Emperor's Reckoning

Chapter 1289: The One Pulling The String

At the summit, the winds howled softly as Lyon stood face to face with Raja, the Red-Eyed Tiger. The beast’s roar had echoed across the mountain moments ago, shaking the ground and scattering the six young masters below. Now, the air was thick with a tense calm as the ghostly king turned away from Lyon, retreating to his stone pedestal. Even in death, Raja’s presence demanded reverence—his spirit carrying the weight of a king.

"Are you going to test me?" Lyon’s voice broke through the silence, casual yet inquisitive, as he took a step forward.

Raja settled onto his throne-like seat and let out a deep exhale, his spectral form solidifying as he looked down at the mortal before him. "No need," he replied with a tone that carried the wisdom of an era long past. "You’ve learned your lesson."

Lyon raised a brow. "What lesson?" he asked, but Raja continued before Lyon could press further.

"Deep inside those black eyes of yours, I can see it—the thirst for vengeance. Against Paradise," Raja said, his words carrying the weight of a buried truth.

Lyon didn’t respond immediately. The tiger’s insight cut deeper than he was willing to admit. Silence was his acknowledgment.

After a beat, Lyon broke the stillness with another question, one that had been gnawing at the back of his mind. "What was the need to push them away from the summit?" His voice held a quiet curiosity, though the question was genuine.

"The six wanna-bes?" Raja scoffed, a smirk curling his fanged lips. "This generation... they’re the worst I’ve seen. Weak-willed, lacking in fire. Nothing compared to my era."

Lyon rolled his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips. "Yes, yes, of course. I’ve heard this so many times," he said, the sarcasm slipping in like second nature. He’d been around long enough to hear similar sentiments from beings of past eras.

Raja, however, turned solemn. His gaze sharpened, and the air around them seemed to grow heavier with his next words. "Have you discovered your identity, Lyon?"

Lyon blinked, taken aback. The tiger had never called him by name before. It wasn’t a question that could be dismissed easily, and it unsettled Lyon in a way he hadn’t expected. He shifted slightly before answering, his voice uncertain.

"Y-Yes? Kind of..." Lyon trailed off, the words lingering in the space between them. For all his power and prowess, this was a question that still haunted him.

Raja’s eyes narrowed, the crimson gleam of his gaze piercing through Lyon’s question. The tiger’s aura thickened, becoming almost suffocating as the wind seemed to die around them.

"Have you discovered the plot behind your arrival?" Raja asked, his voice cutting through the silence with a weight that demanded attention.

Lyon raised his brows, surprised by the question. "What plot?"

Raja didn’t answer right away. Instead, he let the tension build, turning his gaze toward the horizon before speaking again. "How did all twelve of us end up there at the time?"

Lyon gulped, his mind racing as he processed the question. "You think it’s some kind of destiny?"

Raja snorted, a smirk creeping across his face. "You really believe in destiny, brat? No. It was no coincidence. Nothing like that happens without reason." He turned back to Lyon, his eyes sharp and calculating. "I thought you’d have figured that out by now."

Lyon’s expression tightened, his brows furrowing. "I did think it was strange. I’ve tried to figure it out, but I never found any solid clues. Even Uncle Minx... he had theories, but nothing concrete."

"The smartass rat and his speculations," Raja growled, but there was a hint of grudging respect in his voice. "Though, he wasn’t that far off."

Lyon’s frown deepened as the weight of Raja’s words sank in. "So, someone was pulling the strings from behind the scenes? Was it my father?" he asked, his voice quieter now, more cautious.

Raja’s gaze grew cold as he let out a low chuckle. "Your father? He set the threads in motion, sure, but he wasn’t the one pulling them."

Lyon’s heart skipped a beat, and he took a step forward, his voice urgent. "Who? Who was pulling the strings?"

The tiger’s smirk vanished, replaced by a grave expression. "Someone who saw what your father could not. And that someone has been watching you since before you were born."

Lyon’s fists clenched at his sides. "Who is it?"

As the sun set behind Lyon, casting a warm, golden glow across his back, his expression shifted into one of stunned disbelief. The words hung in the air, heavy and unnerving.

"Who could that be..." Lyon muttered, deep in thought. His eyes darted from side to side, searching his memories for any hint, any clue. Then a realization hit him, and he snapped back to Raja. "Wait a minute... is it someone among the Twelve?"

Raja let out a low, mocking chuckle. "I guess your brain isn’t as smooth as I thought."

Lyon scowled, frustration boiling beneath his calm exterior. "Are you kidding me? Who is it? That could be anyone! That could be—" He trailed off, lost in his thoughts as names and faces flashed through his mind.

"The clue is right in front of you," Raja said, his voice cool and cryptic. "At the end, he revealed himself."

Lyon blinked, still trying to piece it together. "He?" His heart raced as he thought back to the moment of his death. The vague memories, the chaos, the figures that surrounded him.

Raja’s eyes darkened. "The day of your death."

The blood drained from Lyon’s face. "Are you kidding me?" His voice wavered, and his fists clenched tight. "Is it... the pig?"

Raja’s growl reverberated through the air, the sound sending shivers down Lyon’s spine.

Lyon’s mind raced as he tried to comprehend Raja’s words. "Did he... know about my death back then?" he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Raja shook his massive head slowly, his ghostly eyes narrowing. "No, that would have been impossible. But he knew you were in danger, Lyon. He was always watching, one way or another."

Lyon’s brow furrowed deeper as he stepped forward, the weight of the revelation settling in. "But why? Who is he, really?"

Raja’s eyes gleamed with a rare solemnity as he answered, "He was not a beast, Lyon."

The words hung in the air like a thunderclap. Lyon blinked, his heart skipping a beat.

"He was a man," Raja continued, his voice a low rumble. "A man who chose to shapeshift into a pig."

Lyon’s fists tightened, the revelation hitting him like a blow to the chest. "A man...?" His mind reeled at the thought, the memories of the Twelve and their bond suddenly clouded by this new, unsettling truth.

Lyon stood there, his mind struggling to piece together the puzzle, each answer only leading to more questions. "He never shared his name?" Lyon asked again, almost in disbelief.

Raja’s expression remained firm. "No. But even if Ma, the Undying Horse, hadn’t taken you under his wing."

Lyon’s eyes widened, the layers of revelation hitting him one after another. "But why me? What’s the connection?"

Raja’s eyes gleamed with intensity as he looked at Lyon. "That’s something only he can answer. His reasons are his own, and I doubt anyone ever truly knew what drove him."

"But I can still activate his blessing," Lyon said, looking at his hands as if searching for the truth hidden in them. "You said he was a man. So how...?"

Raja let out a low rumbling sound. "He was a full-fledged man. But he gained the blessing of the pig through his own journey, through his methods. And he found a way to transfer that blessing to you, using trinkets that held power you couldn’t even comprehend back then."

Lyon’s mouth opened to ask more questions, but the weight of the moment stilled him. His gaze fixed on Raja, his mind racing yet clouded. "He watched over me... yet never told me," Lyon muttered to himself, trying to grasp the purpose behind his actions.

"Yes, always watching," Raja growled softly. "Through life, through death, through rebirth. Now it’s time for you to find out why."

Lyon smirked, his eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint as he tilted his head at Raja. "So that means," he began with a light chuckle, "you were also one of the strings he pulled."

Raja’s brow furrowed, and a low growl rumbled from his chest. "What did you just say?" His massive form seemed to pulse with tension.

Lyon grinned wider, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, it’s true, right? You got handled by the pig."

Raja’s growl turned into a thunderous roar. "Don’t be fooled, brat! I chose to help him because I owed him a debt, not because I was ’handled’!"

Lyon raised a brow, his smirk never faltering. "Wait, so you two were... friends?"

"Friends?!" Raja spat the word out like it was venom. "Don’t be ridiculous! That weakling couldn’t take a single blow of mine if he tried to use his own body."

Lyon chuckled under his breath. "Unlike Muspell, huh? Guess that pig was just a random cultivator who happened to cross paths with you?"

Raja snarled, his eyes flaring. "Random? Hardly! That pig may have had more treasures than sense, but that’s not real strength!"

Lyon’s smirk deepened. "But treasure is a type of strength, isn’t it? His cunning, his artifacts—"

"THAT’S NOT WHAT STRENGTH IS!" Raja’s voice boomed, cutting Lyon off with a roar so fierce that the very air around them seemed to tremble. The ground beneath them quaked, and a palpable wave of power surged through the air, spreading beyond the summit itself.

The sheer force of Raja’s aura radiated out, reaching the farthest corners of the Sixth Heaven. The sky above them darkened, swirling as if the heavens themselves were responding to his might. Those watching from below felt the impact, their breaths stolen by the oppressive energy flooding the air.

"THIS is strength!" Raja bellowed, his roar shaking the heavens.