The man on the lotus opened his eyes, revealing a pair of shining silver orbs. He threw his gaze toward the blue sky above and saw the one calling him:
Hovering in the sky surrounding the island were hundreds of people cladded in eastern robe and dragon-crested armor. They were all carrying intimidating-looking weapons of all sizes. The aura they emitted exuded with bloodlust and killing intent. Nonetheless, none of their presences matched the man on the lotus.
However, if there was one entity amongst the newly-arrived whose aura was second to the man on the lotus, it would be the woman in red. She was adorned in a glorious crimson robe with a shining golden dragon crest stitched at the abdomen region. To her waist were strapped a pair of twin swords. Each one emanated with overwhelming energy. Enveloping her entire surface was this fiery energy which threatened to suffocate anything that goes near.
The presence of the woman in red was definitely overwhelming. That being said, she still could not compare to the man on the lotus. Though she was the best of the hundreds hovering around the floating island.
"Why have you come to see me?" asked the man on the lotus.
"It's 'Your Majesty' to you. For I've just taken the throne." replied the woman. "An inevitable ascendancy that you caused."
"Last I recalled, the empire was no more." said the man. He stared back at the woman with a sharp gaze. "For as you just implied, I had dethroned its emperor and destroyed everything that supported it."
The woman shook her head.
"Not everything. You failed to kill us, after all."
"Consider it my way of showing you mercy, Lady Long. Someone had to remind the new generations the wrongdoings of the empire, after all."
The woman sighed in disappointment after the man's last words.
"You used to be our hero, Cheon Zhen. But you've turned on us because of such silly ideal you foolishly kept holding on."
"Valuing human lives is not foolish. Disregarding them in order to pursuit greater power is."
"All those immense powers are wasted on you, one who had attained the Heavenly Demon title. My family nor I could never understand how could someone who had no regards of strength attained such immense strength."
"It is your obsession with the pursuit of strength itself that made you all blind to the true path of the greatest power." stated the man blatantly. Now, he was the one who had a disappointed look on his face. "I've repeatedly told you to abandon your ways of this world, one that values strength over kindness, but you all refused."
"The strong shall survive and rule, while the weak is crushed and slaved. That is the sole law of our world, Cheon Zhen. That is how Bumi works." replied the woman with a smile. Persistent with her own ideals. "It really is a pity a powerful man like you could never accept that. Those powers really are wasted on you. You could've brought the empire to greater glory with all your talents."
The woman then pulled the twin swords belted on her hip.
"However, there is also another unwritten law of our world: An eye for an eye." stated the woman.
She stared at the man with killing intent. She raised her blades and poised them at him.
"Cheon Zhen the Heavenly Demon, you've killed my father and my brothers as well as millions of the empire's subjects. I swear on the Golden Plain itself, I will make you pay!"
The man on the lotus shook his head, refusing the call for battle.
"If you wish for our world to survive, it is best that you abandon your thirst for vengeance. For my final battle against the empire had injured Bumi so much it could not handle another titanic clash."
Even when faced with the end of the world, the woman simply laughed at Cheon Zhen.
"Then let the world reach its end. I needed to make you pay for what you've done!"
Cheon Zhen paused for a moment after hearing the woman. It was clear that she did not care their battle would destroy the world itself.
"Then just go ahead and kill me." stated the Heavenly Demon blatantly.
"What?"
"You heard me, Lady Long. Just kill me. We don't have to fight and sacrifice this world."
There was no hesitation in his voice. The man meant every word he said.
Upon the perfect opportunity to vanquish her opponent, this time the woman was the one who wore a frown.
"Well, it seems we now have a problem." said the woman. "I can't let it end like this."
"What do you mean?"
The woman raised her swords and spun them around. The movement created a powerful gale that parted the sea of clouds below the floating island. It revealed the land of fire that was raging down below, turning the sky crimson with the radiance of the great flames.
Presented with this view, Cheon Zhen immediately stood up and walked up to the air. He made his way to the top of the banyan tree so he could see what was happening down below:
Millions of human corpses drenched in blood and engulfed in great fire were laid throughout the land beneath the floating island. These people were not the same as the strong ones hovering around the floating island.
They were, in fact, masses of common people. Farmers and laborers. Women, children, and the elderly. Those who were weak.
Rage struck Cheon Zhen's heart upon this terrible sight. But he managed to control his emotion and let it only reflected through his murderous glare and stern voice.
"What have you done, Lady Long?!"
"This is just a little something I prepared so you'd fight me. I knew you wouldn't face up to my challenge if the end of the world is at stake. So I needed to create a surefire way for you to act." revealed the woman. "After all, you just destroyed the empire. You just gave me a good reason to fight you. I can't let that opportunity slide."
The man on the lotus frowned upon the woman's last remark.
"So what you really wanted was not revenge but just an opportunity to fight me?"
The woman smiled at Cheon Zhen. Thrilled by his moment of revelation.
"That's right. I've always wanted to fight you, Heavenly Demon. And after you defeated my father and my brothers, it just made me wanted to fight you more." said the woman, relishing each word with her fantasy. "I've been curious of how much power you had in you. I always had this feeling you haven't shown us everything."
"If all you wanted was a fight, you could've just asked me. You didn't have to kill all these people!"
"Oh but I had to! Didn't you hear me? You destroyed our empire. That's a perfect excuse to slay those weaklings." replied the woman nonchalantly. Her next words though were delivered with pure excitement. "And this way, I knew you'd go all out on me. Since nothing drives human potential better than pure rage born through the desire for revenge."
The revelation of the woman's true intent made Cheon Zhen could not help but to close his eyes and gritted his teeth in anger. He was appalled by the nonsense the woman just uttered.
The fact that his existence could decide the fate of many was already known to Cheon Zhen. And now, his worst fear had come to reality. And somehow, he knew this was inevitable.
"There really is no hope left for this world."
The dominating aura enveloping Cheon Zhen suddenly began to grow. It grew until it enveloped the banyan tree. And then it kept growing until it enveloped the pond. It continued till it blanketed the whole island. And it remained growing to the far reaches of the world and the sky above.
As his power was accumulating, Cheon Zhen stared at the woman in red. No. Rather, toward the world beyond him itself.
"I've given you many chances to correct your way. Chances for attaining peace. But you just wouldn't accept it."
The entire realm began to be distorted. Pressured by Cheon Zhen's powerful aura.
"If it's power that you wanted, then I'll show you what true power is."
Like the birth of the universe, Cheon Zhen exploded with brilliant light. The shine reaching far and wide, engulfing all. Enveloping the entire world within white dimension.
Inside this white space, Cheon Zhen's voice reverberated through every existence there was.
"Mark my word, as the one you called Heavenly Demon, I swear on my existence this world will reach its end on this blood-stained day."