Chapter 21

Chapter 21: What I Want? I want you!

It was early morning, the day after the subjugation of the dragon that appeared from the Mirror Sea on Azur Lane naval base. Nagato is with the group of leaders of the Sakura Empire waiting grimly for news.

Their once beautiful beaches and land are turned into war zones filled with ice and fire. News had stopped coming for 3 hours and she was seated in the shrine palace. She wanted to join the frontline along with her people but her importance made it impossible for anyone to let her enter the frontline.

The battle that just last night took place far away from the land now closing in on the shallow shores. Sound of cannon fire hasn't stopped once since it started yesterday. She could only pray and continue to pray for her people's safety and the arrival of that man who repelled and destroyed the dragons.

"Lady Nagato! Urgent news! Our carrier divisions saw the army of dragons from yesterday closing into our territory. They will reach the shore in another half an hour!"

"What! Didn't the dragons were defeated yesterday… We all saw the dragons vanish into particles after the leader is beheaded." Nagato said while her heart sank deeper. This fight will be hopeless if this continues. They could barely hold back the invasion of two armies now the dragons also arrived.

"Has that person arrived, Lady Nagato?" Takao asks but looking at Nagato's bitter face, she already gets her answers.

"Relay my orders, everyone will retreat and flee to other allies, preferably Azur Lane base." Nagato hardened her heart and gave her order to the shocked Takao. Her other escort and bodyguard, Kawakaze, also looked very shocked.

"But how about you, Lady Nagato?"

Nagato closed her eyes before she gripped her fist. "I have my responsibilities to stay until the bitter end in this shrine palace. This is my sacred duty as the leader and the messenger of our patron goddess to stay and defend this shrine." Nagato said while her escort Mutsu also nodded because this was their sacred duty as the priestess.

"But-"

"Enough! You will obey my order, Takao. This is my order as the highest leader of the Sakura Empire and you will carry it out immediately." Nagato said with emotionless tone before she left with Mutsu and Kawakaze on her side.

Takao with a heavy heart and tears return to the frontline and convey Nagato's order.

…

"We will arrive soon, Master." Tiamat said while Ray is raiding on her as he leads his angels and dragons to assist the Sakura Empire.

Prior to his arrival in the waters of the Sakura Empire, he splitted his armies into 4 parts and let his servants and intelligent Shadows lead them. One will enter the Mirror Sea while the other two will assist the Iron Blood which is also under siege by two monarchs but their superior weaponry and technology enables them to hold better especially when their entire beach is covered with landlocked batteries.

The one that joined Ray this time is Tiamat and Salter. Ray actually planned to go alone and wanted to concentrate the firepower on other groups but Tiamat said that as his familiar(pet) she must accompany her master into battle. Salter uses the excuse of she is his knight. Ray of course rejected but they kept arguing until they brought up their dignity as the dragon was tarnished if they cannot uphold their vow as a familiar(pet) and knight(lover) to accompany their master.

Ray, who had enough of this bullshit, agreed and this is the result now. Tiamat is leading the dragons mounted by angels with spears made of light. Salter also rides a dragon but a smaller one with better speed and maneuverability next to Tiamat.

When he was approximately 30 miles away from shore, Ray saw the Monarch of White Flame, Baran and the Monarch of Frost, The Snow Elf King, surrounded by their respective defenders while standing lifelessly like Antares.

"Leave them to me master, you should immediately meet the Sakura Empire leader." Salter said which I agreed and told Tiamat to join her as I continue on my own.

The shipgirls of the Sakura Empire seem to be retreating from the frontline, probably mistaking my new dragon's army to be yesterday's enemies attacking them.

…

"Lady Nagato, someone spotted the man you are expecting coming from the dragon's direction and the dragons are attacking the monsters instead of us."

"I see, the goddess Amaterasu blessed us. Where is him?" Just as Nagato finished her question, a man in golden armor landed from the sky, sitting on a lavishly decorated golden throne.

"You are Nagato I assume? I am Ray whom you requested yesterday." The man speaks with great great charisma that dazzled her and many others around her to notice that the man is secretly checking on her body.

'Now that I remember, she does have fox-like ears but where is the tail?' Ray wondered while 'respectfully' observing the girl in front of him. The girl might look very young but she should actually be more than a hundred years old.

"Indeed, Lord Ray, I am Nagato of the Sakura Empire. I thank you for your immediate response to aid us against our adversaries." She bowed her head as a sign of respect to someone who commands powerful military might and also personally powerful.

"We are greatly indebted for your help. If there is anything we can repay you with, please don't hesitate and tell us honestly. I will do everything in our disposal to repay this debt."

Ray didn't know if the addition of dragon race to himself or just because she said something irresistible to him. Ray blurted out an honest desire from his heart that shocked everyone.

(Note: It's the author's fault for being incapable of writing this part better.)

"You(Ome da)"

"Huh?" Everyone is confused and thought they misheard his words because of the loud noise of the ongoing battle between monsters.

"What I say is that, I want you." Ray repeated again while pointing his finger at Nagato seriously. Nagato looked confused for a moment before her expression changed.

She isn't unfamiliar with political marriage which is something very common to every member of the royalty or person in power. The reason may vary but her situation is to exchange herself for help from Ray to help her people. If she refused, he might pull back the help or she thought so.

She never knew Ray and today is their first meeting. However, just from his imposing presence and charisma, her impression of him is a tyrant king with godlike powers. Although in reality, this isn't the case. Ray's presence is caused by his dragon king passive aura, Charisma and the leveled up Black Heart of Shadow Monarch.

Nagato is troubled and so are the other shipgirls, especially her sister Mutsu and bodyguard Kawakaze. Ray however is too distracted by her ears that are reacting along with her thoughts. Even in his memories of his first life, Nagato had a special place in his heart. His most liked character in the game.

(Note: I swear her voice line after oath is the best one ever, very adorable and heartwarming.)

"Nagato sama, please reconsider. You are the lead-" Nagato stopped her old friend Akagi from continuing. "No, It is precisely because I am the leader that I need to do whatever it takes to save what is important for me. It's a small price to pay if this is all it takes to avoid our destruction."

Ray nodded as he is very happy on the inside that she would agree easily. He thought that he would need a lengthy negotiation or something to make her willingly accept his request.

Suddenly he received a transmission from Michael who was supposed to be helping the Iron Blood faction. "My liege, we need your Monarch Domain. The enemy giants belonging to Monarch Legia have great defence and we are incapable of penetrating their formation to kill the monarch."

I excuse myself from the Sakura Empire people for a moment and float up to the air before a shadow-like aura bursts out of Black Heart to activate Monarch Domain.

The people of Sakura Empire saw the transformation on my body which was followed by loud warcry from the direction of my people fighting against the Monarch of Frost and Monarch of White Flame. His soldiers that previously had some difficulty to fight now are easily overpowering their enemies and Monarch of Frost is the first to be killed after being slapped by Tiamat's dragon tail. Monarch of White Flame followed soon after Salter used her noble phantasm, Excalibur Morgan.

Similar to Antares, their armies turn into particles and form an orb but smaller and an unidentified fragment left after their body turns into dust. Ray then ordered his Shadows army to join the other group in Mirror Sea to find if there is another Monarch hiding. Salter and Tiamat quickly return to Ray and give him the spoils.

Ray kept the fragments in his Pocket Space because he didn't know what the fragments were, then absorbed the orbs which added the armies of the defeated Monarchs into his own.

Nagato, who previously still had some doubts, is now completely sure that her decision is for the best. She forfeited her position as flagship to Mutsu and reassigned Kawakaze to guard Mutsu instead but she vehemently refused her order and wanted to follow Nagato.

"Please Kawakaze, as my loyal friend and subordinate. Take care of Mutsu for me or I will not have a peaceful mind." She grasps Kawakaze's hand while begging her with her eyes. Kawakaze was defeated by the puppy eyes and accepted reluctantly.

Many shipgirls are sad about this parting with their most respected flagship while few respected her decision. Some even shed tears as Nagato gave them hugs before their parting.

Finished with her parting, Nagato takes a deep breath and exhales. "I hope that my new life will be more interesting than before." She wished before walking toward Ray who is standing near the beach at a distance away from her because Tiamat's dragon form is humongous.

When Nagato reaches Ray, he asks if she wants to stay a little longer because he isn't in a hurry yet. She replied with a no and said that she wanted to leave now before she had a change of heart. She already knows from the report sent out by Azur Lane commander which stated that Ray definitely isn't a person from this world like the Siren and she knew that she will have to leave everyone behind without any chance to meet them again.

"Let's return for now then." Ray said before holding on everyone and activating Shadow Exchange to return to Azur Lane base instantly. Nagato is surprised by such a marvelous ability to traverse such a great distance instantaneously.

"I will leave this world after the Monarch is dealt with. How about I introduce you to my other companion." Ray leads her along with Salter and Tiamat to the cafeteria to meet EMIYA who abstains from fighting and instead takes control of the kitchen from the people of this base.

…

Few minutes ahead, in the sea controlled by Iron Blood, the Iron Blood faction is helped by the Iris Libre, Vichia Dominion and Sardegna Empire that are very close to each other.

They are fighting a bitter war to defend the port from the monster's invasion. They only helped the Iron Blood faction because the other minor factions have no hope to resist the monsters on their own. They decided to form a temporary alliance to resist the invasion.

They have great success at first and are winning against the enemy force due to their superior weaponry and technology, especially Iron Blood shipgirls which are mostly equipped with AP ammunition which is able to inflict damage to their enemies body that HE ammunition failed to. However it turns into a nightmare when the giants join the fray. The AP ammunition only bounced off their Incredibly sturdy body and only slowed due to sheer firepower in the volley shot by the battleships which they cleverly aimed at the legs to slow them down.

They are losing ground very fast and there is nothing they could do about it until someone spotted a massive amount of black creature that looked similar to the one that assisted the Azur Lane base. Many cheered and invigorated when they knew that their fight isn't hopeless yet and they still have a chance to win.

"Do not lose hope yet! Reinforcement has arrived!" Bismarck, who led the shipgirls, announced to everyone who are still desperately fighting to boost their morale.

Few Iris Libre shipgirls prayed to god when they saw the angels. The angels might look a little off but they didn't have time to be picky about it.

With the arrival of Ray's Shadows army, their burden lessened immediately because the monsters no longer targeted them and focused on defending their respective Monarch.

Soon, the monster fully retreated and they ended up watching as three armies clashed brutally. Magical abilities like fire and thunder thrown everywhere by the angels and the dragons breath out devastating fire that boils up the sea.

The battle stretches for a few more minutes before the Shadows suddenly become empowered as a shadowy aura surrounds each of them. The angel with a burning sword did something that created a devastating attack that caused a massive explosion of fire. The sea is displaced and the monsters around the Monarchs are totally annihilated, leaving the Monarchs open to attack that another two angels swiftly take advantage of with a swift kill.

They were left speechless as the Shadow army didn't stay after taking the item left behind after killing the Monarchs. The Shadow army instantly departs into Mirror Sea. Only after everyone of the Shadows had left did they snap out of it and decided to send an envoy to thank that mysterious person for helping them.

…

In the evening, all my Shadows had returned and brought back Orb from Iron Body Monarch and Monarch of Beginning, Legia and many five more fragments of which three came from Siren. Turns out that 3 Monarchs were killed by the Sirens but it was a pyrrhic victory as they sustained great loss to kill all three Monarchs. The Sirens basically lose all their manpower and resources in this world.

The only few surviving is the elite siren which includes a few Testers who have multiple bodies and a Purifier which is made solely for combat purposes that her firepower outrank any strongest shipgirls easily and very durable that none can hurt her even with direct fire.

All other Sirens are defeated and they basically throw this timeline out of their list. None will dare again to enter this timeline after their encounter with Chaos and Monarchs. Even if they did, Ray has gained a copy of the highest authority to command the siren. Any siren that enters this timeline will be subjected to Ray command.

Ray absorbed the other two orb and greatly expanded his army again especially because Iron Body Monarch had quite a lot of soldiers in his army unlike Legia and Antares who have better quality than quantity. When he opened his Pocket Space to keep the fragments, they glowed before all fragments combined and left a chalice behind.

The chalice isn't any random chalice but it was Cup of Reincarnation, a tool created by Absolute Being to rewind time and used by the rulers to rewind time and fight off Monarchs and save humanity. There is something off about this chalice stuff, Ray has been seeing powerful relics in the form of chalice lately from Holy Grail to now Cup of Reincarnation.

Although he now has the Cup of Reincarnation, the relic is empty and didn't seem to accept mana like this two Grail does. He tried asking Ishtar and she said that because it was created by Absolute Being, it only receive his and other similar energy which is divine power and she tested out her theory by injecting her divine power.

The Cup of Reincarnation accepted her power but another problem emerged. Even after pumping all of her divine power into the chalice, it barely even fills a fraction of it. Like droplets of water trying to fill a lake.

Seeing that it isn't feasible to recharge it with Ishtar or Ereshkigal help, he gave up and kept it in GoB, next to the Grails.

"So, what are we doing next?" Ishtar asks while lying on my bed.

"I want to leave as soon as possible." I said without hesitation which confused Ishtar and the two others in my room.

Salter is lazing on the sofa after having her battle lust and appetite satisfied while Ishtar is talking with me while Nagato is still adjusting to her new group. Nagato decided to observe us and slowly get accustomed to us. Just the introduction with her new companions already surprised her. A Goddess, a dragon king and two heroes. She still hasn't met the others in GoB.

"*Cough* The reason I wanted to leave immediately is because my previous injuries had fully healed and I find no purpose to stay here any longer. Besides, my presence here is troubling the commander, which is why I wanted to leave." I almost stuttered which Ishtar noticed and smirked like she just found a juicy secret.

"Are you sure you aren't just jealous of the commander that he already gets most of the girls' affection and attention?" Ishtar jumps from the bed and sits on the bedside. "Tsk Tsk Tsk. You can't fool this goddess' eyes, Ray."

"Nope, definitely not the case. Besides, did you forget our goal? We need to get stronger and one day return to your world. That is our main goal." I tried to deny Ishtar's claim but she just smirked like she already won and it annoys me somehow.

"Sureeee. How does that involve getting another woman again." Ishtar said while holding back her laugh as she just checked mate me with my own words.

Nagato's ears perked up when she heard 'another woman' and 'again'. She raises her head to look at Ray but the said person already shifts his head away, knowing that she would look at him. When her new companions introduce themselves, they only sound like battle companions brought together by a similar goal to defeat someone very strong and are helping Ray to grow. She didn't expect they would help him 'grow' that way.

Ray's appearance does look like a king despite how unkingly he usually acts but Ray will unconsciously show mannerisms similar to Gilgamesh randomly which does enforce the kingly image. As a king, it is normal to have multiple wives and Nagato understands that from the moment she accepted to follow him but she didn't expect him to already have a few women before her.

She thought that only Ishtar is his lover because Salter seemed uninterested in him and introduced herself as a knight serving Ray. Tiamat almost never had a chance to meet Nagato in her human form and she thought she was just a dragon.

"Anyway, I will try to contact Alayashiki and we will hopefully depart tomorrow." Then I left the room quickly and decided to meet Akashi to ask about the stuff I ordered from her and order another one for stock.

…

Later after midnight, everyone is sleeping but I can't seem to sleep because my Shadow Space seems to be very rowdy like they are throwing a welcoming party inside there. Iri wordlessly joined me as I sat on the windy cliff facing the sea. I lie on her lap and stargazing while she is playing with my hair.

Michael appeared after sensing me thinking about him. He instantly kneels next to me and waits for my order.

"What are you guys doing in the Shadow Space?" I ask curiously and Michael clears his throat before saying that few newcomers with intelligence are introducing themselves and having a party at first but it ends up becoming a duel to decide who is stronger.

"So the rumbling I felt for a while is the dragon and giant having a wrestling match? Did they get drunk or what…"

"Yes…" Michael replied with some hesitation.

"How did they even get drunk in that blank void without anything inside. Did you ransack somewhere before returning to my Shadow Space?" I looked at him suspiciously but he quickly denied the accusation.

"Apparently the people from Monarch of Frost, the Snow Elves can create some kind of special fermented drinks using their magic and Ice Manipulation. The other magic users also pitched into that idea and they end up making a lot of them. The rest is what is happening now, in the Shadow Space." Michael sighed. It looked like he also tried to control the situation but it got out of hand very fast.

"Just told them to keep it down, I can't sleep because of them."

"Yes my liege." Michael then vanished into my shadow, leaving me with Iri.

The wind feels nice and without clouds covering the sky, I continue stargazing while thinking about something that I've been putting aside for quite a while.

With the Cup of Reincarnation, I can probably reverse my time all the way back to start fresh and be free from this grand mission to get strong and fight my other self forced upon me by Alaya. Maybe I can choose to live my life normally instead. The fortune in GoB can last me a lifetime even if I splurge it wantonly. The economy probably crashed before I had a chance to finish spending them.

However the function of Cup of Reincarnation isn't just reverse time for 10 years. The artifact can manipulate time and revert time or forward time within 10 years. There are plenty of ways to use this artifact and especially during critical moments when I'm near death. I can just reverse time and redo everything like Natsuki Subaru.

Imagine killing your enemy in the past before they even obtain their power or 'borrow' important items before anyone discovered them.

As his thoughts drifted, Ray fell asleep on Iri's lap. She guards him in his sleep until morning where a few patrolling shipgirls found them on that cliff.

He was woken up by EMIYA at 7 am for breakfast that EMIYA brought. The breakfast is a simple egg sandwich and a thermos of hot tea.

Ray received a telepathic message from Alayashiki that she is ready to bring him to the next world. Ray quickly assembled everyone and gave a last goodbye to the people of Azur Lane that hosted him for a few days before sending everyone into GoB to depart.

A kaleidoscopic portal opens and swallows Ray whole, sending him to the next world.

…

"You look excited for the next world." Ray said after looking at Alayashiki who grinning since he entered this space-time tunnel.

"I can enter the next world unlike the previous two. Of course I am excited! You can't imagine how lonely I was, floating in an empty void while looking at you."

"Oh… the next world has an active Counter Force?"

Due to Alayashiki nature, she can infiltrate a world through Counter Force which as a full goddess like Alayashiki, she would be rejected from entering any world with a world will.

"Not really, the next world is a little special where Counter Force exists but with a totally different system. There is a place where I can enter and send an avatar to the mortal world to join you." She replied and didn't explain the rest of it. Probably didn't want to spoil it for me and make me guess.

We spend a few more moments in silence before the space-time tunnel collapses and I can physically see the world that totally resembles earth and seems to take place in modern time.

Weirdly something inside me changed again but isn't noticeable. It feels like my body is scanned before the previous modification in the Azur Lane world is replaced with my normal state and stronger physical state.

I landed in a desert area surrounded by a large group of people wearing suits but handling ritualistic items. One of the items gave a familiar presence that resonated with my Saint Graph.

"Tablet of Destiny, Dingir…" I mutter as a handsome black haired man steps forward while holding the tablet or this world copy of the tablet.

"Hmn… is this the infamous King Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes? He looks rather disappointing to be honest but regardless, if his legend about the treasury is true then he should have the Holy Grail in his possession." The man said arrogantly before telling all his men to retreat.

I was confused how he knew of my relation to Gilgamesh immediately. I just kept a stoic expression while looking at that man but somehow I felt my blood boiling when he expressed his desire to gain my treasure.

"A thief who dares to covet this king's possession is punishable by death, mongrel." The Saint Graph of Gilgamesh suddenly exerted its control on my personality. The man in front of me somehow offended Gilgamesh enough that his fragment of will is reacting.

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4.3 words.