Chapter 75

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

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The earth trembled as the two titans clashed. As they crossed their weapons, their mana repelled the air violently. The chaotic crackles of thunder and lightning are produced by these collisions.

The human eardrums would explode just by staying on the flying continent.

No…

They would've died long before the sound reached them. With so much mana chaotically flowing on Epheotus, most of the living beings would've died of intoxication, and that only if their mana channels and cores wouldn't have blown up before. In addition, the temperature has skyrocketed.

The prosperous land had been scorched, and the previously blue sky had been cast into shadow by the black clouds. Black clouds that caused a rain of ash on the already scorched land.

Ironically, this was really suitable as the battle scene. The burning land characterized the Monarch of Destruction, while the shadowy sky perfectly fitted the Monarch of Shadows. They were too preoccupied to notice what was going on around them, but nature itself made their clash look like an apocalyptic picture.

Closer to them, where the torments of mana were much more visible. Two colors competing for dominance can be seen with the naked eye. Purple and red mana didn't mix because they were too dissimilar and their natures were diametrically opposed.

*Clang* *Clang*

The two strongest monarchs' battle was just getting heated up, as their attacks intensified and they both put more effort into cutting down the enemy. Their movements were sharp, and the quickness was already over the speed of sound. The sound barriers were breaking only a few seconds after the initial attack was made.

The Monarchs were diverting each other's affairs, but it only takes one touch to alter the battle's course. None of them got any scratches, and they weren't even the slightest bit worn out. It seemed like this could've continued for ages.

*Swish*

The air whistled as the shadow monarch brought down his sword. The dark-sharp sword was about to split the face of Antares in two, but the dragon blocked it with his own wide-edged weapon.

The force of this assault caused the ground on which they were standing to collapse. Even the rich mana on Epheotus couldn't handle the clash of these two. From there, a single, wide crack appeared and slowly started to spread. The flying continent was fragmenting.

*Thrust*

Because of the sheer strength Ashborn used in this attack, Antares had to use both of his hands to hold on to his weapon. This moment was used by the shadow monarch, who created another sword in his hands and thrust it towards his enemy's face.

Antares caught this in his vision and quickly jumped away from the place, avoiding the blow. Still, in the air, he opened his mouth and unleashed the blast of fire right at Ashborn.

Without waiting, Ashborn crossed his weapon and slashed the air as he'd done countless times before. The space itself broke apart as the black slash moved in the direction of the dragon king.

By successfully dividing Antare's devastating attack into four parts, the shadow monarch was spared damage in the center of the attack. As the fire passed over Ashborn, he again inspected his surroundings to find Antares floating above him with more fireballs prepared.

The floating man proceeded to shower the shadow monarch with more fireballs. In order to prevent Ashborn from escaping this attack, he even went so far as to cover the entire area with it. The bright light covered Ashborn's vision from all sides.

The Shadow Monarch decided what he was going to do.

From above, Antares overlooked his own attack. He was interested in how Ashborn would deal with this one.

'Come on, show me. Ashborn!'

He expected his opponent to block this attack straight on, to display his strength to the fullest. Yet, the only thing he found at the place where Ashborn stood was just an enormous hole.

'Huh?'

The king of the dead was nowhere to be seen. There was a hole in front of him that led to the bottom of the flying continent. Antares could see the ocean from where he was. So where was Ashborn?

*Crack*

The space above Antares cracked open, and the purple smoke enveloped it. Then the person jumped out of it and made a clean cut over the dragon. Antares was attacked by Ashborn despite having an absurdly high level of endurance.

The dragon monarch simply couldn't make another sword in time to stop Ashborn. The bloody cut had spread across Antares' chest as the half-materialized sword split in half.

The Monarch of Destruction was the first to be wounded.

'That bastard…' Antares smiled despite his pain when he saw this. The Shadow Bastard really changed in this world. Not only that, but he was pulling tricks like this...attacking from behind. Something else he would not have done before.

The sword finally materialized in his hand, yet Ashborn had already disappeared from his sight. He took his stance, ready to attack the Shadow Monarch, but this time his foe appeared far away.

The Shadow Monarch struck Antares again from behind with purple thunder in the form of a spear.

The purple lightning struck the dragon monarch. An explosion happened, with more crackles of lightning scattering in all directions. For the first time, he heard the scream made by the Dragon Monarch.

He continued his assault. He dug his legs into the earth and jumped forward, followed by the earthquake. His sword was aimed at the dragon monarch, the same spot where he had struck before!

Ashborn hesitated, and he didn't put all of his strength into this swing, but it should've been enough.

*Boom*

Instantly, he had to use the Ruler's Authority to move away from the place. The enormous bubble of fire appeared so suddenly, that it was surprising even for the Shadow Monarch.

When he landed and dug his legs into the ground to stop himself, Ashborn kept his eyes fixated on the bubble...

"You decided to finally show your true self?"

The abomination in front of Ashborn was reflected in his purple eyes. The sheer size of it, as well as the aura emanating from it, were terrifying, even for the Shadow Monarch. The ground around it was melting, and his breathing alone was like a ravaging fire.

"Kwuahhhh!"

*The Dragon's Fear*

This was the true Dragon's Fear used by the king of dragons himself. Ashborn was feeling such bone-chilling pressure for the first time. This scream could be heard thousands of kilometers away.

"You are a monster... but I'm one too."

The dragon ended its roar, and its lips curled upward, seeing how his enemy had also experienced his pressure.

[The real fight shall begin…now!]

Antares' words were followed by the rocking of the entire continent. The gigantic dragon took one step, and the small mountain he pressed on became a volcano. The choking heat had even reached the Shadow Monarch, who was now breathing in boiling air.

The enormous size of the dragon was not a problem, Antares was still quite mobile. It took less than a second for him to lower his head and aim at his foe.

The blinding light exploded from its enormous mouth and moved towards Ashborn. Those were the flames capable of erasing everything, so the Shadow Monarch made a wise decision by ducking beneath them.

Ash moved under the devastating beam of light above his head. His head felt the burning heat coming from that beam.

The black aura surrounded his already dark sword, and the crackles of purple lightning were left behind as he moved faster.

*Slash*

The shadow monarch's attack was futile. His sword was unable to penetrate the skin of the Dragon Monarch as it was too durable, even for him. He had to try at least once more, but before that, he had to avoid the onslaught.

*Bang*

The dragon monarch was trying to stomp his opponent with its gigantic legs. He was very close with the first attempt, as Asbhorn was not expecting him to do that. Still, Ash jumped away before he was plastered on the ground.

Searching for the small target soon became very irritating for the monarch of destruction. He had enough and unleashed a longer charge of the breath of destruction. He twisted his neck in many directions. The uncontrollable fire burned through everything, and almost the entirety of Epheotus was set ablaze. Even the clash between the Shadow Army and other monarchs was affected.

The flying continent has finally begun its descent.

For thousands of years, it had been floating, and nobody ever expected it to fall. But there's always an end to everything. This land became fragmented, and its split parts gradually began to descend where they should have been from the start.

It was ideal for the dragon. The process accelerated significantly as he jumped up and swung down his massive wings. The already descending continent was now literally thrown at the surface of this planet.

It was extremely fortunate for the planet's life that it was heavily augmented by the presence of mana and aether. Otherwise, the planet would have devolved into a complete abomination. The continent's fragments fell into the sea rather softly. Their landing still produced massive earthquakes and tsunamis after they hit the bottom, though.

Antares, in his massive dragon form, was still floating above the crash site. He was looking around for someone with his eyes. As if on the lookout for prey like an eagle…

His allies were already visible; they were floating in the air, but there was no trace of the shadow army. The previous inhabitants of Epheotus were on their feet.

[Where are you, Shadow Monarch?]

The Dragon Monarch noticed the black dot forming in the sky as he spoke. The dark plume was being sucked down like a tornado and was heading towards a specific location. The terrifying amount of magic moved towards that one place... It was definitely the Shadow Monarch's doing.

He floated down and landed on the last remaining ruins of the previous continent. He was followed by the other monarchs, who positioned themselves next to him.

The plume of dark smoke, on the other hand, was forming into something. Just like his transformation, this one sent chills down everyone's spines.

*Crackle*

[No…this bastard…]

The rest of the monarchs looked at the dragon monarch questionably.

[He couldn't have done…the same.]

It was unusual to see Antares taken aback by something else. This must have been a rather serious issue. However, the monarchs were too terrified to even question…They were pressured a lot more than Antares.

Ashborn also summoned the power of death on the surface of this world. What could've been the odds?

The sole silhouette emerged from the ruins. Instead of flying, it kept just walking toward the monarch of dragons. The auburn hair was slowly turning into a glowing purple, and it defied gravity by starting to dance like a flame. The previous white sclera of a man turned into jet-black with the pupil remaining purple.

The black heart of Ashborn was beating. It worked to its full extent.

The shadow monarch began to rise. In the beginning, it seemed like on a pillar, but later on, it took a more detailed shape. The dark mass was taking the form of a human, donned in dark armor.

[Kuahahaha.]

*Earth Trembles*

[To think that, you'd do the same. I'm amused, Ashborn.]

The shadow soldiers began to appear on the scene once again. Starting from the dragons, which were inferior in size compared to Antares and Ashborn, to the smaller but very strong ones.

One and the same word was said by the two...

[Charge.]