When Jin-Woo's black heart came into contact with those words, he was able to understand their meaning. Jin-Woo turned to his right. Instantly, a colossal tree as massive as dozens of high-rise buildings combined shot up toward the sky. This time, the other side. When he turned his head to the left, a maglev train that had charged from the darkness on that far side flashed past in the blink of an eye. Both had appeared for no reason other than that Jin-Woo had wanted to see them. Something had been created from nothing.
[That is correct.]
The Shadow Monarch spoke.
[In my domain, you can do everything you set your mind to.] "Because you and I have the same power?"
The Shadow Monarch nodded. His gaze drifted to the giant tree Jin-Woo had created. It shrank in an instant and transformed into a small, ordinary flower. Though this was only possible within his own domain, Jin-Woo let out a quiet exclamation of awe at his power — a power capable of creating, destroying, and reshaping worlds. Omnipotent power. Now that power had come into his own hands. The moment Jin-Woo, who had briefly shut his eyes, opened them again, flowers bloomed outward from beneath his feet in every direction. They were the same species as the flower the Shadow Monarch had made by transforming the tree. Was this the force of his own extraordinary senses? Or was it because the Shadow Monarch and he were connected? Jin-Woo could feel the Shadow Monarch's satisfaction as he gazed upon the flowers. The Shadow Monarch's eyes returned to Jin-Woo once more.
[I have long awaited this moment of meeting you.]
The Shadow Monarch formally greeted Jin-Woo.
[I am the Shadow Monarch. King of the dead who commands the power of death, and ruler of the deepest darkness.]
A majestic monarch. The sight of true death — something that would make any living being tremble in fear — stood right before him, yet Jin-Woo felt no fear whatsoever. He and I are the same. Meeting another version of himself, Jin-Woo felt his heart swell with emotion. At last. Ever since he had first encountered the System, the one question that had never once left his mind could finally be asked.
"Why… was it me?"
Why had the System chosen him as its "Player"? Simply because he had survived that double Dungeon that day? No. He had always believed there was some other reason. And now the moment to resolve that doubt had arrived.
[I will show you.]
The Shadow Monarch slowly extended his hand toward Jin-Woo's forehead. The instant his index finger touched Jin-Woo's brow, his vision shifted.
[Our beginning and end. And the beginning of you.]
* * *
Had there ever been a time in the past when so many people in so many countries screamed all at once? The instant a monster's dagger pierced Sung Jin-Woo Hunter's chest, they clutched their heads or burst into screams. What followed the screams was a silence as heavy as a slab of iron. From the mouths of those watching Sung Jin-Woo Hunter collapse powerlessly came anguished groans.
"Ah…"
After the nation-level Hunter Thomas Andre had fallen, now Sung Jin-Woo had failed too. Then who was left? No one. Their faces turned to stone as they realized there was no one remaining who could stop the monsters. And then, shortly after.
—Huh? What's going on? Huh? Huh?
Along with the cameraman's panicked voice, the feed cut out entirely. The enormous Gate hovering over Seoul and the monsters that had suddenly appeared to slaughter the world's strongest Hunters in succession. Viewers around the world could not shake the thought that they were witnessing the prelude to the end. In shock and horror. Even after the live feed had already gone dark, people remained frozen before their screens for a long time.
* * *
A frozen broadcast helicopter trailed smoke as it plunged downward. The Monarch of Frost, who had sent it crashing, lowered his hand. His gaze fell to Jin-Woo, who lay collapsed. Frost-rimmed lips moved as he announced Jin-Woo's condition.
[His breath has ceased.]
The Monarch of Fangs's beast-like eyes and ears confirmed the target's death. No trace of life could be found anywhere in the target's body. They had succeeded in eliminating him before the most powerful of Kings could become a variable. In both Monarchs' eyes lingered the afterglow of victory. However, not everything was over yet. The two Monarchs raised their heads in unison, and their gazes converged on Thomas, who had retreated far into the distance. Sensing their stares, Renat shuddered.
"Damn it…"
To stop even one beast-like human, one had to be prepared to die — and now there was an ice elf who appeared to be that creature's equal or perhaps even superior.
'How did Sung Jin-Woo Hunter deal with those things to that extent…'
His heart rate quickened. But now, he was the only Hunter who could buy even a small amount of time against them. Renat drew a deep breath.
"Hey… Hunter Sung's presence just disappeared. What happened?"
Thomas, still not even halfway recovered from his injuries, asked. Renat barely managed to move his lips.
"He…"
Just then, the two Monarchs striding toward Renat simultaneously turned around.
[…!] […!]
Impossible. From the body of a human whose heart they had confirmed to be shattered, the violent sound of a heartbeat rang out. How? How could this be? The two Monarchs exchanged a disbelieving glance. The worst possible outcome flashed through their minds. They had overlooked that single possibility.
[No… that cannot be.]
They had to stop it. Above all else, they had to prevent the true King from descending through a counterfeit death. Pale as ghosts, the two Monarchs moved on instinct. They closed the distance to Jin-Woo in an instant, thrusting their long claws and ice spear at him simultaneously. Pouring every last drop of mana into their weapons, they aimed to destroy the body that could serve as the vessel of descent. However, a pair of daggers settling gently onto the ground before Jin-Woo blocked both the claw and the spear. The Shadow Monarch's consciousness had not yet returned. Then who?
[...?]
The two Monarchs, their desperate strike thwarted, could not hide their confusion. Soon, the concealment completely lifted and the owner of the daggers revealed herself. From within the hood of a robe, golden eyes blazed as they stared down the two Monarchs.
"From now on, no one can lay a hand on this child."
* * *
Another world. In an age before anything had begun, there was Light and there was Darkness. The Absolute One split the Light to create God's messengers, then split the remaining Darkness to create eight Monarchs. In accordance with the primordial decree, the Monarchs who sought to destroy the world and the messengers who sought to preserve it slaughtered each other's soldiers endlessly. After a long war. Exhausted by a battle that never ended, the most brilliant shard of Light asked the Absolute One.
O Ruler. Why do you not aid your faithful servants who fight in your name? Why do you turn a blind eye to our suffering? Can you truly not hear the screams of the countless soldiers who have perished for you? Please help us. Lend us the power to annihilate them. We shall sever their necks and offer them to you in tribute. But the Absolute One gave him no answer. Only then did the shards of Radiance realize the truth: for the Absolute One, the war between themselves and the Monarchs was nothing more than amusement, and the Absolute One had no desire for it to end. As long as the Absolute One existed, the war would never end — and realizing this, they fell into deep despair. Despair became rage, and rage soon became hatred. To end this meaningless war once and for all, they drew their swords. It was a rebellion. Jin-Woo saw the endless procession of soldiers stretching across the cosmos.
"Oh my God…"
But in the distance, a group of soldiers appeared to block their path. The Shadow Monarch extended his hand and pointed to the figure at the very front — a shard of Radiance with six wings.
[That is the me who came before.]
The one and only messenger of God who stood against the rebellion sparked by God's messengers. But the pitifully few soldiers at his disposal crumbled helplessly against the messengers' combined legion. The shard of Radiance, who had never abandoned his loyalty to the end, watched his brave subordinates be swept away by innumerable enemies as he died. He believed it was over. But when he opened his eyes in the darkness, he discovered what the Absolute One had hidden within him. As a contingency, the Absolute One had planted a grotesque power in his most loyal servant — a power capable of ending everything should it all go wrong. In the eternal abyss, the King of Death finally opened his eyes to his power. He tore off his wings, now nothing but scorched remnants, and forged them with the surrounding darkness into armor.
[Rise—!]
The souls slumbering in the abyss swore fealty to their King. He led his new army and returned. But by the time he came back, everything was already over. The shards of Radiance had killed the Absolute One and declared themselves Gods, becoming the Rulers. Using the tools that held the Absolute One's power, they began hunting the Monarchs. When Legia, the King of Giants and the primordial Monarch, was captured by the Rulers and the balance of power collapsed, the Monarchs finally grasped the severity of the situation. That was when the Shadow Monarch extended his hand to them. To stand against their common enemy, the Rulers, all the Monarchs joined forces. And so the war between seven Rulers and nine Monarchs dragged on for a long time. But the longer the war continued, the more the Shadow Monarch's army grew. Time was on the Shadow Monarch's side. With the Shadow Monarch's dazzling exploits, the Monarchs seemed poised to seize victory in this protracted struggle. Yet the Shadow Army had grown so powerful that it now stood shoulder to shoulder with the Army of Ruin led by the King of the Dragons — and it was not only the Rulers who feared it. The two Monarchs whom the Shadow Monarch dreaded — the Monarch of White Flames and the Monarch of Fangs — turned on the Shadow Monarch from behind near the war's end. Jin-Woo once again saw the scene he had witnessed in the data he had summoned earlier. The Demon Legion and the Beast Legion, joining forces with the Rulers' army, fell upon the Shadow Monarch and his forces. The Shadow Army suffered near-total devastation. The Monarch of Fangs, King of Beasts, had already abandoned his own soldiers and fled, but the Monarch of White Flames, King of Demons, paid the price for his betrayal. Words he had not heard before. Jin-Woo's eyes trembled violently as he listened to Varan's final words as the demon king lay dying. And then. Overhead. Four angels with six wings descended slowly. This was as far as the data could take him. The images he had been able to see ended here. The Shadow Monarch, now lacking even the strength to move the Shadow Army, was surrounded by four Rulers. The Shadow Monarch himself seemed to see the outcome of the battle, for he cast his sword onto the ground. If those Rulers had killed the Shadow Monarch back then, then how could the Shadow Monarch standing here now be explained? Jin-Woo swallowed hard and watched what might be the Shadow Monarch's final moment. But then. One by one, the Rulers began to kneel before the Shadow Monarch. And shortly after, the Ruler at the forefront spoke.
[Please, forgive us now. O most radiant shard of Radiance, who once was the greatest among us.]