I arrived in the arid lands of the third kingdom and learned that the third king was leading his army towards the castle of the third epic. Determined to catch up with them, I rowed a boat for a long time before borrowing a horse from the villagers and riding towards the arid region.

The villagers were kind to me despite not knowing me and even provided me with provisions in return for a favor I had done in the tournament. The entire kingdom seemed to be aware of the war and the villagers barricaded themselves in their homes, anxiously awaiting the outcome.

With time running out, I rode non-stop on the white horse given to me by the villagers. A favor from them must have guided me in the right direction. As the sun reached its peak, I finally arrived in the arid region beyond the mountains and city.

The arid region of the kingdom was vast, covering almost a quarter of the kingdom. It was going to be difficult to find the army without any sounds of fighting or clues, but I continued riding. Eventually, I came across the remains of tents and the footprints of hundreds of people, which gave me a sense of direction.

From atop a hill, I saw the army camped below and preparing for battle. As the soldiers spotted me, they sounded their bugles and I rode down towards the tents.

Upon reaching the camp, the soldiers allowed me to pass without any resistance as if they had been expecting me. I dismounted my horse and searched for my companions, but they found me before I could find them.

Lezlie, Hiroshi, and all the other members of my team were standing right in front of me, excitedly approaching. Lezlie was overjoyed to see me and hugged me first, as she always did.

I was overjoyed to see my companions safe and sound. "I'm so glad you're all okay," I said.

Lezlie smiled at me. "It's good to see you too, Ryuu."

Hiroshi approached me from behind with a rare grin on his face. "Good to see you, mate," he said, extending his hand.

Instead of shaking Hiroshi's hand, I hugged him tightly. For a brief moment, I had feared losing my friend forever. Hiroshi hugged me back. "I missed you too, kid," he said.

I turned to Mila and Shou. "Princess, Shou, I'm so relieved you made it here."

Mila hugged me tightly. "We missed you too," she replied.

Next to them stood a tall man with white hair. Mila had succeeded in the task I had given her and introduced the man as her friend Wedan. "He is a descendant of the apocalypse, but don't worry, he is a good man and will fight with us," she said.

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Although I didn't know Wedan yet, I trusted Mila's judgment and extended my hand to him without hesitation. "Nice to meet you. My name is Ryuu."

Wedan shook my hand. "Ice prince, but you can call me Wedan. It's the first time I've seen a wolf."

"It's the first time too, I've seen a descendant of the apocalypse. But don't worry," I reassured him. "What matters is what you do and who you fight for. If Mila trusts you, then we trust you too."

After a brief reunion, I asked my companions about our plan. Hiroshi explained a few things, but we needed to meet with the king in his tent to discuss the details. The king was waiting for us and we gathered around a table with a map of the third kingdom to strategize.

Hiroshi lit the cigar while Wedan and Shou studied the map. The king began to explain the situation. "The information we received has been confirmed. Miron is waiting for us at the castle of the Third Epic with the Death lineage and Rose is still in his hands. However, the Winged will join us from the east to support us in battle."

I asked the king if there was any way to make our task easier. "Will the First and Second Kings join us?"

"Unfortunately not," the king replied. "My brothers are preparing for a larger battle."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

The king spoke frankly. "If we win this battle, it will only be a matter of time before the Fourth Epic attacks. For the safety of my people, I must win this battle and attack the Fourth before he reaches us. My brothers will join us there."

Wedan supported the king's decision. "The king is right. If the Fourth attacks here, his creature could kill many people."

The king and Wedan were right, but we had to focus on the battle at hand. "We'll fight there," I said. "But for now, let's concentrate on the battle ahead. Has anyone been to the Third's castle or nest?"

Hiroshi took a puff of smoke from his cigar before answering. "The castle is large and heavily guarded. A direct attack would be futile. However, according to the information I received, the outer columns are weak. If we position our catapults and cannons to the east and west, we can easily breach the castle walls."

Babu looked at Hiroshi skeptically. "Will it work?"

"I can use gunpowder from the Fourth Kingdom," Hiroshi replied confidently.

Mila joined the conversation with a question. "What about the elite soldiers? The ones here are stronger than any we've encountered before."

Lezlie supported Mila's concern. "Mila's right. And they're still holding Rose captive. What if they do something to her?"

The girls were right to be worried, but I knew something they didn't. Miron wanted me, not them. "They won't harm her," I said. "Miron wants me to surrender, so he'll use Rose against me. I'm sure of it."

The king wanted to know my plan. "What are you thinking, son?"

"I'll face Miron and rescue Rose while you guys take care of the others," I said. "But this time we'll split up according to plan. Hiroshi, Shou, and Wedan will attack the Third Epic while I deal with Miron."

"What about the elite soldiers?" the king asked.

"Babu will take on the first elite soldier and the second elite soldier…"

Mila interrupted me eagerly. "I'll fight him because we have unfinished business."

Wedan was about to say something when Lezlie spoke up in support of Mila. "Mila and I will take care of it."

With our roles decided, all that was left was to wait for the battle.