RISE OF THE MARTIAL GOD

"Leo, are you coming out or should I come in?" Kaiser shouted again, floating closer to the gates. The powerful guards protecting the manor were not even in the mood to attempt to block him. They all kept watching him speechlessly. He could even defeat the all powerful ancestor using one move, what can they do against him?

"Why are you creating such a ruckus so early in the morning? Big brother, you didn't even wait for me to eat breakfast before you showed up." Leo said loudly and walked out of the mansion.

"Is that right? You could have sent someone to tell me you're eating. Or you could have also asked me to join you." Kaiser said with a broad smile and landed softly on the ground.

"Don't joke please. With the way you kept shouting, will you have listened instead of snapping the unlucky messenger's neck?" Leo asked and walked outside the house.

"Little cousin, I'm not that unreasonable. Even though you guys kept pushing my bottom line and killing my people, I have not retaliated by killing anyone yet. Look, even your uncle James is still alive despite the fact he tried to kill me, same with your guards and the ones your brother sent yesterday to block me. You're still alive and well when I could have marched into the house and dragged you off your bed." Kaiser replied with a magnanimous smile, making a grand gesture with his fingers.

"Awesome! Leo actually dared to come out even after uncle James was defeated. Is he very brave or very stupid?" Someone in the crowd whispered.

"I think he's very crafty. He came out at the right time. At the moment, coming out is the only solution." Lord Frost whispered.

Yang Yang nodded in agreement.

"Kaiser will never kill him, especially not now that everyone knows his cultivation is unfathomable. He could even defeat uncle James using one move, which means that beating the elders yesterday was not out of luck or because they were too old. He was simply too strong. So, hurting Leo now will be equivalent to bullying. And that's something Kaiser's pride will never allow him to do."

"Why did he ask Leo to come out then?" Amber whispered, asking the very same question in the hearts of most people.

As if in answer to their question, Kaiser pulled Rona to himself using an invisible rope.

"Big brother, to what do I owe this early morning visit?" Leo asked with a smile, pretending not to see Rona.

"A hahahaha! You're truly good at being dramatic. Little brother, I'm learning more from you." Kaiser said, laughing broadly without the laughter actually reaching his eyes. The broad smile on his handsome face was supposed to be beautiful, but it was anything but at the moment. Rather, it made goosebumps appear on the surface of everyone's skin. But Leo miraculously managed to keep his smile, looking genuinely happy like he's enjoying the conversation.

The smile on Kaiser's face disappeared without warning and his eyes turned stone cold in less than a millisecond.

"Cut the crap! I hate pretenders and liars. Seeing Rona beside me, you should already know what you did. Do I look like I have the time to play sick games with you?" Kaiser suddenly asked, taking a step forward.

Leo turned to Rona and glanced at her from head to toe a few times and smiled broadly.

"Big brother, I don't remember doing anything to our sister here. Are you intentionally trying to smear mud on me? Someone listening will think that I raped our cousin and got her pregnant, which is totally ridiculous." He whispered with a cheeky smile, making the muscle at Kaiser's jaw tick.

"You!" Rona whispered in horror. How could he make such a joke lightly before more than half of their clan members? Lots of people came to watch after receiving calls and seeing videos from those who posted in the whatsapp groups. Some youths that didn't sleep in the clan the previous night also rushed back to witness the epic moment. Yet he said such a thing unapologetically, while letting his eyes run over her body in a disrespectful way.

The silence from Kaiser increased the murmurs from the astonished crowd.

"It can't be that, right? I know that Leo and Rona are closer than normal, considering the rivalry between their elder brothers. But they couldn't have crossed the line, right?" Someone whispered hesitantly.

"Impossible! Rona might be stupid, but Leo certainly is not. He wouldn't dare cross the line with his cousin. Even if he did, he wouldn't be stupid enough to get her pregnant. It must be something else." Yang Yang whispered, quickly cancelling the ridiculous notion.

"Cut the crap!" Kaiser whispered, his low voice was glacial and murderous.

"If you had dared to do such a crazy thing, I wouldn't have bothered with long talk, I would have castrated you immediately. Leo, it seems like I have been too soft on you making you think I'm here to play with you. Give me back the items you stole from me."

Kaiser's low growl made people even more interested. The older members of the clan who were involved in clan politics immediately went silent, confirming the rumors. While the younger ones looked lost.

"Leo stole from Lord Kaiser? What did he steal?" One of the fourteen years old cousins from the clan asked, looking lost.

However, everyone kept quiet, their eyes never left the scene playing out before their eyes.

"Big brother, now you're the one making outrageous jokes. How can I steal from you when I don't even enter your mansion? I have always stayed outside each time I visited or came to pick up Rona. How can you frame me for theft?" Leo shouted, looking aggrieved.

Kaiser chuckled and touched his nose.

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Give me back the items you tricked my sister into giving you. Those items you convinced her to bring to you using ridiculous excuses, I want it back. It's her fault for being gullible and stupid, but you should stop here since I personally came to take it. I want them back."

Leo frowned, pretending to look confused.

"Big brother, stop throwing dirty water at me. When did I steal from you? I have never taken anything that belongs to you. You should ask Rona who she gave whatever it was to."

"Leo, you snake! Why are you still lying? The…" Rona began to say angrily, marching towards him. Kaiser quickly drew her back and gave her a stern look, making her hold her tongue.

"Alright, let me refresh your memories. On the day Anthony returned to the clan, you made my sister believe that the only way to keep everyone happy was if Anthony does not return. Or at least, does not receive help from anyone. You also convinced her to give you two weapons containing my soul shards for safekeeping. And advised her to bring the weapons that were meant to be given to Anthony to assist his journey to you, ensuring he left empty handed, so that your task will be easy. My foolish sister who saw you as her best friend believed you and brought the weapons to you. And then, you and your brotherbrother's men, with the help of the clan elders, tricked my elder brother into the perilous lands and sealed it using blood sacrifice. But I won't blame you for that, you were following the instructions of your elders. That was why you led the team that sealed my brother in the perilous lands. I won't mention how you tricked Rona into bringing the weapons to you, it's her fault for not being as crafty as you are. But since you knew that it was somewhere as dangerous as the perilous lands where no one has ever returned from alive, instead of the city of kings, why did you still make her hand the weapons over? And most importantly, why did you take the two containing my soul shards? You left the rest for her to pick it up from where you guys kept it, but took the two she told you contained my soul shards. I know you were acting on instructions, so I won't hold it against you. Leo Meyer, give me back my soul shards and the weapons they were engraved on." Kaiser said in a low voice, making sure everyone heard it.

"What Rona gave Leo weapons containing her brother's soul shards? And now, he doesn't want to give it back? Is Rona that stupid?"

"Leo would never give back such an awesome chess piece. The rest of the clan won't let him even if he wanted to, especially his brothers." Yang Yang whispered.

"Big brother, you keep accusing me for no reason. I don't understand what wrong I did to you. I don't have your soul shards. I don't even know what a soul shard is nor have I seen the weapons you speak about. You better ask Rona where she kept them." Leo spat in anger, his face contorted in rage

"If you give back the weapons, I'm willing to help uncle James find an antidote to suppress the hundred holes poison." Kaiser suddenly said after a while, making a pin drop silence to follow his words.