After months of flying up, the dragons finally was finally about to reach the top of the World Tree.
Aldred and the others were excited. "Just a little bit more, and we can reach the top!"
They all nodded in excitement, wondering what was up there and what challenges they would face.
When they were 100 meter away from the top however, the dragons began to fall.
"Shit! The dragons cannot fly towards the top." Aldred frowned.
"What should we do then?" Ivette asked.
"I don't know, but we have to figure something out."
Suddenly, a heavy pressure washed over them. It was so powerful that everyone spat out blood.
"Aldred, maybe we should land on that city while we think of something." Stella pointed down.
Aldred agreed with that idea. The dragons flew down and landed near the city. The guards guarding the wall trembled in fear when they saw groups of gigantic dragons landing nearby.
"Is it an attack?"
"Prepare the weapon!"
"Wait, I don't think they're attacking us."
Aldred and the other dismounted the dragons and began to walk to the city. The dragons stayed outside because they were too big.
As they approached the gate, the guards walked towards them.
"Hello, sir. Can I ask the intention of your visit?"
"We just want to take a short stay."
"Ah, I see."
Aldred entered the city.
The other guard was dumbfounded. "Why didn't you ask for the entrance fee?"
"You think I have the guts to do that? Look at those dragons outside!"
As the guards were quarreling, Aldred's group entered an inn and took a seat at the table.
"So, what's next?" Mary asked.
"I don't know. Even the astrolabe is useless in this situation." Aldred summoned the astrolabe and it pointed up.
"Maybe all we need to do is waiting," Sophia said. "Maybe we can fly to the top at a specific time."
"That's reasonable." Aldred considered her word.
Soon after, the food they ordered arrive, but despite the beautiful look of the food, it tasted bland in their tongue.
They were truly disappointed. Just one more step yet something happened that prevent them from reaching the top.
A few minutes later, they finished the food and sighed.
"I want to get some air outside." Aldred stood up and left the inn. He then walked to the fence, leaning into it as he watched boats traveling through the canal.
Aldred looked up. The crown of the tree looked mesmerizing and sparkling. So close yet so far.
He sighed one more time and looked down. There he saw a rat with a paper in its mouth. The rat walked around, looking for food. After it found nothing, it walked away.
"A rat with a paper?" Aldred pulled the rat with his sticky string, and then grabbed the paper. The rat struggled to get away before Aldred released it and it sped off.
Opening the paper, Aldred saw the letters were written with blood. But he did not care about that, he only care about the content.
And the content made his eyes widened.
He ran back to the inn. "Guys, we have to go! I think we can reach the top."
They all stood up immediately and left the inn.
"Where are we going, Aldred?" Rachel asked.
"Just follow me."
Aldred looked around and mumbled something. "There it is. The castle with the tallest tower. Come!"
They ran towards the castle but then realized that it was surrounded by walls and guards.
"Stop right there! You cannot enter this place!"
Aldred stopped. "Okay, sorry for bothering you."
Aldred walked away.
"What do we do?" Mareona asked.
"We sneak in of course."
They rounded the castle, and opened a portal that led inside. They arrived in the garden.
"Duck," Aldred whispered and they all ducked, hiding behind the bushes.
A man passed by, seemingly in rage. "That fucker! In 5 days, if he did not give me something in 5 days, I will cut off his limbs!"
The man saw a maid was trimming the plants in the garden and decided to grab her and rip her clothes.
Aldred frowned but decided to walk away. "I will deal with him later."
They tip toed their way out of the garden and arrived at a horse stable.
"The building should be next to the stable." Aldred activated his godly eyes and saw a man inside a dungeon cell.
"There he is. Stella, get us inside."
They teleported into the cell which awakened the man from his sleep.
"Are you Bargoosk Stugulze?" Aldred asked as formality. He already read the information he received from his Godly eyes.
"No. I think you are looking for someone else."
Aldred rolled his eyes. "I am the man he sent to save you."
"Ohh, finally. Took you a while to come. Quick, get me out of here."
Aldred nodded. "Stel—"
"Oy! You think I won't see you sneaking into my dungeon?"
Aldred turned around and saw the same man he encountered in the garden. He was accompanied by a few swordsmen and magicians.
"Wait, you are! You are Aldred! Hahaha! Who would have thought I would find you here. My rivals all tried to hunt you down, yet here you are coming to me on your own accord."
"Stella, teleport us away from here."
"No, you don't."
The magicians casted anti-teleportation spell around the dungeon.
"Now you can't escape. I will torture all of you. I will make sure you will never forget about me. Make sure your nightmare will be filled with me. Only then would I hand you over to Lord Athar."
"You think you can defeat me?" Aldred asked.
"Don't be arrogant. The others are incompetent fools, but I am not them."
"Really?" Aldred summoned his dragon eyes.
Suddenly, a powerful pressure crashed onto his body and he suddenly knelt on both knees, hands to the ground.
He looked up with gritted teeth, staring at Aldred. "How? What did you do?"
"You are weak." Aldred approached, summoning his Phantom Doomblade.
"You dare to kill me? Lord Athar will not forgive you."
"A lot of people don't." Aldred beheaded the man to the shock of his subordinates.
If their leader was killed, then next would be them.
When Aldred set their gaze on them, they trembled in fear. "I have to kill all of you."
"No, plea—"
They all exploded into flame under his dragon eyes.
Bargoosk's mouth opened wide when he saw this. 'I hope I don't leave the wolf's cave only to enter the lion's nest.'
"We're done here. Stella, teleport us out, please."
Stella teleported them outside the city, right where the dragons were.
"So, where is he?" Bargoosk said.
"There is no he. We are your new employer," Aldred said.
"Are you going to threatened me?"
"No. I will give you power." Aldred slashed his palm and shove his blood into the man's mouth.
The man could not react to his speed. He couldn't even move in the first place.
Suddenly, a powerful energy formed within him and he roared to the sky as every inch of his body was filled with power.
"Congratulation, now you are no longer an ordinary person."
