Chapter 41 - Emperor Azaron Rahnggabat

Kingsley was shocked, for what he saw was unimaginable!

The Sea Tribe representatives were on their knees, wounded and bleeding badly. The Earth Tribe representatives were left petrified, not daring to move a muscle as Blaze dauntingly stood with her foot on Bon Banson's chest like a savage, a god amongst men. Though this seemed like complete madness, Kingsley knew Blaze would not do such things unless it was necessary. But why was she in a hurry? What could've happened?

Blaze glanced his way, her eyes lighting as she let go of the chief and shoved the Earth Tribe representatives out of her way. "Finally, someone dependable has shown up!" she exclaimed as she made her way over to him. "Where's the Emperor, Kingsley?" she asked.

"H- Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Yvonne called after her, gripping her axe nervously.

Quintel regained his confidence after his sister spoke, and he stepped forward, grabbing Blaze by the shoulder and forcing her around to face them.

But Blaze simply flicked off his hand and continued forward.

"We're still talking to you!" Quintel shouted, but he didn't follow Blaze as she left him behind. "Where are your manners?!" He was scared, his hands trembling with fear, but he tried his best to hide them in front of his sister.

Blaze slowed down and peered over her shoulder. "Tch. I thought you two were different, but now I can see why the two are Cowser's cousins. Cowards," she said with disdain.

Enraged, the sibling pair cursed. "What did you say? Get back here if you're looking for a beating!"

Oh, the irony. Blaze flashed them a taunting smirk. "Make me," she sneered. And as expected, Yvonne and Quintel were left tongue-tied, too scared to make a move first. So Blaze turned, performing her signature hair flip once again before she sauntered over to Kingsley.

"Don't push your luck, woman! You will get nothing from the council!" Bon Banson gritted his teeth, shaking his fist in the air with the sides of his hideously thick lips curled down. He continued to yell, this time to upbraid Kingsley.

"Why did you come late, Kingsley!" he pestered. He knew Blaze well enough to know that she would resist his arrest order, which is why he summoned Kingsley, a person she at the very least respected. But why was he so late? Kingsley could've saved him from such humiliation.

The Earth Tribe duo struggled to help him off the ground, veins bulging as they hefted his large body up to his feet. He broke into a coughing fit, wheezing as bits of blood came from his mouth and nose. He shook off the duo once he was back on his feet and pointed his finger demandingly. "Arrest her now, Kingsley! That's an order!"

In truth, Chief Banson had secretly investigated if Blaze and Blake could access Hyper Surge as well. But all he had seen back then was a rebellious, self-righteous son and a fearless, spoiled girl who had inherited her father's distinctive traits. Only now he had realized that Blaze could actually talk the talk and walk the walk, unlike her late older brother. Or perhaps, Blake was the same, only he had failed to notice.

Blaze narrowed her eyes in Banson's direction, running her mind with the countless ways and possibilities to mess up this incompetent chief.

Really, she was disgusted just by looking at him. Ugly was an evident understatement to try to start describing him. His appearance alone would make an onion cry. If she had a choice between marrying a pig or Banson, she would marry the pig and curse him to the ends of the world for the bad luck of having to marry the pig. His personality was even worse than his face; it was just straight up abominable, loathsome. If he were to die, the devil in hell would reject him out of the fear and insecurity of losing his crown as the ruler of all evil beings.

Even the most positive person in the world would find the task to praise him impossible.

All of a sudden, a gentlemanly voice not far from them spoke up, drawing all eyes to his direction. "What's going on here?" he asked calmly.

Blaze snapped back to her senses, not realizing how much she had just insulted the chief in her head. What was she up to again?

Kingsley, once again, was the first to react, bowing his head as he said, "Greetings, Emperor Azaron. When have you come? My apologies for not noticing your arrival."

"Ah…" The Emperor waved off such a simple thing that was not even a problem, his extravagant robes swishing back and forth. "Don't be so stiff now, Kingsley," he said, his tone kind and casual. "I was just roaming around the faction when I saw you in your chariot in a hurry, so I followed." Then, he folded his hands behind his back and walked forward into the crowd, narrowing his eyes at Blaze's unusual appearance.

"…Blaze? Is that really you?" he asked, bewildered.

Blaze bowed her head in greeting, her appearance gradually diminishing back to its normal state as she was starting to become quite famished. "Yes, Emperor," she answered. "It is I, Blaze Estereon."

The Emperor furrowed his brows, worried. "What happened here?"

A female guard stepped forward, bowing her head as she explained, "Emperor Azaron, it appears that Chief Banson sent the tribe representatives and a brigade to arrest Blaze Estereon. However, Blaze seemed to have said 'nope!' and…" – she glanced uncertainly at the bloody mess around her – "then things became like this, Emperor."

Emperor Azaron's face crinkled, looking at the guard as if she had just spoken gibberish even though he had clearly understood every single word she had said. He had not expected such an answer coming from a guard, and suddenly, he burst out laughing, imitating the humorous way the guard had said 'Nope!' as his shoulders shook up and down.

"HAHAHAHA! 'NOPE!'" he howled, his laugh booming through the awkward, silent crowd. "You heard that, Blaze? She said you said, 'nope!' and this happened. HAHAHAHA!"

"Er…" The female guard lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Huh," Blaze snorted under her breath. "Random guard, you're out of line. But I like how you explained it."

"The name is Skye. It's my pleasure to be in the Lioness of the Ember Tribe's presence." Skye bowed. "It's my first time being assigned to the eastern gate. I'm from Sea Tribe, but your father, Batarak Estereon, is the person I look up to the most. My sympathies to the Ember Tribe survivors."

"Well, with that attitude, why don't you become part of the new Ember Tribe?" Blaze suggested.

Skye's eyes shone, twinkling as she jumped up and down like a kid. "Really?" she exclaimed. But her excitement quickly died down when Blaze told her that they needed women to mate with their surviving young men and bear as many children as they could.

Skye's eyes sank before she trudged back to her post.

At this time, the Emperor was still laughing, holding his abdomen tightly as he chuckled. "You're hilarious, Blaze! So, the surviving men of the Ember Tribe are marrying just anyone now?"

"Of course not, Emperor," Blaze replied with a raise of her brow. "I told them not to marry any workhorses in bed. She's an exception because she's pretty." Blaze spoke with her utmost propriety, in which she rarely does.

Nothing changed, both she and her father were incredibly nitpicky when it came to their people.