It was difficult to determine the conditions under which people had been living in recent years.
Life for everyone had been simple, and no one bothered to improve their way of life. It seemed that everyone was only concerned with surviving using their own methods. Reaching adulthood meant that you could become an adventurer, and if you were lucky, enroll in a school of magic or fencing to improve your strength.
But in recent years, conditions had changed, starting from the center of the Asura Kingdom and eventually extending to the other continents.
Boom! Boom!
A loud noise echoed in the sky, and suddenly, a golden aura arrived at a speed that no one noticed, near where some ships had been affected by the explosion.
"What the hell just happened?"
"Is it a sea beast?"
Everyone held their breath as they tried to figure out what had attacked them. Only moments later, they saw a strange ship flying above the water, something that was flying right before their eyes.
"What is that supposed to be?" one of the adventurers asked, confused to see a boy no older than sixteen, along with a girl who looked barely eleven, sitting on a magnificent throne that should belong only to a monarch.
"Hey kid, you've got a beautiful means of transport there, it could be the envy of everyone. Reminds me of the floating fortress of the Dragon King... You and your girlfriend better get out of here before some bad guys attack you and leave you with nothing."
These comments provoked laughter from many people, who found this scene highly irrational. But everyone fell silent when they saw golden chains emerging from behind that flying platform, which held the man by all four limbs, leaving him unable to do anything to prevent it.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!"
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?"
"Kid, be careful with your actions; you could end up losing your life in this place."
The boy everyone had mocked was actually Gilgamesh, who had arrived at the scene and received comments that he wouldn't let slide. He decided to set an example for them all. "Did you just call me a kid? Watch your words, mongrel, or I'll rip your companion's limbs off and completely destroy your miserable ship. I'm lost here, so I came to request guidance, not to receive sarcastic comments from your mongrel of a subordinate."
"Then let him go!" said the man as he gripped the hilt of his sword, and the men behind him did the same.
"You pathetic mongrels," Eris muttered with a cold look, holding her sword at the ready, prepared to start a slaughter in this place.
Gilgamesh, on the other hand, patted his chest, straightened his wrinkled clothes, and looked at the man in front of him. He said, "So, to ensure none of you die, apologize like the dog you are..."
When Gilgamesh's words were heard by the others, everyone looked at the boy with surprised expressions.
"He's completely insane..."
"Does he even know that those are the Black Bulls adventurers?"
"Should we tell him?"
The whispers were about to continue when one of the man's bones who was suspended in the air cracked, and he let out a scream of pain.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"
"Son of a bitch, you've crossed the line!" Rodolfo, the leader of the Black Bulls, unsheathed his sword and attacked the golden chains holding his subordinate.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three distinct strikes were heard, but none of them managed to cut through those golden chains. Instead, Rodolfo's sword suffered severe damage. His previously cold face turned slightly worried as he couldn't sever the chains.
"Stop, Rodolfo, you're making things worse!" shouted an elderly man who was one of the captains of the disbanded adventurers' unification, formed and sponsored by nobles.
"Old man Bolt, stay out of this unless you want things to turn red before we even start the dungeon raid... Damn it, we both know my subordinate's stupid joke wasn't that big of a deal."
"They're just kids; we can let it go by simply apologizing..." Bolt said with a deeply concerned look, as he observed the chains that seemed to have a will of their own.
"Move aside!" A female voice came from the back of Bolt's ship, and when her gaze fell on the young man in front of her, her expression filled with surprise. Her hands trembled, and her voice barely whispered a name, "Gilgamesh..."
Old Bolt, who hailed from the Asura Kingdom, felt a chill down his spine upon hearing the name from the Holy Class mage on his ship. He turned his head and asked her, "Roxy, how did you just call him?"
"He is Prince Gilgamesh of the Asura Kingdom..."
Bolt furrowed his brow, and when he was about to ask how Prince Gilgamesh ended up in this place, he remembered the news he had received about a mana incident and muttered, "Is that him?"
"Aaaaahhhhhh!"
"Stop!!"
Just at that moment, more bones were fractured by the chains due to Rodolfo's continued threats towards Gilgamesh, who simply watched this beautiful scene with a calm expression, as if what he was doing was nothing more than trivial.
Gilgamesh wanted to send a message to all these adventurers with their heads between their legs, telling them that he was not a duck in dangerous waters; he was a damn predator among chickens, and if they messed with him, everyone would lose.
At that moment, a cold voice echoed from another ship, and it was directed at Gilgamesh: "Do you really, someone like you, prince, want to start a fight in the middle of the ocean? It seems you're doing well, but you should reconsider what will happen if all these experienced men unite to take you down."
"Do you expect us to be terrified by mere words from a scrawny old man?" Eris directed her gaze toward the source of the voice and questioned his warning.
"Little girl, your Notos family can't protect you, let alone that boy beside you. It would be better if you took a step back and obediently lowered your heads," said the man with the voice, appearing beside Rodolfo. When everyone saw him, they sighed with fear.
"King of the Sword, Brutus..."
Gilgamesh, from beginning to end, never looked at anyone other than the clear sky and said, "I will respect the dignity of those who respect mine. When I speak to someone, I always consider that I'm speaking to a person, not a dog. Do you intend to step forward and face the consequences?"
Brutus smiled coldly and asked, "Why don't we give it a try?"
However, at that moment, two powerful water explosions surrounded the ship, and a figure with a cap jumped onto Gilgamesh's Vimana. In an authoritative tone, she said, "My name is Roxy Migurdia, and he is Gilgamesh Asura, my best disciple and one of the strongest men present here. So, if you don't want this to turn into a fight where nobody can gain anything except their pride, it's better to forget this and focus on the main objective of our gathering at this point.
"Teacher?" Gilgamesh's eyes looked at the small figure with some confusion, but after figuring out what was happening, he smiled slightly, knowing who the woman in front of him was.
"Gilgamesh, make a decision, do you remember? Kill or spare, that's what you told me in our last lesson," Roxy said with a smiling look at her best student. "I didn't think this would happen, but I'm glad to see you again and in better conditions."