(At the same time, somewhere else in the forest) (Ryuu)

The king put a map of the whole kingdom on the table, showing us where we were about to go.

We gathered around him and waited for him to explain. And just then, he pointed to the island next to the kingdom with his hand on the map and started talking.

"This is where the second epic is located. If we leave now, we'll get there at dawn. However, it may not be so easy for us to get there. We'll have to find a way to get there faster."

When he said that, Babu approached the map and looked at it. Trying to figure something out. He said while scratching his chin,

"For an epic, she has chosen a fairly open place for herself."

He then looked at the king and asked,

"But why? Won't that affect her plan in a bad way?"

"It's not that easy. The island has fourth-class marine protection around it. Any ship or vehicle cannot enter from anywhere except the front of the island. Therefore, she will probably enter from there. If she continues to travel this quickly."

The front of the island? This most likely meant that they were going at the last speed towards a collision. After all, their attack on the castle and the way they planned it showed this. They were probably planned this from the beginning, to make a mess and run away as fast as possible. It was obvious that they would not do this without causing great damage.

But there was something else too. A detail. And that detail, was right in front of us.

"Right in front of the island. With all her soldiers." I said.

The King replied,

"Exactly. And it will also make us clash with her faster. If we decide to engage in this, there is no running away. We'll have to attack them directly."

This was some type of ambush. Because before we left here, they had to do something to stop us from following them. And it was to eliminate their remaining enemies and easily move on the path to immortality.

While we were discussing it, Hiroshi joined the conversation and said. While still calmly listening,

"They probably know we're coming, too. And until we reach there, the front of the island will probably be going to closed with ships. They're trying to put a barrier on us that we can't overcome."

Babu asked confused.

"Then how do we get on the island."

The king again took his hand to the map, and answered by pointing once more to the front part of the island,

"I and my soldiers will hold them off in the front. You'll go through the surrounding area and enter. Without attracting much attention and preparing a solid attack against them."

He then looked at us and said,

"Understand?"

"The plan you say makes a lot of sense, but there is a problem." Shou replied while crossing his arms.

He then added,

"Our starting point will be, of course, the region with the most troops. But it would be ridiculous if they would have come here without planning their move. So I think they'll spread out evenly around the island and take incoming attacks equally. And that's why we need to think about a second counterattack."

"You needn't worry about that. I have an idea for that."

"What type of idea, old man?"

"Something that will definitely get you in."

The King was now so sure of himself. It was as if nothing had happened between us. And he seemed to be believing in us. But he was nervous too. The look on his face made it even more obvious. He really wanted to save his daughter.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

But he also knew that the coming war was quite risky. We were going to fight against an epic. Once more after a long time. And as I recalled it. I had quite a hard time fighting against one. I remembered that I barely fought back. Even though I had the strength and some kind of special power. So I couldn't have this misfortune again.

Because the opponent in front of us, was many times and many times stronger than the first one. She was on another level as many people told.

But still, I had to focus on something else.

Even though I was just as worried as the king, just like him, I had to be strong for this moment. Just to be able to move forward with my friends.

So I lifted my head from the map, looked at the people around me, and said,

"Whatever our priority, it must be to save Princess Mila. We will be as fast as we can while the king is fighting. The elite soldiers here are stronger than before. We already know that. So we must be careful, even more careful than before."

"What are we going to do, Kid?"

"It's hard to fight them when they're together. But they can't hunt us down when they're scattered. We have to separate them."

Hiroshi knew my idea was dangerous. But he also believed that this would be the only way for us to win. So he lit his cigar, looked up, and said,

"The boy is right. When we fight one on one, we have more of an advantage. Otherwise, it's impossible to defeat them. Anyway, there's no other way around it."

Babu turned his head slowly to me. As if he was tired of my conversations with an expression on his face,

He said,

"Ryuu. One day these plans of yours will kill us all, but I don't know when I will either."

He then sighed and added,

"At least it is for my friends. So it's something worth dying for."

It was an interesting view, even for a king who had lived among people for years. Because looking at all four of us around the table, he realized something. Even though there were only four of us, we weren't even a little afraid. We thought there was no reason to be afraid. Even though they had stronger soldiers, traps, or big plans, we knew we had to save Mila. That's why we were ready to take on a whole army.

And with that being like that, the king looked at us with a smile on his face and said,

"I have seen such courage in very few people in my entire life. But your courage is admirable. And as the king, I would like to say that I would be honored to fight back-to-back with you. And I'm truly sorry for what I have done."

Hiroshi liked what he heard. He was smiling. Actually, we all liked it. Because the words had come out of a king, or rather, they had come out of the person we would most like to hear from. It was something priceless. The respect and loyalty of a person. And it was exactly what I wanted

And so on after we discussed what we were going to do, Hiroshi slowly made his way outside, looking at the sky.

He said,

"There's no need for us to waste time. Let's take her back before it gets too late."

We should have rushed to win the war. If we were there before dawn, we might have a chance. But we all had our eyes on the back, just because Lezlie was still lying there unconscious. There was no one to protect her.

So I turned my head to the king and said,

"Our friend Lezlie. Her... We can't leave her like this."

"Don't worry, son. My soldiers outside will carry him to my palace and take care of him. No one can hurt him in the palace right now."

I didn't want to leave her, but I trusted the king. We had no time to lose. I wanted to take one last look at Lezlie before I left. So I approached her and Lezlie said to me in a quiet tone,

"Ryuu..."

It was as if she had opened her eyes slightly. Then, calling out to me once more, he said,

"Ryuu. Come closer, please."

"Don't worry, Lezlie, you'll be all right. I promise we'll come back for you."

"No. That is not, what I want to talk about."

She was talking like she was in great pain. And her words were getting more complex by the second.

"What do you mean? What do you want to say to me?"

She gestured for me to come closer with her hand, and I bowed my head as low as I could.

Then she whispered in my ear,

"Take the water. You need to get the water of immortality before the epic, no matter what."

"What are you talking about you-"

"You have to listen to me!" She said loudly, forcing herself a little bit."

She then added,

"Listen to me, please. Something big is coming up. We're gonna need that water. And we are going to need that the most. I know you don't want to believe something like this right now, but I'll tell you everything later on. So understand my words and just do as I say for now. Please, Ryuu."

Her skin was whiter than before. She was sweating and breathing heavily. I was sure that she was sick. But I just then remembered. It was just like I woke up from those nightmares. She was, afraid. Just like me. And she was afraid of something terrifying. I didn't know what at that time, but I knew I could have trusted her. So I took her word and continued on.

"Then I will be going now." I said while giving her one last look.

"Please be careful, Ryuu. You all have to be."

"I will. And I will come back."

I didn't mean to worry anyone. Since a lot was going on. So that's why I started walking away from there without saying anything.

When I got out, there were dozens of carts and horses. And they were all full of soldiers. The king had put everything into winning and he was determined about getting his daughter back. I wasn't blaming him for such a fuss. Our enemy was tough.

So I got into the carriage where Babu and Hiroshi were at that time and started to sit down.

Hiroshi then looked at me and understood that something was wrong.

He asked,

"What took you so long?"

But I didn't want to reply.

I just said,

"I told her that we wouldn't be back for a while. But I'm sure she'll be waiting for us here."

He seemed convinced by my words. He didn't say anything. Neither Babu did. We just thought about what annoyed us in our own heads. It was the best for all of us anyway.

And so on, as we got on, the King shouted,

"Our destination is Killong Island! Forward, my unbreakable soldiers!