Tristan led Archer, Detra, and Mary to a eting hall through beautifully decorated corridors, and when they arrived, he left them at the door. The Demon Shark girl looked at him and said, "Arch, he will try to provoke you, but don't fall for it because he wants to fight you."
"That's fine, Dem; I won't hurt him that much," he answered with a smile as he spotted a group of maids watching them from down the hallway.
This made Detra and Mary laugh, but the Primordial woman grabbed his arm, "Just don't cause trouble, Arch; we have the rulers eting tomorrow and need to return to Draconia by nightti."
Archer nodded as Detra opened the door to the hall. The large chamber was illuminated by the soft glow of mana lamps, casting a warm light over the opulent space. A rich red carpet stretched across the floor, leading to a grand collection of golden thrones, with the largest placed at the center.
His gaze was drawn to the intricately detailed murals depicting various Demon Sharks, which added a layer of historical grandeur to the setting. He saw a man who looked like a male version of Detra but was mature and had a blue beard.
'et the parent's ti, Arch,' he thought with a smile. 'Don't let him get under your skin.'
They entered the hall and were surrounded by the Shadowborne nobility. Archer noticed all kinds of sea monsters standing there in their humanoid forms while watching the three of them.
Detra led the trio up to the throne, and when she went to bow, Archer grabbed her arm, "You don't bow to anyone but , Dem," he said with a knowing grin, causing the shark girl to shive as she nodded.
"So the dragon who stole one of my daughters, especially the troubleso Detra," the Shoadborne Emperor comnted with a smirk. "I never thought anyone could ta her; she was one of my wild children who craved blood endlessly."
Archer chuckled before responding, looking at Detra, "Now she doesn't, and she's much stronger than when we first t."'
"Greetings, I'm Talon Shadowborne, Emperor of the illustrious Shadowborne Empire that spans across Thrylos," the man declared, rising from his throne with a broad grin. He extended a hand toward Archer in a gesture of welco and challenge.
He took Talon's hand firmly. As the man drew him closer, his grin widened, and he leaned in to whisper, "Your other woman is quite the beauty. How about letting have a night with her, son-in-law?"
When Archer heard this, he snapped and punched the Demon Shark Emperor in the jaw, sending him crashing into the stairs below the thrones. This shocked everyone, even Mary and Detra, who were wide-eyed.
The soldiers went to rush toward the three of them, but Talon stopped everyone, "Let us fight! He's giving a great gift tonight."
Archer was seething with anger as he attacked using Blink and hit the Emperor again, but this ti, he crashed through the palace walls. The two started trading blows, and it was evident that Talon was the strongest.
However, this did little to deter Archer, who charged at her father with unrestrained ferocity. Talon, in turn, laughed cheerfully, clearly relishing the clash as they continued fighting.
***
[Detra's POV]
'What is this boy doing? Why not listen to ?' Detra thought, but a hand on her shoulder should have cald her down.
"Your father is teasing him, he signaled to before whispering to Arch," Mary inford her.
She looked confused, but the mature woman continued, "He said he wanted a night with to provoke him into a fight as dragons are notoriously jealous creatures, as you already know."
Detra nodded, 'He does get jealous and its so adorable,' she mused with a smile.
As Detra pondered, a familiar voice cut through her thoughts, "Ah, my rebellious pup returns with a husband. And I see you're already marked by him."
"Hello, Mother," Detra replied, facing the speaker.
Standing before her was Aria Shadowborne, the first Empress of the Shadowborne Empire. She resembled Detra strikingly, yet with an air of refined maturity that spoke of years and experience.
Aria looked at Mary and shivered, "Why are you with a Naless Thing daughter? They usually hunt our kind."
Detra turned to the grey-haired woman smiling at her mother and said, "Have you t my kind Mary?"
"My old friend Fiona is a Demon Shark but reclusive and sticks to her research," Mary answered with an amused smile. "And I must admit I've eaten quite a few of your kind when they've bitten when looking for food."
'This woman is a complete savage,' Detra thought. 'Where did Archer find her?'
"In a border city, little shark," the woman said with a knowing smile. "You shouldn't let your expression betray your thought."
Detra shook her head as a resounding explosion echoed outside the palace, signaling a fierce battle between her father and Archer. Turning to her mother, she asked, "How have you been? I hope the Deep Ones haven't been causing too much trouble."
Aria's lips curved into a reassuring smile. "The attacks have subsided for the mont, my dear. Your father has been preoccupied with them, spending a great deal of ti down there." Following that, the three won watched the fight escalate as Talon transford into his Demon Shark form, which was black on the tip, white on the bottom, and glowing yellow with yellow eyes.
They watched Archer shoulder the Talon, which sent the giant shark slamming into the palace. The collision shook the foundations, causing Mary to dash forward and scold the two, "Fight away from the palace, you idiots! If you don't, I will beat you both."
Detra watched Archer nod, then swam away from the palace, hovering over a deep chasm. His violet eyes glowed fiercely, and she couldn't help but smile, thinking, 'He's cald down and relished the fight. Damn, they're so alike.'
At that mont, Detra saw her father gearing up to confront Archer again. She shook her head in exasperation before turning back to her mother.
***
[Back to Archer]
Archer was punched into the darkness below and crashed into the side of the chasm, and when he climbed out, Talon was in front of him and spoke, "I don't want your woman, son. I wanted to see your strength."
'So Detra was right,' he thought before replying, "I figured, but next ti, don't say such things; otherwise, it would be a fight to the death."
Talon started laughing. He spoke, "Yes, son-in-law, I agree."
The man approached and put his arm around Archer's shoulder, but that's when a bad feeling hit him. He grabbed Talon and launched the man toward the palace as sothing crashed into his body, shocking everyone.
A massive leviathan appeared from the darkness below. Archer held its massive jaws open before taking a deep breath and letting out a powerful stream of dragon fire, which poured
down the monster's throat.
Archer was thrown to the side as its body thrashed around, but soon enough, several Demon Sharks pounced on it. A battle broke out as more monsters appeared from the darkness and started battling the soldiers.
He quickly noticed three sharks fighting while tag-teaming many monsters before tearing them apart. [Detra, more creatures are appearing from below. What's down there?]
[Lucrezia's people live down there, but the Swatm have attacked the other kingdoms and morphed millions of Deep Ones, Demona Sharks, Krakens, and many other races before turning them on everyone else]
Then, Archer removed several monsters by tearing the creatures in half or burning them to ash. While doing that, he felt a powerful aura approaching, and that's when he spotted the being, who was a Terravian but stronger than any he had t before.
As Archer braced himself for the upcoming fight, Mary suddenly appeared out of nowhere, slamming into the enemy with surprising force. She imdiately engaged in combat, her movents a blur of precision and power.
He watched in astonishnt as the Primordial woman ruthlessly took down the Terravian, her skillful strikes leaving no room for the opponent to counter. Mary tore the enemy apart, forcing the remaining monsters to retreat into the darkness.
Once the battle was over, Archer raised his hands and summoned the Stone Wardens, who had tracked the monsters' movents just before he did. He swiftly soared through the water, reaching the entrance to the Shadowborne Empire-a tunnel through which the invaders had
co.
Using Mana Manipulation, he collapsed the tunnel walls, sealing off their path and cutting off any further attacks from below. With the threat contained, he swam back up and reentered the protective shield that separated the city from the sea.
Mary and Detra appeared as he touched dry land, and both won cuddled him, with Talon and Aria approaching from behind. The Emperor spoke, "Thank you for the help, Arch, it's
much appreciated."
Archer nodded, "Don't worry about it; I hate the Swarm and enjoy fighting them, but more
importantly, would you like to trade with my kingdom? We have an unlimited supply of Manaheart Stones that powers the surface realm machines," he said with a smile.
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