Last Ruler Of The Empty Throne

[A/N: PLEASE NOTE, NOW THE WEAPONS ARE RANKED IN GRADES NOT REALMS]

Five minutes had passed since Jon unleashed his aura, leaving the opposing group reeling.

Jon had just left them with a warning of immediate death if they tried anything funny, and he was serious about it. And the lords and fighters didn't doubt it.

Slowly, as they began to come to their senses, their terror of their so-called "lords" became utterly eclipsed by their current fear of Jon. They couldn't fully comprehend what they'd just experienced. Jon's overwhelming aura alone had brought them to their knees, something they'd never happened before, even if they were told he was already in the first realm. It still sounded a bit impossible ,right?

And besides, they had witnessed the "lords" face first-realm creatures before, but their power was not this exaggerated.

The fear in their eyes as they watched him now spoke volumes; his mere presence had shattered their allegiance to their former leaders. They didn't even look at the former lords again. In the first place, the 'Lords' no longer had any face, their reputation shattered as they broke.

Meanwhile, Jon's own group moved toward the trembling former "lords," and fighters prepared to enforce Jon's warning on their group and who would dare resist at this point; even the "lords" seemed haunted, as if they'd seen a ghost.

Jon didn't notice, but his strength and restraint was beginning to leave an impression on his group, leading to the unspoken sentiment behind the words the girl in his group had murmured earlier.

However, for Jenny and Cynthia, it still shocked them that he didn't kill the beast lord.

To confirm her thought, Cynthia approached Jon and asked, "I thought you were going to kill him back there..." she asked.

Judging from Jon's attitude so far, he should have killed the beast lord immediately. However,

"I don't just kill anyone, do I?" His words shocked the girls. But after thinking of the recent situations, the nodded.

"You know, it's strange even more strange that we're even talking about killing so casually now," Jenny laughed quietly at her words.

"Yeah… it is," Jon agreed, his gaze shifting toward the sky. It was true, if it wasn't for the passive skills some of them had gotten at the beginning of the fall, Jon didn't think he could actually kill anybody even till now.

His 'Composure', not even minding how good it sounded, it had its downs too. However, now was different. The real reason he hadn't killed the Beast Lord had nothing to do with mercy.

A Few Minutes Earlier,

Before he struck the beast lord, he was forced to stop his attack because his wristwatch suddenly vibrating again. And this time, the pull was stronger than it had ever been,

'The watch? His eyes narrowed as he looked at it again. He had thought it was directing him toward the administrative building. Then, looking down for a while, he activated his Moon Gaze to see if there was anything unique around him, however but he found nothing.

'But the watch is telling me it's here. Could it be… this person?' he wondered, looking at the beast lord in shock while piecing things together.

It didn't take five seconds for him to piece everything together. Then, he lowered his fist, letting his aura fade as he addressed the Beast Lord. "I don't want to kill you. Just stay out of my way." Like that, he chose to leave all of them

And like that, due to the Beast Lord, his group had been spared.

"Before we check out the buses, could we take a look at that building?" Cynthia asked hesitantly, finally revealing her intent.

Jon nodded and looked at the administrative building again. 'So was there another one.'

"We're ready to move now…'Lords,'" someone from Jon's group taunted, sparking quiet chuckles among the team.

"Pfft..." Laura was the first to laugh, breaking the lingering tension in the air.

And with a nod from Jon, they began their march toward the administrative building.

Surprisingly, the first person to get up and follow them was the Beast Lord. His imposing demeanor had softened to something more subdued and Jon watched the situation without saying a word. This beast lord was apparently the treasure the watch was trying to show him and now he was following him closely.

One by one, the rest of the former "lords" fighters trailed after Jon's group, reluctant but clearly unwilling to return to their old alliances. As they neared the building, Cynthia took the lead, her navigational skill guiding her steps.

Jon watched her, thoughtfully. He already had the treasure/person with them already. So, if Cynthia's skill was showing her something in the building, why wasn't his own watch telling him too.

They stopped at the entrance and took a few people inside the building to avoid a crowd. Upon entering, Cynthia led them to the top floor of the building and reached the last door in the corridor.

It was the room the now former lords used,

Inside the familiar looking room, still surrounded with the things from the "lords'" so they all waited at the entrance of the room, while Cynthia would go in.

There was no time to admire the room, they only focused on what might be the treasure.

Cynthia looked at the direction her skill was showing her, and it locked at the far end of the room, a desk placed at that corner.

Walking over, she saw some files and books and paper, most likely from before the fall, however that wasn't in her mind. She stretched out her hand as she reached towards a cup stuffed with stray pens and pencils. Carefully, she dipped her hand into the container and pulled out a small item: a golden hairpin.

And immediately she picked it, her eyes widened as she glanced at the notification hovering over it.

[YASSIDE HAIRPIN (BLACK GRADE)]

EFFECT: Designate a 15-meter area as a defensive base and camp. This area has protective properties, providing defense against any unranked weapon. Fighting within this area increases attack and defense abilities to teammates.]

Cynthia's hands shook as she held the hairpin, the magnitude of the treasure dawning on her.

Jon and Jenny stepped forward, alarmed by her reaction.

"Are you alright?" Jenny asked, snapping her fingers in front of Cynthia's face to bring her back.

"Uh—yeah, I'm fine," Cynthia stammered, snapping out of her daze. She then held out the pin to Jon.

After taking and reading its description, Jon's face mirrored her astonishment. Curious and not to be left out, Jenny took it next, her expression shifting to one of equal shock.

"Black Grade… huh?" Jon murmured, recalling the name from Mervil's book. He hadn't expected they'd come across one of these items so soon.

The implications were profound. If this was a Black grade treasure, what power then, might a Gold or even a Silver grade item hold?

He turned back to the others, his mind whirling with questions.

In this new world, treasures like these could change the tide for anyone lucky enough to wield them. He just began to realize just how far they had yet to go.

'But why didn't the watch tell me about it.' he mused in his thoughts