“Hey, is that… he’s the one you’ve been telling me about all this time right?”

  “Yeah, I think that’s him. Should we, you know, just ignore him? I don’t want any business with a bad omen.”

  “Shhh, he’s right beside us. Keep it down or else you’ll get us into trouble.”

  Ladies, you do know that I can still hear you right?

  Like seriously, you don’t even seem to try. I don’t want to sound rude but it really bothers me, not a lot but enough for me to actually care. I’m still a human being, I have emotions too you know.

  Then again, I can’t really bme them, can I? When the world considered you as a failure, getting into meaningless battle is a dumb move. All I can do is to prove them wrong, at least in some way.

  Dealing with all this kind of fuss on a daily basis has become a common thing for me even though it’s only been a month since joining the Academy. A normal person might give up after just around a week, but that is not the case for me.

  As I walking to the Academy, more and more students start looking at me in all kinds of way, but mostly negative. Things do not get any better even when I’m heading to my locker.

  The students all give me the silent treatment despite all I’m doing are just putting away my sword. People, I did not kill a fraud and then got my identity exposed by that same person, alright? The worst thing is, they don’t seem to want a conversation from me, and even if they do…

  “Hey Yasutaira-kun, the status list for our css, have you finished it?”

  “Oh yeah, I got it right here. I have also sent an e-mail just in case. You can check it if you want.”

  “Thanks a lot Yasutaira-kun. I knew I could count on you.”

  It’s only about business. The person I just talked to is Kairuda-san, the css president. She is a short girl, around 155 centimeters tall, with gsses and twin tails hairstyle.

  I’m gd that Kariuda-san doesn’t seem to dislike me, but I can definitely see that she’s keeping her distance from me. I guess as the css president, she really has to keep things professional.

  As for the favor she asked me early on, since magic is a thing, everyone is capable of doing things a non-magical person can’t, and as a result, the “Status Ranking” app was born.

  That app measure out a person’s power based different elements such as Strength, Attack, Speed, Intelligence, Stamina, Defense, Magical Ability and Magic Resistance. To makes matter easy, I will be the b rat:

  Name: Yasuitaira Waka (やすたいらわか)

  Gender: Male

  Age: 15

  Height: 171 cm

  Weight: 67 kg

  Strength: A

  Attack: A

  Speed: B

  Intelligence: B+

  Stamina: A+

  Defense: C+

  Magical Ability: E+

  Magic Resistance: D

  Overall Ranking: B+

  Notes:

  Extreme amount of mana.Have not yet committed a crime.

  As expected from “The Heretic”, everything involves magic is on the lower side. To compensate, I try my best to stay in shape in terms of physicality, not quite peak but enough to at least defend myself.

  But what really caught my attention is the “Notes” section. I have so much mana the app even use the word “extreme”? How much is “extreme”? I’m not some kind of mythological creatures. I don’t even think that an app can handle them like they did to us human.

  Letting out a big sigh, I return to my seat, waiting for the morning css to begin. Today’s schedule if I remember correctly includes Magic Theory, History and Math. Studying is not my biggest strength, but that doesn’t mean I’ll just let it sink that easy.

  I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but at least I’m doing a decent job in terms of grades. After all, brains and brawn are what it takes to be great, and for me, to keep that promise…

  As my mind is wandering in the clouds, the cssroom’s front door suddenly opens. A young girl hurriedly runs into the css. For a person with that small figure, even shorter than Kariuda-san, she sure does have one big pair of gsses. Wait a second, she’s heading to the teacher’s desk, so this must mean that…

  “Hello there, my lovely students. Y’all ready for today’s lesson? Please stay on track with me or you’ll miss all the fun”.

  After finishing her morning greeting, she starts writing something on the board. Why am I telling you this? To get a clue, let’s just say that my eyes can’t even keep up with the things she wrote. Like one moment there’s nothing on that board, then all of sudden it’s full of words and numbers. I look around to have a quick check on everyone, and not to my surprise, they are all in awe.

  I guess that really is Hirose-sensei after all, you can never know what she could whip out. Last time I check, she’s a master of water magic element, and now she has super speed? Guess I really have to pay some attention to today’s lesson.

  “That’s right my lovely students, today we’ll learn about Strengthening Magic. It may be on the simpler side, but do not underestimate it. Like I always say, you can never master everything, so try your best to at least good at something, no matter what it is.”

  She may not look like it, but she’s one hell of a teacher. Hirose-sensei, how did you do it? I’m really amazed, and the same can be said for the whole css. As I look around one more time, they are all in serious mode. Not many people can pull that off as far as I know.

  “But before that, I need ya to refresh ya memories a lil bit. *ahem* As you already know, we all live in a world where magic exists, to perform anything us Magica need mana, and of course the other criteria that we don’t publicly mention. Conveniently, the magic flow fits perfectly into the meridian system, therefore we can considered ki and magic energy the same vein.

  To simplified things, let’s just imagine your magic flow as a car on an infinite highway. In order for it to go on forever, checkpoints are vital. Those checkpoints on your body are the acupuncture points. Once they’re all shut down, you’ll no longer be able to use magic, but of course they can go the other way around.”

  Woah, she got the whole body charts on the board, she even drew it accurately. Speaking of drawing, I think I noticed something. I don’t think I caught up to her speed at all, but I’m pretty sure I saw a glowing aura coming from her.

  I mean, I have seen those auras before from people using Strengthening Magic, but her is somewhat…different. It’s on a whole other level, and I don’t think we can reach it that easily.

  “Back to the topic, Strengthening Magic is one of the most, if not the most basic magical ability out there. Using your own mana as fuel, you can enhance your overall speed, strength, defense and senses. The downside of this ability is that not only it drains out your stamina but it’ll also put you under extreme stress physically and mentally the longer you use it. That’s the textbook definition. But this is where the fun begins. Strengthening Magic may not be complex, but with a little bit of what I like to call “mana control”…”

  The aura I just saw earlier came back, but instead of the whole body, it just wrap around her hand, forming some sort of weapon. This is Ruler Academy after all, it’s not just some ordinary school.

  As far as I know, Kiriwatari Academy is among the top three strongest academies in all of Japan. Despite being a top dog, this pce is rather unorthodox. Even someone like me, “The Heretic”, somehow made it into here. But let’s not get sidetracked and see what she has got left to say.

  "This on my hand is what I like to call “Mana Bde”. By condensing your mana in a certain part of your body, you can create a weapon. And with the help of Strengthening Magic…”

  She then takes out a piece of wood, throws it high into the air and all of the sudden, it get sliced in half, perfectly. She even catches the two smaller one with style.

  “You can do something like this. Strengthening Magic can help you be stronger, faster and more precise with every hit you throw. Of course, you still have to watch out for those downsides I mentioned earlier, but practice makes perfect they said, so do not worry too much about it, OK?”

  I don’t know how long has she been doing this, but she definitely stands out. Cut to the chase, showing how it’s done, but more importantly, makes sure we all get the message. I feel lucky, like very lucky.

  But that’s her job. Our job is to make sure the work she put on did not go to waste. I may not be able to do any of those techniques, but I could at least form some sort of contingency pn. As for the rest of the lesson, Hirose-sensei further expined the premises of “mana control”, as well as demonstrated it with the addition of elemental magic. She can only do water element magic, but I feel like that’s enough.

  With Math and History, it wasn't really a challenge for me. If there was something that's bugging me, it was during the History css. We learned about the origins of “The Heretic”, and the whole css gave me a weird look.

  Look people, I’m not the only one with that nickname. I was shocked to find out that there’s more people like me out there too, the only downside is that they’re all dead. Well expect for one person though…

  Normally, css starts at 7.30 am and ends at 11.30 am. Then we have a lunch break for the next two hours. You can either go to the cafeteria or bring your own lunch, which is exactly what I’m doing.

  I find myself a nice pce on the rooftop, so I take out my bento box, revealing what I’ll have for today: vegetable sad with mayo dressing, six pieces of shrimp tempura along with rice. I think I overdid the tempura a little bit, but for me it’s not really a problem as this is my one of my all-time favorites.

  It’s not an easy job finishing all of these, but not for me. After all, I learned how to cook for people to enjoy the food, including myself. While I’m at it, maybe I’ll check my phone to see what I’ve missed. I don’t have too many friends to talk to so most of the time, it’s just me, myself and I…

  But is this how my life going to be for the next three years?

  I keep telling myself that I’m fine by my own but inside, I can feel something. I don’t really know what that is, but what I do know is that it’s dying.

  Sometimes, I lie down, look up to the blue sky, just wandering up there for hours, just like what I’m doing right now. I know it’s not good for me, but I can’t really help it. After all, the rooftop is the best pce to rex and take a nap…

  There isn’t any css in the afternoon as this is the time for training sessions as well as club activities. To be honest with you, this pce is huge, it’s like a whole mini society in here.

  We have gyms, clubrooms, even outdoor training grounds enough to handle all the students. You’ll be surprised to see how cheap the fees are. It’s definitely on the higher end compared to other pces, but it’s still pretty reasonable for a top tier academy like this.

  Right now it’s 2.30 pm I believe, and you may be asking: What in the world am I doing at this time? Well, in short…

  “Hahh!!!”

  “Gahh!!!”

  I’m actually training, all by myself of course. Just like a normal gym, the training grounds are loaded with different kinds of equipment. Even though it’s not as much as the gym, but for me, that’s enough.

  Since I can’t do magic, I’m focusing more on the physical side. I'm going for great bance between weight training and swordsmanship. Occasionally, I’ll do some leg training just to make sure my whole body can keep up with a more intense training giving that I’ll one day reach to that level. Speaking of training…

  “Hahh!!!”

  After one st swing, I return to the Ko Gasumi stance, before putting my sword back to the scabbard. I still have around two hours left, but for now, I’ll just let the body rest for a little bit.

  Can’t push the limit with an exhausted body, can I? I’m not going to rest for too long, just going inside the mini gym. With that in mind, I head to my backpack, grab my water bottle and take a big sip. It’s a good thing I bought a two-liter bottle, it really comes in handy. I have some protein bars, but I actually save that for after the training. I need energy not just for training, but for my shift as well.

  You know, now that I think about it, whoever came up with the idea for the facilities deserved a gold medal. It’s like they weren’t satisfied with just some gyms, they literally went all out just for these kinds of stuff. You can train alone or have a spare partner and it’s still not a problem for these facilities.

  I’ve seen some seniors training, and I was like “Are they fighting for their lives? Is this what a normal training session looks like to them?”. I know that I’m nothing compare to them, but that doesn’t stop me from trying though. Now that I feel like I’m back on track, let’s see if I can do two hundred push-ups, maybe two hundred sit ups as well…

  After the training, I take a quick shower. I don’t know if I’m the only one or not, but sometimes, I wonder how the Academy makes money.

  We don’t have to pay too much, so they must have their income from somewhere else. I’ve thought of some possibilities, but who am I kidding, I’m not the principal. It’s not my job to question those kinds of thing.

  Well, let’s just grab these protein bars to eat and head off to the restaurant, I don’t want to be te for the shift.

  It’s already 4.45 pm. There’s not many students left as they either go home or stay for their clubs. There’re still some students hanging in the grounds, but from what I’ve seen, pretty sure they’re just taking a break. The restaurant is not too far from here, so while I’m walking, I’ll have to memorize the menu for tonight’s service …

  “Orders from table 5. Two chickens, one scallop. How long till they're done?”

  “I need two and a half minutes chef !”

  “Keep the pans sizzling guys, that’s what I want to hear!”

  “Yes chef !”

  “Hey Esa-san, is the garnish ready? I’m going with the scallop right now.”

  “Right back at ya, Yasutaira-kun.”

  “Got the sauce ready Ira-san? The chicken ain’t gonna wait for much longer.”

  “I’m walking right now Nobari-san.”

  Tonight’s dinner service is jammed pack, definitely way more than usual. It’s only 6.30 pm and there isn’t any table left. I know this pce isn’t that big but man, people love eating here.

  We still have a lot of orders, so I better be hurry up. I may be the youngest member of the team, but that is not an excuse for me to be left behind. Keep focus on what’s happening, deliver the best performance everytime, that’s my cooking motto. T

  here’s one thing that people seem to underestimate, is the kitchen in a fine-dining restaurant. One little chaotic moment and everything will be screwed up, so everyone is going to have to bring their A game for at least hours. Luckily, we always have each other backs.

  “We’re moving on to the entrees now. Orders from table 3. One Wellington, two spaghetti and one salmon. Let’s go guys!”

  “I’m putting the Wellington in the oven now chef! Got the sauce ready Esa-san?”

  “I'm walking whenever you’re ready, Yasutaira-kun.”

  Esa-san is a reliable guy. He’s definitely the best partner in crime anyone could have. From what I remember, he started his career when he was my age, and he’s been around for at least 20 years now. Working with someone twice as young doesn’t seem to be a challenge to Esa-san. Compare to him, I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn. Putting that aside, I put my head back to the game and try to finish the service as smooth as possible...

  Normally, we end our shift at 10.30pm, but since I’m only fifteen so I can’t work a normal shift like the others. By the time I got home, there’s not much customers left, so me not being present for the rest of the time doesn’t affect much. I take off my apron, pack my things and get ready to end my shift early.

  “I’m going home right now. Esa-san, is that my leftover?”

  “That red pstic bag you’re holding is mine, yours is the blue one.”

  “Thanks a lot Esa-san. See you tomorrow.”

  “Not a problem kid. Have a good night, Yasutaira-kun.”

  After saying goodbye to everyone, I go to the back door and get out of the building. As I walk to the front side of the building, some customers are coming out of the restaurant. There are faces that I recognize since they’re all regur customers. They always come early, some even booked the table weeks in advance. They sure do love this pce, don’t they? Well, I’m happy that me and my team were able to satisfy them, for a chef, that’s the best gift we can ever get. I smirk for a second, then turn around to go back home, without knowing what’s about to come…

  Meanwhile, back in the kitchen…

  “Hey Esa-san, I don’t know if this is a dumb question or not, but is it okay to let the kid leave that early? I mean, we still have a few hours left, and who knows what could happen.”

  “You’re new here right, Asuga-san?”

  “Yeah, I’ve just moved in st week, but why do you ask?”

  “Well then, you got a lot to catch up with. For starters, how old do you think Yasutaira-kun is?”

  “By the looks of him, let’s say 19?”

  “He’s 15. And yes, he’s the youngest of the team.”

  “No way. Are you serious!? Is that even legal!!?”

  “Not really. But then again, we’re not living in a normal world, so this kind of stuff tends to happen all the time. But do not judge him based on how old he is. He is as good as, if not better, than most of the team.”

  “Whoa whoa whoa, hang on a minute, is he some kind of prodigy?”

  “I wish. To put it simply, he started picking up his knife at the age of seven, and he was personally trained by none other than Sukeno-san. Took him a lot of push-ups, sit-ups and plenty of juices I must say.”

  “Sukeno-san? That Sukeno-san!?? The owner of this restaurant, the “Fearless Chef” that’s standing right over there !!?”

  With a surprise face, Asuga-san takes a quick peek at the front of the kitchen, while still consistently putting on a show. As expected from the team that’s running one of the best fine-dining restaurants in Tokyo, “bad service” is not in their vocabury at all. It’s pretty te now, customers are all starting to leave, some are still waiting for their deserts.

  “At just seven and that kid was Sukeno-san’s apprentice? It’s…amazing, that kid is something. But wait a minute, “a lot of push-ups, sit-ups and plenty of juices”? I didn’t know having Sukeno-san as your mentor could be that challenging.”

  “And that perfectly bring us to the next point. Lemme ask you real quick: What do you know about “The Heretic”?”

  “From what I’ve known, “The Heretic” prefers to someone who has never committed any crime in their entire life. And we can’t do no magic without committing a crime, can we?”

  “Exactly, because you see… Yasutaira-kun is the test person to be called with that nickname…”

  “Whoa damn, I did not know about that. Must be really hard for him to live with that …”

  “Even worse. He also has no other choice but to learn how to fight, how to survive on his own. Seeing him like that, you never know what’s coming for him…”

  “Oh shoot, they’re already out of coffee? Guess I’ll come back tomorrow.”

  Craving for coffee, I find the nearest vending machine to buy one, but I guess I’m a little bit too te. Letting out a disappointing sigh, I’m heading to the traffic light. Just a couple of more streets and it’s finally “Home sweet home” for me. Honestly, I don’t feel that tired at all. I guess my body has finally get used to the schedule. Maybe just one more short training session is fine…

  “Help me!!!! These strangers are trying to kidnap me!!!!”

  “Shut up kid, or I’ll break your leg!!”

  Hearing a crying for help, I quickly search for the source of the voice. Instead of crossing the road like usual, I turn left and head to the first small alleyway where I think is the problem. When I got there, I saw two guys wearing ski masks trying to corner a little girl. They all have a knife on their hand, can’t quite tell if there’s any more weapon or not. The girl is doing everything she could to get out of the situation, but it’s not enough. Without hesitation, I run straight into them, trying to rescue the girl.

  “Oi, you scums!! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size!!”

  Before they even turn their head, I head-butt the taller one, then using that momentum to heel kick the other one.

  “Argh…”

  “Hugh…”

  They all feel into the ground. While they haven’t gotten up yet, I take out my sword and get into the fighting stance. I don’t really want to fight them or anything, I just want to buy some time for the girl to escape.

  “Hey kid, now this is the perfect time to run. Hurry up before it’s too te.”

  *sobbing* “Thank you so much, Onii-san. I’ll forever owe you.”

  She quickly gets up and runs away as fast as she can. For a little girl, she sure does talk a bit weird. But now it’s not the time to dive deep into that matter. Right when she just escapes, the guys also start to realize what’s going on. Not to my surprise, they seem pretty mad.

  "Why you… Hey there kid, messing with someone’s business is not good. You want me to skin the shit out of you or something !!??”

  “Now now bro, don’t say that in front of a kid. We’re not gonna skin you kid. We’re just gonna feed you to the lions and OBLITERATE THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF YOU!!!!”

  Oh god, they’re no good. OK let’s see. One swordsman against two knife users. There’s no dead end in this alley so worst case scenario, I’ll just have to run away. I don’t have too much energy left, so I’ll have to do this quickly. Still standing in the Seigan no Kamae position, I hold my bde a bit tighter, ready to take on anything they might throw at me…

  “Good, good. Just as we pnned…”

  Something isn’t right. They sound mad, but don’t act like it at all. Maybe they just being strategic, maybe they’re just pretend to be calm, who knows. But one thing I do know, is that I shouldn’t let my guard down. I quickly change into the Ko Gasumi stance. They don’t seem to make a move any time soon, so this is my chance to strike. I sprint as fast as I can to them, ready to nd an attack on one of the guys. But before I can even do that.

  “Take this! Smoke Bullet!!!”

  The guy on the left shapes his fingers like a gun, then fires a small gray bullet at me. I try to slice it, but the moment it hits the sword, it starts to spread out a thick yer of smoke, blocking my vision. Took me some times to clear out all the smoke, but by the time I gain back my vision, those creepy guys were all gone. Are they going to ambush me? Or have they run away? Still not letting my guard down, I take a quick look around to see if there’s anything strange, and suddenly…

  “What is this…?”

  I look down my feet. There’s something on the ground that have not been there before. This is … a scroll? What’s this thing doing here? It’s wide open, so there’s a chance that this might be a trap. My mind is telling me to get out of here as fast as possible, but my body doesn’t listen at all. Something on the scroll… it caught my eyes, but not in a good way…

  “That symbol… No, it’s impossible. It can’t be…”

  It’s the “Almighty Sealing Scroll”! It was made specifically to lock the “Almighty Dragon” away from the world. I thought this thing was lost to time. How can it be here? Someone had already opened the scroll, so it’s not a good sign at all. But before I can do anything…

  “Urghh…”

  A bunch of chains start coming out of the scroll, flying straight to me. I try to cut them, but it’s no use. Those chains tie me up, slowly drag me back to the scroll. I use every bit of strength I have to hold myself back, but my legs alone aren’t enough. Within a second, I get sucked into the scroll. The suction of this thing is no joke. My brain can’t even proceed what’s going on…

  That night, for a mere moment, Yasutaira Waka has disappeared from the world.

  “Ow, my head… it hurts. Where am I?”

  Still haven’t regained my whole consciousness, I lie down on the ground. It’s like I’m having a headache while fever dreaming. The feeling is…bizarre. Still lying on the ground, I look up to the sky. Why does it…white? In fact, when I get up and look around, all I see is the color white. What is this, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber? OK Yasutaira, get it together. What is the st thing you remember?

  “Let’s see. I heard someone was screaming, I tried to rescue the little girl from some creepy guys, one of them threw smoke at me. Then the “Almighty Sealing Scroll” out of nowhere…took me to this pce…”

  This is getting out of hand now. I’m trapped in this pce, and only god knows how can I escape it. I wander aimlessly for a bit, and as expected, nothing changed at all. No buildings, no streets, no nothing, just an abyss full of whiteness. The more I walk, the more frustrated I become. I hold my sword tight like never before while my whole body is shaking in fear.

  “Am I gonna stuck here…forever?”

  Thinking about that alone makes me just want to burst into tears. A full grown adult can’t fully handle this situation, let alone a kid like me. What am I going to do? Am I going to starve to death? Is there even a way out of here? Too many questions unfold inside my head, make me unable to think straight. Eventually, I stop walking, waiting for the end that might never come…

  “For thousands of years I id dormant! WHO HAS DISTURBED MY SLEEP!!!!!”

  Before I can even react, something nds right in front of me. The impact is so massive that it almost makes me colpse. Fortunately, I manage to stand on my ground while covering my eyes with my hands. A few moments ter, I take my hands down, hold onto my sword, ready to take it out.

  The presence in front of me left me speechless: A big dragon with two horns that could easily kill one person with ease. That entire thing is cover in crimson red with some bck patterns in between. The wings of that thing start spreading out. Those wings can make even the best of the best get blown away, let alone a mere teenager likes me. Trembling in fear, I take a big gulp while still holding my sword tightly.

  What’s that thing going to do to me? Can I survive? Even crazier, can I beat that thing? Somehow, I get excited about fighting this thing, despite not being able to move a single finger. What is wrong with me? While I’m still standing there, the dragon starts growling while slowly staring at me. It’s like those eyes can look into my soul.

  “Ohoho, and I thought I’ll get to witness something special. You’re just nothing but a mere mortal. Now then, I shall grant you permission to talk. Speak, boy!”

  Did that thing just talk to me? I’m not hallucinating, am I? I can’t quite move my body, but I still try my best to response.

  “Y…Yes? What is it do you want from… from a low-life like…like me?”

  “A talking one I see. Very well. Now answer me boy: What makes you come to this pce? What is that absurd amount of mana of yours? You’d better give me a reason not to kill you, boy.”

  This is not good. That is going to kill me. What should I do? Faking a reason definitely isn’t a great idea, so telling the truth is my only option left. But even if I do that, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be safe. I’m literally gambling with my life right now. OK Yasutaira, just take a deep breath and get yourself together. This is your only chance, so don’t do anything stupid.

  “Well you…you see, I was rescuing this little girl from two creepy perverts, but I let them escaped. And by the time I…I knew it, I was trapped inside this pce with…with you.”

  “Interesting boy, very interesting…”

  Is that a good sign? As far as I’m concerned, I’m not dead. No one would have thought of actually bailing out of this kind of situation, and yet I’m here hoping that I would made it out alive. I’m in too deep now, so I can’t really go back. Let’s just see what the dragon has to say…

  “And what’s with that unreasonable amount of mana? Is this some kind of jokes? A mere human likes you? If we were to judge something based solely on mana, you’d be considered a mythological creature. Do you understand that boy?”

  “I wish that…that I had an answer, but to be honest, I don’t really know. I was born with it, so there’s nothing I can do.”

  I don’t have high hopes for this at all. We're still in a mutual conversation at the very least, but at the same time, this conversation might not st for long. I don’t feel any killing intents from that thing, so either I’m going to survive this, or there’s something the dragon is still hiding from me.

  “Very well then. Talk to me boy. What is your name?”

  “Yasutaira Waka.”

  “Yasutaira Waka. I see. There is something that you need to know, so pay close attention to what I have to say, or else you’ll be my snack. UNDERSTOOD??”

  “Yes… yes, Mr. Almighty Dragon.”

  “That’s Ms. Almighty Dragon, boy. Now listen carefully. The pce that you’re trapped in is called [Almighty Realm].”

  “[Almighty Realm]?? Isn’t that the realm you created for your own purposes?”

  “So you’ve done your homework, boy. Very impressive. Yes, just like you said, I created this pce just for the sole purpose of doing whatever I want. Unfortunately, it had backfired me hard…”

  "Back…backfired?”

  “You see boy, humans to me are just a bunch of wimps. Those idiots thought that they’re the best, and they can do whatever the hell they want, control whatever the hell they want . When things got out of hand just a bit, they kept whining and making the stupidest decisions ever. Do you know what did they do to mythological creatures like me? Those bastards tried to seal us up in hope that they could somehow prove that they’re superior. They had the balls to actually lock me up in my own realm using "Almighty Sealing Scroll”. I’m not mad, I just feel ABSOLUTELY LIVID!!!!”

  She roars louder than ever after finishing her story. I could have been blown away easily, but somehow I manage to stay on the ground. What have we done? We went that far just for selfishness?

  Mythological creatures or not, that’s not how you treat a woman. You don’t want to deal with an angry dy, that’s fate worse than nightmare I'm telling you. Working in the restaurant industry has taught me some valuable lessons. Should I try to comfort her? I don’t know if it works or not, but it's worth a shot though.

  “Miss…Miss Dragon, can I have a few words?”

  “Speak boy, but you better choose your words wisely.”

  “Th…Thanks. I don’t know much about this situation, but let me just say sorry in advance. We should have not treated you like that. It was a stupid mistake, and we should have known better. Is there anything I can do to make up for our wrongdoings?”

  What can a 15 year old boy do in this case? The damage has already been done to the point of unfixable now. Knowing that, I still decide to bow down and ask to do her a favor. This is either the greatest idea ever known to mankind, or just another dumb way to die. I make another big gulp, while still waiting for a response.

  “You? Make up for the wrongdoings? GAHAHAHAHA!!! Never in my life have I seen such an interesting human like you boy. Do you really think that you can do something?”

  “I mean, I can try. Maybe I’ll succeed, maybe I’ll fail. Who knows? If I don’t do it know, then when?”

  I feel like I’m in a dead end right now. Just when I thought I’m in too deep, I went even further beyond. I can’t even organize all my thoughts, it’s like a chaotic mess mixed with emptiness. Can’t withdraw, can’t move on, just stay there for eternity. This is definitely too much for someone like me to handle…

  But giving up won’t change anything, will it?

  I told her that I’ll try, yet right now I’m thinking about taking a step back. That’s just hypocritical. If I quit right now, I’m no better than those who locked her up. And if I’m just like them, she’ll totally kill me right away. Get your head back to the game Yasutaira, you can’t die here, there’s still someone out there waiting for you…

  “That’s the spirit boy! But before that, there’s still something you need to know.”

  "What is it?”

  “Just like me, you want to escape this pce, don’t you?”

  “Well yes…Wait a minute, there’s a way!!??”

  “Keep your voice down and listen to me boy. You see, the “Almighty Sealing Scroll” has some drawbacks, and those idiots knew that.”

  “It has? What is it then?”

  “The scroll may be powerful enough to seal me, but it was not made specifically for me. Those bastards had lied to you so that they could hide their stupid mistake.”

  “M…Mistake?”

  “Oh yeah, a big one. Out of every type of seals they could choose, they went for the “two-way gate” type. I cannot escape from the inside, but the moment someone opens the scroll, it’s just the matter of time. That is why those bastards had to come up with an excuse to cover up for their stupidity. What I’m trying to say is that we can now get out of this pce anytime we want.”

  “We can?”

  That’s rather anticlimactic. But that begs the question: What the hell is wrong with our ancestors? I’m not the one to judge but, was we used to be that close-minded and weak?

  I know that there’re legends out there saying that the “Almighty Dragon” had killed tons of enemies, but we don’t know half of the truth. She’s not a psychopath as far as I'm concerned, but she’s still an unstoppable killing machine. But for now, seeing how chill she seems to be, I’m just gd that I’ll be fine…

  “But there’s one condition, boy.”

  Huh?

  "You see, I’ve been locked up for hundreds of years now. You’re the first and only person to ever step foot into this realm, so you must be special boy. Entertained me for ten minutes, and I’ll let you out.”

  I’m going to die, period. This is not David versus Goliath, this is David versus freaking Godzil. It’s like asking a bug to stop a tank. Knowing that, I still somehow get into fighting position, despite how one-sided the battle is. I have some ideas, I just don’t know if that’s good enough.

  “Prepared yourself boy. But fair warning: I’m not good at holding back. Take this! Fire Breath!!!!”

  “Hugh…”

  She's not lying at all. I can feel the heat the moment she just fires the attack. I almost can't keep up with the speed, but luckily, I manage to move my body to the side, successfully dodge the attack. I roll around for a bit, then immediately get back up. But just when I look up at her…

  “Impressive boy. Then how bout this. [Dead Whirlwinds]!!!!”

  She flies up to the sky then fps her wings. Out of nowhere, a bunch of whirlwinds appear, confronting me. I try my best to dodge them, but that still isn’t enough. One of the attacks successfully hits me, knocks me to the ground. I'm somehow still not dead, but I definitely took some damage. My left arm is shaking non-stop right now. Just a few seconds in and I already feel hopeless. She’s floating in the sky now, so I’ll strike her right after her next attack. I hold my sword tight while still on my knees, ready to take it out at any time.

  “Oh, being strategic huh? So humans do know how to use a brain… GAHAHAHA!!!! I haven’t had this much fun in years, so be proud of yourself boy. Let’s see how you do handle this. [Meteor Crash]!!!”

  The dragon summons a big meteor, then drop that thing to the ground. It isn’t traveling with too much speed, so my pn is still working so far. While waiting for that thing to crash, I stand up and quickly run back. I need the meteor to hide me from the dragon, so I eventually stop right around the edge. The moment it’s close to hitting the ground, I sprint onward with everything I have.

  “Boom…!!!”

  The meteor crashes. The impact of it alone makes me blow away, but luckily, the smoke is doing a great job of covering me, so at least I hope that she doesn’t see through all of them. The meteor doesn’t look too big, so I can’t quite tell whether she’s holding back or not. After hitting the ground, the meteor breaks into big pieces.

  While the smoke hasn’t been cleared out yet, I jump through the pieces, essentially closing the gap to the dragon. She eventually nds on the ground, shaking the entire realm while also making all the smoke disappear. I almost colpse, but somehow I still manage to get to the top of the st broken piece. Using the momentum from running to the top of the piece, I make a huge leap to the dragon, while taking out my sword.

  “Now now boy, don’t die that early. Come on, give me something.”

  “You want it, you got it. It’s about damn time you got a taste of my sword. Take this! GARGHHH!!!!!”

  With everything I have, I swing my sword downward. I’m aiming for her right eye, maybe it’ll somehow work, maybe it won’t. I just hope that she won’t get mad at me after this. But before it even hits the target.

  “Not so fast boy.”

  She leans back a little, then using her arm to sp me to the side. I try using my sword to block the attack, but it still isn’t enough. I take a decent amount of damage, eventually knock me down. It’s not as bad as when I was sent to this pce, but it still takes me some time to recover.

  I think some of my ribs are broken. My left leg definitely took the most damage, but it’s not broken for now at least. I can still fight, just not for long. This is the longest ten minutes I’ve ever experienced for sure. But back to where we left off, I turn around, once again facing the dragon.

  "Oh what’s the matter boy? Can’t handle the heat? Well too bad because there’s more to come.”

  “Oh no Miss, I’m not giving up that easy. We don’t have all day, so why don’t you just get serious already?”

  “Being loud-mouthed eh boy? Very well. You want to spice things up, then I shall grant it. But first, let me ask you something real quick.”

  “OK? Go ahead?”

  “That sword of yours, how is that thing still not in pieces?”

  “My sword? You mean this thing right? What do you mean?”

  “I've broken your ribs, but not your sword. As far as I concerned boy, not many things can achieve such a feat like that. There has to be an expnation for that, and I believe that you can give me one, boy.”

  “Why don’t you just kill me and investigate it all by yourself? You are the “Almighty Dragon”, am I right? A low-life like me can’t really satisfy you, can I?”

  “GAHAHAHAHA!!!!! That’s more like it! Now I shall grant you a sweet sweet death. Prepare yourself boy, cause you may never know when it'll come.”

  What have I done. I should have known that being arrogant in moments like this is a bad idea. She’ll go from toying me to killing me in no time, and I’m not even in my top form right now. This is do or die, and I’m not ready to let her take my life that easy. Having no other choice, I get into my fighting position, ready to take on anything she’ll throw at me.

  “Why are you still standing there? Just come here and hit me already!!!!”

  “That’s the spirit boy. Prepare to die!!!!”

  With not much time on the clock and not much left to say, we’re heading toward each other, without knowing that this fight will forever change our fate…

  Meanwhile, back in the outside world, a few minutes before the incident…

  “This is Kariuda speaking, can you hear me?”

  “There’s no problem in communication. So tell me, how’s the mission going?”

  “About the mission, the intel was right. Those two from that organization are up to something no good. They even go as far as kidnapping a little girl. I still don’t know who the target is, but I’ll report to you as soon as I can.”

  “Thanks for your information, Kariuda-chan. For the moment, you should keep on observing them, making sure no one is hurt. If you try to interfere, at least wait for my mark. Understood?”

  “Yes, Kiriwatari-sensei.”

  On the top floor of a building, there’s a young girl sitting there, hiding her presence from the eyesight of everyone down the streets. After finishing her conversation, she temporarily turns off the earpieces. Her and this “Kiriwatari-sensei” she’s talking to are keeping a close eye on two mysterious guys in an alley, as well as the little girl.

  No one knows why they are doing this or what can they benefit from this, but whatever it is, it’s still better than what’s happening down there…

  “Come on now girl, just follow us and we’ll give you candy.”

  “That’s right, we have lifetime supply of candy back in our pce. Come on, don’t be shy, just bear with us and…”

  “Gyahh!!! Get off me you pervert. I already told you that I don’t want any business with you. Leave me alone!!!!”

  “Don’t be like that girl. Just trust us and everything will be…”

  “I said no is no. Don’t make me call the police.”

  You’re not making this any easier girl. Don’t make me come over there and stab you in your FUCKING CHEST!!!”

  “Help me!!!! These strangers are trying to kidnap me!!!!”

  “Shut up kid, or I’ll break your leg!!”

  Seeing how things escated, Kariuda quickly get off of the building without letting them notice, while also immediately turn on the earpieces. She has a small body, so she’ll get there in no time. But before that, there’s something she should do…

  “Hello, this is Kariuda speaking. Is there anyone on the line?”

  “Yes Kariuda-chan, I’m here. What’s the matter?”

  “Those two are approaching the little girl. They’re trying to take her away. The victim might get injured. I repeat, the victim might get injured.”

  “Copy that. Listen Kariuda-chan, our top priority is to gather information, but for now, you’ll be focusing on protecting the little girl. And if possible, take down those two guys. But remember, do not let anyone die, including yourself.” she said as she lighten up another cigarette.

  “Roger that. I’ll try my best. Those bastards shall pay for this.”

  After reporting the situation to Kiriwatari-sensei, Kariuda finds herself a pce to hide, while also taking out her sai from her back. She’s not taking them down yet, for the moment she’s patiently waiting for the right moment. But before she even has the chance to think of a pn to attack…

  “Oi, you scums!! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size!!”

  Someone is running toward this pce, drawing everyone in the alley's attention. Kariuda takes a step back, while still holding her weapons in her hands. The situation has got out of hand, so intervening is a bad idea.

  Right now, all she can do is observe. And from what she’s seeing, the kidnappers have been knocked out by the mysterious person. As a result, the little girl successfully runs away, while the mysterious person is now facing the two kidnappers lying on the ground.

  Kariuda still doesn’t want to show herself just yet, but rather y low and take a look of the situation. And what she saw has left her speechless…

  “No… No way… Why are you here? Why now…?”

  “Hey Kariuda-chan, what’s the matter? Tell me what’s going on right now!”

  “Kiriwatari-sensei, I’m taking them down, right now! I don’t have much time, but I’ll expin to you ter.”

  “What are you saying, Kariuda-chan? Don’t put yourself in danger like that without my permis…”

  Kariuda turns off her earpieces, not even bother listening to the rest of the conversation. There’s no time for pnning, so she’ll have to find a way to knock down the kidnappers as fast as possible.

  As for why, it’s because for some reason, Yasutaira Waka, her cssmate, is here. She cannot let an outsider get involved into her mission. She’s definitely thankful for helping her rescue the girl, but this is not his business, and she’s going to keep it that way. She quickly covers her face and runs toward the battlefield, and all of sudden…

  “Take this! Smoke Bullet!!!”

  Hearing that, she immediately realizes what they’re doing. “Those guys are trying to escape”, she muttered. While the smoke is still blocking Yasutaira’s vision, Kariuda instantly climbs up the nearest building to keep track of the kidnappers, essentially chasing them down, leaving Yasautaira behind.

  In that moment, no one knows that this event will change things forever for everyone involved. This is the beginning of a brand new saga.