Lyon POV:
Fii arrived in front of a Royal Guard who had instinctively taken a step back. The blade of her foot cracked against his temple, destroying his equilibrium. He flopped to the ground; his arms still processing the order to raise his guard.
A second later, Fii’s hand buried another face deep into the earth while the remaining 6 Guards took advantage of a perceived opening. Fii narrowed her eyes as both sides flickered in and out of view. Every second, a fresh patch of blood would appear on the ground. A pained moan would ring out, and then a body would tear through the sky, disappearing into the sea of darkness.
Fii stood in front of the final Royal Guard. Sweat drenched her clothes as her eyes swivelled to the side. She saw Angus peer down at her and gulped. The moment she charged in was the moment Fii’s fist met her face, shooting her into the ground with a deafening thud.
KEDs were only a threat if the people using them were already strong; Blaze may have been Rank 1, but she was nowhere near Baekan's level.
“!”
Angus’s foot rested against Fii’s raised guard. She slid back by a significant degree as the rain resumed its fall.
“Do I look like a joke to you?”
Angus flashed toward Fii as she shifted into a stance for the first time, but this was enough. My hand caught his foot before I threw him backwards.
He smirked, but that smirk vanished less than a minute later as I peered down at his bloodied body. He got to his feet in disbelief while he glared at me.
“You…”
Angus slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out another KED. Just like Baekan, he didn’t hesitate to plunge the contents into his veins. However, this time was different.
Fii slapped the KED out of his hand, and Angus stumbled backwards. His dishevelled hair fell over his forehead as Fii turned her attention to me.
“My King.”
Fii bowed her head towards me, and I walked in front of her. Angus fell to the ground, staring at me with fearful eyes. His lips parted while my cloak flapped along with the harsh wind.
“W-who are you really?...”
I peered down at him as everyone present assembled themselves behind me.
“I am Lyon Asphalios, the King of the South.”
***
Many months later.
I stood in front of the throne while Fii read out the weekly report. I had left Kumo in charge of all financial matters regarding the East, and thanks to her, we managed to salvage what was left of the economy.
The Eastern Ruler was, in many aspects, worse than Baekan. He spent money on foolish things, throwing lavish parties while actively partaking in organized crime. His people were starving to death in multiple districts, but he didn’t care.
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After stomping out all of the threats in the East personally, I repeated the same procedure I had gone through in the South. I spent time connecting with the people, rebuilding the Organization and choosing a new set of Royal Guards.
I met little resistance due to two reasons: the East’s Resistance and the severity of the situation. They were far more active than the South’s Resistance and had saved hundreds of lives. All while evading both Inner Astril and Angus’s detection. Their strength couldn't be overlooked.
Because of this, few could make a case against my intervention, and the time I spent pondering over why my Master had yet to visit me decreased.
It was clear that my work here wasn’t done just yet.
No new king replaced Angus, who was locked away in a cell. Instead, I asked if Skorr and Rose could handle the East for me, and they both agreed readily.
‘Hmm.’
I was curious about their relationship, especially since Skorr was so against being anywhere near her initially. Now he looked at her with loving eyes, almost as if he had found his other half or something like that.
“My King, are you tired?”
An endless amount of worry laced Fii's words while her eyebrows quivered. I barely had time to sleep since I needed to be so active, but it was better than knowing people were suffering.
“Sorry. Please continue.”
My lips formed a bright smile. She was the type who would lose sleep if I lost sleep, too. Fii bit her lip, reluctantly continuing the report as my mind drifted off once more.
The artifact allowed others to travel across the barrier only after receiving my permission. However, the Silin Mine I saw all those months ago stayed hidden.
Was the artifact testing me again? Would the Silin Mine only become accessible once I met certain requirements? I knew Kumo was concerned about funds, and now that we had taken on the problems of the East, we were using up our own resources at a rapid pace.
It had also been months since I visited Comfort. I wanted to make sure Ness and the others were doing well. My shoulders suddenly felt heavier, and a small sigh escaped my lips.
‘Let’s handle these issues first. The people need to be cared for properly.’
Fii finished the weekly report and bowed her head.
“...The East approaches a state of stabilization while the South continues to expand... Tis the sign of a true King ruling.”
Gilbert mused to himself as Azar nodded his head in agreeance.
“It is truly a pleasure to be of service to you, my King.”
Theodora bowed her head, and the others began to discuss less serious topics amongst themselves. Lucy pouted when Ruby complained about her cake tasting weird, and Kene irritated Garrett by telling bad jokes. Susan discussed the state of the environment with Otto while Gilbert and Theodora had their own conversation.
My lips curved upwards as I watched them from above.
“...I am worried about your health.”
I shifted my gaze to Fii. She looked at me with serious eyes, and I couldn’t help but smile warmly at how caring she was. Fii checked on my condition every day without fail. She even prepared meals for me herself, though I often had no time to eat, which upset her greatly.
I felt bad, so I somehow managed to convince her to stop cooking, promising that I would eat on the move instead. This is what it meant to have ‘strength.’ There were so many things I couldn’t do alone, and that was fine.
I wasn’t a superman. I wasn’t a formidable force. I was just a boy, nothing more and nothing less. Helping the people made me feel good inside.
“There’s no need to worry, Fii. I’m not alone, remember?”
She dipped her head while a cute smile spread across her lips. My attention turned to Ursula, who had just exited the hallway in a hurry. She dropped to one knee, and the chatter instantly came to an end.
“My King, I have bad news.”
I narrowed my eyes at her words.
“What’s wrong, Ursula?”
She raised her head and looked me in the eyes.
“The North and West aren’t happy with your expansion. They claim you only defeated Angus with the intention of taking over his region, not to liberate the people from their suffering.”
“...For such foolishness to fall on this old one's ears.”
Gilbert rested his hand on the white hilt of his sheathed sword while one of his closed eyes opened slightly. The air in the room instantly became heavy as a few of the Royal Guards glanced at Gilbert’s rare change in demeanour.
“That’s not all. They offer you an ultimatum: remove all forces from the East by the end of the month, or they will take action. The North and West plan on joining hands to crush us in one sweep.”
Fii's eyebrows furrowed, and a shadow fell over all of the Royal Guards' faces. The dome itself began to crack apart as their combined pressure shook the entire South and beyond. I took a step forward, and the pressure immediately subsided.
“Ursula.”
“At your command, my King!”
The Royal Guards looked at me with determined eyes while my lips parted slowly.
“Tell them this...”
I flickered forward, arriving by her side as I noticed the corners of her mouth rise.
“Try your best.”