woman. "I''m over here," said the princess as she revealed herself from behind the black cauldron. She was hiding for her identity of course. She didn''t want to make any more necessary problems for her own. "Ah there you are, no wonder I felt something beautiful was missing, haha," said Lyon with a hearty laugh. His words made Princess Aelina blushed, she couldn''t believe that he would flirt with her in this kind of situation, not to mention in front of her own uncle. "Hohoho, you got yourself a keeper here niece," teased Rowland before he joined Lyon in his laugh. (Gh! These two!) thought Princess Aelina. She was happy yet a bit angry at the same time. *cough Still with a blushing face, the princess cough before saying, "Well, Lyon after watching how a pill was made, do you still want to try?" "Of course!" said Lyon without hesitation. "Uncle, what is the difference between these three cauldrons?" asked Lyon. However, before Rowland could answer, the soothing voice of the princess answered him instead. "The golden one is the only one that is still intact." "What? Is that true?" asked Lyon in a surprise. The princess nodded, "Yep, the other ones are broken or chipped off. They should be replaced honestly." Lyon averted his gaze to the wry smiled middle-aged man. "C''mon my beautiful niece, you don''t have to say it like that, they can still be used you know." "Hmph! I will not let you ripped my friend off," said Princess Aelina. "Well, I was about to tell him to use the golden cauldron anyway," said Rowland. "Tell me, uncle, do you put different prices for the other two cauldrons and this golden one is the highest among the three?" asked Lyon with a smile. Rowland nodded, but before he could say anything, the princess said, "Lyon, the three of the cauldrons have the same engravings." Her words made Lyon to quickly looked at the other two cauldrons and compared them to the golden ones. "Wow, so the color is actually from paint and the three of them made from the same material?" Rowlan could only smile wryly. (This old fox is quite crafty but sadly he met the young fox today) thought Lyon as he perked a smile. Suddenly his hand was over Rowland''s nape and their body turned away from the princess. Their position was the same as Lyon with the clerk downstairs. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Princess Aelina shook her head before Lyon said anything. "Uncle, my good uncle, wouldn''t it be bad if this news were to leaked out," whispered Lyon with a cold voice. He looked like a devil striking a deal with a lesser devil. "Y-you wouldn''t right?" replied Rowland softly. "Hmm, I don''t know..." paused Lyon as he rubbed his thumb and index finger together before continuing, "Of course I won''t, but you know even the walls are not soundproof so someone might hear it." "Gh!" Rowland knew what his wording meant. Even if Lyon was the one that spread the news he got no proof to accuse him. (To think that I would be played a by a youngster) thought Rowland. By his identity, people wouldn''t dare to mess with him, but Lyon was different, he was the friend of his niece, the princess. With a gulp, he said, "Alright, alright, I understand. The rent for the cauldrons and the ingredients will be free of charge for you." "And?" continued Lyon. "And what?" said Rowland. "I took fancy of the pills on the second floor," teased Lyon. "No, I cannot give you that, I will have a massive deficit!" "Shame, I would have loved to see this store flourish in the coming years." "Guh! Fine! You can only take five pills, beyond that then I can''t." Lyon patted Rowland''s back as he stood straight and said, "Now that''s my uncle hahaha!" 146 Making One Two figures were carefully watching the young man in front of them. Standing in front of the golden cauldron the said young man closed his eyes. It was as if the time had stopped, he heard nothing but his own heartbeat. His breathing was calm and could be heard by the other two. They didn''t want to say anything to disrupt his concentration, after all, this was his first time doing it. In the corner of a shadow, Kyoko and Ryona were carefully watching him. Since Kyoko was also an alchemist, she really took great interest in this event. "Overseer, what color of soul flame do you have right now?" asked Ryona in low voice. This was a good time as any in her opinion. "I''m not that good of an alchemist since that was just a hobby to fill my time," replied Kyoko still focusing her red and blue eyes on the young man that set them free. With a flick of her finger, her soul flame ignited, answering Ryona''s question. Ryona opened her eyes wide as she whispered, "Golden? No this is the peak of Yellow Soul Flame, a peak level five soul flame?! Overseer only needs one more step to turn it into level six, the Brown Soul Flame!" "Refining or making a pill is not just about the level of soul flame one possessed, but also the technique and the quality of the ingredients used," explained Kyoko. (This, again those feelings) thought Lyon as he tried to stay calm. (This feeling is the same as that time I played zither!) continued his thought. The true reason he was traveling was none other than finding his own identity, his own past life. What happened to him? What was his purpose? The only clue he got was from Selena, the self-proclaimed first wife of his. Combined that with the arrival of his grandpa the True Dragon, the doubt he had of being reincarnated was erased. (Interesting, I wonder what other skills I can do) thought Lyon. In his mind, this was probably the first time he did alchemy, but his body, his soul... knew better. "Hmph!" smirked Lyon as he opened his eyes, "Ignite!" Kyoko opened her eyes wide before anyone else did. *boom Rowland and the princess were blown back by the sudden roaring blaze. After they fell with a thump, the princess struggling opened her eyes only to become wider and wider. "Y-you are kidding, right?" said Rowland in disbelief. He saw the young man''s hands were burning in a white flame that was flaring to the air, almost hitting the roof. The young alchemist from before was only as big as his own palm but the young man in front of him had both of his hands up to his shoulders. If they were to compare them, then the young alchemist was a chicken and Lyon was a phoenix. Though they were of the same color, their size, their brightness was different. Lyon''s soul flame was in another class. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "G-good niece, who is he exactly?" asked Rowland with a gulp. Though Princess Aelina could hear his question, she didn''t care nor did she had the answer. Her eyes were in awe of the majestic being that filled her vision. With his lighted hands, Lyon took a bunch of ingredients that even he couldn''t name it himself. It was apparent that he didn''t follow the basic recipe of making a health potion, he was making something else, something his soul remembered. Lyon slightly reversed nod as he said, "Go." The white soul flame moved like a torrent and wrapped the whole golden cauldron. This abnormal technique made even Kyoko confused. (I''ve read books about refining and making pills but, this is something else). Normally the soul flame would go under the cauldron, like a fire to a pan. Lyon could see that the ingredients were beginning to fuse into one piece of light and bits of lights started to fall, indicating the process of eliminating impurities. "Hehehe, you think I''m done? Break!" shouted Lyon as the white flame made direct contact with the piece of light before breaking them apart to smaller pieces of light. He took a glance at the cauldron as he furrowed his eyebrows. The golden cauldron was shaking greatly like an earthquake was happening inside it. There was only one outcome if this was to be continued, the cauldron would break. Lyon smiled as he noticed what''s going on and said, "A race then." His eyes turned sharp and deep as if the universe couldn''t escape his vision. The white blaze was coiling like a torrent inside the golden cauldron, engulfing the pieces of white light. *crack The first sign of breaking was heard as Lyon clicked his tongue in response. "Oh no, the cauldron is going to break, the pill-" "Not yet," Ryona''s words were interjected by Kyoko who was watching every single detail. As an experienced alchemist, she knew that Lyon was currently in a race. Lyon moved his hands as the flaring white flame followed his movement. *swoosh The blinding speed of his movements was leaving afterimages that leave even Kyoko in awe. *crack Another crack was heard as the golden cauldron was giving Lyon his final checkpoint. However, Lyon''s expression was different than one could expect. He gritted his teeth in a smile as his hands moved even faster. The air around his hands become greenish as the divine aura of a True Dragon slowly showed its prowess. The tiny bits of lights slowly gathered to the center as Lyon grinned. *boom The golden cauldron exploded and its pieces flew to random directions inside the room. The majestic white flame was nowhere to be seen around Lyon''s body as he stood still. *tap*tap The princess frantically ran to him as she said, "Lyon! Are you okay? Are you hu-?!" Her words stuck as she saw the thing Lyon held by his right hand. "Ah! Is that?! Is that a level two grade pill?!" exclaimed Rowland as he noticed the blueish pill on Lyon''s hand. 147 Cry of a Beauty The blue pill looked ordinary to Lyon but the other two were astonished, especially Rowland, he couldn''t help but droll at the sight. "How is this possible?" asked Princess Aelina as her eyes still fixated on the result. "Hmm? What do you mean?" asked Lyon while slightly raised one of his eyebrows. "It was impossible for a lower grade soul flame to produced a higher grade pill than its own," said Princess Aelina. "Is it?" replied Lyon in confusion. He himself didn''t know that what he did was an impossible feat, in fact, he couldn''t even explain the thing that he had just done. Rowland nodded, "Niece is right. It was impossible, well, at least until today hahaha!" "Nevertheless, you are amazing Lyon. This is the first time, wait, this is your first time doing alchemy right?" asked Princess Aelina in suspicion. Lyon nodded, ''Of course, this is my first time, I mean look, even my soul flame is white." Princess Aelina mused (That''s right, his soul flame is white, the lowest grade of a soul flame. However, it was different. His soul flame blazed like an undying fire). Patting Lyon''s shoulder, Rowland smiled, "So, what does the blue pill do?" He was trying to entice him in selling the level two grade pill to his store. With this, he would have an upper hand against other stores across Deo. "I don''t know," said Lyon nonchalantly as he lightly threw the pill to Rowland''s hand. "What?! What do you mean you don''t know?! You are the one who made it!" asked Rowland frantically. Lyon shrugged as he said, "It means that I don''t know, maybe an appraiser can appraise its uses. Wait, there is an appraiser for pills right?" "Yes there is, just call one uncle, I will pay for the service," said Princess Aelina. "Yes my beautiful niece, I will call one right now!" said Rowland as he hurriedly disappeared from the spot. Lyon looked at the beautiful young noble and smiled before saying, "You are a kind person Aelina." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The princess blushed as she couldn''t help but look away from him. "Thank you," said Princess Aelina under her breath. The third floor only left both of them, a man and a woman. The princess couldn''t help but having her heartbeat rapidly getting faster and faster. In the end, she was never in a room alone with a man before. "Aelina, you should take days off from Luderia, things are about to get heavy in the next few days. With your status, I know it will impact your safety and family since the elections are coming soon," said Lyon in a concern. His words couldn''t help but made her put a wry smile. She found it even harder to confess her identity to him. She shook her head before saying, "Sorry Lyon but I can''t." She took a few steps away from him and continued while facing the ceiling, "You know... if things were different, I would really like to experience traveling the world, not just Deo but everywhere, however, reality doesn''t allow that." . . . . "Hahaaha!" She turned back to see Lyon was laughing wholeheartedly. Her face was undeniably confused at his reaction. After having his fill, he took a deep breath before facing the dumbfounded princess. "Reality does not allow you? That''s a really good joke." Princess Aelina furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance. "You mean ''you'', does not allow yourself!" said Lyon as his eyes turned sharp while pointing at her face. His deep eyes seemed to contain the universe''s secret and his captivating determination couldn''t help but sway the hearts of the listeners. The princess''s eyes slowly opened wide as she continued to listen. "Reality has nothing to do with this, you are the one that''s holding yourself back! Who told you to not do the things you want? It doesn''t take a genius like me to understand the heavy responsibility of a nobility," "You are a woman of status, surely people had high expectations of you. Growing up you worked hard to not fail their expectations, groomed to be the perfect noblewoman. You are too kind Aelina, you work so hard that you forgot that you too have a life to live." Her eyes slowly turned red as she heard what he said. A budding liquid slowly formed on the edge of her eyes before one fell a stream across her cheek. She didn''t have a talent as her siblings had, so she worked extra hard to not fall behind them. She trained twice as hard, she failed twice as much. (But for what?) thought the princess. She was to focus on chasing them that she forgot why she worked hard in the first place. She never desired to be a ruler of Luderia in the first place, in fact, it never even crossed her mind. (He is right, it was a stupid reason, I just don''t want to disappoint the people''s expectations of me). Suddenly, a thumb gently wiped her tears as a warmth hand held her beautiful face. (Look at you Lyon, you made a beauty cry) thought Lyon to himself. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have said those things," said Lyon with regret. "En-nn," replied Princess Aelina as she shook her head. "Please don''t be, you are just stating your point of view, there is nothing wrong with that, I''m not hurt or anything, I''m just disappointed at my self," said the princess with a smile. "Ummm, you can let go of your hand now," continued the princess as she blushed away. Lyon raised his eyebrows as he just realized his hand still gently placed on her cheek, he smiled wryly as he retracted it, "Sorry hahaha." The princess looked at the laughing young man as she thought (What a unique person he is, a little bit mischief, but he is actually a caring person). "Hahaha, anyway, I heard you have a sister? Or was it a little sister?" asked Lyon. (Oh right, he is a huge pervert) thought Princess Aelina. 148 How About a Bet? Lyon''s laughter was interrupted with a voice from downstairs. "Yes, yes right this way sir." Both he and the princess recognized the voice as it belonged to the young clerk from before. (That clerk is a fast one isn''t he) thought Lyon with a chuckle. Not so long ago, the clerk was carrying a young unconscious alchemist to his resident but now he was already downstairs. The princess quickly wiped her remaining tears and fixed her expression. It was almost natural for her to do so, being groomed as a princess had its own merits. The sound of wooden stairs being stepped up on was heard as the clerk''s head revealed himself. The clerk''s gaze was not on the two of them but rather to the figure behind him as he welcomed it on the third floor, "This is the third-floor sir, you may use the cauldrons and the ingredients here as you see fit, the bills will naturally follow after." However, the first thing that Lyon saw was an ordinary wooden cane. The figure wore an azure cloak that covered his body and a hood that covered the top side of the figure''s face whenever he walked. Lyon could only make out his wrinkled nose and below to realize that it was an old man. The old man was standing straight with no sign of humpback. His wrinkled hands were not fragile nor strong, but the bearing he exuded was a kind of sinister feeling that could make the princess instinctively hid behind Lyon. "Ho~, interesting," said the old man with his hoarse voice. His target was none other than the young man in front of him who stood nonchalantly with a smile. The old man, slowly raised his hand to signal the clerk to leave which the clerk naturally comply. "Young man, I sense no fear in you, that is quite an amazing feat," said the old man before he laughed. "To think that I would find someone like you in this little world, Hahaha!" continued the old man as he walked to the side with the aid of his cane. Lyon smirked as he said, "Why should I fear you? I don''t even know who you are." The old man''s weary eyes opened wide before his lips curled up, "Boy, do you not know what this azure cloak means?" Lyon mused as he carefully looked at the azure cloak the old man was wearing. He found nothing suspicious other than a white little balance-scale symbol on top of the cloak''s hood. He squinted his eyes as he looked dead serious against the old man before saying, "You can''t be..." "Hahaha! That''s right I am..." "You are naked inside the cloak aren''t you? Disgusting!" Interrupted Lyon with a spit to the floor. . . . The room was silent as the only thing heard last was Lyon''s saliva hitting the floor like a bullet. Princess Aelina who was hiding behind Lyon''s back couldn''t say anything before, "Puha! Hahaha!" her laugh was burst out along with the rain from her beautiful lips. "You! I''m not naked under my cloak!" said the old man as he was pointing at Lyon with his cane. However, he slowly breathed as he calmed his state once more before retracting his cane. "It is my fault, I shouldn''t expect the people live in this little world would know the significant meaning of this azure cloak." He proceeded to walk to one of the two remaining cauldrons, disregarding Lyon''s expression. He stood silently in front of the black one before concentrating. Lyon suddenly had an idea as he spoke softly, intentionally yet sounded not intentionally, "Too bad he is going to fail." The old man perked his ears as he heard what Lyon''s said. (There is no other ''he'' than me on this floor, is he really doubting my success rate for making pills? Hahaha the fool!) thought the azure cloaked old man. The old man turned his figure against Lyon as he said with a smile, "Young man, how about a bet." Lyon looked surprised by the old man''s proposition before saying, "A bet? A bet for what?" "A bet whether I succeed in making a pill or not," He mused before replying, "Oh, but what pill-grade are you going to make? If it''s the first, white-grade pill, might as well called it off." *tsk*tsk The old man clicked his wrinkled tongue as he shook his head before putting his right hand on his chest to retract his soul flame. Princess Aelina squinted her eyes while wiping her saliva that landed on Lyon''s back from before. (A red flame?! A level three alchemist!). She looked at Lyon with concerned as she might afraid that he had fallen to his own trap. But the ever-smiling Lyon still had not changed a bit, not even a twitch could be seen from his expression. (Hmm? The fact that a level three alchemist standing in front of him didn''t even make him flinch) thought the old man as his confidence started to reduce by a small amount. Usually, upon the revelation of his soul flame, cultivators would hurriedly try to curry favor him, especially in a weak world such as the one he was in right now. (Is he a hidden expert?! Then that would make sense... wait that doesn''t make any sense, if he is a hidden expert, he would know the meaning of my azure cloak, besides, I can gauge his shallow cultivation level) thought the old man as he regained his confidence. "Alright then, we will bet on you making a level three grade pill, no less and no more, it has to be a perfect red! The recipe is... well I''m sure you have one, let''s go with whatever you pick, what do you think? Fair enough?" asked Lyon with a smirk on his face. Princess Aelina always wondered why his smirk was enchanting to look at, others usually felt annoyed. "Fine by me, as for the prize is simple, you just need to kowtow to me," said the old man with a smile. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Princess Aelina gripped her hand tight before Lyon said, "Fine, my prize, if you fail, would be your azure cloak." The old man flinched for a second before replying, "Alright then its a deal!" (Hahaha, there is no way I would fail!). (He thinks he can make a third-grade pill with a broken cauldron from a cheap store-owner? Hahaha the fool!) thought Lyon as he laughed inwardly. 149 The Third Wheeler The third floor of the store was focusing on one old figure as he stood in front of a black cauldron. Clad in the eye-catching azure cloak, he closed his eyes as he entered deep concentration state. Watching the old figure was Lyon and his companion, Princess Aelina. He crossed his arm as he looked at the old man with a smirk, either it was arrogance or confidence, it mattered not. "Do you need my help old man?" teased Lyon as he chuckled. "Hahaha, you are one thousand years old too early for that!" said the old man as he activated his red soul flame. "Ok, old man," answered Lyon with a smile. The old man smiled despite Lyon''s sneer as he replied, "Such childish ploy won''t work on me boy, I could make a third-grade pill while drinking wine." *tsk*tsk Lyon clicked his tongue while shaking his head before saying, "You put too much thinking into it, I only said that because you are too lonely, but alas, you slapped away my kindness that fast." The old man furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?" "I have a beautiful woman beside me," said Lyon before putting his hand around the small waist of the dumbfounded princess, "While you only get an old cauldron to keep you company, I don''t want you to be a third-wheeler you know." (God, I sounded like a villain) thought Lyon as he laughed. "Y-you!" "Oh, what''s this? I thought you are concentrating on making a third-grade pill? Can''t do it?" The old man took a deep breath before replying sternly, "Hmph, keep blabbering, just wash your forehead for it won''t dirty the floor when you kowtow later." "Wow, you have a sharp tongue old man, not bad," replied Lyon. His reaction caught the princess and the old man off guard. Normally, a person would be furious being insulted like that, but Lyon took it with a smile, in fact, he was even praising the old man. (Gh! I''m the one who insulted him yet why am I the one that''s got irritated?!) thought the old man before he turned his focus back on making the third-grade pill. *squish Lyon''s smile turned rigid as he felt a jolt of pain coming from his sides. "Aelina, oh beautiful Aelina, please have mercy, this cloth might not break but it can''t protect me from your pinch." Princess Aelina was smiling as she faced Lyon with her eyebrows raising up and down, "Oh? Is it? Does it hurt?" "Ah yes, yes it hurt," said Lyon with a fake cry. "Oh really now?" said Princess Aelina with a smile before turning her pinch to almost three hundred and sixty degrees. "How about now?" "Ahh!" Lyon jumped away, releasing his body from the deadly pincher before taking a step back. "Lyon, your punishment is not done yet, where are you going? Hey!" said the princess while he chased the young man. (Holy crap, that hurts so much, she probably could pull off an embedded Excalibur with those strong fingers!) thought Lyon as he started running. Though the space on the third floor was not big enough for running, the princess chased Lyon like a cat and a mouse. (Hmph! Childish tricks!) thought the old man as he waved his hand that burned with his soul flame. The red soul flame immediately hovered to the bottom of the black cauldron with ease. The old man scanned the wardrobe full of ingredients with his weary eyes before shaking his head in contempt. "What a disappointment, the ingredients here are of low grade, the best thing they can produce is a level one grade pill." The old man looked at the cat and mouse duo before sneering, "No wonder you agreed to the bet, you are expecting me to fail because of this? Too bad for you I brought my own ingredients in my spatial ring hahaha!" "Aelina please stop pinching me! I-i think the old man said something," said Lyon while keep running in a circle. "Hehehe, you think I would fall for that? Such a childish trick won''t work on me!" said Princess Aelina with a wicked smile. "Oh no! He already influenced you?!" shouted Lyon while running. The two of them completely disregard the old man that was in the process of making a pill. The old man greeted his teeth as he slowly realized he had become the third wheeler in the room. He wanted to reprimand them but that would indirectly mean that Lyon was right about offering his ''kindness''. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The princess didn''t realize it herself of what she was doing. She was scared of the old man just a minute ago, but now she was chasing the young man with high spirits. She looked at the young man who appeared to be running for his life with a smile. Few giggles would often escape from her beautiful lips. "Hmph!" The old man flicked his finger as a bunch of foreign items flew out. There appeared to be something like ginseng, star-shaped brown leaves, a pelt of the fur of an unknown being, and a small gourd filled with god knows what. Leaving the small gourd behind he threw the rest of them inside the cauldron, burning their impurities for maximum result. "Ha!" shouted the old man as the ingredients inside glowed and slowly combined to the center. The old man confidently fused them into one piece of white light as bits of light started to rain down. "Hm!" grunted the old man as the red soul flame of his burned more vividly. (I''m gonna finish this in no time!) thought the old man as the finish line was in sight. With the intensity of the soul flame, the rate of bits of light that were raining down gradually increased as the source where it came from started to change color from white to blue. The old man smile as the glowing light was blue colored and started to change to red, the level three grade pill. "Any last word before you kowtow?" said the old man with a sneer. *tap Lyon halted his track as he smirked against the old man. "Dodge," said Lyon as he caught the incoming princess to his embrace and swiftly put his back against the old man. "What?" *crack His eyes glanced down only to realize the cauldron cracks with resplendent light, reaching its utmost limit. His pupil gradually got smaller as he said with a gulp, "Oh no..." *boom The old man was propelled to the wall with an impact that almost embedded him inside. 150 I Cry, I Smile, I Laugh The explosion left a dark stain on the hard floor as pieces of the black cauldron scattered across the room. Some of the ingredients even got burned up and the rest of them barely usable anymore. The thudding sound of debris and broken walls filled the area. Luckily the walls were thick enough to not make a new window for the third floor. Embracing the beautiful woman tightly, Lyon glanced down at her divine face before asking with a smile, "Aelina, are you alright?" "E-En," replied Aelina as she shied away from his stare. Her cheeks gradually turned red as she could feel his heartbeat. (This feels really nice!) thought Lyon as his senses concentrated on the beautiful woman in his embrace. The smell, the touch, the vision, everything was a check on his list, all that was left was the taste. "Um, you can let go now," requested Aelina softly. Suddenly his eyes turned sharp. (Ah, I know this type of situation, the right reaction would be to back off while fidgetingly apologize with a red face then the girl would shy away while saying ''it-it is fine'') thought Lyon. He laughed inwardly as he continued (Well sorry I''m not that dumb, I mean, when the gods give you a chance will you forsake it? NO! just like the saying, when life gives you a lemon, you make a... well I forgot the rest of the idiom). Lyon tightened his embrace as he felt that the nice slim waist was designed that way. "Please, let''s stay like this a while longer," said the young man as his starry eyes stared at the dumbfounded princess. "Wha-" the princess''s mouth was sealed with a finger. "Feel my heartbeat against yours, racing to find the same rhythm," spoke Lyon softly as his finger still planted on her mouth. *thump *thump She clearly heard their heartbeat as her eyes gradually blurred with a deep shade red. (What, what is this feeling) her eyes made an illusion that they were standing on a vast yellow field with blooming rapeseeds. Their hair flutters with the winds as she gently tiptoed before she closed her eyes while ducking her beautiful lips. Lyon knew what was going on, and slowly approached the maiden''s holy grail. "Guha! Kid! Help me stand up!" a shout was heard from the third floor as an old figure struggled to get up. He spouted blood as the impact appeared to be too much for his old bones. *crack (Eh?) Her visionary of the yellow field scene cracked like glass before coming back to reality. She noticed that the man who was embracing her was looking at an old man on the floor. He gritted his teeth as veins appeared on the side of his forehead. "?!" Her eyes opened wide as suddenly something moist and warm was touching her lips. Her consciousness realized what was happening yet her body cannot react, as if she was a doll. She stared at the closed eyes of the young man as their lips connected, it was only a quick kiss but it felt like an eternity for her. Lyon let go of his embrace leaving the princess stood like a statue. His steps were heavy as the mountain falling from the sky. His expression shifted from ''kissing a princess'' to a ''demon bringing hell judgment for humanity''. *tap *tap He stopped right in front of the struggling old man, standing with his feet spread as wide as his shoulders. "Heh, not bad kid, I fell right into your trap, my pride eluded me from something basic, it is your win, I admit defeat, now help this old bones get up." said the old man with a smile while laying on the floor. Lyon flicked his finger as he retrieved a zither from his spatial ring. The size overshadowed the old man''s face as he looked from below. His eyes opened wide, "Huh!" *swoosh *boom Lyon smashed the zither right on the old man''s face, as the sound of snapped strings was heard. The zither broke in half with few cracks on each half. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. He lifted up the broken zither before the old man''s face revealed himself with his eyes spinning in a spiral movement. "Hmph! That''s for interrupting my romantic session!" said Lyon while patting his hands to remove dust that was not even there. He knew that the old man would still be alive from such hit, he could roughly gauge his cultivation level. "But to think you would pass out from that is a kinda disappointing, old man. Well, I guess I have to help myself then, excuse me," continued Lyon with a shrug. He rolled the passed out old man with his foot before stripping the azure cloak. Fluttering it in the air he quickly put it on top of his clothing. "Hey Aelina, what do you think?" "Huh?" the princess woke up from her stupor with the call from the young man. It was amazing to think that she didn''t wake up from the loud impact the zither made against the old man''s face. The princess opened her eyes once again as she saw the young man''s figure. The azure cloak covered his entire body as the hood managed to hid his eyes from prying individuals. "Well speechless aren''t you? Hahaha!" said Lyon with hearty laughter as he stroke different poses. "Hahaha!" The princess laughed at his ridiculous poses before finally sighing. (With you it''s just a roller coaster of emotion isn''t it, I cry, I smile, I laugh... wait a minute... we-we... awawawa...) her face turned red as she remembered the warm feeling on her lips. "Grr! Lyon! Come here!" shouted the princess while stomping her right foot, she was happy, embarrassed and angry at the same time. "Aw, crap she remembered!" said Lyon as he thought (Topic distraction plan failed, time to retreat from the deadly pincher!). *tap*tap Suddenly a figure came out from the stairs as with his gasping breathing. "L-Lyon I found us an appraiser! Huh? Do you always wear that azure cloak?" "Huh? Rowland did you just say an azure cloak?!" a different voice came from downstairs as the source hasten its footsteps. 151 Shall We Begin? The figure that rushed to the third floor revealed itself as Lyon and the princess''s eyes couldn''t help but open wide. "A tail?" The words escaped from Lyon''s mouth without him even realizing it. His eyes scanned the figure that was probably only a meter and half max. The little figure stood like a child but the bearing it had proved otherwise. Its face was cute, if it was a female then she was beautiful, if it was a male then it was also beautiful. It had two big round eyes that seemed to contain curiosity of a universe. Its white ears were standing straight like a rabbit, a perfect pair for her little nose and cute thin lips. It had a black hair that was styled like a tomato, instead of weird, it brought about its cuteness to the next level. The completely black round tail of its wiggled with the slightest movement that exuded its innocence. It wore a galaxy-black magician cloak that was adorned with little white spots that resembled a star in the universe which was harmonious with its pale-white complexion. The middle part of the cloak was bared as it revealed a tight vest that couldn''t make Lyon guess its gender. To finish it up, it wore long pants with lace-up black boots with a few white furs circling around the edge of the hole where the feet went in. "Ho~, What is it, young man? You are smitten by my beauty?" asked the little figure with a cute smirk as it put the nose higher as if looking down at Lyon. Its question woke Lyon from his stupor as he shook his head. "I''m not into little kids, sorry, I don''t even know if you are a male or female," said Lyon while waving his hand in denial. Rowland instinctively took a step back as his expression stiffen. (Oh no! my store!). The little figure made a fist with its little hands until crackling noise was clearly heard. Its little mouth twitched, as the figure said, "Little... kid... you say? I see I see, to think that the Alchemy Union''s student forgot about their own elder''s identity is quite vexing," *swoosh Lyon''s eyes turned sharp as a massive amount of mana swirling around the little figure''s body as if protecting it. He instinctively took a step back as his hand covered Aelina that stood behind him. "He~ looks like punishment is in order," smirked the little figure. "Move back, Lyon!" A shout came before two devastatingly beautiful figure appeared in front of him standing on guard. Lyon was surprised to see them both as he said weakly, "This is serious isn''t it..., that kid is dangerous." "Ho~, you have quite a companion there," said the little figure with undeniable arrogance. Normally, people would feel scared or suffocated upon the presence of Ryona alone, but not only Ryona was there, but even Kyoko was also present. Lyon slowly moved back as he pushed the dumbfounded Aelina. The princess couldn''t comprehend what''s going on as too many thoughts run in her mind. *flash Lyon opened his eyes wide as Ryona only left an afterimage before disappearing from his sight. (Such speed!). "Hoh~ not bad of a tactic, disrupt the mage before they cast magic, but..." The little figure turned around, *grab "Huh?" Ryona was surprised as her ax was stopped by its little hand with ease while her body was still in midair. (Impossible!) thought Lyon as he saw what''s happening. He knew how strong Ryona was, especially with her ax, she could even perform those illustrious techniques with it. Ryona furrowed her eyebrows while still in midair before her other hand swing the twins of the ax to the little figure. The little figure smirked as she received the incoming ax with a palm. "!!" *flash A black-colored magic brand appeared on the little figure''s palm without even chanting it nor writing it down. *boom The ax was propelled to the window before landing on the empty streets, etched to the paving. Leaving a huge line of crack as a result. Ryona watched her ax flew, before realizing that the little figure will soon attack her. She closed her eyes she steeled her entire body for the incoming strike. "You are way too inexperienced in front of me," chuckled the little figure as it threw a punch. "Huh?" A magic brand appeared behind Ryona as something pulled her inside. "Ryona, are you okay?" a voice made the little figure turned back before it smirked with a realization. "Oh, hubby <3" said Ryona as she clung to Lyon''s body behind Kyoko. (Ah, this feels nice! but) thought Lyon before he said, "Let''s focus on the matter at hand first, to think that you couldn''t scratch that... um... that ''cute'' thing." "Hohoho~, did you just call me cute? You just reduce your punishment," said the little figure before continuing, "I see you are a space attribute cultivator, I wonder why you are here in this remote world." Rowland and the princess were surprised too as they looked at the young man in the subject. Rowland thought that he was just a noble from somewhere, but to think that not only his alchemy was superb, he had a rare element of space. The princess looked at the back of Lyon as she thought (Not only he could climb an impossible cliff with his finger, but he also has a rare attribute!). This made her wonder if Lyon was actually only playing around when he spared with her little sister Chloe. "Don''t worry, I''m excited to see the overseer in action," whispered Ryona to Lyon''s ear as her gaze landed on the beautiful figure with the fox ears. . . . . "You got a really nice eye there," said the little figure as it readied itself. "I know," answered Kyoko cooly, before raising her right arm, revealing her snow-white complexion. *swoosh Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. A storm like mana was crashing and surrounding her right arm before calming down and gathered on her hand. The little figure furrowed its eyebrows and squinted its eyes as a response. Pulling it close to her divine face she said with a smile, "Shall we begin?" 152 Patting Her Head The little figure smirked at the fox-woman, "How about we start with something light." *snap Four, level six magic brands appeared out of thin air as the little figure snapped its fingers. Its thin lips smiled as it spoke softly, "Saint magic, Aero Gale." (You call that light?!) thought the princess and her uncle. Even in Luderia, saint magics were scarce and only limited personnel could learn it. *swoosh Like its name, gales from the four magic brands approached Kyoko with rage. Its wind blew everything in its path as the last cauldron was also caught up with the spell and propelled until it etched to the wall. Even Rowland who was at the other side of the attack, couldn''t help but covered his eyes with his arm. Against the raging wind, Kyoko smiled before gently waving her pure hand. *zing One small black magic brand appeared in front of her. In the face of the raging wind, the small magic brand looked like an ant that''s about to withstand a stomp from an elephant. However, the little figure''s eyes turned serious instead of laughing. (A level nine magic?) thought the little figure. It knew that no matter what realm of magic used, basic. taboo, saint... a level nine and the illustrious level ten were even rarer than finding one thousand one hundred and one clove leaves. "Saint magic, Pale Ice," chanted Kyoko with a smile. (Did I hear that right? Another saint magic?!) thought the princess as her eyes couldn''t help but take a peek despite the raging wind. Her surprised further enhanced by the fact that the color of the magic brand was black. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. (A-a level nine!) screamed the princess in her thought. "Hmm?" Rowland slowly took away his arm as he didn''t feel the rampaging wind anymore. (Oh god I hope my third floor is still usable). He slowly opened his eyes in fear of what reality had for him. The moment he got a vision, his eyes opened wider and wider. *thud His knees turned weak before dropping to the ground. He saw something that was beautiful yet devastating. There was an abstract shaped ice sculpture that almost filled the entire room from the center. It looked like a tree that had numerous branches, but barely. One thing for certain was that the color of the ice was pale white. The princess gulped at the result of their initial encounter. She could roughly gauge the power these two just released, and she was sure that the entire battalion from Luderia could be wiped out by these two alone. "Wow, that''s amazing Kyoko!" shouted Lyon from behind before leaping to hug her. (Paradise here I come!) *hit Kyoko hit Lyon''s head before reprimanding him, "It''s not over yet little brother, please step back." *tch Lyon clicked his tongue in a disappointment as he walked back. Kyoko smiled at the grunted Lyon before turning her focus back on the battle. Though they were separated by the ice, they could see them partially at each other. "That''s quite a spell you just chant, who are you fox-woman?" said the little figure with a smile. With its identity as an elder from the Alchemy Union, it knew a lot of quite capable people in its circle. Some of them had a level nine saint magic, but the little figure didn''t recall her at all. Even if the little figure didn''t know her personally, someone this capable would hardly go unnoticed. "Don''t you think it''s impolite to demand a name before introducing oneself?" chuckled Kyoko. "Ho~, I guess you are right, my name is Elise, Elise Growthwort," said the little figure. Lyon was biting his lips until the cold sweat started to build upon his forehead. Elise noticed this small motion as she said, "Boy, you finally remember huh?" "That''s right, I''m Elise Growthort, the ''Elise''," said Elise with pride as she pointed to herself. (Oh God, please stop saying your name, or I will burst!) thought Lyon as he bit his lip even harder. He didn''t want to make the situation any worse than it was just because of his humor level. "Hmm, did the name Elise Growhthort made you realized your mistake?" "Hahahaha!" Lyon burst out with a hearty of laughter. (Oh shit, oh shit, I just made the situation worse than it is! But, why would someone''s name that contains the word ''growth'' be short? I hate myself for having such a low leveled humor but hahaha! Goddamnit!). "Boy, you are really asking for it, aren''t you?" said Elise as veins appeared on her forehead. Kyoko shook her head in disbelief, (People would want to avoid problem whenever they can, but you make more than it should). "I''m sorry Elise, I''m so sorry, I don''t mean to disrespect you, it''s just that I have really low-level humor, please don''t misunderstand," said Lyon while putting his hand together to apologize. Elise sighed, as she waved her hand, "That''s fine, I will understand, you are not the first person to laugh at my full name." Lyon stopped his laugh in a flash as his eyes turned to excitement, "Eh? You do? That''s great hahaha!" "After I punch your face," "Hahaha... what?" Kyoko clapped her hand with a smile, "It''s settled then, My name is Kyoko, nice to meet you and this boy over here, is Lyon." She pulled the dumbfounded Lyon and gave it to Elise before saying, "Well just please don''t kill him or cripple him." "Kyoko?! No, older sister! Please have mercy!" said Lyon begging. Kyoko shook her head in a firm manner, "Laughing at a maiden''s name, shame on you little brother. Your punishment is because of your own wrongdoing," Lyon then averted his gaze toward the ever-loving Ryona before she said, "Sorry Lyon, What overseer wants, overseer gets, I''ll be sure to treat your bum later." He slowly averted his gaze to the woman that he took a stroll with but, "That was overstepping the line, Lyon." In the end, he sighed, before turning around to face Elise. (Hm?) The more he looked at her his cheeks turned red. "Are you ready this is-" Her words stopped as she felt a warm palm slowly patting her head. Her eyes were emotionless as Lyon keeps rubbing her head. . . . . *boom Lyon was sent flying (Eh?) with a big bump from his left cheek before hitting the wall. 153 A Letter A young man collapsed on the floor beside an old man as debris from the walls fell. His hair was covered in dust and his azure cloak had partially turned gray. He could smell the floor as he breathed in, it was a fresh wood scent like the ones in the forest. His buried face hidden his gritted teeth as he held the pain on his cheek. His fingers slowly twitched, before he put strength to push himself up. His figure slowly got up as he took a sneak to a fainted old man beside him. (I guess karma huh?) thought the young man with his puffed right cheek. *pat The young man patted his azure cloak as dust particles filled the air around it before ended up clapping his hand to finish. He stretched his neck before slowly walking to the culprit responsible. "Boy, do you want some more? I have lots where that came from," said Elise as she chuckled, but sadly it was only for a short while. "Hm?!" she squinted her eyes as she noticed an unbelievable thing. The puffed cheek that Lyon had was recovering at an incredible speed that could be seen by the naked eye. This phenomenon happened before when he first arrived in this world, but only a few saw it. As Lyon stood before Elise, he was good as new. As if nothing ever happened to his charismatic face. (Interesting, Lyon was it?) thought Elise before she said, "Well with that done, I think I should go back to business, that is to appraise the level two grade pill." Rowland was wiping his sweat with his little napkin before rushing to offer the blue pill he was holding on, "Ah yes, yes, please do so Elder Elise." Elise lightly took the blue pill in Rowland''s hand before saying, "Hmm, a one hundred percent blue pill, not a single tint of other colors visible." "What does it mean?" asked Lyon. Elise raised her one of her eyebrows as she said, "You mean, you don''t know what a hundred percent color means?" "No idea," said Lyon as he shook his head. She squinted her eyes as suspicion build up in her thought (How could an Alchemy Union''s student didn''t know this?). Then, she pointed Lyon with her other hand before saying, "Lyon, you are not a student from Alchemy Union''s aren''t you?" Lyon squinted his eyes as Elise waited for his answer. "Hmm," hummed Lyon while closing his eyes, he slowly turned his figure back as he walked away from her. He took a few steps before stopping, catching everyone''s attention. The room was silent in the anticipation for his answer, they could hear the sound his nose and mouth made when he took a breath. "I thought I could keep this secret longer from you, but I guess it cannot be helped." Elise furrowed her eyebrows as she heard what his answer was. (An enemy of the union? An assassin?) So many speculations filled her mind like a storm. "That''s right, I''m not from the Alchemy Union," said Lyon confidently. "Hmm, then where did you get the azure cloak of the Alchemy Union?" asked Elise before she readied herself for the kill. "Killing a student of the Alchemy Union is a grave sin, as an elder I will not tolerate this." "?!" the princess and her uncle felt shivered as if their body turned cold, but not because of the sculpture but something else. It was like a thousand knives aiming at their necks ready to slit at any time. (Such killing intent!) thought the princess as she struggled to breathe. Elise noticed that her killing intent had spread inside the room before focusing on the young man that stood aloof. Like a wild tidal wave, her killing intent crashed Lyon. . . . . "Hm? What are you doing Elise?" asked Lyon nonchalantly. (What? Didn''t he feel my killing intent?) thought Elise as her eyes turned serious. This was the first time a lower leveled cultivation realm cultivator escape her killing intent, normally it would make them pissed themselves. "I don''t think that''s necessary, he is not done explaining," said Kyoko softly. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Hehe, that''s right, besides, your killing intent wouldn''t work on hubby," chuckled Ryona with pride. "Hmm... you are right, no matter how I concentrated, he didn''t even flinch," said Elise while shaking her head. She too was a cultivator so she knew that killing intent had no relations to one''s realm. It could only grow on experience, slaying the enemy, wars, it was built upon corpses and more corpses. In the end, it was how much bones and blood under your throne. "Oh, did you spread out your killing intent towards me?" asked Lyon innocently. Elise sighed, before nodding. (Really? I feel nothing! Even those assassins in the forest still have some, though really shallow) thought Lyon. He couldn''t say it out loud how weak it was, less he wanted a punch in the face once again. He coughed before he said, "Yes, back on the topic, I don''t even know Alchemy Union existed until I met you hahaha." His hearty laughter brought twitching lips for Elise. (Is this young man for real?). "As for this azure cloak, it was my prize from winning a bet against that old man over there," said Lyon as he pointed out the fainted old figure. "A bet? What?" Elise was lost. The azure cloak was a symbol for the Alchemy Union, how could someone even bet on it. The value of this item might be higher than the one wearing it, not even a stupid person would lightly give it away. In the end, she could only shake her head, what''s done was done. "Lyon, I''m sorry but I have to confiscate the cloak, please gave it to me." "Oh, what''s in it for me?" asked Lyon with a smirk. "Well, I will give you a recommendation letter for the Alchemy Union in exchange," said Elise as she pulled out a red scroll from her spatial ring. "Deal!" said Lyon without thinking further, he quickly took off the azure cloak and took the red scroll from her hand. 154 Rules With the red scroll in his hand, Lyon smiled at the infinite possibilities in the near future. "Hmm? Hubby, why are you grinning like that?" teased Ryona while she knew full well of this young man''s perverted nature. "Hehehe, if you want to know, then I will tell you later but first I need to ask a question to Miss Elise," said Lyon before turning his gaze to the little beauty. With a slight bow and obvious ulterior motive, he asked Elise who was looking at him amusedly. "Miss, no, Elder Elise, will thou enlighten this young innocent eagle with your answer?" "Hoh~ What might that be? Seeking my wisdom usually comes with an exorbitant price, but I will cast it on you as a token for my apology," said Elise while raising her nose a little bit. "Is the Alchemy Union, full of beautiful women?" . . . . The room turned silent at that moment. One could even hear the ice sculpture slowly melting due to the average temperature. "Pfft!" The first one to let out a hearty laugh was the princess who stood in the far back before followed by her uncle. Kyoko could only shake her head in response toward this little brother of her while Ryona laughed along with the other two. "I know some perverts in my life but you are probably the most opened and frontal about it boy," said Elise as she threw out a light chuckle. Lyon rubbed his hand while smiling as he anticipated the answer, "Well?" "Hmm, I think there are quite a few beautiful flowers in the garden, but you need to get inside first to take a look," teased Elise. The young man furrowed his eyebrow as he asked, "Wait, then what this red scroll do?" "Hehe~, it only gives you a chance to enter the examination to be a student," (What?! So this is useless?!) thought Lyon. He couldn''t say it directly as the little woman in front of him was probably as strong as Kyoko. If she slapped him, it would be unavoidable. "Alchemy Union is a closed group that only invited people to be the student, it had no age restriction per se, so don''t be surprised if you met a grandpa that is as fragile as ash but still a student." "Well, of course, that was a rare case since even alchemists cannot neglect their own cultivation level or they would not be able to handle higher grade soul flame," finished Elise. "So that old man over there is a rare case student?" said Lyon while pointing at the fainted old man. Elise sighed before nodding, "Was a student, there are certain rules to be followed, and I just revoke his studentship." Lyon was not surprised by her decision to revoke the old man''s studentship. If the old man dared enough to gamble their alma mater, then it was a suitable punishment if they lost it. "But be careful what you wish for, the Alchemy Union is known as a hellish place for the untalented," said Elise with a smile. Lyon''s eyes turned serious as he looks at the elder from the Alchemy Union before asking a barrage of questions. "Is there a rule regarding a student romancing fellow students?" "Eh? No." "Is there a rule regarding a student romancing the instructor?" "No." "Is there a rule regarding a student romancing the elders?" "Eh?! N-no." *blush* "Is there a rule for the female students to must wear a skirt in the Alchemy Union?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "No, oh wait. Yes, well not explicitly." Lyon shrugged his shoulders as he said, "Sounds like heaven to me." Elise twitched at his response as she thought (This boy is unbelievable). She suddenly remembered one of her fellow elders that shared their experience of giving the letter of recommendation to a possible candidate. The candidates would be struck with honor and pride and greet the said elder like their own parents or even a god. However, the reality in front of her was different from their description. The young man was jumping around like a rabbit expressing his joyous fate but not because of honor or pride but because of the chance of flirting with the girls there. (If he were to enter the Alchemy Union, would it be a blessing or a curse I wonder). She shook off her thought as she focused on the blue pill in her hand. The bright color of blue proved its stability and she felt a little surge of mana seeping out from the pill. "This pill is a type of rejuvenating pill, it will heal your external wounds to a certain extent but I can''t fully gauge to what extent," said Elise, leading the course of the conversation. "Oh my, if it were priced, how much would elder think it will be?" asked Rowland with stars in his eyes. "Hmm, maybe twenty thousand good grade beads give or take," "T-t-t-t-t-t. TWENTY?!" Rowland was shaking on his boots as he heard the estimated price. With the appraiser being an elder from the Alchemy Union, the prize he would put on display would be unnegotiable. Princess Aelina covered her mouth in surprise as she heard the prize. She knew the currency for the higher worlds was cultivation beads so she could roughly gauge how much was twenty thousand good grade beads were. (Th-that''s almost a quarter of Luderia''s treasures!) thought the princess. *thud The sound of pair of knees hitting the ground was heard as Lyon furrowed his eyebrows. "Oh, Great Nephew Lyon! Would you let this humble uncle sold this magnificent work of yours!" the figure kneeling was none other than Rowland, the uncle of Princess Aelina. (Damn, you are fast indeed) thought Lyon as he saw his begging eyes. Lyon sighed before he said, "You don''t need to kneel, my uncle, take it as a gift from me." (You goddamn old fox! I can''t refuse because I know you would use Aelina to guilt me!). "Hah! Thank you so much, my nephew! I will pray so that you are blessed with many children alongside Aelina, my beautiful niece!" *stomp "Uncle! We are just taking a stroll!" said Princess Aelina with her red cheeks. 155 Show Me Your Soul Flame Elise casually put the blue pill on the nearby counter before she said, "It''s quite something for an amateur to produce such grade of a pill, tell me, who was the one that taught you about alchemy?" Her question made Lyon raised one of his eyebrows as he ignored the kowtowed Rowland. "No one, I just tried it today." Elise''s eyes opened wide as she was surprised by his answer. It was near impossible feat for one to be self-learning about alchemy, not to mention producing a level two grade for their first time. "You-you''re lying right?" asked Elise in disbelief. She refused to believe that such a thing was possible. Even she herself was only capable of producing a level one grade white pill in her first experience. However, she soon noticed that no one denied his statement at all which made her took a half step back instinctively. "Boy, how old are you?" asked Elise in an attempt to crack this unbelievable fact. One cultivator might look young but several hundred years old in reality, depending on their cultivation realm. She definitely gauged Lyon''s realm but the result was a mere peak Soul Realm. "I''m nineteen years old," answered Lyon nonchalantly. . . Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. . . "What?!" the whole room except Lyon and Kyoko screamed. "Hubby! You''re nineteen?!" asked Ryona with a surprised look. Lyon nodded proudly. In his mind, there was no point in lying one''s age at all. Kyoko''s heavy sigh was heard before she said, "Ryona, you should know this already, he can''t be more than twenty-five, otherwise there is no way we would have met him." Ryona opened her eyes wider as she asked her overseer, "Huh, really?" "That''s why you need to pay attention when we have a meeting, all you do is talking about fights and fights all the time back in the room." "Sorry!" The princess looked at disbelief as she couldn''t help but ask, "Lyon, are you really only nineteen years old?" She still couldn''t believe that the young man she was strolling with was actually many years younger than her. The times when they walk together she would always felt that Lyon was the older one, however, another surprising fact was, he was still younger than her younger sister Chloe. "Yes, for the last time, I''m still nineteen years old!" answered Lyon. *pat Rowland patted his niece''s shoulders as he spoke seriously, "Luderia''s fate is in your hand my beautiful niece, for, as far as I know, you are the one with the chance to bring this kingdom to a new height!" His eyes were starry as he was dying to wait in the future where Luderia would have a new ruler. He could almost feel it, having thousands of shop branches and his wealth piling up under his butt. Princess Aelina naturally didn''t pay any heed to his uncle''s opinion. She was more focused on the fact that the young man was more than what''s on the surface. With the young age of nineteen years old, he managed to produce a level two pill with a White Soul Flame, in this regard alone, her younger brother who was said to be the promising young alchemist couldn''t even hold a candle. With his combat capability that tied even that of her younger sister, Prince Weiss talent was nothing in front of him. He was more than just a young man, he was the very embodiment of potential. While Princess Aelina was in awe, Elise was no different. (A nineteen years old boy just made a level two grade pill?) thought Elise before she woke up the dazing middle-aged man called Rowland, "Hey, you didn''t lie to me did you? You are sure that this boy over here was the one that made this pill?" "Yes, yes, I assure you, if not you can ask my niece here, we both was the witness of the miracle art!" answered Rowland firmly. She was still having a hard time believing this as a fact even though the result was apparent. The beautiful little rabbit-woman furrowed her eyebrows before a fuzzy memory sparked in her mind. (I-i think there was one individual that was recorded in an old ancient book in the Alchemy Union that told the story almost similar to this, but) thought Elise before asking, "Boy, can you let me see your soul flame?" "Hmm? What for?" asked Lyon with a furrowed eyebrows. "I don''t think there is a harm to let her see it, after all, if you are going to the Alchemy Union, she will become your elder later on," interjected Kyoko calmly. Elise nodded at her reaction as a soft motion of saying thank you. "Alright then," said Lyon as he closed his eyes before slowly taking full control of his breathing. (Such concentration in a matter of seconds!) thought Elise as she watched every single detail like research for her thesis. "Uh, I think you guys want to take a few steps back," said Rowland as he already took a distance from the center of the attention before the princess follow suit. Kyoko naturally walked away, with Ryona following behind her. Elise furrowed her eyebrows as she didn''t understand their reaction at all. Albeit confused, she took the advice and took a few steps back. Lyons slowly opened his eyes as he looked at his right hand. (I feel it, this familiar feeling). He closed his eyes once more as he lost his sense of time and space. Rowland held his breath as he could feel that the ''miracle'' would show its form once more. . . . A single breath was heard seeping out from the young man before he opened his sharp eyes that could even penetrate ghosts. "Ignite!" shouted Lyon. *boom The white torrent of fire was swirling around both of his arms, controllable but looked wild. Its height even touched the ceiling as if it tried to burn it to ashes. He stood firmly with his hair fluttered as if even the mountain would bow to his existence. *drip The sound was faint but Kyoko and Ryona heard it. (My, my, little brother, who are you exactly?). They noticed the pale ice sculpture slowly melted due to the soul flame that kept kissing it. (No way, that flame... There''s no mistaking it!) thought Elise as she was agape at the heavenly sight. 156 Lets Meet Again The third floor of the pill store was bright by a wild white flame that continuously flared. Stood in the middle was a young man not older than twenty years old but his focus surpassed those of his peers by miles away. The elder of Alchemy Union, Elise, couldn''t help but gulped her saliva at the sight of such soul flame. (No mistake, that flame has to be the same one described in the ancient book!) thought Elise as she tried to jolt her memories to gain deeper memories. She bit her little thumb as she appeared agitated. (Shit, I forgot its story! I need to go back to the Alchemy Union later, hopefully, the book is still there. Damn it! I thought it was only a fairy tale!) thought Elise. When she was in the Alchemy Union she stumbled upon an old book that covered in dust. It was placed in the hidden archives that only an elder rank and above can access. The book was worn by time and not a single person ever borrowed the said book. It was out of curiosity that she read the book, only to realize that it was a fairy tale for children. She didn''t dare to bring it up against the leader of the Alchemy Union since the person was really mysterious, she never even met the person face to face since the person was never around the union. Even the office was not accessible to those with a higher rank than hers. She did ever bring it up to her seniors but they only shrugged and eventually told her not to think about it since it''s a waste of time, but now. Lyon casually waved his hand as the white flame instantly reduced into nothingness in a blink of an eye. It was no doubt that despite the wild look, the soul flame was tame to its master. The young man quickly regain his smug attitude as he said, ''Well, what do you think?" Elise took a deep breath before replying, "Yes, your soul flame is the first type that I cannot recognize in a glance." "However, don''t be too confident less it would become arrogance. Your soul flame is still at its basic form, the lowest level, so-?!" Elise held her words in her tongue as she just realized something crucial. There was an undeniable fact that lies in front of her. The true reason why Rowland called it a miracle art. It wasn''t about the size nor the brightness, but the reality that Lyon made a second-grade pill with a first-level soul flame. The impossible feat that many alchemists could only dream was realized. "Hmm? What''s wrong miss Elise?" asked Lyon seeing her stop in the middle of her speech. His voice woke her up from her stupor before she fake-coughing to regain her composure. "Lyon, what technique did you use to make the pill?" asked Elise. (There are indeed a few techniques that allowed the alchemist to a produced higher grade than their own soul flame level but never the one hundred percent one, the product would only be seventy percent stable at best). (Furthermore, that was only a theory in a book. Never have I seen an alchemist that even managed to do that feat, not to mention what this wonder boy just did. The technique was complicated and harsh to learn, even me and my peers couldn''t do more than twenty percent at best). "Hmm? I never think about it before," said Lyon while rubbing his chin. His answer brought confusion to the beautiful elder before Lyon continued, "How about, Flamebait? or Coiling Dragon?" Elise couldn''t help but twitched her mouth. (So this boy is really an amateur, no even worse, he is just a beginner who only did alchemist art one time). She knew Lyon was not faking it because there was no reason to do so. Even if she pressed the matter, he wouldn''t answer because he never knew what the answer to begin with. Elise sighed before averting her gaze toward Rowland, "You won''t find any luck selling this pill here in this world, the people wouldn''t have enough beads to buy it from you." "That is correct elder, selling this item here would be like selling a bar of gold to a beggar. I''m a merchant, I have a connection with the Treas family famous for their auction," said Rowlan proudly. "Hmm, an auction? You are planning to auction this pill?" asked Elise with slight curiosity. "That is correct elder, I am planning to auction this pill. Since you have it certified for this lowly one, then the Treas family wouldn''t question its validity. Alchemy Union weight as much as diamonds, they wouldn''t dare to offend you. Of course, I wouldn''t auction it in this world either." Hearing his indirect praises, Elise couldn''t help but put on a high air as she lifted up her cute nose. "Fine, do as you will, you are a better merchant than I am anyway." "Hahaha, you are praising me too much. In the near future, I would be replaced by this nephew of mine, his sharp thinking almost reminds me of my youth," said Rowland as he laughed beside Lyon. (No, to be more precise, his thinking was more evil and wicked, surely he would have beads as breakfast in the future!). If Lyon could hear what he was thinking then he would be reminded of that horrible memory where he actually, literally, ate a top-grade cultivation bead. "Hmm, maybe, but who knows what the future be, anyway, my job here is done, I should get back to the Alchemy Union," said Elise while she turned around and waved her hand. "Wait!" shouted Lyon from behind. "Hmm, what is it?" replied Elise as she faced Lyon. Lyon pointed his finger toward a fainted old man on the floor before saying, "What about this old man?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "No matter, he is not a student anymore, oh don''t worry, he won''t take revenge, just say my name," said Elise as she turned around once again. "Let''s meet again boy, next time, in the Alchemy Union." 157 Good News and Bad News The little figure soon disappeared from Lyon''s view as she departed from the store. It was quite an eventful meeting for them but the fact that she could enter Luderia proved her credibility since the kingdom were quite sensitive about a non-human visiting. "Ah, that''s right, I need to introduce you to these two ladies," said Lyon before Princess Aelina''s eyes. *cough With a little cough, Lyon continued, "As you might have heard from before, the beautiful fox lady is called Kyoko and the other beautiful lady is called Ryona." "Ah, nice to meet you, I''m Aelina," said Aelina hurriedly. She knew how powerful these two ladies were from their exchange against the elder from Alchemy Union, so she didn''t dare to show the slightest disrespect. "Likewise," said Kyoko with a smile. She knew her true identity from the very start since she and Ryona were watching Lyon in the banquet as well. "Nice to meet you Aelina, looks like I will have another rival in the future hehehe <3" teased Ryona as she winks at her hubby. Princess Aelina couldn''t help but turn a shade of red on her cheeks before saying, "Ah- it''s not like that, we are only taking a stroll, besides we only knew each other less than a day''s worth." "Hehehe, sure, whatever you say Aelina," said Ryona with a teasing tone. "Anyway, Lyon, we will hide in the shadows once again to watch this ''endeavor'' of yours," said Kyoko before averting her gaze toward Aelina and Rowland, "It would be of your best interest to not speak about what happened, lest you would make it difficult for yourselves." It was soundless and elegant, their movements couldn''t be caught by normal eyes as they disappeared from their vision. Only Lyon was not surprised by this. "Engh.." A sound of a grunt was heard behind the trio before being followed with a cough. The old man on the floor was finally back to the living as he felt a jolt of pain in his head. His fragile body that almost as thin as a toothpick slowly got up before sitting on the floor, leaning on a nearby wall. "Aw, what happened?" said the old man as his memory was getting hazy. "Oh, old man, you came through?" said Lyon with a smile. The old man''s vision was blurry and split into two before slowly fusing into one, revealing three people staring at them. (Ah that''s right, I remember now, I was in the pill store where I lost a bet) thought the old man before he realized that he was not wearing the azure cloak of Alchemy Union. "K-kid! Where is my azure cloak?!" said the old man as he noticed that none of them was holding it nor wearing it. The only other possibilities were, it was kept in their spatial ring. Lyon shook his head before his expression was gloomy as he looked at the old man. He was like a doctor giving bad news to the patient''s family. "Too bad old man, I have good news and bad news, which want do you want to hear first?" Rowland and the princess kept their mouth shut since even they didn''t know what Lyon was saying. The old man squinted his eyes and furrowing his eyebrows as he heard what the young man said. Albeit a bit confused, the old man responded, "What''s the good news?" "You are a free man now," said Lyon calmly. His answer only brought the old man to sink deeper into confusion. "What do you mean?" asked the old man eventually. Lyon made a fake cough before explaining, "You are a free man now, wherever you go will be your own responsibility, you have an unrestrained life now. Go live the life you had always wanted." (Has this young man lost it?) thought the old man before saying, "That''s just the way I live right now kid!" "Alright, alright, no need to yell, sheesh old man, you will die alone if you keep that act," said Lyon while he drilled his own ear with his index finger. The old man almost splurted out blood as he heard what the young man said. (Damn, I was known for a sharp tongue, but this brat don''t know mercy against an old man). One of the greatest fear of living an old age was that there was no one by their side, alone till the grave. The old man closed his eyes before slowly standing up and patted the dust on his clothing. (Hm? Was there always an ice sculpture in the middle of the room?) thought the old man as he got a clearer view. (No wait, this ice sculpture''s placing was not right, it would meddle with the alchemist making a pill, so that means this is new!). He was not the student of Alchemy Union for nothing, his analytical capabilities were the fruits of his labor whenever he made pills or trying new recipes. "Kid, what is the bad news?" asked the old man. Lyon sighed as he shook his head. This response of his made the old man agitated as he contemplated (Is it that bad?). "I now know what the azure cloak means old man," said Lyon softly. The old man''s eyes opened wide, "Y-you do? T-that''s good then, c''mon give it back, I will pay the bet with other kinds of stuff!" "I can''t, because the cloak is not with me, nor this pretty lady Aelina and... that guy." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. (Did he? Did he just call me ''that guy''?) thought Rowland. "In fact, it was not even in this room, perhaps is not even in this city," continued Lyon. "Wh-what do you mean?! Y-you?! Don''t tell me you sold it?!" said the old man as cold sweat started to build upon his forehead. "You are no longer a student, old man, an elder from the Alchemy Union was here when you passed out." *thud The sound of thudding was heard as both of the old man''s knees hit the floor. He looked at his wrinkled hand in disbelief. (Impossible, impossible) thought the old man as the word kept resounding in his mind. His weary eyes slowly looked up to the young man before his words sent him into reality. "Elise Growthort." (PFfft! Hahaha! Goddamnit!). 158 Older Sister? He heard the name as if lightning struck his heart. The old man repeatedly mused the name ''Elise Growhthort'' as his gaze landed on the floor. He didn''t doubt the truthfulness of Lyon''s statement at all, considering he didn''t even know the Alchemy Union in the first place. "Elder, E-Elise!" "Hmm? Old man, is she that famous?" The old man furrowed his eyebrows as he stood up straight, despite the devastating news of his studentship revoked he spoke with reverent. "Famous? She is more than famous! She is a legendary figure in the union!" With his wrinkly hands behind him, he continued, "Dubbed as the prodigy of the new era, she became the youngest elder ever admitted to the union, easily breaking the records by miles away. The last time I''ve heard, she was on some sort of pilgrimage to experience the vast world and infinite techniques of alchemy!" "Wow, she is a bigshot huh," said Lyon with a smile. "Hmph. Many seek her tutelage but only quite a lucky few have the chance to even shake her hand," said the old man with a snort. It was no doubt from his tone that he idolized Elise as his sentences only filled with praises and praises. "Oh no," said Lyon softly as he just turned on a switch that many people had if they talk about their idol. "She is the true influencer of alchemy, making her debut at a young age she..." Sure enough, the old man kept talking no matter if Lyon even listened or not. (I wish you fall into despair instead and shut up, old man) thought Lyon with his twitching mouth. Lyon noticed that the old man explained while closing his eyes, he gently took the princess''s soft hand before putting a finger in front of his mouth. Aelina knew what he was after before nodding in an agreement. The couple sidestepped one second at a time each time the old man spoke and paused whenever he finished a sentence. Of course, this movement couldn''t be more obvious to the old fox Rowland. As they were only a few steps left before the stairs going down, the old fox stealthily joined their sidestepping. The two become three as they moved in unison. *pat Lyon lightly patted Rowland''s shoulder as he whispered devilishly, "Oi-oi my uncle, what are you doing? Hmm?" "Of course I''m getting out of here with you two, who would want to hear an old man I barely know made a speech about his idol," replied Rowland. *tsk*tsk Lyon shook his head before saying, "No no, uncle, you are the owner of the store so it must be you who keeps accompanying that old man, besides, he had a level three grade soul flame, or was it level two? No matter, this is your chance to get him by your side, think about his circumstances my smart uncle." Rowland squinted his eyebrows as he heard what Lyon said. His sugarcoating level was professional as he tried to make him stay on the third floor. True regarding the old man''s circumstances, now was the best time to entice him in joining the alchemy store but. "Hehehe, sadly my nephew, the old man over there wouldn''t even be interested in my gullible words since Deo is only a place for ants in his eyes," "Ah, no need to fret uncle, I mean, you even know Elise." The old fox shook his head as he replied, "Sadly, I only knew her as much as you." Lyon furrowed his eyebrows as the question ''What do you mean?'' could be clearly seen by his expression. Thus, Rowland began to explain how he met Elise. It turned out, he was heading toward a local pub outside. The pub was not crowded like usual so he took his chance and shouted ''Who can appraise a level two pill?''. Then a figure that was unusual in Luderia suddenly raised her little hand. (Talk about non-dramatic) thought Lyon as he heard his story. "Besides, why do you want me to stay here anyway?" "Hey, hey, uncle, my good uncle, you don''t want to offend a level three alchemist now, do you? He might not be a student anymore, but his friends are still powerful cultivators," said Lyon as if he was the snake that told Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, but better. Rowland gulped as he almost skipped that possibility. No matter what, an alchemist was still an alchemist. Their greatest ability was making pills and making critical connections. Strong cultivators would rush in to help the alchemist in need, to gain favor from them. Just a wave and the army would gather to destroy his store and wipe his existence. With gritted teeth, he steeled his feet and stood like a general. He kept his smile like a professional merchant as he appeared to be listening to every word the old man said. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Eh, uncle? Lyon what did you-" Princess Aelina''s mouth was pressed with Lyon''s index finger before they continued going down the stairs. ------------------------------------------------------------- The light simmered the couple''s face as they stepped outside. The young man stretched his arms as Fenrir yawn on top of his head while the beautiful woman lightly stretched her neck. "Hah, it felt like an eternity in there," said Lyon before putting his hands behind his head. (This stroll has been quite eventful, instead of answers, more questions popped up) thought Aelina as she sighed. She slowly put her finger on her lips as she recalled that her kiss was also stolen in the barrage of events. "L-Lyon," spoke Aelina softly. "Hmm?" Lyon turned around before he looked at Aleina straight in the eyes. (It-it''s unfair! How could you look at me in the eyes so calmly) thought Aelina as she couldn''t keep up her gaze before shyly turning away. "What''s wrong Aelina? Am I really that ugly to be looked at?" said Lyon with a gloomy tone. Aelina opened her eyes wide before hurriedly turning her gaze back toward the young man, "Ah, no, not like-?!" "Older sister? What are you doing here?" A voice was heard coming behind Lyon''s figure. 159 Urgent Matter! A chubby figure was standing behind Lyon while exuding a royalty-bearing. With his royal clothing, he walked past him with his hands on his back. The said figure was none other than Prince Frey, the talented alchemist of the younger generation and also, Princess Aelina''s youngest brother. *clank The sound of metals was also heard before a couple of guards wearing silver armor revealed themselves from behind Lyon''s figure. "Older sister?" wondered Lyon. "It''s quite rare for you to visit this store of uncle''s, do you need a cultivation pill or two?" asked Prince Frey. "Ah, how rude of me, good afternoon sir Lyon, you sure are looking great today," continued Prince Frey as he averted his gaze toward the young man near him with a sincere smile. Lyon nodded, "You too Prince Frey, are you taking a walk in the middle of the day?" The prince nodded his head before he answered, "You can say that, I am in fact about to refine my alchemy art on the third floor, would you like to join me?" "No," said Lyon and the princess at the same time. "Huh, what? Really?" the prince was surprised by their answer. Normally people of Luderia would kill for an opportunity like this. With the old man was still on the third floor, Lyon and the princess nodded without a slight hesitation. "I see, then good day to you," said the prince with a little bow before walking to the entrance of the pill store. *tap As the prince was about to enter, he halted his steps before turning back to face the both of them. "Ah right, Older sister, I have a piece of information that you would like to know." Princess Aelina furrowed her eyebrows as she asked, "What is it?" "It''s about the first prince, I overheard their conversation with Duke Armand, things will get pretty ugly even before the competition." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Princess Aelina''s expression was still as she let her younger brother continue. "You know for the longest that the first prince was after the zither sir Lyon brought in the banquet and that he planted some sort of a spy that monitored your movements regarding it." "How do you know about that?" asked the princess. "Of course I can''t tell you older sister, you should know about that. All three of us have our own way of gaining information," answered her little brother. She knew that her answer would result in such, but she was willing to try. All three of them had different forces for all she knew. The kingdom was currently split into three factions as it now stood. One under the first prince, Prince Weiss, the second was hers, while the last was Prince Frey. "Then can you elaborate more? What do you mean by ''ugly''?" asked the princess. "They are planning to end sir Lyon''s life." The princess opened wide at his statement as she subconsciously averted her gaze toward the young man beside her. Lyon stood straight as if he heard nothing but a useless warning. He knew that the first prince was less stronger than the woman he had a little spar with. "Is he asking to die? You know how Lyon could be said on par with little sister Chloe, there is no way he could-?!" Her words stopped as she realized something. "Well, I will leave you at that," said Prince Frey before entering the store, to which a couple of guards follow suit. "Aelina, or should I call you Princess Aleina from now on," chuckled Lyon. Lyon already had an inkling about her identity and he would tease her bit by bit during the stroll. He couldn''t resist how cute she was as she tried to hide it despite being in impossible situations. Aelina bit her lips as she realized a terrible thing. Her mind flashed to the time where she met the first prince during the time of her stroll with Lyon. "Lyon! Biane and Clemora are in danger!" said the princess hurriedly. "Yes, yes, I know, you are the princess in which Biane and Clemora are supporting, wait, what?" She didn''t care about her identity being exposed to Lyon since there was an urgent matter. Her eyes turned sharp as she faced Lyon. "What do you mean?" asked Lyon as he furrowed his eyebrows. "The first prince is not as gallant as the commoners know him. He is a vicious man, he would do anything to reach his goal, killing, executing, blackmailing, everything necessary" said the princess. "Don''t tell me..." The princess nodded, "Since he cannot kill you directly in a fight and using his military might would only end up in casualties, then he would use the people near you!" *crackle The crackling noise from Lyon''s knuckles was heard as he made a fist. His veins appeared on his forearms like little worms as one could fairly see the throbbing. His hair fluttered against the wind almost as if it was floating in the air. Faintly green aura started to surround his body as an aura exceed that of a king was exuded. The princess took a step back as the result of her body reacted to fear. She could feel that Lyon''s bearing was different, he was still him but he was different. (W-what is this?! This feeling! As if I''m looking at father! No, this is even beyond that!) thought Aelina as she gulped. "He dares to do that?" said Lyon as his tone was deep and one could feel the bloodlust seeping from the words. *thud Suddenly a figure fell to the ground nearby. He had golden hair that Lyon couldn''t be more familiar with. His battered cloth had stained blood as he struggled to breathe. *swoosh With only one step, Lyon already held the figure in his arms, "Jugen! Who!" *cough Jugen coughed blood before he said with berated breathing, "Th-there is a group of people armed to the teeth suddenly barged in the mansion, I-i tried to stop them, but I''m sorry big brother, I''m too weak. I can''t even protect the two women." With quick movements from his finger, he cast a spell that almost enveloped Jugen''s entire figure. It was like a miracle at work, the bruises and the wounds started to heal up at a ludicrous rate that could be seen by a naked eye. Under the magic brand, Jugen said softly, "They said, it was an order from the first prince..." Jugen closed his eyes as he healed up. The process was only enchanting his natural healing capabilities if it''s necessary the body will enter the sleeping state on his own. "Ryona, take Jugen to rest at a nearby inn or in the mansion if it''s not in a mess," said Lyon before Ryona suddenly appeared in front of him. Ryona nodded as he held Jugen and vanished in thin air. "Kyoko, please follow after them and protect them both, do not follow me," said Lyon to no one in front of him, but he could fairly hear a ''yes'' as the wind suddenly change for an instant. The princess stared at the back of the young man that was covered by greenish mana swirling around him. Even though their distance between each other was not far, she could clearly feel the gap of power between them. Steeling her heart, she asked, "L-Lyon, what are you going to do?" Lyon glanced at her as he said, "There will only be two candidates for the throne after I''m done." 160 Divine Magic! Inside the pill store, was the second prince, Prince Frey. After giving his older sister the critical info, he along with the two guards proceed to the second floor. The two guards had a confused look that they didn''t dare to express as they followed behind him. There exist a critical question inside their head as the guards looked at each other. They pretty much knew the condition of the fight between the three candidates so the act of what the prince did baffle them so. "There must be one word that popped up in your minds, ''why''," said the prince as he stopped his walk before turning around to face them. "No-no, we didn''t dare to question young prince," said one of the guards as the both of them quickly bowed. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. They knew that their status was deemed insignificant to the eyes of the royalties, with a single order, the kingdom could make them disappear as if they never existed in the first place. "It''s alright, there is no need to be scared, I''m not as unreasonable as the first prince. True, normal people would no doubt want the reason behind why I gave my rival a piece of info like that," answered Prince Frey with a smile. "As you already know, the first prince held reasonably high military assets compared to the second princess and me. It would not be possible that she could face the first prince alone, so by giving her the information, all we have to do is wait for her to initiate a negotiation with me, which of course I will have the upper hand. "The amazing part of this plan is, even if she didn''t initiate the negotiation and she chose to fight the first prince all on her own, she would lose and the first prince wouldn''t leave unscathed either. Leaving me the only faction with full power." "P-pardon me, young prince, but if you said that, then wouldn''t it be better to not tell Princess Aelina about it at all?" asked one of the guards. The prince smiled in response before saying, "Tell me, which one is harder, stabbing a cornered foe, or stabbing a ''friend''?" The guards were dumbfounded as they realized what he meant. A cornered rabbit would still fight with teeth and claw but an unsuspecting ally wouldn''t even realize before it was too late. Now they knew that the prince in front of him was not just a talented alchemist but also a crafty ruler. He only lacked military power against his big brother, if he had those, he would be the next in line without a shred of doubt. However, he didn''t know one crucial information that only the current king possessed, the existence of the wild card. *zing A flash entered the entire pill store from the nearby window. The prince and the guards couldn''t help but covered their eyes for a moment before walking to the nearby window. "What was that?" asked the prince as he approached it. "?!" his eyes opened wide in horror as he took a peek outside. --------------------------------------------- In the downtown, or commoner region. *thud A young man fell to the ground as he looked up above. His eyes opened wide along with hands shaking as if he tried to hold on to the paving. His mouth was agape as he couldn''t mutter a word. The nearby people who noticed him subconsciously averted their gaze following the young man. "Good gracious God..." one old man couldn''t help but mutter as he saw a grand sight above him. One by one, people that were inside a building started to come out and stared at the above. "What the...," gulped a commoner with his eyes glued to the sky. --------------------------------------------- Inside the castle, the first prince room. Prince Weiss was staring at a glass of wine that he held. He slowly tilted it to the right and then back to the left as he contemplated. "With both of the women in my hands, he will not dare to try anything funny. A womanizer''s demise is always his own woman," mused the first prince. "This is the prize of disrespecting the future ruler of Luderia Hahahaha! Of course, I cannot do this without your support, Duke Armand." "The pleasure is mine, ''future king''," replied the middle-aged man, sitting in front of him. In his mind, he was killing two birds with one stone. He was trying to enact revenge against this young man called Lyon for leaving his son almost crippled and in doing so he helped the first prince which would be very beneficial for the future. "First Prince! First Prince!" suddenly a shout was heard as the source rushed to Prince Weiss''s chamber. The prince and the duke furrowed his eyebrows as this was a form of disrespect to them. "What is it?! Do you want to die?!" shouted the prince. "Pardon me First Prince! But please look outside the window! S-something big is happening!" said the guard as he entered the chamber. "Hmm?" both the prince and the duke glanced at the window beside them. "Hm?!" both of them opened their eyes wide in an instant. The prince gulped at the sight, it was magnificent and divine, beautiful but horror at the meaning. "Y-you''re...kidding..., right?" --------------------------------------------- Sitting on the throne, the king was alone in the room with closed eyes. "Hm?!" his weary eyes twitched before opening, revealing the wisdom hidden in his vision. The king stood up from his throne as he said, "So... the wild card finally revealed themselves at last!" --------------------------------------------- Princess Aelina instinctively took a step back as she faced the sky. A single huge rainbow magic brand was covering the sky. It stretched as far as the entire Luderia''s kingdom. The color itself brought people to their knees as they knew what grade it meant. With the young man stood directly under the center of the magic brand, he took a long breath before opening his sharp eyes. "Divine Magic, Scabbard!" The magic brand lit up as the mark of a historical event began. 160 Divine Spell! Inside the pill store, was the second prince, Prince Frey. After giving his older sister the critical info, he along with the two guards proceed to the second floor. The two guards had a confused look that they didn''t dare to express as they followed behind him. There exist a critical question inside their head as the guards looked at each other. They pretty much knew the condition of the fight between the three candidates so the act of what the prince did baffle them so. "There must be one word that popped up in your minds, ''why''," said the prince as he stopped his walk before turning around to face them. "No-no, we didn''t dare to question young prince," said one of the guards as the both of them quickly bowed. They knew that their status was deemed insignificant to the eyes of the royalties, with a single order, the kingdom could make them disappear as if they never existed in the first place. "It''s alright, there is no need to be scared, I''m not as unreasonable as the first prince. True, normal people would no doubt want the reason behind why I gave my rival a piece of info like that," answered Prince Frey with a smile. "As you already know, the first prince held reasonably high military assets compared to the second princess and me. It would not be possible that she could face the first prince alone, so by giving her the information, all we have to do is wait for her to initiate a negotiation with me, which of course I will have the upper hand. "The amazing part of this plan is, even if she didn''t initiate the negotiation and she chose to fight the first prince all on her own, she would lose and the first prince wouldn''t leave unscathed either. Leaving me the only faction with full power." "P-pardon me, young prince, but if you said that, then wouldn''t it be better to not tell Princess Aelina about it at all?" asked one of the guards. The prince smiled in response before saying, "Tell me, which one is harder, stabbing a cornered foe, or stabbing a ''friend''?" The guards were dumbfounded as they realized what he meant. A cornered rabbit would still fight with teeth and claw but an unsuspecting ally wouldn''t even realize before it was too late. Now they knew that the prince in front of him was not just a talented alchemist but also a crafty ruler. He only lacked military power against his big brother, if he had those, he would be the next in line without a shred of doubt. However, he didn''t know one crucial information that only the current king possessed, the existence of the wild card. *zing A flash entered the entire pill store from the nearby window. The prince and the guards couldn''t help but covered their eyes for a moment before walking to the nearby window. "What was that?" asked the prince as he approached it. "?!" his eyes opened wide in horror as he took a peek outside. --------------------------------------------- In the downtown, or commoner region. *thud Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. A young man fell to the ground as he looked up above. His eyes opened wide along with hands shaking as if he tried to hold on to the paving. His mouth was agape as he couldn''t mutter a word. The nearby people who noticed him subconsciously averted their gaze following the young man. "Good gracious God..." one old man couldn''t help but mutter as he saw a grand sight above him. One by one, people that were inside a building started to come out and stared at the above. "What the...," gulped a commoner with his eyes glued to the sky. --------------------------------------------- Inside the castle, the first prince room. Prince Weiss was staring at a glass of wine that he held. He slowly tilted it to the right and then back to the left as he contemplated. "With both of the women in my hands, he will not dare to try anything funny. A womanizer''s demise is always his own woman," mused the first prince. "This is the prize of disrespecting the future ruler of Luderia Hahahaha! Of course, I cannot do this without your support, Duke Armand." "The pleasure is mine, ''future king''," replied the middle-aged man, sitting in front of him. In his mind, he was killing two birds with one stone. He was trying to enact revenge against this young man called Lyon for leaving his son almost crippled and in doing so he helped the first prince which would be very beneficial for the future. "First Prince! First Prince!" suddenly a shout was heard as the source rushed to Prince Weiss''s chamber. The prince and the duke furrowed his eyebrows as this was a form of disrespect to them. "What is it?! Do you want to die?!" shouted the prince. "Pardon me, First Prince! But please look outside the window! S-something big is happening!" said the guard as he entered the chamber. "Hmm?" both the prince and the duke glanced at the window beside them. "Hm?!" both of them opened their eyes wide in an instant. The prince gulped at the sight, it was magnificent and divine, beautiful but horror at the meaning. "Y-you''re...kidding..., right?" --------------------------------------------- Sitting on the throne, the king was alone in the room with closed eyes. "Hm?!" his weary eyes twitched before opening, revealing the wisdom hidden in his vision. The king stood up from his throne as he said, "So... the wild card finally revealed themselves at last!" --------------------------------------------- Princess Aelina instinctively took a step back as she faced the sky. A single huge rainbow magic brand was covering the sky. It stretched as far as the entire Luderia''s kingdom. The color itself brought people to their knees as they knew what grade it meant. With the young man stood directly under the center of the magic brand, he took a long breath before opening his sharp eyes. "Divine Spell, Scabbard!" The magic brand lit up as the mark of a historical event began. 161 Encounter! The people inside Luderia closed their eyes as the blinding light from the spell activation flashed the entire place. One young man took a peek after the flash dimmed down. "Huh?!" his eyes opened wide as he let down his arm that covered his vision. "Nothing?" spoke the young man softly. He was sure that Luderia was done for with that humongous spell up above him before. However, there was nothing, the sky was normal as always. --------------------------------------- At the entrance gate, two guards were guarding it. One of them had cold sweat as he said to his partner, "Phew, glad nothing happen, crap I got to take a leak." Thus he proceeded to walk to the nearby river under the bridge. However, not even five steps before the entrance. *thud The guard hit something with his head as he was holding his crotch. "Huh?" said the guard before he tried to touch the space in front of him. As the finger approached nearer, it finally made contact with something invisible to the naked eye. Feeling that there was something, he tried to touch it with his palm next. "H-hey, partner, come here, check this out, there is something here that is blocking my way?" "Huh? What are you talking about? There is nothing there," said his partner while he waved his hand. *thud There was an object falling to the ground before it crashes with a loud thud near the guard that was about to take a leak. The guard squinted his eyes as he grabbed the object. "A dead bird?", said the guard as he realized the cause of death was vividly visible, a broken beak. It was crushed beyond saving as if the bird hit something at a high speed. *chirp The guard looked up to the source of the sound as he noticed there was another bird of the same type heading west. *thud The guard opened wide as he saw how the bird suddenly crashed against nothing but air. It wasn''t long before the bird fell to the ground with the same cause of death. "Y-you''re kidding right... we are isolated..." said the guard as he wet his pants. --------------------------------------- The young man who cast the spell stood firmly while his hair fluttered, not with the wind but with his aura. "No one will exit nor enter Luderia," said Lyon as his deep and sharp eyes gazed toward the palace region. The princess was still in shock as she saw what the young man did. (D-d-divine spell?! A level ten divine spell?!). Not to mention Deo, even Mabia might not have such high tier spell. Lyon picked up the being that had been sleeping this entire time before throwing him at the dumbfounded princess. "Take care of Fenrir for me, don''t worry, if he wakes up, he would protect you, I think..." "Huh?" before Princess Aelina could mutter another word, the figure was gone, not even an afterimage was left. --------------------------------------- Two guards that were guarding the entrance to the palace furrowed their eyebrows as they saw an unusual youth coming right at them. His compressed shirt reveals his shredded figure as veins in his forearms was vividly visible. His black-golden pattern sarong fluttered along with his long black hair. His steps were unwavering as the mountain as his gaze was locked to the palace. "Stop where you are!" said both of the guards at the incoming youth. The figure didn''t pay any heed as he kept going. "We will have to use force if you don''t stop right now!" said one of them as their hands reached the hilt of their swords. As Lyon was getting nearer and nearer, the pressure exuding from him increased as the guards couldn''t help but having cold sweat. Their arms shook as they couldn''t even pull out the sword from its sheath. *tap*tap Lyon walked passed them without any hesitation as the guards didn''t even dare to glance back. (S-such existence!) thought the guards as they gritted their teeth for not even capable of pulling their sword. Lyon soon stood in front of a huge double door made of wood and a couple of black steel that run across horizontally. *creak The huge door opened as Lyon nonchalantly entered. There was only one other figure inside the room Lyon was in. He wore a royalty clothing befitting that of a king. He was none other than the current ruler of Luderia. The king was already standing when Lyon entered, he squinted his eyes to see that the figure was, in fact, a young man not older than his youngest daughter. (Hmm? Only a peak soul realm cultivator? But that''s weird, he didn''t even flinch when I put pressure around him) thought the king as he tried to put more into it. "Who are you, young man?" asked the king. "Hmph! You should ask that before putting your pathetic aura against me," said Lyon as he crossed his arm. There was faint greenish mana that coiled around Lyon''s figure as he stood. "Hmm, then what business do you have with my kingdom?" asked the king as he let go of Lyon''s arrogance act. "Is Weiss your son?" asked Lyon. "Yes, yes indeed, Weiss is my son. Do you have a matter with him?" answered the king calmly. "Then can you bring him here and ask him where he kept my women? Also, tell him to wash his neck," said Lyon nonchalantly. If people were to see this, they would think that Lyon had a death wish. Offending the ruler of Luderia meant offending the entire kingdom. "Gh," the king grunted as he thought (What did Weiss do this time, someone is trying to kill him but from the looks of it, can he even fight with Weiss with that cultivation level?). "You can''t? That''s fine, I will drag him myself then," said Lyon before walking toward a nearby hallway. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. *swoosh The king stood before him before saying, "I''m afraid, I can''t let you do that, I am still a father." He remembered that there were two more beings that could even make his messenger on the verge of dying. If Lyon could use them, then there was no hope of Weiss living. So his only choice was to step in. "And I''m a man!" said Lyon as his eyes turned green like that of a true dragon. *boom "Guha!" The king was propelled like a rocket by a punch that hit his face before crashing toward a wall at the end of the hallway. Lyon stood as his arms were covered with faint green scales. His majestic being was displayed as the greenish mana that surrounded him turned denser. There was a faint image behind his figure that Kyoko could see if she was there, a true dragon baring its fangs. 162 Lyon vs King Under the dust from the debris, a hand was seen trying to lift its own figure as it held on to the broken walls. The sound of patting was heard as the king revealed himself while stretching his neck. Though skinny and old, he was sturdy enough to survive a blow that even killed the butler in the mansion without any noticeable injury. (So this is the power of the wild card, having the power to leap levels and fight those who are at a stronger realm... truly gifted, almost reminds me of Chloe) thought the king as his gaze fell at the young man in front of him, exuding a bearing that surpassed that of a ruler. The two figures looked at each other, separated by quite a distance. One was a father trying to protect his son, the other was a young man trying to save his women. Both were for a noble cause of their own. *clank The sounds of rapid footsteps came from the king''s side as his elite soldiers rushed in a group. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "You''re majesty, are you alright?" said the captain of the elites. "Stay out of this, this is a personal matter, you will only be getting in my way if you were to join in," said the king as he waved his hand, not even looking at the guards. "Are we really going to continue this? I''m warning you, you''ll die," said Lyon as he furrowed his eyebrows. There was no hint of fear nor hesitation in his tone, his sharp eyes proved that he was serious. "You!" the captain and his army were enraged as he pulled out his sword against him. In their eyes, the king was a supreme existence that far within reach. The king had given them life and prosperity toward the years, it was a matter of course for them to be furious. "Stay back, you are no match for him, you will die in vain," said the king as he stepped in front of the captain and faced Lyon. The captain was unsure of this unwise decision his ruler made, but since he was the captain of the army he had to make a decision and example for his underlings. The captain closed his eyes as he sheathed his sword. "C-captain?!" said one of the guards. It was apparent that this was an illogical way of fighting since they have a huge advantage in numbers. "It''s an order, we will watch his majesty and his prowess in teaching this young man a lesson," said the captain before moving back to a certain distance to watch the fight. The king took a smile before saying, "Please forgive my men''s rudeness they don''t know who they are talking about. Now, then..." The king ripped his upper garment in one quick movement as it revealed his skinny figure. However, if one looked more closely, the proportion was actually perfect. His abs didn''t show any aging at all. Though his white beard was as long as his chest, this old man was not someone to be trifled with. The king slowly but surely gathering mana as he stretched his arm, "Ravels to the thunder, Gungnir!" A spark of lightning appeared under his hand as a dark thin spear was called. The army was tense to see what his King was doing. "G-Gungnir!" exclaimed the captain as he landed his sight against that legendary weapon. A weapon that was referred to be the ultimate jewel of Luderia. The weapon which brought Luderia''s creation handed down from generation to generation. Everyone knew this weapon was the king''s most prized treasure. This was the ultimate core power of Luderia. To think that the opponent this time require such a weapon to brought out made the army gulped both in excitement and in fear. *spark The spear was surrounded by golden lightning as its appearance alone made the enemies stunned. "To think that Gungnir reacted this wildly against you, young man. It is proved that you are an extraordinary being," said the king while he stroked his beard. The captain shook his head, "That young man doesn''t have a chance now." He did once saw the might of this spear that could penetrate a mountain. Even then, the king didn''t use his full power. "I see, you are not even one tiny bit intimidated by Gungnir''s presence, is that how strong you are? Or are you fear-stricken?" teased the king with a laugh. Lyon smirked at his remark before saying, "Feast the blood of your enemies, Scarlett!" Under his hand, a red-scarlet sword was called as it exuded a dominant killing intent. *clank The sound of clanking was heard as the entire army reacted to the wave of killing intent produced by Scarlett, it was as if it would suck their blood dry. They all have cold sweat as they were drenched by the foreshadowing of death itself. If it were to put it on someway, Gungnir was exuding a might that left the world in awe while Scarlet left the world in silence. "You must be joking if you think this is all I have," said Lyon as he teased back to the ruler of Luderia. The king furrowed his eyebrow after he heard his words. He knew that the sword Scarlett was almost equal to Gungnir that alone was the only advantage he had besides his enormous battle experience and cultivation realm. "Your son''s fate is sealed when he decided to kidnap my women!" shouted Lyon as a torrent of greenish mana engulfed his entire figure. *swoosh The mana dispersed as it reveals the figure that made the king of Luderia took a full step back. The Gungnir in his hand was restless as it desperately trying to strike. Lyon stood as he furrowed his eyebrows. His light-green hair exuded the might of true dragon as his hands and legs were covered with sturdy green scales that almost reflect an image, only his torso and neck above were not scally. "Block this if you can!" said Lyon as he threw a vertical slash that left a red wave against the king with incredible speed. The slash-wave was getting bigger and bigger as it split the ground and the floor at the same time. The king didn''t have the time to be amazed as he quickly put the tip of Gungnir to the incoming wave. *ding In that one encounter, the king opened his eyes wide as he realized that the spear didn''t manage to stop it. "Gh!" The king was pushed by the wave with the soldiers behind him who were trying to stop it with their weight, alas it was meaningless as they crashed into walls after walls. *boom The last wall of the palace was finally broken, revealing an open sea. Gritting his teeth, the king finally made a maneuver in midair to release from the wave, leaving it to continue further to the clouds before disappearing. *splash The king fell into the ocean as one young figure stood at the end of the new holes the king made. 163 Bone Chilling Lyon furrowed his eyebrows as his gaze was fixated on the place where the king had fallen. He knew that blow wouldn''t be enough to finish him since he had Gungnir at his disposal. The place where the king fell suddenly bloated before exploding, revealing a familiar figure launching to the sky. The sounds of lightning sparks surrounding the spear were heard clearly as if the sky was having a storm. The king landed on the tallest protruding rock as he gazed at the young man above him. (Truly out of this world, a single slash could so much damage that even Gungnir was pushed back) thought the king as he squinted his eyes. There was something that was weighing the king''s mind. With how powerful they both were, the castle might not be able to sustain the damage, and the collateral damage would be massive. Deaths of Luderia people would impact them to the core since they would lose trust and everything else. The matter was clearly declared by the king that it was personal. The king himself didn''t have any confidence in beating him, if he were to use his entire army, he might have a chance. However, the two beings behind him would make the scale of the battle even larger than it should. They might not necessarily win, even if they manage by some miracles. he knew for sure that Luderia would be a wounded rabbit in the eyes of the neighboring kingdom. "Listen, old man, you are already lost just from that exchange, do you really want to risk your whole kingdom for this matter?" said Lyon with his deep and sharp green eyes. The king clicked his tongue as he never thought that with how young Lyon looked, he was aware enough of his advantages. Young people would usually boast their pride as they gain the slightest advantage at something which made them blind about certain things. The black spear sparked as it signaled its master how agitated the weapon was. Lyon smirked as he said, "I can tell from here that Gungnir is thirsty of battle, you must have let it stayed at home and rest a lot for it to become this agitated." "Hmm, young man what is your name? You can''t be a nobody with those skills of yours," said the king as he stroke his beard. "Hmph! I''m not here to converse with you," said Lyon before walking back to the hall. "?! Wait! Young man!" said the king as he hurriedly climbed the cliffs. ----------------------------------------------------------- The sound of breaking glass was heard inside Prince Weiss''s chamber. The wine spilled on the expensive carpet as he had a bad premonition. The loud bang in the castle made him agitated as Duke Armand also tried to hide his nervousness. "Guards, status report!" yelled the prince. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. With a bow, the nearby guards hurriedly gave him the information. "Yes! Currently, the castle was under attack by some unknown force that even made the king stepped in personally." "His majesty himself?!" asked Duke Armand as he couldn''t believe what he was hearing. It was common knowledge that the current king was the strongest in Luderia. Everyone had a deep respect for the old man because of his strength and benevolence. "Father did?" asked the prince while he bit his thumb and contemplate. (Did we ever offend a mighty kingdom from Mabia?) thought the prince as he couldn''t recall any of such matters ever exist. "Is it from Heaven''s Dawn?" asked Duke Armand. Heaven''s Dawn was the only rival that could contend with Luderia in terms of resources and military strength. However, since their distance was quite far from each other there was a low chance of they even ever met each other. "That''s right, is it from Heaven''s Dawn? They might have a powerful ally and try to erase us in hope of having Deo for themselves!" said the prince since this was the only plausible argument. "I''m sorry sir, but I don''t think it''s from Heaven''s Dawn since there was no sighting of an army in the outskirt of Luderia," explained the guard. The guard''s words sent both Duke Armand and Prince Weiss into contemplation. (Since there was not an army then which group was it?) thought the prince. Prince Weiss furrowed his eyebrows as a flash of memories appeared in his mind. The figure of which he wanted nothing but death stood in front of him before he shook his head, erasing the image. (It can''t be him) thought the prince. "What is it? First Prince have any idea?" asked Duke Armand as he saw the prince''s reaction. "N-no it''s just a crazy thought," said the prince. "If I may, in this current situation there is nothing considered crazy, we need as many clues as we can get," said Duke Armand with a serious tone. The prince closed his eyes before revealing his thought, "I think it was Lyon." Duke Armand furrowed his eyebrows, "You mean our target?" Prince Weiss nodded in response. (Okay, that thought is crazy, how could a young man like him contend with the king?) thought Duke Armand. He was sure that the current prince''s judgment was blinded with revenge. "WEEEEEEEEEISS!!" The voice echoed throughout the whole castle as if a dragon made a roar. Duke Armand and Prince Weiss opened their eyes in shock. The room fell into silence as it slowly dimmed down. The guards made their stands as they cautiously looked right and left, being wary of any movement. Prince Weiss looked at the closed door while he could hear his heartbeat. The thumping noise slowly getting faster and faster as the hair on his skin slowly risen. He opened his eyes wide at a split second he saw the door bent. *boom The impact blew away the chamber''s door as the guards were propelled to the walls. "GhGh!" The prince could feel his neck was being clamped by a destructive force. The figure in front of him slowly revealed himself as the dust cleared. The green eyes were filled with a torrent of killing intent that looked at him straight to his soul. 164 Blood Boils The nearby window was broken beyond repair as the wind from outside wildly came in. The guards were unconscious on the floor while there appeared to be blood leaking from their mouths. The sound of coughing from Duke Armand was heard before his eyes opened wide as he saw the scene in front of him. The green scales that empowered the young man''s body brought fear to those around him. His green eyes stared deep into the prince''s fear-stricken eyes, not caring for the people around him. The duke was trying to asses the situation as his experience suggested, but he couldn''t look away from the figure in front of him. The prince struggled like a fish on a chopping board, but no matter what force he muttered, he couldn''t breakthrough. His body instinctively screamed to get away from Lyon''s grip to no avail. "You better stop right there old man," said Lyon while keep staring at the prince. The duke was surprised to hear his words and glanced at the entrance to see a drenched king. He valiantly held Gungnir as he was pointing at Lyon''s back before pointing it down. "Choose Weiss! Take me to them, or should I flipped the entire Luderia upside down for searching them myself?" said Lyon as he tightened his grip. The prince struggled to breathe as he could feel that with just a little more push, his neck would snap. (I''m a proud Half Divine Cultivator! How can a mere Soul Cultivator be this strong?!) thought the prince. He had it all, resources, training, skills. He was born a prince with sufficient talent and said to be the next in line to be the ruler of Luderia. The prince was ahead of his peers, the people believe that he could probably unite Deo under Luderia''s name. "One more step and you will make Luderia a battlefield!" shouted Lyon. The prince knew who he was referring to as he took a glance at his calm father. His father was bound with endless experience throughout his life so he bet that his father knew how to act in this ludicrous situation. "Let''s not be so hasty here young man, everything can be reasoned," said the king. The first step to negotiating with an angry young man was to make it realize that there were peaceful ways to settle things. This was the thought that the king had. "Your persuasions would lead you nowhere old man. You only talk about reasons when it only benefits you, Rowland is better than you at this," replied Lyon. The king was surprised by the name mentioned in Lyon''s word. "To think that you even know Rowland..." Lyon only smirked before averting his gaze back toward the prince, "What it''s going to be?" "F-father..." the prince helplessly pleaded for help. "Take him to them, don''t worry I will follow you two, besides it is your wrong in the first place, let this be a lesson," said the king. The king knew there was no other way around except obliging Lyon''s demand at the moment. This was the safest bet he could take. "Y-you heard royal father, now release me," said the prince. "Hmph!" Lyon let go of his grip before the thudding sound was heard. The prince continuously coughed as he took a feel of his sore neck. "Hurry up and go!" said Lyon as he kicked the prince. The king twitched as his emotion escaped his calmness, however, he stood silently despite it. This was the most disrespectful thing that ever happened to him as king and as a father, one could only imagine how strong his mind was. The struggling prince managed to get up and guide them albeit the sluggish walk. The four of them, including Duke Armand, walked through the castle before going down spiral stairs. The light source they had were torches that were planted on the wall along the way. The king furrowed his eyebrows as they walked down, he knew that this part of the castle was a prison for criminals. He suddenly had a bad feeling about all this. As they got to the end of the stairs there were two men guarding a huge door made of wood. these two men appeared not to be the soldiers from the castle as they didn''t wear any of the silver armor, nor a symbol that proved they were one. They wore thin clothing without sleeves while having a dagger on their waist. "Ah, Boss! You come to visit the two newly added beauties?" said one of the men with a wicked smile on his face before noticing the other three figures behind him. "Ah, you are not alone? Even Duke Armand is here? Wait, is that the king?" said the other. "What is the meaning of this Weiss?" asked the king to his son. He never remembered hiring such men as guards for the prisoner before. It was obvious that they were local bandits from the way he looked and acted. "Save your squabbling for later," said Lyon as he kicked Weiss to continue his walk. "Hey, what are you doing to our-" the man had not finished his word before his head was separated. *thud The body fell as the other bandit took a step back with his fear-stricken eyes. "Eeeek!" screamed the bandit as he saw his partner died in the blink of an eye. The king furrowed his eyebrows as he could only see a blur where the killing happened. (Such ludicrous speed! I''m a full-fledged Low Divine Cultivator and I still couldn''t keep up!). *creak Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The huge door was pushed open as a wide hall full of cells on each side was presented to them. The king was surprised to see that the prisoners were having a leisure life despite staying behind the cell. They were not chained, in fact, the cell wasn''t even locked. They got sufficient stuff that could make the commoners riot. While the king was surprised by reality, Lyon furrowed his eyebrows as his gaze landed at the cell at the end of the hall. Two figures were held on the wall by the chains that bind their arms. Their clothing appeared to be tattered as bumps and blood painted their limbs. Their head dangled down as their hair covered their face. In the blink of an eye, Lyon was in front of them, breaking the cell in the process. Sensing a presence one of them lifted their face. With her right eyes shut and blood seemed to be leaking from the edge, she looked at the figure in front of her. "L-Lyon? T-thank god you are safe..." said Biane with the best smile she could give at the moment. *thump Lyon''s eyes opened wide as his pupil shrunken. 165 I Promise The face Biane''s showed was really that of pure concern. She was worried that after she and her sister got kidnapped, Lyon would be in danger. Despite the blood leaking non-stop from her right eye, Lyon could see her sincere smile. A sluggish male-figure was approaching Lyon as he stood there. It was apparent by his movement and constant hiccup that he was drunk from the gourd that was on the floor nearby. "Oh! *hic, A newcomer huh? Y-you can''t touch those two women, not even the veteran here like I am dared to do so," said the drunken bandit while pointing at Biane and Clemora simultaneously. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "The boss said he wanted to use these two as bargaining chips or some sort, *hic, shame ain''t it? These two are real beauties before they got beaten up for resisting, just between you and me, I think the boss is going to heal them up then use them for himself, pretty egoistic if you ask me," said the drunken man as he dangled his arm around Lyon''s neck. The man exuded the smell of alcohol that could make any woman throw up just by seeing him from a distance. "*hic, y-you two are lucky bitches you know that, if you are given to us instead, hehe...?!" Suddenly a hand covered his face, its scales shined even though the place was dimmed. The proud divine aura seeping out as if the god was its manifestation. "Hmm? Newbie, what are you doing why are you covering my face?" said the drunken bandit under Lyon''s hand. "Hmm? Heh, that''s a really strong grip, you trained or something?" Lyon didn''t utter a single word as his hand tighten his grip slowly. "Ah! It hurts! Stop it! Stop it!" shouted the drunk bandit as he struggled to break free from Lyon''s grip. *crack The drunken bandit let go of his hand as he stopped resisting, his body dangled as Lyon held his crushed skull. Without even looking at the dead body, Lyon threw it away like illegal littering. With a single swing from his hand, the chains were broken like a hot knife through butter. Lyon quickly hugged the two women in his arms. Biane''s left eye looked surprised before her mouth curled to a smile. "How warm," muttered her as she closed her eye. "I''m sorry for being late, rest for now, just close your eyes, tomorrow you will see me first thing in the morning, I promise," said Lyon as he tightened his hug before laid them rest on the floor. There was no malice nor killing intent in his voice. *zing Magic brands suddenly enveloped them both as the healing process began. Lyon took one last glance at them before turning his back. His eyes turned sharp as a hint of madness appeared in his greenish pupils. He exuded torrent of killing intents that made the criminals, the king and everyone else halted their movements. No, it was more than that. "Do you feel that overseer?" asked Ryona who was at a room accompanying Jugen. Kyoko nodded as her nine tails suddenly appeared behind her. The tails were waggling nonstop despite her calm demeanor. "The distance between the castle and this room is not that far, however, for such thick killing intent that even reaches here," said Kyoko as she forced a smile with cold sweat started to appear on his forehead. "Yeah, hubby is amazing, the people are now restless because of this," said Ryona as she peeked through a window to see the panic citizen before she looked at the hair on her arms stood up. "It''s scary because I don''t think this is the full extent of his killing intent, I cannot even imagine what his past identity was," said Kyoko softly as she looked at the distance. She knew that Lyon was forgetting his past for an unknown reason. She overheard his conversation with the true dragon grandfather, Shen Long. Ryona didn''t manage to hear Kyoko''s words as she also looked at the distance. How many does one need to kill to have this thick killing intent that could cover almost the entire kingdom? One could only imagine. Everyone in the prison hall strugglingly moved the muscle in their neck to see the source of the killing intent. The young man stood firmly with his hair fluttered. His pupils had shrunken as its shape turned vertical with a hint of a red thin line in the middle. The closest bandit had cold sweat as he blinked his eyes, "?!" Suddenly Lyon''s figure was in front of him, looking down on his eyes. The bandit couldn''t even scream before he heard faint of a dragon roar. His gut was punched through as he stood lifelessly. With a swing, he threw the dead body to the ground not even taking a glance at it. One bandit took a step back as he said, "C''mon guys, he is just one man! Let''s kill him together!" The other bandits looking at each other before nodding. The enemy was only one man, besides they got the boss with them, there was no chance for them to lose. One by one the bandits pulled out his weapon as they readied themselves. Lyon gritted his teeth before taking a stance that broke the floors, "ARRGH!" *boom Lyon leaped to the incoming hundreds of bandits with a single step as a torrent of greenish mana overwhelmed his body. *flash The prince, the king, and the duke opened their eyes wide simultaneously as they saw Lyon was already in front of them. "True Dragon Art: Wave Of The Shattering World." *splurt Every bandit behind Lyon exploded to a mist of blood as the ground and the cells reduced to nothing but dust. Some of the blood even splashed the king''s and the other''s faces. The prince''s mouth stuttered as he shouted, "F-Father! Save ME!" "Young man, stay your ha-" before the king could finish his word, Lyon sent him flying along with his elusive Gungnir. "Your death will be more painful than them," said Lyon to the prince before he casually penetrated Duke Armand''s neck with his hand. Lyon glanced at the two women peacefully resting before saying with a smile, "Wait for a little while, I''ll come to pick you up after I''m done." --------------------------------------------------------- In the commoner''s region, there was a platform that was wide enough to do a duel or some competition. The people currently restless because of the terrifying killing intent that they currently felt so the place was crowded. *zing A magic brand suddenly appeared in the sky directly on top of the platform as it caught everyone''s attention. "Hmm?! What now?!" The commoners were more restless as things kept happening in Luderia and they were not good ones either. A figure suddenly fell with a thud. His handsome feature and his royal clothing couldn''t be any more recognized. "T-the prince? It''s the prince!" The commoners shouted his name in hope to curry favor. They were so worked up that they forgot the magic was a space type. *thud Suddenly another figure dropped down as the magic brand disappeared. Everyone was silent as the source of the killing intent was in front of them. They felt cold and suffocated despite the warm temperature. The prince suddenly turned around and strike the figure behind him with a hidden blade. He didn''t care about his honor in front of the people anymore, there was only one word that was in his mind, survive. However, his hand was casually caught by Lyon as he stared deep into his eyes. "THIS IS FOR BIANE AND CLEMORA!" Lyon tackled the backside of the prince''s feet to make him lose his balance. As the prince fell, Lyon''s fist that was covered in greenish mana let out a full-force punch on his gut. "Nooo!" the prince screamed as his entire body lit up with the impact. *boom The sound of the explosion was heard as the platform didn''t survive the aftereffect of the strike. The commoner''s region was in a ruined state as the streets cracked and some of the plates shifted upward. The unfortunate people had blasted away and injured on the ground while some were lucky enough to watch the whole thing from a distance. Standing on a crater Lyon looked more at ease as the killing intent dimmed down. His gaze landed on the castle as dark clouds surrounding it. 166 The Reason Behind The black clouds were filled with lightning as they gathered at top of the castle. The strong wind accompanied them with a force that even made the trees hanging on to their roots. With the sun still high up in the sky, the current event was quite out of place. The sound of footsteps was heard as a hint of spark followed. This figure blast through the empty streets, straight forward to the commoner''s region. His magnificent black spear caused any subjects to kneel to its divinity. *swoosh Princess Aelina opened her eyes wide as the figure blast pass her with a speed that only left a shadow. While holding Fenrir in her chest she muttered, "Father? Oh no." Despite the disparity of their speed, the princess insisted to follow the figure. Soon, the figure''s vision was filled with a disastrous place and people laying down on the street. There were cracks on the paving with some of them even protruding from an impact. Gritting his teeth, the figure moved even faster. As he had a glimpse of the used-to-be-platform, the figure reflexly stabbed the Gungnir to the ground to make his speed nil, an instant stop. His eyes opened wide as he saw a red sword was literally only one centimeter away from penetrating the spot between his weary eyes. Lyon was standing with his body facing the side while his right hand stretched Scarlet. His hair fluttered with the wind that the king generated as his eyes slowly opened. The king couldn''t help but gulped down his saliva as he looked up at the young man who was inches away from sending him to the grave. The figure in front of him might not the strongest being in terms of cultivation level that he ever fought but he knew that he was the only one that could remind him of the feeling of fear. "Your son has been obliterated," said Lyon nonchalantly. The king furrowed his eyebrows and took a leap back. "It doesn''t have to be this way, why you chose to be this way, young man? What happened to compassion and forgiveness?" said the king while he pointed Gungnir against Scarlet. "Are you a king or are you a priest?" asked Lyon back. The king couldn''t retort back as he swallowed his words. In the end, the ruler shook his head as he said, "It''s a shame, a young genius like you has a wrong heart, in the name of Luderia I shall punish you for killing the prince." Lyon chuckled at the king''s declaration. "Are you that old that you already lost your mind? Or are you playing a joke? Haven''t you realized that you never have the chance?" The king could only grit his teeth as he knew the truth, he was left alive on purpose. He could have killed him from his own recklessness of moving too quickly. "Hmm, how about we play a guessing game? You were never dying in the first place were you not?" said Lyon as he confidently retracted Scarlet. He put his scally hands behind his back as he confidently faced Gungnir without a single hint of fear or nervousness. There was no battle, to begin with, he already took control of the situation. There was not a single being in Luderia that could even bring a fight against him. The king kept his silence as he heard what Lyon said. "With that strength that you presented, you are more than capable to live longer than two generations of a whale." "And, by announcing to your children that you are nearing your time, you purposely set out infighting between them to see who was worthy of the throne." The king furrowed his eyebrows as he listened to Lyon''s word. "However, that was not it, it was never for the throne," said Lyon with a smirk. The king''s body twitched a little as Lyon delivered the punch line. However, it didn''t end there. "Is it true, father?" A female voice from behind the king was heard as he closed his eyes. His daughter stood behind him with a distance while holding the sleeping Fenrir on her arms. "His silence, is your answer, Aelina," said Lyon. The king could only stand still, not daring to face his daughter. This matter was supposed to be a secret until the election day, but Lyon''s existence changed everything. "Then, what are we fighting for father?! Do you know how many innocent lives had died in this ridiculous dispute?!" "I agree with the older sister here, you have to answer us the reason behind your plot," said a familiar voice. The only prince left stood behind his older sister as his gaze fixated on the figure that ruled Luderia. "There is no plot," answered the king with a sigh. "You are all indeed, fighting for the throne, that part is still true," continued the king as he thought that there was no point in hiding it anymore. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Blessed with such talent, it''s a shame that Weiss had a wicked heart," said the king as he shook his head. He knew that his son had it coming, he didn''t want to make the same mistake he did back then with a young man named Sean. He was only doing it because he was still his father. "It is true, you are all fighting for the throne! However, the one that will pick who the individual will be is not me," said the king as he faced his children. "W-what do you mean father?" asked Prince Frey. There was no other person that had the authority to do that but the king himself. He was at the top of the kingdom''s power hierarchy. His words were Luderia''s rules, but the words he just said didn''t make sense. "There is indeed a need for the infighting, as it trains, your mind, your body and last but not least, your heart," answered the king. "All of that was the preparation for-" however before the king could finish his word. *spark "This, am I right?" said Lyon as he held Gungnir in his hand. His figure was enveloped with lightning sparks that occasionally appeared. The black spear was humming as black clouds gathered in the sky directly on top of him. 168 Where Gods Casually Dies The prince and the princess both look at their father as he heaved a sigh. It was apparent from the recent event that none of them succeeded, just like how he did back in his time. He lost a daughter and recently a son, but both deads were justified. He couldn''t mad nor was he filled with joy as the decision to pick the next ruler was on his shoulder. "None of you deserve to be the next ruler yet," declared the king as he made the decision. He saw how his children competed, in his eyes, both of them were still immature. One put feelings over the other, while the other one put too much logic. One will surely put an honor in the kingdom in the future, the other will bring a massive fortune in the future. Hearing the king''s decision, both candidates had their heads hung down in disappointment. To be the ruler of Luderia was the highest grade of prestige one could receive in Deo, everywhere one went, people would bow upon his/her arrival. *hum The humming sound caught everyone''s eyes as the black spear vibrated. (Hmm?! It''s reacting?! But to what?) thought the king as he could feel the divine power coming from it. He never saw this kind of behavior for as long as he currently lived. Lyon clicked his tongue as his scales reverted back to normal. His body was full of pain as he was on the brink of passing out. He was already pushing his limit for performing True Dragon Blessing for a period of time. His greeny eyes turned black as he bit his lips. Blood trickles from the edge of his mouth as he still gently held the princess''s shoulder. "Step aside beautiful princess," whispered Lyon softly. His soft voice snapped her out of her stupor. She finally saw the Lyon he knew in the banquet. Lyon took a step in front of her as he faced Gungnir under everyone''s eyes. The black spear that couldn''t be conquered was in front of him. Numerous thunder was made just from its appearance alone. Only those with a true royal bearing could face this black spear unfazed, but the young man in front of him only exuded confidence. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Without his scally body, his divinity aura was also ripped away, however, the young man smirked as he faced the lonely spear. With blood running from the edge of his mouth he stood tall as if he suffered no injuries. The king was agitated as he hurriedly said, "Young man, you..." He couldn''t finish his words. He had an inkling that the black spear was reacting to him, however, his mind was split into two opinions. He wanted to stop what he was doing while the other part of him wanted to see how it will go. *splurt "S-sir Lyon, you shouldn''t, you need to treat your condition first!" said Prince Frey as he looked how Lyon''s body casually formed slash wounds on his back, splurting his blood to the ground. (This! This must be the backlash of his form!) thought the princess as she saw the wounds were appearing more and more as blood painted the ground with a spray. "Lyon stop! We need to treat you!" The king couldn''t say anything more as he was amazed by the sight. The wounds were forming yet the young man didn''t even flinch at the pain, even his breathing was calm and composed. Blood was flowing on his arms as it dyed his fingers red. His expression could no longer be seen as his eyes were covered by his hair. He couldn''t hear what the others were saying as he concentrated on the black spear in front of him. His incredible healing rate couldn''t patch him up from his wounds however, it was still keeping him conscious. "Exuding a ruler bearing, yet you are as wild as the raging thunder in the sky, you remind me of someone," mused Lyon as a figure appeared in his mind. Her beautiful silver hair swayed with the wind as she ruled the kingdom but under all that, she was a wild queen. (A little stupid and naive, but I think you would be her perfect partner). "Then come with me! I will conquer you before you meet your true owner!" said Lyon as his crazed eyes were visible. A black dot of light jumped out from the spear and shoot itself between Lyon''s eyes. His memories were laid bare as the black dot was swimming in it. Its movement immediately came to a halt as a huge door with a huge lock in front was flying on top of the sea memories. The existence of the door made the black dot feel small as if it was worthless. Through a narrow gap, the black dot entered as the scenery changed. ------------------------------------------------- Thunderous booms of the weather were heard as the sun cowered in fear against the black clouds. The desolate mountain was filled with nothing but burned marks as no living animals nor plants could be seen. Not a droplet of rain was produced from the horrible storm but the wind could even shift the stars. One figure was topless while sitting cross-legged at the edge of a cliff despite the raging storm. The man''s face had Lyon''s resemblance but there was something different about him. *hoam The figure yawned as his expression betrayed the deadly situation he was in. His eyes lazily opened as he made a flicking motion with his finger, "Hmm, maybe over here." The figure aimed his flicking while he picked his nose with his other hand, his eyes didn''t even bother if he aimed at the right spot. *boom *bang The thunder with a force enough to reduce a god to dust came down against him only to be propelled by a light flick from his finger. The black dot saw all of this and would have gulped if it had a mouth. It knew that it couldn''t produce thunder with that much power yet. Suddenly a hand caught the tiny black dot, "Hmm? A sentient weapon spirit?" ''Lyon'' opened his hand as he stared at the little black dot with half-opened eyes. The black dot was agitated as it was in a situation that was impossible to happen. This was Lyon''s memories, for memory to even made contact with it was beyond comprehension. "I see, you must be testing if I''m worthy or not for your power. Pfft, forget about that, just chill with me a little while before you decide, it''s getting lonely here you know," said ''Lyon'' as he lamented his fate. The black dot could only do what it was told to do. A sentient weapon spirit usually had a haughty attitude, however, it didn''t dare to do so in front of this ''Lyon''. ''Lyon'' sighed, "Can you believe it, I was sent here by one of my wives just from making her angry," This man was just sent to a place where gods could casually die of a thunderstruck because he made his wife angry. One could only imagine how strong the wife was. 169 Gungnir Art: Black Dragon Inside the ruined part of the kingdom, the king and his children had fixated their gaze against one young figure. Anticipations were written all over their face as they didn''t dare to utter a single word. The bloodied figure stood tall as if no gods could make him bow. His black hair fluttered with the wind as the sunlight dimmed due to black clouds flew in front of it. The dripping sound of rain was heard as the ruined city was drenched. Despite so, they didn''t move an inch and let the water poured on them. *spark The king opened his eyes wide as he noticed a black spark appeared in a flash under the rain. (A spark?) thought the king. *spark The rate of the black spark appearing increased as even the prince and the princess could definitely see what''s going on. By far, Lyon was the longest one with the test from the sentient weapon to prove his worthiness. *crack The black spear floated in front of Lyon as it hummed. (No! Impossible!) thought the king as he saw how Gungnir reacted. (How can someone out of my bloodline be accepted by it?! Does he have that much high affinity in thunder element?!). Lyon slowly opened his sharp eyes as he looked at the floating black spear exuding a bearing of a deity. He smirked as he took the spear with one hand. Under the rain, he occasionally being surrounded by black sparks that made him appeared more divine. "Let''s do a simple test run," said Lyon softly under his breath. *spark Lyon slowly pulled the spear backward as black lightning seemingly charged the weapon. The ground around him occasionally being whipped by the wild black lightning that was an excess of the charging. The prince, the king, and the princess couldn''t help but take a step back at the sight. Their bodies knew that it was dangerous to go near any of that black lightning. "Lyon, what are you doing?! Don''t destroy Luderia!" screamed Aelina. "No worries," said Lyon as he squatted his legs. His veins popped up on his thigh as the ground cracked toward the mountainous force. *boom The three pairs of eyes immediately looked to the sky as the young man jumped, leaving a flash of black lightning. With his body as the center of the mass, Lyon spun vertically upward as he left afterimages in his wake. "If you cannot destroy my divine magic, don''t call yourself a worthy weapon, Gungnir!" shouted Lyon as he threw the weapon upward. "Gungnir Art: Black Dragon." *roar The black spear launched as the charged black lightning formed a dragon that ravaged the sky. Penetrating the black clouds, the black dragon swam upward with unstoppable force. *boom The impact was heard loud and clear as the black clouds and the rains were instantly wiped out, revealing the afternoon sun. Lyon who was still falling in the air smirked as he looked at his divine magic, Scabbard, cracked before dispersing into particles of mana. *thud Lyon smiled as he watched the agape trio before his right hand casually caught the falling Gungnir without even looking. "Well, looks like Luderia has a new-" *splurt Lyon vomited blood before he could finish his word. His vision slowly blurred as his figure swayed. (Oh no, not now) thought Lyon. He could see the princess and the rest were saying something from their mouth, but he couldn''t understand it. He was tipsy as his skin looked pale, however, he was still keeping his likable smirk on display. Slowly, Lyon walked despite the shouting that he couldn''t understand. Aelina was in front of him catching his hand, but he didn''t know what she was saying. He looked at her expression of concern but he only muttered a couple of words, "I promised." He lightly moved the princess away, as his finger gathered the surrounding mana. "Crack of Desire." The space in front of him formed a magic brand before opening a portal toward the destination he wanted. Dragging his bloody figure, Lyon slowly walked inside, not caring of what the other three were saying. As he walked inside the portal, the magic brand immediately reverted back into nothingness, forbidding anyone else to use it. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. In his eyes, there were currently two beautiful women sleeping and recuperating. He noticed that their wounds were healing at a rapid pace because of the magic before he smiled at the situation. He slowly walked between them before sitting down with his back leaning toward the wall. He looked the destroyed dungeon in front of him before glancing at both sisters. His breathing was getting heavier, but his eyes were calm and full of caring. He slowly rubbed their heads as he smiled. "I hope you both ladies don''t mind me sleeping between you hahaha," laughed Lyon before closing his eyes with a smile. -------------------------------------------- Back in the commoner''s region where the king and his children were at, the commoners started to regain their consciousness back before shocked by the state their city was in. Their homes were destroyed beyond repair while some of their businesses were ruined. However, none of that beat the fact that they personally saw how the first prince met his end. A young man that was powerful enough to bring the first prince into oblivion with a single blow etched in their minds forever. The king immediately brought calm for the commoners before the prince followed suit. The princess, on the other hand, was running toward the castle toward Lyon''s location. It was unknown what she was thinking about this kind of situation. *creak With gasping noise from her breathing, she opened the door to the place her father told her. Her tensed body slowly calmed down as she saw the sleeping young man at the end of the wrecked dungeon. "We will take it from here," A voice suddenly made her body tensed once again before she realized who the voice belonged to. 170 Spreading Feats The kingdom immediately began their rebuilding process as days went by. The thumping sounds produced by the hammer filled the bustling city as the royalty entirely funded their loss. The nobles started to appear on the streets once more as they were healed from their injuries. With Lyon''s magic, Scabbard vanished, the neighboring lesser kingdom started to visit Luderia. They were trying to gain as much as info as they could since they knew there was supposed to be an election for the next ruler. Knowing who was a matter of course. However, their effort of knowing who the next king was futile as they were greeted with the same old king, sitting on his throne. The difference was that he no longer looked frail nor fragile. He was brimming with vigor for his age. Nevertheless, there was something more intriguing than the identity of a new king. The lesser kingdoms were not full of dumb people. They knew that Luderia was isolated with magic that far surpassed what Deo could offer. No matter what force they put in, they couldn''t enter Luderia during the time where the huge earthquake was happening. What''s more shocking was the news of the first prince''s death. The powerful young promising man met his end and the king didn''t deny this. However, the reason for his death was kept secret. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The neighboring kingdoms sent their condolences in person as they ''grieved'' for the young talent. However, the reality was they came to collect information from the spies they sent beforehand to mingle with the locals. "Thank you for your condolences, you can go now," said the king of Luderia before waving his hand. There were four middle-aged men kneeling in front of him. These men were the ruler of their respective kingdom, however, with the pride they had, they knelt in front of the ruler of Luderia. They knew how wicked the first prince actually was, and with the king being famous for his fairness and just, they were not surprised by the king''s calmness despite losing his son. The four didn''t mind the tone as they proceeded to leave the throne room after giving a bow. Along the way, they converse with each other as a try to perceive new information from each other. "So how is it going with you three? Gain any interesting leads?" teased one of them. "Hmm, your spies and mine actually cooperated during the operation, if you wanna hear that," replied the other with a smile. His words sent a chuckle to the other two. "Sigh, maybe so, but it was odd that the information is based on a rumor," The four of them looked gloomy as a sign that they receive the same information from their spies. A rumor that the first prince was actually killed on the platform in the commoner''s region. By a man, no, a young man that far exceeded the talent of the prince. An existence that was impossible for Deo to contain, did he actually exist? Their thoughts were running with that question before someone of the four clapped his hand. "Ah, that''s right, there was something interesting going on before any of the incidents that recently happened," said one of them before continuing, "There was indeed a young man that was acting as a driver for the Elgome''s mansion, another rumor has it that it was one of the sister''s lover. You know how beautiful those two are, right? Don''t you think it''s suspicious?" Luderia was not only famous for its military strength but also the elusive four beauties. Biaene and Clemora, sisters of warmth and cool. Aelina and Chloe, princess of honor and the fighter princess. Many wanted to take their hands but all of them failed since they already got what they want in their life. They lack ideas as to what to offer. The four lesser kings fell into contemplation as they gained the info. *creak Suddenly, the door behind them opened before a voice sent them chills. "You do not need to delve into this matter deeper," The four kings immediately kowtowed before the source of the voice, "Please forgive us, your majesty!" The commanding words were of course coming from Luderia''s ruler. He stroked his beard as he saw the four of them banged their heads to the floor. The king let out a breath before walking past them, "That is just an advice from me, you four are free to do as you please, however," The king''s tone turned deep after a pause, "Don''t blame me if the four of you were to be obliterated along with your lands." "Please be lenient, your majesty!" said the four of them as they banged their heads to the floor. The king chuckled, "You are wrong, the one that would do that won''t be me nor my army, I don''t have that much power." Thus the ruler of Luderia left the scene leaving the four lesser kings dumbstruck. The four of them gulped as the king proved one thing, the existence was true. A being that was even more talented than the first prince. However, what''s making them scared was his choice of words. The king said that ''he'' would obliterate the four of them along with their ''lands'', not just their kingdom. That means that the existence had the power to cut them off the map not just wipe them. The four lesser kings immediately agreed to not touch this taboo matter even further. Even though their spies managed to gain the identity later, the lesser kings chose to drop it off. However, that didn''t stop for the locals to keep talking about it. "I saw it! He just jumped down from the sky and counter the prince''s attack before sending the city in chaos! It was so cool!" said one of the kids in an alley. "Shh! Don''t say it out loud!" said one of them with a finger on his mouth. Before Lyon knew it, he was already a role model for the children, both nobles and commoners. It was only a matter of time before his feats spread to the entire Deo. 171 Watch Out! It was already several days since the incident, but the king still held his reign and postponed the election of the new ruler. The people, of course, didn''t dare to question his decision, lest they wanted trouble they couldn''t handle. While everyone was busy spreading his feats, the said young man was nowhere to be seen on the streets. His whereabouts were unknown even from the rumors that spread like wildfire. There was only one place where people didn''t dare to check, and that was the place where the king resided. *creak The double door was opened revealing the king as his gaze was filled with a dinner table and his two children already sat on the chair, facing each other. Seeing the three royalties already arrived at the dinner table, the butlers and the housekeepers respectfully bow before leaving the room for the three. It was never their place to hear a family discussion. With the door being shut slowly, the king took a deep breath before saying, "It''s been a while for us to have family time like this." They were the royalties, issues regarding the kingdom always came every day without stopping. It was quite rare for them to have lunch together. "Yes, father, a lot of stuff is happening and with the recent event, there is an enormous workload to be done after this," said Prince Frey. "C''mon little brother, don''t say that. This is called family bonding," said Princess Aelina with her eyebrows raising up and down. (I know what it''s called!) thought Prince Frey as he kept silent. The king chuckled as he said, "It''s good, it''s good." "Hmm? What is ''good'' father?" asked Princess Aelina. "Oh, the food," said the king hurriedly. Both of his children squinted his eyes as they saw that their father didn''t even bite a single thing. "Hmm, I wonder if Chloe is alright," said the king before sighing. The youngest child of his was the most talented in regards to cultivation. She wanted to spread her wings to the sky and as a father, it was his role to support her. "Don''t worry about Chloe, you know how strong and quick-witted she is. I bet she didn''t even bat an eye in regards to big brother''s death," said Princess Aelina. Her youngest sister always kept a distance from her relatives ever since she was a kid. The atmosphere turned heavy as the other two heard the fact once again. The king sighed, "I wonder what makes Weiss so wicked, he was such an innocent child back then," "Yeah, big brother was a kind person back then, however, something changed but I cannot remember when nor what," said Prince Frey. Prince Weiss''s childhood was unlike the present. He was a kind and caring boy, help those that were in need, aiding those who were suffering. The prince loathed the strong that trampled the weak. A promising youth to be the next ruler. The princess sighed, "I have not gotten a clue either," The atmosphere turned gloomy before the king dispersed it, "Alright, let''s focus on eating, I''m starving." The three of them pick up the silver cutlery and started to eat the meal that the kingdom''s chef provided. "Ah, right, How is sir Lyon, sister?" asked Prince Frey as he cut a medium steak. "Eh? W-why are you asking that to me?" asked the princess fidgetingly. The king furrowed his eyebrows, "Are you two dating?" His question blew the princess''s fuse as she turned a shade of red. "W-what are you talking about father?!" "Well, I''m fine with it, I mean, he legitimately is, the ruler of Luderia according to our ancestors'' teaching," said the king calmly. He was keeping his act as the king until Lyon came for his enthronement to quell the people''s panic. Lyon was the legitimate ruler since he could conquer the core power of Luderia, Gungnir. A feat no other had ever done. Princess Aelina suddenly stopped her eating as he stared deep into her father''s eyes. "Father, don''t ever, ever, give Luderia to him." Her tone was deep and proved her seriousness that even made her father gulped. "Wha-what''s wrong with him my daughter? He is an honored man, look, he killed your big brother, the prince from a considerable kingdom for the sake of his loved ones. Not many have that kind of courage, a hero amongst men," said the king favorably. The princess didn''t need to hear that from her father, she knew how heroic his deeds were. However, there was one thing that concerned her, his capability of managing a kingdom. He will without a doubt, built his harem kingdom that full of beautiful women all around the world. Luderia''s honor would be plummeted by him. "Just don''t father, if you don''t want to rule anymore just let me or little brother, never Lyon! Got it?" said Princess Aelina with a stern tone. The king instinctively nodded as she reminded him of her late mother. *knock The door to the dining room was knocked as the king''s eyes turned sharp, "What is it?" "Y-your majesty, sorry for interrupting, but there is a letter for you, it said to be from a young man named Lyon?" said one of the guards outside the door. "Come in," ordered the king. The guard immediately went to the dining room and gave the letter to the king before hurriedly leave the scene after a bow. The king looked at the letter that was enveloped with no seal attached. It was apparent that it was personal. His children looked at his father before hurriedly stood behind him. They were curious about what Lyon the letter was about, was it the enthronement? The king opened the envelope before pulling the paper inside that was folded three times. His squinted eyes soon opened wide along with his children as he read what Lyon had written. There were only two words on the white paper, ''Watch out!''. The trio immediately turned around and readied themselves. They didn''t know what was happening but they were staying on guard in case something bad will happen. The trio scanned the room as their body tensed. The wind, moving ants, they made sure to not miss anything. However, after a full five minutes of being wary with their surroundings nothing happened. The king immediately read the letter once more, there were new sentences under the two words. ''Hah! Got you! :D (By the time of this writing, Kyoko smacked my head but I bet it was worth it). Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Anyway, I''m going back to Kingdom Nostria, oh send some army will you, the queen said they are on war with Heaven''s Down. Of course, you need to be there in person to lead the army. Oh and, to my dearest Aelina, Let''s have another date next time! I still remember the taste of your lips against mi-'' Before the king could finish reading, the princess hurriedly took it away from him before squatting down to read the rest of the letter. "Awawwawa," her face turned red before she ripped the letter into bits. Her father and little brother had the same flat expression as they looked at her (He even spelled Heaven''s Dawn wrong!) thought both of them. 173 Lets Go Fenrir! Back to the present, the two women that were riding their horses, noticed a tiny figure behind them. It tried to catch up to them but only to stop after every ten steps. The tiny figure was, of course, Lyon with his entire body mounting the little Fenrir. The little wolf was sweating profusely as his tongue occasionally took a peek. The sight was unbearable to watch for some. Sounds of light hooves slowly catching up from behind as the young man with long golden hair approached. With a face that was beautiful to the point that he was mistaken as an elf, he slowly tapped the big brother beside him. "Big bro, I honestly think that this is impossible to win," said Jugen with a sigh. He knew how this big brother of his too well. He won''t carve for just mere treasure. If one would offer him a treasure that could dispel all poison in existence or a beautiful woman, Jugen would bet his left leg that this big brother of his would pick the latter. While riding the ''mount'' Lyon was having an expressionless emotion. "It is only impossible if you think it''s impossible," said Lyon while gazing to the front. (I don''t think this is the right time to share your wise words) said Jugen with black lines over his head. "C''mon Fenrir! Do your master a favor and win this for me!" shouted Lyon as he leaned his body forward. "Wuuu~" With a breath that was as heavy as the mountain, Fenrir marched on. A distance behind them was two devastatingly beautiful women that followed at a constant pace. Ryona was heaving a sigh as she said softly, "I feel bad for Fenrir." The calm and collected Kyoko beside her was having a smile toward the event. "Don''t be, all that little guy is doing is sleeping the whole day, it''s good that he is doing exercise." Ryona''s mouth twitched as she looked at her overseer. (You call this exercise? Just look at the size of Lyon compared to Fenrir, this is torture, especially with how young Fenrir is!) thought her. The leaves on the trees fluttered as Ryona furrowed her eyebrows. However, Kyoko still kept her smile toward the duo. *swoosh Two shadows suddenly landed in front of Lyon and Jugen. From their clothing, it was apparent that they were local bandits or some sort. "Give us your possession then we will let you live," said one of the bandit while laughing. "Yes, yes, that''s right, do what my older brother told you and nobody gets hur-," the other bandit couldn''t finish his word before an arrow pierced the spot between his eyes. *thud The bandit fell down lifeless as his eyes still opened in disbelief. "Huh?" The bandit glanced over at his dead partner before shouting, "You!" *stab Another arrow flew silently as it penetrated his brain. His eyes stuck open in disbelief as he saw the golden hair fluttered revealing only one eye with killing intent. "Let''s go Fenrir," said Lyon nonchalantly as he smacked his butt. The duo continued their race as if nothing happened while Jugen followed suit. --------------------------------- Nostria was bustling with a activity since they expanded their territory by ruling the former Arcane Kingdom. The future seemed brighter than the sun in the sky. With every race accepted, Nostria''s economy grew rapidly. Along with the aid from the thirteen ''beings'' their military power, alchemy, and others were boosted exponentially. There was one figure that had been the talk of the kingdom, the legendary man that made all of this possible. His feat was spread wide that even the people that lived inside a cave knew his name. The miracle man that fell down from the sky with three lights of beams. He was, of course, none other than the God of Butt himself, Lyon Torga. Inside the kingdom, there was a building that was popular for adventurers from inside or outside Nostria to gather around. This building was not born out of the kingdom''s money, but rather of a cooperation with a certain organization. *glug The sound of a man sipping his beer was heard before he slammed the glass to the table. "Have you heard, the guy is coming back," said the man as he looked at his friends around the table. "So what? Why does it matter? The guild is not affiliated with the kingdom so we have no business with him," said one of his friends. "I mean, don''t you think is such a waste to let a guy like him wanders around, the guild would certainly accept him in my opinion," "Maybe yes, but he will surely not be a high-rank adventurer when he applied, this guild is not some small guild that was made five months ago you know, it uses a high benchmark." "Yeah, I see what you mean, this guild has branches in maybe all of the worlds, so Deo might only be able to be filled in with low-rank adventurer, maybe slightly above that at best." "But then again, there is no harm in letting him join and broaden his horizon." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The group nodded in the conclusion. In the outskirt of the kingdom, there were two guards standing on guard. They squinted their eyes as two figures were visibly approaching the gate with fleeting speed. The horses'' hooves rapidly hitting the ground as it increased their speed. "I told you, sister, you shouldn''t tease him!" shouted Clemora as she hasted toward the gate. "Hey, don''t blame it on me, how should I know if Fenrir could actually run!" said Biane as she increased her speed leaving dust in its trail. The guards wanted to tell them to reduce their speed but there was a third figure behind the two that caught their attention. The tiny figure ran while producing huge dust in its wake. Fenrir was like a tiny cute demon that had his inner instinct awoken. His legs were bulging with muscles as his head steadily looked forward. "C''mon Fenrir! Either I will cook your favorite steak or you gonna eat nuts!" shouted Lyon. 174 Look! The sound of the dust trailing the speed of Fenrir was heard loud and clear as the boisterous wind left the nearby trees shaken. Though small, the duo was setting records as they pierced through the distance. (Oh no! He is catching up!) thought Clemora as she could only glare at her older sister. *swoosh Her vision suddenly slowed as Lyon and Fenrir went between the sisters like a wind. She saw Lyon''s smirk as he shouted, "I''ll be waiting for my reward ladies! HAHAHA!" before he left them with dust. (Aw yeah! Today is gonna be a great day!) thought Lyon as he shouted once more, "Let this be an example Jugen! It is only impossible when you think it''s impossible! HAHAHA!" *thud One of Fenrir''s paw hit paving on a roadway as he tripped and lost his balance. "Eh?" was the only thing he could mutter as he suddenly in mid-air before kissing the ground. (Chance!) thought both sisters as they rally up their horses. "It''s not over yet! Only a little more!" said Lyon as he got up and looked over at the fainted Fenrir. He immediately reached up to him only to see Fenrir''s eyes already spinning. "Hey, wake up!" said Lyon as he shook Fenrir''s figure back and forth. The gate was only ten meters away from him, no, the glorious day was only ten meters away! *swoosh The two galloping horses passed by him as he saw with a glance of Clemora''s smirk. Lyon could only close his eyes as he let the two of them pass by the gate. With a sigh, he put the fainted Fenrir on top of his head. Jugen slowly approached this big brother of his with his horse. Before a word could escape his mouth, Lyon said, "Shut up." They finally got through the gate albeit Lyon''s mood was clearly down. ------------------------ Inside the castle, the queen with the iconic silver hair and red eyes sat in the dining hall along with her personal maid, Fei, who was standing beside her. The queen had her hand propped up her head as she lazily glanced at the table full of foods. Her other hand which rested on the said table occasionally tapped her finger against it in a periodic manner. "He is really taking too long!" said Sylvianna with a sulk. Fei lightly cough, "Miss, remember your manner." "Ah, would you let it slide this one time, we are alone anyway." "Still, you are a queen." Sylvianna could only pout and stuck her tongue. *creak The door opened as Lyon revealed himself toward the two women. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I see that you have changed your outfit now?" said Sylvianna with a slight snort. "Welcome back, Lyon," greeted Fei with a slight bow. "Ah, it''s good to be back Fei!" said Lyon with a smile. Her short purple hair and maid attire really gave out the mansion feeling inside the room. However, there was a fuming queen beside her. (How dare he greet her first!) thought Sylvianna as visible smoke leaking from her head. She was a queen from the kingdom, it was a matter of course, to greet the person with the highest status first. "Sylvianna, you look as beautiful as the first time I met you," said Lyon with a sincere smile. His compliment totally caught her off guard as she slightly jerked her body before her cheeks turning red. She immediately averted her gaze from him before humming, "En." "What?" asked Lyon seeing his queen''s reaction. "My, you shouldn''t teased the queen like that Lyon," said Fei with a chuckle. "Ah, Fei!" said the queen. "Oh, that''s right, what did you call me here for? I thought Karina was the one that summons me back?" asked Lyon. From the information he got from Jugen, Karina was asking him to come back regarding a war that was about to happen anytime soon. "Well, there is quite a funny story behind that case," chuckled Fei once again. "No! Don''t tell him! If you tell him I will kill myself!" said Sylvianna with her entire face turned a shade of red. "Wow, such a strong reaction, NOW I REALLY WANT TO KNOW!" said Lyon as his eyes begging on Fei who held the secret. "No! Don''t tell him! I''m serious! I''m gonna kill myself if you did!" "Don''t worry about it Fei, I will revive her later if she did, NOW TELL ME!" "What! How could you! Wait, is that even possible?!" Lyon didn''t realize that he was saying something unbelievable so easily. The two were staring at them in disbelief before Fei slightly contemplated. "Hmm, indeed, I heard a report that the queen of Phantera Kingdom woke up from her slumber. Many thought that she fell sick from an incurable disease, however, I know for sure that she was dead." "And it was you who manage to do the unbelievable feat," said Fei with her eyes staring at Lyon directly. "Hmm, now that you mention it, there is something odd, who gave you that spatial ring?" asked Sylvianna as she pointed out a ring on one of Lyon''s left fingers. She was sure that the spatial ring was not there when he got to this world naked in front of her. He was butt naked, not a single ornament was there. (Wow wait! Why am I suddenly being cornered!) thought Lyon. "And your cultivation level? Wow, you reached peak Soul Realm already?!" said the queen in disbelief. For others, it took years to accomplish what Lyon did, but for him, it was merely weeks. Not even fortuitous encounters could make that happen. "Oh, that''s right, not only that, but you bring two more beautiful females with you, didn''t you?" asked the queen. (Wait Wait Wait! What happen to the war?! Aren''t we going to talk about the war!) thought Lyon as he gulped while facing the barrage questions. Lyon swiftly grabbed the sleeping Fenrir on top of his head, "Look, I got a pet!" 175 The New Duke The appearance of the little wolf instantly brought their attention. Fenrir was sleeping on Lyon''s hand as his figure slowly heaved up and down with his breath. After a marathon with his master, he was beyond fatigue, perhaps nothing could wake him up. (That''s right, keep your eyes glued to this creature) thought Lyon as he inwardly praising himself for the action he took. (Girls and cute things are inseparable by nature hahaha!). Sylvianna was acting a bit shyly as she looked at the cute little wolf peacefully sleeping. (That''s a really cute wolf!) thought Sylvianna as she was urging to abuse her position to reclaim the pet for her own. "What a cute little wolf, what is its name?" asked Fei. Unlike her queen, She was mature enough to start the conversation. "His name is Fenrir, don''t let this innocent look fools you, he is quite lazy," said Lyon without forgetting to spell the truth about this cute wolf. "Like master like pet," said Sylvianna with a chuckle. She will not miss an opportunity to ridicule him. "Hey, I''m not lazy," "Yes, you are," "No, I''m not!" "Yes, you are!" Fei had black lines over her head before she lightly tapped the dining table and sent the room to silence. Sylvianna looked pale as she saw the dining table was cracked from the ''light'' tapping from her maid. (Damn) thought Lyon while he gulped. He knew from the first time they met that Fei was someone not to be trifled with. "Alright, we are getting sidetracked here, I figure that you are wondering as to why you are summoned here right?" said Fei with a smile. However, to everyone else in the room, her smile manifested to something sinister. Lyon could only nod against her aura. "Well, I will let the queen explain that to you," said Fei Sylvianna coughed, before addressing the matter. "In the recent event that has been happening, the kingdom has been flourished thanks to your effort." "Our area has expanded from a tiny kingdom to a respectful kingdom that it deserves. The citizens have never been happier to settle in our kingdom, the future generations also brimming with happiness." "Thus, with the power bestowed on me by the progenitor of this kingdom, my late father, and by the consensus birthed from the meeting with the royal families," (Wait, aren''t you the only royal family left?) thought Lyon as he had black lines over his head hearing her statement. "I hereby announce that you, Lyon Torga, as the new duke of Nostria!" *clap*clap Fei was the only witness and the only one clapping, making the entire event awkward. "Wait, don''t we need like an entire ballroom and I should kneel in front of you, and you put your sword of honor or something over my head? Don''t we do that kind of thing?!" shouted Lyon in disbelief. "Nah, we are tight on money lately," said Sylvianna as she casually swatted the idea. (You just said the kingdom has flourished!) thought Lyon as he couldn''t believe this queen in front of him. "Well now, let''s focus on pressing matter, we are currently in a war state against the Heavenly Dawn, so as the duke you are obliged to help," said the queen while she sipped her tea. (This woman! That was her entire ploy!) thought Lyon. She was giving him the highest position under the queen for that purpose. To bind him with Kingdom Nostria. Even though if he had not been given any position in the kingdom, he would still help. Lyon could only let out a breath, "So, how is the war going? I don''t see anything different than before, the city is bustling, the merchants seemed to live normally." "Yeah, well that''s because they didn''t know it yet," said Sylvianna while sipping her tea. "Then? What are you waiting for?!" said Lyon. An unprepared kingdom during a war is doomed to fall. "You, we are waiting for you to give them the info," said Sylvianna while sipping her tea. "What? Why me?" "Because you are the duke, with you and me giving them the info, they would not panic, I think." --------------------------------------- Right on that exact afternoon, a notice was spread to let the people gathered around the place where Queen Sylvianna would give her speech. "Alright guys, lined up properly, no pushing no pickpocketing!" said Lukas, the admirable rookie soldier. "C''mon, just let them be, let loose for a little, they are people, not ducks," said a man with an extraordinary beard as he approached his underling. "But Captain Zusk!" "Shh, don''t be so loud, just stand there and everyone will maintain their own order." (Urgh! Why do I feel familiar with this conversation) thought Lukas as he had a bad feeling. *hic Captain Zusk''s face was red as he occasionally smiled. The only thing that''s keeping him from dropping to the ground was his own lance. "Good afternoon Nostria!" The queen''s voice from the balcony was heard as the commotion was stilled. No matter who they were, they couldn''t disagree that she was beautiful. "Today is a great day as I announce the great news that surely been the talk of the kingdom," said Sylvianna with a smile. She knew how much Lyon was worth in the kingdom. Some people might regard him as higher than her status. "Meet your new duke, Lyon Torga!" (Is she a queen or an announcer?) thought Lyon as he walked beside her. His appearance made the kingdom screamed. His unfathomable feats were told in scrolls and shared as children''s bedtime stories. He was a living superstar at the moment. Lyon smiled at the praises that were chanted under his sight. He slowly lifted his right hand as the crowd went silent. "Guys," Lyon looked at the anticipation inside the crowd''s eyes. "We are on a war against the Heavenly Dawn," Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. . . . . The kingdom was silent for a good two minutes that even the birds flapping their wings could be heard. "Whaaaat!" The kingdom screamed. 176 Here, a Souvenir The crowd entered a panic state as they grew restless. Heaven''s Dawn was a kingdom that said to be comparable to the size of a dynasty, their arsenal was humongous compared to Nostria. (I knew it) thought Lyon seeing the panic crowd. This was a rather huge event and news, it would impact so many subjects that one couldn''t count. With a cough, Lyon said, "No need to panic, I believe we have a fair chance to win the war." The people started to calm down as they heard what he said. This man was currently the sole pillar that made the kingdom to what it was today. "Prior to this, I sent a letter to Luderia to send help with the war so everything is going to be fine," said Lyon with a smile. This was probably the best thing to reassure their fate. Fei and Sylvianna looked at him with a surprised look in their eyes. They couldn''t believe that a kingdom as big as Luderia would send help to a little kingdom like Nostria. One thing was there was no merit or something to be gain in helping Nostria against Heaven''s Dawn. Sylvianna tugged his clothes as she whispered, "Hey, are you sure Luderia would help?" "Don''t worry, they will, if not, I will personally smack their princess''s butt," said Lyon softly. The queen had black lines over her head, "Can you not be so vulgar?!" Lyon didn''t pay any heed to her berated words and faced the people, "Well, that''s all, just resume what you were doing guys!" With that, Lyon turned back and gracefully left the scene. However, people were still wondering if Luderia would really send the help requested. --------------------------- "Hey Lyon, is it really true? Would they really help us?" asked the queen agitatedly. Lyon nodded, "En, I think so." Contrary to the queen''s disbelief expression, her personal maid had a gleeful smile as she asked, "Lyon, what did you do in Luderia this time?" "Well, I flirted with the two princesses there," said Lyon with a smile as he closed his eyes while rubbing his chin. "You mean you are flirting around with princess Aelina and princess Chloe?!" exclaimed Sylvianna. "Oh, you know them?" "Know them?! Which one person alive in Deo that didn''t know about them?!" Apparently, Aelina and Chloe were more famous than Lyon imagined they would be. In fact, Chloe, in particular, was said to be Deo''s daughter. Meaning that she was the pride and joy of this world, one of those that would spread her wings to the sky. "Really now? Then you wouldn''t like what I did in Luderia." "What? What did you do?" "Follow me," said Lyon with a smirk as he walked toward the corridor. At this time of day, the training ground was actually quiet with no people to be seen. Lyon was walking across the field before stopping in the middle and turned around. Facing the two women, Lyon raised his hand. (What is he, planning?) thought Sylvianna as she observed the young man in front of him. "I brought a little souvenir for you," said Lyon as the wind suddenly changed its course. Both women had their hair fluttered against the strong wind as Sylvianna couldn''t help but covered her eyes while taking a peek through her fingers. The explosion sound from the white clouds above made the people in Nostria looked up before the notion of the storm came into their mind. "Ravel to the thunder," Lyon''s voice was soft yet both women could hear it clearly. Fei couldn''t help but opened her eyes wide at the infamous line. "Gungnir." *boom The white clouds instantly turned black as wild lightning surrounded their beings. However, the most menacing thing was the black spear that appeared out of nowhere in front of Lyon. Its divinity was exuding as people would kneel in its presence. "LYON! Is that what I think it is?!" asked Fei as she lost her calm composure. She knew what the weapon was. The black spear that could penetrate a mountain, the historical weapon that was said to be the core of Luderia''s strength. "Yes, it is, it is ''the'' Gungnir," said Lyon as he casually swung the black spear before leaving black sparks in the afterimage. "But how, how can you possibly possess that?" asked Fei. "Well, a lot of things happen in Luderia," "Wait, Luderia is still in the process of picking the next ruler right? If you have the Gungnir then..." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "What the fuck?! You are the new ruler?!" shouted Sylvianna in disbelief. Who would have thought that a simple desire to flirt with the princess would let him become the new ruler? How impossible could a guy get? He went to the Phantera Kingdom and revived their queen, now he went to Luderia and suddenly became their ruler. One would never guess what Lyon will become if he sets on a journey to travel the other neighboring worlds. "Well, technically yes." "But that''s impossible! You are not even one of the candidates!" said Sylvianna. "That''s true, but the election is not as complicated as you think." "What do you mean?" "The one that will rule Luderia is the one that manages to conquer Gungnir, it is a law passed down by the royal family. But don''t tell anyone!" Sylvianna gulped her saliva as she never thought he would be the next successor. However, his next line sent her fright. "This is my souvenir to you," said Lyon as he casually threw the black spear toward Sylvianna. (Souvenir?! You thought this as a mere souvenir?!) thought Sylvianna as she carefully caught the black spear. Lyon picked his ear as he closed his eyes, "Well, that weapon is probably more suitable to you given your personality, but maybe it would be a bit hard for-" *spark Lyon opened his eyes toward the sound before his mouth twitched at the sight. (I knew it would but damn, this is something else, my queen). 177 Black Dragon vs True Dragon Lyon gulped his saliva at the sight in front of him. The female queen he saw a moment ago was different from the woman that held the black spear. Not just her bearing, but her appearance as well. Her long silver hair gradually turned black obsidian as it fluttered against the wild wind. Her red eyes penetrated those that dared to mock her status. Black sparks randomly appeared around her lean figure which was perfect for Gungnir. The high queen looked at the young man in front of him before a smile formed on her pretty face. Fei raised her eyebrows with a surprising look before leaping toward Lyon, "Look out!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Hmm?" With a palm, Lyon was pushed aside before Fei herself jumped in the opposite direction. *boom A loud boom was heard at the spot where Lyon was before the dust quickly dispersed by the wind. What replaced it was a crater formed by the beautiful figure standing in the middle. "Hey! What are you doing!?" asked Lyon as he saw Sylvianna''s crazed smile with Gungnir in her hand. Sylvianna spun the black spear before leaping toward Lyon and began her barrage of thrust. *swoosh The spear effectively thrust at a high speed as Lyon put all of his concentration to dodge the incoming attack. He gritted his teeth to keep up as he knew the spear was targeting his vital points. His golden sarong fluttered against his repeated sidestepping as the dust on the ground slowly scattered in the air. "Hey! What are you doing?!" shouted Lyon. "It''s useless, once she entered that state, you have to knock her out cold," said Fei before she pulled Lyon away from the queen''s range. Lyon readied himself as he said, "You owe me an explanation after this," (Two against one and she is not even nervous, is she really Sylvianna?) thought Lyon before he blinked. "Huh!" exclaimed Lyon as Sylvanna was already in front of him thrusting his spear toward his head. *boom Lyon was pushed backward as he dragged the soil to hold his figure from falling. With his hand making a cross in front of his head, he managed to escape critical injuries. He slowly lifted his head as his eyes were already green, exuding a divine bearing. "I''m sorry miss," said Fei before her maid attire fluttered and appeared behind the queen before she swung her hand against the nape. *clank Fei''s eyes opened wide as her hand didn''t manage to hit the nape but rather the hilt of the black spear. The queen only took a glance before propelling her with the hilt. She was launched and embedded into the wall before falling to the ground. With two coughs she swiped the blood at the edge of her mouth a before spitting another to the ground. "Hey, queen! Come here!" taunted Lyon with his hand. The queen smiled against his behavior before gouging the big stone that was embedded on the ground and hit it toward him. The flying big stone caught him off guard before he narrowly dodged it only to see Sylvianna already squatting below his eyes. (You are really...). *boom She thrust Gungnir upward right to Lyon''s chest before he was sent flying in the sky. "Guha!" Lyon couldn''t help but grunt as he was rocketing to the sky. The blow from the spear almost ruptured his ribs cage. (Don''t tell me, you are going to..!!) Sylvianna smiled as she squatted down, her veins slowly appeared on her white lower thighs as the ground cracked. Lyon smirked, "What an amazing woman!" *puff Lyon''s figure finally penetrated the cloud as he reached the highest point. He closed his eyes as greenish mana coiled his right hand before his figure finally started descending. Fei smiled at the development in front of her, "Nostria might get a little shaky." *boom The beautiful figure had finished charging the black spear as she rocketed to the sky. Meanwhile, Lyon penetrated the clouds downward at the same time. The queen spun vertically before releasing the charged black spear toward the sky with mountainous force. Seeing the incoming spear, Lyon smiled. "Gungnir Art: Black Dragon!" "True Dragon Art: Palm of Shattering World!" *roar The roar of the black dragon was heard before an even more devastating roar made it looked like a hissing of a snake. The black dragon penetrated the sky while the true dragon swam downward. *ding At the moment of impact, a tiny blinding light was formed before a huge ring manifested around it. The shockwave slowly scattered to all directions in the sky as the people could feel a strong wind. It was lucky for them that the impact happened in the air, otherwise, the casualties would be unimaginable. "You cannot beat this, Gungnir," said Lyon in a soft voice before the palm sent the black spear downward and finally etched to the ground. However, the force of the palm along with Lyon''s figure still falling toward the queen that opened her eyes and mouth in disbelief. "Alright, that''s enough," said Fei as she hit the queen''s nape and made her unconscious before swiftly carried her away. *boom The palm hit the ground as a massive crater was formed. Nostria shook as many of its citizen dropped to the ground. "What was that?" asked a cultivator. "I don''t know, a strong wind, a blinding light, and then followed by an earthquake," said his friend. "Maybe, the end is coming." "Nah, you think too much, maybe it''s one of those thirteen beings, you know how unfathomable they are." In the garden where flowers were blooming was a little girl woven in white clothing, her green hair was that of nature. "Uwahh, Savior is really cool and amazing!" She was peeking the whole event from the rooftop nearby that faced the training ground. "Oh, big sister Ryona was watching too?" asked the little girl as she saw a familiar figure standing on the same roof. "Huh? Big sister overseer too?" exclaimed the little girl as she saw another familiar figure. "Wait?! All of the big brothers and sisters and even grandma Dina opened her eyes!" The thirteen beings were standing on the roof watching the whole event as different expressions planted on their face. However, there was one thing in common, the feeling of awe. 178 The Secre Nostria resumed their activities despite the looming war that was about to happen. Considering the power of the thirteen beings that emerged out from the Labyrinth of Simak, people still worried about the incoming large-scale battle. A war would undoubtedly affect every aspect of the kingdom. Their economy, military, and people''s life will be depending on the result of the war. Either they will become the biggest kingdom or being wiped out of history depending on this single war. Some already fantasized about the grandeur in the near future while others were depressed about the worst outcome. "I want to buy a bag of flour please," said a housewive in a market. "Ah, yes, yes, that would be three bronze coins please," said the merchant. "I see that your business is surely going well," said the housewive while paying. "Yes, thank you, I hope we win the war though, this magnificent little kingdom," The merchant paused as he looked at the figures around them doing their activities. All sorts of beings were here, whether you were a halfling, a demi-human, they were all welcomed warmly. Just follow the general rules and have a conscience, then one would live harmoniously with the other. "I hope too," said the housewive as she left a smile before bringing the flour bag home. For the multiple races, Nostria was a little paradise. Despite their weak cultivation levels compared to the others, they were inarguably the happiest. All of this happened under one ruler, the only child of the first king. The queen that despite her fragile and childish behavior under her skin, was a firm and kind ruler. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Currently, she was resting in her grand chamber that had a pinkish hue. Her hair had changed back to her usual silver hair that draped around her pillow. Her beautiful figure was covered with a blanket as not even her feet were visible. Her peaceful expression brought ease to the one maid beside her. Fei silently heaved a sigh before leaving her chamber quietly. While slowly closing the door, a young man already stood beside her waiting for an explanation. "Follow me, Lyon," said Fei as she walked toward a certain room. It was neither a long nor short walk, but it was sure a room that he had never seen before. The door was plain as Fei casually opened it up with a light push. "This is?" exclaimed Lyon as he noticed the small room only contain one item in them. A type of hieroglyph stone was etched on the surface of the opposite wall. With a sigh, Fei began to explain, "What you are about to hear is probably quite ridiculous but it is the only explanation I can give you." "This stone is older than Nostria, however, it was not a product of an excavation. This room remains the same as the very first time it was discovered." "You mean?!" "Yes, the room existed before the castle was built. However, I will not tell you history lessons," said Fei before continuing, "After some time it was discovered, the castle was built and little Sylvianna was born in this world." Fei paused before letting go of a sigh, "One fateful day, the little Sylvianna wondered the castle. You know how a kid got excited with massive places right? That''s what happened to her too. Her excited and curious nature back then led her to this room." Her mind wandered as the image from the past resurfaced. While bitting her little thumb a little figure stood in front of the plain door. Her silver hair and red eyes were full of energy as she pondered at the room behind the door. With a cheeky smile, she pushed the door with her frail hands. Though it was light for the adult, it was heave for the child. *creak The door was opened as the little girl was panting. She straightened up her figure as she wiped the sweat on her forehead in one single swipe. "Fufufu, nothing can stop me," said the little girl as she walked to the middle of the room. "Uwaah, what is that?" said the little girl as she noticed the stone with weird engraving on them. The writing was unrecognizable as the little Sylvianna approached it. Her curiosity made her lifted her hand unconsciously and touched the stone. *ding The sound was only heard in her little mind as her pupils were immediately shrunken. Her fluttering hair gradually turned black obsidian. "Ah, miss there you are, I was looking all over for... you?" asked Fei who was a lot younger at that time. "Heh," the little Sylvianna smirked as she launched herself at the unsuspecting Fei. Her crazed eyes were filled with bloodthirst no a thirst for battle. Fei closed her eyes as her mind back to the present. "This was the remainder for me," said Fei as she lifted her shirt and revealed her six-pack abs. A scar was visible as part of the skin ruptured. It was apparent that a massive force of a blow was enacted on her body. "Wow," exclaimed Lyon in awe. "I know, when she is in that state her strength got significantly multiplied but of course the price was her sanity," said Fei with a sigh. "No, I mean, can you lift it up a bit higher," said Lyon with his nose rapidly breath in and out. 179 Nostrias Greatest Force Despite his perverted nature, Fei replied with a smile and a little shake of her head. She let down her upper garment as it covered her six-pack abs. "Maybe in your dreams," said Fei before continuing with a giggle, "Your adventure outside the kingdom sure has evolved you to be more brazen huh." Lyon rubbed his head as he closed his eyes with a face full of smile, "Oh please, stop praising me." (That was not supposed to be praise) thought Fei as her mouth couldn''t help but twitch a little. "So, did someone figured out as to why it happens?" asked Lyon. There was no way this kind of thing would just be happenstance. The fact that this castle was built after the discovery of the room meant that Sylvanna''s parents found it first, however, why was Sylvianna was the one that managed to ''activate'' it. "Not that I know of, none, we tried to decipher it but to no avail. There was one theory that this was actually an item with sentient and that sentient is now inside Sylvanna''s body," explained Fei. (That is a plausible theory, but) thought Lyon before asking, "What is the trigger for Sylvianna to activate that ridiculous power of her?" In the end, this power was a double-edged sword. If one could harness its power the advantage would be unimaginable but if one loses control, it would harm the owner. "Hmm, there is no definite answer to that question, however, based on the experience, maybe the trigger would be a sentient weapon?" answered Fei who was still pondering if her answer was correct. "A sentient weapon?" (True, Gungnir is a sentient weapon with similar personalities, however, if that was the answer, then how come she turned black when she was a kid? Surely she had not possessed any sentient weapon at that time). "Does anyone else ever touching that stone?" asked Lyon. "Of course, even I did, however, none receive a similar effect as the miss," answered Fei. People would definitely research the stone if it did hold such amazing power. A kid could leave a permanent scar against Fei, who didn''t want such power. "Do people of Nostria knew about this other ''identity'' of her?" asked Lyon. "No, it was kept secret from the citizen to avoid unnecessary distress," answered Fei. At that time, the kingdom was still at its early phase, a little wind would probably shake the foundation. However, by covering it, it also came with a price. (So the people and neighboring kingdoms didn''t know that Nostria''s Queen is actually a behemoth to be reckoned with haha!) thought Lyon as he couldn''t wait to see the citizen''s reaction if they knew the truth. Closing his eyes as he smiled, he faced the stone that had weird engravings on it. He stood with confidence as he slowly opened his eyes and focused on the odd language. (Hm? I can... I can read this!?). The odd language that he was not familiar with at first glance was now revealing its meaning. His pupils shrunken as his eyes opened wide. ''In this world, I seek power, Derived from corruption, derived from chaos, Strike only the strongest, slapped the weakest, It was a devil, not yet a god, With a blank heart, I shall taint! Forsaken but not forgotten! Redeem! Redeem! O'' You who will be Queen!!'' The verses were blatantly shown in front of Lyon''s eyes as he read it carefully inside his head. ''To read is easy, to understand is hard'' was probably the perfect quote to describe Lyon''s state right now. (I have no clue who wrote this nor the purpose, but those verses are quite empowering!) thought Lyon as he couldn''t help but nod. "Hmm? Do you understand anything?" asked Fei as she noticed Lyon''s gesture of understanding. "Nope, not a clue," answered Lyon with a smile. There was no point in telling her these verses if she didn''t even know the language in the first place because chances were slimmer for her to know who the maker was. Fei had black lines over her head before turning away, "Let''s go, we shouldn''t waste our time here." As they exited the room, Lyon glanced back at the stone before closing the door with a smirk on his face. -------------------------------- Inside the castle was a conference room that could hold roughly twenty people. A round table was located in the center as chairs already neatly assembled. The sound of a double door opening was heard as figures of different sizes and shapes entered the room. Their footsteps brought out an otherworldly bearing as they neatly chose a chair and sat with silence and elegance. "Ah, big sister Ryona, come sit beside me!" said a little green-haired girl clothed in white. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The latest figure perked up a smile before nodding and approached the little girl and sat beside her. With her personality, she never would have participated in this sort of event, in fact, none of them would. There was one being that had such ability, to assemble these different personalities into one room. "Everyone is here already?" asked a beautiful figure at the door. Her red and blue eyes exuded that of a divine being. Today her blue hair draped around her shoulder as she flawlessly sat on one of the chairs available. Kyoko, who was still referred to overseer by her fellows, of course, the only one that could manage to assemble them this easily. From a little girl to a grandmother, a wolf prince to a grim reaper, a shapeshifter to a knight. The conference room inside the castle suddenly become the safest place or the most dangerous place at the same time. This was quite possibly, Nostria''s greatest force. 180 Thirteen Beings "One thing for sure is that it is nice to see you guys looking the same," one of the thirteen being suddenly voiced out his opinion. The other eleven instinctively glance at the young man with handsome and charismatic features. His wolf''s ear and glasses brought about a ruler aura around him. It was apparent that he came from a higher lineage. "Hahaha, Vale, I never thought you would be the first one to speak," said a man with two vertical scars across both of his eyes. His brown complexion and vigorous trait never cease to lift up the group''s spirit. "Yeah, what uncle Tristan said is right! I was supposed to be the first one to talk, it''s my right as a child!" said the little girl beside Ryona. "That''s too bad Miko, he stole it from you haha," said a man with a handsome feature, his chiseled cheeks defined his face as masculine. His lean figure and fair black hair could captivate any woman he likes. Miko looked at the man with a smile before her expression fell flat. "Eh, who are you?" The man felt like a spear just penetrated his soul (Oi, don''t you think that is hurtful?! God knows how many years the thirteen of us had been together!). Before the man could answer, suddenly his collar was dragged by a hand that was covered in gloves. Looking down on him was a beautiful elf woman, her yellow hair was tied but her expression was full of killing intent. "Spy! How bold of you to come in this room unprepared!" "What are you talking about Elaine?!" said the man while pushing the hand away. "Calm down Elaine, my dear, you shouldn''t press on the spy blatantly," said Dina as her wrinkly eyes still closed. Suddenly a gaseous shadow appeared behind the ''spy'' as a sickle appeared around his neck. "Should I send you to the grave or will you talk," said a skeleton that was clad in black coats. "Yeah, Duffous and big brother Grim! You will never escape from us!" said a fat man that was wearing the same black coats as the skeleton. "What is wrong with you guys?" said the ''spy'' while lightly pushed the blade of the sickle away from his neck. "Guys, please don''t be so violent," a squeaky voice suddenly stopped the two brothers'' act of might. His figure of a bodybuilder clearly betrayed his voice and the paper on his mouth clearly made him looked weird despite being well-dressed. "Heck, Pedro, why don''t you ask Savior to remove that paper of yours, that''s what makes your voice so irritating!" said a little boy with a pair of horns. While wearing his magician robe he continued, "Why are you guys so stupid, the guy is Parriot in his human form!" *Ah! Exclaimed the eleven of them. "Yeah, Hahaha!" laughed Elaine while patting Parriot''s back with a mountainous strength. Even the sound when it connected made the others worried about his spine. (Thanks, Albert! You are my only friend, although you only knew my identity because of your talent in magic and sensing mana, I appreciate it) thought Parriot who was still getting smacked in on his back. "Hmm? Big brother why are you fidgeting?" said Miko as she noticed the young man beside her looked nervous. "Ah-haha, no it''s nothing," said the young man while shaking his head. (Why am I even here?! Goddamn it! Who started the rumor that there are thirteen beings?! There only eleven! Freaking eleven!) thought the young man. His golden hair was unlike Elaine, though he was probably the closest relative of her race. His handsome feature even probably came from one. However, he knew that he shouldn''t be here at all. "Jugen, where is Lyon?" asked Ryona. "Ah, well, I think he was talking with Fei for something," answered Jugen. That''s right, he was Jugen. The only young man that followed Lyon''s adventure and survived various ridiculous events with him. He may not be the strongest nor the most cunning but he was still the Golden Demoness''s little brother. (Ah goddamn it! Come hell or high water! I''m not afraid anymore!) thought Jugen as he knew he was too late for backing down. "Ah, that''s a really cute little wolf! Big brother, can I hold it? Can I?" asked Miko with heartful eyes toward the little black fur sitting on a chair beside Jugen. "You mean Fenrir? Of course, you can," said Jugen as he picked up the sleeping baby wolf beside him. "Uwaah, so cute! So Fenrir is your name huh?" said Miko as she patted Fenrir''s head gently. (Well, I was going to the dining hall to pick up big bro, but I found him sleeping beside foods on the table instead). "Ah! You are the one! I remember you hahaha!" shouted Tristan while pointing at Jugen before laughing. Jugen couldn''t help but look down embarrassed. Tristan was referring to a certain event back in the labyrinth where he met Jugen but with his guardian form. *tap*tap The sound of footsteps faintly heard but everyone suddenly stayed silent. Out of the rumored thirteen beings, only one more person was left. The man who created the miracle of releasing them from an endless curse. The one they paid their utmost respect, his feat that roughly made them owe their lives to. "Woah, everyone''s here, even Jugen and Fenrir," said a voice from the double door. Dubbed to be the Everlasting Genius, standing with his careless and easy-going vibe. Rising his hand he said, "Yo, how are you guys doing?" "Alright, just take a seat, Lyon, we will begin the meeting," said Fei behind him. Lyon chose to take the empty seat beside Jugen as he looked Fei with her CEO bearing. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. With her hands placed on the table, she looked at them without any hint of fear and said, "Let''s begin the meeting, of seizing Heaven''s Dawn!" before making a smirk. 181 Leave Him to Me Unbeknownst to everyone in Nostria, Heaven''s Dawn also began its preparation for the war. While Nostria had to worried about their distance, the opposite kingdom had more pressing issues. Though small, Nostria had ''thirteen'' powerhouses that without a doubt proved to be troublesome to deal with. The eleven of them most probably more powerful than the current ruler himself. However, that was not the only problem, if they somehow managed to win, Luderia, their greatest rival, would seek this as an opportunity to strike. It would no doubt be Luderia''s victory if it were to happen. With such considerations, there was probably only one way to handle it. Inside a room somewhere in Deo were two men. One was behind the desk tapping his fingers against it while the other stood straight. The room was not spacious and the only light source they had was two candles that were planted on each side of the wall. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The man sitting behind the desk looked not much older than thirty years old. He had fair facial hair that decorated his chin. His bulky figure and his armor were the perfect matches to his empowering bearing. He looked at the man wearing a hood in front of him with a smile as he said, "Well, well, well, what do I owe this honor?" His sentence didn''t flinch the man wearing the hood as he said, "I see, that you already know who I am, your organization sure is capable." "Oh please, you are flaunting us too much, I mean who wouldn''t know you?" said the man with a laugh before he said softly, "King of Heaven''s Dawn, Drake Arabasta." Pulling back his hood he revealed his old face. He lived for god knows how many years, but the wrinkles on his forehead were only recently formed. His long hair had grayed as time had consumed it. With white long beard and fair build for an old man, he was exuding that royalty-bearing. "I have a request for your group," said Drake as he gave a letter. He knew that his social status didn''t worth a single coin here. Thus ordering his underlings to deliver a letter would mean nothing. The man in armor casually took the letter and read its content before perking up a smile. "That''s right, I want you to deal with the thirteen beings that came out from that shitty labyrinth!" said Drake as he gripped his hand as the crackling sound was heard. The man in armor shook his head with a smile as he replied, "Thirteen? There were not thirteen beings you silly old king, no wonder you progenitor left this world." The king''s mouth was twitching, but he couldn''t lash out his rage against him. "What do you mean?" "I will do you a favor and tell you that the information you received is false. There were not thirteen beings but instead eleven." The king furrowed his eyebrows as he thought (Does my men really dares to lie against me?!). The man in armor laughed as he said, "Haha, look at you, being played by such little kingdom from the start, you underestimated them too much." "Don''t worry, it wasn''t that your men lied to you, it''s just that, that was the information they perceived," Then the man turned serious as he continued, "Dangerous, all eleven of them." False information would prove fatal for a kingdom in a war as it would undoubtedly change the tide. Sending forces to the wrong place would leave other places open. Drake fell into contemplation as he remembered his decree to capture Lyon. It was no wonder that there was no result if they had been perceiving wrong information from the enemy. (Gah! Useless! All of them!). "Don''t worry, I will help you, in fact, I will personally enter the battlefield," said the man in armor to the king''s surprise. "We will keep the eleven beings at bay, but we will not kill them, well for the obvious reason that we currently don''t have the capability," said the man in armor with a laugh. "Then, the compensation for it..." the king halted his word as the man in armor cut in. "No need, nothing you can give will make me droll, not your land, not even your hidden weapon that your progenitor left you with for your dynasty, I mean kingdom''s final resort. Honestly, a size that big is just a common kingdom, why would you even shamelessly put the word Dynasty, not even your progenitor would do so," said the man in the armor. He was insulted many times but he could only hold in his rage as he truly needed his help, at least, right now. However, what surprised him the most was that he knew about the weapon''s existence, the last-ditch the progenitor gave Heaven''s Dawn. "Then..." "Leave Lyon Torga to me," said the man with his eyes turned sharp. (Hm? Him? Why? Isn''t he Ryona''s husband? What would a Heaven''s Real-) his thought stopped there as he remembered how his spies perceived wrong information. "You may leave," said the man in armor as he casually leaned back. Watching the departing king out of his room, the man pulled out a coin inside his pocket and craftily played it with his nimble fingers. "The fact that you know about this place, proofs that you are a really dumb king." "I''m sorry, that''s not fair, because you have no choice but to come here hahaha," said the man in the armor before he accidentally dropped the coin. The coin spun on the floor as he watched it while murmuring, "I doubt he will remember me, but I sure do remember the first time we met too well, he is really an amusing young man," --------------------------- "Achoo!" Lyon sneezed in the middle of the meeting, as he felt chill running up his spine. "Hubby, are you alright?" asked Ryona as she saw Lyon wiping his nose. "Yeah, don''t worry about it, someone''s probably talking about me." 182 Yes I can Slapping the table with confidence, Fei smiled as she said, "And with that, our chance of winning is one hundred percent! At least if the war would play accordingly." "Yeah, well except that war would never go our way nor the enemy''s way, it will always be unpredictable," lamented Lyon. War was one of those things that came out unpredictably in your favor or not at all. However, that didn''t mean that strategies are useless, in fact, strategies are the only thing that will make the difference. "C''mon, stop being pessimistic, I mean, with you here, our victory is almost certain," said Fei with a smile. "OH-Ho! You think so right?! Right, right! With me here, nothing but victory will be the result!" said Lyon as his nose grew longer. This one hundred eighty degrees of his personality always sent chuckles to nearby. "Alright, with that, we have concluded our meeting, please prepare yourself well," said Fei as she dismissed the meeting. With everyone started to leave the room one by one, Lyon suddenly called out Vale''s name. "Hey, Vale, I need to ask you something," "Hmm? What is it that you are curious about brother savior?" "Oh just call me Lyon, by the way, you see that little black wolf that Miko held? Does your kin, lay eggs?" "Huh?" (What kind of absurd question is that?!) thought Vale as his glasses almost fell out. However, seeing that Lyon''s expression was serious, he tried to compose his calmness. "N-no, we don''t lay eggs, we breed like you humans, and give birth like one too," explained Vale. He couldn''t believe that he would explain something like this. "Really? That''s weird, Fenrir was born out of an egg," said Lyon as he contemplated before a thought crossed his mind. "Ah, I think I know," said Lyon as Vale nodded. "Some kind of protective shell." "His wolf father fucked a bird." Both of them said at the same time, but Lyon''s answer gave the room a weird atmosphere. Everyone looked at him while some shook their head. Vale nervously fixed his glasses as he ''hmm''. Miko squinted her eyes as she held Fenrir closed to her chest, "Pervert, Savior is a perv." Having a little kid saying that to him made him twitched his eyebrows, "No I''m not!" "Look, older sister Elaine''s bra is hanging on the tree just outside the window!" said Miko as she excitedly pointed out the window. "WHAT!" The pointed window suddenly broken into pieces as a figure leaped through it. (That sacred item is mine!.... Eh?) thought Lyon as he saw nothing on the branch of the tree. He quickly grabbed the branch before it instantly snapped and send him to the ground. *thud Landing butt first he looked up as Miko looked down on him before she stuck her tongue out, "Pervert!" (This little!) thought Lyon as he twitched his mouth. Meanwhile, Vale was focusing on the being that was still held by Miko. There was something that was bothering him however he had a hard time voiced it out. "I know you would feel it, Vale," a beautiful voice like the chord of an angel came behind him. "Ah, overseer," Kyoko calmly approached him as she said, "You feel it, no, more precisely your bloodline feel it," Vale smiled as he nodded, "Yes, undoubtedly, though it is still faint, it is there. He is still in a growing phase so it will be a sight to be held when he matured." (I wonder what his bloodline is, I don''t recall any record in my memory of his. Maybe if I got home, I can gain more information about this, but, man, just sleeping there rushed my blood. One thing for sure, his bloodline is not lesser than mine) thought Vale before he calmed himself down. --------------------------------- While occasionally rubbing his butt, Lyon made way to the town. His famous feats already spread to Nostria and made him a rising superstar. A role model for children, a miraculous being that brought Nostria to a new height. "Hey, Lyon, this one is on the house," said a merchant as he threw an apple. "Oh thanks, uncle," said Lyon as he took a bite and continued his way toward the inn. Inside one of the rooms at the inn, Biane and Clemora were already waiting for their reward. The reward was to teach them ten Divine Spells, a mouthwatering reward that even a kingdom might not necessarily have. Opening the door, Lyon walked in with a bitten apple in his hand. "Alright, I''m a man of my word, what kind of divine spells do you want?" "Lyon, tell us the truth, do you really have ''world'' affinity?" asked Clemora. Lyon raised his eyebrows toward the question before nodding, "Yes I do, what of it?" "D-do you know what that means?!" asked Clemora as she tightly gripped his hand. "What?" "That means, that you could be the most powerful mage in all of the world!" said Clemora as her eyes had glitters in it. "Yeah, well I don''t care about that haha!" laughed Lyon. "Oh yeah, you''re a womanizer," said Clemora before she sighed. Why would the ultimate element that encompassed the world would be inside of a man like him, god knows. With a cough, Biane said, "Alright, we are getting sidetracked here, since magic would work best to one affinity, then I would ask-" she couldn''t finish her sentence before Clemora gripped her hand and shook her head. "Lyon, can you bring someone back to life?" asked Clemora. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Her question surprised Biane as she suddenly remembered two unfortunate subordinates of her that were caught in the mess in Luderia. Biane immediately glanced at the young man in front of him, with hopes of a maiden. Lyon threw away the apple in the nearby bin before he sat on one of the empty chairs. "Yes I can, I can bring the two soldiers back to the land of the living," 183 Valuable Lesson Biane''s eyes became excited as she hurriedly held Lyon''s firm hand. "Please..." She only spouted one word that without a doubt managed to convey her wish. Her hands were trembling as she didn''t even doubt the young man''s capabilities. "Are you sure?" asked Lyon. Biane repeatedly nodded as her answer toward his question. Lyon sighed as he looked at Biane with a weak smile before he glanced at her sister, Clemora. Her little sister was actually quite nervous because there was a crucial question that popped up in her mind. "You must be thinking of why didn''t I revive them sooner, or better yet, why didn''t I save them, right?" asked Lyon with a playful smile toward Clemora. She couldn''t help but blush before weakly nodding. She knew it wasn''t her place to question him, but rather her sister Biane. With his prowess being presented in Luderia, she knew that Lyon had enough power to singlehandedly handle the assassins in the forest. Yet, why wouldn''t he save the two innocent guard that was only caught in the play? Biane''s body tensed as she didn''t dare to hear the answer. She herself knew deep down that the question lingered in her heart however she was not brave enough to face it, she was not ready. She closed her eyes as she steeled her courage. Lyon''s mouth slowly moved, "It was, for you Biane." Biane slowly opened her eyes as she heard the answer. The confusion was apparent on her face as she couldn''t help but said, "Huh?" The seemingly confused Clemora couldn''t help but opened her mouth before Lyon explained his answer. Lyon kicked his seat backward as he knelt and held Biane''s frail but strong hand. "I did it for you, I didn''t want to hide it in the first place forgive me. However, it was a choice for me back then." "It is because I want you to learn a very valuable lesson. Unlike Clemora, you are too kind, people would take you for granted. Dangers loomed everywhere, even your closest one. You put too much trust in your friends. If your friend were-" His eyes opened wide surprised as his mouth was shut with a finger from Biane who put it gently in front of it. Biane shook her head with ''hm-mm'' as she smiled. "You are wrong, Lyon." "I trusted them because I knew them. Underdifference circumstances, they wouldn''t have betrayed me. However, if one''s family was in danger what one wouldn''t do in this world? Their act was indeed wrong but it was justified. They were cornered with very little choice, a weak man is still a man. They may be labeled a traitor, but their family would live." Clemora sat still as she listened to her older sister. She knew she was no match in this kind of stuff. Unlike her older sister, she was acute and sharped, she rarely let her judgment be influenced by her emotions. That was why she was colder in personality type. Lyon closed his eyes in defeat. In the end, each person is different because they viewed the world differently. "You''re right, I just want you to be careful because I will not always be there to protect you, maybe I was just paranoid," Biane blushed as she heard his sentence before she rubbed his head and said, "In the end, no matter how talented you are, you are still younger than me." (Well that''s not the cause but, hell, getting patted on the head feels so good!) thought Lyon as his eyes drowned in a weird pleasure. "Alright, c''mon then, let''s go and bring those two fools back!" said Biane as she stood up. ------------------------------- The forest was swaying as gentle wind breeze through. In the meadow of the forest were two gravestones that were recently built. The two guards were resting here. Lyon and the other two were the only ones that went to the forest. Bringing someone back to life was a huge matter, god knows how many people wanted to be resurrected. This deed was at utmost secrecy so they left at night and arrived at noon. They swiftly dig up the ground and the two caskets were revealed. Their dead bodies were still there and quite intact. Their skin was already bluish from the cold and dead cells. Standing in between them, Lyon absorbed a massive amount of mana around him. Clemora gulped at the sight (So this is one of the rarest elements, one could say one of the ultimate elements. The epitome of medical magic, the element of life itself). Unlike the one with Luna''s beautiful mother, Lyon was much stronger this time. His rate of absorbing the mana had increased by folds. With the fact that the two-guard was not as strong as Luna''s mother, the requirement was not as harsh. (Luckily, their souls had not left this world yet, is it because of lingering regret I wonder but with time it would deteriorate) thought Lyon before he wrote the spells and chanted. "Soul Spell, Ressurection." *zing Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Multiple rainbow-colored magic brands encapsulated their entire bodies before fusing into two spheres and each of them slowly entered their lifeless, respected bodies. Lyon was panting before he left the scene and sat on a nearby tree. The two soldiers rapidly turned warmer as their skin regained its original color. Slowly but steadily their chest region heaved up and down. Biane''s eyes couldn''t help but turn moist at the sight. It was beyond a miracle. "Ugh, I think I have a nightmare," said one of the guards. "Huh, you too? Ah! Lady Biane!" The two of them quickly get out of the wooden casket and knelt. "You idiots took you a while to come back! Now go to the mansion and train! Look at your pathetic cultivation realm, a Body Tempering Realm! Are you two a kid?! Well?! What are you waiting for?! Get going there''s a horse, GO!" shouted Biane as the guards hurriedly left in a rush. "Hey, what the hell happen, why are we in a kid''s realm?!" "Hell would I know, for now, let''s just train and ask later!" Looking at their departing figure, the tears finally dropped down from the corner of her eyes. She firmly turned back and approached the sleeping young man under the tree. She wiped her tears before slowly approached his innocent sleeping face. Leaning in closer she tugged her hair behind her ears as she closed her eyes. "Thank you," their lips connected as the branches swayed with the wind as if nature was blessing this couple. 185 Sacred Beast or Karina? Inside the most beautiful chamber inside the palace in Nostria, the resting queen twitched her eyes before slowly opened them up. She rubbed her eyes while muttering, "What the hell happen?" "You passed out, miss." "Ah!" Sylvianna jumped in fright before she realized that the woman who spoke beside her was Fei. While pressing her own chest in an attempt to calm her heartbeat, she asked, "Passed out? Passed out from what?" "Try to remember miss," asked Fei as she took a tray of food beside her. "Hmmm, my latest memory is in the training ground...?!" Her memories resurfaced as the image of a young man she couldn''t anymore be familiar with, stood in front of her and threw something like a pole in which she instinctively reached out to grab it. "Ah, please tell me I didn''t kill Lyon?!" asked Sylvianna frantically. Apparently she knew that she entered that state. Fei chuckled as she prepared her soup before saying, "Don''t worry, he is still alive and well, in fact, you even lost the battle." "No way, I lost?" exclaimed Sylvianna in disbelief. She knew that when she was in that state, nobody in the world could possibly beat her in one on one situation, at least, from her experience. Fei lightly blew the soup in the spoon before feeding her slowly. "Miss, I think the time is nigh for you to master that state of yours," asked Fei as she scooped another. "What do you mean?" "It''s pretty obvious, now that exist the person that could contain that power of yours, it''s time for you to tame that hidden power of yours," explained Fei as she fed another spoon. Her eyes couldn''t help but look away, "Huft, why is it has to be that guy, why fate is so cruel to me!" Her complaining was responded with a chuckle from her personal maid. "Why do you hate him so much?" asked Fei with a smile. "I-I don''t hate him, it''s just, I dislike him," answered Sylvianna. "Why?" "It''s obvious, he is a huge PERVERT, with a capitalized word!" Her cheeks turned red as she remembered a certain event, in the near past when she was taking a shower. "Well, I can''t blame you he is a huge pervert, but look at how the kingdom has become, it''s the most flourishing state in the history and it''s thanks to that young man that came from the sky," "Have you ever wondered what situation we would in if he didn''t come here?" continued Fei. Sylvianna didn''t answer her question. She knew the answer but her ego and pride held it in her throat. "Still think that fate is cruel to you?" teased Fei. That was a checkmate for her. She knew that she could never win an argument against the one and only. "Promise me at least you will try to learn it, you know with the war soon-" "Alright, alright, I know it already," Fei smiled as she continued to feed her. -------------------------------------------------------------- "So, why am I here again?" asked Lyon. He was in a forest where people would cultivate and hunt for beasts. It was a dangerous place where the bandits used to reside until Lyon wiped them out with a certain woman. "Training of course, what else could it be?" a voice came before a figure stood next to him. Her beautiful lean athletic figure could be described godly. Wearing a cap with a ponytailed style golden hair she exuded an adventurous aura around her. With her belly button showed to the world, she wore a pretty black sports bra that could send Lyon to high heaven. "That... that''s pretty cool clothing you are wearing," said Lyon with a gulped as he savored the view beside him. "You think so huh? This is a new design from the infamous tailor in Nostria," said Karina as she stretched her body. (Him huh? That tailor is really ahead of his time, wait, is he also from earth?!) thought Lyon before he quickly shook off the wild idea. "Hey, did you know, a legend said that there is a sacred beast living here for uncountable years," said Karina. "Hmm, yes, well, yes," answered Lyon as he was intoxicated by the beauty. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Hey, are you listening?" asked Karina before she whipped out a kick to his stomach. *bang "Guha!" Lyon was sent flying toward the nearby tree. "That''s the punishment for not listening to your teacher," said Karina with a smile before she jumped away. "Hey, wait for me!" shouted Lyon as he chased after her, however. The bush in front of him suddenly rattled. Lyon halted his steps as he focused on his surroundings. As he readied himself, the bush on the west side suddenly rattled. Before long the east side rattled. Lyon smirked as he relaxed his hand. He stood without any stance with his hands behind his back. As the south side rattled, Lyon didn''t even care anymore. After the south side stopped its rattling, the forest turned silent once more. *rattle The four sides suddenly rattled altogether. Any cultivator would be in distress in this kind of situation, pushing their survival instinct to the upmost. "Ah, what an interesting human you are, you have a whiff of a true dragon around you," said a deep voice from one of the rattling bushes. "Whoever or whatever you are, I will not ask you to come out, instead just keep hiding, because I need to chase someone," said Lyon before he leaped toward Karina''s direction. (Are you kidding me? Why would I spend my time with useless things like that! I got Karina to chase!) thought Lyon as he chased the most beautiful woman in the forest. The bushes stopped its rattling as if something unbelievable just happened. From one of the bush, a little creature walked out with its little cane. It was an old mole that had a white beard. "D-did that just happen?" said the old mole as he stood in the middle in disbelief. 186 Sacred Beas The old mole sat down on his butt as a youngling of his kin approached, "G-Great elder are you alright?" "Hey, am I still a sacred beast?" asked the old mole as a tinge of sadness appeared on the corner of his eyes. (Oh no! He is having an existential crisis!) thought the youngling as he acted agitatedly. "What is the meaning of living in this world, I''m just an ordinary old mole," The old mole sat down as his life flashed him by. The memories in his mind played as he fell into depression. "You are still the sacred beast of this forest, the strongest of our kin!" The youngling''s shout managed to get inside his weary ears as the old mole opened his eyes. "That''s right I''m still the sacred beast, the protector of this forest!" *swoosh The sound of branches fluttering was heard as the leaves left their home. One could only manage to see the golden silhouette skipping from a branch to another. *flutter The silhouette stepped the last branch and jumped on the open field where the old mole just got up from his butt. "Eh?! Look out!" shouted Karina as she noticed the tiny beast she was about to stomp. The old mole raised his eyebrows as he muttered, "Too slow." *tap He tapped his cane to the ground and his position already shifted five steps forward, effectively dodging her landing-stomp. *thud Karina landed safely before she quickly turned around, "Hey little guy, are you alright?" The old mole lowered his eyebrows as his eyes turned sad once more. He sat down on his butt as he muttered, "Little guy, she said... maybe I am just an ordinary mole in the street." (Oh no! Twice a day?! C''mon old man!) thought the youngling who hid in the corner. *stomp A black silhouette ruthlessly landed on top of the depressed old mole. (Great elder!) thought the youngling as he kept his wit not to shout. He knew that being alive was more important right now. Crossing his hand, Lyon tilted his head with closed eyes as he said, "Where are we going, teacher? We are back in this place again, hmm? Why is the ground so squishy now?" Karina covered her mouth in disbelief as she saw what happened. Lyon noticed her surprise as he saw Karina point out at the ground he was standing. *crack Suddenly, the ground he was standing cracked as he felt something pushing his feet upward. Lyon tried to balance his figure as he let one leg as the center of his mass. (No way) thought Karina as she saw the old mole was holding Lyon up with the tip of his little cane. The old mole slightly pulled it down and pushed his cane upward to send Lyon off to the air. The unbalanced young man couldn''t help but make a flip to steadily land on the ground beside his teacher. Stepping out from the small crater, the old mole rubbed his beard. "Ah young man, we meet again." (What?! He got out of his depressed mode?! Next time, I will try smacking his old head!) thought the youngling who was watching from behind the bush. (A mole? Did he just talk?) asked Lyon before he remembered that he had his dragon as a grandfather and this new world he was in. "I don''t think we have met before? No even if we did, I would probably forget hahaha!" laughed Lyon. "Hahaha, you are a lively one," said the old mole like an old man. "Lyon, you should apologize," said Karina with her menacing gaze. "Oh, right, sorry for landing on you!" Lyon apologized with his head bow. He didn''t particularly do this because he was told to, he did this because he knew he was at fault. "Forget about it, ah where are my manners, I should introduce myself first," said the old mole. With a light cough, he continued, "My name is, well, I forgot about it." Lyon and Karina had blacklines over their head. "You can call me Great Elder, at least that''s how I am referred to right now, hohoho." (That lying old mole! Your name is Tama!) thought the youngling. "My name is Lyon, and this beautiful teacher of mine is Karina, I believe, you have some type of request?" asked Lyon which sent the old mole into raising his eyebrows. "Ho-ho-ho, you are a sharp one," said the old mole as he tapped his cane three times. Lyon and Karina instinctively looked their right and left as the bushes surrounding them were shaking wildly. Suddenly one head of a young mole protruding out of it before another one showed up, and then another one, and then another one, until the two of them were surrounded by it. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The younglings made out of the bushes and revealed themselves. Ther exact numbers were unknown, maybe a hundred maybe a thousand. One thing that was clear, was that there were a lot of them but Lyon and Karina didn''t raise any guard as they felt no hostility from them. "These are all my descendants, we live in this forest for thousands of years, we saw the downfall of a kingdom and the rising of a new one," said the great elder mole. "However, time keeps fleeting and so does my age, even the forest cannot live forever," there was no sadness in his weary eyes at all. His little weary eyes turned sharp, "I am the sacred beast of this forest, and it is I who spread the rumors of my own existence." "So you are the sacred beast? The protector of this forest?!" asked Karina. She thought that the sacred beast would be... bigger or menacing. "Yes, but do you know what is the thing, the forest needed to be protected from?" "Bandits? Scavenger? Don''t tell me a lumberjack?" said Lyon as he made his guesses. The great elder mole shook his head before he said, "Take three steps back." "Good, that''s enough space," said the old mole before tapping the ground. The ground in front of Lyon shifted upward as a cave slowly appeared in front of him. From the entrance of the cave, a bone-chilling aura was emanating. There appeared to be stairs leading down to the dark depth below. 187 Origin of The World The cave was crude and looked really old, but despite that, the stairs were definitely man-made. God knows when was the last time the cave saw the sunlight. "The ''thing'' that we are looking for is at the base of the stairs. It has slumbered for years since my time of youth," said the great elder mole as he took the first step in. "Follow me, don''t worry, no beasts are inside, they wouldn''t dare," continued the great elder mole. "Well, c''mon Lyon, what are you waiting for?" asked Karina as she immediately followed the old mole. (Karina, you didn''t even flinch at the menacing aura from within this cave?) Lyon smiled as he looked at this teacher of his. With a tap from his small cane, the great elder mole lit up the torches that were etched on the wall. The torch burned one by one leading down and revealing the path to the base of the stairs. (Damn, can that little cane do everything?) thought Lyon with a twitched mouth. He saw every time whenever the great elder mole tapped his little cane, something he wanted would happen. (That''s a really neat tool). Stepping down, the three of them reached the base without much hardship, for an old set of stairs it was quite sturdy. "Great Elder Mole, why did you choose me?" asked Lyon as he followed the stairs. "Because I sniffed a whiff of a true dragon aura surrounding you," said the great elder mole with a smile without stopping his tracks. (I would prefer you to use another word beside sniffing) thought Lyon with blacklines over his head before he said, "Does it have anything to do with the ''thing'' below?" "No, not at all." "Eh?" "It has something to do with your character." Lyon furrowed his eyebrows (My character?). He didn''t understand what the old mole was saying. "Your character, I know what a true dragon looks like, I know their personalities as well. Arrogant, powerful, loyal and selfish. Though they isolated themselves from the world and rarely showed up, they are indeed a lawful creature, at least, to their own kin." Lyon could only smile wryly as he thought about his grandfather that was probably the opposite of those traits he spoke of. His grandfather was a pervert for all he knew, not so much of arrogance but definitely wanted to act cool. "I won''t dwell into how did you even meet a true dragon nor why did they lend you their powers. But the fact that you could even befriend a true dragon means that you are a lawful person." Lyon''s nose got longer as he heard the praise, "Yes, I am indeed a lawful person." Karina massaged her forehead with her finger as she heard what the great elder mole said. (He is the very symbol of the opposite of lawful). "Here we are," said the great elder mole as he stood in front of an old door There was an engraving on the door that looked really complicated, almost like a magic brand but inactive. "What is behind the door? What is this ''thing''" asked Karina. She knew that both of them deserved more explanation than just blindingly do what they were told. "A ball entirely made out of mana that was visible to the naked eye, highly unstable matter that could rupture this world even further." "Even further?" asked Lyon. From the great elder mole sentence, he was implicitly saying that the current world was already ruptured. "Hmm? You mean you don''t know? The history of how this world, Deo or so you humans called it, was made?" seeing the two of them confused, the great elder mole got his answer. "It was a story from my great ancestor, I forgot about most things in my life, but his story really captivates me," Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "He said that there were no multiple worlds back when his ancestors live, only a single massive world. However, a huge explosion happened, it was so massive that the single massive world break into parts that one cannot count, scattering all over. He didn''t know the details of why, what or exactly how, but he heard rumors that there exists energy, mana that caused such an explosion, and the thing behind this door proved that he was right." (This world was one?) thought Lyon. His eyes opened wide as he suddenly felt a strain of pain running through his head. He couldn''t help but crouched and pressed his head with his hands, "Aargh!" "Hey, Lyon are you alright?!" asked Karina as she approached him. *zzt With his opened eyes, a blurred image was turning on and off in his mind. The veins on his head slowly turned visible under the skin as he held the pain. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to get the image inside his head. (C''mon! Turned clearer!) thought Lyon as he held the immense pain. He knew that this was some sort of a key to his own mystery. This was his opportunity, he simply wouldn''t let it slip by. "Slow down young man," said the great elder mole as he poked his chest with his little cane. Lyon immediately escaped the pain as he panted furiously. "I don''t know what''s happening to you, but it was visible to me that you are getting the pain on purpose, whatever it is, don''t force it, it would only be detrimental for yourself," said the great elder mole. "C''mon Lyon, let''s take a break here first," said Karina as she sat down beside him. "Hah, hah, I''m sorry I worried you, teacher," said Lyon while panting. "It''s alright, just rest first," said Karina with a smile. Lyon smiled his response before his thought wandered to the blurred image. He didn''t see it clearly enough to make out of anything from it. All he knew that there was a connection with the origin of the world is a single massive place. The great elder mole looked at the couple while wondering about something. 189 Anti Mana Lyon''s pupils were shrunken as he watched the horror in front of him. He knew how devastating the force contained within that black ball of mana. "KARINA!!" His shout brought even the great elder mole on to his knees. The forest was shaken as it could hear the devastating cry of a man as the beasts hurriedly scattered and went into hiding. The birds flew frantically in fear that their life would flee out of their own body. (Th-This... this is the power of the youth that got the blessing of a true dragon! Just his shout could make me feel inferior!) thought the great elder mole as he palpitated. Lyon didn''t care about any of his surroundings, his eyes were focused on the woman in front of him that was laying on the floor. With one leap, he was already kneeling in front of the young woman. Her eyes were opened but there was no focus to be seen. Her mouth was agape as blood stained the floor. She looked fragile and helpless, unlike her usual bearing. "Fuck! If only I have been more careful!" lamented Lyon as tears could be seen building up from the edges of his eyes. "What''s the use of this power if I cannot protect you, WHAT"S THE USE!" "H-Hey..." Lyon opened his watery eyes as he heard the fragile voice. Her warm hand touched his cheeks as he saw the smile even though there was blood on the edges of her mouth. "D-don''t blame yourself for this, I-" Before Karina could finish her word, Lyon hurriedly carried her like a princess. Despite his watery eyes, he knew that the best thing he could do now was to heal her from this. "Teacher, please rest, for now, I will not lose you, even if the gods want you in heaven, I''ll kill them!" said Lyounus, even though his eyes were watery, one could see the determined vow in his eyes. "Open!" Suddenly a magic brand instantly formed in front of them as it revealed a beautiful location. A vast lake that was so clear, one could see the bottom of it. (Karina''s cultivation is diminishing at every second!) thought Lyon. "Is-is that Undine Lake?!" exclaimed the great elder mole. He knew how far away it was from here. To think that a Soul Realm cultivator could make spatial magic to such distance was a feat no other spatial attribute cultivator could do. (I owe you too much) thought Lyon before he leaped into the magic brand. If the source of the black ball of mana was from eons ago, then there was little chance that even Kyoko would know about it. There was only one figure, one existence that was currently had even the chance to know about it. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Huh? Why are you taking me here?" asked Karina. Her voice was already meek with her cultivation dropped at a concerning rate. Lyon smiled before he took a deep breath, "Grandpa!" ---------------- Inside the center of the Undine Lake was a hut that stood on the base of the water floor. Inside it, there was a true dragon sleeping on top of a sofa. His green scales were majestic as two of his horns. With the mouth of a crocodile and the body of a snake, he was dubbed the complete beast. His eyes opened as he heard the call before he leaped out of the hut and swimming in the lake water before in the sky. "Grandpa Long, I made a fish soup, eh, where did he go?" asked a woman with a short magma-red hair and burnished complexion. ---------------- "Grandson!" shouted the true dragon as he saw the figure on the edge of the lake. The true dragon furrowed his eyebrows as he noticed the fragile woman in Lyon''s arm. "Grandpa Long, I-" "It''s this woman isn''t it?" (I expect nothing less) thought Lyon with a smile on his face before nodding. "Well, well, I believe we haven''t properly met yet, I mean, this is my first time showing you my form this close," said Long. Karina was dumbfounded, she did saw the true dragon back in the Phantera Kingdom but alas it was from afar. Now with her sight up close, nervous was an understatement. "Hmm, I think I ever saw something like this back in the day, no wait, ''he'' had this kind of mana too, I''m pretty sure of it." "He?" asked Lyon. "Yes him, ugh, when I recalled that smug face of his makes me want to punch him," said Long. "You don''t mean?! Is he one of the twelve?" asked Lyon agitatedly. For as far as he knew about his past life, there were twelve beings that raised him with care and love. Educated him, teaching him, live with him until he ventures the world outside. "Yes indeed, one of your grandfathers as well, I hate to speak highly of him but he does deserve the recognition, that mischievous fellow." "Don''t worry, young woman, your diminishing cultivation is nothing but of something greater that is about to come. The real question is, will you be able to struggle?" "What do you mean grandpa?" "She will gain power beyond measure, her power will rise higher than those who cultivate normally. But her means will be different, she will no longer be capable of absorbing pure mana and just breakthrough. She will need the same type of mana that is currently in the process of replacing hers. I believe ''he'' called it the anti-mana." Lyon sighed a breath of relief, looks like her diminishing power was not life-threatening. "Then she only needs to rest." "That''s right grandson, her power will reset, probably on the next morning, that''s where the real challenge begins for her. Oh, she already fell asleep." Lyon warmly looked at the beautiful lady she was carrying before he looked at his grandfather. "Grandpa Long," "Hmm?" "Who is stronger, you or ''him''?" Grandfather Long smiled as he grinned his teeth, "Of course, we are equal!" Lyon smiled wryly, he knew from his answer what he truly meant. (Like hell he would admit it haha). Grandfather Long closed his eyes as an image from his memory resurfaced. ---------------- "You lost again, my friend," said the man with his back against him. "Tch, I didn''t lose, I just didn''t win," said the shameless Long. "It''s called losing you idiot! My anti-mana is superior, I could negate your arts with closed eyes!" "Oh, you said it! Now we gonna fight with you closing your eyes!" *hic "Then come here!" . 190 Never Again! The sun was already setting down as its twin lovers replaced the day with a bright night. It wasn''t long before the twin reached its peak, revealing the final night of yesterday and the starting morning of today. A smattering of luminous stars scattered the heavens as most men and beast already asleep. Below the beautiful night was a vast lake with clear water that couldn''t even reflect a human staring at it. On one edge of that very beautiful lake, was a small bonfire where only two figures could be seen. A young man and a sleeping young woman. The young man stood tall as his eyes turned sharp to their surrounding. With one wave of his hand, the surrounding space was sealed with his magic. He didn''t mess around nor taking anything lightly, one slightest killing intent and he was ready to obliterate. Not even the hissing of a mosquito was heard. Though his eyes were focused, his heart was aching. The young woman he was currently protecting was having her cultivation realm dropping to the lowest level possible, one more step and she would be an ordinary human. What''s more, was that he owed this woman too much. First, he stole her first kiss out of impulse, now she had saved him from something ominous with her own body as the prize. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. He felt enormous guilt that he couldn''t possibly repay her in any way. Though their first meeting was bittersweet, he would have never guessed that he would be in this situation. The young man gritted his teeth as time passed. The cultivation of the young woman finally dropped no further as she finally became an ordinary human. Her eyes twitched as she woke up from what felt like a long slumber. The sound of the dry wood cracking was the first thing that entered her ears. She tried to get up before she was greeted with a handsome face. The young man knelt with his warm eyes looking at the dumbfounded young woman, "Still need another sleep, teacher?" Karina smiled as she punched his chest. However, that smile soon turned sour as her punch stuck on his chest, seemingly not doing any damage at all. Her expression also caused Lyon to be devastated. He knew how much of a tomboy Karina was. She was most active and cheerful, however, right now she was frail and dejected. "C''mon teacher, let''s cultivate!" said Lyon in an attempt to bring back her spirit. Karina looked up to his face as she said softly, "You would still call me, teacher?" Lyon furrowed his eyebrows, "What are you talking about? Of course, I would!" Karina''s dejected face slowly turned up as a smile slowly formed on her face. "You are still my teacher, and I still have not bested you yet! So many situations proved that I am still not having the same cool as yours. Your decisive and meticulously action could bring about the best outcome! While me, I''m still making mistake here and there... and over there... and probably somewhere over here." "Pfft!" Karina couldn''t help but laugh at his attempt of making a joke. Lyon smiled as he stood up, "Well, I will protect you while you cultivate, by the size of that anti-mana that you absorbed, grandpa Long said that it took only a quarter of it to reset your cultivation, so the rest can be used to advance your anti-mana cultivation path!" Lyon turned his back against her as he absorbed the surrounding mana, "Divine Magic, Scabbard!" Unlike the previous Scabbard, the size of the sealing was only as big as a normal house with a backyard. Karina didn''t have the time to be astonished before she asked, "Lyon, what about the war? Aren''t we gonna launch the first attack?" "Don''t worry, they would do well without me for a while. I mean, Kyoko and Ryona are also there so there is little to be worried about," answered Lyon. (Ah crap, Fei would get mad at me for sure!) thought Lyon as he couldn''t imagine what would Fei do to him. "But you are also a vital part of the first assault," refuted Karina. She knew that Lyon was their hidden ace card. The man with the most versatile abilities among them. Lyon shook his head, "No, I will not go until you finished breaking through and keep breaking through to the point that you can send me flying with a punch once more." (No way would I leave you, not after what happened. I cannot owe you anymore, I don''t want to lose you because of my carelessness!) thought Lyon with a firm heart. He wouldn''t let anything like that happen once more. He knew how much it pained his heart as he saw her figure fell to the ground like a corpse. "You are stubborn!" said Karina while she turned her back against him. However, unbeknownst to Lyon, she put on a sweet smile on her face. "You said it! if I can send you flying with my fist, you will join the war ASAP!" "That''s right, we will enter the center of the battlefield!" "Fine!" answered Karina as she sat down cross-legged. Lyon stole a glance before he was astonished by the fact that Karina already entered the meditation state of a clear mind. The epitome way to cultivate. (The first phase, is Body Tempering how fast can you-HUH?!) Lyon couldn''t help but faced the cultivating young woman. (SHE-she already entered the second level!). The time had not passed even a minute yet but she already broken through the second level of Body Tempering realm. Even though she was mostly retracing the steps she once took in and just replace the source, this kind of pace was quite unbelievable. "Looks like I don''t have to wait long," said Lyon with a smile. 191 The Departure The early morning soon came and greeted the kingdom of Nostria. Unlike their usual easygoing life, the people were tense albeit they didn''t show it. The looming of war days was coming and they feared defeat. *tap The sound of a horse''s hooves tapping the paving way stopped their activities as their curiosity was caught. One by one, either they were demi-humans or humans or something else, they hurriedly packed the roads only to leave the space in the middle leading up to the west gate. "Excuse me, excuse me!" one little girl appeared to be struggling to pass-through the masses. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. *tap As soon she got a clear view, her face was graced with a majestic scene. "Uwaah..." Twelve horses were present as they took in the departing walk. Glamoured with their custom-made armor these four-legged beasts themselves gave about a dominating yet graceful feeling. However, what''s even more amazing was the ones mounting it. They were the very figures that turned around the situation when the Arcana Kingdom attacked. Each with their own characteristic, nobody dared to question their capabilities. Awe was an understatement as they powerfully yet gracefully brought about confidence in their heart. The lots of them only smiled at the masses, though this was not a parade it did look like one. "Ah! It''s teacher Vale! Teacher Vale!" said a female student from the academy. It was no question that his handsome feature would unintentionally make the young ladies lovestruck. His wolf ears had a unique attraction to the frail heart of young maidens. Vale smiled wryly as he waved his hand as he recalled what Fei said during the meeting. ------------------- "Vale, I would need you to be in the frontline," said Fei with her commanding tone. Even though the people in front of her was without a doubt stronger than her own. Her pride as the sole general of Nostria exceeded their strength. "I believe you already know why," smiled Fei as she went on with the next plan. ------------------- Vale pulled back to reality as he thought (Moral is really the fundamental of war if one''s own people were in distress, the enemy would easily manipulated them against their own, the result would be devastating). First, plant the seed of trust to the people only then the war would have a chance of victory. "Oi, is that Jugen?" asked one of the student on the side road. "Hey you''re right!" said a friend of his. "Huh? Why is he there? I doubt that he could do anything, mine as well take me in," said a newbie. "Huh!?" both of them looked at the newbie with veins on their forehead. "What''s that rookie?! You dared to mock him?!" said one of them as he pulled up the newbie by his collar. "Oi, don''t you know why our academy suddenly got a massive load of Soul Spells?!" said the other. "Eeek!" the rookie squealed as he shook his head. "It''s because of him! He was the number one in the last Labyrinth of Simak. The only one since the history that could reach the top floor, the treasure vault!" "Yeah! What''s more, he is the sole brother of the Golden Demoness!" "Now fixed your tone and attitude!" said the senior as he let down the newbie before both of them turned his back against him. The newbie was coughing as he tried to catch a breath before he heard, "You are lucky you enrolled at this time, otherwise we already beat you up for mocking the number three student!" "That''s right, you should thank the number one student for that," said the other as respect planted on their face when a mere title was mentioned. (N-number one student...) thought the newbie as he stared at the ground. "I hope that rookie know what''s good for him," "Yeah, I mean we were once bullied by that son of a bitch Ponska or whatever," Both of them stood tall as a figure that might as well be compared with the heavens appeared in their mind. Jugen was riding his horse in the last line with his quiver and bow behind his back. Though he was the least powerful in the lined up, his feats spoke something else. It was an understatement to say that he was nervous. Who could have known his fate would escalate to this. Even his father was more in disbelief rather that he was proud. (Man, this actually feels quite nice, but I wonder where Big bro and Big sis have gone to? Oh, don''t tell me they are eloping?! How could they! Even though we are about to have a war!) thought Jugen. ------------------- "It''s time for us to depart miss," said Fei. Sylvianna nodded at her before she faced four old men, "I''ll be going, grandfathers! I''ll leave Nostria to you for the time being." She turned around firmly as she took one swift movement to mount the already prepared white horse. Her red royal cloak fluttered as she sat on the saddle. Her face was filled with a queenly bearing as she lightly kicked the horse. With Fei guide her from the front, both of them strode toward the light. "Ah, there she goes," said Zitian. "Yeah, don''t worry, I put all my effort into making her equipment," said Charlie. "With Fei being her guide, I have no doubt in victory even if the enemy is Heaven''s Dawn," said the retired commander Chun. "Ah crap, I forgot to give her my recent potions!" said Crux as he hurriedly tried to follow them. *pat His shoulder was gripped by the three others as he couldn''t move any further before he heard their shout, "DON''T YOU DARE GIVE HER YOUR EXPERIMENTAL BULLSHIT!" -------------- Back in the lakeshore of Undine, her golden hair was already tied up to a ponytail as she faced her own student. Lyon smirked as he said, "Do teacher really think that a peak Heaven Realm is enough?" "You''ll never know unless you try right?" said Karina with a smile. "Then come here!" taunted Lyon with his hand. *bang It took Lyon a single blink before a palm already struck his chest. His eyes opened in disbelief as he saw the soft hand that concealed enormous force already made a hit. He couldn''t help but took a couple of steps back. "Hmm, looks like it''s not enough," said Karina before she turned her back against him and sat down cross-legged. *splurt Lyon silently puked blood. (What the, she negates my True Dragon Blessing!). Wiping the blood from his mouth he smiled as he stared at this teacher of his. Even with his body reinforced like that of a true dragon, he still puked blood from a simple palm, not to mention the gap of their cultivation level. 192 First Assaul Heaven''s Dawn situation was different from its opposing opponent. With the sheer size that could probably hold three Nostria inside, the people were not worried about the upcoming battle. The military power they had was downright massive. Containing over a million highly trained soldiers, their strength was unquestionable. This kingdom rarely had a great scale war before, their expedition usually just a little skirmish to take up neighboring lands. It will be a huge opportunity for them to gain experience from this war. Currently, the soldiers were assembled in the center of the kingdom to listen to a briefing from the king himself. "Heh, what''s the use of waiting, let''s just gobbled them up and take up their lands!" said one soldier. "Yeah, a little kingdom like that might as well be called a village!" said another one. Their conversation ended up making others laugh as no tense was visible in any of the soldiers. With the huge disparity in their number, it was not a fault that they would think this would end up be another skirmish. "Silence!" A shout from their commander made the people lined up properly before the king made his entrance. King Drake Arabasta, the currently most powerful man in Heaven''s Dawn had shown up personally to lead the war against Kingdom Nostria. "On this great day of the afternoon, we are on a mission to bring down a menace that had dared to kill your future ruler!" The soldiers listen to his speech carefully as they looked up to their majesty. It was no secret that the reason behind this war was an act of personal revenge that got escalated to the point of two kingdoms facing each other. However, they didn''t know that Nostria was the first one to declare war against them, only the king held that secret. "They have dared to slap our face with the death of the prince, such tiny kingdom dared to trample upon our dawn!" His hand made a fist as he showed it to his army, "Do we accept such an insult?!" "No!" His soldiers answered, as there was not a single doubt in their heart when they responded. "Do you want to make our ancestors cry?!" "No!" "Do you want them to waste our lands that our predecessor had painstakingly built?!" "No!" Waving his hand with full determination he shouted, "Then let''s go! I will lead all of us to victory! Nostria will be erased from the m-." "Enemy!" before the king could finish his word, a soldier responsible for scouting the enemy through the tower ran frantically. (What?!) the king was caught by surprise albeit he didn''t show it to his army. The over a million army grew restless at the news of what their comrade brought. A surprise attack would definitely bring down their morale even if the king was there. "Don''t be afraid! Those little mice didn''t know how much power we have! Show them! Go to the four entrance gates!" commanded the king. "Ha!" The soldiers immediately followed up his command and evenly divided into four groups before rushing toward the gates. (Tch! I didn''t expect them to be the first one to make the attack!) thought the king before he questioned the soldier that brought the bad news. "How many enemies are there?" The soldier frantically saluted his ruler before answering, "There are fourteen people in total, scattered among the four gates," "Only fourteen?! They are mocking us!" His rage made the soldiers almost pissed himself. However, steeled his heart he proceeded to tell the king another news, "T-there was, t-the queen was present, your majesty!" "What? The ruler herself came to the battlefield? Haha! Such foolishness will bring her own kingdom to ruin! Such as youth with no experience!" ------------------- North Gate. The soldiers arrived in an orderly fashion before they noticed that the enemies were sitting leisurely right outside of the gate. Pointing out his sword toward them, the commander said, "You wrench people of Nostria, today will be the last day of your life! We will make sure you regret killing our prince!" Slapping his thigh, the middle-aged man with scars on both of his eyes said with a smile, "Hah! Well said! However, you guys are not strong enough to handle me, let alone all three of us." Taking a few steps forward Tristan stood against the more than two hundred thousand soldiers alone. Even facing such a massive number, there was not even a hint of fear planted on his face. With his arm crossed, he let the wind blew him by as a smile showed his confidence. "Shut up with your arrogance Nostrian trash! Men!" the commander shouted. "You sure you can handle this uncle?" asked Miko who carried the sleeping little black wolf in her arms. "Hahaha, this is nothing!" answered Tristan. "Alright then, me and uncle Pedro will watch on the sideline!" shouted Miko before she and Pedro jumped away from the scene. The soldiers immediately circling the lone middle-aged man. He stood aloof with his sword on his waist still in its scabbard. The commander smirked as a face of disdain was on his face, "Hah, you will take on all of us?! How naive! Your death will be of your own foolishness!" "Men watch your surrounding, the other two might launched a sneak attack, the rest of you, full charge!" Even when Tristan was faced with spears that encircled him, his smile never faded. "Ha!" The soldiers thrust their spear toward the middle-aged man in the center of the formation. "C''mon, that''s too obvious," said Tristan before swiftly pulled out his sword and spun. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. *clank All the spears that were pointing at him were destroyed at the same time. The soldiers immediately distressed as they looked at this frivolous middle-aged man with fear. Putting his sword on his right shoulder he lightly said, "Well, what now?" The commander gritted his teeth, "Men, let''s finish him, he can only do so much with two arms and two legs! 193 South Massacre, East Confusion Since the north gate had started the battle, the south gate had also started their show. "Close the gate!" "What''s this, the enemy is a grandmother?" said the commander who wore a heavy armor before his soldiers laughed. The one they were referring to was none other than Dina. She didn''t look much like a fighter and even her clothing was like that of a regular grandmother one would see in the garden. Her eyes were closed and smile was built upon her face. "What are you smiling about grandma? Go home and cuddle with your grandkids haha! Nostria sure is ridiculous! To send someone as frail as you to attack," taunted the commander. A gaseous shadow suddenly flew behind her before Dina put up her right hand to stop its movement. The commander and his entire army immediately stopped their laughter as they took a half-step back. Though they were arrogant their unison was the fruit of their experience. (What is that?) A strong flash of wind followed before the gaseous shadow revealed its figure. The huge scythe that could reflect their death brought about the fear in their heart. There was no flesh present, everything was bone under the cloak. "Grandmother Dina, are you sure?" said Grim though his skeleton jaw didn''t move a bit. "Hmm, big brother, we are not going to fight them?" The voice reached them first before a fat man revealed himself. He was wearing the same cloak as Grim. The commander gulped at the sight of the trio (W-what kind of weird combo is this?! Nostria is full of freaks!). "Let this old woman, stretched her old muscle, I can''t remember when was the last time I did so," said Dina before she leisurely walked toward the entire army. The commander furrowed his eyebrows as he raised his arm, "Men!" "Ha!" his soldiers responded and tried to encircle Dina before she ruthlessly disappeared from their sight. *boom The people inside the kingdom was startled by the sound as they nervously looked at the wall that was the pride of their empire. "W-what was that?" asked a man that was nearby. Since the gate was closed, there was no way of finding out what happened. "P-probably its finished, we are winning the war!" said someone refusing the possibility of defeat. The people looked at each other before calming down their heart albeit slowly. However, the reality was not what they were hoping for. The soldiers noticed the sound firsthand before they saw blistering dust from the wall of the kingdom. As the dust cleared the army felt their morale escaped from their being. "C-commander..." the army felt weak as they saw the figure they looked up to was etched on the wall. The heavy armor he wore cracked like glass as a hole appeared in the center of his chest. His eyes opened wide in disbelief as he could feel his blood rushing toward his mouth. He coughed emotionlessly as blood stained the ground. *crack Dina stretched her neck as she lightly tiptoed before turning to face the hundreds thousand of men. "I will leave the rest to both of you." The army had their eyes opened wide as one of them could feel dread creeping up his nape. His pupils were shrunken before his head escaped his body flawlessly. In split second in the air, he could see the creepy skeleton with his huge scythe before his head dropped to the ground with a thud. "What''s this? You are cowering in fear in a war? Too late to go back now HAHA~" said Grim as he flew and collected their heads despite the scream that echoed to the sun. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Dina didn''t even bother to look at the massacre. She had enough experience not to flinch at the sight, or maybe too much experience to even care. "Once their commander is out, they are just a bunch of headless chicken, even if there were thousands or hundreds of thousands, headless chicken is a headless chicken." "Now, then it''s time to wait for the main event," said Dina as she sat down on a nearby rock before swatting her right hand that red because of the blood. ----------------- The east gate. Unlike the last two, the fight had not even started yet as confusion filled the area. The soldiers were looking at each other as cold sweat was present on their forehead. Right in front of them, there were two commanders that had led them through many skirmishes. Only one was real. "What the, he is the impostor!" said the commander as he pointed his identical twin. "Men! Don''t believe this guy''s nonsense! It''s obvious that it is you!" Jugen who was hiding in the bushes thought (Even I didn''t know which one is Parriot). "Eh, Jugen what are you doing?" asked a beautiful elf. "Oh hmm, well," "Oh, you are scouting the enemy," nodded the elf. "Hahaha, yes that''s right," "Wait, is that Parriot?" "No, wait, where are you going Elaine!?" Jugen couldn''t possibly stop her as she was way stronger and more agile than him. "What''s your favorite food?" asked one of the men. "Curry." "Curry." "Look! He repeated after me!" said one of the twins. "No, you are just saying it faster!" "I think he is the imposter!" said Elaine as she pointed one of the twins. . . . "Enemy!" the army quickly encircled her and the two commanders. However, they halted their attack as of right now, they were sure that two of the enemies were inside the circle. (Goddamnit, what the hell are you doing?! And how the hell did you know it was me!) thought Parriot as he was the one Elaine was pointing out. "An elf! To hell with you and your wretched race!" said Parriot as he slapped her arm. Elaine''s right eye twitched as she heard what Parriot said but the real commander was caught off guard. "Look! This impostor didn''t even say anything he is definitely from Nostria that ridiculous mix-race kingdom!" The army that was holding their spears against them nodded at his explanation. Seeing his army''s expression he couldn''t help but take a step back, "N-no wait!" "How dare you," a seeping death tone escaped from the beautiful elf. (Ah, shit) thought Parriot. 194 The Start of Main Even The sound of ruptured bones was heard as the two commanders were sent flying toward the wall. The army was dumbstruck before the strength of this elf woman, they couldn''t see her motion before the result was feasted on their eyes. "What the hell Elaine!" shouted Parriot whose transformation was immediately canceled because of the force. "Why are you so mean?!" asked Elaine as she put her arms on her waist. "It was an act you knuckled headed bimbo!" shouted Parriot before he splurted out blood. He took a glance at the man beside him who he impersonated just a moment ago. (Damn, if I had the same cultivation as him, I too would be greeted by death). *thud Parriot let go of himself from the grip of the cracked wall before landing calmly. Stretching his arm he looked at the restless army. "Hehehe, sorry?" apologized Elaine with a slight bow and a clasped hand. "Fine," grunted Parriot. He knew that punishing her was impossible, she was way above his league. He would be the one that suffering instead of her if it were to happen. "Alright, we already won the battle, I don''t want to dirtied my hand anymore, the main event is probably on the way," said Parriot as he didn''t care about the two hundred thousand soldiers. ------------------------ The west gate was closed as the army stood against one little figure. The commander furrowed his eyebrows as he had never seen such a race of a demi-human. "Vale, be prepared for the next battle," said the little figure with two horns. "What next battle?! This will be your last little horned freak!" shouted the commander. "I don''t have time for you lots of insects, I prefer to be at the academy and teach my good-for-nothing students or study the art of magic," said Albert. "What did you say?! Stop mocking us you little shit!" shouted the commander. "Hmph!" Albert smirked before his right hand and left hand wrote a spell at the same time. "Soul Magic, Thundra!" "Soul Magic, Sand Palm!" The army halted its movement as a wide black magic brand appeared on their feet. (Oh no) the commander immediately turned to his army but his words stuck on his throat as he saw them looking up above. (Impossible) the commander looked up as he felt hope was no more. An even bigger black magic brand appeared in the sky and covered all of them. They gulped at the sight before they heard the last wail of their commander, "RU-" *boom The ground they were standing turned into sand and unstabilized their figure. Before they could adjust the center of their mass, a thunderous blast from above ignited their bodies as their scream couldn''t even manage to escape from their throat. "Hmph, what a waste of mana," said Albert as he sat down on a nearby shade. The over two hundred thousand of soldiers were wiped out from a single attack that was too much for them to handle. The ground where they were obliterated was scorched black as nothing remain to prove that they were there. "You outdone yourself over there," said Vale who was standing behind Albert. Albert crossed his leg as he leaned back, "That was nothing, this is a war and they are an army, it is a matter of course." "You are right, but the real challenge should come soon," asked Vale as he looked serious. "It won''t be as challenging if we occupied their land first, with that we would gain a huge advantage but Fei disagrees with it even after I recommended it, what a fool lass," said Albert before sighing. "From your point of view then it is right that occupying the land would make the war end quicker, but Fei is just a commander, not a ruler. I think she was considering Sylviana point of view as well for the plan." "As a ruler, what''s important the most is the kingdom, and the kingdom is the people, not a place. Thus, Sylviana wants to win the war without involving innocent people, that way, it would be easier to manage the land when we have the victory," finished Vale. Albert turned silent as he knew that both of them were right but different there was no point in continuing their argument. ------------------------ The king was at his throne clad in his finest equipment possible. The total value of what he was wearing could even buy a kingdom on their own. "Your majesty! The-the entire army from the four gates had been wiped out!" said a scouter who ran inside frantically. "What?!" the king stood up as he held the scouter by the collar. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I-it''s true!" "Argh!" The king furrowed his eyebrows as he threw the scouter away with rage. With his panting breath, he muttered, "Where the hell are they?! What took them so long?!" "Guards, tell the rest of the soldiers to guard the castle without fail!" ordered the king. "B-but your majesty, what about the citizens!" "You dare to question my order?!" "Eek!" the guard scurried away before sending the king''s message. "Useless all of them!" raged the king as he turned back and walked to a hidden door behind the throne. ------------------------ Back at the North gate. Tristan furrowed his eyebrows as he could feel something was approaching the three of them. (Hmm?) *clank The sound of steel met steel was heard as Tristan''s elbow cap met a point of a spear. The contest of strength went on as both of them shook a little before the spear holder backed away. Tristan smiled as he faced the figure that launched the hidden attack. Its gender was unrecognizable as it was wearing a scarf to cover half of its face and cloak to hid its figure. "Good attack! But it won''t work on me, so the rest of you might as well come out haha!" laughed Tristan. The cloaked figure had its eyes calm despite Tristan''s acute observation. Another two cloaked figures came out from hiding as it stood behind the first one while Miko and Pedro stood behind Tristan. "Three on three, you sure about this?" laughed Tristan before he taunted them with his hand, "Come here!" 195 Golden Demoness Awoken At the south gate, Dina already stood up as he faced a middle-aged man. There was not a tension between them, but the atmosphere was surely suffocating. The man looked at the three of them with no seeable worries. His hand carefully stroke an ugly clay doll as no word escape his mouth. "Well, aren''t you a strong a fellow," said Dina with a smile. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. However, her compliment got no response whatsoever. Dina didn''t feel bothered either, but a gaseous shadow immediately flew behind him before a huge scythe was swung at a blinding speed. The middle-aged man didn''t even bother as he propelled himself forward and attacked Dina before the blade of the scythe even reached his hair. (He is fast!) thought Grim before he saw Dina caught his knee strike with her wrinkly hands. "Older brother!" shouted Duffous as he joined Dina and attacked the middle-aged man together. Despite his stature, he was pretty agile and embodied an unruly force that could devastate a mountain. "Hmm! I told you to lose some weight, you fat mammoth! Otherwise, this would be over in less than a minute!" reprimand Dina even though her attacks were blocked and countered. "Sorry," said Duffous as he kept launching his punches. The middle-aged man didn''t bother that he was left out, in fact, he didn''t use his right-hand to counter both of them. Dina furrowed her eyebrows as she leaped back while pulling Duffous to stop their barrage encounters. "Why are we stopping grandmother?" asked Duffous with his grunted stomach. Dina didn''t answer his question but instead, she realized something was wrong. (I gave him opening several times but he didn''t take it?). "Young man, you deliberately stalling aren''t you?" asked Dina with a smile. Once again, he didn''t answer and just rubbed his clay doll. There was not a single flinch that proved that she was right. He was as silent as the night and a professional. --------------- "Vale, it''s your turn, I want to take a nap," said Albert as he closed his eyes and leaned under the tree. "I guess so," said Vale as he took a step forward. Standing in front of the gate was a bald man that appeared to be a monk. With his hands behind his back, he smiled at the incoming young man with wolf ears. "Good afternoon," greeted the monk. Vale smiled, "You seem polite." "I mean you no harm." "Oh?" Vale was a little surprised by his response before he smiled once more. "I see, I guess stalling is your duty here." This time the monk was surprised by Vale''s quick assumption. Right out of the bat, he correctly guessed his task. "I know, I cannot beat you, let alone two, but I can handle a few rounds," said the monk with a smile. If Lyon and Jugen were here, they would surely recognize this monk. It was the same monk they encountered in the restaurant in the Mist Clan. "You seemed like a nice monk, why would a monk involved in a war?" teased Vale. He knew that monks were isolated people that enchanted their beliefs every single day. "That, I cannot answer," said the monk with a smile as he readied his stance. "Well, I will not force you to answer, you ready?" said Vale before his aura of a prince exuded the vicinity. "Ple-?!" before the monk could finish his word, Vale already bare its fangs right in front of him. *boom The monk managed to cover his kick but his figure got dragged backward by the force. (Such speed!) thought the monk before he felt that his radial bones cracked just from one blow. "How much is a few exactly?" taunted Vale with a smile. --------------- "Well, well , well, what a rowdy bunch," Parriot and Elaine furrowed their eyebrows as a middle-aged man leisurely walked up to them. The army that was left alive immediately scattered and flee the scene as they couldn''t handle the pressure anymore. The middle-aged man smirked as he saw the fleeting army, "What kind of army that foolish king was training, to flee at the sight of their own reinforcement," The army immediately halted their movements as they heard what the middle-aged man said, "S-sir is the reinforcement? Then-" *splurt His head was sent flying before he could even finish his word. Disbelief was in his face but horror was in their allies''. "I don''t need you bunch, all of you are just deadweights," said the middle-aged man before he faced the Elaine and Parriot with a smile. He didn''t care about the fleeting deadweights, he leaned in both of them as he asked, "Hey, tell me, where is your savior?" Both of them opened their eyes before they took a step back. "Looks like, you are knowledgeable," said Parriot. "What do you want with savior? Who are you?" asked Elaine. "It''s not a secret anymore, is it? You guys were entrapped by someone and he happened to be there and let you out, everyone knows the story," said the middle-aged man with an opened arm. "Oh, I''m sorry, where are my manners, my name is Zeth, I''m currently the leader of Legion in Deo''s branch." Jugen opened his eyes wide. This was the group they were looking for. "You are surprised aren''t you, Jugen?" asked Zeth as he faced toward a certain bush. --------------- On the shore of Undine Lake, a certain woman finally opened her eyes and stood up. Lyon gulped as he could feel that this teacher of his had finally reached up to his level in less than two days. (For some reason, I don''t have confidence in handling her power). "L-let''s go, I''m ready," said Lyon albeit nervously. Karina shook her head, "There is no point, we need to go to the battlefield." "But, I told you, you need to-" Karina took a few steps to the edges of the barrier which Scabbard was formed before she lightly put up her right hand and knocked. *crack Just a simple knock and Scabbard slowly scattered like it was when Lyon used Gungnir. Lyon couldn''t help but gulp before smiling, "W-what the hell." He was glad that Karina was sensible enough not to punch his gut. Otherwise, he would be bedridden for a few days even with his speed of recovery. 196 Problem Abound Without wasting any more seconds, Lyon focused his mind and prepared his spatial spell. It didn''t take him five minutes before the magic brand formed in front of him. "Ah well, I guess Nostria is the furthest I can go at the moment," laughed Lyon. Karina furrowed her eyebrows at the location revealed behind the magic brand before she faced her one of a kind student, "Is that a bathtub? Did you just connect the space to a bathroom?!" Lyon turned rigid, he knew where the place leading up to was but how could he explain that it was Sylviana''s bathroom. "Uh, I could only connect, to places that I have been before," said Lyon with his fingers crossed. "That pink-themed bathroom? Do you mean that you''ve been to a pink-themed bathroom?" said Karina with her hands on her waist. "Y-yeah, it''s my bathroom!" answered Lyon as he tried to hide his hesitation. (Goddamnit, why would I opened the spatial space to her bathroom! I''m too excited). Karina squinted her eyes as Lyon couldn''t guess if she believed his explanation or not. "We will talk about this later," said Karina as she about to enter the magic brand. *crack The moment Karina made contact with the magic brand, it cracked and ruptured, falling to the ground as bits of lights before dispersing. The shattering moment didn''t even take a second to activate as the magic immediately nullified into its normal state. It was as if Lyon''s spell was never activated in the first place. "Eh?" Lyon was surprised before a crazy thought ran into his mind. "Ah! I see! So that''s it!" said Lyon with a bulb of light shimmering on top of his head. "What?" asked Karina who was still confused. "Teacher! Don''t you know what your power truly encompassed within?! Anti-mana!" said Lyon with much excitement. Karina furrowed her eyebrows with a hint of confusion planted on her face. She already knew that from that elder mole and his dragon grandfather. "That''s explains everything, why could my True Dragon Blessing be negated by you, and why you could shatter Scabbard and Spatial Desire with just a touch! It''s because anti-mana is the polar opposite of mana! If they touched each other, they would reset their state into nothingness." Karina came into realization of something more horrifying from his explanation, horrifying, for her foes. "That means, no magic nor arts, could harm me," muttered Karina who looked at her own two hands. "Exactly," nodded Lyon before he continued, "And likewise, you couldn''t use arts nor magic that used mana as its fuel either." "I knew you would get it," a voice perked both of their ears as a true dragon descended from the sky. "Grandpa!" greeted Lyon with delight. "Uh, um, greetings eld-" "You should also call me grandpa, haha!" laughed Long with his long whiskers occasionally waving. Karina couldn''t help but having a red hue on her cheeks before she timidly nodded. In front of such a mighty being, anyone would be timid most even prostrated before saying anything. "However, that doesn''t mean that you cannot use art or magic, I mean the fact that you broke Elemental Realm should have proven that you still have your affinities," explained Long. The true dragon closed its eyes for a while before continuing, "I''m sorry but I cannot be more of help, anti-mana is not my forte, if we find ''him'' then surely without a doubt ''he'' would teach you how." There was only one ''he'' that the true dragon was referring to. The one that capable of beating him in battle in a drunken state. The elusive figure that was famed for his mischievous deeds. "What''s his name?" asked Lyon. Long grinned as he said, "Bastard Sun!" Lyon laughed as he thought (He won''t miss a chance to insult him, will he?). Karina tugged Lyon''s cloth before he understood what she meant. There was still an ongoing war that they should join. "Grandpa, we need to go to the war." Long nodded, "Be careful out there, swoon the ladies and kill the enemies haha!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Karina had black lines across her head as she thought (Ah, I guess I see why he would be such a perverted man). "You bet!" answered Lyon with a thumb up before both of them departed. "Oh, one more thing Lyon," Lyon stopped his track before turning back, "What is it, grandpa?" "The lass''s mother will be coming in a few days, you might want to visit this place after the war," Lyon knew who he was talking about as his vision stayed at the beautiful lake for a while. A beautiful woman was cursed by her own mother not to stepped outside of this place. He nodded, "Tell her that I will surely be coming!" "I know you would!" answered Long before both of them went on their separate ways. ------------------------- On the road, both of them were running at inhuman speed toward Nostria. "Lyon, why don''t you go first with your spatial magic?" asked Karina. With his capabilities, surely he would be more than capable to reach to the battlefield before her. A space element cultivator was already rare, a good one was even rarer. "Nope, I''m sure they could handle them for few minutes without us besides," Lyon looked to the front as an army was also marching toward Nostria. The swallow symbol on their banner belonged to no one else but the kingdom he was familiar with. Karina was surprised to see the famed Luderia''s kingdom aiding their conquest. "Not only that," Further north, a banner with a tiger symbol was waved as a young princess accompanied by her queen and king led the army. (Oh damn, I forgot) thought Lyon as he saw the forces were actually facing each other instead of fusing their strength. "Princess Luna? What is the Phantera Kingdom doing here?" asked Princess Aelina from the Luderia''s side. "Hmm? Princess Aelina? We are here to aid Nostria in their war of course!" asked Princess Luna. "Then we are at the same cause, we too are aiding Nostria with their conquest personally because of Lyon''s request," said Princess Aelina calmly. Luna had her left eyes twitch as she heard her saying his name. "O-Oh! We are also here in his request," Both of them furrowed their eyebrows as they stared at each other. Both of their statuses were even as tension built up between them. 197 Womens Jealousy With the two princesses staring at each other as rivals, the young man who was spoken by those two immediately jumped to the middle to their surprise. At the appearance of this certain figure, the armies from both sides immediately tighten up as they stood with their greatest honor possible. Not daring to show any weakness nor shame, both sides tapped their weapon to the ground in unison. This was the young man that they looked up to, the one that could make the impossible possible. From Phantera he resurrected their queen from her eternal slumber. From Luderia he dared to finish off the corrupted first prince in front of the masses and even manage not to gain any grudge from their leader. Both of these kingdoms owed this young man that could hardly be compensated by worldly things. If one person in their kingdom didn''t know this guy''s feat, they made sure to let them know. His name was probably in the literature for their studies for their future generation, in the hope to plant the seed of pride within them. However, right now, the famous hero was in a problem that every household has. Women. Lyon immediately felt chills as he stood in the middle, at the center of their unseen combat of womanhood. "S-sto-." "Lyon? What are you doing here?" asked Aelina with her squinted eyes. "Lyon, tell me, what have you been doing in Luderia HMMM?!" asked Luna. Luna''s mother couldn''t help but giggle at the sight of the distressed young man in the middle. She knew her daughter had feelings for him but now his own prowess with women had brought him more troubles than he needed. (Now I can see why those goddamn weak-willed MCs escaped this kind of situations) thought Lyon as he was thinking about what to say next. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Alright, save your households matter for later, we got a war to settle," said a woman who was walking calmly despite the presence of the two leaders. (Golden Demoness!) thought Aelina as she furrowed her eyebrows even harder toward the fact that she was here with her ''almost beloved''. (Big sister Karina? S-something''s change about her, DON''T TELL ME!) thought Luna as she also furrowing her eyebrows. Lyon suddenly felt more pressure than it was before. (W-what the hell?). Aelina''s father even had surprised looks in his eyes. This was one of the women that his late first son was trying to wed only to be bashed away by her. "Big sister, I thought you are already in the war to the west?" asked Luna. Karina perked up her eyes before answering, "Hmm? Oh, we had a little accident so I was by Undine Lake by the time the war started." *crack Lyon opened his eyes wide and stared at Karina who was oblivious to his intention. (W-what are you saying?! Do you want to- oh shit here it comes!). *twitch Pressure from both women immediately came crushing down Lyon''s shoulder his feet shaken by the sheer force. This was the power when women had their jealousy contested. Even Luderia''s and Nostria''s leader could only close their eyes and pitied the young man''s fate. Though Aelina''s mouth twitched a bit, she still could manage to ask normally, "G-golden Demoness, t-this accident of yours, h-how long did it last?" Even if they were rivals, Luna couldn''t help but look at Karina who was apparently oblivious to what the meaning her question entailed. Lyon immediately opened his eyes, "W-wait!" "Hmm, I guess two days and one night?" answered Karina innocently. "Oh my, such vigor, hehe," Luna''s mother, Leyna, immediately chuckled to her heart content. Even though she knew that it was just a misunderstanding, she wouldn''t be the one that ''s gonna explained it to them. She enjoyed this show very much. Lyon finally broke a sweat as he knew he had no way of stopping them now. Their jealousy was sure at the peak of their strength as both might fused into one and stomped his figure like a gum. "Karina, are you not feeling stiff?" asked Leyna who seemed to just make the situation worse than before. "Now that you mention it, my neck is indeed kind of stiff and also my thighs, aunt Leyna," answered Karina in a heartbeat (Must be because I''m sitting cross-legged all day). (Neck?!) thought Aelina. (Thighs?!) thought Luna. *crack Lyon was in disbelief as the force alone could make him cracked the grounds he was standing (y-you''re kidding right?). "Hohoho, I see, you will get used to it later," said Leyna with a chuckle. Karina furrowed her eyebrows as she didn''t get what the aunt''s meant. *flash "Ah?" "Ah?" Both the jealous ladies exclaimed at the same time. "Oh my, Luna dear, you broke through? Congrats!" said Leyna with a clapping hand. "A-Aelina my daughter, y-you broke through just like that?" Aelina''s father was agape at the sight. Lyon immediately felt the pressure fleeting away from him as he looked to his west and then to his east, at these beautiful women, that could topple any kingdom. (Um, what the fuck?). A genius that he was, he still couldn''t comprehend what just happened. He immediately felt like a frog inside a well. The world was vast and unknown, that he knew, but this was still out of his imagination. "Congrats, both of you," said Lyon with a bow. Despite the absurd situation, it was still a blessing. This was probably the chance he was waiting for. In the short time they were confused, he continued, "Alright, let''s march on!" Lyon immediately left the scene followed by Karina behind him. "H-hey wait! We are not done yet!" Both ladies immediately signaled their horse to follow the young man before the army followed. Anskar looked at his wife from her back, not daring to say anything. He wanted to stop the bickering but he was sure his wife would start another with him and that was the last thing he wanted. He opened his mouth as an advice was in order. "Shut it," said Leyna without even looking at her husband. 200 The Secret Weapon Zeth furrowed his eyebrows before he looked back to the source of the crashing sound. Beyond the closed gate, the smoke produced by the collapsing of half of the palace was visible. (They''re inside already?!). When he came to the battlefield he managed to scout and dispatch his team orderly. On the way, he didn''t manage to see the two strongest enemies but now it was all clear. They were inside all along. (But how?....?!) He realized that the only being that could do that sort of thing was obviously the young man he was looking for. The very goal of this joint operation. *boom The gate was wrecked as Zeth made his way toward the castle. Jugen immediately chased him before Parriot pulled him back. "What are you doing?" asked Jugen. The enemy was going to the place where his queen was at. "Stopping you for interfering, there is no need for you to go and chased him, us three will be waiting here," said Parriot. He knew where the enemy was going, and there was no hope of him leaving there alive if he met the two of the most feared women in the labyrinth. If the three of them had gone in, they would only be getting in their way. "With that monster there, there is no need for you to worry about the queen''s safety." (Besides, the queen herself has significant power that''s dwelling inside her) thought Parriot as he recollected the scene where Lyon fought against the black-haired queen. --------------- "Hmm, it looks like my job here is done," said the monk as he bowed against Vale. Vale crossed his arm as he said, "Oh, c''mon, giving up already? My reinforcement will arrive soon," The monk laughed before he shook his bald head, "You must be joking, how many bones inside my body have you broken?" He even felt pain when he cupped his hands, there was no chance if he were to against the entire army. "This is goodbye for now, hahaha," laughed the monk before he flickered a jade stone and crushed it. He was instantly encapsulated by mana before turning him into a dot light then flew away at blinding speed. --------------- Dina smiled as the middle-aged man was in the right position to be pincered. However, the man expressionlessly pulled out the same jade stone where the monk had just used. Without even looking at his enemies he crushed it and flee the scene. Leaving the trio dumbstruck. --------------- Tristan furrowed his eyebrows as he saw two jade lights shooting out to the sky. (What the) He raised his eyebrows as he realized what''s going on, "As if I would let you!" *crack The cloaked enemies crushed their stones and left the same way as the others. "Tch! Too late," said Tristan as he watched them flee. He looked up once more and realized that, by the trajectories, they were all going in different ways. --------------- The four women get off from their horses as before Sylviana led them to the dumbstruck king. "It''s over Drake," said the queen with a crossed arm. "To think that a low-class kingdom such as yours dared to speak my name without my title, are you really certain that you already won the war?" said the king of Heaven''s Dawn. "The result is shown to you right under your very eyes," said Sylviana as she gestured him to look at the two hundred thousand corpses laying on the empty street. Drake gritted his teeth before he said, "You are just a lucky lass! You have no skills nor heart to govern a kingdom from the start!" "I know I am lucky, and I''m eternally grateful, but if one were blessed, would you throw it away?" Her response caught his silence. The king knew that he too would use the power if it were given to him. "You shall not have my kingdom!" screamed the king as he roughly took the transparent stone. "Ancestor, help us!" shouted the king as he pricked his finger and stained the stone with his blood. *flash The stone enlightened as Fei immediately took a step forward to shield her queen. An old existence that Deo ever witnessed before finally resurfaced. Many youngsters had forgotten his name but the feat he left was observable to the masses. The frightening power that made Heaven''s Dawn a kingdom to be reckoned with, its first king. Though the figure looked like a middle-aged man, its unbelievable presence put pressure on the entire kingdom. *thud The king kowtowed as he yelled out, "Great ancestor! Please protect us from destruction!" The figure stood emotionlessly as if he didn''t hear the desperate wail of his descendant. Slowly, his feet left the soil as he floated in the air. Ryona readied herself as the fight was about to begin, "Interesting, you are at least a peak Divine Realm cultivator if you can do that." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The king smiled as he said, "Hah, your victory is nothing but an illusion you make for yourselves, not even the entire Luderia could have hope to even hit my ancestor!" "I guess it''s my turn then," said Kyoko with a smile. Her red and blue eyes were mesmerizing as always. "Hmph! Be as arrogant as you- WHAT!?" Kyoko''s feet lightly left the soil as she calmly faced the first king. "I-Impossible! How could this be?!" said the king as he stumbled backward. He always thought that his ancestor was the peak existence in Deo but now the reality was not such. "Nothing is impossible for an overseer, though I am jealous, I wish I could fly like that," said Ryona dejected. "Fufufu, you can obtain this ability if you didn''t slack off your training," said Kyoko with a chuckle. The first king stood emotionlessly still as if he didn''t have any kind of feelings. His eyes were dead as if there was no focus but the power he exuded was real. The skin was not pale like a corpse, in fact, it was vigorous. Kyoko furrowed her eyebrows before she noticed what''s going on, "I see, this is only a remnant of your true power left behind for your descendants, I wonder if the real you is still alive or not." 201 Desperate Attack A flash that crossed the sky fell on the spectators'' eyes as Kyoko and the first king made their first contact. The city rumbled as the force was enough to shook the entire kingdom. Ryona smiled at the sight before she turned back to see a man was running toward them. With a smile, she leaped and brutally disappeared from his sight. Zeth''s pupil shrunk as the bit of the ax that was so sharp that hardly anyone could discern the point, suddenly appeared in front of him. "Zephyr!" A gentle wind suddenly pushed his figure to the side, effectively avoiding the imminent death. His forehead immediately sweated as he gulped. He was panting as he never felt so close to death before. His legs shook like a scared dog, if he didn''t call out his sentient weapon, he would surely die right there and then. *boom The ax landed on the ground as dust scattered from the impact. Though she missed the target, the street was wrecked by the sheer force of her swing. As the final rubble from the devastated street fell down, Ryona retracted her ax and calmly faced him. "I see, those green boots are your sentient weapon, or should I say armor?" chuckled Ryona. His figure shook as he realized that the opponent this time was far from the other three. (As long as I got Zephyr, she won''t be able to kill me). Wiping his sweat, he readied his stance. He needed the utmost concentration to deal with this woman, otherwise, he got no hope of surviving. Despite her vulgar appearance, she aimed at the vital spots in the split second she saw him. *ding *boom Suddenly, something was hitting the palace at enormous speed. The ruined palace was further wrecked into an unrepairable state as rubbles falling down. Sylviana looked up before she heaved a sigh of relief. Kyoko was still in the air, which means, the one that fell must be. "Ancestor!" wailed Drake as the last hope he was betting on seemed to lost its light. However, the battle was not over yet as Kyoko absorbed the nearby mana. "It''s a shame that the real you is not present, otherwise, the war would definitely end with our loss." Her tail wagged a little as she smiled cheekily before she wrote the spell in a graceful manner. "Divine Magic, Ice Coffin!" Just as the first king got out from the rubble, his face immediately met with a blue magic brand. His nose started to solidify with the chilling freeze of ice. The effect slowly spread to his entire body, but despite so, he emotionlessly moved forward and launched his assault. "It''s over," said Kyoko. Just as the fist about to reach her beautiful face, the first king was fully frozen. She lightly pushed the ice sculpture before it fell down. *break The first king broke into pieces as it did with Drake''s last hope. "No no no, NO!" the king wailed as he flew into a crazed state. Fei raised her eyebrows as she immediately pushed Sylviana away, "Miss lookout! *splurt The sword penetrated her palm and crossed her right eye. Blood was spurting out but she managed to stay alive as the sword didn''t make it to her brain. Sylviana''s figure shook as her lips vibrate. She struggled to make out that the scene in front of her was real. "Tch! You are lucky the poison will kill you in my stead," said the king as he retracted his sword. Fei''s figure slowly fell down as her right vision was no longer there, "S-stay safe, little Sylv." *thud "Chance!" muttered Zeth as he quickly used the distraction and appeared behind Sylviana. "Crap!" Ryona was a half-step too late. Kyoko slowly descended down. Now the situation was not in their favor, the enemy got a hostage to bargain. Zeth held her neck as he put a knife near her head, "Bring me Lyon or, heh, you know what happens." Sylviana was looked lifeless as dread sets in. Her eyes couldn''t escape from the lying loyal figure that has been on her side since forever. She didn''t feel the strangle as her mind was occupied with something else. You are always there for me. Always kind, always educating me to be a proper ruler. Despite the laziness that I have, the weakness that I possessed. Never once have you failed your duty. But I always failed you. The scar, I know, it was from me. But you still love me even after I did that. I owe you too much. You are more than just my personal maid, you are my precious friend. "What do you want with hubby?" asked Ryona while furrowing her eyebrows. "To join the Legion of course, he would surely raise up to the top ranks in few decades!" chuckled Zeth. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Legion? Please, he alone could destroy them whole in a few years," said Ryona. "Tsk, tsk, not if he joined us, of course, if he won''t comply, I will take this girl instead, as a bargaining chip," "You lowlife!" "Hah, that kind of insult won''t infuriate me, besides, don''t you want to kill the king in the meantime?" "You! We had a deal!" "What you? We were never allies and you never got the chance to win in the first place!" "So-rry," under their bickering, a muttered voice was heard. Zeth furrowed his eyebrows as he knew where the voice came from. "What did you say?" "-ung-" "NIR!" Her eyes suddenly opened wide as she grinned at the man who held her hostage straight in the eye. *boom A black thunder from the empty sky suddenly struck them both. The ground was crackling with electricity as Zeth was already embedded in the nearby wall. *spark At the center of the impact, stood a woman of the royal bearing. Her black hair fluttered against the wind as she held the proud black spear with ease. She slowly approached the king of Heavens Down who was stricken by fear. The king instinctively took a step back before he tripped and stumbled down. His face looked up as the beautiful mistress of death greeted him with a crazed smile. 202 Silent Rage In the face of death, the king lost all of his hope. If only his ancestor still resided in this world then things would have drastically changed. The position would be reversed and Deo would undoubtedly theirs. "It is my- ARGH!" Before he could finish his word, Syvliana thrust her spear toward his right thigh, impaling him to the ground. The soil crackled as numb sensation coursing through his vein. Though his armor was the finest, Gungnir penetrated them like a hot knife to butter. "Impossible, that weapon is Gungnir?! How can you be the owner of it?!" shouted the king. He knew that was Luderia''s ultimate weapon. There was no way that a little girl like her could possess it. So many questions popped up inside his head. "Don''t tell me, Luderia even lend you their prized treasure?! That old fool," "No," Drake opened his eyes wide as his nape hair stood. He could feel a creeping feeling crawling on his spine. His entire figure immediately enveloped with killing intent that could freeze the abyss itself. (D-devil!) screamed his heart. He knew the killing intent didn''t originate from someone that was currently present in his eyes. It was, behind him. Sylviana grinned as she didn''t bat an eye to the struggling king, but instead the one that appeared through a magic brand. "He finally showed up," smiled Zeth. The king didn''t dare to turn around as a hand slowly stretched out and grabbed Gungnir. "It was me," *splurt The king screamed in agony as Gungnir was pulled out of his thigh. He rolled on the ground side to side but the pain won''t subside. The figure ignored the king and calmly approached the dying maiden on the ground. Her veins slowly turned black as the poison already spread to her bloodstream. He threw Gungnir to Sylviana before he crouched and lifted the maiden. He slightly muttered something that was inaudible for the people to hear but the intention was clear a second later. Fei immediately enveloped by magic brands of discerning colors. It was not clear how many spells he chanted, but her entire being slowly reverted back to where it was before. The black veins returned to normal as Fei coughed and spilled out the poison. Horses'' hooves ravaged the street as Nostria''s reinforcement arrived. Their banners were wildly waved as the victory was assured. However, the figure leading them was a woman with golden hair without a horse to ride in. She furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed the young man holding someone familiar in his arms. (Fei?!). "Luna, please prepare a room for this lady," said Lyon. She nodded before she signaled the army. though she was a princess of a kingdom, she didn''t mind being ordered by the man whom she shared her first kiss with. "Teacher," Lyon smiled, "Can you handle Sylviana for me, she is a little out of it today," Despite the obvious rage that was dwelling inside him, he still put up a smile to the women he close with. Karina furrowed her eyebrows before she took a glance at another familiar woman, "She dyed her hair?" Lyon smiled, "You can say that, but at the cost of her sanity, just look at her grinning at me," He turned his back against her, "Just knock her out cold, then she would return to normal, careful though, she is strong in this state." Sylviana leaped with a single step as she plunged her spear forward against him. Lyon expressionlessly looked at the tip of the spear before he disappeared from the spot. Karina immediately parried the strike before she kicked her stomach. (Such speed, almost comparable to Zephyr!) thought Zeth who was hiding in a nearby corner. The wound from the blast of thunder he received still had not recovered even after using the same pill he used before. Lyon already stood in front of the defeated king. His arms already covered by green scales that exuded divinity. His torso laid bare as his long hair fluttered. His eyes were sharp as he looked at him straight in his eyes. Ryona nibbled her finger as she watched how her self-proclaimed hubby stood as if the heavens were under him. Lyon opened his hand before Scarlet made its appearance. The red-blood sword governed the entirety of the battlefield as its menacing aura drown them in the sea of blood. "Please wait, young man." Suddenly an astral figure was formed in front of the defeated king. He had the same face as the one that fights Kyoko just a moment ago. There was no doubt about his identity. His presence alone made the armies shake their boots. It was unimaginable how depth his cultivation was if its own astral figure managed to exude such pressure. "Please leave some face for me, and let this end here. Though unfilial he is, he is still my descendant. Heaven''s Dawn... is yours." "A-ancestor!" the king kowtowed. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. With how Kyoko assessed him, he surely is powerful enough to rule Deo for himself. Offending him would be unwise. "I see, so you have been watching the war from the whole time," said Kyoko. The astral figure nodded, "Yes, I am, through his eyes, I''ve been watching." "Truly sad, if only you have been here, then the war will be in your victory," The astral figure shook his head, "Maybe, but that would be impossible since currently, I''m too far away to go here." "Young man, you are a promising youth, one should let bygones be bygones, it would be beneficial for your cultivation journey, it surely is a blessing that Deo managed to produce another genius." Yet, Lyon didn''t retract his sword despite his request. His eyes didn''t even meet with the astral figure. "Heh, old man, you are wrong about something," said Ryona. The astral figure furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?" Ryona smiled, "To him, your face means nothing." "What?" "If you hurt his woman, not even the face of the gods would matter," said Ryona proudly. *boom Lyon stomped the ground as the kowtowed king slightly thrown in the air. His figure immediately leaped as bloodthirst of his sword rampaged. "Brat ceased your ha-!" He couldn''t finish his word as for a half-second Lyon looked at him straight in the eye. There was no fear despite the disparity in their cultivation. Only then did the afterimage dissipated. *flash The soldiers could only saw a flash before the king''s figure was cut six times. The astral figure turned back only to see his descendant had left the world. He was fuming with rage as he saw the killer''s back. "You brat! You dared to offend me?! You-what?!" the astral figure looked at his hands becoming more transparent. Only then did he realize that the attack was not just for his descendant but also for him. "I''ll remember y-" the astral figure dissipated. Lyon didn''t even turn back as he said to a corner, "Should I drag you out?" 203 Never Again! The figure slowly revealed himself from a corner. He knew there was no point in hiding it anymore since the whole army already occupied the place. However, his face was not that of fear but instead, a playful smile was planted. "How scary haha," said Zeth as he clapped his hands. The young man managed to break his expectations yet again. Not even batting an eye offending such existence. Truly someone who would dare the heavens. "Two minutes," said Zeth suddenly as he put up two fingers. Lyon furrowed his eyebrows. He had an inkling of what he was talking about but he kept his silence. "You were late by two minutes, you with all the talent you possessed, you still late, by two minutes," Ryona gripped her ax only to have Kyoko shaking her head. She knew what Zeth was talking about but she also knew that only Lyon could face the problem. Now is the best time as any. "What are you getting at?" asked Lyon. "If you were here two minutes earlier, she won''t have suffered such a fate, you know who I am talking about," said Zeth with an opened arm. Lyon gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. He didn''t refute his claim because it''s the undeniable truth, his presence could have changed everything. He always reminded himself from time to time, yet he was still late, again. "But, what if you can change that?" Lyon loosened his fist as he furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?" "What if you don''t have to be in time all the time, what if we could take care of the issue for you?" "Speak clearly." Zeth shook his head, "Join us, and we shall take care of all of your mistresses! No harm shall be done to any of them! I put my title as the leader branch of Legion in Deo on the line!" The word Legion perked the leaders'' ears that were currently in the formation. They immediately unsheathed their weapon as their armies did the same. "Lyon no! Don''t listen to any of his bullcrap!" shouted Luna as she immediately rushed to his side and readied her sword. "Princess Luna is right Lyon, besides, I suspect that the group had corrupted my older brother!" shouted Aelina as she too rushed beside him then pointed her sword against the gullible leader of Legion. The first prince childhood was unlike his grownup version. He was an adorable little boy and kind to his subjects. He never mistreated them, not even once, but something suddenly changed him. "Hey, hey, let''s not jump into conclusion here, sure I don''t have the proof to prove my innocence but you don''t have one to prove that I was guilty either," refuted Zeth. Despite being alone, he kept his calm in check. The feat that only an experienced leader could have. Aelina clicked her tongue. Though she was sure that Legion corrupted her older brother, there was no proof in the first place. "And if I refuse?" The others'' eyes lit up as soon as they heard that. They knew Lyon won''t betray them for something like that. Zeth let out a sigh, "I hope you won''t say that, but if you indeed refuse, then we must use another way for you to join us, if that still fails, then I''m afraid we have to eliminate you." Lyon furrowed his eyebrows, "What way?" Zeth pointed at a woman that was standing proud after having subdued the black-haired queen to the ground. "For example, we might capture her and blackmails you, having you utter an oath with your soul, I''m warning you, we have a lot of strong cultivators." Karina furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at him. "What.. did you just say?" his voice turned cold as Clemora''s and Biane''s state came into his mind. They were chained, their bodies were full of bruises. (Never again!). (Shit, did I triggered him? Zephyr get ready!) thought Zeth as he could feel the killing intent slowly encompassed his body. *stomp Luna''s and Aelina''s hair fluttered as sudden boisterous speed crashed into her face. The figure they were flanking, leaped forward leaving his shadow. Zeth opened his eyes wide (What?!). He saw the green-bloodshot-eyes were vertical like a snake. His heart skipped a beat as there was an image behind him for a flash second, a being that was regarded mythical. A being that could make the heavens crawl. A green-scaled dragon. "Haa!" Lyon slashed his weapon diagonally across Zeth''s shoulder and chest. His blood spurted out as Zephyr didn''t manage to contest its speed against him. However, before he managed to scream, a scally hand grabbed his face. Lyon held him in the air as Zeth''s blood won''t stop spilling. He struggled to rid his grip, but alas he was like a fish on a chopping board. The rest finally caught up to the scene before they were agape at the sight. He was the leader of the ominous group, his strength was mostly beyond the armies but now he was held in the air by a single hand to the face. "Die." His bloodshot eyes turned sharp as he stabbed the red-blood sword toward Zeth''s heart. "Big brother!" Lyon furrowed his eyebrows as a kick suddenly nearing his stomach. He had no choice but to let go and block the hidden attack. *boom Lyon''s figure dragged backward because of the force. Though it didn''t manage to break his scales, the force was enough to force him to release Zeth. The man stood between them as he appeared to be a younger version of Zeth. Though it was an astral figure that came out, it managed to damage him despite the knowledge of what Lyon knew. "Retreat, your wound is quite serious, use the returning stone," said the astral figure before he took an interest against the one he made a kick to. "What a magnificent form, what kind of blessing is that? A dragon?" asked the astral figure with a smile. *crack "We will meet again Lyon, haha!" shouted Zeth as he crushed a jade stone before enveloping him to a green light that shot to the sky. "You are peculiar indeed, I hope you joined us, you will certainly be an important asset, farewell," said the astral figure before it dissipated. The two of them, left the scene, signaling the end of the war. The army immediately rejoiced as the victory was theirs, even though their only feat was making their way to Heaven''s Dawn. Despite the cheerful atmosphere, Lyon was still in his true dragon form as he watched the distance to which Zeth flew. Ryona patted the worried princesses as she smiled at their faces. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. ------------------ Zeth was sent back to his room where he received the late king of Heaven''s Dawn. He was coughing blood non-stop as he smiled at astonishment. "Amazing, the blood kept flowing out even when I suppressed it with my cultivation," said Zeth as he rummaged through his drawer to find a specific pill. "Ah, there it is." The pill was green-colored, with a tint of redness on the tip meaning it was a level four grade pill. Though it was not perfect, the probability of it being unstable was fairly low. "To think that I would use this pill in this world, heh," smirked the man. *splurt His eyes opened wide as the pill dropped from his hand with a thud. He slowly glanced down as a green-scaled hand penetrated his chest from behind. He didn''t need to think hard whom it was belonged to. "Y-you''re kidding right," was the last sentence he muttered to the world before his eyes lost its light. 204 Repayment of a Maid Lyon retracted his arm as Zeth fell down with his eyes wide open. Zeth knew that Lyon had enormous talent but he underestimated him, he thought that with his current cultivation it would be near impossible for him to reach such distance. "Nobody shall ever use my women against me." Lyon turned back and entered the magic brand that was silently formed behind him. ------------- Aelina and the others were anxiously waiting for his return. Out of the blue, he just chanted a spatial element spell and entered the magic brand. His action without a doubt caught them by surprise. A figure calmly walked out of the magic brand before the women and the rest rejoiced. They immediately surrounded him, the man of a miracle. "Where did you go?" asked Luna before she furrowed her eyebrows as she could see the bloodstain on half of his arm. "To finish what he started," smiled Lyon. The army gulped, (You''re kidding right? He could even catch up with a returning stone?!). The stone was a rare item in Deo and the distance it could travel was quite lengthy but he could warp there with just a spell. They were glad that this young man was on their side, otherwise who knows what would happen. "Sorry," muttered Lyon as his figure turned weak. *splurt His arms and body cracked as blood burst out from the wound. Aelina opened her eyes wide as she realized what''s happening. This occurrence happened back in Luderia. His body couldn''t handle any more pressure from the blessing of a true dragon thus it broke. If only his cultivation were higher, to the point that he could freely manipulate the gift from his grandfather, no enemy would matter. Luna immediately opened her arms as she caught the taller young man in front of her. Though he was bigger, her strength was enough to hold him from kissing the ground. Even if he was in a gruesome state, with blood bathing his face, she didn''t show any disgust. His hearing was a bit off as his consciousness slowly fading away. He could see the army and their leaders rushed toward them. Lyon put out a weak smile before he muttered a soft voice beside her shoulder, "Luna, sorry I dirtied your cloth." Luna smiled, "Stupid, what are you talking about." "Hold me a little longer, your hair, it smells nice," muttered Lyon as his consciousness finally rest. Luna''s cheeks turned bright red, but she couldn''t reprimand him at the moment. He was already sleeping peacefully on her shoulder. ------------- Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Few days after the war against the mighty Heaven''s Dawn. The news of their victories already lingered inside Nostria as this joyous occasion was celebrated by its multi-race citizen. This victory not only proved to the world that Nostria had beaten a hegemon but the expansion of the land. With the size of the former Heaven''s Dawn, the kingdom had leaped through the dragon gate. In less than a year, Nostria had become the kingdom that could rival that of Luderia. However, the people didn''t know the truth about Luderia''s leader. They didn''t realize that Luderia and Nostria could be considered the same but different at the same time. Since Lyon refused to be throned the king of the said kingdom, not because he felt incapable but because there was a greater matter at hand. Sadly, Deo still had not entirely united since the remnants of the Legion in Deo managed to flee the battle. Not to mention that the late Zeth explained if they were just a small branch in Deo. Considering how powerful he was, it was ungaugable to measure the top leader of this ominous group. Though there were lingering questions toward the aftermath, one thing was certain. Both the army finally got the chance to see the everlasting genius in action. They felt jealousy and proud at the same time, a hope that this young man could bring Deo to a new height. The army couldn''t help but speak of his name as they drank with one another. Spreading his feats to the corner of the world. However, as to how the world goes, it was becoming more and more absurd as the feats spread. One even said that Lyon slapped the leader of the Legion to death. The subject they were talking about was currently resting as the consequence of his action. The combination of the blessing and using Scarlet drained his vitality to the brim even when he had three cultivation channels. On the other hand, the woman he saved was currently standing beside him. She faintly touched her right eye as a smile planted her face. She thought she would die in the war but she woke up perfectly fine, she thought she would lose her right eyesight but she could see even better than before. She asked which doctor was capable of pulling her off from the death''s grip. Which doctor, could heal such a wound that was almost impossible to cure without a scar. They answer one common name, a name that was comparable to the word miracle. The holder of such a name was currently resting in front of her. After days the man didn''t wake up. She humbly asked the other to let her take care of his needs when he was still recuperating on the bed. She was using a wet towel to wash his face. At that moment, the man''s eye twitched. "Nghh," muttered Lyon as he slowly opened his eyes. He soon noticed there was a beautiful woman beside him, he squinted his eyes to regain his focus. The vision immediately become clear as he smiled against the woman. "Fei, I''m sorry I-" Lyon couldn''t finish his word as a finger hold his mouth. "Thank you, Lyon," said Fei softly. Her voice was not like that of a general but a string of a harp that tuned the heart. "Keep this a secret." Lyon didn''t know what he meant by that before she suddenly leaned in and caught his lips by surprise. His eyes opened wide in surprise as he couldn''t believe a strong-willed woman like her would do this kind of thing. The bliss was eternal as they captured this moment in their memories forever. As their lips finally separated, she winked, "That''s for saving my life." Lyon was dumbstruck before he smirked and raised one of his eyebrows, "You know, I also killed the one that gave you the wound in the first place." 205 Requiremen Fei retracted her face and sat down as she smiled at the shameless man. Who knows how many people regarded him as a gentleman who swooned the ladies with his charm and etiquette. Surely they would have puked blood if they saw what the man they admired just said. "Oh my, aren''t you a gentleman," teased Fei. Unlike the other young innocent girls, she was more mature in handling such a situation. Many wondered how old she really was but who would dare to step up and faced death? Despite her young haircut, she had been there when Sylviana was still a little kid. She witnessed the ups and downs when her father was the ruler. However, had she ever fallen in love when she was younger? Not even Sylviana knew about it. The maiden''s heart inside her thump but she refused to bid her will. Her duty was more precious than her own feelings. Will that change in the future, will there be a time where she would just become a girl and fell in love, she too wondered about it. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Lyon rubbed his chin, "Well that depends, do you want me to be gentle or rough?" She was taken back before she burst out laughing. She couldn''t believe that those words were his response. She thought that if she asked her that question, he would shy away and dropped the topic. It was the first time that she met such an individual. "You are shameless too," chuckled Fei. Lyon opened his arms, "At this point, I don''t know if its a praise or an insult." "That''s what a shameless would say," Fei laughed once more, Both of them laughed before the atmosphere turned silent. They looked at each other as the depths of their eyes were close to infinite. Her face was on his and his face was on hers. Their heart thumped before a thunder suddenly struck the ground outside of the window. Neither of them reacted to the thunderous sound even when the room flashed. A droplet of water started to fall and hit the glass before being followed by its brethren. The room soon turned cold but not as shivering. Fei smiled, "Well, what do you want for the repayment for avenging me?" Lyon contemplated for a while before he answered with a smile, "I don''t know." She had a confused look as she asked, "You don''t, know?" Lyon got up from the bed before he slowly approached the window. The rain downpour like a torrent as the weather was raging with a tempest. He forgot the time whether it was day or night but it didn''t matter. He knew that before long he must leave this world and went to the next. His journey won''t end here, the time was still far away for him to settle down. The memories of his past life, the secret of his own death, the grandparents that loved him, the three wives that were waiting for his return. What kind of reality was waiting for him in the future? Sometimes he felt overwhelmed with the thought. What if it was better or what if it was worse? In the end, he was not invincible, he was also a man. Fei looked at the back of the young man. It was not as broad as the muscular guys in the soldier but it was more assuring than them. The feeling of safe exuded from his figure but she knew better. She knew that even he would feel cold. Lyon opened his eyes wide as he suddenly felt a warm touch before two arms touching his chest from behind. Despite the temperature getting lower and lower, the two of them kept their warmth for one another. Though her hands were smaller than his, he could feel the stream feelings of them being connected. "Fei, what are you doing." "Shh! Just enjoy the moment, I never did this either." Though her face was blushing, she buried it on his back. This was not her being the person the attire she was mearing meant to be, this was her being a woman. It was so long that she probably forgot that she was first and foremost, a woman. Was it love? She didn''t know the answer to it either. She never tasted the feeling before. He could feel her heartbeat against his back. It was thumping with vigor as blood rushes through her entire body and back. She could feel his heartbeat against her hand. It had a calm rate as to prove his mature heart despite the romantic situation. *flash The room suddenly flashed before a flash of lightning struck the ground. Fei opened her eyes wide as the man he was hugging from behind already turned around and planted his lips against her. Her figure slowly pushed back as Lyon walked forward. *thud The couple fell as they bounced a little on the bed. Their eyes immediately locked each other as they could feel each other''s breath. Contrary to Lyon''s thought, Fei suddenly touched his face gently. She smiled as she muttered, "When I look at you this close, you are quite charming." "However, the repayment stops here," said Fei as she touched his chest. Lyon''s face immediately grimaced as he furrowed his eyebrows in disappointment. "Then..." Fei lightly pushed his figure away as she smiled, "If you want more, there is only one thing that you should do." His grimaced face soon turned motivated as he clenched his fist, "What is it?" Fei slowly approached the door while tidying up her bow tie. Her face put up a smile as she glanced back at the fired-up young man, "Make me fall in love." Her requirement immediately washed away the horrible weather as the first ray of light penetrated the dark clouds behind him. He was dumbstruck with his mouth agape as the door slowly closed. Behind the closed door, Fei closed her eyes as she made a slight cough. "You enjoyed the show miss?" "Eek!" a shadow immediately scurried away from the corner. "Get back here miss!" said Fei as she made chase. ------------- Inside the room, Lyon retracted his agape mouth as a smirk occurred. Crossing his arm, he looked at the closed door. "Sure! I will!" declared Lyon as he spun an item with pride in his hand. A white bra that was belonging to none other than hers, "Also, I take the token of your gratitude with a smile." 206 The Participants With the expansion of the land to almost half of Deo, Nostria was in a crisis of lack of personnel to govern the kingdom. Luckily for the immature queen, Biane and Clemora decided to step in and aid her in maintaining the huge kingdom. Not to mention that the place was actually separated by a dessert, it would be hard to travel from one place to another. On the other hand, with the new ruler, Sylviana immediately abolished the human-race only rule to become a multi-race just like the small Nostria. Of course, this kind of rule will be enacted immediately but the result will not be instant since they were taught from a young age that the other races were inferior to them. With that as a fact, the queen humbly asked the original Nostrians to have a merciful attitude toward them, otherwise, there would be infighting. With the hectic situation and since the world kinda getting into a peaceful state, Lyon''s whereabouts were something that not everyone he knew would expect him to be. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Why am I here," asked Lyon with a twitched mouth. Even he himself wouldn''t expect him to be here. "Don''t complain and just listen," said Luna as she pulled his ear. The light of the sun rays the room from the east windows. It illuminated the place just enough for them to see clearly. The brown desks were neatly placed as they were each separated by two inches wide. The green boards in front of them had traces of writing from chalk while there was a lone wide desk in front of it. That''s right, a classroom inside the only academy in Nostria. "I get it, but why do I have to sit on the front?" complained Lyon. (Shouldn''t I be sitting beside a window and stare at the horizon while the teacher is explaining? I mean, that''s like, a universal law for MC right?). However, contrary to their casual conversation, the students behind them was busy with admiring the legendary young man. It was rare enough to see the number one and number two students in the same class, not to mention their class. "Do you know how many applicants applied to join the student council?" asked Luna. Since their absence for quite some time, the academy got more popular as the recent events went. There were uncountable letters stacked up on the front of the student council''s office. All of them contained the same thing, to join the prestigious group. "Well, I''m a vice-president, not the president, so I leave the decision to my boss," smiled Lyon with his eyebrows moving up and down. "Stop doing that, that princess from the east rubbed her habit on you," hmphed Luna with her crossing her arms. *creak The door opened and reveal a handsome figure. The students were excited to see this young man. He was without a doubt one of the legendary figures the academy could have. "Ah, big brother!" "Ah, it''s you." Unlike the figure''s excited tone, Lyon felt disappointed. Who else would dare to call him big brother except for that blonde young man? Jugen didn''t show any disagreement toward his attitude, he knew him too well. With a smile, he took the empty seat behind him, leaving the seat on Lyon''s left empty. "Young miss, I believe we have a chance to win in the Crown," said a red-haired young man beside Luna. His face was the very definition of hot-blooded, everywhere he went he would always bring his trusted sword. Dubbed as the strongest swordsman in the academy, he was none other than Martis, Luna''s bodyguard. Luna nodded, "A good chance at that." *creak The door opened once more as a middle-aged man walked inside. There was some sort, of wild aura that seeping out of his figure. The students immediately talked among themselves. "Hey, who is that teacher?" said a student in the back. "I don''t know, never heard a teacher like that? Maybe a substitute?" "Most likely." While the students in the back discussing between themselves. The mouth of the ''teacher'' twitched as he could hear what they were saying. *bang The teacher slapped the table as he said, "I''m the principal goddamnit!" "No way!" "The elusive figure that not an entire three generations of the graduates ever see!" The principal grimaced before he heard his nephew burst out laughing. He furrowed his eyebrows as he grimaced. He couldn''t blame him since it was his fault for rarely in the academy. He decided to have a bigger heart, "Alright settle down, I''m here to bring you two important news that one of them you might have heard." He put up his finger, "News number one, we finally got an invitation to join the infamous tournament, Crown!" (Well, actually, we got it every five years or so, but I never tell them) thought the principal. At the time they got no power to even make a difference but now things had changed. "The Crown consists of five students from the invited academy or school as representatives for the competition. Let me warn you beforehand, the competition is tough." "Unlike Deo, they got denser mana in their world, meaning their cultivation realm is without a doubt above us!" The students'' didn''t seem to be surprised by his explanation. The principal lamented his fate with a sigh (That''s why I never did public speaking nor contending for the throne against my older brother, I have no talent for these kinds of things). He coughed before he continued, "With that, I would like to point out who are the five members entering the competition." "Firstly, and the captain of the team, Luna!" There was no doubt in the students'' minds that she would be the captain of the team. Her title ''Godmother'' was no joke. She could lead an army of students to clean bandits hiding in the forest. "Secondly, Jugen!" "ME?!" Unlike the calm leader, he immediately stood up before he held his head. He slowly massaged it as he muttered, "Oh god, what kind of tribulation are you preparing for me?!" "The third one, Martis, I heard you''ve been training under sir Tristan for a while now is a good chance as any to prove your training." Martis stood up before he made a salute, "Thank you for the opportunity!" "The fourth one, our ace, Lyon!" Lyon nodded, "With me here there''s nothing to worry about." "Yeah!" the students suddenly fired-up as they stood and shout his name. Hearing the energetic voices of the his fellow students he stood and faced them, "That''s right, I will flirt those prideful and beautiful women no matter if they are the teachers or the students," then he clenched his fist in assurance. "Yeah! WHAT?!" Lyon suddenly opened his eyes wide as he felt chill running down his spine, a woman gritted her teeth in a smile, "L-y-o-n, can you say it one more time?! HMMM?!" 207 The Fifth Member Lyon''s mouth twitched wildly as a hand of a maiden gripped his right shoulder. He could feel the devilish jealousy seeping from her every breath. Her nails embedded his skin as a bit of blood could be seen splurting out. (H-hey, isn''t she kinda too strong now?!). The principal coughed, "Alright, safe your households quarrel for later." Luna immediately turned frigid as her cheeks flushed red. She quickly retracted her hand and looked down embarrassed. Though the rumor of them going out was spreading inside the academy, her action further proven the theory. Not to mention that Luna was actually a princess that would without a doubt succeed the throne of her father later, the man was a once in a generation genius. The couple surely had been destined to be together. Lyon looked at the principal which was Luna''s uncle with a nod. The principal also nodded in response. This was one of the codes of being a man. If a brother is in trouble, one is obliged to help the bro out of the woe. *splurt His body had a lag before the wound from Luna''s jealousy gripped splurt like a fountain. It even splashed the students behind him including Jugen who directly sat behind him. Suddenly the atmosphere turned silent as the principal lightly tip-toed. The students furrowed their eyebrows while they were wiping Lyon''s blood that stained their clothing. What was the principal waiting for? So far, he only announced four people to join the Crown while the requirement was five. Who would have such capabilities to contend with these four and not dragged them down? They couldn''t think of any name at all. By far, the four candidates were the cream of the crop. There wasn''t a fifth since the gap of their strength was too far away. One decision would be to just bring a cannon fodder to fulfill the requirement but that wouldn''t be unfair for the unlucky one. Tik Tok, the clock was ticking as they entered the silent mode for a good minute. Lyon lightly tapped the desk as he lazily put his head on top of the table. The students in the back row whispering to themselves. "Oi, why the principal stopped announcing?" "Hell should I know, but I do have a theory." "What theory," *whisper "No way, right?" "Just do it!" The student suddenly stood up as he slapped his desk, "Ah! We don''t have a fifth member!" The principal proudly smiled, "I know you would say that!" as he pointed out at the student. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The students in the back row looked at each other (Well damn, he was waiting for that sentence to come up before continuing?! Is he stupid?). "Hahaha, indeed, who would have the power, the TALENT, to contend with our prestigious four? None! At least not in our academy," smirked the principal. "Then, along with my second announcement, I personally welcomed you the new transfer student!" His last couple of words sent the entire students into shock. Lyon immediately put up his head as he glanced at the door. There was a shadow, an outline of a slim figure standing behind the door. (A woman? A woman!). Luna furrowed her eyebrows as she could make out the gender the person behind the door was. She immediately turned her head and squinted her eyes against Lyon. "Oh, you all know her name alright, she was quite famous before Lyon stole the spotlight," teased the principal. The students immediately wondered but Luna already had an inkling toward her identity. A name that used to bring fear to her peers. Jugen contemplated before a certain name appeared his mind. (No way, right? He even got her here?). Lyon immediately racked his brain but no name came up whatsoever. From the figure alone he knew she was a beauty but nothing really came up. He furrowed his eyebrows as he contemplated. He was sweating before a light shone upon his mind. (Is it Riku?). The swordswoman from the Mist clan was a formidable person. Though she was still in training her master was none other than the beautiful beast, Ryona. However, though she lost the mock battle, she was indeed acknowledged by Reka the master of the Mist clan as core disciples. He shook his head. According to the explanation she was famous before he stole her spotlight. He didn''t remember stealing anything from her, well, at least, definitely not her spotlight. "Without further ado, please come in," said the principal Argeon. The door opened as the figure slowly walked in. The students immediately recognized her from the moment she revealed her face. Luna nodded as her assumption was right. Jugen sat back as he too managed to guess the identity. However, Lyon couldn''t make any head or tails about the woman in front of him. He kinda felt that she was present during the time not long after his appearance in this world but he forgot exactly when. Clad in blue clothing of a ranger suit, she had a dagger on her waist as her short pants revealed her slim thighs. She had a stature like Luna and bearing like one too, but she was somehow more cool-headed. Her black hair draped around her shoulder as she had a little pony on her forehead. "Good morning," said the girl with a bow. "Please, introduce yourself," smiled the principal. "Yes," the girl nodded, "My name is Xiaxia, please take good care of me." Lyon opened his eyes wide. That name was familiar, it was indeed famous. She managed to embed her name to the Deo''s monument! A glorious achievement that was soon eclipsed by him. Argeon nodded, "That''s right, she will be the fifth member!" The students immediately rejoiced, "With her joining us, the academy, no, Deo will finally spearhead the glory!" "Xiaxia," "Luna," *spark Lyon glanced to the right as he could feel the tension between them. (How many rivals do you have Luna?!). The proud star of the Meistas Kingdom finally joined the adventure. 208 Cold Beauty Though they were rivals they were now on the same team. Pursuing their rivalry at present would demerit them instead. Unlike their appearance, the mental within their heart was mature enough to halt the moment of heat. Taking one step to the side she suddenly stopped as she bowed to Lyon before sitting on an empty seat beside him. He was caught off guard by the sudden gesture and didn''t have any time to reply before she already sat down neatly. He immediately felt a burning sensation on his waist before he glanced at Luna whose hand was twisting his side albeit looking to the front. "Well, let me explain a few things about the Crown," said Argeon with a cough. "First of all, there is only one winner for this competition, no chances for second place!" The Crown only had one vault to share with one team. The second place and the rest wouldn''t even get a tissue for joining it. Thus the brutality of the competition would be higher than the others. "What''s the prize?" asked Lyon. With how he explained, the Crown must have prepared a massive treasury for the winner. The principal rubbed his chin as he contemplated, "Hmm, I think a sack full of top-grade cultivation beads for each, and a huge sum of funding toward their academy. However, the prize is always changing for the better so maybe they go even more extravagant." While the others'' eyes glittered with desire, Lyon sighed. The prize was nothing compared to what he had within his ring. Pure mana that could help cultivators leaped bounds in a single night. The ultimate tier, of its type. The principal took a glance at his ace. This young man was the only reason he dared to accept the invitation this time, he must not let him down. He muttered softly, "I heard one of the teachers there is quite devastatingly beautiful or is she one the committee?" Lyon''s ear immediately perked up like his companion, Fenrir. Though the middle-aged man in front of him only muttered softly, Lyon''s sensitive radar easily picked up the information. His mouth opened up before he furrowed his eyebrows. He knew that if he asked about it right now, the white tigress would surely shred him to pieces. "Ah right, I forgot about something, the competition this time will be held at our neighboring world, Mabia," explained the principal. "Mabia, heh," mused Lyon as a figure appeared in his mind. She was gracefully beautiful, fiercely strong. She could even toe to toe with him with his True Dragon Blessing activated. Truly a remarkable individual. (Wait, didn''t she attend an academy there?). Lyon glanced at the window as he smirked, (Look''s like our reunion will happen sooner than I thought). ------------------- Beyond the gate of the world was the Deo''s neighbor, Mabia. This world was surely vast as the mana was denser than it. Many weaker cultivators seek strength on these lands but only a few succeeded, others ended up dead. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The cultivation world was cruel and just at the same time. Every reward has its prize, thus death was not a rare occurrence. However, despite so, many cultivators dared to risk it for greater power. Stupidity or courageous, wise or reckless, one couldn''t judge. The wind blew peacefully as the branches of a tree swayed against it. The sound of the dancing leaves brought about the calm that no one knew one needed. The warm gaze of the sun smeared the lively grasses around the tree. Three benches made of a sturdy wood were placed around it in a triangle point. Many figures walked in front of it to the left and some to the right, the male, in particular, would sometime steal a glance. They wore the same uniform with a certain symbol embedded on their collar, an unsheathed sword. At this point in time, only a handful of people would dare to approach the tree because of a certain cold beauty was sitting in one of the benches. Her graceful manner was like a princess yet her strength was like a beast. Many handsome suitors from powerful families coveted her maiden heart but none of them could even make her bat her eyes. Her brown-apricot hair was tied up into a ponytail with a single string of curly hair hanging down the left side of her cheek. She wore the same uniform as her female colleges, white long-sleeved clothes with long black pants. Her eyes were closed as she enjoyed the moment. *snap A dead branch was accidentally stepped on and snapped into two. The closed eyes slowly opened up as her cold expressionless face looked at the figure in front of her. "What is it?" The onlookers immediately halted their steps as they heard what the cold beauty said. This was a famous person inside their academy, her presence alone could change things that were not meant to be changed. "Oi, oi, it''s Chloe," whispered one of the students. "Are they gonna fight?" whispered another. While the onlookers were discussing among themselves. Chloe calmly looked at the person that was disturbing her relaxation. It was a young man of a handsome feature. He had a lean body and wilderness always planted on his face. He had a fairly short black hair and the traces of his muscle was quite visible to the naked eye. The girls around his age were easily swooned by his coolness not to mention that he was born from a famous mighty family, he was the ideal man for every woman. "The principal is calling for us and the other three. Looks like we are chosen for the Crown," the young man put out a smile. "What are you smiling at?" asked Chloe as she walked passed by him. "I heard from leaked information that a certain academy from your old home is joining the competition. I must say, they have guts to be shamed upon haha." Chloe immediately halted her footsteps. She was stumped by his news, she knew it must be from his family that he got the information from. (What a bunch of fools! Why do they want to humiliate themselves?!). Chloe walked to the principal''s office while contemplating, ignoring the handsome young man''s blabber along the way. (Hmph! What makes them think they could even put up a competition?! I can''t think of anyone that could even-?!) Her pupils were suddenly shrunken. "Are you sure you will forget about me?" The familiar question suddenly screamed in her mind and shook her figure. The image of a charismatic young man smirking on her face appeared in her memories. An existence, that not even she could comprehend. 209 The Devils Ploy "Chloe, are you listening? I''m asking you a question," said a middle-aged man. The cold beauty already seated inside the principles office with the other four distinctive characters. But her mind was occupied with something, no, someone at the moment. That someone could exchange blow with her without breaking a sweat, though she indeed managed to make him bleed. What baffled her was that he could content with her while being a Soul Realm cultivator. A feat that could make a lot of people in Mabia skeptical. Who would believe such a thing happened. "Chloe!" the middle-aged man slapped his desk. The loud contact woke Chloe from her contemplation. She then looked at the principal and asked, "What is it?" The middle-aged man sighed, "I''m asking you if you are content with participating the Crown, the opponent would be none other than your old home." The wild young man laughed, "Hahaha, don''t worry principal, she won''t hesitate to beat them out, I mean, it''s their own fault that they are weak and for that reason that this cold beauty joins our academy instead." Chloe furrowed her eyebrows, "Can you shut your mouth?" Her cold voice was filled with killing intent before she swiftly moved her hand and stopped before his neck. The man was immediately drenched with cold sweat. He gulped his saliva before he panted toward the strike that was waiting in front of him. One more centimeter and that beautiful fingers would penetrate his throat. It was obvious that this woman didn''t care for his highly regarded family background. (Tch, this bitch!) thought the young man. "Alright calm down, you are all a team," said the principal. Chloe retracted her hand as she answered the pending question, "It''s a competition if they are my opponents then so be it." The principal nodded, "Good, now you five must rest and prepare yourself well, the Crown will be held in five days from now." ----------------------- "Five days?!" shouted the students at their irresponsible principal. They couldn''t believe that their principal announced the biggest competition yet, five days before the d day. What could they prepare in just five days? Not even cultivation would level up during that short duration. Not to mention that they had to travel to Luderia first then crossed the gate. Argeon scratched his right cheek out of guilty as he said, "W-well, I mean you got war and such, so it was impossible to tell all of you this during that time." This was one of the reasons why he chose a classroom rather than announced it in the field. Otherwise, there would be a massive disagreement and his profession as a principal would be doubted even further than the abyss. Lyon rubbed his chin before a devilish idea suddenly struck his mind. He smiled at the principal before he raised a question, "Principal, is there a betting venue during the competition." His question brought the silence in the room as he exuded a devilish aura around him. The students immediately gulped at the atmosphere premating from him. Luna stuttered, "D-don''t tell me." The principal nodded at his future nephew-in-law, "There is indeed a betting venue." "Lyon are you gonna bet?" asked Xiaxia who was quite quiet during the ordeal. "Hehehe, a bet is not the right word, I''m going to legally heist them," said Lyon with a devilish smile before he stood up, "Alright, who wants to get rich?!" The students were caught surprised by his sudden offer. Nonetheless, they all raised their hands, including Xiaxia and Luna who was a princess. Who doesn''t want to get rich? "Good! All you have to do is simple, just bet on me. Remember, we are all from the lower world, the betting ratio would be in our favor! I''m talking about maybe 1:50 or more! We could make them poor and make us richer at the same time!" The students had a sudden realization about his offer. He was right, the ratio would be in their favor, and with how strong Lyon was, they doubted they knew that Lyon was capable of taking out the leader of Legion in Deo''s branch. He was surely the golden goose at the moment. "Hmm, it looks like, I have to bring all the beads in my saving for this," mused Xiaxia. She too did not doubt the guy''s strength. He had proven the impossibility was naught time and time again. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Argeon shook his head, "Sorry, but that is not ethical of us to do so." He was still the principal of his academy. He had to force ethical code for his student, lest the others would think that they were raised by barbarians. Sure enough, his statement brought about the dismay to his students. The gloomy atmosphere immediately filled up the entire room. "But I''m in," said the principal with a nod. "Eh?" the students were surprised by their principal''s answer. "That''s right! I will join the betting session as well, we will rob them whole!" The whole classroom screamed with excitement. With the principal joining the devilish ploy, their victory was somehow certain. They couldn''t wait to see the others'' faces when they won a huge sum of richness. "Alright, we are going to depart immediately!" rallied the principal. ----------------------- Under the clean clear water of Undine Lake was a small home of a certain beauty. Inside it, was a place of warmth as the fire inside the fireplace brought peace of mind. This little house was special as no mana could penetrate the place from the outside. Rarely did the house had visitors. A magma-red hair was fluttering around as the kitchen was in a disarrayed state. Her beauty was no doubt kingdom-toppling, but her carelessness was also on another level. The sound of a pot dropping to the wooden floor, a broken glass, a broken faucet. Everything that couldn''t go wrong, went wrong. However, she always kept a smile on her face. Despite the hardship of learning, she was cheered by the fact that she was not alone anymore. A true dragon was peacefully sleeping on the carpet despite the loud noise she made. This peaceful moment went on until. "Elize, mother''s home!" 210 I Know It Very Well The wooden door slowly opened by a light push as a beautiful woman entered the house. She had a burnished complexion and long red hair to her waist. Her face was almost the spitting image of Elize, the girl who lived inside the house but with a mature charm that made the younguns knelt to her supreme beauty. Her slim waist could be held by half of an arm of a grown man, she was definitely a piece of art carved by the goddess themselves. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. With a smile on her face, she took the first step inside the room before her figure shook of a presence that was not supposed to be there. It had the body of a snake but the claws of a reptile. A mouth of a crocodile and an eye of a cat. The green scales of a fish and a pair of long whiskers that occasionally waving. Not to mention its pair of horns that brought about a divinity aura around him. (D-dragon?!) thought the mature lady. The true dragon looked at the mature lady with a smile, "Hmm, what a nice pair, my grandson would surely loves you hahaha." The lady furrowed her eyebrows, however before she could say anything, a soft voice greeted her. "Mother, welcome home, is today my birthday?" Elize came out from the kitchen as she held a steaming hot pot before putting it on the table. She immediately leaped over and hug the woman tight as her face buried on her chest. The woman turned soft as she stroke her hair with love, "Silly girl, of course, today is your birthday." "Then do you have a gift for me?" asked Elize with a smile. "Of course, but first," she glanced at the dragon resting on a carpet. Elize let go of her hug before she timidly stepped back. She knew an explanation was needed and this was the time that everything should change. "T-this is grandpa Long, he keeps me company from not too long ago," said Elize nervously. The mature lady took a seat before she crossed her arm, "I thought I told you to not bring any visitor to this house, why do you break our promise?" Elize''s body was jolted by the question she threw in. She knew she broke the promise but she did so because she had no choice at the time. Her body turned rigid as words stuck on her throat. It was always this way whenever she tried to explain something to her mother. "Well, don''t be too hard on the little girl, beautiful lady," interjected Long. The lady furrowed her eyebrows, "Why would a dragon entered my humble house, what is the reason behind your visit?" "Hoho, you are a feisty one, but first thing first, don''t lump me with those petty little snakes that proclaimed they are dragons, I''m a divine beast, a true dragon." The lady immediately caught by surprise as he revealed his identity, his race. It was the utmost respected race that not many had seen since they live in seclusion. A powerful divine beast that ruled the sky. They say that the race was so arrogant, they looked at other races as inferior. However, they are a loyal beast to their own kin. "A true dragon you say? I heard that your kin live in seclusion and detached from the world." She was suspicious, why would a true dragon, a high-esteemed race, would grace them with his presence. There must be an ulterior motive behind his visit, she was sure of it. "Those dragons follow the old teaching, but me, I''m an open-minded dragon haha." The lady turned in disbelief. Who would believe such a blatant answer? "Then prove to me that you are a true dragon." "Mother!" Elize tried to defend Long but her mother turned her gaze against her, "Why are you defending him?" "He is my friend!" shouted Elize to both of their surprise. The meek little girl was no more. With days gone by, she grew mature by connecting to the world through grandpa Long. He would often tell her stories about how the outside world was. "Gr! You dare to talk back to your mother now?!" reprimand the lady. "N-no- I." "C''mon beautiful lady, don''t be so mad. Deep down in your heart, you knew this day would come sooner or later. She is a living being just like you," said Long. "Shut up! You know nothing about us! Do you know how it feels to lose someone precious to you?!" The true dragon slowly lifted up as his corporeal body slowly coiled. His voice turned hoarse as he said, "Oh, I know." --------- His past resurfaced a young boy riding on his back. "Grandpa, go faster, go faster, haha!" said the young boy as they pierced the clouds. "Hohoho, then hold on tight!" The pair coiled in the sky as if it was their own domain. The sea waved at them as they traverse through the unlimited days and nights. Few years fleeted in an instant as the young boy had turned into a young teenager. Wearing nothing but cheap clothing and a bag on his shoulder he said, "Well, to see all of you in human forms really is making everything even better hahaha!" The young teenager turned his back and walked away, "See you later." The true dragon looked at his grandson''s small yet firm back. His grandson had grown and wanted to venture into the vast worlds. With the knowledge he had, he was surely be living an adventurous life. However, one couldn''t predict what life had planned for him. Thunderous lightning pricked his heart as he stood in disbelief. The young teenager from back then had turned to a fine young man full of achievements that made people envied him. Yet, he was now lying down on the ground, no breath came out from his nostrils nor his mouth. His eyes were closed as his body slowly turned cold. The echoes of his grandson filled his mind as tears couldn''t stop running from his eyes. The true dragon''s eyes turned red as he and the other eleven howled then rampaged against the world, turning it into an irreversible state that not even nature could heal. --------- His mind was back in the present and faced the lady, "I know it very well." 211 I Would Love to The lady furrowed her eyebrows, she knew from his tone that he wasn''t lying about it. However, it meant nothing for her if he knew the feeling or not. Gritting her teeth, she said, "That''s enough, stop involving yourself with my family!" The true dragon kept silent as she was right. He had no obligation nor right to interfere with their family matters. But the thing was, his grandson would interfere no matter what. "Let her see the world or forever shall she be weak," said Grandpa Long. "What do you know?! She can train here all the time, I''m more than capable of providing her than what this world can!" She was confident that this small and weak world was nothing compared to what she had. She could pick the stars and the moon for her. Her strength was enough to rule this whole continent including the endless seas. "True, what you are saying is indeed true, you can provide her with lots of grandeur thing that this world can''t offer." Her breathing became calm as she heard his opinion. She felt relief that her view was also right from others'' perspectives. "But there are things that this world can give the little girl that you can''t." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Her eyebrows furrowed once again as she berated him, "Then tell me? What is it that I can''t but this little world can?" "Companion, friends, life, hardships, love, disappointment, curiosity, the list goes on. I mean, you are an undine, so it is in your nature to have curiosity." The lady was a bit surprise for the true dragon to identify her race in a casual sentence. Undine was a race famed for its high affinity toward the water element. The fact that their home was already underwater meant that he was in her territory. However, despite being a corporeal body that contained no significant strength within, he was calm toward the situation. "Mother, it is true, I want to venture the world, I want to experience what it''s like out there," said Elize. "So please, for this birthday''s gift," (No, don''t say it) thought her mother as she took a step back, not daring to hear what she would wish for her gift. Elize held her hand against her chest as her eyes turned sharp and looked at her mother in the eyes. "Lift my curse." Her mother immediately shook her head, "No, I cannot do that, don''t you realize that we are still being hunted by your father''s killer?" Every time she mentioned about her husband, her heart ached. She already lost the love of her life, she didn''t want to lose her only child. "I know that, but, but I too don''t want to live in hiding! I know my wish is selfish, but I can assure you that I will survive the harsh world." "What makes you think-?!" her eyes flashed as she felt a familiar dreadful presence. "Hohoho looks like we have an uninvited guest," said Grandpa Long as he glanced upward. On the surface of the water, a man was flying in the air as he casually looked downward. He furrowed his eyebrow before he muttered with a smile, "To think that the fortuneteller is right, what an unbelievable being the star element cultivator is." "Finally after all these years of chasing, I will be the one to finish the job." Back inside the little home, Elize was crouching under the table by her mother''s instruction. She watched her mother opening the door before leaving her a message, "No matter what, don''t you dare to go outside the house." The true dragon casually kept Elize company before she desperately asks, "G-Grandpa, Mother is going to be alright right?" With his long whiskers waving the world he answered, "Back in my peak, not even the combination of both of them could match against three of my fingers, hahaha." "C''mon grandpa, stop joking around!" "Hahaha, it''s okay, she''ll be fine, she might felt pain during the fight but she will be alive." The man in the air smirked as a figure flew out from below. "Is it me or are you getting more beautiful by the years, Felicia?" teased the man. Felicia turned a blind eye toward his teasing and said, "To think that you could even find me in this remote place, such dedication." The man opened his arms as he said, "You flattered me, but I could find you only because I paid a huge price for a certain service of a certain fortuneteller." "Then I must give that person a piece of my mind," said Felicia. "Hahaha, if only you survive this day!" said the man as he plunged forward. Felicia smirked, "Ignorant fool." She whipped her hand upward as the lake suddenly blasted a pillar of water toward her enemy. "Guha!" the man spat out blood as he was propelled upward further to the sky before the pillar came back to the lake. Though the man fell he managed to stop himself from entering the lake. He knew that once he was inside the lake, his life would undoubtedly be in danger. "You are feisty as always," said the man wiping the blood on his mouth. The woman smirked before she clasped her hands together before slowly pulled them apart. The man opened his eyes wide as he saw the complicated rainbow magic brand between her hands. Those beautiful forearms were full of revealing veins as she gritted her teeth, struggling, to sustain the great force within the magic brand. The man gulped at the sight before he glanced at his right and left. The water in the lake was all surging from random points and gather at the center of that small complicated magic brand. His clothes were fluttering despite the wetness, his eyes turned to awe before he heard the cry of a spell. "You think you can disrupt my peace?! Sacred Magic! Trident''s Howl!" "You bitc!" he couldn''t finish his word before the magic brand released its might. The water was surging like a jet toward his figure and further to the edge of the horizon. ----------- The Phantera Kingdom. *splash Suddenly the citizen was wetted by something from the sky. They all looked upward before tumbling down. "Oh god." The jet pillar further went to the east, leaving its trail on the ground. ------------ The Luderia Kingdom. The students just arrived at the gate before the pillar of water went passed by them in the sky and further to the endless sea. "W-what was that?!" Jugen shouted out of his heart. He was not the only one to scream like that. The citizen of Luderia also wondered the same thing. Argeon furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the direction it was coming from. Xiaxia approached Luna before she muttered softly, "Luna, that direction is." Luna nodded, "Don''t worry he''ll be fine." She tightened her reign as she signaled the others to continue the journey. (Knowing you, I know you will be fine). ------------ Back at the Undine Lake. The lake now had half of the water than it should be. Felicia was panting as she just released a huge amount of mana. Though she was sweating like she took a bath, she smiled, "It''s over, at least for now." "Hahaha, you wish bitch! Now die!" shouted the man behind her. He had lost his right arm and right leg due to not effectively dodge the sudden attack. She immediately opened her eyes and turned back, however it was too late. Time seemed to slow down as her life flashed by. When she was a child, when she fell in love, when she had grown up, tears couldn''t help but escaped the edges of her eyes. (Elize, sorry I can''t accompany you anymore) thought Felicia as she closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt a hand touching her right shoulder, dragging her backward. "Ah, husband, did you come to pick me up?" "Well, I would love to become your husband, but first!" Felicia opened her eyes wide as she managed to see a glimpse of her husband''s back silhouette before entering the magic brand she was dragged to. The man opened his eyes wide as he saw the smile of a young man, "You son of a bitch who-!" "Shut up crippled old man!" *boom His face bent down along with Lyon''s scally fist, sending both of them to the water below. 212 Fortuneteller The time before the man arrived at Deo. He was visiting a certain famous fortuneteller that was regarded for its one hundred percent accuracy of reading the near future. The fortuneteller was an avid traveler. She never stayed put in one place and always moving to the next world. It was by chance coincidence that the man stumbled upon her great presence. Her face was always hidden under her hood but one could see her beautiful red lips. She didn''t use a catalyst such as a crystal ball to read their fortune, instead, she will just answer her costumer''s question without much-needed thinking. Wherever she went, the ruler of the land would greet her personally, not daring to offend her. With one piece of information coming out of her mouth, their land might face imminent destruction or endless joy. Many powerful cultivators wanted to seek audience with her but rarely one could and even if they somehow had the chance, paying her exorbitant price was another matter. It was in a distant world from Deo did they meet. On a cliff staring at the horizon, the fortune teller calmly sat down and meditated. Though the wind blows brazenly, her face was still hidden under her hood as her cloak fluttered against it. The sound of footsteps was heard before the man knelt a few spaces behind her. "I''m here to request your aid," asked the man humbly. The fortuneteller chuckled, "They all do." The man continued, "I need your grace to read me about the whereabouts of a woman." The fortuneteller stood up before facing him. Her lips curved to a smile before she said, "I know where she is, but it would cost you." The man raised his eyebrows in astonishment, she didn''t even ask the name but with only a single glance at him, she knew the answer. Her extraordinary ability was truly revered by the multi-worlds. He cupped his hands, "May I know the price for such information." The fortuneteller chuckled once more, "Give me half your spatial ring along with the item contained within, also part with your sentient weapon." The man opened his eyes wide. This was blatant robbery, not even an evil merchant would give such price. A sentient weapon was hard to get, let alone to be partnered with and she just told him to part with it like it was any other day in the business. He nervously pleaded, "Y-your grace, can you lower the price?" Though the hope was slim, it was still there. Everything in this world was flexible, including this occasion. The fortuneteller amused by his request, "You dare to ask for a lower price? Not even your ruler dares to do so." The mention of his ruler got his body to stiffen. How could she not know who was his leader, not even him would dare to ask that, what a mere ant like him could possibly achieve. "The decision is up to you, whether you want the information or not-? HM?!" A piece of an image suddenly interrupted her vision as her entire figure lit up. Her cloak was fluttering wildly as she mildly floated in the air. The piece of the image was like a torn paper. Slowly but surely the pieces connected to one another forming a drawing. It was a scene where many corpses were laid waste to the bones. Piling up like a mountain, sustaining a patch of land, no, a kingdom on top of it. The magnificent design of the palace in the center was a delight to her eyes. (A metaphor?). She never got a metaphor reading since the first time she learned fortunetelling. (Why now? Am I still not powerful enough to understand?). The further she pondered the further the view went on. She was now in front of the palace, but before she could knock the door. The door opened by itself as if welcoming her presence in this metaphor. Her eyes immediately opened wide as the view in front of her was too majestic to be described. Red carpet greeted her feet as she walked inside the throne room. There were shadowy individuals sitting on the stairs leading up to the throne. Each and every one of them could easily slap the sun into tears. She furrowed her eyebrows as the shadows seemed to not know her existence. She climbed the stairs before her eyes were filled with kingdom toppling beauties that danced around the throne, covering the figure who was sitting on it. Every single one of them could even make the heavens descend and the hell froze. (Are they the ruler''s consorts?). Her curiosity grew even bigger as she wondered about the ruler''s identity. What kind of ruler managed to invite such powerful figures and so many beauties as his wives? As the consorts fluttered away, she opened her eyes wide. The identity of the ruler of such grandeur of a kingdom was. (Empty?). However, before she could contemplate, an arm suddenly coiled around her shoulder. Her figure froze as she never had a man this close before. She could feel warm breath was getting in and out of his nostrils and hitting her flushed cheek. "Boo!" said the man to her ear before she was sent back to reality. The fortuneteller abruptly fell to the ground as she was catching for breath. That was the most bizarre fortune-telling she ever experienced. She couldn''t understand the meaning at all. "Y-Your grace are you okay?" asked the man. "I-I''m fine, just give me your sentient weapon for this service," said the fortuneteller. "Eh?" The man was surprised by her generosity. Maybe this was the only time she would give a discount to someone. "Gah, you took too long!" The fortune-teller forcefully retracted the sentient weapon out of his soul with just a flick of her finger before she disappeared from the spot. The man was dumbfounded as to what just happen. Her power was beyond his comprehension. How could someone forcefully break the pack between the sentient weapon and its master with just a flick of a finger? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. He couldn''t come up with an answer as a piece of paper hit his face. 214 Soften Hear Felicia waved her hands in a beautiful pattern as the mana surrounding the lake increased by a significant amount. The water surged like a torrent as it encapsulated the man and sealed in him inside a sphere. Meanwhile, Lyon was frantically swimming against the water current, otherwise, he would get caught up by her attack. Taking a deep breath, her eyes turned sharp as she muttered, "Undine Art: Sphere Compression." As the man''s lung filled with water, the sphere itself rotated horizontally. The spinning accelerated greatly as each second went. Before long, the sphere was compressed little by little due to the rotation speed, turning it into a wide circle. *splash The wide circle broke into droplets of water that returned to the lake. There was no corpse to be seen from her attack. It was probably one of the most cleanness ways to kill someone. "Gah, gah, hah." Lyon was panting as the water stopped its current. It was as if swimming against a huge tsunami wave and got on top. He surely would have set some records if it was done back on Earth. Felicia didn''t bat an eye for the man she just killed as she descended down, facing the shameless young man who was catching breath. "Looks like you have some explaining to do." "Oh, I know just the place where we could sit calmly and enjoy hot chocolate milk beside a fireplace." said Lyon without any hesitation nor nervous tone in his sentence. It was as if he was talking to someone ordinary. "Stop joking," said Felicia as her red hair fluttered against the wind. Lyon was confused. After putting away the returning jade stone, he said, "I''m not joking, trust me, you wouldn''t believe this pretty big sister, but there is a house right under the center of this lake." Felicia''s eyebrows and mouth were twitching as she closed her eyes in rage. "Don''t worry though, I''m sure my friend would welcome you, in fact, you have the same hair color as hers so I''m sure you would be friends in no time!" explained Lyon confidently. Only after he muttered those words that Lyon noticed. His eyes immediately turned sharp as he inspected her thoroughly (Wait a minute, same hair color, those ample breasts, the face also almost resemble her, that burnished complexion, those ample breasts!). (Oh crap, I think I know who she is) thought Lyon as he noticed why she was fuming right now. "B-Beautiful big sister please don''t be mad, at least don''t kill me, I''m still a virgin!" (At least in this world hehe). She gritted her teeth, as her eyes opened. "How bold of you brat, to invite me over to my own house?!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. (I knew it, she is Elize''s mother!) thought Lyon as he immediately dived below the water. With his mouth holding as much air as he could until his cheeks bulged, he frantically swam to the house in the subject. (Goddamn it! I should have prepared the magic spell to teleport! Oh no!), before he could even arrive at the door, the water suddenly pulled him upward to the surface. Breaking out the surface, Lyon was pushed upward as the water held him in the sky. The water surging formed like a huge sunflower, where he was at the center, being presented to its master. As his limbs were held by the water, only his head was free. With his hair dangling down, he faced the mature beauty with a smile. "What are you smiling at, don''t you know the position you are in right now?" asked Felicia. Normally, people would have freaked out and pleaded for their lives to be spared but he didn''t do that. She didn''t feel any nervousness at all from him despite the disparity of their cultivation levels. "I know what position am I in right now, I''m stuck at staring the beauty in front of me. A beauty, that was carved in heaven but lives in this world." Felicia''s lips slowly curved up into a smile after she heard his shameless flirting, "Stop playing games brat, I heard something better than that." Lyon kept his smile, "Of course, I wouldn''t expect myself to melt your heart with just flowery words, I''m not that kind of man." "Oh, are you a knight in shining armor then?" teased Felicia. She seemed to forget her initial question. Lyon chuckled before shaking his head, "Do I look shiny?" "Pfft, hahaha," Felicia burst out her laughter. Unbeknownst to them, Elize and Long were peeking at them and heard all of their conversations. Elize, in particular, was making a pout on her face. She felt complicated as she liked that her mother had finally laugh out loud since forever, but she kinda hated it that Lyon was flirting with her. (You better make me laugh too later!). "So, are you going to let me down now?" asked Lyon. Since this was the perfect chance to ask he didn''t hesitate to take it. "Fat chance brat," said Felicia shaking her head. "Ah, what''s this deja vu?" Felicia turned her eyes sharp as she lightened her tone, "What''s your name?" Though it was slightly different, Lyon knew there was a change to her heart. From the sentence she was using to ask him, he knew he did manage to soften her brute heart because instead of using ''who are you?'' she directly asked his name, not to mention the non-hostile tone. "My name is Lyon Torga," answered Lyon with a smile despite being held like a hostage. She slightly furrowed her eyebrows before she contemplated (Torga? Where did I hear that name last time? I can''t remember). "Where are you from?" asked Felicia. She wanted to know if she could jolt her memory through this question. "Hmm, I''m not from this world." (I knew it, nobody in this world would have that kind of strong heart, to be firm and calm despite the overwhelming opposition that might as well be gods to them) thought Felicia. "I''m from a world called, Earth." 215 Recoun She had no clue of the world he mentioned. She had traveled so many worlds and not a single one of them named Earth. However, she believed that the entire system was too vast for a cultivator to explore them all. She might miss it somehow. Either way, looking at the young man in front of her. She had no doubt that this Earth world was on a higher plane, a higher class if it could produce such a cultivator. To not even flinch at the sight of overpowering enemies, instead, he played with them with his trickery. Then, "Why are you here in this remote world? With your capabilities, surely your own home would be a lot better." "I was summoned here from my home," answered Lyon. "Summoned?" muttered Felicia. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Being summoned meant that he was forcefully transferred here. One must have a huge affinity with the spatial element as a condition and even then it would take really high cultivation level to pull that off, not to mention the spell necessary. However, how could she know that it was more complicated than that? The distance and the location played a huge factor that could stress the user''s mind to the utmost limit. Not to mention the amount of mana that was needed for such a spell. A tiny mistake could make the magic becoming unstable and dangerous to the target. She wanted to ask who was the one responsible for his summoning. But she saw him shaking his head. Either he didn''t know or he didn''t want to tell. In the end, Felicia waved her hand and the water unrestrained his figure as he fell. She slowly descended down as the water made a pathway to her home. She calmly went to the small building before taking a glance back. "Well, are you coming or not?" Lyon immediately got up before he realized that the water had been cut in two to make the pathway. (This is amazing!) thought Lyon before running toward the door. As he closed the door, the water crashed onto one another, returning to its original state. The sound of the wood crackling from the fire was heard as three figures sat on the floor facing each other. The small round table in the middle had a huge bowl filled with soup with a hint of smoke coming out of it. The true dragon was laying on the carpet near them, seeming as if he owned the place. Elize was pouting as she occasionally glanced at Lyon though as soon as he glanced back she diverted her eyes to somewhere else. Lyon glanced at her mother who was having her eyes closed and not even flinch at the awkward situation. Nobody was touching the soup, the kitchen was in disarray and not a soul spoke a word. (If I take the first turn to take the soup, would it be too disrespectful?) thought Lyon. The situation made him feel uncomfortable despite the environment being good enough to relax normally. Either way, he needed to break the ice. "Elize, remember how we met?" "Hmph!" Elize threw away her face. She seemed to be jealous of the recent event. "Elize, you shouldn''t be like that to our guest, besides, I also want to hear about how you two first met," said Felicia. "Fine," answered Elize begrudgingly. Elize recounted her experience of meeting Lyon for the first time. At first, Lyon was smiling as he casually took a small bowl and scooped up the soup in the huge bowl. The glazing meat and potato along with the aromatic that was bursting out made his nose and stomach hungry. "Then, I opened the door to see Lyon fainting underwater..." Lyon took a small spoon as he scooped up the meat. He lightly blew it to cool it down before he took the first sip. The rich aroma sealed within burst out inside his mouth as his lips curved up a smile. "Since he didn''t have any spare, I told him to use father''s lo and behold he..." Lyon casually took his seconds as his nose was raped by the umami aroma the soup contained. He gently put down the spoon as he decided to gulp the soup down. "Then, I accidentally fell and land on him, coincidentally, our lips met each other." *BRUU! The soup didn''t manage to pass through his throat before it rushed back up and escape from his mouth. Thankfully he managed to turn his head before bursting out, otherwise, the soup would have been wasted and nobody could get a lick. "Lyon are you alright?!" said Elize frantically as she immediately ran up beside him. She immediately took a napkin before wiping the leftover soup on the edges of his glistening lips. "Oh don''t worry he is fine now, but later," A cold voice was seeping out from the beautiful mature lady as her eyes turned like that of an executioner. Lyon took a glance at her mother as his nape hair stood. "You have to be careful you know, don''t just gulp all of them down in one sitting," said Elize as she finished wiping the leftover. (You know, this is partly your fault) thought Lyon. "Ahem, where was I, oh right, after our lips connected I instinctively retracted back and apologize," said Elize as she stood up and went back to her spot. "But did you know what he did after?" asked Elize as her cheeks turned a red hue. (No, don''t say it!) thought Lyon as he readied his feet. He only needed one good leaped to escape through the door. "Then he pulled my arms and we are connected once more, then he said ''apologies accepted''." (Now!) Lyon immediately leaped toward the door. "Ah?" he could feel something was grabbing his leg. His body couldn''t help but fall and kissed the ground with a loud thud. "Brat, what makes you think you can escape my wrath?" said the executioner before her hand grabbed his hair. "AHHHH!" a loud scream was heard as it escaped from the little house. 216 Dont Worry Lyon already sat back in his position as few bruises were visible on his face and his arms. There was a swollen spot on the right side of his head. Though he had three times of healing capabilities than normal cultivators, the damage he took was quite heavy. If he didn''t have this gift, he was probably laying on the bed. Elize eyes glanced over at both of them as a hint of worry surfaced on her beautiful face. On one hand, the only male friend she had was beaten up and the problem was the one beaten him was none other than her own mother. "I can''t believe you brat, how could you do such a thing," reprimand Felicia as she crossed her arm in contempt. (I can''t believe you almost killed me either) thought Lyon as he rubbed his head with a dumb look on his face. "Love sprouts everywhere big sister, not even the fate could predict my action," nodded Lyon. His shameless attitude was beyond repair. Felicia immediately put her hand on top of her forehead. She couldn''t believe what kind of teaching this young man came from. Sure he was a talented individual but he boasted about the wrong things. "Enough about me big sister, my visit this time is to request your kindness that was beyond that of an old virgin nun." Felicia and Elize accidentally burst out a chuckle before Felicia shouted, "Enough! Don''t say anything anymore! I have a faint idea of why you are here." Though she was struggling to keep her laugh escaped her mouth, she glanced at the currently napping true dragon. The fact that this young man had a relationship with this divine beast was already out of her comprehension. The proud and aloof true dragon actually coexists with a human. A being that was famous for its cruelty. After a light cough, she said, "Elize, I''m gonna undo the protection curse." Elize''s eyes immediately lit up, as she said, "Really?!" Felicia nodded, "With how one of them already found us, this location is not safe anymore." Lyon furrowed his eyebrows. If he followed what she was saying then the only conclusion why she undid it was because they needed to go to another world to hide. "Y-you mean?" Elize was taken back by her mother''s words. Just as she was free, she was about to flee from the world where she made her first friend. Felicia looked slightly dejected but she said firmly, "We have no choice, they won''t stop until they eradicate us from existence." Elize built up a warm liquid around the edges of her eyes as she said, "B-But why?! Why do they want to kill us?! What did we do to deserve any of this?!" The room turned silent as the cry of the woman gouged their heart. Especially for her mother, Felicia, all she knew was that her husband made an unforgiving sin that cost their families such fate. However, what sin did he done was never mentioned by the chasing killers. She let down her hands and gripped the outer layer of her thigh as she faced down. "S-sorry." Her eyes suddenly opened wide as a warm hand patted her head. She slowly glanced up to see a smiling face of the happy-go-lucky young man that hugged her heart. "Don''t worry, everything will be fine, you don''t need to go into so much hiding any longer." Tears couldn''t help but run down her beautiful cheeks as her mouth agape. The cry of a young maiden finally escaped from her deepest heart. She felt helpless toward the situation they were in. They ran and ran but never had it solve anything. She was tired of being confined and she was tired of living in fear that her mother would someday never came back. The young man slowly stood up before he glanced at her mother. "Big sister, I''m gonna borrow this for a while," said Lyon as he revealed a jade stone. "Ah! When did you?!" Felicia immediately crossed her arm and covered her bountiful chest. She hid the returning jade stone under her clothing so if he held the position then that means. Her face turned red as she glared at him. How could he do that in such a situation and when did he even commit the act. "Grandpa!" shouted Lyon. "Hahaha! Let''s go!" said Grandpa Long as he coiled around and landed on his shoulder. "Lyon! What are you going to do?" shouted Felicia albeit the red hue on her cheeks. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Lyon smiled at her as he said, "I''ll be back." "No, no, no! Lyon wait!" His eyes immediately turned sharp as killing intent surged like wildfire inside of his figure. He pulled out the returning jade stone he stole from the crippled old man and crushed it. His figure immediately enveloped by the green light as the young man and the true dragon shot out to the endless sky. ---------------------- In a distant world far away from Deo where the mana was even denser than that of Mabia, was a place where every single cultivator was an expert at the minimum of a Divine Realm to survive the harsh society. In this world, there was a lone building that was built far from the masses. Not just everyone could enter this building unless they were invited to be a member of a certain group. A group that was notorious and famed from its achievements of killing the ruler of this land centuries ago. Their service could be bought at the right price and by the right price, it was exorbitant. Needless to say that the chance of their failure was below one percent per hundred thousand cases. At the topmost floor of the building was the master of this notorious group. His figure was hidden under the black cloak as he wore a mask that hid the top half of his face. He furrowed his eyebrows as a green light entered the room. "Thuram, I only expect good news." "Yes, my palm is ready." The master opened his eyes wide as the green light dissipated, the figure inside already leaped toward him. Lyon gritted his teeth, "Now you have to deal with me!" "True Dragon Art: Palm of Shattering World!" The roar of the true dragon resounded in the sky as the top floor exploded with a loud boom. 217 Beyond The Blessing The building shook heavily as the topmost room was devastated. The ceiling was destroyed along with the walls as the wind blew strongly at such height. As the floor was the only part of the room that remained, the two figures stood and stared at each other. Their hairs fluttered against the wind as the two men held their ground. Despite the sudden attack launched by Lyon, the master of the room had a calm state as he stared at the said young man. "I see, so you killed Thuram?" asked the master. Lyon smiled, "You can say that." It was obvious that the name the master mentioned was, of course, belonging to the original owner of the returning jade stone. The master furrowed his eyebrows, "You are only a peak level Soul Realm cultivator, how can you kill him?" No matter how much he thought about it, there was no chance of him touching his right-hand man, let alone killed him. The disparity was too far away for them to even had a contest. It was like a single ant overturning a mammoth. However, looking at the state of his room he curved up a smile. Amazing, such amazing display of strength from a mere peak Soul Realm cultivator. His room was reinforced with the finest material of the land, it was hard to even make a dent out of it because of its durability. However, the lad in front of him destroyed it so with just a palm. "What is your name?" asked the master. "Lyon." "Lyon who?" The master wanted to know his background. If such a kid had such enormous strength, he must not have come from a family of nobodies. With his wide connection, he might be able to do something under his nose. "Torga." The master immediately furrowed his eyebrows. His last name echoed in his mind. It was a familiar name yet he forgot where did he hear such a name. However, his heart had a feeling that it was the name of an esteemed family. The recent great families that contacted with the group didn''t have that name. So it will be very hard to track down his identity. "Hmm, what is your purpose of coming here and attacking me all of a sudden?" asked the master. He knew the young man in front of him didn''t have the chance of beating him. Especially that the others were probably coming to his room as he spoke. Lyon pointed his green-scaled hand toward the master as his eyes turned vertical like a cold-blooded beast. "You''ve made a grievous sin." His eyes flashed as the crying Elize appeared in his mind. The innocent girl was trapped by her mother because they didn''t have any choice. Living in fear that someday they might not see each other again. "Now, you''ve got to deal with me," said Lyon before he ruthlessly disappeared from the master''s sight. The fist immediately connected as the loud boom made the floor cracked. Lyon furrowed his eyebrows as he realized the situation they were in. The master casually held his fist with a single hand without even budging. "That''s quite a strength you got there, pity your cultivation realm is too low." Lyon''s lips suddenly curved up a smile before the master furrowed his eyes brows. The lower half of the arm that was holding his attack suddenly sprout out blood from a spiraling slash-like wound. "Very good!" praised the master before he landed a kick on his stomach. Lyon immediately propelled backward while his legs kept him from falling off the edge. It was just a casual kick without any art yet the blood inside him rushed upward before escaping his mouth. (Heh, I should know my limit) thought Lyon as he wiped the blood from the edges of his lips. (Grandpa, what are the chances of me landing a hit on him?) said Lyon inwardly. (Honestly, you got no chance hahaha, unless you want to go beyond but that would be too risky for your body with your current level). (How risky?). Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. (You will lay in bed for three days I guess if you hold it for thirty seconds). (That''s enough for me). Considering that he needed to catch up with his fellow members for the Crown. Three days in bed would leave him only two days before the grand competition. With his spatial element, he was confident that he could rush to Mabia. Lyon suddenly stood and crossed his arm while closing his eyes. His action got the master''s interest as he asked, "What are you going to do now?" The fact that a Soul Realm cultivator could do so much to a powerful cultivator such as him brought about the excitement within him. He was rarely in action and all he did was managed the group. With his appearance, he finally got to stretch his strength albeit not to the utmost limit. But it''s better than nothing. Lyon took a deep breath as the mana surrounding them suddenly came to halt and changed course. His scally arms gradually turned to normal as his hair gradually turned green. Slowly, on the skin of his back formed two words that gave out a divinity aura. ''True Dragon'' Lyon opened his eyes and revealed his vertical pupils as he curved up a smile. He could sense mana was riding on his skin even when he stood. His hair fluttered as he stared at the masked man in front of him. "It''s funny, I feel like I could take on an army in this form." The master furrowed his eyebrows. He could sense something was different within his young opponent. (His cultivation is the same, but what is it?). Lyon immediately leaped forward before turned his body around and lifted his knee. The powerful roundhouse kick was launched at incredible speed. (He is certainly faster, but) the master immediately lifted his forearm to block the imminent attack. The kick connected with a loud boom toward his left forearm. However, this time, his arm kept budging as a sign of struggle. *crack The master opened his eyes, as the mask he wore had a little crack on it. A slit wound also appeared on his cheek as blood slowly ran down to his jawline. Lyon smirked at his face before he spun and launched the backheel of the other foot at the forearm. Immediately sending the masked man to the debris of the ruined room. "Stop chasing those beautiful women and come to me!" smirked Lyon at the scattering dust before glancing at the sky, "That goes for all of you too." Hidden behind the clouds, the figure slowly revealed themselves. Wearing some sort of mask and the same getup as the master, he knew they were belonging to the same group. "Hohoho, little brat, you dare to speak highly of yourselves, such gut is- HEY WAIT!" shouted one of the figures in the sky. In the middle of his speech, Lyon immediately crashed the returning jade stone he stole from Felicia. The green light immediately enveloped him and shot out to the sky while his words echoes. "I don''t care what an old man says, but if that beautiful big sister beside you wants to say something I''m listening hahaha!" The man was fuming with rage. 218 Goodbye Under the rubbles of a destroyed room, a hand reached out before a figure made out of it. Bearing curved up lips, half of his mask fell off his face as he stepped out. Patting the dust away on his cloak, the man slowly floated in the air as he faced all of the figures. With his hand behind his back, he looked at them and said, "So tell me, what did Thuram do behind my back?" -------------- Inside the little house under Undine Lake. The two women were restless as they thought about a reckless young man. They couldn''t believe he suddenly activated the returning jade stone and went to the enemy base alone. Not to mention the sheer number as a disadvantage, his cultivation was too low to even face one of them. Felicia bit her thumb while she contemplated back and forth, "That idiot brat! If only he waited for a little bit longer." Elize knelt down and clasped her hands. She wished nothing more than Lyon''s safety. For he was the only friend that she had. If anything happened to him, who knew what she would have done. "Lyon, please come back save." Suddenly a green light penetrated their house before it stopped on top of the table. Felicia immediately furrowed her eyebrows before standing in front of Elize. She readied herself for the worse. By the chance, it might be the enemy using the returning jade stone. Since Lyon was still an unpolished diamond, they might have defeated him or confine him or even worse, killed him. This was her maternal instinct of protecting her cub. (I better strike first!) gritting her teeth she leaped forward. Now was the only chance she had, catching the opponent off guard will always result in a critical hit. "Well, I''m back ladies! Hahaha!!" The voice immediately relieved Elize''s heart. She curved up a smile as her wish was granted. He was back safe and sound. Particularly, he still got that happy-go-lucky tune. However, this was not the case for Felicia who was already in the middle of her leap. She immediately retracted her palm but now she was crashing on him, head first. "Ah look out!" The light dissipated as Lyon''s head was revealed. His pupils still vertical as his hair was divine green. It was apparent that he had not reverted back to his normal form. His eyes opened wide as he saw the leaping woman fastly approached him. He immediately furrowed his eyebrows, before he adjusted her crashing target. (I could dodge her, but heh, HEHEHE). Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. *crash Their faces met each other. His nose and her nose was pressing each other as Felicia''s eyes opened wide while Lyon squinted his. It was in this split second, Lyon was betting on this split second. The outcome that he hoped would happen finally happened. Felicia felt like the time was frozen for her. She could feel the warm moist of the other''s lips as they locked each other. Her heart immediately in chaos as it happened, was it spring, was it hell, she didn''t know. As time started to flow again, their foreheads finally met before they got thrown off the table. Felicia was obviously fell on top of Lyon''s figure. Gritting her teeth she raised her hand, "You sneaky brat!" However, her hand stopped in the middle of motion as her eyes saw his condition. He glanced to the left as his black hair covered his eyes. Blood was escaping his smirking mouth and his nose. Felicia furrowed her eyebrows, she knew the blood didn''t cause by their impact. In the end, she sighed, before getting off his figure. It was obvious that he needed immediate treatment. The true dragon suddenly came out of Lyon''s figure before resting on top of a carpet nearby. He already foresaw such a result from using that form. "Is he okay?" asked Elize as she was frightened by Lyon''s condition. Glancing at the sleeping true dragon, Felicia nodded, "He''ll be fine, he just needed some rest." Elize curved up a smile on her beautiful face before saying, "Then I need to get him on the bed. "Let me do it," said Felicia before she picked up the unconscious Lyon. Elize didn''t even have a moment to retort but her mother already lifted him up and gently put him on the bed. She sat down beside the bed and looked at the charming young man. This was the reckless young man that managed to worry both of them. This was the man that rescued her life. This was the man she accidentally called her husband. Elize looked at her mother without thinking too much about it. She didn''t know what her mother was thinking nor feeling. Her eyes immediately tensed up as she turned around and face her. "It''s time to lift up the curse." Before she could accept the excitement from her mother. Her figure immediately enveloped by the light with just a flick of her mother''s finger. "Let''s get going, we are leaving this place," said Felicia as she packed her things. Elize immediately had drastic changes in her emotions. She was elated just a moment ago but her words immediately sent her down again. "But why?!" berated Elize. Felicia stopped her packing as she fastly approached her daughter. Elize immediately closed her eyes as she knew what''s going to happen next. Gritting her teeth she was preparing for the pain to come. Suddenly a warm touch enveloped her body before she opened her eyes in disbelief. She thought she was gonna get slapped but instead, her mother was hugging her tight. Felicia didn''t say anything before she let go of her hug and looked at her kindly in the eye. "We cannot implicate him even further." Elize immediately came in realization. The more Lyon interacted with them, the more he will get in trouble. If the group that hunted them down, decide to come here all together then this world and its people would be in chaos. Lyon''s loved ones would also get implicated in their conflicts. Dejectedly she lowered her head before muttering, "En." Felicia touched her cheek as she said, "Good girl, now pack up your things." It didn''t take long for both of them to get ready for departure. With the necessity of being stored at their spatial rings, they were ready to leave. "Grandpa Long, please send my goodbyes to Lyon, if fate wills it, we will meet again and I hope you and him will still remember me by then," said Elize with a bow. The true dragon only half-opened his eyelids before nodding. Taking a deep breath she turned around before glancing one last time at the figure on the bed. Many emotions surged up in her heart but she got to firm it. "I''m proud of you Elize, let''s go," said Felicia as she opened the door. "And where is my goodbye kisses?" A hand suddenly went over each of their shoulders before a figure standing in between them. Still, with his eyes closed and blood dripping from his mouth and nose, he smiled vigorously. 219 Departure The blood dripped slowly albeit his closed eyes as if he was there out of instinct or sheer willpower alone. It was apparent that he was in no condition to be out of the bed, even the imperial doctors would rip their own hairs. The two women looked at the man from each of their own sides. They couldn''t comprehend what driven him so bad that he could so such a feat. The True Dragon suddenly laughed before he leaped and coiled around his grandson''s shoulder. \"You two don''t understand him that well yet. If he sets his heart to, even his body would react without his brain, his soul is that strong,\" said Grandpa Long. Felicia furrowed her eyebrows as she knew that Lyon was unconscious at the moment. What was he made of, what was his training like to be like this even though he was bloodied all over. However, her daughter had a different thought. She was overwhelmed with emotion. To think that his figure would even stand despite the horrendous state. Her eyes turned moist before she hugged him tightly. The very first friend that she made, the very first man after her father that made such a huge impression. Will they ever meet again? The question echoed in her heart. She couldn''t risk it. She didn''t want him to be in danger because of her presence. Until everything settled down, they must not see each other. By then, would he even remember her? Though there was blood on his face, Elize suddenly tiptoed. Her eyes finally let go of their tears as it ran down her cheek. Their lips connected as emotion surged within her heart. For maybe that he might not remember when the time came, this memory shall be burned in her heart. Felicia turned silent despite the act of her daughter. She didn''t dare to look at them. Elize''s lips had a stain of blood after she let go of her kiss. \"Goodbye, Lyon.\" She and her mother immediately left the house and swam upward. Her tears were washed away by the lake water even though she could just get rid of the water like her mother once did. Getting out of the shore, Elize glanced back at the serene lake. She couldn''t give goodbyes to her other friends but at least she made one with the first. Clenching her fist she looked at her mother before saying, \"Mother, teach me how to become strong. Let me unearth my potential as your daughter!\" Felicia was caught surprised by the determination that was exuded from her daughter''s eyes. Maybe it was time for her to embrace her bloodline as an undine. She nodded before both of them leaped into the forest. \"I WILL FIND YOU!\" The shout echoed through the forest as the two beautiful women stopped their tracks and glanced back at the direction where the lake was. Elize''s lips twitched before she forced a smile despite the surging emotions and nodded. \"En, I''ll be waiting then!\" The two of them continued to dwell further into the forest before their figures slowly disappeared from sight. Back at the house underneath the lake water. Lyon was standing with a smile. However, his eyes were opened despite being bloodshot. His body slowly swayed backward before he fell with a thud. \"I will,\" muttered Lyon before he closed his eyes. The true dragon smiled with his grinned teeth. His whiskers fluttered like a wave as he said, \"Don''t worry, you possessed star element within you. Finding her wouldn''t be as hard as finding your other grandfathers and grandmothers. Oops, I don''t think they want to be called grandmothers.\" The true dragon suddenly felt chills running down his corporeal spines. He remembered a certain individual that would definitely kill him if he called her grandmother. --------- The members of the Crown led by the principal Argeon was currently standing in front of the gate of the world. It was made out of stone that was ''n'' shaped with vortex spiraling inside it. There was some type of runes engraved on the gate. It was believed to be an ancient language that no historians in both worlds managed to decipher. Princess Aelina personally greeted them before her eyes twitched at another certain princess. But considering her age, it was understandable that Luna would join the competition. \"Good afternoon Princess Aelina,\" said Luna with cupped hands. \"Good afternoon Princess Luna,\" responded Aelina. Aelina furrowed her eyebrows as she didn''t'' see the figure she wanted to see the most. (Where is he?) thought the princess. Luna had an inkling of what she was looking for. With her nose slightly perked up she said, \"He is coming later, as usual, he''s a little bit late.\" Aelina shook her head in a disappointment, \"It''s a shame then, I want to give him a good luck charm, so maybe later then.\" Luna had her eyebrows twitched a little when she said that. However, before she could say anything, her uncle interjected. \"Greetings Princess Aelina, sorry for making you go all the way here but we require the use of the gate,\" said Argeon with a bow. Princess Aelina nodded, \"That is fine, I also came for a personal reason anyway. I already told the guards to let you and the rest enter without a fee needed.\" \"Thank you so much for your benevolence!\" She nodded once more before mounting her horse, \"Goodluck to you all.\" Her figure departed from the spot as her bodyguards closely followed behind her. In all honesty, she didn''t have that much hope for them winning in the competition. Especially when she knew that her little sister also partaken at the event. However, there was one young man that could probably change their odds. She curved up a smile as she remembered his face. \"Well, let''s go!\" said Argeon as he led the members into the vortex. Luna went in as she was followed by the others. The world beyond this gate was full of powerful cultivators at a tender age. Though so, there was no hint of slight nervousness in her eyes. 220 The Unchained And The Pub Owner In a space vortex that was full of a storm where the god leveled cultivators would shriek in fear, a man flew through like it was nothing. The chains that held his hands was no more as his gray hair fluttered from the aura he exuded alone. His clothing had already burned up from the sheer force of the environment he was currently in. Not just any fabric could withstand the power of nature. He suddenly furrowed his eyebrows before he slapped the nearby space and ripped out a crack in an instant. On the other side of the hole was vast greenery with no living figure to be seen inside. Casually, he walked inside the said scenery. The wind past through his hair as he stood in front of the space crack. Nature immediately started recuperating and fixing the damage he caused albeit slowly like pieces of glass patched together. \"This place is,\" muttered the man as a fabric of memory played in his mind. \"I want the night to be a little romantic, can you guys pull the four moons a little closer?\" The sentence echoed in his mind before his eyes turned watery. His emotion was surging whenever he remembered that man. The man who he owed everything to. He quickly wiped his crocodile tears before taking a deep breath and glanced at a certain direction. There was a kingdom in his field of view however, his eyes turned sharp as he looked at an alone pub a few kilometers away from it. It was weird for such a place to be opened outside of the festivity spot. The man curved up a smile before disappearing from the spot. An old man suddenly tumbled down as he was seeing the man disappeared from his eyes. He initially roamed the forest before he felt a presence. To think that a powerful cultivator like him would actually be thrown down by the fear his body was reacting to. He was a revered individual in his clan. Many of the youngins thought that he was already invincible and the one that could contest with him could be count by one hand. He was palpitating before he gulped, \"W-What monster.\" ------------- The pub was a medium-sized pub with a traditional theme. It had no name yet the people from the high or low class of the kingdom often visited this place. No matter if you were a king nor a peasant if you had the money to buy the liquor you are welcomed. The pub was having a rather lively atmosphere at this point in time. There were only ten tables and one floor which all of them had already been occupied. A man with three bodyguards suddenly barged in an demand a table to be freed at once. He had a look of an elite and with every sentence he said, he always tried to look down at his interlocutor. The said man suddenly slapped a table where a group that looked like a peasant had just sat down because it was their turn. \"Get the hell out of the way peasants! I demand this table to be for me and my guards.\" The group trembled as they saw his clothing and menacing bodyguards. A blind person could tell that he was of someone important. Their insignificant life was less than a single ring that he wore. \"It will be of your best interest of letting go this table, the prince is on the way to the nearby kingdom to conduct an agreement, you don''t want to start a war do you?\" said one of the guards while touching the hilt of his sword. One of the peasants in the group gritted his teeth while clenching his hand. Why did they have to go, was it because of their low status?! They had saved up money just to be in this pub for once a year. Because the pub was always full and rarely opened. Having a table was precious for everyone. The other tables drank as they felt sad for the group but couldn''t do anything. \"Don''t do things that will make you regret,\" said one of the bodyguards after seeing his clenched fist. One of the peasants tapped his friend''s shoulder and shook his head. It was not worth it to lose life over a table in a pub. Though the pub was dubbed to be the best in the land, it was not worth it to risk the life of one''s own. Begrudgingly, the peasants stood up and leave the table. It was a sad thing to see but no one would dare to fight for their justice. \"That''s right, the low class has to yield to the higher ones, but rejoice for you peasants had done a service to your future king,\" said the prince before he sat down. Suddenly before they could order a drink, the pub owner placed down five drinks. \"Right, five Holy Nectars was it? Oh, you don''t look like the people that order the drinks.\" The man wore a butler suit. He had slicked black hair and wore a frame glasses. He exuded coolness despite his lack of awareness. The prince twitched his mouth as he watched the lean butler, \"You dare to insult me, waiter?!\" The man with a butler suit pushed up his glasses, \"No, I''m the owner of this place.\" The guards stood up and readied their swords, \"Don''t offend the prince, unless you want to be executed right here and incite a war between two kingdoms.\" The man with a butler suit didn''t even flinch even with three swords pointing at him. His heartbeat was calm as if the three swords were nothing but a toy being held by children. The other customers shrieked before they scurried away and run from the pub. The prince suddenly stood up before saying, \"Calm down guards, I will give him a chance.\" He approached the owner of the pub with a smirk, \"Kneel before me and apologize.\" The owner of the pub pushed his glasses as his eyes turned sharp but his figure still stood upright. Despite being faced by four to one situation, he held his composure well, or maybe, too well. The prince furrowed his eyebrows before he shouted, \"Are you deaf?! I said kneel before me, your future king!\" The owner''s eyes flashed as killing intent immediately exuded from his figure. *splurt Before the prince could open his eyes wide, four fingers already penetrated his throat. \"GhGHGH!\" The prince could not utter a word before thudding sound was heard. The bodyguards he was proud of was lying on the stainless floor, breathless. \"Now listen here,\" said the owner as he took off his glasses with his other hand and hang it on his collar. He put his thumb on his neck as a grip as he pulled the prince closer. \"I only serve, one king,\" said the owner with a deep tone. He raised his knees, before with a whipped of a shadow, the prince''s kneecaps were destroyed with a loud crack. The scream could not escape his mouth as the four fingers still embedded inside his neck. Kneeling in front of the man he was insulting, his sense of hatred was overcome with the sense of dread. Even his elite bodyguards died without him knowing how. \"One emperor.\" The owner let go of his fingers as blood spurted out from the prince''s throat. However, before the body could drop and ended his suffering, the owner shouted a name. \"Emperor Torga!\" He retracted his hand before he penetrated the prince''s chest as his blood exploded and stained both the table and the floor. 221 Two Grand Generals Seeing the corpses on the ground, the owner of the bar lightly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his bloodied hand. \"Serving you? Hmph! How bold you are, what are you to Emperor Torga?\" muttered the owner before he turned back to the counter. His footsteps were heard clearly in the empty pub as he pulled out the glasses and put it on. Glancing at one of the bottles in a display, he furrowed his eyebrows before curving up a smile. \"Looks like, you have overcome your regret,\" said the owner of the pub. \"And your brutality is still present I see.\" The voice came from the entrance of the pub. A lone man was stark naked as he crossed his arm. He smiled at the owner''s back before he approached him. The naked man with grayed hair took a glimpse at one of the corpse. He noticed clothing with a hint of royalty style embroidered in one of the corpses. \"Are you sure? You might enact a war between two kingdoms or more you know.\" The sound of a liquid pouring to a lowball glass with three blocks of ice was heard. Before it reached the half of the glass, the owner took another bottle and fruit. His hand was quick and his precision was a sight to behold. \"Well, just take a seat, let''s catch up with old times,\" said the owner as he brought two lowball glasses on each of his hands. The grayed hair man shook his head in amusement. It was apparent that the owner didn''t care if he enacted a war between two kingdoms. In his eyes, they were nothing but a group of children banded together. After taking the first step, the owner of the pub halted. Putting the lowball glasses back on the counter, he pushed his glasses upward. \"So, why are you naked?\" \"The prison cloth couldn''t handle the might of the space storm, so they disintegrated before long.\" The owner of the pub sighed before he said, \"Just wait there, I''ll go get something.\" With a flick of his finger, clothing came out from his spatial ring. He casually threw it on the naked man''s face. It was a decent clothing but nothing fancy. Only the materials it was made from were far superior to what this world could provide. \"Thank you,\" said the man before quickly wore it. The lowball glasses were lightly placed on the table as the owner also sat down standing up straight. Even with three corpses in the room, they felt nonchalant about it. Having a little sip, the owner glanced at the grayed hair man, \"What happened to you? You looked quite old with that gray hair.\" The man he was talking to laughed, \"I guess being stressful about that event can really give you an effect like this.\" \"I guess, so, but tell me, how did you overcome that regret?\" The grayed hair man took the lowball glass and drink it in one motion before slammed it on the table. \"Look at me.\" The owner squinted his eyes. He saw nothing different in his figure, \"You''re still half-giant as always, what are you talking about?\" The man smiled, \"Look at me, closely, something might shock you.\" The owner furrowed his eyebrows. (Something might shock me? Well that is a rare thing to...) \"What!\" The owner slammed the table with both of his hands as he stood up. Gulping his saliva, his hand shook as he pushed up his glasses. His lips curved up as he said. \"The King''s Order is erased.\" The grayed hair man nodded, \"That''s right! I didn''t do it, no, no one in the entire multi-world can do it but master, but the emperor, himself.\" The owner of the pub put his hand on top of his face as he lightly chuckled. His mana surged wildly as the tables near him blown away by the sheer force exuding from within. \"Emperor is back, the emperor is back,\" muttered the owner before he faced upward to the roof. With a huge smile, he shouted, \"Now then Heaven! The wait is over! This time you are going to fight all of us! Be scared Heaven, be very, very scared! For he has come back from the fate that you brought upon him!\" \"Hahahaha!\" The mana surged wildly as the pub shook and cracked. The walls began to rupture and the lamps on the roof fell down altogether. Before long, the entire building came into ruins. \"Oops, sorry, I got too excited,\" said the owner before he floated to the sky. The grayed hair man smiled before he followed behind him, \"Now, that I got you, searching for master would be quite easier.\" \"With two grand generals banding together, of course, it would be easier but the worlds are too vast to explore for the two of us alone.\" The grayed hair man furrowed his eyebrows, \"What do you mean?\" The owner of the pub pushed up his glasses a wicked smile appeared on his face, \"Of course, we need to gather the other grand generals rather than blindly searching for the emperor.\" \"Since I just run, I mean ran a pub, my connection is not that great but surely the others wouldn''t stand still and be a nobody.\" The grayed hair man contemplated for a little while before he nodded in agreement. Though searching for his master was the top priority, it would be meaningless if he couldn''t find him at all. \"Alright, let''s go, I heard a rumor about a familiar figure, she would definitely be grinning nonstop if she heard the news.\" 222 Arrival Mabia, the world where cultivators from lesser worlds came to try their luck. Though there were no exact conditions to enter the gate of the world, only those with level five or more of the Soul Realm might gain something. Stepping out of the gate, Argeon looked dashing with his principal outfit. This was a special suit inside his wardrobe that was hidden away from the light of the world. The abyss might already take a liking to it. Fixing his collar for a bit, he looked at the distance. There was a huge town spotted in his line of view. His lips immediately turned up a smile as he signaled his hand. \"Let''s go.\" Following his cue. Footsteps were heard as his students revealed themselves. Wearing black stockings with a white rapier on her waist, Luna had her purple hair draped around her shoulder. Her eyes were focused as if she was a general in an army. However, what brought the attention the most was the compatibility of her figure with her uniform. It was a vivid bright red uniform with golden buttons lining up in the middle. Combined with the short white skirt, a hint of her beautiful thighs revealed as she moved about. A bright ''N'' brooch that was placed on her wide white collar reflected the light from the cloudy sun. Followed behind her was Xiaxia. The prodigy and the newly transferred student. From the five students that were sent, she was a runner up in terms of talent. Nobody knew what kind of life had she been through ever since the attack from Arcana that almost ruined Nostria. However, with such talent, it was no doubt in their mind that her cultivation level must have risen significantly. Wearing the same outfit as Luna, she had her black hair ponytailed to one side. Without any visible weapon on her waist, she put up a smile as she strode in behind the captain of the group. The male students like Jugen and Martis were wearing the same outfit except for the skirt part. Instead, they wore tight long black pants to ensure free movement of their legs. With a greatsword behind Martis''s back and Jugen''s bow behind his, the male students didn''t lose their glamor to their opposite genders. One was gifted with a handsome look with a hint of elf-blood running his veins, while the other was a hot-blooded lad with a menacing look in his eyes. \"Alright, that''s quite something, remember to do that when we enter the colosseum,\" laughed Argeon. (Despite the glamorous and classy look, the freeness provided and the density of the material is quite something, we need to thank Pedro later) thought Argeon as he sighed. Luna sighed, \"Unc-, Principal where are we supposed to go?\" Argeon pointed forward to the city in front of them, \"There, the Crown will be held there, inside a colosseum in the center of the city.\" Luna nodded, \"Then we need to hurry up and find lodging or an inn there, with how big the competition is, they will be packed in no time, thankfully we still got two more days to prepare.\" Sometimes she couldn''t believe his easygoing nature. This was a big event that could shot his academy to a greater height. A chance for a goldfish to leap into the dragon gate. Not only the academy, but the whole world would also be affected indirectly. The group proceeded onward to the entrance of the city only to be halted by the two guards standing by. \"Stop, where are you from and what is your purpose in entering the city?\" asked one of the guards. Since there was a big event going to be held in a few days. They had to tighten the security or else it would be disastrous if something ill were to happen. \"Ah, we are here to participate in the Crown,\" said Argeon lightly. The guards squinted his eyes. They could tell that the younger ones were wearing some kind of uniform, however, their cultivation was quite low to even participating in the grand competition. \"Are you sure?\" asked one of the guards. They were at a jiffy as the only options they got were only two. The first was to shoo them away from the town but that would be dangerous if the group was indeed one of the participants of the Crown. The other was to let them in, but that would also be dangerous if they proved to be otherwise. Looking at the confused guards, Argeon pulled out a scroll from his pocket before opening it in front of them. It was stated inside the content that the scroll was the prove of their invitation to Crown. Argeon knew that he must not let them held the scroll. Mabia was a more cruel world than its little sister Deo. They could have counterfeited it then took advantage of them. The guards were not seemed to be bothered by his gesture. It was quite common for them to be handle as such. After reading the content, the guards nodded before letting them through. As the group went inside, both guards had a little conversation on their own. \"Hmm, I never saw such academy attending the Crown before.\" \"Me neither, maybe they are new?\" \"Maybe, but their cultivation is too low to even be considered.\" \"Yeah, and they came from that gate, Deo.\" \"But this might be a good time for us to bet on the competition.\" \"Hey you''re right, the chances are, they would lose the competition early on.\" \"Then we must bet a lot in the first fights, lest they would close the betting session for them!\" Both guards nodded and dreamed the fortune that will come to their way. 223 Hidden Connection? Lyon twitched his eyes before he slowly opened them. His blurry vision slowly became focused as he saw the surrounding. The house was the same as ever, but the warm feeling was missing. Slowly getting up from the floor, Lyon glanced down and watched his own two palms. He clenched then released it multiple times to gain the feeling that he was familiar with. \"You have awoken my grandson.\" The voice came from the nearby bed. The true dragon lifted up his corporeal body before floating and nestled over Lyon''s shoulder. His green scales were as divine as ever and he was grinning with his full set of menacing teeth revealed. \"Yup, I have awoken grandpa.\" Lyon looked at the window before he furrowed his eyebrows. Noticing something was weird he walked up to the door and opened it. His eyes immediately opened wide with the sight that he couldn''t imagine would happen. \"It''s gone?\" The water of the lake had gone without a trace as if the lake was never there in the first place. Everything seemed surreal but it was right in front of his eyes. Lyon decided to walk out a little before a gentle breeze greeted his face. His hair fluttered as he covered his eyes a little. \"What''s happening?\" \"The lake was never naturally formed, it was a blessing from Undine,\" explained the true dragon. Raising his eyebrows, Lyon asked, \"So that means that the two of them are Undine?\" Grandpa Long nodded, \"That is correct, Undine is a being with probably the highest affinity with the water element to the point they could breathe under one.\" Lyon smiled wryly as he remembered how Felicia casually commanded the water with no effort. (Well that explains it). \"I guess they won''t be calling this a lake anymore,\" chuckled Lyon. He crossed his arm as he watched the horizon as if he could see the two females that left them for his own sake. Closing his eyes with a smile, his confident rose but no words came out from his mouth. Taking a deep breath, his body soon relaxed. \"I guess I need to hurry up and get to Mabia for three days had passed.\" \"Yes, I guess you should.\" \"Huh?\" Lyon was surprised by the voice answering him. It was a woman''s voice that couldn''t be any more familiar. Looking at the figure in front of him, he grinned, \"Hello there teacher.\" There was only one woman he would call a teacher. The very woman who had taught him the shattering palm art. The woman who saved his life from a certain accident. The woman, whom he owed greatly to. \"Let''s go, I''m coming to Mabia too,\" said the woman as her golden hair fluttered from the gentle breeze. (Ah, must be for the search of anti-mana) thought Lyon as he looked at the Golden Demoness. He furrowed his eyebrows as he noticed something was a miss. Karina smirked as she said, \"Yes, no need to look even further, I have broken through to the Divine Realm.\" \"What?!\" exclaimed Lyon before being followed by his grandfather''s laughter. He knew all she got to do was absorb the anti-mana that she got from within, but to think that she could even comprehend the nature of the next realm in such a short amount of time. Not to mention that she broke through to the Divine Realm, not its halflings. \"I''ll race you to the gate then, oh, Ryona is coming too, I mean she hid behind those trees from all this time,\" teased Karina before she departed. \"Uwaah, she became scary as she became stronger,\" said Ryona before coming out from one of the trees. \"Hubby!\" leaped Ryona before Lyon immediately caught her like a princess. With her hands over his neck, she looked at him, \"You are really handsome this close.\" \"Hey Ryona, can I ask you something?\" asked Lyon as he furrowed his eyebrows. She gently put her hand on his cheek as she asked, \"What is it?\" Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes for a second before he gently looked at the woman in his arms. This beautiful oranged-hair woman was always clingy from the moment they met each other back in the labyrinth. Ever since then, she would always call him ''hubby''. However, thinking it logically, it didn''t make sense for someone he had never met before would suddenly develop such feelings in an instant as if she was under some kind of spell. Her strength was unbelievable and her cultivation level was much much higher than him. There was no reason at all for her to be so attached. \"Why are you so attached to me?\" asked Lyon. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes as he asked the question but nonetheless the smile was always there for him to savor. \"I, I, I don''t know,\" answered Ryona. \"I don''t mean to let you down, I''m happy that you feel attached to me as I am too but I want to hear the reason.\" Hearing his words the hint of sadness slowly faded away. She was worried that Lyon might not be interested in him anymore, however, that was not the case. \"I don''t know how to explain it, but at that moment where we met. There was something building inside me that I couldn''t explain, a burst of feelings I never had before. I too want to know the answer, but this feeling, I know that it''s true.\" At this point, the true dragon suddenly hummed. \"Grandpa you know something?\" asked Lyon. The true dragon answered, \"Hmm, I wouldn''t say I know about it since I''m not that well verse in fate. Maybe you might find the answer if you recall your past life memory or if we find the other eleven.\" \"Right, I still need to find the Blue World, Selena mentioned. Ah! I need to go to Mabia!\" muttered Lyon. \"Let''s go Ryona I will set up the spatial magic.\" \"Ehm, you need to go down.\" \"Tehee, Nope \"Hehe, I don''t mind either!\" said Lyon as both of them embarked. 224 Squeeze Them Dry! Karina was already waiting in front of the gate of the world alongside a noticeable princess with epitome beauty exuding around her. Though the two of them were different in social status, both of their existence eluded that of a goddess. Princess Aelina of the Luderia Kingdom was currently holding a set of clothing on her hand as she closed her eyes with a smile. Though she was a princess she looked more like a docile housewife at the moment. The perimeter of the place was heavily guarded as the army of Luderia was waiting for someone''s arrival. Every single one of them was clad in silver armor as their weapon was laid on their waist. Nobody dared to approach the place, nobody dared to even cough. The spectators could only watch from afar. The wind blew strongly as the two women had their hair fluttered. Rustling through the hair fabrics, both women suddenly looked in a single direction. Karina turned a smile before she muttered, \"About time.\" A golden-patterned sarong was fluttering as the figure leaped in each of his steps. His long hair went against the wind as he traveled through the kingdom. The trees were left flabbergasted as the horses that carried a carriage neighed after a figure passed them by. The people could only catch his wind and their eyes could only make out a shadow. The figure smiled as he said, \"Hold on tight!\" With one last step, the figure jerked his thigh before launching up to the sky. Under the sky, the soldiers looked up as the young man they were waiting appeared above them. Along with the chuckle and excitement of a woman, the young man descended with a graceful thud. For the masters, one could tell that the young man had absolute control of his own power. He could destroy buildings with a finger but also touched a woman''s cheek gently. \"Ryona you can let go now,\" said Lyon helplessly as he knew how the two women in front of him were hiding something devilish behind their smiles. \"Hehehe, alright I''ll stop teasing you for now.\" Princess Aelina coughed before she stood up in front of him and said softly with a smile, \"L-Lyon, here, I brought you the uniform for the Crown.\" \"It''s a special custom-made one for you. I coordinated with uncle Pedro and all of the tailors in Deo to make this set of magic.\" The princess proudly smiled as she explained the set of clothing in her hands. Feeling the fabric with his right hand, Lyon smiled. -------------------------------- The sound of fireworks filled the sunny sky as cheers of more than ten thousand people filled the atmosphere. On this day, the grandest event in Mabia was held. Cultivators from all edges of the world were coming to this place either they were hidden masters or well known. They knew what the competition meant for the world, even more, for the future. Many great cultivators were born from this event. It was like a spectacle motion of what the future would like. Will the generation of today could compete or are they becoming deteriorated over the years. The variety of clans would seek the geniuses, take them in and nurture them to become the next powerful cultivators as well as the neighboring kingdoms. This was a grand opportunity for all people. Whether they were powerful, whether they were weak, There will always be something to gain and little to lose. The spectators were on their seats while some of them stood as they cheered. A discussion was inevitable. \"Hey, I still cannot believe that our world would be the host of this grand event!\" said one of them. \"Well, it is bound to happen since it''s our turn in the rotation.\" \"Bah, forget about that, what''s important now is the contenders!\" \"Yeah, I heard the four academies finally produced a pack of geniuses! It would be hard for us to guess who will be the winner this time.\" \"But it''s not hard to guess who will lose first.\" They glanced at a certain group with weak cultivators. It was apparent that they were from the fifth academy and the lesser world, Deo. The newly joined academy shouldn''t even be on the same list as the other four with the disparity of their strength. \"God knows how they got invited to this event, maybe the got connection in the higher-ups but still, it''s a fool way to join to just get beat up.\" \"Or maybe they are trying to rumble the betting system? I don''t know honestly but people are going to stake against them big time.\" \"Hey, are you talking shit about my academy?!\" A shout suddenly heard as one young man approached them. \"Yeah! What are you gonna do about it?!\" one of them stood up and faced the young man. The disparity in their strength was visible but the weaker one had no sense of fear within them before saying, \"Oh yeah?! Then how much are you gonna bet against us then?\" \"Hmph! I''m going to bet one thousand low-grade cultivation beads!\" said the man while slamming his chest proudly. \"One thousand? Please, my grandma''s shit is much more valuable than that! I''m going to bet five thousand mid-grade cultivation beads against any of our opposing academy!\" \"Hmph! Don''t be so cocky with your sharp tongue! No matter, I will bet seven thousand mid-grade cultivation beads.\" \"Oh yeah? Then how about your friends?\" \"They will too,\" answered the man with a nod from his group. The young man from Nostria''s academy nodded, \"Alright, it''s settled then, now for our personal bet.\" \"Of course, you will kowtow in front of me until you bleed your head if I win,\" laughed the man with his group. \"Alright, I want your spatial ring and your group''s spatial rings with its content intact, see you,\" answered the young man before turning away as nothing happened. They were left slack-jawed as the young man didn''t even hesitate to agree with the bet. Normally people would refuse such an offer for their pride would be hurt beyond repair. Getting back to the Nostria''s group of the spectator, the young man said, \"All done, they bought it rather easily, it''s up to you guys if you want to get rich now, bet away whenever big brother is on the match!\" The young man left them with excitement as he walked down the stairs. Pulling out his fake hair, the golden nature shone with the shimmering light. He sighed as he muttered, \"Damn, big bro''s influence really rubbed on me.\" Jugen pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket with a title on top. ''Lyon''s top 100 profanity to provoke or make them puke blood!'' (He even put his signature at the bottom!). 225 Three Overseers The sound of a gong suddenly reverberated the Colosseum before the crowd''s noise dimmed down. With one second delay, the gong was hit once more before it finally ended on the third hit. As the sound slowly vanished, the Colosseum was at a total silent. The crowd''s attention immediately focused on the circular arena below that was roughly a hundred steps in diameter. "Hahaha!" The sound of laughter filled the place from able before a figure slowly descended down from the clouds. Actively rubbing his own long white beard, the old man with the black robe perfectly landed on the center of the arena with one of his hands on his back. He had a lean figure that was healthy and vigor that every adult had. Nobody knew his real age. "Yes yes, now this is what the old me like, haha!" said the old man. "It''s him, one of the overseers of the Crown, Dan Hufei!" said one of the experts in the crowd. "Many rumors have been going on that he was facing a bottleneck, has he broken through?" "Scratch that! I heard that his granddaughter is actually participating in this event!" The crowd had their own discussion but nevertheless the cheering started once more when the big shot himself came down to the arena. "Old Dan, you still like drowning in praises I see." The voice once again came from above before the screech of a giant bird followed. The crowd immediately looked up as the shadow of the said bird, filled the Colosseum. It was an eagle with a pair of wings that could cover a small forest. A demonic beast that was tamed by the middle-aged bald man who rode it. He had a lean figure with a black goatee. Wearing a purple robe the man jumped down before standing beside Dan Hufei. "Hahaha, much like you love your demonic beast, Trigard Van, the infamous beastmaster," teased the old man. "Van the beastmaster!" exclaimed one of the elders of a clan. "Oh my god is him! Then that means, that magnificent eagle is, Aethon!" The legendary demonic beast Aethon, famed for its brutality and huge size. It could rip a cultivator expert to shreds with its talons alone. They said they lived in a higher place like a mountain and thick mana flow. Only after these two conditions met would they could be sighted. Not to mention taming one. "Well, I can''t argue with that," said Van with a smile before clapping his hands and made the eagle went away from the place, revealing the sun once more. "Hmm, I hear that the competition this time suddenly got fiercer," muttered Van. "Of course it is! Hahaha! My granddaughter joined this time, that''s why I personally choose this region to oversee," laughed Dan. "And I am here to make things fair." A woman''s voice was clearly heard before the clouds in the sky suddenly spiraled down like a tornado to a spot between them. Dan Hufei''s hair was fluttering against his face while Van''s revealed a smile. A snap of a finger was suddenly heard before the tornado instantly scattered in every direction. The men in the crowd were immediately slack-jawed by what they had seen. Never in their entire life maybe, they had seen such ''creature''. "Wow, she is beautiful," said a woman in the crowd before being followed with a slow nod by her fellow peers. She had a fair complexion with a sculpted figure. Her arched eyebrows looked down on the sweeping eyelashes. A pair of delicate ears formed a beauty with her button nose. The eyes of the crowd were fascinated by the flowing coral black hair of her that didn''t even manage to touch her shoulder. Her bow-shaped lips turned a smile as her jet-black eyes looked at the stupefied crowd. She had a golden bracelet in each of her wrists with a high tight black bra to cover her plump bosom. There was a small circular hole on top of it that revealed her cleavage. With her small waist and belly button revealed to Mabia, she took a few steps forward, revealing her beautiful barefooted feet. Her long red loose skirt fluttered against the wind before she opened her arms and said, "Welcome fellow cultivators! Today we three will be overseeing the contest, the competition, that without a doubt produce a glimpse of what the future might be!" Her sentence instantly riled up the crowd more than the other two did, though both of them didn''t seem to be surprised by it. Crossing one arm and putting another on her chin she teasingly said, "I guess an introduction is in order." "My name is Dan Hufei, as many of you may know me as others may don''t, I''m currently one of the overseers in for this competition," said Dan Hufei. "Likewise, my name is Trigard Van, people call me Van the beastmaster and the same as Old Dan, I''m currently one of the overseers for this competition," said Van with a bow. "That leaves mine then," said the beautiful woman in dancing attire. After making a double fake cough she continued, "My name is Sophia Treas Alrude, I am currently one of the overseers for this competition." "Sophia Treas Alrude?" one of the crowd muttered. "Wait a minute! A Treas family member?!" exclaimed one of them. Treas family was an elusive family that was widely known for its wealth and auctions. They held most of the biggest auctions in multiple worlds. It was said that the fortune they possessed could make a mountain looking up. Nobody would dare to offend the trio, especially the beautiful woman with dancing attire. Who knows what forces she could order on the go given her name as a Treas. 226 Introduction While the crowd was fascinated at the trio on the circular arena. A certain group of students had their eyes hidden under a shade. All of the males and the females in the group crossed their arms especially the males. "This is bad," said one of them before following by a nod. "Huh? Is your low-world IQ get ahead of you? Hahaha, you country bumpkin, you are at the presence of three powerful cultivators, feast your eyes well, your weak academy might learn a thing or two," said one of the cultivators among the crowd. He seemed also to be a student from an academy by his dressing. However, his words didn''t manage to infuriate them at all. Instead, one of Nostria Academy said, "No, you don''t understand." "You see, that beautiful lady in dancing attire in the middle, lady Sophia, is in danger," continued the student. "Huh? Hahaha, are you on drugs? How can a powerful cultivator like her be in danger in Mabia? Besides, who would dare to provoke her backing? She is a Treas family member for fuck sake! If anyone dares to do so, he must have a greater lineage or came from the sky or something." The Nostria Academy student took a deep breath before he answered, "Well, you''re goddamn right." The student from another academy had a confused look before dropping the matter. Speaking with this fellow even further would only lower his intelligence. Alas, how could he know that his interlocutor was talking about a different kind of danger? "Well, we won''t bore you even further, overseers, let''s take our seats," said Sophia before she leaped to one of the three seats prepared for them. The seats got the best view to look the entire circular arena while directly below them were the seats for the five principals. Both of the men could only smile wryly before they followed suit. Raising her beautiful hand Sophia snapped her finger, signaling the man with a mallet to hit the gong. With a nod, the man hit it with all his might before the resounding sound stilled the Colosseum once more. As the sound slowly diminished, the crowd was at the edge of their seat as the five academies were about to make their entrance. Suddenly, Sophia stood up as she said, "I will allow myself to be the commentator of the Crown with utmost neutrality. Though I might not talk very much, I will do my best, now then, without further ado, here comes the first academy!" Before the crowd could feel the surprise from her statement, one of the gates facing the arena gradually opened before footsteps were heard. Leading the five students behind him was a well-built middle-aged man with handlebars mustache and long black hair. Wearing a black uniform, they made their way to the arena with pride and smile on their faces. "There it is! The Snake Eye Academy!" cheered one of the crowds. "Ah, Frion is there, leading the team!" said one of the crowds while pointing at a certain youth. He had short black hair with a menacing look in his eyes. Though his face was quite a charming one, he didn''t hide the brutality that resided within. With a grin on his face, the youth marched on. "And there it is folks! The Snake Eye Academy, I heard that they are one of the favorites to win the Crown! Especially the young Frion, he sure looks promising, what say you old man Dan?" asked Sophia. The old man was quite shocked when he was asked such a question but nonetheless, Dan didn''t dare to offend this lady. "Ah yes, he is quite promising and I''m sure the higher clans had their eyes set on that youth," nodded Old Dan. The crowd immediately agreed with his opinion like it was a matter of course. Sophie however, only smiled as she saw the hint of bullshit in his expression. (Old man, with old bullshit) thought Sophia though she didn''t express it at all. The principal immediately jumped to his seat before he cupped his hand with respect to the trio above them. He turned around and sat as he laughed, "Haha, this time it will be our win!" "Well, I hate to break it to you Reyes but wait for the next generation to win, cause this time it will be ours." The voice made the principal of Snake Eye Academy, Reyes Dermaga, furrowed his eyebrows. The second gate opened before a team lead by a skinny middle-aged man that fanned his own face walked out. Their bright yellow uniform was eye-catching. "There it is, the Talon Academy," said one of the crowd. "Yes, and the famous twin, Audrich, and Erdrich," said one of them as they looked at the twin youths in the ranks. Both having the same facial feature and lean figure, it was really hard to differ with one another. With their long black hair fluttering against the wind, one of them was revealed to wear a pair of white earrings while the other was black but no one knows which was which. However, one thing for sure was that they exuded confidence like none other. "I see, that you are still alive and well, Talon of Northern Light, Beren Fois," quipped Reyes. After greeting the overseers like the other, Beren took a sit on the right edge of the seats. The opposite of the man who just called his name. "Not just anyone can bring down my life, Reyes," smirked Beren. "Well well, the two academies sure have its rivalry! The Talon Academy with its twin danger, Audrich, and Erdrich! Surely their power cannot be underestimated, what are your thoughts Van the beastmaster?" asked Sophia. Unlike Old Dan, the man already prepared himself an answer, "Yes, the two of them complimented each other with their unique style of fighting. Surely they are one of the favorites for a reason and I can''t wait to see that!" "Yes, we all cannot wait to see that but! Here comes the top contender, the last Crown Winner!" Her voice caught the crowd''s cheers as the third gate opened. 227 Grand Entrance A man wearing a purple uniform led a group of five with a smile on his face. He had ponytailed black hair with a lean figure that encompassed his strength. With his hand behind his back, he leisurely walked to the front as the cheers of the crowd getting wild. "Last Crown Champion! The Silver Sky Academy!" said one of the crowd "The youth behind the principal was none other than the little brother of the last Ace of the team, Faust!" The youth''s eyes were full of arrogance as he basked in the glory of their praises. His medium-length brown hair fluttered against the wind as his chiseled face formed a smile. Firion grinned as he looked at Faust while the twins furrowed his eyebrows. They knew he was the top favorite and the strongest in the competition. It was normal for one to be wary of him. "Not only that, but I also heard the girl behind him was Dan Hufei''s own granddaughter, Fue Hufei!" said one of the crowd as they noticed the beauty. She was a petite girl with a pink ribbon on her long black hair. She wore the purple uniform along with the purple skirt to exude her cuteness. She was at the same age as Luna but she had a more cheerful personality than her. She waved to the crowd with a smile as a part of its teeth was visible escaping out. The principal immediately jumped to greet the overseer, "Greetings overseers." The trio nodded before the principal of the Silver Sky Academy brazenly took a seat in the middle. As the last competition''s champion, he felt that none would disagree with him being in the center though there was no special meaning to it in the first place. "Ah, Khafai I would like a chance to spar with you sometime in the near future," asked Reyes with a cupped hand. "Haha, the time will come later after I won the competition," he answered. Reyes had a twitched mouth but he didn''t dare to cause an unnecessary ruckus around here. Especially in front of the overseers. "Silver Star Academy, the last Crown Champion! Faust the little brother of the Fang of Mountains, Gilvilar, will he be able to take up his mantle I wonder?" asked Sophia as she faced Old Dan for his opinion. "Of course! The lad is outstanding both in talent and in combat, I can fairly say that he is truly like his older brother! I''m even thinking of marrying my granddaughter off to him haha!" His comment made her granddaughter blushed but she didn''t refute it. "Hohoho what''s this, it seemed like you will have a new grandson-in-law soon," teased Sophia as she noticed the girl''s reaction. Faust rubbed his chin before he sat down in the nearby seats provided for the team. The fourth gate gradually opened as white uniforms stole the attention of the top contender. With hasty footsteps the six of them revealed themselves. Led by a plain face middle-aged man with a lean figure, the principal seemed dull compare to the others. But their fame as the runner-up said otherwise. "Woah, she is beautiful." "Yeah, aren''t we quite lucky, a lot of beauties is joining this competition." "The Cold Beauty, Chloe!" The crowd immediately discussed between themselves. While the notable experts from the same place already knew their strength to a certain extent. It was, after all, Mabia Academy. Chloe had her eyes closed as she was disinterested in the current situation. She did, however, took a glance at Faust. His strength was noticeable to the people and his fame proceeded him. He will be without a doubt a huge obstacle to overcome. The wild youth behind her also stared at him before sitting down. He didn''t pull out his usual personality against such an opponent. Not only Faust was of a noble family, but he was also way stronger than him. There was no chance of him to flaunt anything. "Chloe, the cold beauty, surely that was an understatement," shouted Faust. However, the girl with a single curly hair on her cheek didn''t seem to bother about it. She still closed her eyes as if nothing could bother her. Faust had his mouth twitched, never did he had a woman treated him like this. He was the little brother of Gilvilar and he got his talent too. Women would flock against him with such traits. "If I win the crown, how about it, will you be my wife?" shouted Faust once more. Though he was brazen, nobody dared to refute him. However, Chloe still didn''t respond to any of his shouts. Dan Hufei seemed to not mind his action. In his point of view, it was normal for a man like him to have a wife or more. Meanwhile, the principal had finished greeting the three overseers and sat down. "Your student has quite the bravery to ask her out," asked the Mabia Academy''s principal. "Hahaha, why would he be scared to ask her out, a cold beauty is not that rare, Yozec," answered Khafai. "My-my, the cold beauty from Mabia Academy sure had caught the tiger''s attention. I wonder how will this develop? Or is she already have a lover? Ooo so many possibilities, I can''t wait for a drama," said Sophia. "However, all of that has to wait since here comes the underdog!" shouted Sophia as the last gate gradually opened. The red uniform immediately stilled the Colosseum as Argeon led the team to the crowd. Not to mention their uniform, there was something wrong with the team. Not caring what the crowd was thinking, Argeon leaped then greet the overseers before sitting on his own. It was such in quick succession that the other principals didn''t even manage to comment on him. He was sitting there as if he was equal with the other four. Such as the skill of Nostria Academy''s ghost principal. Luna facepalmed before shaking her head at her ridiculous uncle. She then signaled her team to sit in the provided seats. "Hey Chloe, it''s the academy from your world, why are there only, four of them?" asked the wild youth in her team. However, Chloe still had her eyes closed and didn''t answer his question. "Hahaha look at them, I think one of them was scared and ran away!" shouted Faust. His insult was soon followed by his fans that were among the crowds. "Haha, what underdog? More like under trash! This is easy money!" "Damn, why would they even join if they are weak, it would just shame them even further!" "Hmm, I heard that Chloe was from their world." However, their shouts and insult didn''t infuriate them at all. The students in the spectator seat were also having a calm expression as if their insult was nothing but nothing. Luna and the team also didn''t even bother to look at Faust at all. The four principals looked at Argeon with interest but to their disappointment, Argeon also looked calm despite that. "Well, well, well, the Nostria Academy seemed to have one less member for the competition, Principal Argeon, are you fine with just four members to compete?" asked Sophia. "Oh no, we have five members alright, but he seemed to be a bit late," explained Argeon with a smile (Don''t worry, I doubt he won''t greet you first before me). ----------------------- The gate of the world in Mabia suddenly had a visitor from within. The youth that stepped out asked the guards, "Where is the Crown held?" One of them pointed at a certain direction before the youth vanished from their sight in a blink of an eye, "Hey wait!" "Hehe, sorry, he is in a hurry, thanks for the direction," said a beautiful woman with orange hair before a golden-haired woman also stepped out of the gate. The golden-haired woman immediately followed the youth before shouting, "Thanks!" "Hey, wait for me!" shouted the oranged-haired woman before following her. ----------------------- "Late? No way he is late! He must be too scared to co-!?" Faust''s shout was suddenly halted. Chloe''s eyes suddenly opened up as she immediately stood and looked at a certain direction. Her actions caught their surprise as the usually cold and calm beauty suddenly restless. One student from Nostria also stood up from their seat before being followed suit by his peers. "W-what''s going on, what are you guys doing?" asked one of the crowd. "He''s coming," answered Luna with a smile. "Hoo, interesting," muttered Old Dan as he rubbed his beard. Van furrowed his eyebrows (My Aethon, he is getting restless? Is it even possible?). Argeon was grinning as he saw the other four principals furrowing their eyebrows. Standing up, he said, "Well, you wanted my fifth member, I''ll give you one, but this guy, he loves to come in style (And beautiful woman)." "Oooh?!" Sophia was clearly excited and curious about the last member from Nostria Academy. Suddenly the clouds seemed to has darkened in an instant as a cry of a mighty being was heard. At present, nothing could beat it, not even Van''s huge eagle. A huge green-scaled dragon suddenly rose up to the sky just outside the Colosseum as it stilled fear to the people that didn''t know what or who it was. The crowd was on the edge of their sits before the dragon suddenly turned and plunged itself toward the overseers with a large grin. (So fast!) thought Old Dan as he reached out Sophia. (Oh no, we are not going to make it!) thought Van as he also did the same. Sophia was dumbstruck as the dragon''s direction was clearly on her. She couldn''t prepare herself, nor could she have the time to even close her eyes. A soft tap was heard as a foot lightly landed on the left armrest of her seat before her chin was lightly pushed up with a hand. The intimidating atmosphere also instantly vanished and returned to normal as if nothing happened in the first place. "Hello there beautiful lady, my name is Lyon, may I know what''s yours?" Before she realized it, she came face to face with the last member of Nostria Academy. 228 One Thing Wrong The world seemed to be at a frozen state as they stared at one young man who brazenly held up her chin. To most, the beauty was untouchable and could only watch from afar, if fates, even permit such a feat. Every word the crowd had in mind was stuck in their throat as they couldn''t utter a single sound out of their gaping mouths. Meanwhile, one group of the same uniform stood proudly with smiles on their faces. This was the one man they were waiting, the final member and the ace of their academy. Sophia was dumbstruck as Argeon shook his head helplessly. He knew how much brazen this guy was but he didn''t expect that his thought would come true. Despite being late, he greeted the most beautiful woman in the Colosseum first instead of his principal. "I expect no less big brother," said Jugen with a nod. Facing the young man''s unbeatable charisma, Sophia blushed but her mind was in chaos. She could see his ripped chest as his red dress shirt had a loose button. It had a wide collar and a long-sleeved black outer shirt that magnifies his complexion. Without a doubt, the clothing was more similar to that of his earth. Her eyes couldn''t help but steal a glance at his visible chest, nobody had ever approached her this closely, especially of the opposite sex. Suddenly, Lyon''s other hand was grabbed by her to his surprise. "Well, well, well, aren''t you a handsome thief?" teased Sophia before she winked at him. Lyon smiled wryly as he thought (This woman is quite an expert in acting). "Hahahaha!" Old Dan''s laughter rang about before he said, "This competition ought to be more interesting than any of those before! I hope you can entertain us as much as your illusionist grand entrance kid!" Van furrowed his eyebrows at Old Dan''s remark. He was sure that the dragon he saw was not an illusion but nevertheless, there was a chance if his opinion were wrong. However, one thing for sure was that his eagle grew restless as Lyon came flying. "I wonder what do you want to steal oh handsome thief, I barely have anything with me and by the motion of your hand you didn''t even target my spatial ring," asked Sophia with a smile before she stood up and held Lyon''s chin. In the blink of an eye, the situation immediately reversed. Though Lyon was surprised for a moment, his face was full of confidence once more as a smirk planted on his face. "Well, I must be a dumb thief to tell you what I want to steal from you," answered Lyon as he savors the beauty with his eyes. "Hmm, right you are, your face, it reminds me of someone, or was it something? Nevertheless, you need to go back to the arena or should I send you there?" Once again Sophia winked before she ruthlessly lashed out her foot to his face, not waiting for his answer. In that split second as the foot connected to his face, Lyon took a deep breath. (Ah, jasmine?). "Guha!" He was sent flying but a smile was noticeable as he fell to the circular arena with a thud. Hearing the cheers and the boos from the crowd the young man slowly get up and scanned the area before her eyes landed on one particular woman he was bound to meet sooner or later. "Chloe, how about a second dance?" asked Lyon with one hand reached out to her. "OOH! What''s this, the last member of Nostria Academy actually knows the cold beauty?!" shouted Sophia as her commentator personality kicked in. With the already crossed arm, she looked at the man whom she couldn''t erase from her memory. The event in the night banquet was quite vivid and unforgettable. It was something that was never in her mind that would happen to her. "Hmph. Let''s finish what you started later, surely the chance will come later," answered Chloe before she sat back down. The gaze of everyone immediately rained down on him. The aces from the remaining four academies looked at him with interest and some with contempt. To think someone from the lesser world casually flirted around with women of higher status. "Hey trash, what are you doing casually talking with my soon-to-be wife." A shout from one of the participants was heard before Lyon''s eyebrows slightly furrowed. (Oh no!) thought Luna as she saw his expression. She knew him well to know what''s going to happen next. If he were to go berserk now, then surely their academy would be disqualified from the Crown. Argeon immediately gripped the armrest of his chair as he was palpitations. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead as one of the other principals noticed. "Hahaha, why are you so scared, don''t worry, Faust will not hurt him," said Khafai with satisfaction on his face. Disregarding his opinion, Argeon immediately turned around and face the three overseers, "Is this allowed? With the way things going, they will surely fight each other." "Don''t be so anxious, a little warm-up won''t hurt anyone, right miss Sophia?" asked Old Dan before he furrowed his eyebrows. Sophia was actually absent-minded as her eyes focused on the young man she called a thief a moment ago. "See, silent is a yes, so let them be, besides it would rile up the crowd even more and merry the Colosseum," answered Old Dan. Argeon gritted his teeth, (What an asshole!). Just because Faust was the soon-to-be his grandson-in-law he allowed such ridiculous thing. He couldn''t help but sit back down and hope his niece had a plan already. Leaning back, Old Dan casually spoke softly, "Good thing miss Sophia''s sadistic empress didn''t come to watch the match, otherwise that young man would be a goner right hahaha." Sophia''s pupils were suddenly shrunken as if she saw a ghost. Lyon turned around as he smirked, "With you? Please, even a rock wouldn''t want to marry you." "What did you say?!" shouted Faust before he jumped on the arena. Luna was about to shout before she saw Lyon''s backhand waving at her, telling her not to worry. She took a deep breath of relief as the rest of the members followed. She knew that Lyon knew what was important right now. "You have a sharp tongue for a weak cultivator from the lesser world! Look''s like I have to teach you a lesson," said Faust as he looked down on Lyon while cracking his knuckles. (Damn, this guy is acting like those weak mobs in movies) thought Lyon before he turned around and left the arena. "Hmph! Pathetic, is a sharp tongue your only weapon?" shouted Faust. Stepping down the arena, Lyon looked back at the lonely man on there, "No, I also have manners, this is a respectful competition with rules to follow through. Unlike a certain idiot, I know how to follow rules." The crowd went agape as they couldn''t believe that the young man still dared to insult the strongest competitor. Was he crazy or was that confidence? They were speechless, but to Jugen this was an everyday thing. "Let me guess, what you are trying to do is to impress Chloe with your mighty strength by beating me, however, there is one thing where you wrong." The crowd looked at the cold beauty who closed her eyes as if the world was uninteresting to her. Faust turned a shade of red as he noticed Chloe didn''t even bother to look at them. Glaring at Lyon he thought (You will pay for this!) before jumping back to his seat. "That''s right, you can never beat me," muttered Lyon with a smile. 229 Compete "Alright!" shouted Sophia after a resounding clap. With one instantaneous action, she got their attention just like so. Despite being pretty and powerful her leadership was no doubt a question to the commoners. One could only wonder if there were men out there that had the matching social status. "Looks like it''s time to begin!" shouted Sophia before she snapped her finger with a smile. A rock similar to the one existing in Deo but a smaller version appeared floating on her right hand. With a light blew from her lips the floating rock descended down to the middle of the arena. "Many of you has understood what this stone does but for the newcomers, I will explain," said Sophia before she continued. "The stone will gauge or measure your strength! Sponsored by Treas Family of course! So come by to our auction! Many artifacts and the likes await for your hand!" Lyon had black lines over his head as he thought (This woman just endorse her own business in the middle of explaining! Wait, that does not even count as explaining!). "Alright, which academy should go first? Hmm? How about-" "Hmm that would take a lot of time, I would propose that the aces of the five teams take the test to make things faster and of course brought the intense atmosphere." The crowd turned their attention to one of the young men sitting on the bench from one of the five teams. "Firion!" Reyes immediately turned around and cupped his hand to Sophia, "Please I ask for your forgiveness, the disciple of mine is still young and ignorant, please be lenient if you have to punish!" Sophia waved her hand, "It''s alright, there is no need to apologize. His idea is not bad so why not, let the five people gather on the arena!" Her rally was answered with a resounding sound from a gong. Firion, the black-haired youth immediately jumped and landed near the center before being followed by one of the twins, the one with the black earrings. With a loud laugh, Faust jumped to the center. Chloe stood up and walked gracefully to the arena with crossed arms. Her eyes only opened halfway as she looked around the other two. The ice beauty was true to her name. "Hurry up you fucking trash-es? Huh?" Faust was confused as she glanced at the Nostria team. The man he was about to brawl just a moment ago was already nowhere to be seen. The crowd was also stunned by this development. "Hey, where did he go?" "He was there a moment ago?" "Look in the center of the arena! His-?!" Luna facepalmed again as she shook her head (That guy is going to get it after this is over!). Jugen gulped as he noticed this ''sister-in-law'' of his and could only pray for the safety of his big idol. That''s if even God could save him. Chloe''s mouth was twitching as she muttered, "Do you want your nose to bleed again?" "Well I certainly do but not from your fist, hehe," laughed Lyon dumbly. The voice came from behind her in which the other three glanced in a surprise. They didn''t notice when did he even creep up behind the ice beauty, especially in an open area like this. It was almost an impossible feat. (There goes my surprise hug I guess) thought Lyon dejected before walked to an open spot with a loud sigh. He seemed to be not caring about the fact that he was the weakest among the five nor did the crowd''s eyes of jealousy. "You''re fast for a tra-" "Keep your mouth shut, are we here to compete to become the best, or are we here to compete to become a wife?" cut Lyon. The blood almost spilled out of Faust''s mouth before he gulped it down. The crowd was covering their face as they laugh, afraid to offend the little brother of the last champion. "Hahaha!" meanwhile Sophia was bursting out laughing. Old Dan furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Lyon. This guy had been so brazen against the future grandson-in-law of his. Van the beastmaster was facing away from both of them as his eyes formed tears while his hand covering his mouth. He didn''t dare to burst out his laugh like Sophia else he would have offended the old man. "Sorry, haha, alright, let''s begin the test! All you have to do is punch or kick or headbutt or whatever as hard as you can to destroy the stone in front of you! Don''t worry, the stone will regenerate by itself! Weapons are allowed as well as magic but don''t take too much time!" "Oh did I mention that this was provided by Treas family? Please come by and join the nearest auction, the artifacts are waiting for your hands! The betting session is also open! Go big or go home! The Treas will charge ten percent of the winning as taxes by the way, but you might win one hundred percent or more for your bet!" Chloe held her chin as she mused by herself while Firion and one of the twins with black earrings did the same. Argeon suddenly stood from his seat before the other four principals looked at him. Khafai smirked as he sneered, "What now Argeon? Are you going to complain again?" "No," said Argeon as he slowly took off his spatial ring, "I''m going to be rich." "Guys, catch!" shouted Argeon as he threw it away to his students, "Bet all of it for Lyon!" "Hahaha! Are you crazy? Is the atmosphere too much for you?" sneered Khafai before he stood up and do the same, "Bet all of it for Faust! This is easy money!" "Hmmm, Faust is nothing compared to Chloe," muttered Yozec before he did the same but bet on Chloe. The other two headmasters didn''t want to lose face so they also bet on their aces. "My, my, I should thank you Argeon," teased Sophia. Was that a sarcasm? Or was that a genuine gratitude? Argeon could only ponder for the answer. 230 The Man in The Painting Firion crossed his arm before he glanced around at his competitors. His vision stopped at Faust before his lips curved up a smile. "Alright, I will go first." "Crucifying Heaven!" He took a step back before plunging forward at a blinding speed. A dagger flashed the crowd''s eyes as the sound of thunder follow suit. "Impossible!" Firion opened his eyes wide as the result of his attack was not as he was expecting. His hidden dagger did not manage to cut through the stone, in fact, it didn''t even manage to slash deeper to the center. "Whoah, that''s a really hard piece of rock," "Even with his power, he didn''t manage to cut half of it?" The crowd immediately entered their own discussion. The experts and the commoners naturally had different ways of thinking. "Tch!" Firion immediately went back to his team and let the others take their turns. The rock immediately regained its structure in a single blink of an eye. "Hahaha! Reyes, you look disappointed, Erdrich! Show him your might!" shouted Beren. One of the twins, Erdrich looked at the principal before cupping his hands. After a slight bow, the black earrings ringed as he jumped to the air. The crowd''s eyes followed his movement as the intensity of the air was getting denser. His figure slowly floats as if the wind was supporting him "Wind Art: Piercing Space!" Like a flash of lightning, his figure immediately transcended downward before his kick made a loud boom toward the rock. "Hmm," mused Erdrich as his leg still connected to the rock. The crack appeared but it was not all the way to the other edges. He retracted his leg before bowing down and retreated from the scene. He did not know if he was better than Firion but he was certain he was not lesser than him. However, the winner was not decided by strength alone, thought Erdrich as he looked at his twin brother with a nod. "The two of the academies aces have had their chance! Now, who will do it next? Will it be the cold beauty? Or will it be the little brother of the last champ? Or the underdog?" shouted Sophia as she opened her arms in excitement. "Remember guys the betting session has already closed! With the odds varies who are you betting on? At this time, betting on Lyon would net you one thousand percent of the bet you make! and the least would be on Faust since he is everyone''s favorite, so one hundred and fifty percent if you bet on him!" As Sophia explained, her assistant suddenly leaned closer from behind and whispered before giving her a piece of paper. "Ohh what''s this?! Looks like there are a lot of people playing it big for the underdog rather than the favorite! Now, this is a surprise!" Faust smirked at Lyon before he said, "Looks like a lot of people are going to be disappointed because of you." However, Lyon acted as if he didn''t hear what he said. His eyes were looking at Chloe as if there were only him and her at the moment. (You must have gone stronger since the last time we met). "So Chloe, how are you these days?" asked Lyon out of the blue. Faust immediately irritated as Chloe raised her eyebrows, they both couldn''t believe he would just casually start up a conversation in a situation like this. She shook her head before turning around and left the scene. This action of her sparked some confusion and anger of the crowds but the most agitated one was the principal. "Agh! I forgot she is a wise girl," said Yozec while putting his hand on his head. It was quite easy to understand that Chloe didn''t want to even slightly, showing her bright skills and strength, else it would be to her own disadvantage later on. In her eyes, winning was the only thing that matter, there was no gain in showing one''s prowess for a mere amusement of the bet. And then there were only two men standing opposite each other with a rock as their separator. The underdog and the favorite, one was an unknown youth from the lesser world while one was the little brother of the last champion. "Haha! Let me show you why you and your group don''t belong here!" shouted Faust before he took a step back. "Yeah show them!" shouted Fue Hufei from the bench while raising her hand. "Oh, would you look at that, you have a fan," teased Lyon with a smirk. "Hmph! Let''s see if you can smile after this!" Faust opened his hand before forming a palm in one. The mana gathered at the edges of his finger as the crowd''s attention glued. "That''s the famous Mantis Art!" "He sure is following his older brother!" Faust''s lips curved up before he whipped hand and ax downward to the stone. "Mantis Art: Crippling Slash!" He immediately retracted his hand as he said, "Behold!" The stone was almost sliced in half, only a few millimeters off before making it into two. However, what was to be concerned was the strength those fingers had. It was a clean strike with no sound but the wind it crashed. That was the power of the Mantis Art. The experts in the crowd were rubbing their chins and beard as they nodded in his effort. Though the last two were quite amazing it was not to this extent. "Oooh! What a great effort! He is just a few pushes away for cutting in two like his older brother did last time!" shouted Old Dan proudly. "Yay! Go Faust!" shouted Fue. "That is quite the challenge for the underdog to overcome will he be able to make a miracle today?" shouted Sophie before she rested her face on her palm and looked at the young man below. (Now then, are you really him?) thought her as her mind wandered. About a month ago. Sophia was about to knock on a door before a woman''s voice halted her motion, "Come in." She opened the door before immediately bowing her head, "Sorry to intrude, empress." "Don''t worry about it, I''m taking a bath right now so you have to wait, or do you want to join? Oh, and put that painting on the wall on top of the fireplace while you''re here," said the woman from another room. "Yes!" answered Sophia with a blush. She looked up and noticed a painting on the easel as a variety of brushes and color paints were present on the side table. She was at awe by the quality of the painting that she couldn''t believe it was made by her empress. It was a painting of a smirking man with a crossed arm. He had a long black hair draped around his shoulder. He was looking up as he faced off against a golem three times his size in a night under the full moon. It was a night where the clouds were not present and the stars were hiding. "E-Empress, might I be rude to ask who is the man in your painting?" asked Sophia as she lifted up the painting and hanged it on the wall. "Hahaha! Not at all, he is my husband." Sophia opened her eyes wide, "H-Husband?! When did the empress get married?" The marriage of a ruler would surely be a huge thing that would shake the world. However, as long as she could remember there was no such thing happening. Her empress seemed to not take any liking to her suitors and there were only fewer people that could impress her. Then, now she told her that she had a husband already? The sound of splashing was heard before the woman answered. "It was a long time ago." The ring on her finger flashed by the light from the window before her lips curved up a smile. Sophia looked at the painting once more as the smirk of the man in the painting overlapping with the smirk of the young man in the arena below. Bringing her back to the present. . 231 Compensation? A Prize! Lyon took a deep breath before his eyes opened with a hint of playfulness. Facing the mountain he had to overcome, he didn''t show any doubts of him failing. Principal Khafai immediately cupped his hand toward Sophia and the other two, "Thank you for your generosity." "Oh? Are you really that confident in winning?" asked Sophia with a smile. He burst out laughing while holding his chest, "His power in illusion is indeed magnificent, but in terms of raw power, he is no match for Faust." Old Dan nodded in agreement, "Yes yes indeed, his forte is in illusion, that dragon looked so real I thought it was the real thing." She looked at the old man, with the same look she gave the principal before turning away and asked the other overseer, "What do you think Van?" The bald man was surprised by her sudden question. He was musing the whole time for the ''illusion'' that Lyon came with. "Hmm, I can''t say." "Hahaha! Just say it, it''s alright!" shouted Old Dan before he laughed widely. "Well, my opinion does not matter anyway, might as well see it with our own eyes." Van looked at Argeon''s back who was still standing and looking at his lone student on the arena. (I''m sure you have a plan, otherwise, you wouldn''t be here, isn''t that right, my friend). Khafai furrowed his eyebrows as a hint of displeased appeared on his face. Nobody knew what he was thinking nor did anybody want to inquire. "What are you fooling around for? Chanting a little prayer for a miracle? Hahaha!" taunted Faust. "You might want to take a step back, otherwise," Lyon smirked without finishing his word. "What did you say?!" "Just give up kid," shouted Khafai from his seat before continuing, "Might as well conserve the power you have for the real competition later." "Hahaha!" Argeon replied. "What''s so funny?" "You actually thought he would listen to you? How pathetic, he didn''t even listen to me!" The crowd had black lines over their head. This was clearly not something one would be proud of. Only him and a select few would shout that lines with pride. "Well, what are you waiting for handsome thief?" teased Sophia. "If I broke it, will I have to compensate for it?" asked Lyon with a smile as his hand rubbing his head. "Hahaha!," the crowd laughed at his remark. What a ridiculous question to ask, the stone would definitely regenerate itself without any needed aid. It''s simply indestructible. "Heck, look at this guy! Hahaha, hey your ace is quite someth- huh?" one of the crowd want to ridicule the group from Nostria but the words stuck on their throat as he looked how serious they were. "This is, quite bad isn''t it?" said one of the boys from Nostria. "Yeah, if he destroys it, will he offend the Treas family? Not to mention the cost of the rock," said one of the girls from Nostria. The other crowd couldn''t believe that they were actually sure that Lyon would destroy the rock. "My, aren''t you a jester? Oh, handsome thief, if you manage to break the rock, not only you will not be compensating it, I will give you Treas Very Very Important Person ring, the most coveted and honorable VVIP ring!" "Whoa! That''s a prize even more valuable than the winner!" exclaimed Van. The Treas VVIP ring was without a doubt a privilege from the gods. They will enjoy the highest respect, the utmost rares of treasures, and the discounted price that could make men rich again. Not only that but Treas will generally support and act as your backing if the situation demanded so. However, this was a double edge sword attempt. If Lyon didn''t manage to break the stone he would only waste his energy and revealing his strength to the masses. (So if I destroyed this stone I would get a VVIP ring that god knows what its do? Sounds like a waste of ti- WAIT A MINUTE! If I have this ring, wouldn''t I mingle with the highest of the highest class of beautiful women? Well, this will not be a waste after all!) thought Lyon with one of his nose bleeding. Sophia and Luna furrowed their eyebrows at the same time (You just thought of something dirty did you?). Wiping his nose with his arm Lyon whispered, "Grandpa, do you think I should enter that form?" "Nah, just the blessing is enough," answered Grandpa Long as he grinned. "Alright!" shouted Lyon before he made a fist with both hands. "Sure, you don''t want to step back Faust?" "Hmph! What can you do with your measle cultivation levels?" "You better order your ace to step back Khafai," said Argeon. Khafai furrowed his eyebrows, "What are you talking about? Your ace should just give up already, doesn''t he know he is the clown of your little circus?" "You will eat those words dearly," laughed Argeon. Just as Khafai about to insult him even further, a flash of interest suddenly made his eyes turned to the arena as the other principals did the same. The three overseers furrowed their eyebrows as they looked at the same youth in the center below. All the experts of the crowd immediately took a sudden interest at what their eyes were seeing. Chloe opened her eyes as she looked the young man who she encountered back in the lesser world. It was evident that they did not ''spar'' with their full strength but the sight of his transformation in front of her was not just any flashy gimmicks. "I knew it, those scally arms, that fluttering green hair, a creature only spoken in legend! A True Dragon!" shouted Van in excitement. "There it is! Big brother''s blessing form!" shouted Jugen. Lyon smiled as the mana surrounding him gathered like a torrent before gradually turning greenish. Taking a step back, he pulled his right arm to amass the ultimate force. The veins in his arms were bulging as the mana fueled it albeit it was not visible because of his uniform. His right hand was shaking as he looked at the stone right in front of him. The crowd was gulping as they cannot anticipate the strike. Faust took a step back as he swallowed his saliva, his feet were shaking before he couldn''t take another one. "I-Impossible, a-a dragon?!" Faust stuttered. Lyon''s eyes flashed before they turned green. The image of a true dragon behind him was staring down at his opponent with a wild grin. Its whiskers were fluttering like the ocean wave, its teeth and talons were ready to shred them to pieces. "Faust! Get out of there!" shouted Khafai before he plunged toward his ace. "Too late!" shouted Lyon before his eyes turned sharp. As his palm stretched out, a coiling dragon swirling his right arm before striking toward the stone. Faust pupils immediately shrunk as the strike approaching the impact. His complexion turned whiter and whiter by the bright attack as his hair was fluttering against it. "True Dragon Art: Palm of Shattering World! Hah!!" *roar *boom The roar of the dragon was heard loud and clear before the loud impact of the art. Everything in front of him instantly turned to rubbish as the smoke reached the clouds. 232 A Slick of Hand The colosseum was at a silent as the only sound heard was the rubble from a broken wall. The surface of the arena had a line of black trails that emits a light smoke. Time seemed to have stopped as the crowd''s eyes didn''t blink at all. The word ''amazing'' ran across their mind but none of them could say it. What did they have just witnessed? What did this imply? It was simply too much for them to handle. However, the reality was as such. Lyon retracted his hand as his figure turned back to his happy-go-lucky self. With his hand behind his head, the youth casually walked to his team while whistling. In one of the seats in the spectator, Karina had a tinge of a smile as she witnessed what just happened. "That fellow is full of tricks." Ryona who sat beside her couldn''t help but asked, "Oh, you realize something?" "Of course, knowing him, I carefully watch his every move, so of course I notice something and it''s a cheap move." "Wow, you are really scary when you reach Divine Realm." (Even I didn''t notice it). "That''s because you are looking at his face the whole time Ryona." Ryona blushed before lightly punch Karina''s shoulder, "Ah c''mon, don''t act like you didn''t?" Karina''s eyes turned away not admitting nor denying her claim. "Hahaha! Take that!" a familiar shout was heard from among the seats of the principals. Argeon put his hands up as if the victory was his own doing before saying, "Well what do you think Khafai? Huh? Where did he go?" As the four principals were wondering where did Khafai go, the sound of the last rubble was heard before the smoke cleared, revealing two figures. "Look! Over there!" said one of the crowd. "It''s principal Khafai? He is shielding Faust!" Khafai''s torso was tattered as his chest was revealed to the masses. The bright burn from the strike Lyon launched was etched on his skin without any sign of recovering. The honorable principal was reduced to such a state from the strike of a student. However, despite the injury, the man didn''t show any pain on his face, but on his mind, something else was bothering him. The strike he received just now obviously didn''t come from an ordinary Soul Realm cultivator. It was basically impossible for a cultivator at that level to produce such might. Yet it happened right in front of him. "Faust, be careful, your greatest adversary might just be that aloof youth," muttered Faust before he leaped toward his seat and paid respect to the overseers, "Forgive me for this unsightly fashion, I will get change in a moment." Faust was left dumbfounded before he looked at Lyon while gritting his teeth. It was lucky enough for him that the principal jumped in for his protection, otherwise, what could have become of him? "Faust are you okay? Did it hurt somewhere?" Fue''s caring words didn''t enter his ears as he sat down and thought about the upcoming battle. "Hmm, you don''t look too good Khafai? Hahaha!" Argeon wouldn''t miss this chance even if he had to skip his grandmother''s birthday. The other three principals had black lines over their head but they didn''t want to reprimand him. He was old enough to know what''s being benevolent means. Facing the sneer from the weakest principal, Khafai could only grit his teeth before changing his cloth in one swift movement. (That explains everything) thought Van as he looked at his laughing friend. This guy, if he was not one hundred percent sure he would win, he wouldn''t be here. Old Dan grunted as he looked at the underdog youth. "Oi, w-where is the stone?!" stuttered one of the crowd. "It-its not regenerating?!" "No-no-no, it must be some sort of lag." They waited and waited but the stone didn''t appear. Not even the pieces were visible to the naked eyes. It was ultimately obliterated to the point of no return. One of the crowd was trembling as he held his betting ticket. He looked at the number of beads he bet and multiplied with its multiplier accordingly. "FUCK I''M RICH! FUCK I''M RICH!" His shout sent a waking signal to the others that the whole event that just happened had a betting session. "Aw yeah! I''m getting a new husband!" "I''m getting a fancy carriage!" "Fuck I''m broke, hey can I be your new husband?" The crowd immediately turned to their true self as some were disbelief in their claim. Sophia''s assistant suddenly approached her and whispered something before giving a piece of paper, "This many?" The assistant nodded. She shook her head before smiling, "It''s alright, we are of the Treas family, we don''t do lying." Her eyes landed on the aloof youth who were now joking with his friends. (Is it really you? Is your identity was that explained by the Empress? The Emperor?). She needed more evidence before she could be sure because the story she was told was unbelievable. "As expected of big brother! You did the impossible again!" shouted Jugen. "Hahaha," Lyon put his hand around his shoulder before bringing him to a corner. "Well, I need you to hold on to this and put it in your spatial ring." "?! That''s the stone you just broke!" "Nope, I didn''t break it, that''s just a diversion, see I was planning to strike Faust all along but his principal got in the way in the last second." "So, that''s like killing two birds with one stone! Wait, you will also get that VVIP ring! So three birds?" "Three birds," nodded Lyon. "Big bro, you''re a legend! But it also came with a price, the tiger is waiting for her prey." "The tiger?" Lyon furrowed his eyebrows before his eyes turned sharp, "It''s Luna isn''t it?" Before he could face Luna, his shoulder was suddenly gripped by something as its claw embedded in it. "Might telling me, how do you want to die?" The cold voice sent shivers down to his spine. 233 Seize Argeon sat down on his chair as he crossed his leg before whistling a tune to catch the other four principals. His thumb was rubbing his index finger as his eyes teased his rivals. "Oh I''m sorry, I just win big, so my hand instinctively do this." The other four immediately furrowed their eyebrows as veins clearly visible on the sides of their foreheads. Though he was the weakest of them all, his academy was also the worst of the five, he dared to rub his victory all over their face. Old Dan sitting above him rubbed his beard as he said, "Hmm, one must stay humble in the face of victory for the true winners are not decided yet." Argeon furrowed his eyebrows (This old man, it''s clear that he wouldn''t say that if his future grandson-in-law were to win the test! No matter, I will lay low for now and strike their mind whenever an opportunity arises! After all, that was not his full power on display, and the fun has just begun!). "Thank you for your reminder senior," said Argeon with a polite smile and cupped hands. "Treas Family is a respected family, so we do our end of the bargain, handsome thief! This is for you," shouted Sophia to the young man who was getting his face beat up by his captain. The crowd''s eyes immediately glued to the object she was holding with a pinch of her fingers. It was a wooden ring with liquid gold engraving that was glowing in a circle for eternity. "It''s one of the most coveted items in the world!" "VVIP Ring of Treas!" "People would kill for that thing!" The crowd went wild with their roars as they fell down on their own fantasies of ''what-ifs''. Old Dan and Van were glancing at the item the maiden was holding and the greed couldn''t help but flash across their eyes. Though they were powerful cultivators they did not have the ring, no, as if the Treas Family considered them unworthy. "However, I will give it to you, later after the competition," winked Sophia before she immediately clapping her hands. "Let''s go! for the first stage of three!" Sophia snapped her finger before the circular arena shook. The amateurs among the crowds were in a state of panic while the more experienced squinted their eyes toward certain spots. "What-what''s going on?" "An earthquake?! At a time like this?!" "Look more closely, there is something coming out of the ground!" Luna squinted her eyes toward a spot near her team as her hands were holding Lyon''s collar. Some kind of a wooden pole coming out of the ground and it didn''t stop even though its shadow already covered her entire figure. Lyon looked at the pole with a raised eyebrow and a red bump on his right cheek (What is this about?). "Oh look, we are not the only one who got ourselves a wooden pole," said Jugen as he pointed at the other teams. All of the five teams each had their wooden poles standing tall facing the arena. Lyon escaped from the grip before closely looking at the wooden pole. There was no special engraving nor there was anything odd about it at all. It was a plain simple wooden pole that was as thick as a palm. (Hmm, what kind of game is she planning.) "All five teams, please climbed up the arena and stand in front of their respective poles," said Sophia before she glanced at Old Dan beside her. The old man naturally nodded before jumping to the center of the circular arena. "Hahaha! I will explain the first stage!" "First off, look at the poles behind you!" To their surprise, the poles now had their academies symbol engraved on it and continuously emitting light. "Yes, the theme of the first stage is ''Seize''. To win the stage, you must make the other five poles yours! To do so, just touch your opponents'' pole with your hand, leg, any part of your body, weapon and the others won''t work so be careful." "Hah! This will be easy!" shouted Faust as he crossed his arm. He glared at the aloof youth that was a wolf in sheep clothing. Hearing her fiancee''s spirit, Fue punched her palm as her bucktooth slightly escape her mouth. Chloe was as expressionless as ever but one of her teammates was fired up as he couldn''t wait to battle. The twins with black and white earrings were already discussing their plans while the brutal youth Firion seemed to grin at Lyon. Luna noticed now that their team had lost their advantage as being ''weakest'' due to Lyon''s heaven-defying action. The other four surely looked at them as a threat more dangerous than the favorite team. "The first stage starts as soon as I jumped out of the arena, ready?" Old Dan immediately jumped and land in front of his seat without further words. His action surprised everyone but one man suddenly shouted. "Your pole is mine, Lyon!" Faust immediately rushed into Lyon''s team alone while Fue immediately took a stand with the other four to defend their pole. "Sorry, but I don''t swing that way." Lyon''s remark made him blush and embarrassed before his hanger immediately explode inside him. "Gah! I''m going to cripple you!" "I really want to go to Chloe''s but, Luna looks like I made us the priority target, hehe." Luna shook her head as her palm was already on her face. She noticed that not only Faust but the other teams were also rushing into them. They were the primary target, the threat that must be ridden at once. "Luna, do you have a plan? Or should I make one?" asked Xiaxia as she readied her stance. "Don''t worry, I''m the captain, no need for you to butt in this one yet," Then Luna''s lips moved before the other four had their eyes opened wide. "Hah! They call you godmother, you know that?" said Lyon with a smile as the first one to wake up from her explanation. 234 Equal Jugen pulled out an arrow from his quiver before he closed one of his eyes and set a target. With the opponents swarming at them it didn''t take long for Jugen before he released his strike. One arrow was breaking the wind, then two, then three, then the final arrow was finally released in succession. His golden hair was fluttering before he hid behind Lyon''s back. "Congratulations Jugen, you missed all five of your arrows." The crowd had black lines over their head. How could someone miss that many shots in that distance? A swarm of opponents, even a blind man could hit one in any direction. "Hahaha! That guy is impossible." "My stomach hurt damn it! Just how the hell is he even one among the representatives?" Lyon suddenly leaned forward before he leaped toward Faust in one single step. Faust grinned before he said, "That''s your first mistake, Lyon! Now eat my fist!" Some of the crowd closed their eyes as the incoming assault was inescapable. Though he was strong, it seemed that he was inexperienced compared to the favorite. "Hah!" Faust let out a roar as he launched his fist to Lyon''s face. "This is for the humiliation you gave me!" "Huh?" To his surprise, his fist actually punched through Lyon''s face. He didn''t feel any contact at all as if he was punching the air itself. His eyes blinked before he noticed the Lyon in front of him slowly blurred. "That''s an afterimage!" shouted one of the experts among the spectators. "Impossible, at such tender age he managed to do it!" (My, aren''t you full of surprise handsome thief, the more you took action the more you are as described by the empress) thought Sophia as she clicked her tongue. Old Dan furrowed his eyebrows and nobody knew what he was thinking. However, judging from his grunted face, it mustn''t be a nice thing. "Oi, oi, are you serious? Even I couldn''t do it that well," spoke Van softly before he saw his friend Argeon taking all the glory as if that was his own achievement. All the other four principals were furrowing their eyebrows toward the youth. Each of them was wearing different faces that were hard to discern what they were thinking about. Faust gritted his teeth before his pupils shrunken. The moment the afterimage vanished he could make out a figure far behind with his golden hair fluttering. Jugen was smiling toward him before Faust realized an arrow was already an arm-length away from blinding his right eye. *splurt The blood sprayed the sky before the atmosphere was in a stilled state. Everyone was holding their breath and couldn''t utter a word for a straight minute. "W-was that a fluke?" "T-that''s a lucky shot isn''t it?" "N-no, we were wrong, we saw it the wrong way, it wasn''t that he was unskilled that he couldn''t shot a target at the time, but because he was skilled that he could do so." One of the experts in the crowd realized their mistake before a wake-up call rang in the rest of the crowd''s minds. "You''ll pay for this!" shouted Faust. He was lucky that he managed to hold the arrow''s penetration with his palm. Otherwise, he would be a one-eyed man by now. With gritted teeth, he pulled out the arrow from his palm as his blood sprayed the floor. "Martis, cover Jugen, hold Faust off as long as you can." "Yes, my lady." "Xiaxia, hold the one with the black earring, I will deal with the rest." "Yes, captain." "Jugen, open fire!" "Leave it to me!" With simple commands from Luna, the four people formed a fan-shaped formation with Jugen being the pivot. "Get out of the way you red-haired freak!" "Hmph! Try and pass my greatsword first, I will not fail Master Tristan''s teaching!" The two of them collided while Xiaxia was already occupied with Erdrich. Jugen actively provided them to assist with his archery skill to make sure that they were not overwhelmed by their respective opponents. "I hear you''re from the world where Chloe came from." The wild-looking youth was looking at Luna with interest. It seemed that the women from Deo were all special. Chloe was the strongest in his academy and now there was this woman who seemed to be the captain of their team. Logically, Lyon was supposed to be the captain judging by the strength. "Yes, I am, though we are from different kingdoms and rarely met, yes, we are from the same world." Luna pulled out her thick rapier and held it gracefully as she pointed at the young man. Her purple hair swayed before the tip of the rapier already embedded inside his right shoulder. The young man opened his eyes wide before he saw his own blood dripping to the floor. The speed combined with his lack of caution resulted in such an easy strike. "Y-you! I wanted to play nice since you are a girl but it seemed to me you need to be rough-?!" Luna''s neck swayed to the side before from her fluttering hair an arrow pierced through it. However, he didn''t have time to be awed by the archery skills of the perpetrator since he only got a split second to dodge. The arrow managed to graze his cheeks and a red slit made its appearance. "Gah! You!" Before he could mutter another word Luna already landed her kick on his chest, sending him flying to the ground. On the other end, Lyon was silently making his way through the arena before he spotted Chloe guarding her pole. With a huge grin, he made a run for her. The cold beauty instantly noticed his figure before telling the rest of her teammates, "Scatter, all of you are no match for him." She readied her stance before a dark figure suddenly ducked between them. "Lyon, you''re battle is with me!" A dagger flashed from under the figure''s arm before making its way toward Lyon''s neck. (Got him!). *clank "What?!" His dagger was actually stopped by a pincher from two of Lyon''s fingers with ease. A feat that should not be possible was actually happening to him. "You have to wait in line," said Lyon with a smile before jumped to the side. *boom The floor cracked before Fue pulled her arm out of it. Her movements were inaudible but the moment she decided to attack the arena was left in a shake. "You''re pretty quick." Lyon crossed his arm before his eyes turned sharp. "Sneaking beside being in the open field it''s bold indeed." Lyon turned his body to the side before a lashed out kick was dodged perfectly. The figure behind him immediately took a few steps back realizing his attack missed. "Please, forgive me for sneaking out on you but that just proves how strong you are." One of the twins with the white earrings was smiling before making a slight bow of respect. "Well, well, well, surely I have not expected this kind of development. The three of you against me? Now that''s equal," smirked Lyon. 235 Look "Look over there!" shouted one of the crowds. The battle between Luna and the others immediately lost all of its attention as they turned their focus. A lone man was encircled by three powerful promising cultivators. Dubbed as the head of the clown from the entire circus, it only took him one action of his to change their entire perspectives. The way things stand right now, they were not the underdog anymore but rather on equal grounds against the favorite. It was only a test yet the ''dog'' had barred its fang against the lion and made it realize the situation. "Fue, Audrich, and Firion, three promising youth is actually trying to gang up on him? What about respect and honor?" "Don''t you get it, they do that because they respect his strength, honestly, I thought I would see Faust being in that situation if things were going according to statistic data." Fue gritted her teeth as she saw the smirk on Lyon''s face as if nothing crazy was happening. "You''re arrogant despite being from a lesser world!" "Said the one who wants to gang up on a mere Soul Cultivator," winked Lyon. His reply was like a thunderous flash exploding in their minds. They forgot one simple fact that was even more terrifying than they thought. The four principals cracked their armrests as they heard what he just said. The strength he was displaying, the ability he was showing, all come from a cultivator below the Divine realm. They instinctively put a glance against the weakest principal only to see him raised one of his eyebrows. Old Dan furrowed his eyebrows (Hmm, he is not lying, how can this be? Is he using some sort of art or an item to hide his real cultivation? If what he said is true then) his body shivered as he couldn''t imagine the future. "Potential." The word slipped out of Van''s mouth albeit inaudible to the others. However, all of them already knew the true horror of what the reality presented to them. The competition was enacted under the pretext to see a glimpse of what the future would have been, what the latest generation could offer. But Van being a beastmaster saw a more terrifying truth. The youth below actually managed to get a blessing from a mythical being on top of everything. "Hmph! Don''t lump me with the others, they just saw an opportunity I was creating and simply took their chance, I only do three on one if I were the one facing the three." Firion turned around before going back to his team and guard his pole. His action truly disappointed a lot of the spectators but could they actually blame him. "Then I will need some pointers from you, Lyon." Audrich who was standing a few steps away behind him readied his stance. (I need to make sure to buy enough time for my brother to break through their defensive line and secure a pole). (Looks like Audrich is going to fight Lyon after all) she was thinking of leaving the two to fight alone and reduced their stamina however, seeing how Lyon could feint her fiancee it would be an easy feat for him to escape Audrich''s fighting range, thus she had no choice but to fight him, else becoming a threat later. "Be honored as you are about to experience Hufei''s fighting style!" Fue immediately launched herself forward without any sign of a step. The veins on her frail arms immediately bulged before the wind seemed to support the force of which she was going. Her feet landed near the target before her right leg immediately lunged forward and swung her palm. "Hufei art: Stealing Jaw!" Fue put her entire strength on the palm as she pushed it upward toward Lyon''s chin. (At this distance, you don''t have a chance to dodge! Feel the pain of one of Hufei''s Art!). However, a split second before the palm made its way to wreck his chin and dislocate his jaw. Fue''s pupils immediately shrunken toward the expression she was seeing on his face. (W-why are you smiling?!). *thud Lyon lightly pushed her right leg to the side with his which immediately made her trajectory shifted to the side of his face, missing the target entirely. His hair fluttered as the residue of the wasted power still affected the air. "J-just like that?" "Are you kidding me? He just kicked her leg to the side to divert her family''s art?" "What a youth! To think he was able to think of that in such a small time frame!" The spectators, either expert or amateur, surely had their fills for arguments. Fue who was laying on the floor was fuming with rage before she saw a hand reaching out to her. She saw the gentle smile of the opponent she was supposed to crush and her blood rushed even more. (Are you going to mock me?! Showing pity to your opponent?!) thought Fue before she put one knee in an attempt to get up on her own. However, before she could put out her curse words his hand was already planted on top of her head. (Eh...?). "Be careful, haha!" Lyon actually used her head as a prop to somersault behind her. "Why you! Huh?!" Fue realized that Audrich was already in the middle of planting his foot to her face from mid-air. (Oh no, he noticed my silent art?!) thought Audrich as he noticed the impact was about to be diverted to Fue instead. Fue crossed her arm in front of her face before the strike connected and dragging them both. "Hah!" She pushed his foot away before she noticed Audrich landing a few steps in front of her without any trouble. Lyon crossed his arm as he looked at Chloe with a pride smile, disregarding the disaster behind him. The ice beauty looked at him before shaking her head. "Look," said Chloe as she pointed her finger toward Lyon''s south. Lyon raised his eyebrows before realizing something and immediately turned around. His pupils shrunken as he saw his teammates on the ground and the symbol on the pole turned into that of Faust''s academy, Silver Sky. 236 Godmother Lyon looked at the very reality in front of him before Faust''s laugh filled the arena. "Hahaha! You''re pathetic, leaving your team to be slaughtered while playing on your own." Taking a deep breath, Lyon walked to his team dejectedly. Every step felt like a mountain as he kept his eyes on his teammates. Disregarding the man who was laughing proudly of his victory, Lyon crouched down before carrying up his beautiful captain. There was a little bruise on his right cheek and her eyes were closed still. "S-sorry big brother, I, ran out of arrows hehe." Jugen got up while holding his bleeding right arm before Martis who was badly wounded being pulled up by Xiaxia. The red-haired man coughed blood before forcing his voice. "I-I''m not strong enough to handle him much longer, I''m sorry." Lyon shook his head, "It''s alright, let''s go down and heal you guys." He turned around before descending down the arena right in front of the crowd''s gazing eyes. Some of them shook their heads while some lamented their fate. "Too bad isn''t it, if only he had a more capable team than surely it would be a competition." "Yeah, I was waiting for Lyon to handle those two but it seemed it was not a fated battle." "One star among the shits, that''s just bad luck." One of Nostrian''s group was gripping his hand against his pants. He gritted his teeth toward the comments the others were making. Just as soon as he was about to fight them with his tongue the students sitting by his sides immediately pulled him back down to sit. "Let me go! I will not accept their insults!" "Calm down, you won''t gain anything by lashing your vocabularies against them!" "What are you saying?! Are you telling me you-" The man suddenly got slapped to his disbelief. "What you?! I''m your senior, just calm down rookie!" "Yeah, stop making a fuss, this is just the first stage of three, besides, don''t you realize our number one student is actually smiling?" His remark turned the attention back to the man who was carrying a girl like a princess. The smile on his face was as if the defeat was nothing but a passing wind. "Luna, I know you''re not fainting," said Lyon softly. Luna''s face turned a shade of red despite having a few minor bruises. Her mouth slowly pouted, "Hmph! So be it, this is your punishment for flirting with women instead of fighting for real." Lyon could smile wryly against her response. He indeed just went for the beautiful overseer above without thinking much longer. "Besides, I want to know the feeling of being carried like this since I am a princess," said Luna softly. "What did you say?" "Nothing." "Oh, I thought you said you wanted to know the feeling of being carried like this since you are a princess." "Y-You!" Lyon giggled before he finally arrived on the bench where their team was designated to. Though the crowd pitied the talented youth''s fate, the first stage was not over yet. "Alright," Luna escaped from Lyon''s arms before dusting away her clothes. The bruise seemed to not bother her at all, better yet, the result of the first stage seemed to be nothing. "Lyon, help heal everyone starting from Martis, everyone else, watch the match closely and prepare." Luna had a cute smirk on her face as she observed the arena. By her calculations, the first team to lose after them was probably Firion''s team, Snake Eye Academy. Since they only got one captain and one ace on the same person, it would be hard for them to keep up with the twins and the rest. The second, however, would be proved difficult to measure since she didn''t know the rough extent of Chloe''s power nor the twins'' teamwork. However, one thing certain was that Faust and Fue had a slight advantage over them. "What are you looking, Luna?" "The match, of course, wait you''re done already?" "You''re the last one, it''s magic why would I need to wait? Just let the magic do what magic does best." "What?" "Magic." Luna furrowed his eyebrows at his lame joke, to which Lyon laughed at her expression. She sighed before saying, "But you make sure to do it in secret under everyone''s eyes right? It would be another trouble if they found out that you actually also have the Life element affinity." "Don''t worry, they won''t notice a thing as long as their eyes fixated on the arena, but I must say, your plan is quite crazy." "Hmm, is this your first time seeing my bright mind at work?" There was a proud smile on her face as she said that. "Actually yes, this is my first time seeing your genius at work." "Well, that''s your fault! You could see a lot more if you don''t chase skirt all the time!" "Not all the time you know, I mean, you''re right, I''m sorry." "Enough, what do you think of the match, who would be the last two of the four?" Lyon rubbed his chin for a second before answering her question. "Probably Chloe with Faust since the former is quite careful with her steps and powerful with her strength, I don''t know much about Faust but, I''ll be more terrified facing Chloe than Faust." "Nice try pervert!" "Hey! You wanted my opinion." Before long, Firion lost the match while he was trying to steal Chloe''s pole, while the twins were robbed out by the combined power of Fue and Faust together. Though three of them got their energy drained from the fight, they seemed to not have unleashed their full power yet. "Well, look at that, I''m right." "Hmph, just luck." The arena now was reigned by two academies. With Chloe having one pole left she had no choice but to went with a defensive route. Faust had a smirk on his face as he faced Chloe while Fue was already having a bout with the wild-looking youth from her academy. "My offer still stands, ice beauty." "What offer? I don''t recall any such thing." Her remark instantly made him furious before he plunged his fist forward without further thinking. "W-what?!" To his surprise, his fist was actually stopped with hers without much-needed effort. Just from this casual exchange alone, he realized that the woman in front of him was another hidden monster he needed to be wary with. "Hah! Look at you, being stopped by that frail arm." "What?!" Faust glanced at the source of the voice before he noticed Lyon was standing behind Mabia''s pole. "Hmph! Do you even have a chance to fight with me with that much skill, pathetic!" "Why you?! Keep your mouth shut loser!" Chloe furrowed her eyebrows (What is he thinking? Why is he taunting him?). "Loser? I''m not the one whose fist being stopped by a woman!" "Gah!" Faust was at his boiling point before he lashed out a barrage of attacks against Chloe who kept him at bay every time. They seemed equal from the exchange but Faust''s breathing was getting irregular. (I have a bad feeling about this) thought Chloe as she kept exchanging blows with Faust. "Huh?" in one split second she was dodging his fist, she noticed something odd with the other four poles. (Why are the Nostria Academy each member standing beside it?). Her pupils were immediately shrunken as she felt a rushing cold on her spine. She got goosebumps as she realized something she overlooked. Something crucial that explained Lyon''s deliberate taunt. "Now!" shouted Luna. All five of the members immediately entered the arena to everyone''s surprise. Chloe who was already dodging Faust''s attack glanced back to see a smiling figure amidst the chaos of the battle of her members. *slap Jugen, Luna, Xiaxia, and Martis immediately slapped the pole and changed the symbol to their academy easily since it was unguarded. "You both lose," smiled Lyon before he slapped the pole beside him. "Winner! Nostria Academy!" shouted Sophia to the stilled crowd. Faust and the others were caught off guard by the sudden result. The victory was already within their grasp but it was suddenly robbed away. "W-what just happen? You already lost! How could you still activate the pole?!" Chloe however, was already realizing how and why behind everything but she realized it too late. "Did you plan this Lyon?" He shook his head, "It was our Luna, the Godmother of Nostria Academy." Chloe immediately glanced at the woman who was crossing her arm with a cheeky smile on her face. "How?! Just how could you still activate the poles goddamnit?!" "Easy, that''s because there was never a defeat condition and our Luna immediately took advantage of that." Faust had his words stuck on his throat as he recalled the scene where Old Dan explain the first stage. He only explained the winning condition then left to start the battle. He didn''t explain the losing condition because there was none in the first place. "So it is crucial that we must be the first team to ''lose'' as to set an example for the others to follow, creating an illusion that a loss actually exists in your mind." Luna flicked her hair toward her surprised opponents before making her way down to the bench, followed suit by the other three as if they were her underlings. Luna the Godmother. 237 Round Two Start! "That''s not fair!" shouted Faust as he pointed at the young man who stole his victory with a simple slap. Lyon jerked his shoulders before going to his bench before taking a wink against Chloe who looked at him with half-opened eyes. "Alright, let''s take it up a notch and go for round two!" shouted Sophie before the roar of the crowd followed. She glanced at Van before the latter nodded and jumped to the middle of the arena. "I will explain what the round two is going to be but first I will give you a leak, that, the final round will be an all-out battle for you five teams." Lyon furrowed his eyebrows, (I have a bad feeling about this). Judging from his perspectives, the battle for the last round would have a wild twist. Van coughed, "Regarding round two, I''ll be your opponent." His words made the entire crowd and the teams raised their eyebrows. This was beyond any reasonable act of a tournament. Why would the judge himself be the opponent for them? "Of course, to beat me, all you need to do is throw me out of the ring, the team who did so will win the round, simple right?" said Van in a carefree manner. "Oh, I need to mention that if you stepped out of the ring, you''re out, but the rest of your team that is still on the arena may continue. So come on the arena the battle has begun!" Luna immediately held Lyon''s shoulder as she whispered, "This tournament is weird, you cannot depict a winner if from the last round there was not any point or anything to gain." Normally, a tournament will count some sort of points based on the performance in each round, thus could pick a winner from the accumulated points. However, the first round didn''t do so, so Luna didn''t know how in the world would the three overseers pick a winning team. "E-eh what are you doing?! Put me down!" Lyon suddenly lifted Luna like a princess before jumping on the arena while muttering, "I''m guessing, there will be no ''winning team'' but there will be a winner." Though her face turned red hue, her eyes came with a realization from his words. "So only one winner?" "That''s right, the third round will be the ''last man standing'' match," said Lyon as he smirked against the middle-aged man in the middle. "Oi, oi, I thought this is a tournament, not a place to show off your date." His sneering caught Luna''s face full-blown red before she immediately stepped down and put her hands on her waist. It was amazing that her eyes immediately turned sharp despite the embarrassing event she was just in. (Why would they do that tho, it''s just a waste of time and money, money?) She glanced at the woman in the middle with the dancing attire. The woman whose status was highly regarded among all. "I see, now I understand. To think that we are used by her without even knowing." Luna shook her head helplessly. Knowing the fact that the first two rounds were nothing but a mere show for the betting the Treas Family held. "I see that all of you are eager to throw me out of the ring, haha! Come here and have a taste!" taunted Van with his hand. "Then I''ll be rude, Mr. Van," said the twins at the same time before they plunged to the left and right respectively. Lyon calmly took a front from his team and said, "Leave this to me guys, save your energy for the last round." "Hmph! Don''t be foolish, I am still the captain of this team." "C''mon big brother, we''ve been through worse than this." "I won''t lose to Luna." "Princess is right, we must stick together till the bitter end." Lyon opened his eyes wide as he heard those words. Even though they knew that the first two rounds were just a plaything for Treas to make fortune, they wanted to stick by him to the end. (This is what friends for) thought Lyon as he saw the smile of the four of them. Suddenly Lyon crouched down, (Ah I can feel it! The power of friendship! Those sh¨­nen stories are not bullshitting after all!). "Raaaaaaah!!!!" His warcry made him the center of attention, even Van had the others stopped attacking him. The crowds were on the edge of their seat as they were about to anticipate something once in a lifetime. "As if I would let you! Die!" shouted Faust who was already behind him with his hand ready to break his neck. *fart His body immediately froze as his eyes opened wide before he saw Lyon glancing at him with a smirk. With one quick movement, Lyon sidestepped before kicking him right in the face. Lyon''s hand quickly, beautifully and skillfully cover his nose as he pointed at the man who was yet to fall to the ground. "God, you come all this way to me only to fart, please, have manners." "Y-Y-YOU!" Blood immediately rushed up to his throat before his mouth couldn''t keep it in and sprayed the floor. 238 Again? Again! With blood escaping from one edge of his lips, Faust glared at the man who shamelessly trapped him with a disgusting sin he didn''t commit. He was the little brother of the former ace champion but now he was viewed with ridicule in the spectators'' eyes. His blood slowly boiled each time he saw someone covering their nose. However, before he managed to channel his anger, the bald overseer attracted the crowd''s focus with a single clap of his hand. "Alright, alright, let''s start for real this time. I''m warning you though, just because I''m a beastmaster does not mean that I lack hand-to-hand combat and the like." The members on each team furrowed their eyebrows before one of them suddenly had their pupils shrunken as the man suddenly leaped toward him before stopping with a smile. "Impossible! How did you suddenly-" "Hahaha, one down." Van lightly hit the chest before sending him out of the arena. The crowd was instantly stunned before they roared in excitement. It was not an everyday occasion that one would see a master in action albeit it was less than five seconds. The inexperienced participants instantly tensed up after seeing the result of the overseer''s action. Like a prey eyeing its hunter, they didn''t let any of his movement escaped their eyes since they couldn''t outrun him. The only best thing they could do now was to stall and regroup. "Very good!" The shout was coming from the principals'' seats. He stood up with his hands applauding as his perfect set of teeth reflect the shining sun. Luna already had black lines over her head with the rest of the team. The man in question was no doubt the worst of the five principals, Argeon from Nostria''s Academy. The other four principals showed various emotions on their faces but dare not to say it. Some of them thought that this was a shameless act to curry favor one of the overseers, but then again the fact that the team who won the first round was his, made this more complicated than it should. "Hmm? Principal Argeon, please don''t disturb the second round by your intend to fawn," said Old Dan with a smirk on his face. After seeing his future-in-law being humiliated by his ace, his hidden anger need to be quenched in some way. Argeon squinted his eyes before giving a polite bow toward him. Though his intention was misinterpreted he had no choice but to take it in, for now, since whatever he said would be against his favor. (Ugh, my friend, you chose the wrong time to praise me) thought Van as he shook his head. He knew how sly that old man was. A bit of history was unveiled to him about Dan''s past in one of his adventures and how he raised to a power that he currently in. He opened his arm as he said, "Please, Van, continue the-" "And, one down." Van felt a gentle yet powerful force behind him before his vision got closer and closer to the wall in front of him. "Eh?" The crash was inevitable and the sound was loud and clear before absolute silence followed. Every word was stuck on the crowd''s throat, even the two overseers had their mouths agape. One young man stood proudly despite the disbelieving eyes upon him and the broken wall. The smirk over his face proved his haughtiness and arrogance yet it also proved his bravery and cunningness. A smile that was impossible to hate and only draw more support from others around him. "I-impossible... he...he did it again." "He won again, they won again!" "An underdog? No at this point in, they are the favorite! At least my favorite!" The crowd started to chant ''Nostria'' one by one before half the crowd sang its name. Smiles and hopes were basking the rest of the students as they follow suit. This was why they were here in the first place. To prove that they were more than something, they were a strong competitor and deserve the same respect as the others. The young man suddenly put out a piece sign with a grin on his face toward Old Dan. "Thanks, can''t do it without you hahaha!" "Ngh!" His blood immediately rose before the handle on his chair broke by the loose control of his power. His vein almost popped as he gritted his teeth. It was too much for even the experienced Old Dan to hold his emotion as it was clearly painted on his face. (How dare you! How dare you use me against.. ME!). "Blasphemous!" shouted Old Dan before he continued, "That win is to be annulled! That act of shamelessness is not fit for this competition!" Luna shook her head as the irony deluded that old man''s wrinkled eyes. A hint of the might of white tiger encompassed her before her heart became calm and fearless despite the surging aura from Old Dan. "That''s a little unfair overseer, he won it fair and square." Luna was surprised since the word didn''t come from her mouth but rather the man whose responsibility was always questionable. "What is the meaning of this principle Argeon?! Are you doubting my judgment?" asked Old Dan deeply before he swiftly put pressure on his presence. "Yes, principal Argeon, are you sure you have better judgment than the overseer?" (Khafai, you! Of course, I should know better, there is no other person than you to back him up!). "Are you sure we are going to discuss the act of shamelessness?" With his hands already crossed, he nonchalantly faced the old overseer with a smirk. "Oooh! Big brother got that look on his face!" 239 True Power of Overseer? With his finger pointed to the haughty young man, he shouted, "What are you trying to say, young man?! Are you challenging me with that tone of yours?!" The opportunity was perfect as Old Dan smiled in his devious heart. The bait was cast and the fish looked at it with interest. (If he said yes, then plucking his life would be as easy as plucking a fruit from a tree) Old Dan furrowed his eyebrows albeit the face he was making was different from his intention. (If he said no, then I can annul his victory and with a little play of words even Sophia from the Treas family would agree! If silence is his answer then I will take that as a yes! Choose! Choose! Choose! HAHAHA!). Lyon''s smile vanished from his face before furrowing his eyebrows. This sudden development was not something he had prepared an answer for. (So this is what a real cunning man capable of, twisting words and make the truth his own creation). "Hahahaha! You surely kick the hot iron plate this time!" Faust was ecstatic seeing his demeanor lessen while Chloe finally took an interest in something in the arena for a change. "I don''t think of men who farted in the midst of battle has any weight in their opinions." Lyon simply brushed him off with a shrug, his eyes didn''t even meet as he kept his focus on the old man on top of the balcony. Faust almost exploded his own heart with how quick the blood inside him surge. He felt numb on his toes and his fingers before he vomited blood to everyone''s spectacle. "Y-You!" "S-senior are you alright?" asked Fue Hufei with a concerned look in her eyes. "Get off me! I don''t need your help!" shouted Faust before he pushed her away and strugglingly getting up on his feet. "Ah... Senior." Fue looked dejected but nevertheless, she lowered her head. Ignoring the two of them, Lyon suddenly put his hand at the back of his head as he looked up with a smile on his face. "Challenge you? If I''m allowed to choose, I would of course rather not fight an old man, instead, I would fight the lady who gave me her VVIP ring or whatever that was to get to know her better." (Oh! You''ve done it, boy! Not only did you bite the bait, you actually strangling yourself with the string!). Old Dan suddenly stood up before shouting, "Stop this insolence of yours at once! You must face the punishment for disrespecting Miss Sophia!" "Don''t worry miss! I will straighten the young brat personally!" The old man leaped after he cupped his hands toward her not waiting a moment for her to answer. His presence immediately suffocated the entire arena as the lesser cultivation levels instantly dropped on their knees. "It-it''s heavy!" "Gah, it''s hard to breathe for some reason!" "This?! is this the true power of an overseer?!" Jugen was palpitating before he had one knee supporting him from dropping to the ground. He took a chunk of his saliva into his throat as his hands shook heavily. It wasn''t long before he was on all four then finally give in. Though he couldn''t move his body he could see the rest of his team already tumbling down and some of them even passed out. However, one woman was standing albeit her knees were a bit bent. "C-captain, hang...on!" "T-that much I know! Luna was standing on with her bloodline activated, but even then it was still a struggle and the pressure was getting heavier and heavier. "H-hey, that woman is amazing!" "She is actually on par with the rest of the aces, well since Faust was already caught off guard we couldn''t see how well he handle the pressure. The crowd didn''t see the bigger picture of the overseer''s action. They just follow through and leave the rest to them, only a few cultivators with higher status could understand what''s going on. Alas, they couldn''t risk it to offend someone so powerful. The only one that could change this was the woman sitting at the top ladder of big shots. Sophia only put on a smile and seemed to enjoy the show Old Dan''s put on. No one understood what she was thinking and could only guess. (Hmm, there are a lot of promising youth here. Hm?! Van is getting up!). Old Dan furrowed his eyebrows as he deepened his pressure. The aces including Luna instantly dropped to the ground with a groan. While inside the rubble, Van couldn''t move an inch of his body. The huge pressure and the heavy rubble proved too much for him to handle as he could only curse inside his heart. (You damn old bandit! You broke through and leap levels didn''t you!). Old Dan smiled after he saw the rubble on the side of the arena. (With that beastmaster gone, no one can stop me for annulling their victories). He instinctively took a short glance at Sophia before he laughed inwardly at her surprised face. (Hahaha! I know my plan is perfect, besides, this would also benefit you greatly! You will receive back all of your lost fortunes!). "Now then, time to teach you some respect (And by that I mean crippling you!), hmm?!" He was surprised that Lyon was still holding on albeit one of his knees already dropped to the ground. "Oi-oi-oi! Look over there, that guy is still holding on." "Holy shit! you''re right." Jugen who saw his idol still manage to hold on muttered, "...on....do....it!" "Ly....on," Luna tried to lift her hand only to drop a few moments later. Argeon who watched the entire thing immediately turned around and cupped his hand toward Sophia. "Overseer, please, stop whatever Overseer Dan is doing!" However, despite his pleading, Sophia acted as if she didn''t hear him and watch the arena with her hand holding up her chin. "Hmph! I must admit, you are one talented brat, shame you are not of my kin, otherwise, I would groom you to a height that even emperor dream of." "Emperor with one thousand beautiful wives then we''re talking." Old Dan''s pupils were immediately shrunken as his mouth went agape. Words couldn''t come out of his throat as he saw Lyon nonchalantly stood before him. 240 Mental Fortitude Everyone in the arena froze by the development of the situation. No matter if they were experts or not, they just saw something impossible to comprehend by the standard of nature. Not to mention them, even the overseer up above had her mouth slightly agape. Sophia slowly bit her lower lip as her eyes were still in shock. Through her experience, she had met many powerful people. Talented to the point of becoming a great emperor and some were ascending to even greater heights. Yet never did she met someone that continuously breaking the norms and set the bar to an entirely different magnitude. "No... way..." "He doesn''t even flinch despite being so close to the center of the pressure!" "No matter if he won or lose, I must get him in my sect!" "Fuck off he is mine!" shouted Ryona. She already put her ax close to the neck of who look like the head of some clan. Her eyes pierced through his as the image of him dying in thousands of cut filled his mind. With a loud gulp and drenching cold sweat, he knew just how powerful this lady was even without fighting. His legs were shaking and almost couldn''t resist the temptation of the floor. "Hey, we are gathered here to recruit these youngsters and aid them in cultivation technique, there is no need for us to fight each other without any valid reason," said the head of a different clan. The others nodded at his remark as they looked at Ryona. "That''s your business, I''m not here to recruit anyone. Lyon is already my student, and Jugen is my little brother. You can scout the rest of them but if you are still persistent, then." The blonde woman made her stance as her hair was slightly fluttering. Though they couldn''t feel nor roughly gauge the cultivation of this woman, their cumulative experience had instinctively told them that this woman did not lie. After a short thought, they returned to their seats and refrain to speak another word. Fixating their gaze back to the young man. Old Dan suddenly asked, "How, just how can you resist my aura?!" (I didn''t breakthrough just so that a mere peak Soul Cultivator can casually resist this! There must be a trick! An item! Yes, that must be it! He must have an amazing item that could resist my aura so easily!). "Resist? What are you talking about? I don''t feel a thing." "You! Then how about this!" The veins on his face began to appear as the blood flow rate rose before the fallen team members on the ground felt an even greater force pulling them down. They couldn''t help but had their blood escaping from their orifices starting from the weakest person. With a grin on Old Dan''s face, he saw the smirk on Lyon''s face was gone. "What''s wrong, brat? You feel uneasy? Hahaha!" "Stop it." "Hah as if, I can still go even further! Face your punishment!" Luna who saw Jugen which was the closest to her, already passed out, struggled to reach him. It would be disastrous to lose consciousness in this situation. With every ounce of strength left in her body, she dragged herself using only but her right arm. It was the responsibility of a captain. Her eye started to blur as her fingers felt numb. Her ear suddenly twitched as she heard a low cry. "G-g-g...ther, pl...se.. st..op." Fue Hufei already had her two eyes closed and blood running from the orifices on her face. Lyon furrowed his eyebrows as his head slightly went down. "Hahaha, just one more push and you will face the-" Old Dan knees suddenly hit the ground with a loud boom. The pressure he exuded instantly vanished without any sign. His dumbstruck face strugglingly looked up before his pupils shrunk at an immediate rate. Lyon''s galaxy-black eyes glared him down as a tattoo word already formed on his back. His black hair was fluttering against his own jade-green aura. Mana was coursing beneath his skin as if the world itself was his backing. "I told you to stop." Old Dan couldn''t speak a word nor could he move from that spot. He felt that the cold glare had frozen him but the truth, it was something he had forgotten. A feeling that kept him alive all this time. Fear. "Look at what you have done, the rest of my team almost got crippled by you, an overseer." (Goddamnit move! Move! Damn old bones!). "It''s useless, no matter how much you struggle, you can''t overcome my aura that rained you down, your mental fortitude is WEAK!" Lyon grabbed the old man''s hair before sending his knee right to his face. Blood sprayed the air before the body crashed down. After letting out a few coughs of blood, he wiped his nose with his sleeves. (How the hell a mere Soul Cultivator could break my nose! Ah, I can move again!). "Aaargh, I kill you! You brat!" Old Dan leaped forward with his hands clawing his way to Lyon''s torso. Lyon''s figure suddenly slipped in and grabbed his face before smacking him to the ground. The loud blast sent shivers as the crack spread to the entirety of the ring. The smoke rose and the debris was scattered everywhere. "Wh-what...?" "What just happened?!" "Did that actually just happen?!" "A participant is actually beating up an overseer level cultivator?!" "An illusion, this must be an illusion right?! They are putting a show right?!" The crowd was still in disbelief before Sophia furrowing her eyebrows and sent a gush of wind with a slap of her backhand from her seat. The smoke was easily dispersed while revealing a familiar figure and a horrifying reality. Lyon was standing on top of a pile of debris, holding Old Dan by the neck. 241 The Price Argeon let out a sigh, "Now you''ve done it." "Argeon you sneaky bastard! Where did you find this, this monster!" shouted Khafai as he held him by the collar. Argeon furrowed his eyebrows before grabbing both of Khafai''s wrist, "Get your hands, off me." "Answer my questi-" A popping sound was heard before Khafai''s cry followed. The other three principals were surprised and stood up with disbelief. They wanted to act but were confused as to help who. The wise men chose to watch rather than gambling it away. Khafai''s body was slumping down before his stomach felt a ruthless kick, propelling him to the group of principals. "Y-you, you were hiding your strength all along?!" exclaimed Reyes. "Hahaha, I was once a prince you know, I learn a trick or two from my older brother." "Hmm, of course, I should have noticed it, there is no way you got an invitation if you were a nobody," muttered Yozec. "By the way, that bald overseer is my best friend, so, yeah you know how it is hahaha!" "You are overseer Van''s best friend?!" exclaimed Beren. "Oh, we are about, well, an equal strength I guess, hahaha!" (Nobody asked that!) thought the three principals. "But, with the things going on now, I don''t think we need a third round," Argeon furrowed his eyebrows as he fixated his gaze toward his ace. The last rubble that buried Van had been lifted off, but he was only greeted with something unbelievable the next. He saw an overseer level cultivator was dangling at the mercy of the younger generation. Half of his head was painted with blood, his nose was broken beyond recognition. "What in the..." Old Dan tried to loosen the young man''s grip, but the force didn''t even budge nor made a tiny motion as if he was held by the judgment from heaven. "S-Stop this at once, re-release... me!" Lyon''s lips curved up as he answered, "Why don''t you do it yourself? Aren''t you the overseer?" The insult was like rubbing salt to a wound. Yet, no matter how many times he tried, it won''t budge. "Hah, stop it, the more you move, the more you look like a fish out of water." Old Dan suddenly smiled and laugh frantically to Lyon''s surprise. However, his surprise didn''t last long. "Hooh, I see you already make up a plan," "Oh yes, I do, once I get out of here, I will hunt you down with all my resources, my clan, my followers, EVERYTHING! I will make sure to erase your very existence." "Please, you make this too easy." "Huh?" Lyon casually stretches out his left hand and a red-blood sword instantly appeared in it. Under Old Dan''s fearful eyes, the sword flashed before disappearing again. "Well, now what?" Albeit the confusion of his sentence, Old Dan''s laughed, "Now? Now I will hunt you in your dreams, come here, Returning Jade Stone!" His eyes opened wide as he saw half a ring on his finger, dangling and hanging on. It was his spatial ring, the one that held the item to free him from this predicament. The safety measure that always saved his life was no more. Only then did he realized what the red-blood sword did. It wasn''t just a show-off. it was meant to cut his spatial ring. However, the cut was so clean, he didn''t even feel anything. Lyon suddenly let go of his grip and let him fall down on his knees. Facing the dirt below, Old Dan then coughs some of his blood. Though he was in a humiliating position, his eyes were scanning the arena for an opportunity. (Hmm? Yes, yes that could work!). With a sudden leap, he escaped the spot with a gust of wind toward the east. (C''mon just a little more, just a little more!) "Fue open your eyes! Give me your Returning Jade Stone!" His body suddenly slammed to the ground before he could reach his granddaughter. "Heavy.. so heavy!" The pressure he felt on his entire body increased by many folds as he almost embedded with the ground. A tapping sound was heard as Lyon walked toward his target. His hair fluttered as he furrowed his eyebrows, "How does it feel to be in my presence? How does it feel to be bullied?!" With every step, his pressure increased and Old Dan started to bleed from his orifices. Miss Sophia! Please help me!" with one last ounce of his strength, the old man shouted. Lyon halted his steps before glancing at the woman he desperately called. Of all the cultivators present, he was confident that none of them would dare to interrupt him. The lady, however, was a different case. She was the family member of the highly respected Treas. Their resources were said to have enough to bury a world. Her connections, her backings, was without a doubt terrifying. With a single command of her, she probably could change the entire fate. (This is bad, I''m reaching my limit of this transformation). "We-we have to kill this little monster, less he would do many harms to others. His potential is too great to be passed on as not a threat!" Sophia leaped from her seats and landed right in front of Lyon. She put on a smile on her face despite the situations in the arena. Old Dan was smiling from ear to ear while he tried to reach out to her granddaughter''s spatial ring. "What do you think of this, handsome thief? What should I do?" (Oh no, I got no time left!) Disregarding her question, Lyon immediately leaped toward the crawling Old Dan. Under everyone''s watchful eyes, Lyon''s jade aura suddenly vanished. His body immediately felt numb in midair. His eyes dimmed before his blood sprayed both the air and the ground. The price of such power had to be paid, dearly. 242 Deserve to Die Old Dan immediately felt the pressure vanished from his entire body. His eyes were in disbelief before he glanced back. "Heh, ha, HAHAHAHA!" The old man got up on his feet and laughed erratically. Though his face was disfigured from the beating, it didn''t erase the joy from what his eyes had seen. With blood kept pouring out from his nose he said, "Even the heaven has prosecuted you! You are a monster, a devil that shouldn''t exist in this plane!" "Watch, your, tongue." A deep voice bellowed from up above. "?!" He felt a deep killing intent creeping up his spine. Every goosebump rose on his skin as not even his gaze could be moved. The sky unfolded as the white clouds immediately turned dark and covered the sun. Blasts of lighting were jumping around from one another while the wind turned chaotic without any real directions. Everyone else who looked up had their words stuck on their throats. Even Sophia never thought that this would happen in the tournament. She couldn''t help but gulp at the sight of a giant being that was casually floating in the sky. "Such, divinity," she muttered. Van had his whole body shook as he tried to walk forward until his feet refused to take another step. His finger shuddered as he pointed the sky. "Those jade scales, the mouth of a crocodile, the horns of a deer, the whiskers of a tiger. It described only one being, being that said to rule heaven, the ultimate dragon race." "T-T-True Dragon!" exclaimed the beastmaster with his saliva scattering to the dirt. His words sent vibrations to the whole arena. The mythical being only spoken in legends was actually right before their very eyes. An opportunity they could never dream of, a story to tell to their descendants. Argeon could only make a wry smile, "I know you have your secrets, a man coming down from the sky rather than the gate. But goddamn it brat! This is beyond what I''m expecting! Oooh, I''m so waiting for what you and my dear niece would make in the future!" The aces who managed to hold on their feet let out a sigh. "We, we never had a chance, to begin with, didn''t we," muttered Audrich. Chloe could only glare at the young man who was still oozing blood from his body. (Was he holding back, back at the banquet?!). Shen stared down, "The heaven? Prosecuted my grandson? Hahahaha!" His laughter shook the continent as he swam around the sky before continuing, "The heaven shall kneel before my grandson and begs for mercy if they even think about it." "Hmm, looks like your death is due," muttered Shen before he spoke to everyone. "Listen, nobody with ill intent shall approach my grandson, no matter what your backing is, I will kill you if you do." (My-my death is due? What the fuck is he talking about) thought Dan Hufei. Looking at his situations he knew he had no way to ask for aid now. Considering his identity against that mythical being he had no chance. A sane person would aid someone with a dragon as his grandfather rather than an old man with some social status. "Looks like karma bite your ass Dan Hufei!" shouted the beastmaster from a distance. "Van," replied Dan with gritted teeth. "You reap what you sow Dan." "So what! You would do the same if you were me!" "No! I won''t include my granddaughter or any of my loved ones into my scheme." Dan Hufei stood silent for a second before replying, "Hah who cares about any of that, as long as I live I can always rebuild my reputation!" "Enough!" Sophia suddenly shouted. Taking a deep breath she looked at the old man before saying, "You have failed your job as an overseer, you failed your duty as to remain neutral." "Not only that, you have endangered the participants of this tournament, you almost destroyed their cultivation and thus cutting off their future." Sophia then furrowed her eyebrows before continuing, "The Treas family will not abide by this! You shall now be expelled of your position as an overseer!" "To hell with Treas family! Treas is not the only powerful family, there are others out there that rivals yours!" Seeing that there was no way for him to get into Treas''s family good side, then there was no point for him to hide his real intention. "Grandfather please stop this!" Fue placed her hand on top of her chest, pleading. "Shut up! You are of no use to me anymore! You are nothing but a chess piece to expand my influence!" Tears immediately ran down her cheeks as her eyes turned red. She couldn''t believe what she just heard but the reality was in front of her. "You heartless, motherfucker!" Old Dan jerked his ears the moment he heard that but as he glanced around he saw no one seemed to open their mouths. "Ah, handsome thief what are you doing?! You shouldn''t be standing up!" He couldn''t stand straight and his clothing was painted red. His ears, his eyes, all of his orifices bleed yet he glared at the old man in front of him. "You... It''s all because of you! But no matter, I will deal with you later." With a flick of his finger, Dan Hufei retrieved the Returning Jade Stone from her grandaughter''s ring which he took earlier. "Hahaha! Goodb-!" Both of his hands suddenly flew off his arms. "Argh!" Dan was kneeling in pain before a silhouette appeared behind him. "You deserve to die." Her golden hair fluttered before her arm went through the left side of Dan Hufei''s back. His vision blurred as he saw droplets of his blood stained the ground. . His figure slowly slumped down before his eyes went dim. 243 True Divine Realm! It was a large room, bigger than Sylviana''s private chamber. The walls were painted full white with a piece of art adorned on the ceiling. One large chandelier brightened the place as the fire on each candle stood still. The air blew calmly from the large window as the black sky showed its jewelry. Both its curtains danced slowly almost in accordance with the young man''s breathing on the king-sized bed. Lyon was unconscious on top of the bed before his eyebrows twitched slightly. His body was covered by the thick blanket under the bed curtain before he slowly opened his eyes. His vision was a bit blur before he got his focus back. Lifting half of his body up, he placed his hand on his forehead. After slicking back his hair he saw that there was no one inside the room but himself. A table, two chairs, a teacup, two cups, and a human-sized mirror were the only things that accompanied him. "Hmm, did I pass out?" He definitely recalled the event from before, but right at the last moment, his memory blurred. He decided not to think about it before sitting on the side of the bed. "Hmm, yes, of course, I expected this would happen." Getting up from the bed, he took on a short walk to the large window. The wind fluttered his hair as he enjoyed the beautiful view of the cities and the stars. (I wonder how the tournament ended, who won, or is there even any winner). Lyon smiled wryly at his own thought before slightly shaking his head. All that question didn''t need an answer right now. "I wonder where is my grandfather." The more he thought about it, the more bizarre the reality was. At first, he was skeptical if all of this was true but the more he spent the time in this new world, the more it became apparent that he did live before. "To think that I would kill without batting an eye, playing the zither, dare to defy the authorities, yet still stay true to myself." "I wonder what kind of life did I live in." "Is it grandeur, is it beautiful, is it... worth it?" "Heck, what am I talking about! Of course, it was worth it, I mean holy fuck I got three wives! And one of them is already a beautiful devil with a tail!" With a smile on his face, he put his head down before facing the stars above. He put his hand in the air before the reflection of the ring flashed him by. Looking at the ring, his smile turned into a smirk. "I guess it''s a good time to do it." Lyon turned back and walked to an empty space inside the room before sitting down and crossed his leg. "Am I going to break through to the next realm, butt naked! Fuck yeah, I will!" A whisk of pure mana started to encircle his entire body from his ring before it got denser and denser. It wasn''t long before his entire figure was encapsulated by it. (Divine Realm a realm in which the mortal started to shred themselves from mortality. Ha, that much I already know, that''s not hard). However, nothing changed. He didn''t breakthrough yet. (Hmm, what am I missing here). "Ah, of course." "Divine doesn''t mean immortality, it means after death! That''s why the mortals, the cultivators had to divide them by low level, medium level, and high level of Divine Realm, they didn''t understand life and death completely. They have to know what they are willing to die for! But willing is not enough! So they have to literally die to understand death! So basically they got no choices since they only understand one of the two keys." Lyon with his closed eyes, let out a smirk. The mana that surrounding him suddenly moved like a torrent as they were all absorbed into his body. Possessing three channels of absorbing the mana, he got triple the speed of a normal cultivator and his cultivation rose superbly. The mirrors suddenly cracked before blasting away to pieces as the floor started to quake. The thick teacup and its two children both cracked before falling off the table before the ceiling collapsed. ------------------- Meanwhile, Karina, Shen, Ryona, and the others were in the dining room below, albeit Shen was only showing his figure to a selected few. Suddenly a ding sound was heard before everyone''s focus turned to the ringer. "Hello, everyone I hope you all enjoy this banquet as an apology to the regrettable event that happened three days ago." "Once again, as the representatives of Treas family, I, Sophia Treas Alrude, ask for your humble forgiveness." The beautiful lady took a bow before she noticed a ripple on her wine. Ryona and Karina furrowed their eyebrows as they noticed the same thing. Suddenly the quake rose to a dangerous level in a second as chandeliers drop one by one. The ceiling slowly collapsed before the walls did the same. "My Grandson!" Shen immediately flew towards the exit only to see Luna already doing the same thing. Ryona, Jugen, Karina, and the members of the Nostria team immediately followed suit. (Please be safe, please be safe!) thought Luna as she ran through the stairs, through the halls before finally reaching the cracked double door. Without any second thought, the young woman kicked it open and both her and the true dragon immediately went in. Her heart sank as she saw the condition of the room. The window and the ceiling were no more. The bed was inside a pile of rubble. Her knees went weak before it slammed the floor. She stared to the horizon as she muttered, "Please don''t go... please take me with you..." Just as soon as her tears started to build up. "Hah so that''s how it feels to fly, freaking Kyoko enjoying herself in the air, now I can fly and flirt with her hahaha!" Lyon suddenly entered her line of sight albeit only the backside of his. Suddenly his head was hit by a piece of rubble before he raised his eyebrows. "Hmm? Hey who threw that piece of-" His eyes opened wide as he saw Luna already in mid-air, leaping toward him. Lyon immediately caught her before her arms wrapped around his neck. Her face was buried in his bare chest before the bright moon let out it''s blessing toward the couple. "Luna, what''s-" Before he could finish his word, the young woman shut his lips with hers. 244 Know My Secrets Lyon stared dumbfoundedly at the woman who leaped at him without any hesitation. Her eyes were closed as the warmth of her lips ran through his. The purple hair glistered against the full moon and the night sky as he held her gently. He could feel every goosebump on her rose and her heartbeat fasten. The wonderful emotions coagulated in her heart as every fiber of her body wanted to embrace the young man more and more because she knew, she was not the only one who demanded his love. In a blink of an eye. he might be gone, in a blink of an eye, she might be left off. However, for this very moment, she believed that he was here within reach of her arms. (Since when I wonder) thought Luna as her memories surfaced in her mind. His body was wrapped full of bandage, like a mummy or sort. (At first, I thought that you are nothing but a jester sent from heaven then after seeing the result of your test, I saw you as a tool). Placing him under the contract which he happily signed without knowing. Her heart doubted if her plan would ever work. Yet, it did, and it was beyond her expectation. Not only so, but he also brought back something impossible no matter how many times she wished it. Her mother. (Whenever I''m nervous, you were there, whenever I''m in fear, you were there, even the last time, you saved all of us, even the kiss we shared that time). She let go of her kiss before resting her head on top of his bare chest. "Listen, Lyon." Her soft voice made his heart melt as he replied with silence. "Before anyone else come and ruins this moment, I want you to know that." Her eyes gently look at the young man''s eyes before saying with the brightest smile she could ever give to someone. "I still love you and will always love you. Wherever you go, I will follow you, wherever you are I will find you, I might be weak now, but this feeling is even bigger than my cultivation levels." "Besides," Luna suddenly leaned in on his right ear, "I asked my mother about what you are doing back in the bathroom when you comfort me." Lyon''s mouth instantly went agape the moment she finished her sentence. What rollercoaster of emotion did he just felt. "I uh, I can explain!" (Goddamnit, where is everyone else? Oh, those people are hiding behind the walls? I can sense Ryona, Jugen, and the rest but where is Karina? Oh right, I forgot she is an anti-mana cultivator now. But wait a minute! Both Jugen and Ryona are not moving! What happened? It doesn''t seem to be something attacking them either). Behind the walls, Karina pinned down Ryona and closed her mouth with her arms, while simultaneously pinned down Jugen''s neck by her legs. "Y-y-. Both of you need to give them privacy! Don''t just ruin their moment!" "Hehe, I just messing with you," muttered Luna. Lyon could only smile wryly. He had been beaten by this girl, no, woman. She let her head rest once again against his chest, "I hope, you can hold it in, you know, since, you are already poking me... down there." Her face blushed beyond the hue of a tomato, yet knowing so, she still didn''t move away from him. Lyon blushed his face away as he thought (Yeah, I won''t do it with all these people eavesdropping either, though, well, that is debatable but you are making this really hard, like, solid). He suddenly made a fake cough, before he carried her higher and higher. Penetrating the thick clouds before stopping. No matter which directions he saw there was nothing but a fake land made out of clouds. "Luna, if you really love me that much, then you have to know, my secrets, at least what I know about it." Luna slightly opened her eyes with a tinge of a smile on her face. Her heart turned calm yet happy at the same time. The amount of trust, she received from him showered her mind with emotions she loved to keep. "Apparently, I once lived here a long time ago. though I don''t know how long it was. I know it sounds unbelievable but by the miracles after miracles that I make, it''s not impossible, I guess." Luna listened carefully at his every word, along with his heartbeat that her ears were close to. "However, there is one thing that you should know. Luna, I''m already married." She opened her eyes wide as her heart sunk. 245 Take This Hand "I-I''m a bit confused, so you are saying that you''re married before in the past?" asked Luna. Despite the cold wind in the height that they were in, it didn''t bother them in the slightest. Her eyes met with him as she demanded an explanation. "Ah, this is going to be hard to explain but..." Lyon proceeded to recount the event happening back in Nostria back when he met his first wife that came out of nowhere. With every word that he explained the more the stories went absurd but as much as she wanted it to be just a facade, it was real. "So yeah, this ring that I wear, I think it''s my wedding ring. It holds fifty percent of my past power or so she told me. But not only that, when I made a pact with it through my blood, a huge amount of spells came into my mind like a tsunami. Utility magic, support magic, assault magic, defensive magic, I got it all, though, I doubt it''s all the magic in the world." "Even after all that, you still have the other two wedding rings, you need to find right?" "Huh? uh, when you put it that way then, yeah." Lyon looked at Luna whose eyes turned teary but before he could open another word, she put her finger on top of his lips. She then rested her head on his right shoulder as she spoke softly, "You must be pretty strong in the past huh." Lyon didn''t answer her question and let her continue. "All the magic that you performed so far has been really powerful, not to mention that wife of yours casually slit the space and removed the memory of a whole continent about it. You breakthrough like it was nothing, always fighting someone stronger than you, heh, that was really an understatement of your feat." After a light chuckle, she continued with her eyes closed, "I wonder who you were in the past, you must be at the top of the world then." "Luna, I know what you are trying to say, stop it." Luna was surprised by his response but he didn''t give her any chance to question it. Her shoulders were held by his hands as his eyes stared into her. "Don''t let the uncertain past of mine makes you small! You are Luna, a princess of a respectful kingdom. You have pride, you have dignity, you have grace. Just because I''m much powerful than you doesn''t mean that you do not deserve me. There are only two things standing in our relationship, you and me. To hell what everybody said about us in the future, the past or the present!" Her eyes instantly burst into tears before Lyon snapped his fingers. A magic brand instantly formed underneath her feet as she could feel the air was pushing her upward, making her float. He let go of her arms before taking a step away from her. His voice was deep and full of passion as it reverberated the entire horizon. Despite being naked and bare to her eyes, Lyon had not given even a single slight of doubt in his eyes. With tears kept rolling from her organ of sight, she shut them tight. With her hand on her chest, she tried to iron her conviction. Whatever decision she made right now, will change the course of her life or even the entire history of the world itself. (Lyon is an amazing man, despite his shameless act and most of the time being a pervert, when the situation demands it, he came through. Character-wise he might not be the best, but he is still a gentleman in his own way. They say a princess will always fall in love with a hero, but, not this princess! The one I fall in love with is the perverted man in front of me and his name is, Lyon Torga!) Luna opened her eyes as her conviction harden, more than steel. She knew the moment she took his hand, she must be ready against the enormous hardships, the shrouded mystery of the future, and the endless joy and sadness of the two of them. The two hands connected as both parties had smiles on their faces. Lyon immediately pulled her into his arms before kissing her on the forehead. Her clothes started to dissolve into particles like a burning paper without her noticing as she closed her eyes. He suddenly grabbed her chin up before dropping another kiss on her lips. -----NSFW----- His other hand held her slim waist before they slowly spun under the stars with their kiss still intact. The entire sky was their bedroom and the moon was its source of light. In this windowless space, the cold wind rides the skin of their bodies as they instinctively reached out for each other''s warmth. With the clouds as their bed, the couple slowly laid down. Lyon''s eyes met with Luna''s below him. He could see a hint of tension in her expression but a smile was nonetheless planted on her beautiful face. He slowly touched her right cheek with the back of his right hand, cherishing her as the most valuable. "You''re really beautiful, Luna." Hearing his praise, she became bashful before holding the hand that cherished her face. "I-I''m scared," muttered Luna before shaking her head, "N-no, I mean, please, Lyon, make love to me." Lyon was a bit surprised by her being assertive before he nodded with a smile. Clasping his hand against her, he slowly approached her neck and kissed it. Her body felt an electric current running through the surface of her skin as she couldn''t help but moan a little. His kisses continued down south through the valley of her breasts before continuing to the goblet like naval of hers. He stopped the moment he felt his knee a bit wet against her thighs. His face slowly approached hers who was panting and blushing red. She was too embarrassed to see him face to face and the moment she did see him, she looked away. Lyon smiled wryly before she held her chin and slightly turned her face to his before immediately planted his lips on hers. He pushed her knees outward with his before slowly embraced her. She knew what was going to happen so she boldly returned his embrace. Lyon''s waist slowly went down as her hands tighten the embrace. She could feel something was knocking on the door without a lock. The door that she had guarded all her life. His waist went down further as the door started to open and expand. Her body was tense before Lyon suddenly dropped his waist and broke the door that made her a maiden. Her claws embedded on Lyon''s back before she bit his shoulder, "Ngh!" as she opened her eyes wide. Despite the pain, Lyon gently embraced her tight. He could feel the contraction inside her as he let her relax. After a few breaths, Luna''s awareness came back, "S-sorry!". Her head was hung down in front of him despite her arms still embracing his neck. "Don''t be, after this, it only gets better, I promise." "En," nodded Luna albeit nervously. Lyon''s waist started to move slowly as his hands kneaded her breasts. The sloppy sounds of their connections were battling against the sound of the strong wind. His movement slowly increased simultaneously as the woman''s moan. "Ahn, I feel some..." She couldn''t finish her words before Lyon suddenly nibbled on her peach. Her body immediately arced upward as Lyon felt the walls contracted once more, wrapping it like a sheath. After a few seconds, her body went down as her breast heaved up and down. Her face was full of ecstasy as with every breath it was visible to the naked eye. The moment the walls relaxed, Lyon immediately moved again at an even greater pace. The sloppy sounds had finally beaten the strong wind. Her moan was occasionally accompanied by his name and the word of love. With her eyes half opened, she could see that he was panting and the pace he moved his waist was not constant anymore but rising. "Luna!" "Lyon!" Both of them called each other''s names as they entered the climax. She could feel a current filling her womb while the walls were contracting once more, squishing every drop from the shaft. They were panting at each other before Lyon put his forehead on top of hers before saying, "I love you," "I love you too," replied Luna with a smile. They were damped in sweat despite the temperature there. However, Luna was satisfied, both physically or spiritually. This was the epitome of making love, what her mother told her was nothing compared to what she experienced. "Luna..." "Yeah?" "You''re beautiful." "I might not look like a princess right now, right?" "You still are, so that''s why we are going round two." "Eh? Wait, let me- Ahn \u003c3." ------End NSFW----- Time flew by as the moon went up and down as much as the sun. Dawn had come three times and the nightfall had two. The couple was exhausted as they sleep on the broken bed which the rubble the young man easily reduced to dust. Though the bed was cut into two it didn''t bother them. 246 His Name is Lyon Torga Sophia Treas Alrude, one of the overseers of the Crown had already left Mabia and into a world where mana was denser. Right in front of her was a huge double door that led to a magnificent chamber. Only a certain few had entered the said chamber and even fewer exited it. Her heartbeat always rose whenever she was in front of this door. She had met powerful people, made powerful connections, however, she could never calm herself whenever she was here. Though the person behind the door was one of the most important persons in this world, there was not a single guard in sight. The door was not even reinforced with ores and other foreign materials, it was made of sturdy teak wood which any cultivator in this world could break. "It''s not locked, Sophia." She immediately turned rigid before replying, "Y-yes! Pardon me, empress." With one last breath from the outside, she braced herself and pushed the door. The atmosphere was calm and serene, unlike the feelings she had just moments ago. There was not a single object in this chamber that looked menacing or even slightly threatened her being. "Hmm? What are you standing there for, you are here to report about the Crown right?" The woman was sitting behind the desk with a pile of documents on both ends. She carefully looked at them as some of them were signed and some of them were ripped apart. "Yes," answered Sophia as she approached the desk and give her a report from the spatial ring. "Alright then, let''s see who is the candidate for the Throne tournament since the last one died even before finishing it." The woman furrowed her eyebrows, "Hmm, this is surprisingly thin and wow, you lost this much money? Though it''s very rare, these kinds of things do happen sometimes, I guess it''s their fortune." "Yes, I''m sorry." The woman shook her head, "Don''t be sorry, your family has a lot of wealth for this much to even matter." Suddenly the woman let out a sigh as she flipped the files, "Reading data is quite boring, please narrate me about everything regarding the tournament." Sophia nodded, "There was something wild happening in the tournament," "Oh? What''s that?" "Round three did not happen, that''s why the report was thinner than usual." The woman furrowed her eyebrows, "Hmm? How could this be? How did you pick a winner then?" "Empress, I''m sorry, I will start from the beginning. There was this academy that never showed up in the tournament that suddenly did. It was deemed to be the weakest among the five academies but got the invitation via the connection with Van the beastmaster." The woman looked confused before asking, "Who?" "Van the beastmaster, he is one of the overseers." "Oh right, sorry, continue on." "Oh no, Empress please don''t apologize it''s me who should be-" Sophia took a slight bow before continuing, "There was this young man from the said academy that came a little bit... late. The woman noticed the hesitation in her tone and the slight red hue of her face before she jokingly teased her, "Oooh I get it, is Sophia in love? Is that how you choose the winner? Tsk.tsk.tsk. Sophia, you can''t do that you know." "Ah, no I did-!" "Hahaha, I just messing with you!" The woman had a light chuckle before letting her continue. (I''m just too embarrassed to tell you how his entrance was, otherwise you will tease me to death) thought Sophia before making a fake cough to stabilize her tone. "This young man, he was only a Soul Realm cultivator and was deemed to be trash by the crowds until he surprised us all during the measurement test of his strength." "Oh yeah, that rock thingy right? I almost forgot about that one, can you lend me later? I think I make it into an irreversible state now." Sophia smiled wryly, "It''s a, it''s gone." "Excuse me?" "The young man destroyed the stone." "Huh? Hahaha!" The woman laughed as she was expected. Nobody would believe such stories until they experienced them themselves. "I guess even the great Sophia has her flukes at times. That stone could never be broken by a mere Soul Realm cultivator, not even a Godhood Realm cultivator can do that, not even me, yet," said the woman with a hint of a smirk as she said the last part. "So that means." "Yup, he faked it, must be an astonishing show there. Ah! I wish a was there to see it." "Grr, that handsome thief I swear." "Oooh so he has a nickname now, help me, Sophia, I''m doubting your neutrality here." "Akh, please don''t, it''s just an honest mistake." "Hahaha, don''t fret about it, I''m just messing with you." She wanted to be angry but didn''t dare to do so., hence she recounted the whole event of round one and two, including the act of the overseer that endangered the whole tournament. The woman''s face had to interchange expressions as she heard the tale of the young man. "He did that? Hmm, this young man is such an inspirational figure, isn''t he? Quite shameless but inspirational nonetheless," mused the woman as she rubbed her chin. (Ah, I forgot to mention his perverted acts) thought Sophia. "But the grandson of a true dragon you say? That''s a very rare case there. Hmm, a human with a true dragon grandfather huh." Sophia stood silent as she looked at the woman standing up from her chair and slowly walked away toward a painting. She suddenly let out a smile that every goddess jealous of, "It reminds me of someone." "Ah, that''s right, this might be unbelievable but this young man''s face is almost identical to the man in the painting." The woman''s eyes opened wide, as she stared at the man in the painting who was depicted to be in a standoff against a giant golem. Despite the difference in sizes, the man was smirking against the big foe in front of him. "His name is... L-Lycan? I think, wait, let me check the report-" "Lyon Torga," the woman answered. "Ah, that''s right, but Empress, how did you know his name, you don''t even read all the files." The woman put her hands behind her back, as he looked at the man''s face in the painting, "Of course, I know the name." Hidden from Sophia''s view, the woman''s tears quickly rolled across her cheek with a grin on her face. 247 The Question The night sky slowly turned blue as the source of light emerged and illuminated the world. The stars lost its shine as they dimmed away and hid behind the traversing clouds. The birds started to chirps their song with a soft allure of a tone. On a room that only half of its entity remained, the ray of the sun slowly crept up and revealed a broken bed that was split into two. One half was close to the door while the other one was at the edge of the room, on a dangerous slope, overlooking the view of a town. The young man who slept at the one on the edge of the room was sleeping soundlessly with his lower body covered by a ripped blanket while the woman was sleeping peacefully on the other one. The creaking sound of a door being pushed slowly was unheard by the two of them as a small creature nonchalantly entered the disastrous room. It''s four paws traced the place before another creature piqued its interest. It was a butterfly of beautiful mixed color. Every time the butterfly flapped its wings, a glitter would occasionally appear. The creature took an interest as its eyes opened wide in aw. The curiosity within it was uncontrollable as it approached the butterfly. It roamed freely, it flies freely, before landing on top of the young man''s nose. Seeing the opportunity, the creature laid its body low before stalking the butterfly from a blind spot. Slowly yet elegantly, the creature made it to the top of the bed, it crawled as close as one single breath was enough to scare the butterfly away. The creature raised one of its paws before its sharp claws were visible and reflected the light of the sun. With one quick swing, there was only the sound of a sliced wind and a small dispersing glitter in the air left. Seeing the butterfly was no more, the creatures rest on top of the young man''s chest. "Wu wu wu wu." The creature made a low bark before settling its head on his shoulder. The young man''s lips suddenly turned upward before muttering, "Hehehe, Luna, are you sure we are going to use that role play, I mean, I''m not complaining." His body suddenly turned right as he hugged the creature tight. It opened its eyes wide before it could feel the bed slightly moved. "Wu! Wuwuwuwu!" The young man slowly opened his eyes, "Huh? Wait, Fenrir? Why are you here?" "Wu!" "Wait are we sliding? Fuck we are sliding! Quick Fenrir hold on to me!" The moment the young man was about to get up, his face turned grim. His smile was like a broken machine, turning on and off. "I-uh, hehe, I can''t feel my waist." "Wu!" "Quick Fenrir! Use your claw! Embed it to the slope!" Fenrir quickly jumped and do as he was told. Despite his small size, the wolf packed some muscles inside those chibi legs. "Great! Now then All I need to do is, Hah!" The moment he tried to grab Fenrir''s tail, it suddenly moved upward to his disbelieve. His eyes opened wide at the betrayal in midair before he furrowed his eyebrows and roared his lung, "YOU SON OF A BITCHHHHHH!" Lyon and the already broken bed crashed to the ground below, alerting the passersby. Luna who woke up from the shout noticed that Lyon and his bed were nowhere to be seen. She quickly wrapped her naked self and see down the edge of the cliff only to see Fenrir crying. "Ah Fenrir! Here grab my arm!" The little wolf quickly ran up and settled himself on her shoulder. "There, there, it''s alright," Luna patted the little wolf before she could sense his breathing started to calm down. She then peeked down below to see Lyon was already being surrounded by a crowd. "Wow, what happened? Hey young man are you alright?" said a passerby. "Hah, the husband must be coming home early there hahaha!" said another. "Or he was caught cheating by his wife! Hahaha!" Luna smiled wryly from above and muttered, "L-let''s leave him be, I''m sure he''s fine, it''s not the first time he showed up naked to public." The woman turned back before walking with a slight wobble, "Ah, my hips, damn that guy didn''t show mercy and just burned his entire lust in me." Lyon muttered, "H-help me, I think, I think I broke my penis." ----------------------- Two hours later. ----------------------- "Thank you, never thought that you of all people would help me out of that situation," said Lyon who was already wearing a bathrobe to cover himself. "I don''t need you to thank you, there is something that I want to know." "Cold as always, ask away," said Lyon as he picked up a warm tea on the table. "Did you kill the first prince?" 248 Impossible! In one of the rooms inside an inn in Mabia was two people sitting across each other. The young man wore nothing but a bathrobe while the young woman wore her battle attire. Her sword was hidden yet her eyes showed how sharp it was. Despite being in the presence of such a capable woman, the young man didn''t feel any sense of nervousness, all he could feel was the warm tea running through his throat. "Ah, such a bland tea, I don''t feel anything but water inside my mouth," said the young man before putting the cup on the table. "Answer my question, Lyon, stop stalling," said the woman with her eyes sharpened. "Yes, I killed him," answered Lyon. The woman suddenly stood and cupped her hand, "Then I offer my gratitude." Lyon was surprised at this weird twist. He expected some retaliation or at least some questions but not direct gratitude. "You must be confused as to why I did this." Lyon shook his head, "Everyone has their reasons, it may be dark, it may not be the truth, but everyone has their reasons. I know you have your reasons, Chloe." Chloe was surprised at his reply before smiling wryly at her own thought. "Despite your childish act, you are actually mature in some aspect." Lyon smiled, "Your sister must be pretty important to you huh?" Chloe shook her head, "You''re wrong, I don''t care about her nor the other relative, however, I do owe father his time of nurturing me." Lyon could only speculate what happened between the king and the first prince. After a train of thought, he decided to drop the matter. The conflict was over, there was only time to be wasted if he brought that up again. "So, what are you going to do now Chloe?" Chloe closed her eyes and turned her back, "What does that matter to you? Maybe when we meet again, I will be stronger, or maybe we will be enemies." She walked away to the door before Lyon said, "Maybe we will be lovers then." Her pace stopped right in front of the door before saying, "Is my sister not enough for you?" "Well, we too have special connections as well, we share a kiss remember," said Lyon before he stood up with his hands behind his back. "We don''t share a kiss, you took a kiss, what we share were fists and kicks." "Like husband and wife right?" Chloe opened the door before muttering, "Goodbye." Lyon shook his head with a smile on his face. He could feel that they most probably will meet again in the future. "I wonder what would happen then." He flicked his fingers as his usual set of clothes appeared in front of him. His compressed clothes felt like home as his refined muscle was hugging it tightly, yet, the air still got in to breathe his skin. The golden-cloud pattern on his black sarong matched perfectly against the contour of his legs as he slowly floated. "Hahahaha!" Shen slowly revealed himself perching on Lyon''s right shoulder with his long whiskers ever waving. "Don''t be too hasty now, your cultivation level is still low in my eyes. though you can try slicing it, it won''t be big enough for you to get in." Lyon sighed, "If you say that then it must be true." "Take it slowly, always make a step and even a mountain can be conquered. Those who only stood still will get nowhere but his own soles." "Yes, grandpa." Shen nodded before Lyon descended. "It''s time to meet the others." However, before Lyon moved an inch from his spot, the door was pushed open. Lyon immediately furrowed his eyebrows as he could feel the atmosphere getting heavy. "Hide grandpa," he muttered. Shen nodded before disappearing from any sight. A black boot stepped inside before a figure of a well-built man appeared in front of his eyes. His face was hidden by an expressionless mask with a pair of uneven horns. Lyon could see his blonde hair but the rest was covered. Clad in all black including his gloves, the man crossed his arms as he faced him. "Oh, how the fate turned out to be," said the man with a laugh. "Judging by your clothes and your tone, are you perhaps one of those assassins?" asked Lyon with a smirk on his face. "Ah, you got a good memory. Yes indeed, I was one of those behind the clouds at the time," answered the masked man. "I see, then your objective is quite obvious," said Lyon. "I like it when my target is understanding the situation, however, this time is quite special with the trickery of a being called fate." "Oh? Amuse me then." The man opened his arms, "Gladly. You see, every time this tournament is held, there will be a single winner to proceed to the next grander tournament. However, every time the winner is picked, this particular region never gets its winner to proceed to the said tournament. Now, why is that?" Lyon nonchalantly answered, "Because you always killed the winner." "Exactly! Every time we have a contractor who wanted to kill the winner. Now, of course, I can''t go into the details since I am a professional, but I can tell you that we always make the case as an accident to the public." "Accident?" "Mana deviation, alchemy explosion, killed by a demon beast. you name it. But then again, I never thought the winner of the tournament this time is you, a Soul Cultivator. However, you, you are a special Soul Cultivator, I''ve seen your action on top of the tower myself. So I know you won''t die just by one attack from me right? Ah please make this entertaining, killing god-level talent such as you is always mesmerizing!" "Hahahahaha!" Lyon laughed with his crossed arms to the mask man''s disbelief. "Oh I get it, you are now depressed with no way out, but don''t worry! I will make this a bit entertaining, for me that is!" "You are really stupid aren''t you," said Lyon with a smile. "What do you-" his word''s stuck in his throat as his eyes stared in disbelief. The Soul Cultivator he was talking to slowly risen without any hint of magic. "You said it yourself, a god-level talent, what makes you think I will stay at Soul Realm for long?" The masked man suddenly made his stance as a cold sweat started to appear on his forehead. "Impossible! You must be at least an early level of High-Divine Realm, to float! It''s not even a year since I last saw you! That''s impossible!" (Damn it, I can''t sense his level! Impossible! Impossible! Is he of a higher level than me?!). "Hmph! Since you''re here to kill me, then I must return the favor as a host!" Lyon''s entire body slightly vibrated before he brutally disappeared in front of the mask man''s sight. The masked man''s felt a stinging pain as he opened his eyes wide. His head slowly tilted down and saw a red blood sword had pierced through his chest. He could feel the blood rushed to his mouth before finally made its way out like a streaming waterfall. "Y-you think, you...have killed me.. but." The masked man snapped his finger before a Returning Jade Stone appeared in both of his hands. 249 Scheming is Not a Dragons skill! Lyon furrowed his eyebrows, but he didn''t have a moment to spare. He had only one sword in his hand, and it already embedded the masked man''s gut, so cutting them both at the same time would be difficult considering his opponent''s level. Lyon immediately let go of the sword before he made a horse stance. (If I can''t cut it both in time, then-). His eyes looked at the biceps of his opponent before launching a heavy finger-point thrust on both of them. "Now," said the masked man. Everything will be decided in this very second, and he chose not to give it up that easily. "Aargh!" the masked man screamed in agony as his biceps were thorned, not even the specialized clothing of his organization could reduce the force Lyon was throwing. Despite so, he was still standing on his two feet. Lyon put out a smirk, "I see that you are an assassin, your quick-witted thinking is worthy of your profession." The masked man''s hands were dangling down with blood kept pouring from the gruesome wounds. "I''m not worthy of your praise," he had a smile on his face even though he was going to die. "Ho? What''s the sudden change?" asked Lyon with a smile. "In this life of mine, I killed a few geniuses in my career. Some even said that I was responsible for a declining world, I took all of that as praise for my work. However, in those that I killed, not even one of them had half of your talent!" said the masked man with a cough in between sentences. Lyon shook his head with a smile, "Alright, let''s get to a more serious topic here. Where can I find your base?" The masked man''s smiled wryly, "With your talent and unknown arsenals, you will find it on your own. Don''t you agree?" "I wouldn''t say that I cannot find it in the future but it would be faster if you can just tell me. Besides, I have the means to extract your information and all of your memory, by force," said Lyounus as he crossed his arm. The masked man stretched his lips wide as he couldn''t detect any lies inside those eyes that were looking him down. (How scary, this prodigy, no, this demon!). It was as if the young man in front of him was nothing but a being out of this world and the only thing that''s halting his cultivation growth was probably time itself. "Do you know what I have more than you?" chuckled the masked man. Lyon furrowed his eyebrows. He felt something was odd with his opponent''s confidence. "Experience!" shouted the masked man as he stomped the floor with his right foot. A broken stone was heard as the jade-colored chunks vanished to thin air. His figure was instantly enveloped by a jade light to Lyon''s disbelief. "Then, you talk to me to divert the already clueless me by talking as if you are about to die. It is my mistake." The masked man who heard this had his eyes opened wide at Lyon''s analytic prowess. Behind the enveloping light, he said, "Scary, you are really scary! Despite my profession, I must admit that I fear you more than anyone in the group!" "Scarlet," Lyon whispered, "feed the blood of your enemies." The masked man immediately felt his strength was getting weaker. His body was reduced to almost a muscleless state as his eyes dilated. He could feel his bone started to touch his skin from inside. "Hurry up!" The light was finally compressed before it launched itself to the roof and beyond, leaving the red sword fell on the floor. Lyon could only look at the trails it left behind before retrieving his weapon with a single thought. He crouched down before Shen revealed himself. "Why did you let him live? I know you noticed the stone beside his right foot all along," asked Shen. Lyon shook his head, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, grandpa. I need him to live in that state so that he could go back to his base." "Hmm? What for?" asked Shen. In his thought, killing the assassin and extracting the information would be more efficient for his grandson. "I need him to live so that he knows I am a threat. C''mon grandpa I''m sure you know this already," answered Lyon. "Hey, I''m not that cunning rat, so I uh, less verse about schemes or poisons... or formations... or talismans. Goddamnit! He knew almost everything but brute force." Lyon raised his eyebrows at the words his grandfather said. He was sure he was talking about one of the twelve beings that raised him back in his past life. His eyes glimmered with excitement at the thought of such a being. Seeing his excited eyes, the true dragon sighed, "Alright, alright, I will give you a line you like the most back in the day you were taught by him." "Eh? There is such a thing?!" asked Lyon as he stood straight with expectation written all over his face and a returning jade stone in his right hand. "Yeah of course there is, I mean, you always said it all the time. In lunches, dinners, breakfast, now that I remember it, god I swear to the all-heaven I will smack that rat one day!" cursed Shen as he remembered the old days. After a fake cough, he continued, "Now then, the phrase I think it was ''In front of my wisdom, I don''t need my finger lifted to defeat you.'' or something along the line." "In front of my wisdom, you have zero chance of victory," said Lyon with a tinge of pride on his face. "Uwaah! It''s so cool!" shouted Lyon as he slightly squatted his body and clenched his fists. Suddenly a crack sound was heard. "Shit," said both of them. 250 The Presence They all wore some sort of cover, a mask, a veil, a cloak, anything that hid their identity. It was the unwritten law of this place. A figure was seen from the entrance of the tower. At first glance, it was unknown if it''s a woman or a man. It got off from a horse before tapping the butt and let the stallion ran through the desert alone. The gaze of the surroundings was on the figure but they knew best not to mess with anyone in this place. The figure made it''s way to the receptionist desk where two masked cultivators stood behind the counter. The figure nodded at one of them before giving a piece of paper with a red seal on it. The masked man noticed the rough hand of the figure and could easily determine that he was dealing with a man. The masked cultivator read the paper before nodding, "Ah yes, loyal customer, I see that you are here to complete the payment for your annual contract?" The figure nodded before taking out a simple pouch and placed it on top of the desk. The glimmers from the entrance of the pouch attract even those beside him, but they could only swallow their saliva and imagined. The masked man tried to reach the pouch before his hand was slapped away by the figure, "I hope things are settled as usual?" "Ah, yes, of course! As usual, one of the Abyss is personally taking care of your contract. It should be done by tomorrow if not later tonight," said the masked man. The figure nodded before crossing his arms and let him count the numbers inside the pouch. "Right, the numbers are correct, thank you for your patronage!" said the masked man as he stamped a blue seal on top of the red one. The figure left the tower before he whistled in the empty desert. Soon enough a galloping horse was coming at him with full force. With one swift movement, the man rides the stallion to the horizon. "That guy, came every year if not two, and the contract is always the same," mused the masked man beside the one that attended the figure. "My hunch tells me that is about politics, rather than satisfaction. However, if it''s about politics, can he just ask us to eliminate his rival? So confusing." "Maybe he cannot afford the price? Or maybe they don''t believe that our forces can eliminate this rival of his." "Hahaha, we have our Ten Abyss, I don''t think there would be anyone that they cannot kill." "Yeah, but, have you heard, I heard the others are planning a coup against the 1st Abyss." "Shh! You shouldn''t talk about that! If you want to die, don''t drag me!" Inside a room labeled, ''10th''. Two servants were already kneeling on both knees and in wait for their master''s return. The room was quite spacious and tidy, it even had a mini landscape of a mountain. The floor was made out of tatami and the lingering scent of tea permeated the room. Bright candles were placed on each edge of the room and another one in the middle. However, a bed was nowhere in sight. A jade light suddenly entered the room. The duo servants immediately tensed up before kowtowing, "Welcome home, master!". "Hurry, both of you! Call the 3rd Abyss!" The servants were startled by the shout before glancing at their master. Their eyes opened wide as they saw the state the man in front of them was. His arms were both wasted, his legs were almost meatless and his hair started balding. His mask dropped on its own, revealing a malnutrition face, almost as if his face was aging rapidly. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" His shout woke his servants from a state of shock before they scurried over and left the room. He struggled to breathe as he looked up the ceiling. His eyes slowly opened and closed. He knew he was close to death and managed to escape with a breath left. (What monster has the world gave birth to) thought the man before he smiled, "All the more reason to kill him, ah I can only imagine the feeling!" The man furrowed his eyebrows, "Come in." The two servants entered the room before kowtowing, "Master, the 3rd Abyss only gave us this pill." The pill was yellow in color and there was no hint of other impurities on the pill. A perfect and stabilized pill, it was certainly made by an alchemist expert. "She didn''t even bother to visit little old me? Heh, cold as always. Tell me though, did she concoct this?" Both nodded, "Y-Yes, it was magical, master, she even did it while half asleep." "Leave me," said the man before he swallowed the pill and closed his eyes. A burst of rejuvenating energy immediately ran through his body. He could feel the fibers of his muscle were regenerating as his body slowly but surely returned to normal. His entire body glowed and his figure slightly suspended in midair. Seeing their master recuperating, the two servants left the room. As soon as they opened the door, a jade light passed between them unnoticed. "Amazing! Amazing! 3rd Abyss''s Alchemy is uncontended! Hahaha! I feel like I''m going to break through any moment! I feel-?!?!" He opened his eyes wide and cold sweat drenched his face. A presence, a familiar presence that brought him fear and joy was standing behind him right at this moment. A hand immediately covered his mouth like a claw of a tiger. He couldn''t even struggle with his state right now, like dead fish on a chopping board. (No! This is not supposed to happen! Why are you here?! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!). A blood-red sword thrust through his heart. Shattering his hope of killing the monster-like genius. His body slowly slumped down as his vision turned dimmer and dimmer. Lyon let go of his grip and let the dead man rest in peace. 251 Accept or Reject? The deadweight on the floor was nothing sort of average, he was one of the best assassins the tower could offer, yet the murderer didn''t even know this fact. All he knew was that he tried to kill him and their group was probably on a hunt for a mother and daughter he tried to protect. Lyon scratched his head, "Now what, this was not supposed to happen." "But it did happen, no time to regret it now," said Shen on his shoulder. He lightly bit his thumb as he scanned the room he was in. Despite the occupation of the assailant, the room was pretty neat to his liking. "I don''t think it would be a great idea to just storm through like usual, this time the enemies are not stupid neither weak." He recalled the event in which he was fighting against probably the big boss in this place. He barely scratched the surface of his skin at the time, not to mention that he had followers. Now that he didn''t have another Returning Jade Stone at his disposal, escaping them would be a miracle. Lyon raised his eyebrow as he noticed a mask on the floor. Picking up the hope to get out of this place, he wiped off the blood before wearing it on his face. He knew that this cover was not enough thus he scavenged the body for a spatial ring. "He must have some cloaks or something." He found the spatial ring in one of the corpse''s finger before pulling it off. With a thought, he took a good look at the spatial warehouse. He found some weapons, pills, armor, a piece of paper, and more useless things. "Ah, there it is, a cloak." It was made with a piece of fabric that covered his entire figure except for the mask. From the materials, it seemed almost the same as the one he was wearing underneath. "Do you think this is going to work?" asked Shen. "We don''t have a choice, I must find my way back, Luna must be worried." The true dragon smiled wryly at his grandson, in this time of urgency where his life might be at stake, he worried about something different entirely. He nodded before his figure became transparent. Lyon approached the door before he halted, he felt a presence, three to be exact. Two were standing guard on the door while the other one was running toward this room. (This is not good! I don''t know what his personality is like yet!). "Ah, 9th Abyss sir, please, the master is still recuperating from an injury¡ª" One of the servants was interrupted by the door being slid open by Lyon before he took a step forward while closing it slowly. The man in front of him wore the same mask as his and there was no way of differentiating it between both of them. Unlike Lyon, the man was a head taller than him and there was not any unique way to identify the man in front of him other than the height. "Ah, master you are¡ª" "Tenth, is good that you are here, everyone else is waiting for your arrival, the meeting is about to start." Lyon nodded in response only to get a crossed arms in reply. (He is suspecting something). The man shook his head, before running through the hall. Lyon didn''t have a moment to waste before following behind him. The best bet he could do now was to follow through with whatever fate threw at him. The hall was quite bright with a natural window in the wall for every five steps. He noticed that they were running in a spiral before they reached the top of the floor where there was a round table set in the middle of an open room. He could see another stair leading up as he thought (That must be the room where I wrecked the place). The seats were already numbered on the back and he knew where he belonged, however, the number nine said that the others were already here yet he saw no one but both of them. (Is he going to kill me?). Lyon''s body was tensed before a voice reverberated through the room. "I see that you all here, please take a seat." Like a shadow pouring into a wine glass, figures after figures instantly sat on their respective seats without slightly disturbing the airflow in the open room. Lyon palpitated, he was sure there was no place to hide in this place yet, here they were sitting right in front of him. They all wore the same mask and only their figure was different (So this is what real assassins'' capability). "Tenth, why are you nervous? I could hear your heartbeat from here." Lyon glanced at the familiar masked man who was sitting right in the opposite of his. The big boss he once exchanged blows with. Only he had a different mask than the others. "That might be my doing, I was concocting a pill for him, it might be the side effect." Lyon landed his gaze at the voice which helped him bailed out of the situation. From the feature of her figure, it was definitely a woman, in her prime. He slightly recalled that he did saw a beautiful woman back then when he was here, though of course, her face was covered with a mask. "Alright then, we are going to talk about the vacant spot the 7th Abyss left us a while ago," he looked at Lyon, "I know you''ve been eyeing on a higher spot." Lyon gulped at the gaze the leader gave him. (What should I answer, should I accept it, should I reject it? What does it mean if I accept it?! Shit). 252 Chance of Freedom "I disagree." He let out a sigh of relief inwardly before gazing at the source of the voice. From the voice, it was easy to detect that the assassin who rejected his ascension was a male. His figure was slender and by the looks of it, he was probably the tallest of them all. "Oooh? 8th, I can see your reason from miles away, but if I recall correctly, the position of a higher rank does not interest you," the leader''s voice turned deep, "why now?" Lyon couldn''t read their expressions behind the mask nor the slight movement of their body language. (Looks like this organization has some infighting). The 8th Abyss opened his arms, "The reason is not that I''m eyeing the 7th spot, but rather the 10th skill that is inadequate." The leader clasped his hands, "You have a point, then what do you suggest we do then?" "Of course, it''s going to be a test, a test to prove his worthiness." "A test? You mean to fulfill a contract worthy of a 7th Abyss level ?" "I believe that is the best solution, and I know everyone else agrees with me," the slender man took a glance at the others but their expressions of agreeing and disagreeing were well hidden to the public. (Really? They look like they don''t give a shit to me). "Sadly, the contract of such level is not currently available," answered the leader. "Then the slot must be left vacant¡ª" "Now, now, don''t be so hasty. Killing cultivators are not the only job we do you know," said the leader with a smirk before he put his hands on top of the table. Like a magic trick, he flipped his hands, and a piece of paper appeared on each palm. "Here I have a bounty on a demonic beast while the other one was to steal an item, both are dangerous quests with a certain degree of death." "What will you choose?" (Are you sure?! Isn''t this too convenient?!). Lyon touched his chin as he contemplated. He didn''t know the exact pros and cons of each contract and he couldn''t ask him in this situation but he needed to make a quick decision to avoid suspicion. Without much thought, he chose the one for thievery. The leader smiled before rolling the contract into a scroll and threw it across the table under everyone''s watchful eyes. Just as Lyon caught it, the leader said, "Dismissed!" The assassins instantly disappeared from their seats leaving not a single traceable object. Lyon was baffled by their skills but the contract in his hand was now more important. This was the ultimate ticket to getting out of here however, he knew better that he must not open this in an open area like this. The snake whizzed as it couldn''t move further. Its entire body squirmed before it realized its neck was clamped by a transparent claw that slowly revealed itself. "Measly worm." Shen destroyed the snake into bits of lights before becoming transparent again. "Thanks, grandpa!" "Anytime!" Lyon realized that if the snake bit his neck then he was forced into a contract that he didn''t know what it was about. Usually, this kind of high-end contract would bind one life to a task and it was more dangerous than just killing an emperor of a world. He furrowed his eyebrows as he read the content of the contract. The more he read it the more his face turned confused. He tried to turn the paper around but there was no writing on the other side. He immediately took a sit with his fingers tapping the floor as he contemplated. "This has turned into quite a mess, what did I get myself into this time." Lyon let out a sigh before he stood up, "I guess, there is no choice, to the top floor it is." He immediately left the room and made his way back to the round table but this time, he was going upstairs, to the room where the leader resided. Standing in front of the door, a voice from inside already spoken, "It''s not locked." Lyon gulped his saliva, though if a battle must happen he was confident enough not to die by his hands. At the very least, he wouldn''t die that easy. He slowly pushed the door open and a fresh scent of jasmine immediately lingered in his nose. His mind immediately turned to relax and his heartbeat slowed down. "You like the smell? It''s a new incense I found in the black market," the leader continued, "please, sit down." Lyon noticed that the wrecking he did to the place was nowhere to be seen as if he was never there. The reparation speed was astonishing, considering that he blew off the entire roof. Begrudgingly, he took a seat right in front of the desk. "Let''s get down to business shall we." The leader casually waved his hand before he sealed the entire space in the room. "Oh? You''re not even nervous, is it because of the aroma or is it because of your latent talent," the leader continued with a breath, "but that was how I wanted to be." Lyon could only look at him, his voice was distinctively different from the original 10th Abyss. He was once again stuck in a dilemma. "You must be wondering why I summon you here, why is the content of the contract was to meet me here." Lyon kept his silence. "However, we are the same, you and I, we are both liars, it is part of the job." The leader took a seat behind the desk as he clasped his hands. His eyes deep stared into Lyon''s as he said, "I know you are not the original 10th Abyss." 253 Negotiation "Don''t worry, no need to be so tense, even though they considered me the best assassin in the world, I still no match for some individuals. But forget about me, the reason that you are here means that the contract has been accepted, albeit forced," the leader chuckled. Lyon smirked under the mask. Though the man in front of him was an assassin of a different caliber he still had some flaws in his attention to detail. "The heavens must have sent you here to me, the fact that you can kill one of the Abyss is already proof of your skill. I need you to help me, uproot the coup my followers are planning, at least some of them. This means that you will be inevitably fighting against some of those monsters if it comes to that." (Even the leader praised the soon to be ex-followers of his). "Don''t we have like another ally? It couldn''t be just the two of us against them, could it?" asked Lyon. By the sheer number and the power they had, he didn''t think they had much chance to overturn the situation when the time came. The leader appeared to be furrowing his eyebrows. He seemed to realize something odd about Lyon''s voice. A tinge of familiarity perhaps. "Sadly, we did have one, but alas I realized it too late. He was the first one to find out about the coup the others are plotting against me. His death was kept hidden, no, his death was faked as an accident of breaking the contract. That was until I investigate it personally not so long ago. I don''t know which one of them or it might be more than one of them that killed him, however, what I do know is that the 7th Abyss is one of those that planned a coup. "Until recently, he was scouting, searching for a certain mother and daughter that could possibly blow his cover to me. As you might have guessed, they were his wife and daughter. For many years now, he hunted them like prey whilst being on the job until he met a certain fortune-teller, she is a talented fortune-teller I have to admit. Then through her expensive service, the location was most definitely revealed to him." Lyon''s mind was immediately occupied with an image of a sweet girl he met by fate. Under the tasteless water did they meet. A house only opened to the invited, a girl cursed by her own mother. To the masses, it sounded cruel but it was more merciful than being killed by an assassin, an enemy of her father. He was the first friend she ever made and her tears would ignite the fury inside him that could burn even the deepest of hell. "Elize..." Lyon muttered. The leader squinted his eyes as he heard what Lyon said. (Don''t tell me! Hahaha! Of course! Of course, you are!). "Astonishing!" exclaimed the leader, "your growth is astonishing! It''s beyond miraculous! To the point it''s frightening, threatening to the world itself! I wonder how many blows can we exchange right now." "If we were to go all out, this place would be nothing but dust, though, with your caliber you would still be alive albeit barely," said Lyon. The leader smirked, "I don''t take a threat lightly you know, know your place!" His eyes turned sharp as killing intent rain down on Lyon''s figure. However, he immediately retracted it before it went longer than two seconds. He released a breath of relief as he realized something in that short window of time. (His body didn''t turn rigid, not even a flinch! I killed probably thousands of high-ranked cultivators, but he didn''t even feel anything? Who are you exactly?). The leader took a peek at his shaking fingers and smiled inwardly (Would you look at that, I can''t remember when was the last time I''m getting nervous). "As you might have known already, us fighting would benefit no one but your hidden opposition. So let''s make a deal instead," said Lyon with a smirk. The leader kept his emotion and heartbeat in check before replying, "Oh? That''s interesting, why should I make a deal with someone already bound by my contract?" "That''s because I''m not," answered Lyon as he slightly bent his neck and showed his clean skin. The leader was baffled (How can this be?! There is no magic brand on his neck?! Did the contract fail?). Lyon knew on the negotiation table, they were now equal. One must strike the iron while it''s still hot. "I ask that you give me the identity so that I could come and go as I please in this place." The leader looked relaxed as he leaned back on his chair, "Doable, I was about to do that anyway." "Secondly," "Second?" "I want full access to your information bank." "Hah, don''t push your luck." The leader laughed as he pulled out a drawer on his right side. There were stackable papers and one spatial ring on top of it. He closed the drawer before pulling the one under it. There was a dagger with unknown engravings on its blade. He took the dagger and placed it on top of the desk. "I want you to hold on to this." Lyon looked at the fancy dagger with interest. He touched the hilt and there was no reaction whatsoever but he kept having a hunch that this little weapon held something extraordinary. "I see that you like the dagger, that''s good then." Lyon furrowed his eyebrows, "What is the reason behind this?" "Either that or no deal." "What makes you think I can trust an assassin''s word? Especially you." "You have no choice." "Then I guess I will make my second demand." "You still want to gain something? Hahaha, let''s hear it then." Lyon''s eyes turned sharp, "I want to have all the information you have regarding a group called Legion." 254 Two Servants The dead man tells no tales, there was no way of extracting memory from a corpse. He let out a sigh before he muttered a spell and a magic brand encapsulated the corpse. The entire figure slowly disintegrated into bits of light until there was no trace of it anymore. "You two, come inside," said Lyon as he sat cross-legged. The servants slowly opened the door before entering the room with their heads hung down. Their body was slightly nervous and their voice stuttered. "Y-yes, master?" said the servants. "Don''t look down, look at me, I want to see your faces as you will see mine," said Lyon. The two servants had their body shook, their master never allowed them to give their face before. They immediately kowtowed and said, "We are sorry master! Please don''t kill us!" Lyon gave them a wry smile. They were without a doubt an obedient servant but the life of a servant was never enjoyable. Not only their body and mental was at the mercy of the master, they seemingly had no future besides dying and being used. "Don''t kneel in front of me, you two please stand up and give me your names for your old master is dead." The servants were shocked by his revelation. They thought it was odd that their master''s voice was a bit different but in what power did they have to question him. They all knew that the old master was still recuperating, they saw it in their eyes, they were the one who gave him the pill. However, the reality was right in front of them as they saw a new face currently sitting where the old master used to sit. "You are, twins?" asked Lyon. He noticed that they had an identical face and it was hard to differentiate one of them without the left having a little mole beside his mouth. They were young, most definitely younger than him and the clothing they wore had grown shabby. "W-we are but a servant, we have no names, m-master," said the one with a mole. Lyon furrowed his eyebrows, "Then what about your parents? Didn''t they gave you names?" The right one bit the under lip as his head hung down before the left one answered dejectedly, "The old master, he killed them before they could." "Was it a contract?" asked Lyon. The pride of an assassin lies in the job they made sure done. "No, they were a witness." Lyon let out a sigh once again. They were there at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Only fate could be blamed for their demise. "By any chance, do you still kept your parents'' corpse?" "Ack! You must be thinking about perverted stuff didn''t you!" Lyon pointed at them both as if he was not the one that raised the suspicion. His face turned smug as if he discovered their secrets. He was unaware that the one who started all their dark thoughts, was him all along. The two servants became embarrassed as a shade of red appeared on their blossoming cheeks. Living in this place had taught them many unpleasant experiences, they had witnessed some of the most gruesome ways of torturing a cultivator. It was not a surprise that they would always think about the worst outcome. However, before the two of them could apologize for their natural response. Lyon stood up and opened his arms. "You are now free, bound to no one." "Give yourself a name," Lyon bellowed, "live yourself a life!" The two servants looked confused, they were unfamiliar with the words he said. They kept muttering the wisdom they received in front of Lyon''s bewildered expression. However, no matter how many times they recite it, they still didn''t understand the meaning. To them, freedom was a word made of a dream while life was a word made to serve. The two words contradict inside their simple minds. Their body was trained to be a servant, their whole life was spent perfecting the skills. They had no cultivation nor they needed it. They couldn''t defend themselves that''s why they stay put. To serve meant to eat, to eat meant to live. Lyon slowly put his palm on his face. (Man, this is going to be a pain to explain). "Right, listen up you two, you don''t have to serve me, if I ever wanted a servant it would be a woman anyway hahaha! But, with the way you are now, certainly, you two would be dead if I just let you go in the wild." Lyon hums as he contemplated. (The two of them do not know the concept of freedom, well, it''s not that it''s necessarily a bad thing but). "You know what, come with me when I went out of this place, I will make sure your safety throughout our journey. You might learn a thing or two during our slight adventure, but at the end of our destination I want you two to meet a good friend of mine, she will surely teach you how to become a proper servant if you really wanted it." He suddenly becomes intoxicated by the feeling when he first met the invincible maid. Short purple hair and her wonderful fit figure. The moment she revealed her unhealed scar, all of the memories were coming back. The two of them looked surprised, "But master, we are but a servant, surely you¡ª" "What? Ashamed? Please, you don''t know the word." Lyon suddenly recalled how he first got into this cultivation world. His body instinctively shivered. 255 The Best Assassin The two servants were startled before they followed behind him in a calm manner. They had nothing to be brought with them as what they all had was the clothing they wore. Worried and uncertainty was apparent on their faces. The outside world, they only heard of it from the old master. It was cruel and beautiful at the same time. Those with inadequate strength will be nothing but a bug to squash on the street but those who do will have fortune and fame coming at the mercy of their palms. Behind the mask, Lyon furrowed his eyebrows as he contemplating while he walked. (Abyss Tower, the place where the top assassins'' service can be bought with the right price). "The top assassins? Please." The servants were startled by the unfamiliar voice out of nowhere. Both of them held each other''s hand in fright, praying to whichever gods they knew. However, it didn''t take long for them to notice that a small-sized dragon was perching on their master''s shoulder. Lyon raised his eyebrows, "Grandpa, you know some top assassins? Ah, that was a stupid question, of course, you do." Shen Long grinned, "Know? Hahaha! You trained under one before!" Lyon immediately stopped his track as his eyes opened wide, "What? I did?" No matter how many times Lyon tried to remember it, not a single image came to mind. Shen Long eyes turned sharp, "Yes, under one of the most dangerous criminals that broke through heaven''s very own Imperial Prison. She was the only second person to ever breakthrough it, escaped and cannot be traced." Lyon turned excited as he gulped his saliva. He never saw his grandpa had those eyes before. "I-is she really that good?" "Good? She was the master of the art she trained, assassination, thievery, disguise, lock-picking, you name it. Her figure was legendary, every movement she made not even the air made a sound nor calm water made a ripple. She could even hear a needle drop in a crowded place like the market and her mastery of the space attributes was exceptional, those things made her the most seek assassin in the entire multi-world, both for her service or for her crime." Shen Long let out a cold breath, his eyes gleamed before he continued, "I once saw her in action with the bastard Sun, she was on a job she casually took at the time. An impossible job even for me and that bastard Sun to do it together. Killing ten cultivators." Lyon turned confused. Killing ten cultivators for the two of them was an impossible task? How powerful could the ten cultivators be?! "What happened then?" asked Lyon. Shen Long grinned, "The man didn''t get up, he was one of the top cultivators in the world, referred by many as the one who will then lead the new generation to a new age. Blood soon oozed out of his body, stopping the laughter of the other nine. Fear immediately rained down upon them like a cage made of blood. She didn''t even let out her killing intent then but they knew how they were dealing with now. "''T-That white cloak! Y-Y-You are¡ª.'' He could not finish his word before a hole was made on his left chest. A butter knife was vibrating while it stuck inside one of the marble pillars. His body immediately fell down like a doll, lifeless and in disbelief. His eyes then still awoke, stayed in shock over the fate he didn''t want to have. "She revealed her face and showed them those cold-blooded vertical eyes of hers. They knew her already but they didn''t want to admit it until those eyes of her revealed her identity. It was that time they knew their lives were already gone, they realized that she gave them time to laugh and chat for the banquet. The last words that they said were, ''Thank you!'' "Then they died without any more blood staining the floor. She cleaned her trace and left the scene with the corpses being laid out as is. She gave them the honor of a quick death and she gave them the honor of being killed by the most dangerous assassin to ever walk." Lyon''s mouth was quite agape. He couldn''t believe the story his grandfather told him but some part of his heart did. Killing a high leveled cultivator with a butter knife sounded ridiculous and amazing at the same time. Shen Long sighed, "She dotes on you a lot you know. The reason she took that job and resurfaced from hiding was for you. You were a baby then, and she couldn''t produce milk on her own and she wanted the best nutrition for you. She truly raised you like her own son, the mother figure that you need as a child." The true dragon looked at his grandson''s face, "Only you know her name, only you did she shared her true name." Lyon''s eyes opened wide, a blurry image came into his mind. There was a figure of a woman, her face was quite blurred but he could feel the warmth around his heart as he was held by her. Her mouth muttered something but he couldn''t make out of what she said. She smiled, as Lyon held her index finger. His body shivered before his hand clenched into a fist. Veins appeared on his forehead before it appeared on his entire body. "WHY CAN''T I REMEMBER?!" he was fueled with rage before he lashed it out on a nearby wall. The Abyss Tower, no, the whole island immediately shook followed by a thunderous boom that deterred the residents'' pride. The dunes were collapsing as the plate shifted. The water surrounding the island turned wild. The ones on the lower floor of the Abyss Tower immediately fled from the building before checking the situation. "Ah... Impossible," said one of the masked cultivators. "T-the entire wall on that floor is destroyed!" said one of the receptionists. The two servants were holding each other in fear as they saw the back of their new master. The aura he exuded was like a beast that could shred the gods they were praying to. 256 Maturing Young Woman "You two, hold on to me, now!" said Lyon as he looked at them with a smile. The two servants were surprised by their new master call but they noticed dried tears below his eyes, though it was hard to come by from a distance, it was enough from their spot. Why did he smile at a mere servant, a fodder that was destined to be used and threw away? Why did he suppress his emotion to someone beneath him? They couldn''t come up with a single answer before Lyon forcefully pulled their arms as if leaping toward a gate of something they never knew existed. Their ears were filled with the voices of the angry wind as their clothes and hair fluttered against it. They could only open their eyes for a moment before they felt the smarting. However, in that one single moment, an image was already saved to their minds. They were falling. They were falling from the tower they never left before. The defense mechanism in their bodies immediately activated as the sensation of helplessness seeped into their entire body like a flash. "Aaaaah!!!" "Hahahaha!" laughed Lyon wholeheartedly. The cruel wind didn''t hurt his eyes and his confidence didn''t waver as he faced the ground. It might be full of sand but it was still a leap from a height that could leave even the peak Divine Cultivator critically injured. "Hey Look! Something is falling from the tower!" shouted someone from the crowd below. "Argh, this damn sand, I swear!" said another as he rubbed his eyes. Lyon smirked before a wheeze of wind picked up the sands on the dunes and disrupted their vision completely for exactly a blink of an eye. "Huh?" the first one that noticed the falling object rubbed his eyes until it was concerning red, "Nothing?" The crowd was confused since within their capabilities as a cultivator, they could see something was falling down from the broken walls on the tower. However, there was no crater, no sound, no trace of something crashing down or even landing down. Speculations began to spark but the thoughts remain within each of their own minds since they didn''t know each other and everyone in this place were people with status. Meanwhile, a figure was seen standing straight while overviewing the landscape. His hands were behind his back and the mask he wore revealed his identity as one of the best in his profession. His facial expression was mostly hidden except for his eyes which gaze was as sharp as a sword. "A fake or a breakthrough," he muttered. ----------------------- The grand family name was said to have riches that could bury a world. Resources as far as the eye can see. However, right now, they were in a heated debate in the only private meeting room provided by the best inn in town. A hand slammed the round table before the figure spoke, "What do you mean retracting your search force?! It''s not even five hours since it began!" "Sadly, by this time, I have to say that the champion from this division is most likely killed, again, hahaha!" said a handsome man with a smug on his face. He was wearing a full plate mithril armor without a helmet. His hair was light-brown apricot with a noble hairstyle. He had a noticeable pencil-thin mustache that was divided in two and his eyes were blue as the sapphire. Karina furrowed her eyebrows, "What do you mean ''again''?" "Hahaha, you''re beautiful but quite dumb," the man leaned in, "It means the last champion was also murdered." Karina opened her eyes wide. The thought of Lyon dying never crossed her mind before. That fateful kiss that she shared in the jungle and how he guarded her while she was cultivating was coming back to her. She shook her head before her sharp gaze penetrated the man in front of him. "Murdered? Hah! Please, my hubby is not that weak." The man furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the orange-haired woman. A barbaric aura was emitting from her figure occasionally. He was startled for a second before he laughed once again. "He may be not weak, not for this shitty world hahaha!" A flash of killing intent immediately made his heart skipped a beat because it didn''t come from one person but rather two of them at the same time. Before he could blink the sound of metal hitting metal was heard. His forehead palpitated as he gulped his saliva. An ax was raining down on his left eye and a reinforced finger was aiming for the right. A quarter of a second, if the guards were a little bit late, then the man was without a doubt dead. "Oh you both are so dead now, this is an act against the Treas family! Hahahaha, I''m gonna have so much fun with both of yo¡ª" The door suddenly opened as Luna entered while holding Fenrir in her arms. Her academy garment was already no more and what replaced it was a tight battle garment with a white tiger symbol n her chest. Her purple hair was now tied into a ponytail as she exuded the charm of a maturing young woman. She calmly sat between Karina and Ryona''s seats but they were confused, her uncle was supposed to be the one who showed up instead. "You can stop your search and go back home," said Luna. "Tch! And who are you?!" shouted the man. Never in his life, he was ever being told, let alone by a woman. Luna took a deep breath, "I''m the captain of the winning team from Nostria. Princess of the Phantera Kingdom," She suddenly hesitated and blushed before her godmother persona kicked in, her eyes turned sharp as her gaze was unshakeable, "and most importantly, I''m Lyon''s woman." 257 A Warning "Ack!" Ryona yelped before he grabbed Karina by the collar, "Karina you bastard! Because of you, she had a huge start and leave us by a whole mountain! "St-stop shaking me! And what do you mean by us?! We are just a teacher and a student mind you." Ryona let go of the collar before she took a step back and turned her face away from her. "Hah! You only say that because you love those forbidden love tales!" "H-huh? W-what do you mean?" Karina immediately tried to look away from the prying eyes. They could see a hint of red hue on her cheeks as she nervously tried to calm her fidgeting lips. Ryona suddenly clasped her hands as she looked at the ceiling above. Her beautiful eyes turned sour as she mimicked Karina''s voice as best as she could, "Oh Lyon, we are a teacher and a student, this kind of feeling, you must bury it deep inside your heart. I know it sounds unfair but we are not destined to be together. Then for your question, I will answer it with a single tear from my eye." "H-hey I do not sound like¡ª" Before Karina could finish her piece of mind, Ryona already stood up straight with her hands behind her back. She deepened her voice as if she was a man. "Then I will take your running tears as a yes. Be my woman, as I will be your man. To hell with what the world thinks. Destiny? They are nothing but pebbles beneath my feet!" "Oh, Lyon." "Kari¡ªack!" Ryona suddenly flying toward the wall before crashing into it. The simple attack shouldn''t have sent her flying like a ball being kicked but since Karina was using the opposite kind of cultivation source, it was possible. "S-stop it, Lyon wouldn''t say anything like that! Right, Luna?" Luna blushed as she looked away. Ryona''s play reminded her of what''s transpired during the first night she had with him. (He is definitely going to say something like that). Karina immediately understood what she implied and the red hue on her cheeks lit up like an overheated teapot. She suddenly crouched down in the corner of the room with her face covered by her hands, either hiding from the fact or entering her own fantasy, nobody knows. (I never saw older sister Karina act like this, not even if they gave me half of Mabia would I believe she would act like this) thought Luna. The man suddenly slammed the table before he shouted, "Enough with this nonsense! You three have offended the Treas family! Surrender yourself to me and I will act as if nothing happens." However, his smug face didn''t last long. Suddenly the air became tight surrounding the three. Their body could sense danger, no, a greater being was at present. Their goosebumps rose as the feeling of kowtowing revolved around their very soul. Luna''s face suddenly twitched before the image of the white tiger slowly vanished into thin air. The man and his guards were immediately released from the indomitable force that strained their souls. (Somehow the power of the bloodline has risen significantly and I couldn''t maintain it for long... am I too tired still?) thought Luna as she blushed. "HOW DARE YOU! How dare you activate your bloodline against me! Guards, these three have made a great offense against the Treas family. I, Russel Treas Nistan, hereby granting you the right to subdue these three to me for the right punishment!" "Yes sir!" One of the guards immediately leaped toward Luna with his sword swung down. "Nistan Art: Half-Moon Strike!" However, before the blade could reach her, a hand suddenly came in between them. (Hah stupid, you will lose your hand) thought the guard. "Say goodbye!" His eyes immediately opened wide as the strength he put into the technique suddenly vanished into thin air the moment it came in contact with the hand. (What..the?). Karina casually held the blade with her hand before she delivered a palm in one single momentum toward his chest plate. (Hah stupid, this armor is infused with mana, the durability of this thing is a hundred more times more¡ª) His armor immediately shattered like glass as his heart was crushed along with his muscles and ribs. His body was sent flying as he splurted his blood in mid-air. Adorned the floor with his very own red. The loud thud from a corpse woke Russel''s disbelieve to reality. His guard was not an ordinary guard, he used to be a highly skilled mercenary, train from a really tender age. The other guard immediately took one step before he swung his sword toward her nape. He saw a blind spot and immediately took advantage of it while she was cooling down for a second. "Your head is mine!" His goosebumps suddenly rose as a shadow stood behind him and the air on the east side of his head abruptly change. His pupils didn''t manage to see what''s coming before he felt a cold thin line running across his neck. His swing stopped right before it touched Karina''s nape. "Hiiiik!" Russel tumbled down as he screeched. His shaky hand immediately crushed a Returning Jade Stone he had brought with him. He never thought that the situation would go out of his control, not to mention both of his guards were easily killed. As his body immediately enveloped by the jade light, his face turned smug albeit the cold sweat on his forehead. "You will pay for this dearly I tell you, dearly!" "Before you go, let me give you a warning," said Luna as she stood against him with crossed arms. "Huh?" "The blood on the floor inside the room where Chloe last seen him," Luna smirked like a certain someone, "it was not his." "Auuuuw!" howled Fenrir. His pupils shrunken as his eyes opened wide in horror before his figure was transported away.