Emperor's Reckoning

Chapter 1323: The WAR III - Teachers Join The Fun

"Hah!"

An axe descended with brutal force, its edge gleaming with the intent to split its target in two—a strike befitting the end of days. But as the blade connected, it halted abruptly against brown skin, unable to pierce even the surface.

The seraph wielding the weapon recoiled in shock.

The towering figure before him, broad-shouldered and unyielding, laughed heartily. "Is that all?"

"Don’t mess with me!" the seraph roared, launching a flurry of desperate slashes. Each strike tore through the air, creating violent winds that howled across the battlefield. Yet, no matter how frenzied his assault, not a single attack managed to stagger the man before him.

"Are you having fun yet?" the man asked, his deep voice rumbling like distant thunder.

The seraph, his breaths ragged and labored, stepped back, his horror plain to see as his confidence crumbled.

"My name is Muspell, the Almighty Ox," the man declared, his grin widening. His muscles tensed as he towered over the seraph. "It’s my turn now, don’t you think?"

"Eek!" The seraph turned to flee, panic overtaking him, but Muspell’s massive hand shot out, grabbing hold of his feathery wings. The seraph let out a strangled cry as he was yanked backward like a mere child’s toy.

Muspell raised his fist high, his knuckles glinting under the light of the battlefield’s chaos. With a force that seemed to shake the heavens, he drove it down into the seraph’s face.

The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, causing nearby seraphs to stagger mid-flight. The unfortunate victim spun like a ragdoll, his wings flailing uselessly as he crashed into the ground, leaving a deep crater in his wake.

Muspell rolled his neck, cracking it audibly as he glanced around at the remaining seraphs. His eyes gleamed with unrestrained energy. "Who’s next?" he rumbled, his grin daring anyone to step forward.

---

"Now, now, magic here, magic there," Minx muttered, his voice brimming with mischief. "Rune here, rune there, talismans here, talismans there."

A seraph hovered above, watching the scene with furrowed brows. "What are you doing?"

Minx looked up, his lips curling into an eerie grin. "You’re a genius in your time, right?"

The seraph’s wings fluttered, her annoyance palpable. "Are you seriously laying traps right now? In the middle of a battlefield?"

"You didn’t answer my question," Minx replied, his grin widening.

"Pretentious little shit," the seraph spat, flying back with a single powerful flap of her wings. She drew her bow, and a radiant arrow of pure energy formed on the string, its glow illuminating her fierce expression. She took aim directly at Minx’s head, the arrow swirling with deadly intent.

Minx sighed, the grin fading into a frown of mock boredom. "Arrogant flying bitch," he muttered under his breath, his gaze never wavering from the arrow hurtling toward him.

The ground beneath Minx suddenly began to glow, intricate runes lighting up in patterns that seemed almost alive. As the arrow closed in, a massive hand burst forth from the illuminated earth. Formed entirely of dirt and rock, the hand intercepted the arrow mid-flight, its fingers curling around it with a firm grip.

The seraph’s eyes widened in disbelief. "What in the...?"

Minx’s eerie laughter echoed across the battlefield. "Surprised? I call it my Elemental Cunning. It’s rude not to show a guest your tricks."

The dirt hand crushed the radiant arrow, reducing it to a harmless scatter of light. Minx dusted off his robe as if the effort had been trivial. "Now, would you like to try again? Or shall I bring out the real show?"

The seraph hesitated, her confidence visibly shaken.

---

"C’mon, c’mon!" Ma, the Undying Horse and Lyon’s father figure, was a storm of unrelenting force amidst the battlefield. Each swing of his mighty fists sent seraphs sprawling like children thrown from a playground brawl. His booming laughter echoed above the chaos. "I thought you all were stronger? Don’t give up now!"

One seraph, dazed and trembling, tried to rise, only for Ma to casually swat him down again. It was an almost comical scene, the so-called elites of Paradise being reduced to playthings before Ma’s raw strength.

Not far away, Rui, the Moon Hare, elegantly dispatched a seraph with a single, precise kick. The seraph crashed into the ground, leaving a shallow crater as Rui flicked her hair back, her expression one of mild disapproval. "Ma, they’re our enemies! Stop encouraging them."

"Hahaha!" Ma’s laugh roared like thunder as he slammed another seraph into the dirt. "It’s not my fault they’re so weak! If I don’t motivate them, they’ll just keep falling over!" He pointed at a seraph with six wings, who froze mid-flight under his intense gaze. "You there! Yeah, you! Stay right where you are—I’m coming for you next!"

The six-winged seraph hesitated, torn between pride and the sudden urge to flee.

Rui sighed, shaking her head as she brushed off her dress. "Ma, if they start crying, it’s your fault."

Ma grinned wide, his teeth flashing. "Let them cry! Tears build character!" He rolled his shoulders, preparing for his next target, while Rui could only sigh deeper, muttering to herself, "Too positive for your own good."

---

"Hoho? You think you have the power to defeat me?" A slender man with oversized robes, pale as moonlight, spoke with an air of superiority. His figure swayed with a strange grace, his eyes, marked by rectangular pupils, radiating menace.

"A... toad?" a seraph stammered, his voice tinged with confusion and fear.

"A goat," the man corrected sharply, his expression darkening as his aura surged. "The Calamity Goat." He vanished in a blur, reappearing with a vicious kick that sent the seraph hurtling through the air like a broken arrow. "Bapho, the Calamity Goat," he introduced with a dangerous smirk.

Nearby, Enya, the Immortal Phoenix, stood tall against three six-winged seraphs. Her blazing aura illuminated the battlefield, her fiery wings a striking contrast to the seraphs’ divine glow. "We must buy time, Bapho," she called out, deflecting an onslaught of attacks with a single flap of her burning wings.

"Buy time for who?" Bapho asked, dodging a spear of light with effortless precision.

Simak, Lyon’s elder brother, joined the fray, hurling a deadly artifact that detonated with a thunderous explosion, forcing the advancing seraphs to retreat. "The last two are still submerging inside the pool," he said, his voice calm but commanding.

"Hohoho, you’re right!" Bapho chuckled, his rectangular pupils narrowing as his aura flared. "This is getting interesting!"

Suddenly, the battlefield stilled as an immense shockwave rippled outward. The ground trembled, and the air itself seemed to quake.

All eyes turned toward the epicenter: Lyon and the All-Father were locked in a fierce contest of raw strength. Their elbows clashed mid-air, the impact sending shockwaves that pushed both armies back.

Lyon’s smirk deepened as his golden aura flickered like a tempest. "You’re stronger than I expected, old skeleton," he said with a mocking tone.

All-Father’s face remained cold and unmoved. "And you’re just as arrogant as I remember," he countered, his divine aura surging in a display of dominance.

The clash between the Emperor and the All-Father was a spectacle of unmatched might, a battle that seemed to overshadow even the chaos around them.

"You are like a fish on land, Zodiac Emperor!" the All-Father’s voice thundered as he raised his hand. Behind him, a cascade of glowing, divine arrows materialized, their radiant tips gleaming with lethal intent. With a flick of his wrist, they rained down toward Lyon, who stood firmly grounded, unable to take to the skies like the seraphs above.

Lyon smirked as he twirled the plain rod in his hand. "More like an eternal flame in the sea," he quipped, his eyes glinting with confidence. "Ophiuchus!"

The seemingly ordinary rod shimmered briefly before Lyon used it with precision, parrying the divine arrows mid-air. The sharp clangs of impact resonated as he deflected each projectile with ease, descending gracefully to the ground.

The All-Father’s brows furrowed. "What...?"

Lyon landed unharmed, his footing steady, a playful grin tugging at his lips. "Surprised? Let’s just say I gave him a second chance at revenge—in a different form." He pointed the rod toward the All-Father, its dull surface beginning to glow faintly.

The All-Father’s expression darkened as realization dawned.

"You reap what you sow," Lyon continued, his voice laced with accusation. "Your betrayal against Purgatory—your own ally—won’t go unpunished. It’s time you faced the consequences."

The All-Father’s jaw tightened, and he extended his palm toward Lyon. "So be it. Paradise Art: Holy Palm."

From the heavens, a colossal, shimmering hand formed, descending with divine fury, its radiance overwhelming as it bore down on Lyon like the judgment of a god.

Lyon’s smirk widened, unbothered by the impending doom. "Graham’s bigger," he muttered before launching himself upward with explosive force.

"Giant Art: Sky Breaking Fist!"

A massive spectral fist, larger than any mortal could comprehend, surged upward to meet the descending palm. The collision was cataclysmic. The skies quaked as the two manifestations clashed, their energies collapsing upon each other in a blinding spectacle of power. Shockwaves rippled across the battlefield, forcing both seraphs and Empyreans alike to shield themselves from the sheer force of the impact.

As the dust and light began to settle, Lyon’s voice rang clear, his tone unyielding. "You’re not untouchable, All-Father. Not anymore."