A few more days passed and they finally saw the Cobalt Harbour. The shipโs crew was busy preparing the ship for docking. Afro helped out as well since half the crew were on the pirateโs ship. Matthew tried to help as well but he didnโt know what to do exactly and could only watch them.The anchors were dropped and the sails were furled. Once the ship was docked, both the shipโs crew and the harbourโs began working to unload the ship. The pirate ship was practically empty and only its tied up crew members were brought onto the pier. There, Cobalt authorities were discussing with the captain.Matthew and Afro got off and were not that far from them. It was not their place to be involved in the nationโs procedures.โWell, Iโll be heading back home now. Do you need any help finding a ship to Phulu?โโNo, I donโt think so. Iโll ask the people nearby. Well, theyโre practically surrounding me already.โ Matthew could tell that everyone had their eyes on him.In this part of the world, humans
โSorry to have kept you waiting.โ Shima said as he walked side by side with Matthew.They were walking in the palace and passed by guards that were on patrol. All of the guards saluted them as they did.โYou didnโt have to come personally.โ Matthew replied.โWhen my guest is someone as esteemed as you, as king, I believe only I am fitting to accompany you. Aside from Lady Cobalt of course.โShima Melcros, the king of the Cobalt United Kingdom. He was a blue scaled fishman with a slender stature yet defined muscles. He only wore a kilt made from beautiful translucent jellyfish-like material and had a golden ribbon resting on his shoulders. On his neck were five pairs of gills. His hands and feet were webbed like a duckโs and fins on the forearms and on his hind legs. Shima had yellow fish-like eyes and his ears were fins. His hair was blue and reached his shoulders.โWhat brings you to my palace?โ Shima asked.โWell, I was just stopping by to meet Cobalt originally. But since all route
โWho are you? And why do you disturb my slumber?โ A deep mature female voice resounded in the chamber.Matthew got a good look at Cobalt. She was lindwurm type dragon with a long flat tail like a crocodileโs. Her arms were webbed and had fins on the side. She had deep blue eyes and frills on her cheeks. She also had three horns on top of her head that curved to the back. The scales on most of her body were dark blue from her spiked spine and became lighter as it went to her under belly until it was white. Upon better look, Matthew noticed that she had gills behind the frills.โYour aura feels familiar. Answer me, human.โ Cobalt spoke again.Matthew returned from zoning out a bit and introduced himself. โOh, Iโm Matthew. We just came by to visit you.โโWe?โ Cobalt lowered her head to inspect closer, but there was really no one other than Matthew.โHello there Cobalt.โโIt has been a while.โ Arshild and Draco spoke through the Dragoknight.โThose voicesโฆ Arshild and Draco? My, where are
600 years ago, there was a great war that shook the entire world. Unlike the World Wars on Earth, the Scarlett War was not a conflict of multiple countries against other countries. It was a conflict between one country against all others.This story took place about two years before the war.Leviticus Scarlett was a half human half demon. He was always treated unfairly because of his origin. His mentality was strong and endured the abuses, until a certain event happened and made him snap.He came alone and was floating above the ocean where the Kraken dwelt below. They struck a conversation before the fighting began.โWhy do you come, O king of demons?โ The Kraken asked.โTo kill you, ancient one.โ Leviticus answered.โI know of your strength. You are not someone that I can defeat, that I know.โโThen why not surrender and die a quick death?โโYou are too arrogant, king of demons. You should learn that your way of achieving your goal is pointless for the people will never agree.โโI o
โThatโs the entire story.โ Cobalt said as she swallowed an entire fish whole.Cobalt had just finished telling Matthew of the fight between the Scarlett King and the Kraken.โJust like that?โ Matthew thought it was rather easy.โWell, Kraken mostly does mental attacks and does not specialise in offence, and against the Scarlett King, she couldnโt do much. Fighting that monster is almost impossible to win. Draco would know.โโIndeed. His ability to use both astra and magic is amazing on top of his intelligence. Although I was confident that my strength was greater, he managed to catch me off guard.โ Draco said.โI see.โ Matthew was amazed every time he heard of the Scarlett Kingโs feats. He defeated multiple powerful beings alone and brought chaos to the world, yet wished for peace. It did not make sense.โIt was said that it took the entire might of the Heroes to defeat the Scarlett King, or so the books say. The truth was that there was an inside conflict between some of the children
Matthew set off with Dzy as his guide. They rode a mosasaur with armour plating to head toward the trench where the Kraken dwelt. The mosasaur was swimming really fast and it was easy to lose a grip on their reigns, but Matthew was able to hold on. They lay their bodies flat on the mosasaurs to reduce drag so that the mosasaurs can swim faster.Still, the trench was far away. On the way there, Matthew got a glimpse of the cities within the Whale Clan territory. It was near the surface and had really large houses that were spherical in shape and connected by what seemed like tubes made from bubbles. Matthew could sense people in the towns, but all their auras were dull as if they were lifeless. No, that wasnโt the correct way of describing. It was like they lacked any emotion and thought, unconscious, yet they were moving as if everything was normal.(Thatโs the Krakenโs doing. If she really is as Cobalt said, why do this?) Matthew thought but he saved that question for when he actuall
Shima, accompanied by a group of knights, slammed the door to the meeting room with great force.โWhatโs happening?โ He asked the people that were present.โThe Whale Clan and the Deep Clan are headed toward the capital with great speed. Reports from our scouts say theyโre bringing everyone, civilians included.โ Hardy answered.โWhy?โโAccording to scouts, the Kraken is controlling them and forcing them to come here. They arenโt equipped at all aside from those that already are. Seems like this force was hastily put together, or not actually put together at all.โโBy the gods. This is a much worse situation than when the Scarlett Army attacked. We donโt want to kill our people and that would be troublesome to deal with.โโNot only that, sire, there is also an armada of 50 ships coming in from the north. From their flagship, itโs the Red Eye Pirates.โ Hardy added to his report.โ50?! I thought they had only 20. When did they gain such numbers?โโWe suspect that they joined forces with
Matthew opened his eyes and saw that he had returned to the location where he and Rose first came to this world. It was the exact same scene.โThis place again. Why am I dreaming of it? What actually happened?โ Matthew didnโt know that he was knocked out when he confronted the Kraken.โMatthew, son of Mark.โ A voice echoed from all around. No, it was multiple voices without a source.โWhoโs there?โ Matthew asked.โWhy, youโve already forgotten about me? The world tree?โ The voice said.Mentioning the world tree, Matthew knew who it was. It truly has been some time since then.โYggdrasil?โโSo you do remember.โโWhat is it? Did you bring me here?โโHmm, you could say that. It took a great deal of effort to bring you here. Had you not been knocked out, I couldnโt have possibly met you.โโI was knocked out? How?โโYou faced your fated foe while you were unprepared and were defeated quite easily.โโMyโฆ fated foe?โ Matthew had so many questions that his mind was a haze now.โYes. Leviticus
At the edge of the pit, it was them. A total of nine of the Scarlett family members.From the right, a woman with long red hair and black and white dress was casting a healing spell on Bilgrae. A male elf in full black armour with a star shaped bang of three red points and two white points and his black hair was split in the middle. A demon with dark violet hair and a pair of horns at the side of her head and wore a jet black skin tight suit which exposed certain parts, Crymillia. In the middle, it was a man with short bright red hair wearing a black and gold robe. Then, a man with black hair in a red and black suit. Another demon with about the same features as Crymillia except that his hair was short and he wore a black cloak over his suit. Then there was a man with spiky red hair in a red robe with a high collar, Crone, the one that Matthew and his friends fought at the Great Sandcastle. Finally, there was the black feathered avian human, Skystorm.Seeing Skystorm in good health, M
Confronting Bilgrae now was what he expected to see from a Dragon Emperor.Matthew was now at maximum output of his astra and all of it was condensed in his body. Bright red scales covered his entire body and he grew slightly in size. His muscles became more toned and also increased in size. A pair of horns of a darker tone of red grew out of his forehead that curved to the back of his head. Both of his eyes were glowing golden as his hair was.โLetโs finish this!โ Matthew did not delay any further. He couldnโt maintain this form for long so he must finish the fight quickly.Matthew dashed toward Bilgrae who was ready for Matthew. Their fists clashed again and this time, not only was Bilgrae pushed back, he felt pain in his knuckles. Matthew was much stronger than before and far faster too. Utilising his speed, Matthew went for another punch to Bilgraeโs gut.โOof!โ Bilgrae got the air knocked out of him with the first hit.Matthew followed up with a barrage of punches. Bilgrae truly
After being blown away by Skystormโs wind, Matthew regained his footing and was met with the big lizardman, Bilgrae Scarlett. Bilgrae had a smirk on his face. Matthew stood up and faced Bilgrae, but his eyes were not on him. Matthewโs eyes fell on Falynx in the far distance.โAre you still concerned about that monster?โ Bilgrae asked with his deep voice.Matthew looked at Bilgrae now. โItโs hard to know which one is the monster here.โโHeh, youโre right. All of us are monsters deep inside. It just takes one misstep to turn a person into one. Youโve been there too.โโNo I havenโt.โโMaybe not to you. But the whole world saw you as one. Now that monster suddenly turned into an emperor and they suddenly glorified you, while some still hate you of course.โโHmph.โ Matthew huffed.โYouโre angry with me, I understand. I purposely did not kill that beast. Out of compassion.โโDonโt lie. You Scarletts donโt know what that means.โBilgrae wasnโt smiling anymore. โYou donโt know how merciful fa
Akame and Skystorm were separated from Matthew and Bilgrae. Akame stood up after being blown away by the powerful gust of wind created by Skystorm. Their eyes met. Both of their irises were bright red and gazed deeply.โI will be your foe, Red Cardinal.โ Skystorm said.โWhat relic will you take? What will you use it for?โ Akame asked.โStraight to the questions huhโฆ Thatโs not any of your business. Why would you care what we take anyway if youโll die?โโTo evaluate whether itโs worth fighting for or not.โโHmm, a smart choice. If you don't want to fight, then I shant confront you. Sadly, it seems that Lord Dragunov disagrees with you. If he is in the way, then we must remove him. I donโt think that leaves you an option now.โBacking out from this would mean that Matthew will be fighting two people. If they werenโt among the Scarlett Armyโs strongest, it probably wouldnโt be hard for him to deal with alone. Both of their foes were really strong and Akame had no expectation of defeating
After their encounter with Falynx, they reached an agreement to conduct an investigation as they intended. Falynx had flown back to the surface on its own. Matthew and Akame headed to the temple and arrived at the front door.For some reason, even though they were underground, it was as clear as day down here. It was not dark and not too bright either, like a cloudy day.There were stairs that led to the door and the walls in the area were already partially destroyed. Some of the stairs were also gone. The giant door was made of stone and seemed to be intact with little cracks around the hinges.Matthew pushed one of the doors open. It was surprisingly heavy so Matthew had to lean into it to move it. Akame went inside first and inspected the place. There was a stage and a podium carved out of stone at the end of the great hall. A mural was carved out of the wall behind the stage depicting a supposed god holding the sun in his hands.Matthew left the door open and joined Akame to look
In the middle of the desert, there were two figures running across the sands. Clouds of sand were left behind in their quick steps. The cloak provided by the minister was really working. No sand was sticking onto them.โWeโre getting close.โ Matthew informed Akame.Almost two hours have passed since they left the city. Many monsters came their way but they were easily dealt with. It caused a little delay but not enough to affect their momentum. Falynxโs presence was still about 10 kilometres away.โBe ready for battle.โ Akame said.โRemember though, donโt kill it.โ Matthew reminded her.A few minutes later, a gigantic figure could be seen flying in the sky. The creature had the body of a snake, the head of a crocodile and six pairs of batwings. Its yellow eyes with black vertical slits looked down at the incoming people below.Falynx bowed its head and began descending. Matthew and Akame saw this as an engagement in battle. Matthew called out the Dragoknight to his arms and increased
The sun was already high up in the sky in the Capital City of Kubalt. The weather was hot and dry as usual in San Coro. The street around this particular area was not that busy since it was right in front of the Palace of Al-Jauhara. One would occasionally see knights patrolling the area. Akame was waiting under the intense heat of the sun. She had covered herself in a large black cloth to protect herself from the heat. The guards out here only wore light armour compared to the ones inside, probably because their armour would be too hot to wear outside. Not too long after, she finally saw the one she was waiting for. Matthew was jogging toward her. He wore his long sleeved red hooded jacket and an orange shirt under it and a pair of black pants. He also had his usual travelling backpack with him. โPhew, sorry, did you wait long?โ โNot too long. Did you not use a teleportation scroll?โ Akame asked. โI did, but the closest one was to Yanbue City. Neither Platinum nor Rose were famil
โWhat brings you here, Akame?โ Matthew asked.Just a few moments ago, Akame had arrived in front of Platinumโs cave. Someone like who was a Coloured Hunter, passing through the Blackwood Forest and up the cold mountain was not a problem. Or not.Akame was hugging herself to keep warm but it was not helping at all. โAchoo! C-can we talk somewhere warmer?โโOh, come on in.โ Matthew invited her inside.Akame went in and they both made their way to the living room. Matthew didn't think that it was alright to bring her to the others directly. The living room had a fire to keep them warm, so here was enough.โAh~โ Akame warmed herself up by the fire and put her hands out.โSo, what are you doing here without equipment to survive on a mountain? Certainly you didnโt come to interview us?โ Matthew asked.โQueen Cleopatra sent me. We will investigate the ruin she mentioned together.โ Akame said with the same emotionless voice as usual.โCleopatra? Well, I was gonna head there in a few days anyw
Matthew and Rose arrived at the foot of the mountain just by the Blackwood Forest where they dropped off of the carriage while Guinevere headed back to her palace. It was already very late in the afternoon when they got to the forest. Matthew carried Rose's luggage in hands while he also wore his backpack."I can carry my own stuff." Rose said."No, I will carry them for you. Anyway, are you sure you'll be fine?""My magic resistance is quite high. I also know how to disperse mana if it does accumulate inside me. How long exactly is it going to take to get up there again?" Rose looked up at the ledge near the mountain peak where Platinum's abode was."Well, usually only a few hours if you're moving at my usual speed. If we're walking though, a few days at least." Matthew said."But we're not walking, right?" Rose asked."Nope." As Matthew replied, a shadow flew past over them.A jade green dragon circled them as she descended to the ground nearby. Upon landing, the dragon folded its w