Chapter 172

[Third Person's PoV] 

Shadow put a foot on Rakan's chest. Rakan gritted his teeth, growling at the humiliation. He put a hand on Shadow's leg and gripped it, trying to break it.

But no matter how hard he squeezed, nothing happened. Shadow lifted his foot slightly before stomping it back down on Rakan. The sounds of his ribs breaking and cracking were heard as the ground beneath Rakan transformed into a crater due to Shadow's strength.

Rakan's vision blurred as he opened his maw to scream, but all he ended up doing was vomiting blood, staining his white fur.

Rakan gritted his teeth and swiped his claws towards Shadow's leg, trying to cut it off, but as his claws approached, Rakan's entire hand was cut clean off.

Rakan let out a painful roar as he held his stump. He fearfully looked up towards Shadow and felt fear from the depth of his soul as he looked into his dragon eyes. It was as if he was up against Antares.

"Listen here, you stupid mutt," Shadow said in a raspy voice, "The only reason I let you even touch me earlier is because I thought you would have grown stronger. That perhaps I could have had fun, but your strength is still the same… It's honestly pathetic. You haven't improved one bit since we last saw each other."

Rakan's hand slowly regenerated. "So what are you going to do, kill me?"

Shadow chuckled hearing that, shaking his head. "Goodness me, no, no. Death… Death is too easy, too merciful. You came after my daughter, didn't you? You need to suffer the consequences—" He grinned sinisterly, exposing his teeth as he had a maddening look. "—You still have your uses."

Rakan began to shake slightly under Shadow as he looked at him in horror. "Who–who are you… You're not Ashborn."

"I'm just the father of the little girl you fuckers went after," Shadow said coldly as he grabbed Rakan by his face and began walking away, dragging him along.

"Delta, Zeta… Come here, you two. The others can take care of Querehsha just fine," Shadow called out.

It wasn't long before Zeta appeared from the shadows on one knee, looking towards Shadow expectantly.

"BOSSSU! YOU CALLED!?" Delta shouted from the skies. She dropped down into a sitting position on all fours, her tail wagging excitedly.

Shadow lifted up Rakan and wiggled him around as if he was a chew toy. "Look who I have here, girls. It's the Beast Monarch… Whoever deals the finishing blow, I will transfer the status and power onto them!"

Rakan, who was trying to get out from Shadow's grip, looked at him in confusion. Noticing his confusion, Shadow chuckled. "Unlike you and the rest of our kind, I've been practicing, getting stronger. So yes, I have found a way to do it. If you manage to defeat them, I'll even let you go freely. How does that sound?"

Rakan's eyes shook before he steeled himself. He gulped and nodded. A light then shined from Shadow as they were all healed back to normal. He then threw Rakan to Delta and Zeta. "Enjoy yourselves, girls," he said with a wink before flash-stepping away from them.

Zeta and Delta were on all fours, looking at Rakan as if he was a tasty meal. Both salivated slightly, their eyes and expressions wanting nothing but his life.

They both rushed with a burst of blinding speed. Rakan took a horse stance as he blocked both Zeta's and Delta's attack with his arm.

Rakan let out a furious howl. "ASHBORN, I CAN UNDERSTAND UNDERESTIMATING ME, BUT THE TWO OF YOU AREN'T HIM! I WON'T ALLOW IT!" He howled in fury, the ground beneath them breaking apart and flying everywhere due to their force and strength.

…

Shadow floated in the air, cross-legged, spinning around as he watched the chaos unfolding below. Closing his eyes, he muttered, "Arise."

From the black ground, more beings began to crawl out—monsters that had been killed since the Monarchs appeared. But they weren't alone. Ragnarok and his demons also emerged, bowing towards Shadow.

"The demons stay; the rest join your comrades and take down these forces," Shadow commanded.

Immediately, the newly risen beings rushed into battle, fighting the monsters who were once their friends and comrades. The frost elves faced their former brothers and sisters, now following the command of the Shadow Monarch. Shadow felt his heart pounding faster, generating more and more mana until he almost felt lightheaded.

Looking towards the demons, Shadow extended his hands. "Sin Series: Gluttony—Intake."

A vortex of darkness appeared over his hands, sucking up all the demonic shadow soldiers, including Ragnarok. Shadow floated in the air, still seated, feeling their souls inside him. He began merging the souls into a new entity. Once the image was clear in his mind, he extended his hand. "Sin Series: Gluttony—Regurgitate."

The same vortex appeared, but instead of sucking everything up, it expelled a giant black figure, around 5 meters tall, with two giant horns on the side of its head and dark black wings glowing bright purple inside. Large spikes adorned its shoulders and knees.

"My lord… My creator… Please grant me a name…" the figure begged. (Image) 

Shadow smirked, placing a hand on the demon's head. "I shall name you… Lucifer."

"Here, a gift from your creator…" Shadow continued, 'Series of Virtues: Charity Donation.' A white light began encompassing Lucifer's entire being.

---

Meanwhile, Sillad flew in the air, crafting a bow out of ice and releasing an arrow that split into over a million ice arrows. Anything they touched turned into pure ice.

Bellion whipped his sword-whip, destroying as many arrows as he could while flying straight for Sillad. Beru dodged and twirled around, evading the arrows and single-mindedly focusing on killing Sillad. Igris sent crescent blades of wind and electricity with his pure strength, trying to hit Sillad, who was constantly on the move.

As Bellion and Beru approached, Sillad surrounded himself in an ice cocoon for protection. 'Tsk, this is why the Shadow Monarch is a troublesome adversary. I can't exactly kill them since they're already dead,' Sillad thought as he felt his cocoon being attacked.

'My best chance is to freeze them completely, so they can't regenerate and intervene,' he mused, steeling himself for the onslaught.

Bellion's sword-whip crackled with energy as he relentlessly attacked the ice cocoon. Each strike sent shockwaves through the ice, causing it to crack and splinter, but Sillad's defense held strong. Beru, darting through the air with incredible agility, unleashed a barrage of claw strikes and shadow tendrils, trying to find a weak point in the icy barrier.

Igris, not one to be outdone, summoned a storm of wind and electricity, his blade glowing with an intense, crackling energy. He launched a massive crescent blade at the cocoon, the impact creating a thunderous explosion that sent shards of ice flying in all directions.

Inside the cocoon, Sillad gritted his teeth, feeling the relentless assault from the shadow soldiers. He knew he had to act quickly. Channeling his ice mana, he began to weave a powerful spell, his hands moving in intricate patterns as he gathered the cold energy around him.

Outside, Bellion, Beru, and Igris continued their assault, their attacks growing more ferocious with each passing second. The air was filled with the sound of clashing weapons and the crackling of ice and electricity.

Suddenly, the ice cocoon shattered, sending a shockwave of freezing energy in all directions. Bellion, Beru, and Igris were thrown back, their movements slowed by the intense cold. Before they could recover, Sillad emerged, his eyes glowing with an icy blue light.

With a wave of his hand, Sillad unleashed a torrent of ice magic. Massive ice spikes erupted from the ground, targeting the shadow soldiers. Bellion swung his sword-whip, shattering the ice spikes that came his way, but the sheer number of them overwhelmed him. Beru, despite his agility, was caught off guard by a particularly large spike, which grazed his side, slowing him down.

Igris, surrounded by a whirlwind of electricity, tried to fend off the ice spikes, but the cold energy began to sap his strength. He struggled to maintain his footing as the ground beneath him froze solid.

Sillad, seeing his opportunity, gathered all his remaining ice mana and released it in a final, devastating attack. A massive wave of freezing energy surged forward, engulfing Bellion, Beru, and Igris. The cold was so intense that it penetrated even their undead resilience, freezing them in place.

Bellion's sword-whip fell to the ground, encased in ice. Beru's wings were immobilized, and he crashed to the ground, frozen mid-flight. Igris, his blade still crackling with electricity, was locked in a stance, unable to move.

Sillad floated above them, his breath visible in the frigid air. He had succeeded in freezing the shadow soldiers completely, rendering them unable to regenerate or intervene. With a satisfied smile, he turned his attention back to the battlefield, ready to face whatever challenge came next.

Sillad blinked and detected a new figure behind him. He quickly turned around to see The Shadow Monarch's new member, Lucifer, standing there with his hands joined together and his demonic wings outstretched, shimmering with a bright purple light.

Before Sillad could react, Lucifer hammered him across the face, sending him flying through the air. Sillad's body hurtled through the sky, the force of the blow rattling him. Lucifer, his body aglow with purple light, flew down to catch up. With incredible speed, he extended a foot and kicked Sillad in the stomach, accelerating his descent. The friction against the air resistance caused Sillad's back to catch on fire, flames licking up as he plummeted towards the ground.

Lucifer didn't stop there. As Sillad crashed into the ground, creating a massive crater, Lucifer hovered above, gathering the purple light in his hands. With a powerful shout, he released a beam of purple light magic, aiming it at his frozen comrades.

The purple light enveloped Bellion, Beru, and Igris, melting the ice and freeing them from their icy prison. The three shadow soldiers shook off the remnants of ice and immediately took to the air, regrouping around Lucifer.

"Thanks for the save, but I must ask who are you?" Bellion asked, his sword-whip cracking with energy.

"I am our Lord's Newest Creation, crafted from his imagination and power." Lucifer said his hands extended slightly showing his posing manner. 

"That Bastard still hasn't paid the price for going after our Young Monarch!" Beru growled, his claws extending as he prepared to attack.

"An enemy of our Monarch is an enemy of us, let's make him pay for his transgressions." Lucifer commanded, his purple light magic swirling around him.

Sillad struggled to his feet, the flames on his back extinguished, but his body battered and bruised. He looked up to see the four shadow soldiers converging on him.

Bellion attacked first, his sword-whip slashing through the air with incredible speed. Sillad raised an ice shield to block the strikes, but Bellion's relentless assault began to wear it down. Beru followed up, darting in and out, striking with his claws and shadow tendrils. Each attack chipped away at Sillad's defenses, forcing him to retreat.

Igris, hovering at a distance, unleashed crescent blades of wind and electricity, adding to the chaos. The combination of their attacks overwhelmed Sillad, pushing him to his limits.

Lucifer, glowing with purple light, flew above the battlefield, gathering his magic for a final, decisive strike. He raised his hands, and a massive sphere of purple light formed above him. With a powerful roar, he hurled the sphere at Sillad.

Sillad, realizing the imminent danger, tried to form an ice barrier, but it was too late. The sphere of purple light exploded on impact, engulfing Sillad in a blinding light. The force of the explosion shook the ground, sending shockwaves through the air.

As the light faded, Sillad lay on the ground, defeated. The ice around him shattered, and his body was covered in burns and wounds. The shadow soldiers landed around him, their eyes glowing with victory.

"You underestimated us, and underestimated our Monarch" Lucifer said, his purple light fading. "And now you've paid the price."

Sillad, barely conscious, could only groan in response. The Shadow Monarch's new member had proven his worth, and together, the four of them had brought down the Monarch of Frost. 

Beru scoffed, "He hadn't suffered enough, I'll leave his punishment to our lord, only our lord could make really scream and regret his actions" Beru said joyfully. 

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