Before the War Begins

Two days after Dmitry's meeting with Mirian, the ruler was finally about to be born.

Today would mark the battle between the current ruler of the world, Dmitry, and the one who, unfortunately or fortunately, would become the new ruler upon birth.

[World = Currently it is the year 100, with 45 minutes and 46 seconds remaining until the birth of the Altair key]

"So, he was really right; the world has evolved a lot," said the hooded man, finishing his apple as he heard a deafening roar and saw a crowd running towards him from a distance.

Panicked and unsure of the reason for the commotion, the hooded man jumped and landed in front of a boy carrying a bag full of apples. The boy was startled, dropping to the ground and looking up at the hooded man with tears in his eyes.

But due to the situation and the strangely calming presence of the hooded man, the boy, amidst his cries and sobs, asked, "You seem strong. Could you save my village?"

"What happened? Boy, why so much despair?" the hooded man replied, gently patting the boy's head until he began to calm down.

The boy looked at the hooded man with a terrified expression but now felt a sense of relief in his presence. "A dragon is killing everyone in my village. Please, sir, help us."

The hooded man looked at the boy's bag of apples and crouched down. He touched the bag, listening to the dragon's roar in the distance, and said, "Let's make a deal. Give me these apples, and I will bring you the dragon's head."

Upon hearing these words, the boy stared at the man in awe, nodding frantically in agreement. He hugged the hooded man and said, "Thank you, sir. I promise to give you all the apples you need. Just kill the dragon."

Hearing this, the hooded man released the boy, reached into the bag of apples, and pulled one out, taking a bite before saying, "Deal accepted. I have some free time anyway."

The eyes of the hooded man were identical to those of the dragon causing chaos in the village. After stretching, he began to run at an absurd speed towards the dragon, which was devouring everyone in its path.

With the wind rushing against him, the hood that had covered his face fell back, revealing his appearance as Anlow. He appeared more human now. He had evolved to become the Dragon King, solidifying his status as the strongest dragon of his kind.

"Did you enjoy yourself, Krinen?" Anlow said, spitting out a completely eaten apple onto the dragon's forehead, which was terrorizing the village.

"How do you know my name?" Krinen said, releasing hot steam from his mouth towards Anlow, but with no effect on him. However, it melted the nearby farmer who lived in the village.

"This is going to give me a headache. How do I explain this to Dmitry?" Anlow thought, considering various ways to minimize the trouble he would face fixing the mess.

"I know. You caused this. You will fix it," Anlow said, and a tremendous pressure enveloped Krinen's body, causing him to bend and press his face into the ground.

Looking at Anlow, Krinen saw his true form, though it appeared as an illusion behind Anlow's human body, who smiled as he approached. "I'm sorry, master. I didn't know the village was one of your possessions."

Krinen was trying to appeal to Anlow's emotions, which would never work. Even though Anlow had evolved and become more controlled, not fighting everyone who crossed his path, his approach to those who disturbed him had never changed.

"Okay, just one hour," Anlow said, placing his hand on Krinen's snout, who smiled in response. Anlow noticed that something was wrong and asked, "One hour? What are you talking about?"

"What's wrong with you? Why do they always ask this?" Anlow said, putting his hand on his head.

"One hour of progenitor flames. If you endure it, I will forgive you," Anlow said, removing his hand from Krinen's snout, revealing burns on his palm, which was covered in scales. He began to heal the burns.

Krinen, with a body that should have been immune to fire and its effects, now stood enduring the extreme pain as his body was consumed by the progenitor flames.

But due to Anlow's conviction and the power of his scales, Anlow knew Krinen would survive, though he would need medical care for the next few months.

"Good luck. I hope to see you alive when I return," Anlow said, turning his back and walking away calmly.

"Master, where are you going?" Krinen asked.

"To visit the true and only ruler of this world," Anlow answered.

"I understand. I will prove my strength and help rebuild the village," Krinen said, almost out of strength.

Looking at Krinen, Anlow thought, "Unfortunately, you won't succeed. But you will have plenty of work to do once you recover, so surprise me."

Anlow walked away from Krinen. As he prepared to start running, a girl with colorful hair and crown-shaped pupils appeared riding the back of a huge white tiger with black stripes that seemed to have fallen from the sky. "Anlow, the master sent me to inform you that the birth of the ruler will happen in a few minutes. All the arms must be at your side when it occurs."

Anlow sighed, clearly not pleased with the girl in front of him. "Okay, okay. So could you help me and let me go with you?"

The girl laughed. "Never. You can just turn into a dragon and follow me while I fly."

With that, the girl touched the tiger's body, which turned around and began running towards a massive mountain surrounded by a gigantic and dense forest, where countless monsters cowered in fear at the sight of her.

"That brat, ordering me to follow her with that look of superiority," Anlow snapped his fingers, summoning a pair of red asses covered in bruises and scars from his back. "Come back here, you little brat."

Anlow leaped into the air, and with a single powerful kick, he propelled himself at such a high speed that he reached the girl in just one minute. "So, how do we do this? Are we really going to attack everyone at once? Or will we follow Katie's plan?"

The girl put a finger to her lips, lost in thought before speaking a few seconds later. "Of course, Katie's plan. As the master said, it's best not to act impulsively. After all, if we've spent the last 16 years training to fight them, they won't be easy to defeat."

"I'd rather destroy everything with a fiery roar, but if the future ruler wants it this way, we'll just go ahead and smash a few skulls," the girl said, glaring at Anlow.

"I find it hard to believe you'll stick to this plan... and I'm the one saying this," Anlow said, with no intention of provoking her.

So the two continued their conversation for the rest of the way up the mountain until they reached the summit, where they could see the future kingdom that would belong to Dmitry.

"Ah, so you two finally made it," Dmitry said, looking at the countdown showing only three minutes and forty-seven seconds until the birth of the ruler.