Chapter 22
Part 1
Rice that rejuvenates those who consume it while refining their blood to increase their vitality is nonother than the Blood Jewel Rice which grows in the Overstory layer of the forest oceanic.
The rice cannot grow without the special grass that's growing therefore it can't be found anywhere else in the world.
A truly wonderous place but it is forbidden to many because of the dangers that lurk in its shadows fly fish.
Fly fish an insectoid fish that scavenges all remains they can find they are like piranhas fishes but more aggressive.
Their body is more like fish but has the characteristics of locusts, they can fly long distances and survive for 8 hours outside.
Feasting on the blood jewel rice they give birth to a more dangerous fly fish known as fly kingfish, this fly kingfish can command a hive of fly fishes but there exist many fly kingfish like it so they are not of the same type, branching off into many legions.
But they all share and hold one thing in common which is the role of Overstory guardian, they guard areas of the first layer dealing with intruders that enter their territory.
Each king commands billions and there are the chances of a king being born under a legion that has a king, in that case, the legion is split or they fight ownership of it but the chances of that happening is slim like maybe 0.008%.
And as the Overstory spams over 39.31 million miles there exist only 37 of them.
Name: Fly Fish
Species: Fly Fish
Overall Size: 7 centimeters
Diet: Scraps/ Blood Jewel Rice
Threat Level: None
Alone they pose no threat in swarms also no threat but with a fly kingfish if they number a million blue level threat and the higher that number is, the more threat they pose but it does not exceed the threat level of orange.
Name: Fly Kingfish
Species: Fly Fish
Overall Size: 12 centimeters
Diet: Scraps/ Blood Jewel Rice
Threat Level: Orange
Once these flyfishes passed through a town and what remains that could be found was none even the bones were devoured as no drop of blood touched the ground.
But they only hunt when there are no corpses to feed on.
***
Just like regular grass the tall 15-meter grasses swayed with the wind as their roots were resting in the waters not attached to the ocean floor but to the surface of the water.
The king slowly landed walking through the grass like an ordinary lion this was instinctive as his body did all of the while in his mind he felt free and wandered into the grass and wherever his paws landed had an ice petal that disappeared after seconds of his departure.
His shoulder bones moved with each of his front moves as the breeze of fresh air came into his nostrils.
Is this what it feels like to be free in the wild?
I wanna hunt…
Something within him boiled.
I wanna kill…
His mind was going into dangerous territory.
I wanna devour.
Prey… prey, prey, prey, where is my prey?
And why is it that I'm alone? Where are my pride? Am I to walk alone?
Need mates… Need strong ones… Must be strong I must be a strong and conqueror all.
Unbeknownst to him his mouth was watering as his stomach chirped for meat while he was in his thoughts.
Lub Dub Lub Dub Lub Dub
With his thoughts, his heartbeat was pounding with something instinctive, something that when it happens every living creature nearby becomes prey.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Listen to your heart.
Leave reason.
Abandon it.
You are an incarnation of doom.
Kill where you set will.
Devour all.
Freeze all, Freeze all, Freeze all, Freeze all, Freeze all, Freeze all…
***
Part 2
Before the king's arrival.
In one of the territories in the Overstory, all fly fish that were in the layer gathered chirping like birds while they moved in formations like bees.
The tall grass that spans over this place covered them but they were still visible.
Because the number of these creatures exceeded billions, it's like observing bees going around their hive as they buzz.
As the swarms of fly fish did their celebration the 37 kings who rule over them were also gathered in a pile of large carcasses observing closely.
Within the carcass was an egg the size a of person's head.
The egg was still growing as it was eating the carcasses surrounding it.
And it's absolutely unlike any egg because this one was alive as it munched down the carcasses with shark-like teeth at its center.
If anyone were to know why these flyfishes gathered they would faint from shock…
Every year the population of these insectoid fishes increases by 10-20% and that is because they are regularly cleaned up so they don't pose a threat.
As a mechanism to that the kings and all other fly fishes have gathered for the birth of a new king.
Forest oceanic is like a ring inside a ring, inside another ring.
The largest ring which is on the outside is the outer layer called the Overstory and the second outer layer ring is called Understory both these rings surround the inner forest which is the last layer.
Since the Overstory surrounds the Understory it has no entrances as it is an open field and the fly fish usually hunt in the deep for sea creatures as such the only time they can be seen outside is harvest time for the Blood Jewel Rice.
And not too far from this place was a vessel that had the emblem and the flag of the empire on it.
On the sides of this vessel were circular saws that mowed all grass it stumbled upon.
The empire is the only one who benefits from the rice here thus making them a regular here harvesting it every few months when it's ready.
"Mhmm, my poor grasses it must hurt to be cut down like that." Said a woman on board the vessel as she wiped away a tear coming down from her left eye.
Standing up she looked at the man who approached her from behind.
"Don't you think so, Vice Admiral Blade?" She asked, adjusting her little crown made of magnolia flowers.
He looked at her before saying… "NO, I do not think so… Vice Admiral Magnolia!" With a remark, crossing his arms.
This man stood 6'ft wearing a black coat and two short blades on his back that looked like fangs.
He's dark-skinned with red eyes having fang tattoos on the sides of his head.
Bill Blade, Vice Admiral of the Empire…
"And here I thought you were the humerus type." She said while jumping up on the ship's figurehead her green hair which was like plants fluttered as she put both her hands on her hips looking down at vice admiral Blade.
She also wore a pink coat over her white and pink uniform and it was hanging on her shoulders as she was not wearing it fully and on its back, it had the words, Planetary Justice.
Magnolia, Vice Admiral of the Empire…
"Well it doesn't matter, did you finish reporting?" She asked looking back at the grass that was being mowed by the vessel's circular saws.
"Yes, they said to finish off whatever that's making these phenomena." He replied sitting on the chair she was sitting on previously, his arms still crossed.
"But wait, weren't they like to wait for reinforcement every time something wrong was reported these couple of months?" In a surprised tone, she asked, blinking her eyes.
"If you mean the ban that was put on us vice admirals, it was lifted last month with the confirmation of who did it."
"Oh, really who killed that moron who embarrassed us so much this past year?" Her eyes were gleaming with excitement as jumped onto the deck.
"Apparently it was some nosed brat who was 16 and they said she did him in a horrible way as the remains of his body were found inside sea creatures."
"What! Then why aren't we sent to deal with her so we can show them the vice admirals can't be taken too lightly."
"I'd say the same but those damn assassins were sent last night so nothing we can do about it." He said with a sorrowful face.
"Well, at least those Masked basterds will show them hell for us…" Her excitement cooled down very quickly walking off into the helmsman where three ladies wearing uniforms like her's stood.
Their hair was brown with freckles on their face and green eyes, they were sisters each named Loebner, Oyama, and Saucer.
And the only difference between them was their height as each of them were one inch taller than the other 5 '6, 5' 7, and 5'8 ft.
Loebner was 5 '6 a 2nd commander of the Empire's military rank, Oyama was 5' 7 a 2nd commander, and Saucer was 5 '8 a 1st commander of the Empire's military rank.
They are subordinates of vice admiral Magnolia.
Each vice admiral commands a troop of 10,000 and in assistance of managing them, they have two 2nd commanders and one 1st commander to help them.
Oyama was holding a map in her hands and when she heard her boss approaching she looked up, saluting her alongside her sisters.
"Vice Admiral ma'am…" They said in unison.
"At ease commanders, report on our position?" She said with a serious commanding voice.
"Yes, vice admiral ma'am… we just left areas 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D we are headed to area 3D, and next to it is area 3C where the anomaly is occurring ma'am, it will take us about 2 hours to reach it…"
"OK, then I want you to send in a message and the flare signal for the harvesting vessels to retreat. I don't want them to be caught up in the upcoming battle." She ordered.
"Yes, ma'am." The other two responded leaving her with a quick haste as they rushed in to do their orders.
Boarding this vessel were 500 soldiers and two vice admirals, some of these soldiers being awakened and others star-warriors between 1-3 star ranks.
The forces of the empire are always on duty and today was the same, nothing was different except something dangerous was coming to one of their units out in this forest ocean.
***
Part 3
"Haa, I sense you and I must say to you you're unfortunate to have me here because I alone am KING and you are my prey…" The king's icey voice came out with a chilly aura. He looked like a monster of frost.
The path that was left after him was devastating as where he passed was frozen sparkling like jewels.
He entered the layer from the northeast in area 3A and oozing from him was a deadly cold aura that was freezing all the grass around him and the water below him.
A confrontation between two kings was inevitable and it's going to be bloody.
But one of these kings was not in the right mind while the other one wasn't even born but they still sensed each other from afar…
End of Chapter 22