Chapter 82

I'm posting some chapters ahead of time on my discord server: https://discord.gg/r2VSvS5kaH

Double update today, cuz I feel like it :)))

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"Arise."

Antares widened his eyes and jumped away from Ashborn the moment he heard those words being spoken.

He quickly glanced around to see if there were any floating corpses or souls, but there weren't, so he quickly returned his focus to Ashborn. Legia and the Beast Monarch were nervously looking at the scene.

A few tense seconds passed, but nothing happened.

The dragon monarch's eyes were fixed on the grinning shadow monarch. The way Ashborn was grinning was very suspicious.

'What did he do?'

There was no sign of a shadow soldier rising, nor was there any of Ashborn's magic traveling the land. The only one that he could most likely call upon was a soul that was imprisoned in him. But that person wasn't dead.

[And what did you try to achieve with this?] Antares asked the shadow monarch.

Ashborn raised a brow, "Oh, this was just a test."

[What did you test with it? That you couldn't use your power anymore?]

"No, you are wrong. I found something about the Black Heart. Apparently, it won't comply with anyone else but its rightful owner."

[Right, I am the ow-]

"It won't pay attention to you, so that means. The one who was never able to defeat death is you."

Ashborn shrugged off all the dust on his clothes and removed all the blood accumulated on its surface.

"I'm the only one it listens to."

[What?]

"I hate repeating myself. I said…"

Antares' expression turned ugly. 'This bastard.' He opened his mouth to charge up the breath of destruction and finally erase the shadow monarch.

"Arise."

The dragon monarch stopped in his tracks. He couldn't unleash the attack, as if there was something stuck in his throat. He touched his chest with his hand, feeling something was unwell.

'What is this...?' He thought.

Was something moving inside of him? Why was there magic moving from the black heart towards his stomach?

'Could it actually work?' Even though he dismissed the idea, Antares feared that Ashborn might call upon the soul of Arthur. He made sure that nothing could steal his soul... Then what was he aiming for?

He turned to face Ashborn. Those glowing purple eyes returned. Chills run down his spine seeing them again.

The feeling in his chest worsened;

*Kwuaahhhh!*

His mouth let out either a scream or a roar. Those who were standing close by were very perplexed by this. The Beast Monarch wanted to inquire as to why the dragon was screaming at this precise moment, but upon observing his frozen eyes and the way he held his chest... The Beast Monarch made the decision not to.

'Who is this?' Antares couldn't comprehend. Could he miss someone?

*Kwuaaaahh!*

With another scream, the shadow exploded from his chest and the dark figure in the form of the dragon jumped out. It seemed like it was holding onto something burning...

'The Black Heart!' The monarchs yelled in their heads, and without delay, they jumped right into the fray. It was already too late to stop the shadow from giving it to Ashborn. Before they could capture the dragon, it vanished from their line of sight.

'What did it do?!' The Monarchs had no idea what magic was used by the shadow, but it allowed it to get out of their grasp.

*Fwush*

Swiftly, the dragon appeared over the shadow monarch and inserted the black heart into the right side of his chest.

[Don't let them escape!]

*Breathe of Destruction*

Instantly, the dragon monarch regained his senses and sent a wave of devastating flames at his enemies. It tore through the land but never landed on its intended target. The shadow monarch and his soldiers had melted into the shadows already.

[Track him down, right now!] Antares screamed at his comrades. His voice trailed along with mana, covering the entire planet. The message reached the other monarchs split all across the world, and the explanation was not needed.

The shadow soldiers, weakened, almost on the edge of disappearing. They slowly got back their power.

*Grab*

While traveling through the shadows, Ashborn slapped away the hand of the dragon that was grabbing him.

"What is it, my lord?"

"Go save your child…Arthur will hate me if Sylvie dies."

"But what about you, my lord?"

The dragon, Sylvia, cast a worried glance at her lord. Despite this being their first meeting in person, they knew something about each other, and they knew Arthur and Sylvie personally.

She regrettably gave much more thought to her lord's safety than that of her child because she was the shadow soldier from now on. Thankfully for her, the Shadow Monarch also cared about Sylvie.

"This was an order, soldier."

The new layer of armor appeared, replacing the old one and covering the majority of the body with a robust and ominous covering. The auburn-haired turned purple and defied gravity by floating upward like the sparks of a fire.

The white sclera turned dark; the eyes and hair were now the only visible parts in the darkness.

[I will isolate the Dragon Monarch, as planned initially. Deliver the message and proceed with the plan.]

The Shadow Monarch's voice deepened, and Sylvia felt the power in him rise to newer heights. Even she could feel it, as there was an even larger connection between them, the shadows.

[Now go.]

The shadow monarch vanished in the darkness, leaving the female dragon alone. She soon followed her lord's example and dived into the darkness, on her way to notify the others.

Outside of the darkness, the dragon monarch was furiously waiting for some intel from his subordinates.

*Bang*

His anger was visible on his face, and he was also stomping on the ground ferociously.

[Do you sense his presence somewhere?!]

His message traversed the land and reached the other monarchs who were scattered around the globe. Yet, none were able to satisfy the monarch of destruction. They only angered him more.

[Tch, useless.]

He created a small portal in front of him and brought out something glowing. It was the last fragment of the reincarnation cup.

Antares placed it in the same spot as the black heart previously, even though he didn't experience the same pressure from this one. There was a considerable growth of power in him... His perception of time and space vastly changed.

The King of Dragons could feel the changes that were happening; mainly, he could sense the remaining fragments better.

[He is close!]

*Crack* *Shatter*

The space close to him broke down into pieces like a mirror, and the Shadow Monarch leaped out of it. He had his hand prepared to strike his chest, obviously aiming for the fragment.

So he quickly moved his hands in front of his chest to block Ashborn's attack. Although that wasn't what the black-clad silhouette was aiming for.

*Grab*

It was just a deception to lure Antares into a corner. Ashborn bear-hugged the red-haired monarch,

[Now you can't escape my grip.]

[Damn you!]

They had already passed the ridge that connected to the space that existed between dimensions, and no one else had heard the terrible roar but them. There was nothing but absolute darkness around, similar to the World of Eternal Nothingness.

[Kwuahh!]

Simultaneously, the monarch of destruction transformed into his dragon form, Ashborn was fast enough to escape the flaming giant. Even in the space where nothing existed, it seemed like the grey floor was shaking because of the transformation.

[Now…it's finally the time we can go all out.]

Ashborn didn't hurry to change into his giant avatar; instead, he charged in like that. He was still waiting to build up enough strength to outlast his opponent.

'And in case I fail that…' The shadow monarch glanced at his right chest.

He was ready to use up the strength left behind by his creator. There would be a case he'll need to use it anyway. Antares might use it against him.

*Breath of Destruction*

Antares launched his attack. In this environment, Ashborn held a great advantage. His dark appearance limited Antares' sight. The dragon monarch had trouble aiming his breath of fire because of the devouring darkness. Despite his eyes seeing through the darkness, it wasn't enough. The shadow monarch's armor was consuming every bit of light there was.

The torment of fire followed Ashborn as he closed upon his enemy. He leaped forward, blurring under the gigantic dragon.

*Slash*

A dark sword morphed in the hand of Ashborn, and with it, he struck. Antares predicted this and tried to avoid the blow,

*Slam*

The attack hit him, but it was not enough to penetrate the thick armor of Antares. Only a slight scratch was left on the burning scales.

Ashborn clicked his tongue, 'He is still the walking castle.'

No matter what, Antares, in this form, was an impenetrable mass giant. The size was only a benefit for him since it never affected his mobility. Ash feared that even if he transformed later, he wouldn't be able to handle the sheer strength of Antares.

*KA-BOOM*

While Ash was considering other options, Antares had already found him and attacked him with another blow of his Breath of Destruction.

The blast was met with a dark shield that manifested itself in Ashborn's hand. The constant stream of fire slammed into the solid shield, and the shadow monarch had trouble standing against it.

Antares moved closer as the breath of destruction only intensified.

He was already standing above the shadow monarch, and the fire was still going. He wasn't going to stop this attack as long as the shadow monarch was immobilized. Ash fell to his knees but still held on to his shield. He should outlast.

'Come on, finish it.'

Antares was strong, but he surely couldn't use Breath of Destruction forever. He needed some time to build up energy to use it and even his power had a limit. Ashborn was waiting for a moment.

*Pshhhh*

The breath of destruction stopped, and Ashborn threw away the shield immediately.

*Swish*

'Dang it!'

Antares slammed down his gigantic dragon claw on Ashborn. The loud bang resonated in their ears as the claws dug into the grey floor, or did they?

'What the…'

The shadow monarch stopped the dragon before he could get squashed. He used his two hands to directly block the attack, and fortunately, he was able to handle the slam.

The small figure of Ashborn was holding the giant dragon. Even though it was extremely difficult, it's an achievement nonetheless.

Ash put more strength into his hands using the Ruler's Authority. A purple aura surrounded his hands as he pushed harder.

Even Antares was surprised by the feat of strength . 'How is he so strong despite his size?!' The dragon was flipped over, and he landed on the grey floor roughly.

*Crash* *Crackle*

Right after the crash, Ashborn moved almost at the speed of light, followed by the purple lightning. He brought his hand back. At that time, more lightning appeared on it, and when it was ready, like a spear, he threw it aiming at Antares' head.

The dragon monarch raised its head.

*Crackle*

A lightning attack went past him. He swiftly got on his four and simultaneously aimed a new charge of breath at Ashborn.

*Bang*

As the dragon monarch opened its mouth, the large fist connected to it and made it close. Ashborn rose in his giant avatar and tackled his opponent to the ground.

[Kwuahhhh!]

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

The shadow avatar kept punching the Dragon Monarch. The scales deformed badly, the lava was gushing out of the skin.

*Bang*

[Kwuah!]

Visibly angered, Antares' bloody eyes landed on the Ashborn and let out another Breath of Destruction.

*Boom*

Ash barely moved his head in time. The destructive fire blitzed past him and didn't stop.

*Grab*

Antares' jaw was grabbed by the Shadow Monarch's two gigantic hands. He lowered his jaw so that it was aimed at his own chest.

The dragon's eyes expanded, but it was too late. The breath of destruction landed on his chest.