Last Ruler Of The Empty Throne

A voice rang out, halting the Beast Lord in his tracks just as he was about to strike down the scout.

HUFF… HUFF…

The scout pressed his hand to his chest, relief flooding over him as he realized he had narrowly escaped death.

"WHY DID YOU STOP ME?" The Beast Lord turned, his fierce gaze locking onto the figure of who had intervened.

"He has something important to say," one of the other Lords replied, his tone calm yet firm.

"SO?" the Beast Lord shot back, impatience creeping into his voice.

"What do you mean, so? It might be crucial!" The second Lord moved closer to the gathering. He was light-skinned, standing at around 6'2", clad in a sleek black overcoat with a sword sheathed at his side.

His hair was neatly pulled back, and his narrowed eyes glinted with a sharp intelligence.

But, to the kneeling scout, he was anything but ordinary. "Blade Lord," the scout muttered, bowing his head in respect.

"Mm, you said you have something important to share," the Blade Lord acknowledged, nodding at the scout. It was clear he appreciated formal greetings.

"Y-Yes, we do," the scout stammered, his nerves evident. "I believe all the Lords need to hear this, I-It's an emergency!"

"All?" the third voice interjected, having approached the conversation.

She was strikingly beautiful, exuding an air of innocence that belied her true nature. Tall and graceful, her long black hair cascaded down her back. And her form-fitting dress ended just above her thighs, a blend of elegance and seduction.

The reputation of those who dared to underestimate her was well-known.

"Beauty Lord," the scout whispered, lowering his gaze further.

"You heard him, right?" she called out to the others ignoring the scouts' reverence for her.

ZOOM!

"I'm here." a young man in a track suit suddenly materialized before them, sparks of electricity dancing around him.

His cheerful demeanor made him the most approachable of the lords known as the Speed Lord due to his skill in Lightning Movement. He was the fourth among their ranks.

And lastly, they all turned to the far corner of the room. A disturbing scene was taking place,

"Haa… Haa… Haa…"

The scene was one of sheer chaos and awkwardness. A woman was perched atop a man, gasping in pleasure as their indiscretions filled the room with an uncomfortable tension.

But the moment she felt the eyes of the gathered Lords upon her, she froze, confusion etched across her face. Then she glanced at the man beneath her and then at the strangers observing them.

Her hair was a tangled mess, and her body glistened with sweat. A thick, white substance coated her skin. "Why are you here?" she demanded, glaring at the intruders.

The scouts immediately averted their gazes, wary of inciting her wrath. After all, she was the fifth Lord. With a fierce glare at the man beneath her and embarrassed at the sight of strangers seeing her like this.

She stretched out her hand and unleashed a cloud of green smoke. "No, no, please!" the man beneath her begged and pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.

The mist then enveloped him, and his body began to turn a sickly green.

"P-P-Please…" And his voice faded as he succumbed to the effects of her poison, and he lay lifeless beneath her.

After that, she stood, disgust etched on her face, hastily covering herself while muttering irritably and approached the conversation.

Finally, all five Lords had gathered, their attention returning to the scout still bowing on his knees.

"My Lords, I witnessed something while scouting with my partner," he said, finally meeting their gazes.

"SAY IT ALREADY!" the Beast Lord growled, his irritation bubbling to the surface.

"O-Okay, we saw a multitude of different monsters gathering near the cafeteria," the scout blurted out.

"And?" The Blade Lord pressed, his tone suggesting the scout was wasting their time.

"T-They were all as powerful as that bear you faced the other day!"

BOOM!

Their eyes widened at the revelation.

"HUH?" even the guards at the door gasped in shock.

"ARE YOU SURE?" The Beast Lord's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

"What else did you see?" the Blade Lord demanded.

"And… we saw a man kill them all."

BOOM!

The Lords' minds reeled at the shocking declaration.

"WHAT?" The Poison Lord was visibly stunned, disbelief washing over him.

"It's a lie. I hope you aren't fabricating this!" The Beauty Lord's frown deepened, casting doubt upon the scout's words. The others shivered at the implications.

After all, they had earned the title of Lords by coming together to defeat the first Realm Bear, a foe that had nearly cost them their lives. The idea that someone could wipe out a horde of monsters seemed implausible.

"That's not all," the scout continued, his voice steady. "The man is with a group, and they're moving in this direction."

"WHAT?"

"EHH?"

"HAA…"

"MMHM?"

Their expressions morphed from fury to fear as they processed the news. The scouts dared not lie about this matter as it was concerning their lives.

"THAT'S A LIE! HE'S LYING!" the Beast Lord roared, advancing threateningly toward the scout.

"Who sent you?" The guards kneeling behind said faces that clearly didn't believe the story.

"T-They'll be here soon! I just came to report what I saw, I'm a scout!" he pleaded.

The Lords exchanged glances, and the Blade Lord turned to the other scout. "Is this true?"

"IT IS TRUE, MY LORD!" The second scout echoed, trembling as he recalled the harrowing scene.

"Maybe they just saw something unusual," one of the door guards remarked, pitying the two scouts.

"Yes, there's no way that's possible," the second guard agreed, shaking his head at the scouts' seemingly hopeless situation.

The Blade Lord grappled with his own doubts. 'Perhaps it was an illusion,' he thought looking at the beauty lord.

After all she was known for her illusions but an insistent part of him urged him to accept the possibility.

"Then, we have to go and confront them," the Blade Lord finally declared.

"YES, LET'S GO! I'M TIRED OF DOING NOTHING!" the Beast Lord shouted, determination replacing his earlier rage.

The remaining three Lords exchanged glances, then sighed in reluctant agreement.

They swiftly exited the room, questions flying as they walked. "How many are they?" the Speed Lord inquired.

"About thirty of them," the scout replied.

"Ha... we can take three times that number with us," the Poison Lord scoffed.

"Then, I'll gather the rest," the Speed Lord said, disappearing in a flash to rally their forces.

Before long, they assembled outside the building, a formidable group of almost a hundred fighters, a few of them with variety of weapons from the system or their surroundings.

However, the average level of the gathered fighters was 2, meaning they only got their skills and did nothing else. While the Lords themselves hovered around level 17.

And with the blade lord at level 18 and yet even he knew he couldn't face a Realm Bear alone.

He actually hoped it was a lie, if not. "We're going to confront some intruders and pursue them, if necessary," the Blade Lord announced standing in front of the fighters.

And even with his speech filled with loopholes, it still earned its cheers and shouts of approval from the assembled warriors.

With renewed purpose, they set out.

While expecting to walk a long distance, after a mere two minutes of walking, they spotted a group of approximately thirty individuals approaching them from a distance of 200 meters.

"Lords, that's him in the front!" One of the scouts ran forward and pointed, indicating Jon, who stood at the head of the approaching party.

And from the distance, Jon met their gaze, with a calm expression.