Chapter 229 - ONE YEAR FROM NOW (1/2)

While all over the world are paying attention to the conflict at the World Government, somewhere in Aleppo a man with black hat and white dress laughed maniacally in his underground room.

The man is tall and thin, his hand is wearing white gloves and at the edge of his finger there is sparkles and glitters that floats around his fingers.

His face is being hidden by the dim lighting of the underground room. But one could see some clues of who this man is.

On a table near the door is a picture. It was a picture of a happy family in a park somewhere in Aleppo perhaps.

This picture is probably taken before the Fall

But there is also a picture after the Fall showing what is probably the father of the children in the picture, posing beside a dead giant bear with his broadsword.

The man after he finished laughing look at the picture and hold the picture before crying.

'One day…they will all pay!' he speak with such hatred that could chill a man hearts to the core.

Behind him is the finished product of that man research. It was only a small success. But it proves that the man conjecture is correct.

If Loki is here he would recognize the substance. That is the liquid euronioum. Loki could never forget it.

After all it is with euronioum the New World War Event were started.

No Sovereign was killed in this event but it was a shocking event nonetheless because of the sheer massive casualties to the civilians in that event. (refer ch 100)

Even now, as Loki is preparing to handle the Time Crisis, events that will happens in the future is laying its groundwork.

Loki knows who were involved in the war and who was the perpetrator but he did not know everything.

He did not know how it begins and Loki involvement in this event was only at the end. Outside of the room, inside this area is a woman-like being with five horizontal triangle shaped mark on her forehead.

Inside her eyes are runes, hieroglyphs, matrixes, and mathematical symbols that is unrecognizable.

Her fingers are webbed. She tilted her head to her right side and then look at her finger.

'This alien life form is like a primate, resembling the Thur'ulan race on the belt rings of Vcrinian of the Inner Sanctum of the Star Hole.'

Her voice is hoarse resembling of a beast then she adjusted her vocal cords and slowly her voice resembles a woman.

Then her webbed fingers transform to resemble human hands. Then she smiles as her eyes keep twinkling.

'This world is quite interesting.' She said as she got up and went to the walls which are pinned with many calculations that enabled that man to create that euronioum essence.

Meanwhile somewhere in the mountainous region of Kashmir, there is a woman hiding behind a large round rock.

She is full of wounds and she was panting breathlessly.

She has blonde hair and blue eyes, her figure is alluring and adds that her clothing is sleek, stunning and stylish it only adds to her beauty.

Below her feet is a blob of water and all over her wounds, there is a bubble of water, healing her.

Her blue eyes is concentrated on one spot in the distance, searching for any signs of danger.

Beside her is an archer with long curly red hair and red eyes.

This woman is a little bit bigger than the blonde girl, a little bit taller and possess a certain aura that seems to be full of passion.

They are the Water Princess Erin and Fire Arrow Frieda.

The moment Storm Tide starts to moves around the Sea to plunder the Island of Peace, Erin and Frieda was tasked to secure areas in the uncontested regions.

With the World Government in chaos and the Republic spearheading the attack on European nations under the World Government, the League of Freedom had the opportunity to grab a few nations under them.

They intend to establish a base around Kashmir so that they could enter either India or the Middle East from around it.

They are now fighting an Afghanistan warlord that also had the same ideas. At least that is how it begins.

It did not take long before an Indian warlord, a Pakistanian general and even Bangladesh to also notice the commotion around Kashmir.

When the battle started in the island of Peace, the battle also started in the Kashmir region and a small battle has now turned into a full blown war among forces around the borders of Kashmir region from many interested parties.

While the warlords and the general were acting independently from the directives of their governments or kingdoms, the Pakistanian government and the Indian Republic is purging the World Government influence from inside their capital.

When the World Government is purged then the independent forces and the government forces would duke it out and surely there will be more deaths.

The world right now….is in chaos.

Many other factions is also taking advantage of the period of battle between the World Government and the Death Monarch to make some profit and take some lands.

Erin peek a bit and the moment her head come out from the rock a bullet flies towards her. She opens her eyes as she spits to the bullet.

A water bubble was formed and the bullet was trapped inside that water bubble. Then the water bubble popped and the bullet falls down harmlessly to the ground.

Erin then return back to her original position and look at Frieda

'What is the plan?' She ask. Frieda closes her eyes and then nodded before opening her eyes back.

'Win.'

Then as she finished saying this, like that was a viable plan, her hair turns into flame and her bow is shrouded in fire

The bowstring were something like it was made from fire.

She jumped out from her cover and wings of fire sprouted from behind her back as she pull her bowstring.

And then when she release the arrow from her bow a screeching noise sounded out that shatters the sound barrier.

A sonic blast shot from the sound as a flame phoenix appears in the sky, the size of a building, covering the sky with fire that seems to roll the cloud above.

'The Phoenix Scream' she shouted as the flaming figures of the Phoenix turns into tens of thousands of arrows that pierced anyone around fifteen kilometers radius.

Erin seeing that bullheaded Frieda attacking without any plan sighed before she also jumped out from her hiding place.

She raised her hands and the world trembles as jets of water erupted from below the earth

'Water Transfiguration!' She yelled as the water formed into a shark.

The area suddenly turned muddy and not before long, it was like the area suddenly become an area of the river as the water reaches their ankles.

Erin rides the water at the same time Frieda pull back her bowstring.

That day, the name Water Princess Erin and Fire Arrow Frieda is spread through the world when they defeated the many forces that pinned them down in the Kashmir borders.

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MEANWHILE ON THE ISLAND.

President Ashikaga Hirate. Hirate family name was never Ashikaga. He took the name when the Fall happens and during his rise of power, that is the name he used

He….hated his family name. Sato Hirate. He hated his father. And he never had siblings.

His mother was a soap girl and he was born in Tokyo…on the darkest and deepest corner, where the avarice of men thrive and the sun don't shine.

He ran away from home when he was 14, strong enough, and smart enough. He never admitted it but he was like his father in a way.

They both ran away when the going got tough.

He make a name for himself on the other side of the law.

It wasn't until he was caught and by some fortuitous encounter he join the law...by becoming a security guard for a few influential men until he finally guarded the Imperial Family in ceremonial occasion.

When the Fall happens, he took advantage of it fully.

Securing the Imperial Family he then rename himself Ashikaga to claim relations with the Imperial family and established the Shogunate again

Unlike Raymond, who have to defeat warlords, militia's leaders and idealist in his path of unifying the United States in the initial period of the Fall, Hirate took a different approach.

When he was a kid he was never the strongest among the kids and even when he grow up he was not the strongest.

Yet, he was the shrewdest. And he is cunning

At the time of the initial period of the Fall, dubbed the Warlord Period by some record keeper in the White Owl organization, Japan was not that heavily infested by monster.

But what the world Orb did not give in quantity, it gives in quality. The monster in Japan is not as numerous as in China or Australia but in quality it is a tier higher.

Many people died just to kill one monster.

China was ravaged and many people died because not to mention that the monsters are numerous it is also a higher tier than the monster in japan.

Imagine a billion population reduced to almost a few millions after the Fall. That is what happens in China.

When the survivors of that purge looked back, the saying mountains of corpses is not figurative.

They were literally mountains of corpses back then…that will then get up and attack humans like a zombie outbreak.

Hirate and many other think that perhaps the population, factors in the decision for the World Orb to spawn so many monster in certain regions of the world.

Of course there is also a few other factors to be considered but many worldwide researchers after the Fall considered population factored in the distribution of monster during the Fall.

Japan in that initial period welcomes many heroes and villains.

Hirate at the time in Kyoto guarding the Imperial Family or to be more accurate putting them under his control heard about the Dragon of Echigo and Tiger of Kai.

Hikigaya and Oreki.

Instead of making plans to declare war and fought them off, Hirate send his diplomats and suggested a sit down.

The warlords met in Gifu in probably one of the historic moment in Japan new history after the Fall.

In that meeting Hirate acknowledged the warlord dominions and the warlord is honor bound to protect Japan.

The warlord now has legitimate cause to expand and conquer more lands. Hirate was the one that stabilized the chaotic condition in Japan after the Fall.

How glorious that day was. Hirate remembers it vividly. The celebration and the stability that followed.

It is because of him that Japan has a say in the World Government and while Oreki and Hikigaya is no mere warlord now, it is clear that they still respected Hirate on certain matters.

He forgot about his past and he truly believed himself as the relatives of the Imperial Family like that somehow will erase his past and his weakness.

Hirate was like Cao Cao, securing the liege to command the officials.

And when his Shogunate was formed, all military power belong to Hirate except for the soldier below Hikigaya and Oreki and the other warlords.

Oreki and Hikigaya conquer the lands under the blessings of the Emperor but controlling the military is those three creating a Triumvirate in Japan

This memory all flashed inside his mind as he saw that hand flying toward him. Even from afar, the force of that hand would undoubtedly pierce his body and he will die.

He could not even bring out his spear Ame-no-nuhoko. His black robe that is shredded in many places and his scraggly hair look even more pathetic as he is approaching his dead.

Hirate could not accept he would die like this.

He wanted to tap into the Psionic Force but he knows he would not be able to tap it and use it to protect him in the timespan of the Death Monarch hand to reach his heart.

Oreki was beside Hirate. The moment the Death Monarch dashed forward, time slowed and lightning erupted inside Oreki eyes.

Azief sensed it and for that millisecond his eyes glanced over and he smirk before his eyes look back at Hirate, ignoring Oreki.

It was not the Speed Source. And that is enough. And Oreki is not a speedsters. The only one that is faster than Azief in this world is only Will.

But Oreki is lightning embodied. He was fast and dangerous like lightning. But his speed could not compare to Azief speed.

Everything slowed down for him, so much so, he could see the flow of the wind, and the dust slowly rising up from the ground in slow motion.

But even as he tries to lift his foot and try to foil Death Monarch attempt on Hirate life, the calculation in his head told him it would be too late for him to stop that attack.

The only way he could stop that attack is to take it on behalf of Hirate. And he would never do such a thing.

He might be acquainted and their relationship might seems close on the surface but his interaction with Hirate has always been about interest.

If not for Loki promising him something, he would not have even meddled in this matter

Raymond and Sofia also was shocked. Sofia had already told, Azief that Hirate was not responsible.

Yet he still attack with the intent to kill. Raymond on the other hand also could not understand it.

After all Hirate did not conspire to pit the World Government against the Death Monarch. Still, Death Monarch seems intent in taking Hirate life.

Even the whole world was shocked to see this and had already lost hope that Hirate would survive this ordeal.

It was then a hand stretched out from a green void. A pair of thin hand grips the Death Monarch hand, Azief hand is only a few inches away from Hirate head.

Raymond and Sofia were shocked with the appearance of that person. Even Hirate did not expect that his life would be rescued by that person.

Sweat was raining from his forehead remembering how close he is to death.

'Long time no see' that person speak with a smile on his face.

Azief eyes is cold as he watch at that person and then he shakes his hand and that person was forced to release his grip on Azief hand.

Azief recover his stance as he stand there not far away from Hirate.

Hirate has already jump back with Raymond creating a thick wall of Earth protecting Hirate from four directions.

Raymond then jumped in front of the barrier.

'What is the meaning of this Death Monarch!' Raymond yelled as he equipped his mace, ready to battle.

Azief did not pay attention to Raymond. Instead he is looking at the person that has just arrived.

Sofia also look at the person with a complicated expression.

Sina who is about to arrive near Sofia also almost stand still when she recognizes that person from afar.

'Loki' Azief said, his voice is devoid of warmth. Sina look towards the figure of Loki and tears stream down her eyes.

Only Sofia notices this

Loki on the other hand look at the Death Monarch and flash his smile.

'Hehehe. Brother, why so angry?' he chuckles. The Trickster have arrived. The whole world was shocked.

The trickster has shown himself. In the almost three years since the end of the Weronian War, there is only hearsay about the Trickster popping in many places all around the world.

There is traces of him scheming against the Knights of Malta, the Bombing at Algiers, and the kidnappings of the Bernelllis.

But he has never appear publicly and many people speculated about the reason. Even when the Death Monarch call upon his allies, Loki was not present.

If not for the fact that he send soldiers and the Three Sisters of Shadows to the Death Monarch people might have thought Loki has turn to other organization.