Finally the time had come for everything to start. The only thing Shishiro regretted wasn't remembering all the details of that anime. He still recalled the basic plot, but since it had been a long time, many details had slipped away. That had worried him at first, but he'd found a solution, so he wasn't as concerned now.
"It was great that I managed to convince Sayo and Ieyasu."
It was hard convincing them, fortunately he was stronger and managed to defeat them together. Convincing them that it was dangerous, since they still weren't ready to go into the Capital yet. Of course he could only buy time for a few years and even mention that by going ahead of time, he will have experience and will guide them.
He was truly relieved they hesitated at first but followed his words. At first, he thought to do nothing to change the plot and just change their death.
"But how could I convince them that Aria isn't a good person if we encounter her? While Tatsumi only encounters her because he got robbed and had nowhere to stay, that might not be the case for Sayo and Ieyasu in the anime. Yet they still end up being in that place, so there is a high chance we will meet Aria and they will fall for her sweet words."
He sighed as he wanted to enjoy the journey with them since they were always together in the village since childhood, but that was just wishful thinking.
Because it's not only the matter with Aria, but that the Capital wasn't a safe place either. He couldn't guarantee their safety when he himself was not confident for his safety either.
Just from the anime, almost every Night Raid member's death is enough for him to want them to stay in the village and not come to the Capital.
He himself wouldn't be sure if he would get the chance to join the Night Raid members, and he also couldn't just abandon them if he got the chance. If they also follow him and join Night Raid, then their fate will be sealed.
Shaking his head to throw away that thought, he began to now think about his current situation.
The most important thing now is to figure out how long until the story began, and the only way he could think to join Night Raid is by following the plot.
If he was late and Aria was already killed by the time he got there, then his only option would remain to either join Jaegers or be independent.
Being alone means basically playing in hard mode since he hasn't secured Taiju for himself, and joining Jaegers means being on Esdeath team but at the same time becoming an enemy of Night Raid members. If he were to approach them, then they would not trust him and think he has an evil motive, and immediately attack without hearing anything he had to say.
After walking for a short distance, Shishiro heard the sound of horse hooves. He stopped and looked toward the noise, spotting a carriage in that direction.
"A carriage? From the opening scene?" he muttered under his breath as he approached the carriage slowly, not forgetting to grip his sword tighter.
Thud!
Shishiro, tense as a bowstring, immediately ran toward the carriage after the ground began to shake. Before he could get there, a massive roar erupted as the ground in front of the carriage began to crack.
Roarrr!
A massive beast with a red body and brown armor emerging from the crack, dangerously close to the carriage Shishiro glanced at it and became sure. It was that earth dragon that was in the opening scene from the anime's first episode. So he should be near the Imperial Capital by now.
"I-It's an earth dragon!!" cried the two drivers of the carriage.
As Shishiro regained his senses, he realized things were going badly. In the brief moment he had been distracted, the earth dragon before him had already lashed out with a claw toward the carriage, making the drivers seated there let out a terrified scream.
Without time for further thought, and not wanting any accident to happen, he drew his sword and prepared for the fight.
The earth dragon roared, its massive body shaking the ground as it raised its claw, aiming to smash the carriage to pieces. The air grew heavy with the beast's killing intent, carrying the stench of blood and earth.
Shishiro dashed forward, dirt exploding beneath his feet with the sudden burst of speed. The dragon noticed him and changed its target, swinging at him with crushing force. The air whistled violently as the claw tore past, missing him by inches as he shifted just enough to avoid the strike.
Leaping upward, Shishiro twisted midair and brought his sword down in a sharp arc.
Swish!
Blood sprayed in crimson as his blade carved across the dragon's armored hands, severing it from its body. The beast howled in furious pain at the loss of its hand, glaring at him with rage, but Shishiro didn't give it a moment of rest and immediately launched another attack.
His body became a blur as he slashed repeatedly– strikes too quick for the eye to follow.
Pfft! Pfft! His blade cut its hide, its remaining hand, its eyes, until with a final slash across its neck—
Thud!
The dragon collapsed heavily to the ground, also shaking the ground with its weight.
'The earth dragon. A first-class Danger Beast. It's great that I practiced hard after I realized what world I was born in, where I had replaced Tatsumi's place. Since I am much stronger than what Tatsumi was in the anime, I hope everything goes well…'
As for why he thought he was stronger than Tatsumi, it was because Sayo's skill was said to be on par with Tatsumi's. Since Shishiro had defeated both Sayo and Ieyasu together in battle, that naturally made him stronger than what Tatsumi had been in the anime.
Shishiro was born in a Tatsumi place, but neither his face nor his name is similar to him. He guessed that it might be because his soul might have replaced Tatsumi's- which influenced the body development process.
"That was amazing!"
"You single-handedly took down a Danger Beast!" The two drivers rushed over the moment they saw Shishiro eliminate the earth dragon and began to praise him.
Shishiro looked at them and smiled as he said, "I am glad you guys are okay. Fortunately, I was nearby so I could rush the moment I saw the earth dragon."
"Yeah, we truly are lucky. By the way, where are you heading right now?" asked one driver.
"I am going to the Imperial Capital," he said, looking down as he continued, "Every country boy dreams of winning success and fame in the big city."
The two drivers looked at each other before one talked to him.
"The Imperial Capital isn't the place of hopes and dreams that you think it is. It's definitely lively, but it's home to monsters even worse than that earth dragon."
Afraid he might have misunderstood, another one added, "We mean the people. They may be humans, but their hearts are monstrous. The capital is full of guys like that."
"I know what you mean. I am grateful for the words of advice, but I can't turn back now." He slowly closed his eyes as many characters—from Mine, Leone, Esdeath, and many others, along with their death scenes—began to flash in his mind. Not only that, he also has to save his village.
He smiled, a heavy feeling in his heart, as he continued, "But that's the only place which offers what I want to achieve."
"It's great that you know the dangers. We hope you achieve your goal," said the driver, thinking the young boy before him must have his own story, before they continued their journey.
Shishiro looked at the city's silhouette in the distance as he started his journey toward the unknown.