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nTristan led Archer, Demetra, and Mary to a meeting 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.”

n“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.

nThis made Demetra and Mary laugh, but the Primordial woman grabbed his arm, “Just don’t cause trouble, Arch; we have the rulers meeting tomorrow and need to return to Draconia by nighttime.”

nArcher nodded as Demetra 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.

nHis 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 Demetra but was mature and had a blue beard.

n‘Meet the parent’s time, Arch,’ he thought with a smile. ‘Don’t let him get under your skin.’ freeweɓnovel.cm

nThey 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.

nDemetra led the trio up to the throne, and when she went to bow, Archer grabbed her arm, “You don’t bow to anyone but me, Dem,” he said with a knowing grin, causing the shark girl to shive as she nodded.

n“So the dragon who stole one of my daughters, especially the troublesome Demetra,” the Shoadborne Emperor commented with a smirk. “I never thought anyone could tame her; she was one of my wild children who craved blood endlessly.”

nArcher chuckled before responding, looking at Demetra, “Now she doesn’t, and she’s much stronger than when we first met.”‘

n“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 welcome and challenge.

nHe 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 me have a night with her, son-in-law?”

nWhen 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 Demetra, who were wide-eyed.

nThe soldiers went to rush toward the three of them, but Talon stopped everyone, “Let us fight! He’s giving me a great gift tonight.”

nArcher was seething with anger as he attacked using Blink and hit the Emperor again, but this time, he crashed through the palace walls. The two started trading blows, and it was evident that Talon was the strongest.

nHowever, 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.

n***

nDemetra’s POV

n‘What is this boy doing? Why not listen to me?’ Demetra thought, but a hand on her shoulder should have calmed her down.

n“Your father is teasing him, he signaled to me before whispering to Arch,” Mary informed her.

nShe looked confused, but the mature woman continued, “He said he wanted a night with me to provoke him into a fight as dragons are notoriously jealous creatures, as you already know.”

nDemetra nodded, ‘He does get jealous and its so adorable,’ she mused with a smile.

nAs Demetra 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.”

n“Hello, Mother,” Demetra replied, facing the speaker.

nStanding before her was Aria Shadowborne, the first Empress of the Shadowborne Empire. She resembled Demetra strikingly, yet with an air of refined maturity that spoke of years and experience.

nAria looked at Mary and shivered, “Why are you with a Nameless Thing daughter? They usually hunt our kind.”

nDemetra turned to the grey-haired woman smiling at her mother and said, “Have you met my kind Mary?”

n“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 me when looking for food.”

n‘This woman is a complete savage,’ Demetra thought. ‘Where did Archer find her?’

n“In a border city, little shark,” the woman said with a knowing smile. “You shouldn’t let your expression betray your thought.”

nDemetra 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.”

nAria’s lips curved into a reassuring smile. “The attacks have subsided for the moment, my dear. Your father has been preoccupied with them, spending a great deal of time down there.” Following that, the three women watched the fight escalate as Talon transformed into his Demon Shark form, which was black on the tip, white on the bottom, and glowing yellow with yellow eyes.

nThey 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.”

nDemetra 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 calmed down and relished the fight. Damn, they’re so alike.’

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nAt that moment, Demetra saw her father gearing up to confront Archer again. She shook her head in exasperation before turning back to her mother.

n***

nBack to Archer

nArcher 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.”

n‘So Demetra was right,’ he thought before replying, “I figured, but next time, don’t say such things; otherwise, it would be a fight to the death.”

nTalon started laughing. He spoke, “Yes, son-in-law, I agree.”

nThe 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 something crashed into his body, shocking everyone.

nA 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

ndown the monster’s throat.

nArcher 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.

nHe quickly noticed three sharks fighting while tag-teaming many monsters before tearing them apart. Demetra, more creatures are appearing from below. What’s down there?

nLucrezia’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

nThen, 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 met before.

nAs Archer braced himself for the upcoming fight, Mary suddenly appeared out of nowhere, slamming into the enemy with surprising force. She immediately engaged in combat, her movements a blur of precision and power.

nHe watched in astonishment 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.

nOnce the battle was over, Archer raised his hands and summoned the Stone Wardens, who had tracked the monsters’ movements just before he did. He swiftly soared through the water, reaching the entrance to the Shadowborne Empire-a tunnel through which the invaders had

ncome.

nUsing 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.

nMary and Demetra appeared as he touched dry land, and both women cuddled him, with Talon and Aria approaching from behind. The Emperor spoke, “Thank you for the help, Arch, it’s

nmuch appreciated.”

nArcher nodded, “Don’t worry about it; I hate the Swarm and enjoy fighting them, but more

nimportantly, 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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