Emperor's Reckoning

The young man stood without shame on his face. His arms were crossed, his chin was slightly pointed upward. He was staring down against First Heaven cultivators without remorse. His confident smile could deter gods and devils alike.

"He.. he is at the eighth level..."

"Y-Yeah... look at the disparity!"

"He didn't even break a sweat..."

The crowd was stumped as they noticed the obvious strength that he possessed. He could handle the four kings' aura all at once.

"Even Rupert was having a hard time back then on the eighth step," uttered Cherie.

Wanda chuckled, "He is occupying the high ground here, such sly fellow. He is a dangerous man, both for the world and innocent women. If he decided to live on his evil ways, I can't even imagine."

Wanda smiled. "Thankfully he is still at his adolescence age, if he is a little bit mature, then it would be really hard to tame him."

Hilde furrowed her eyebrows, "He trapped them..."

The queen nodded, "Indeed, their only choice now is to fight each other or go up, which is more dangerous than the former."

The experts had sour faces as they looked at him as if there was nothing in this world that could make him bow his head.

"Now, then, checkmate? I guess..." said Lyon as he laughed like a villain.

Altre and Felicia were glaring at him. There was little to no space if they took a leap toward the eighth step. He would definitely strike them down while they were in midair.

"Tch!" Altre clicked his tongue, "Come down here you coward!"

"If it were your sister that asked, I just might!" said Lyon as he laughed. He might be a villain, a street bandit for the First Heaven, but the outsiders were smiling inwardly. It was about time that they had a taste for their own medicine.

"You! Shameless mortal cultivator! Come down here!" shouted Altre.

"Then tell me, how does it feel to be stared down by a shameless mortal cultivator?" said Lyon as he smirked. "You can either fight each other, or you can jump here."

Lyon shrugged his shoulder, "After all, we only need to eliminate one more person."

The cultivators started to look at one another with doubts. They shook their heads before averting their glance back to the villain.

"If you think that you can make us fight each other, then think again!"

"Yeah! We would never do that!"

"Come down here you bastard!"

Lyon shrugged before he looked at Felicia. "Woman, I can see that you love your brother very much."

Felicia furrowed their eyebrows as the rest of them gasped.

"What about it," said Lyon as he smirked. "You only need to eliminate one more person, one unknown person right behind you, just pick at a random, then you both can advance to the finals."

"..." Felicia balled her fist.

"I can't believe it, he bullied them hard," muttered Hilde.

"Oi mortal!" shouted Raul. "You wretched! Know your place!"

"Yeah!"

"Show them, prince!"

The crowd was rallied but the man didn't even turn around as he took a deep breath.

"A fly will buzz until they eat shit."

"HAH!" Porealus couldn't help but smile even though he couldn't get up.

Raul furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the youth, "What did you say?"

The threatening tone didn't make him flinch. He didn't even turn around.

"What will you do?" asked Lyon with a smile. "It's only one person, one sacrifice to live a good life!" (Though I have no idea what you get to be honest).

"Being among the top ten, how wondrously prestigious would it be, and all it needs is one more elimination. Imagine the life you could have."

The cultivators had their gaze expression shifted. The galore and glory of the bits of words that he said finally piqued their interest. The goal for the majority was not about testing one limit, but about attaining the honor.

Carius shook his head, "Though I don't condone his action, the First Heaven deserves it."

Tael laughed, "Hahaha! Oh by the way Hezar, I guess you run out of luck, huh."

Hezar furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

Tael raised his eyebrows, "Didn't you want to use us to halt our precious grandsons and disciple from advancing to the finals?"

Hezar's eyes opened wide before they narrowed.

"He must have surprised you, yet again," said Tael as he laughed.

Hezar crossed his arms. It was too late, the youth had eliminated cultivators of the First Heaven too quickly and effortlessly to the point that there were eleventh left.

"No need to remind me," said Hezar as he smirked. 

'Lyon! Surrender now and I will let go of Mortal World.'

Lyon suddenly creased his eyebrows. The cultivators on the seventh step took a step back except for the siblings.

Hezar straightened his back as he looked at the youth turned silent.

'I will let them go, no strings attached, all you need to do is surrender.'

Lyon smirked as he replied in the same manner.

'Oh, are you sure about that?'

'I promise, but I will need you to surrender.'

'Only me?'

Hezar nodded. 'Only you.'

'What's the sudden change?'

'This is just a proposition, you can refuse it if you like, but I won't guarantee what I could do with my words. Just remember, the Mortal World will blame you for their destruction.'

Hezar grinned before he glanced to the side. "You're going to witness my power here, watch as your hope surrenders!"

"You!" Carius furrowed his eyebrows, "You threatened him?"

"Hahaha, I think we all know that of the mortals present, that brat is the most powerful."

"So you admit it," said Tael as he nodded. "However, you don't know him as well as we do."

"Hm?"

The matriarch of the Yuki clan chuckled. "You see... despite him being so frontal about lifting the Mortal World, that man is never the hero type."

'Bad deal, dead man,' said Lyon.

Hezar's eyes opened wide. 'You! You would rather choose the destruction of the Mortal World over your lost?'

'You want to destroy the mortal world? Say that again after you watch this.'

'Huh?'

Lyon crossed his arms with his eyes closed. He took a calming breath before his eyes turning ghastly before his own aura rained down against the steps below.

The shock from his atmospheric aura immediately blasts off random cultivators from the seventh step.

The siblings caught their heart thumping wildly as they both knelt in disbelief. 

"Guha!" Altre puked out blood (W-WHat!? What's going on!).

*Thud!

A couple of cultivators fell down. The second round was over.

The crowd gasped in disbelief. They looked at the people on the ground but then averted their glance back to the young man. 

"W-What's going on?"

"He didn't lift a finger..."

"It didn't seem that they jumped out of their will."

"Look more closely! Altre is puking blood."

The four kings furrowed their eyebrows in unison toward the young mortal from the Mortal World. 

(He used his own aura!) they all shared the same thought.

"I-It's over..." said Cherie.

Wanda shook her head, "Not yet."

"Mother?"

Wanda didn't say a word but kept her gaze on the young man.

"Now then," Lyon turned around before he leaped toward the ninth step.

"Yo, Ivy!" said Lyon with a smile and showed her his hand.

"?! I-Impossible..." said Folcre whose knees were begging to meet each other as he stood. His eyes opened wide in disbelief. (He... he didn't even...ah!).

"Hm?" the four kings immediately stood adjacently by the edge of the eleventh step.

"Lyon, you have proven yourself worthy," said the king of the Bolg Kingdom.

"If you step on the tenth step and fail, you will be disqualified," said the king of the Pala Kingdom.

"Hmph! Little mortal, your death awaits after the tournament, if you are in a rush to die then step on the tenth step!" said the Golden Dragon as his aura flared.

Porealus who was still laying beside Zet struggled to look up. He made a wry smile as he saw the young man was facing the four kings. "Oi oi, is he serious?"

"I-It's big brother, go for it big brother!"

"Shut up Zet! He is already in a pinch!"

"Oh, right."

Lyon smirked as he crossed his arms.

*Gulped!

Hilde stood up as he looked at the youth. "No... don't."

Lyon leaped as his image was burnt inside everyone's mind.

The mad mortal did it.

They all watched his two feet land perfectly on the tenth step. Not even Rupert could do it, however, they didn't stare in awe, they stare in fright, for ash gray mana was surrounding the youth's figure.

The four kings furrowed their eyebrows as they were bewildered. The atmospheric pressure from the combination of the four could kill, but...

"You talk too highly of yourself, lizard."

His calamity crown formed as he put his hands inside his pocket.