Realm Kings

Chapter 2: Funeral

The sunset casted a golden glow on thousands of soldiers who stood at attention. Multiple corpses were wrapped in white cloth at the edge of the river and the muffled whimpering of civilians could be heard as they mourned their loved ones. Normally this many people would not be present at even mass funerals. But after the announcement that The Jade Queen would make an appearance, no one dared to be complacent.

"Are they sure the Jade Queen is coming?" One tall soldier whispered to another, "I've lived in the cultivator city right outside the palace for over twenty five years and I've never once seen her, why would she come out because a bunch of mortals died?"

The shorter soldier next to him froze briefly before his face went pale. "Keep your mouth shut before you get all of us killed."

"Pfft, you really think that old hag will show up? She doesn't even show up to the annual crimson fair."

"Whether or not she shows up, her cultivation base should be high enough to hear you from anywhere in this city. If you want to kill yourself fine, but don't try to drag others into it." After saying this, the shorter soldier moved three paces away from the tall soldier and stood at attention once more.

~Damn coward... ~ The taller soldier thought to himself.

Just then a sudden feeling of impending doom caused him to shiver. A male's voice appeared in his head. 'Your friend is smart, do well to remember his warnings.'

The tall soldier shook in fear, then fell to his knees. The others who had no idea what happened gave him weird looks then ignored him.

Sercy floated above them, her hair pulled back into a single braid with a knife attached to the end. She wore a thin black battle dress with splits at both sides exposing her long shapely legs. She glanced down at a woman who was kowtowing in the crowd pleading to a soldier.

"Please find my son, he's not dead I'm sure of it. Please find him, they took him and the others."

A man leisurely strolled towards her with a spiteful look on his face.

"That boy is surely dead, he's weak and foolish."

"My Niyad is alive!!!" The woman shouted in rage. "Her angry shout drew the attention of the surrounding people.

"How are you so sure of that?" The man sneered.

"H- He has a talisman on him that was made by his grandfather. It's connected to his soul so if he were to be killed this pendant would shatter." The woman touched a pendant that she wore around her neck.

"What grandfather? From what I know you're an orphan... How could a man who's dead forge a soul pendant? You make no sense. Besides, forging something like that would require talent that clearly doesn't run in your family. Niyad can't even get past the Qi condensation realm."

A few bystanders nodded in agreement as they looked at the woman in pity.

The woman clenched her fists in frustration. Her eyes red from anger as she glared at the man.

"You're right, he has no talent, but do you have a right to say anything? Where were you when the children of this village were being taken? If you're so strong, why didn't you help? Why was it that only my Niyad tried to do something?!"

The man's expression became twisted, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but then a gush of wind picked him up and slammed him against a tree.

The woman froze, then she turned to look in Sercy's direction. Sercy tilted her head slowly in response to this, her eyes twinkling in interest.

~She was able to sense me? ~

Sercy had masked her presence while observing the people gathered there. She didn't expect the woman to locate her so easily. Not even the strongest cultivators had enough strength to sense her when she didn't want to be found. Yet this seemingly simple mortal woman was able to find her with one try.

Sercy moved and was now floating directly before those assembled and after unmasking her presence, people were suddenly able to see her.

A collective gasp was heard once the congregation noticed her presence. The crowd wore varying expressions of surprise, jealousy and lust. Sercy, even with her face covered, was a stunning beauty.

"Who is that beauty? Why can't I sense her cultivation level?" One man thought aloud.

"She's flying, that's not allowed in the city!" a female cultivator exclaimed in annoyance not bothering to hide her envy.

"We aren't even in the city." Some random man replied in Sercy's defense. Sercy observed them all in silent distaste.

~Is this how they behave at a funeral?~

A man with grayed hair who appeared to be in his late sixties made his way through a line of soldiers. Like the rest of the soldiers he wore black and gold armor, however two stripes were on his left arm which signified his status as the Queen' messenger Aliel; He stepped forward then ordered in a booming voice.

"GREET THE QUEEN!"

The woman who had complained about Sercy flying earlier turned extremely pale in fright.

A collective "EEEEHHH!!!???" "WHAT!?" could be heard from different sections of the crowd.

The soldiers, although they had never seen the Queen before, were aware of the old soldier's identity as the Queen's Messenger and hence followed suit. The soldiers caused a chain reaction and cultivators and mortals alike kowtowed to show respect.

Everyone there was kneeling except for a woman who sat at the river unmoving. She sat next to a small body wrapped in white cloth. After a few seconds of silence, a soldier noticed her then yelled.

"How dare you! You deserve to be beheaded for your insolence." He got up then strutted toward the woman, reaching out to grab her shoulder, but before he could, three of his fingers fell to the ground.

He stood frozen for a few seconds, his mind was slow to process the situation. "AHHCKKK!!" He released a pained scream while applying pressure to his hand. The air around him became heavy as an intangible pressure started pressing down on his entire body. He sunk to his knees, the confusion evident in his face.

"Did I ask you to act on my behalf?" Sercy's voice came out monotone and chilly.

The soldier shivered. "M-My Queen..."

"Keep quiet," Sercy responded.

No one saw how it happened, but it was obvious that Sercy was the one who acted against the soldier. Sercy turned her attention to the crowd. "Everyone rise, let us say our last goodbyes to our loved ones so they may rest." After what happened with the soldier no one dared to be loud. The air was still and although she didn't use her power to suppress anyone, there was obvious tension from fear.

Count's voice floated to her ear. ~"Weren't you the one who said we shouldn't scare the children."~ Sercy pretended as if she didn't hear him.

The bodies were lit and sent down the river, the last was that of a child. Sercy dragged her eyes from the bodies before she started speaking.

"I'm deeply sorry that civilians were dragged into the matters of the cultivation world. This is partially my fault, hence I will try my best to give compensation to those affected. I know that no amount of gems can bring back your loved ones, but I hope it will at least ease some of your burdens. The Southern kingdom will not go unpunished. I thought that we could live peacefully if we minded our own business. However, it seems that because I have not displayed my power for a while, people have forgotten my name. As much as I want to wipe out everyone in their territory. There are innocents there as well. To ensure that this vendetta is carried out without any mistakes nor any danger on our end. I'll be paying a visit to the Southern Kingdom myself. Every bandit tribe will be wiped out and the heads of a thousand soldiers will be left at the gates of their kingdom. It is my apology to you all for being too complacent as a Queen."

"Also, soldiers of Blenheim who neglected their duty to protect the civilians, I'll deal with you once I get back."

The last thing the Jade Queen said caused the blood to drain from the face of the soldiers, and a few of them felt their knees go weak.

When she was done speaking Sercy bowed slightly, then walked towards the forest slowly. The civilians and soldiers alike were quiet as they watched her leave. The majority of their mouths hung open.

Sercy's hips swayed and her braid swung from left to right as if it were the tail of a feline. Killing intent radiated from her body that made it difficult for them to breathe. It was so thick that it caused the temperature around them to drop and the air to smell of blood.

"It's just like the legends. They will suffer the wrath of the Jade Queen. She shall bathe in their blood." An old man murmured.