Preparation

The next day…

Roman and the others were getting ready to return to their home region.

The Sacred Hawk Kingdom was located outside the border barrier. There was only a small monster kingdom led by a Rhino. The region where Terry, Darma, and Kong saw the Baramus was a large region within the outer wall.

They trained all the way home.

“I didn’t expect you to become stronger in just a short time, Roman,” Shinra said.

Smug, Roman said, “Of course, I’ll beat you, Shinra. I’ll become the strongest human.”

“He’ll only become more troublesome later on,” Terry said, shaking her head.

Darma said, “Well, it can’t be helped. Even though he’s a pain in the neck, he’s strong. I believe he’ll get even stronger.”

“Yeah, maybe he’s getting stronger, but only a little,” Kenue scoffed.

“Damn you, Kenue. One day I’ll force you to acknowledge my greatness!”

“I trust you, Roman,” Kong said, holding out his fist.

Roman bumped their fists together and said, “Thanks, Kong.”

“If he gets stronger, then I’m getting even stronger than him,” Shinra said.

“Damn you, Shinra. I’ll definitely become very strong and surpass you later.”

Kong and Shinra smiled at Roman.

Terry beamed. I’m sure everyone is aware that you’re getting stronger, Roman.

“I’ll help you become even stronger,” Darma said.

“I’m going to save you, Roman, because I believe that before you get really strong, you’ll keep being a damsel in distress,” Kenue roasted.

“Dammit! I’ll get even stronger, so I can protect all of you.”

Still worried about the Rhino, the Torto said, “Young Master, what if the Rhino and other monsters attack you? He is so powerful!”

Shinra replied calmly, “Torto, do you have any doubts about me? Haven’t you known me longer than anyone else here? You already know how strong I am.”

“That is exactly what I am worried about! I know very well how strong the monster army is. The Rhino is in a different league altogether!! He may not be as strong as a Baramus, but he might be as strong as eight Sharkins,” the Torto said, looking back at Shinra with a serious look.

“All right, I’m getting even more excited. I haven’t been serious about fighting in a long time. I’m not afraid of a Rhino, a Baramus, or even Satyr!! Because I have you, Torto, and you guys: Kong, Roman, Terry, Darma, and Kenue. Because I believe that you’ll help me. I’ll take over the kingdom! I’ll train the royal army!! I’ll also change the Sacred Hawk Kingdom’s existing rules!!” Shinra said, resolute.

“Wouldn’t it be better if we beat up Satyr straightaway??” Roman said.

Shinra answered, “Sure thing, we’ll devise a strategy and keep on training to get stronger. Then, we’ll beat him up!!”

“I’ll assist you, Shinra. How strong is he?” Roman asked the Torto.

The Torto replied, “Sorry, I’ve never met him, but I’ve seen a Baramus in person.”

“How strong is a Baramus? I want to see him!!” Roman said.

The Torto said, “A Baramus is probably the equivalent of ten Rhinos or eighty Sharkins.”

However, his explanation only made Roman even more excited. “Whoa, I really want to meet him.”

Kong chimed in, “Terry, Darma, and I have seen him! I can’t even guess how strong he is!! It gives me chills just imagining it. I wouldn’t know what to do if I came face to face with a Baramus.” He shook his head.

“Really? When? Wow,” Roman said.

“When you were out cold, Roman,” Kong said.

“Damn, I’d really like to see it,” Roman said, disappointed.

“Relax, Kong, we’ll always be together. Let’s face him together! Don’t be afraid, we’ll all always be together,” Shinra said.

“I saw the Baramus being escorted by six Sharkins!! It feels like it’s impossible to beat him,” Darma said.

“Yes, that’s right! Facing two Sharkins at the same time is hard already,” Terry said.

“All right, from today onward we have to keep training until we’re ready to fight any monsters,” Shinra said.

On their way home, they trained by the river while recovering their wounds. They trained their endurance, stamina, and speed.

Shinra asked, “You guys are going straight back? I’ve brought the villagers to a hidden place behind a waterfall.”

“I’d love to meet Father, but not now! I can go there when this is all over,” Terry said.

“I’ll accompany you, Shinra, because I have no other purpose,” Roman said. Darma and Kenue nodded in agreement.

Then, they trained by the river for several days.

“Roman!! Harder!! You see?!! Even the tree didn’t move an inch!! You kick like a girl!!” Shinra yelled at Roman.

“Shut up!! You underestimate my power. Hyah!! Horyah!!” Roman shrilled, increasing the power of his kicks.

Two weeks had passed. They resumed their journey back to the Sacred Hawk Kingdom. On the way, they met the royal army.

“Young Master!! We finally found you!! Please come with us. Our kingdom is falling apart. Only you can remedy the situation,” they said frantically.

Puzzled, Shinra asked, “Why? Where’s my father?!”

“Actually… King Tertoro passed away two weeks ago. The Sacred Hawk Kingdom fought against the Rhino and some of his subordinates. Our apologies, we could not protect him and the Sacred Hawk Kingdom,” they said, hanging their heads in shame.

Shinra was enraged. “Damn it!! That damn Rhino!! I’ll murder him!!!”

“My apologies, Young Master. I am to blame. I begged King Tertoro to give me orders to find you, Young Master. I promised to take you home ahead of the Rhino. Had I not gone then, maybe I could have protected him!! I am sorry!!” the Torto said, hanging his head.

“Torto, if you had stayed in the kingdom, I would’ve been killed. You saved me!! Don’t regret the past,” Shinra said, holding back his tears.

“Very well, Young Master. We had better hurry back to the kingdom first,” the royal army said and left.

“Chill out, Shinra, we’re with you. We’ll definitely help you,” Roman said, putting his arm around Shinra’s shoulder.

“We’d better take the less traveled path because there’s a chance monsters are waiting for Shinra to come back!! They already know that the Sacred Hawk Kingdom needs a new king,” Darma said.

Kong knew the woods like the back of his hand. He said, “Leave it to me. I’ve managed to hide from monsters for several years. Come on, follow me.”

They walked along hills and rivers, taking the longer path which was beyond the reach of monsters. After a week of traveling, they finally arrived at the Sacred Hawk Kingdom. The atmosphere was extremely depressing.

In the Sacred Hawk Kingdom...

The royal army welcomed Shinra’s arrival, “Young Master is back!!” They bowed to Shinra.

Shinra wanted to take over the kingdom right away. “Quickly prepare for the coronation ceremony of myself as the new king! We don’t have much time.”

One of the soldiers asked, “Do you not want to see your father’s grave first?”

“The situation here is more important! After the coronation is over, I’ll go to Father’s grave.”

The royal army agreed and prepared everything, “Understood, Young Master.”

The coronation and the making of new rules of the Sacred Hawk Kingdom took place quickly.

“All right, I hereby declare myself the new king of the Sacred Hawk Kingdom, the son of the previous king, King Tertoro. And I empower Kong and Torto to be in charge of this kingdom while I’m away!” Shinra’s clear declaration rang through the Main Hall, followed by the royal army’s joyous cheers.

The Torto smiled brightly. Finally I can see him wearing the crown.

“I want to be with you guys. Why don’t we go together??” Kong asked.

“I have to settle all of this. The two of you once talked about the pact between monsters and humans. Now I’m going to fix it all! I chose the two of you because you’re very strong. You guys would be really helpful if this kingdom were to be attacked. Therefore, I hope that you can protect my home. Because if it were to be destroyed, where would I return to? As for the royal army, consider Kong and Torto as your friends. Kong and Torto, please train them to be even stronger.”

“All right, Shinra. I’ll guard this kingdom, but promise me this, all of you must return here safely!!” Kong said in a trembling voice.

Roman said, “Kong, I’ll definitely protect everyone. Even if my life is at stake!”

“Isn’t your life always in danger, Roman?” Kenue roasted.

“Damn you, Kenue, these are my best parting words. Stop picking on me,” Roman said, lowering his head.

Kenue smirked. “I’m not insulting you. I’m describing you.”

“I promise you two. We’ll be fine. We’ve gotten stronger!!” Darma said.

“First, I have to devise a strategy so I can meet the Baramus,” Shinra said.

“Beware, King Shinra! He is not easy to talk to, although I admit he is not short-tempered,” the Torto said.

“Looks like this is going to be the best trip of all time! There’s nothing more wonderful than fighting alongside your best friends!!” Darma said.

Kenue scoffed, “I’m not Roman’s best friend.”

“Bastard! I’ll break your spear, just watch.”

Terry and Darma laughed and said, “You two get along really well.”

Kong said, “Yeah, they look great when fighting together! They’re both very strong.”

“All right, prepare whatever you need. We have the best and the strongest weapons. You can choose anything,” Shinra said, showing the location of the armory.

“I have no need for weapons,” Roman said smugly.

They looked at the armory and were taken aback. There was a wide variety of weapons. They picked and try everything, bringing equipment and necessities along for the trip.

Terry picked a golden bow.

Darma picked a steel bow and steel-tipped arrows.

Kenue picked a simple iron spear with a small bell tied in the middle.

“You look cute with that spear, Kenue,” Roman smirked.

“I chose a short spear to make it easier for me to move. It’s not cute, it’s called style, idiot,” Kenue said.

Then, Shinra showed a weapon suitable for Roman.

“Roman, I have a weapon for you.”

“What weapon? I’ll just use my fists and legs. It’s fine. I don’t need a weapon,” Roman said, shaking his head.

“Look, it can boost your punch power.” Shinra handed him a brass knuckles.

Roman was overjoyed. “Woohoo… It suits me very well. Finally, I have a weapon, too. Now I can parry the Sharkins’s bite easily!!”

“All right, we’re leaving in two days. We’ll head to the large region where the Baramus is!!” Shinra said.

Two weeks ago, in the large region where Roman and the others were fighting, it turned out that a Wolfie had survived. He was the Wolfie who was hit by Roman’s knee kick. He could not get up because of a severe neck injury. The Crocos who were on patrol found him and took him to the Great Monster Kingdom.

After arriving at the Great Monster Kingdom, the Wolfie explained to the Rhino, “There were four humans and one gorilla monster. One of them was quite strong. His strength was extraordinary. I was badly injured with just one knee kick.”

He did not know that Shinra and the Torto had come because he had already been defeated by Roman and was lying there, unconscious.

The Rhino reported to the Baramus about what had happened. He then commanded two Crocos and one Torto to check the border barrier and the area around the fight. He was furious and distressed to hear what had happened to the monsters that were there. Humans dared to go against monsters. Moreover, after a thorough search was carried out, they found other victims, namely two Sharkins.

Currently…

The Crocos and the Torto went to check the large region and around the border barrier. They found a large hole in the wall.

“What’s this?” one of the Crocos said, surprised to see the wall crumbled.

Observing the border barrier, the Torto was puzzled as to what happened. “Oh my, what really happened? This wall is very durable and difficult to breach. Why did it break like this??”

The border barrier was tall and durable. The monster that was chosen to test the wall’s durability was a Rhino. He could not even make a small hole with his full strength. Now there was a large gaping hole in it. It was also reported that there was damage to the wall of the large region leading to the small region.

The Rhino was astonished. “What?? Destroyed? All right, I’ll get some Wolfies to find out what was going on. There’s no way humans can destroy it!!”