Market
Fish. Fish.
Fish time.
An old chubby man was selling fish.
Among today's catch was a huge fish he had bought from a fisherman for 500 bronze coins.
It had become the center of attention.
"Here is the largest fish of the year! Buy it for the low price of one silver coin! Hahaha!"
He was the most trusted shopkeeper in the capital.
He regularly traded with ministers and soldiers.
Even Grandor's royal meals received supplies from his shop.
Some guards eventually bought the fish.
It was sold for 900 bronze coins and sent to the ruler, Grandor, as a gift.
The civilians barely knew anything about their ruler.
No one even knew Grandor was a woman.
According to the official history, two hundred years ago, a tyrant ruler had plunged the kingdom into chaos. Then a warrior named Grandor appeared from nowhere, defeated the tyrant, and became the ruler.
That was the history everyone knew.
The ones who knew the truth were locked away inside Ruin Society.
Grandor herself was the true tyrant.
She had carefully arranged events centuries ago, placing every piece exactly where it needed to be.
Even the people inside Ruin Society knew nobody would believe them if they revealed the truth.
To the outside world, Grandor was a savior. A god-sent ruler.
The people followed her blindly.
Of course, they had never even heard of Ruin Society.
And even if they did...
Grandor would simply erase them.
Back in the present.
The fish was delivered to the palace.
It was prepared as part of Grandor's lunch.
She sat lazily in her chair, a devilish smile on her face.
When the food arrived, her smile deepened.
[Grandor]: Check the fish for poison, dear chef.
The chef looked stunned.
But he obeyed.
As soon as he swallowed a piece of fish, he staggered.
[Chef]: What is... happening?
Grandor giggled.
Ratan stood behind her.
[Grandor]: See? The surveillance team was surprisingly easy to fool.
The chef collapsed onto the floor.
[Ratan]: What is this?
[Grandor]: Cause and effect.
Grandor answered smugly.
[Grandor]: Yash went fishing yesterday according to the surveillance reports. Later, he threw a fish back into the pond. Isn't that correct?
[Ratan]: That is true.
[Grandor]: That fish was swallowed by the King Fish. The one that appears only once every year. The King Fish died because little Yash tampered with the smaller fish. It floated to the surface, was caught by a fisherman, brought to the market, and eventually ended up on my table.
Ratan narrowed his eyes.
[Grandor]: I wonder how he obtained information about my trusted fish supplier.
She shot Ratan a sharp look.
[Ratan]: What does that mean?
[Grandor]: An informer, of course, silly. Did you really think you had a chance to fo—
Ratan suddenly thrust his secret sword toward Grandor.
Just then—
BOOM!
An explosion erupted.
A quarter of the Royal Palace vanished.
Three figures burst out from the flames.
Ratan glanced down.
His right arm was gone.
He quickly wrapped the wound with cloth, trying to stop the bleeding.
Standing before him were the other two Elite Guards.
Ratan's eyes narrowed.
It was a clone.
A clone programmed to explode and simultaneously teleport the other Elite Guards.
One of them took my arm.
This is bad.
I can't defeat both of them with only one hand.She figured everything out.
He exhaled.
[Ratan]: Seems I've found myself in quite a tight spot.
The two Elite Guards—
1) Kuon
2) Zesta
Kuon was a short man.
Zesta was a tall woman.
[Kuon]: You were officially marked as a traitor an hour ago. I will not regret dismantling you.
His voice was completely indifferent.
[Zesta]: Hahaha! I'll become the strongest Elite Guard after your death, dear Ratan!
[Ratan]: My, my. Aren't you ambitious?
He replied while catching his breath.
[Kuon]: Doesn't matter. We made sure to cripple one of your arms before the fight. We already have the advantage.
[Ratan]: You got me there.
He smiled.
[Ratan]: Though one hand is all I need.
The three vanished.
Their fists collided at a single point.
Another explosion erupted.
Court Guards and Golden Soldiers ran in panic.
Throughout the capital, deafening shockwaves echoed for minutes.
As soon as Kuon entered within ten meters of Ratan—
Ratan unsheathed half of the first section of his katana.
[Ratan]: Second Fold, Mammoth.
A crushing force of 100,000,000 Newtons erupted within a fifty-meter radius.
The closer someone was to Ratan, the greater the pressure became.
But the Kuon before him suddenly shattered.
An illusion.
Ratan immediately turned and blocked Zesta's kick with the edge of his secret sword.
The real Kuon remained standing far away.
His expression never changed.
[Kuon]: I know your strengths, Ratan. I'm not foolish enough to approach you without preparation.
Zesta's leg wasn't damaged in the slightest.
She jumped back beside Kuon.
[Zesta]: You know I'm a tank-type fighter, right?
She laughed loudly.
[Kuon]: Stop laughing. It's deafening.
[Zesta]: Like I'd ever take orders from you.
She replied playfully.
Ratan slowly sheathed his sword.
[Ratan]: Then I suppose I should put more effort into this fight.
Kuon and Zesta focused entirely on him.
[Ratan]: I shall take both of you down right here.
Zesta's smirk widened.
Let's see who wins this battle.
To Be Continued...
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EXTRAS:-
HAIDORO HAS BEEN CRUSHED
The battle between Crocus and Haidoro continued inside a Fast Dimension, where time flowed much faster than in the real world.
The fight was a complete catastrophe.
According to the Fast Dimension's flow of time, the battle lasted ten days.
For ten entire days, Crocus relentlessly beat Haidoro down.
The clash grew so violent that the Fast Dimension itself began collapsing.
By the time the battle ended, the entire Fast Dimension had shattered.
Even a massive portion of Planet Gamble was destroyed by the aftermath.