Chapter 78

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

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The Shadow Monarch and the Dragon Monarch were engaged in close combat. With both of them recklessly trying to inflict pain on each other, they threw punches, kicks, and magical attacks at each other and dragged each other to the ground.

It was chaotic, and their actions made no sense.

Their armor was very strong, and without a direct hit, physical attacks wouldn't do any damage at all.

Antares had lost count of how many times he tried to bite or dig his claws into Ashborn's dark armor. He scratched the surface, but it got repaired a second later. The shadow bastard had an immense amount of magical energy above his own, and so for him, repairing the item was not costly.

Ashborn faced the same problem. His attacks only deformed Antare's scales; hell, some of his attacks just melted as they touched the burning skin of the dragon. This person was like an active volcano, and under the scales, there was actual lava running through his veins.

The power of those attacks may not have been felt by them entirely, but their surrounding world experienced it to the full extent.

If someone was there to describe the scene, they would undoubtedly say, "A literal hell."

Of course, this would be the first association with the word "hell," if they haven't already seen it before.

The air was hot as boiling water. It would be tough to breathe. water? There was just a small part of the ocean remaining. Most of it was either evaporated or simply erased by the hundreds of destructive beams.

The terrain was deformed in its entirety. There was no sign of previous life on the three continents: Dicathen, Alacrya, and, lastly, Epehotus. There is a large chunk of land now with those oceans evaporated.

This was not the planet its former inhabitants once called home. This was just a battleground for the monarchs.

*Thud*

The giant shadow avatar was thrown to the ground. This was followed by the giant dragon jumping on him and showing him the breath of destruction.

*Grab*

Before it landed on its face, the Shadow Monarch grabbed the dragon's jaw and averted its direction. The breath swept and burned a hole next to his face. This land, which was enhanced with aether and mana for thousands of years, was erased.

Antares wasn't done at this point. When the breath was finished, he targeted the shadow avatar with his claws. Claws slipped off Ashborn's face and tore the land next to it. Nonetheless, Antares persisted in at least cracking that face open.

*Crackle*

The purple lightning formed on Ashborn's hand. He shoved it into the dragon's stomach and threw him off himself. In midair, Antares propelled himself and dug his feet into the ground to stabilize himself.

Both opponents charged after establishing eye contact.

The dragon launched another beam of destruction at Ashborn. The latter carefully avoided it by ducking under, but even this artificial avatar could feel the heat coming from the beam. He had to run around in a circle as the dragon was correcting the directions of the breath. Ashborn kept evading.

The attack was put out. Ashborn decided to act and ran up to his enemy. He was targeted by the dragon's tail, so he ducked under it. On the way, he grabbed the dragon's leg and flipped him off.

The dragon, with a deafening smash, fell to the ground. Antares raised his head to get a view of his enemy.

*Bang*

His head was bashed into the ground with a loud bang. The next time Antares opened his eyes, he saw the purple eyes above him preparing for another attack.

*Crack*

The dark hand of Ashborn's avatar cracked open, and purple light was exposed. The Shadow Monarch was channeling so much mana into his hands that even his own dark armor couldn't handle it.

The hand expanded in size, almost as if the muscles tightened. It was surrounded by a blackish aura, and soon the purple lightning crackles appeared. The shadow monarch brought down his hands on the Dragon Monarch.

*Boom*

Ashborn's fist connected with the dragon's jaw. Antares had a body that was hard to hold onto the ground for too long. That's why the shadow monarch put so much effort into exhausting the dragon with those punches.

He rained down the brutal attack on the Dragon Monarch with no breaks in between. Lightning bolts, sparks of flames, and constant screams of the air being torn endlessly throughout the land.

*Boom* *Boom*

Ashborn pinned down the head with one of his hands and materialized the dark sword in his second.

Antares' vertical pupils widened in realization. His claw shot upward to attack the Shadow Monarch, but it just brushed the empty air. His enemy anticipated this and moved his head back.

All the mana channeled in the avatar's hand has now moved into the sword. The earth trembled as Ashborn prepared to swing down his sword.

It was clear as day that this would be a fatal blow. The two of them understood that well, but for some reason, Antares wasn't doing anything. His resistance was too weak.

For a moment, Ashborn could swear he saw the dragon flashing a grin.

*Crack*

The space above the two cracked open, and the two giant silhouettes jumped out of it. They descended quickly, and one of them bit into the Shadow Monarch's hand, the one he was holding the sword in.

Those giant figures were the Monarchs. The Monarch of the Beginning and the Beast Monarch, to be exact.

[For the first time, you are not messing with my plans.]

The dragon monarch cracked a smile, addressing his kind. With the Shadow Monarch's attack stopped and him being exhausted, the Dragon Monarch continued.

*Boom*

If Ashborn had been just a little slower, the breath of destruction would have hit the center of his chest. This time he was lucky to manage and block it. Taking the direct hit by placing his great sword in front still made him fly back.

The shadow avatar stands up on his feet, only to be immediately bit by the albino wolf. Like a small dog, it was clinging to his hand, not letting him go.

*Swish* *Bang*

Ashborn almost spun the wolf in the air and dropped him to the ground. He wanted to add a kick to his attack but was tackled by the gigantic humanoid. Legia wasn't as big as him, so the King of Giants was trying to just delay him. From behind, he tried to bear hug the shadow avatar. It ended unsuccessfully.

He was elbowed in his right chest and shoved away.

With these two joining their confrontation, Ashborn had to act a lot more carefully. He wasted too much energy on Antares and hoped for a quick end, which didn't happen. Now, with the remaining mana, he needs to deal with three monarchs.

*Kuwaaaakh!*

Antares in the second ate up the ground between himself and Ashborn. He lashed out at the shadow avatar, unleashing all his might with powerful strikes. Two other monarchs were also trying to assist Antares, attacking Ash from behind like stray dogs.

Ash clicks his tongue, knowing that he will lose this fight if he doesn't come up with something.

He was trying to avoid as many attacks as possible. His energy wasn't everlasting; he couldn't hope to repair the armor every time it got damaged.

*Crunch*

It was noticeable to the monarchs, as even the Beast managed to bite through the armor. The sharp teeth sliced into the dark armor with ease.

'The bastard is finally hitting his limits!'

Antares joyously exclaimed in his thoughts. He commanded his fellows to attack Ashborn quickly and not give him even a second to rest. They complied with his order and tried to attack from every direction, disregarding the consequences.

Sometimes their skulls got bashed with a kick, or they got thrown away.

After a few such cases, Ashborn's movements were visibly slow compared to his original speed. The Monarchs made a final charge.

The Beast Monarch slammed his entire body into the avatar's legs. The shadow monarch stumbled and fell on his back.

'Sh*t!'

With his purple eyes, Ashborn could still see how Antares was preparing the breath of destruction. Not only did he have no idea how he would stop the attack, but he was struggling to even stand up.

'Move this damn thing!'

Despite his struggles, Ash was able to kick off the ground and stand up by himself. He was being approached by the destructive fire beam. There was no time to think, so he created a black shield and placed it in front of him.

*Boom*

The dark shield met with the breath of destruction. It depended on the creator if it would outlast the attack, and judging by the new layers of darkness appearing on it, Ashborn was hoping so too.

The beam of fire was hitting the shield and ricocheting in different directions. For the time being, he was not attacked by the two lesser monarchs...Ashborn's mind was racing. He was searching for a solution if there was at least some way to isolate himself and Antares under these circumstances.

The fire died down and the shield melted, opening the view to the horizon.

[Got you, bastard!]

*Thud*

The Monarch of Destruction once again tackled the Monarch of Shadows. With his giant feet, he pressed on the shoulder of the dark avatar. Ashborn found his strength disappearing and he couldn't resist.

In the corner of his eyes, he could also see the Beast Monarch and Legia subduing his hands completely.

[This time, you won't get away.]

The dragon opened its giant mouth, displaying every shining, sharp tooth it had. A ball of something purple formed there, and then it was surrounded by bright yellow. The air around the mouth began to evaporate.

Ashborn's eyes were blinded by the light. The breath of destruction crashed down on his chest. At the place where his real self was located.

*Boom*

The fire was definitely burning through the avatar's armor. Ashborn's skin could feel the heat approaching. His ears were bombarded by the sound of blazing flames. He lost control of the giant avatar.

He was fully blinded now. He had no idea what was happening around him.

'Should I get out?'

Obviously, he had to at one point. But was this the best time for it? What if they were prepared to attack him? All questions alike run through his mind. The heat was becoming unbearable, and with it, Ashborn knew the fire was about to reach him.

*Crack*

The back of the avatar began to disintegrate in bright purple particles. With his mind clear by now, he leaped out of the giant armor. As he expected, he met with the Antares. The latter was attacking him with the great sword.

*Clang*

He created his own and blocked the approaching blade right in time.

*Roar*

The Beast Monarch jumped on the Ashborn from behind. Clearly expecting this, Ash threw a kick behind him and hit the monarch in the chest. He was surprised to see the strength in his feet leave.

[The bastard is losing his strength!] shouted the angry wolf, and this time he confidently charged at Ashborn.

Legia attempted to knock the Shadow Monarch to the ground with his enormous fist before changing into his smaller form. Using the Ruler's Authority, Ash froze the hand before it could hit him.

[It's over, Ashborn!]

*Stab* *Crack*

The Shadow Monarch couldn't handle the three attacks simultaneously. Antares' palm pierced the right side of his chest, easily passing through the rib cage and exiting from his back.

[Hahaha! I finally got it!]

*Slick*

The Dragon Monarch extended his hand, which was now firmly grasping the mighty Black Heart. Ashborn could see the expressions on their faces perfectly.

It was just a little blurry... and painful. Watching those faces wasn't enjoyable. He hated it, but at the same time, he couldn't do anything.

His eyes lost the purple light in them and returned to light blue... His and Arthur's eyes.