The beast's eyes widened. Something was slowly rising above the flickering shadows.
'A human...?'
No—the Shadow Monarch? The beast couldn't determine its opponent's identity. Yet the aura transmitted through its senses was identical to that of the man who had once driven it to the edge of a cliff. Regardless of what he truly was, he had obtained perfect power.
'He chased me all the way here?'
The fear of death, seeping into the marrow of its bones, made the beast tremble. And when Jin-Woo's entire form had fully risen above ground level—Krrrr. One of the beasts that had been baring its teeth to threaten Jin-Woo in defense of its master lunged forward at breakneck speed. Unlike ordinary felines, this magical beast possessed three red eyes—one of the most fearsome creatures even among the beings of the Chaos World. Krrrung! When it opened its mouth, dozens of razor-sharp fangs glinted like blades. Jin-Woo regarded the beast charging at him with utter indifference. It was a creature with mana on par with a typical S-rank Dungeon boss. In the past, Jin-Woo would have needed to take a proper stance, but now it posed no threat whatsoever. And then—Thunk! Before Jin-Woo even had time to do anything, the beast lost its head, its limbs going limp and collapsing. The culprit was none other than the Beast Monarch. Having leapt up in an instant and obliterated the creature's skull, the Beast Monarch pulled his fist from the ground.
'Why would he kill his own soldier?'
As Jin-Woo looked on with a puzzled expression, the Beast Monarch lowered his posture and bowed his head. Then, from his lips facing the floor, a trembling voice emerged.
[Shadow Monarch, those beasts' king does not wish to fight you. Please forgive my transgressions and accept me as your ally.]
The beast's instinct. If the opponent was someone you could neither defeat nor flee from, then bow your head. That was what instinct compelled. The Beast Monarch, inheriting the nature of beasts, abandoned pride and dignity alike and yielded faithfully to instinct's demand.
[Soon the Dragon Emperor will descend upon this land, leading his own soldiers. When that day comes, my beasts and I will aid you.]
He assumed the most subservient posture he could manage. Eeengh— Eeengh— The beasts behind him, frozen in terror, were leaking urine in streams. For creatures that lived solely for survival, nothing was more terrifying than the aura of death drawing near.
Jin-Woo looked down at the Beast King, whose tail had dropped between his legs, and answered without hesitation.
"Very well."
The easy acceptance caught the tense Beast Monarch off guard, and inwardly he grinned. A smile spread across his face, still pointed at the floor. Fool!
'This one isn't the real thing.'
The true Shadow Monarch would never have committed the blunder of forgiving him—one who had betrayed him once before and, not content with that, had even tried to destroy the vessel needed for his descent. He had bought time thanks to human warmth and foolishness. Having caught the scent of a human—or rather, prey—mixed in with the Shadow Monarch's aura, how could he possibly submit? All he had to do was pretend to serve the Shadow Monarch while waiting for the Monarch of Destruction to arrive.
'When that day comes, I will personally tear your corpse to shreds and devour it.'
How could he not smile at that? The Beast Monarch raised his head with a bright face.
[I shall serve with utmost loy—]
He met an icy gaze and leapt backward in shock. In his panic, he had put dozens of meters between them in the blink of an eye. His face drained of color as Jin-Woo spoke.
"Before that, we need to settle the debt between us."
The beast's face went rigid as he forced out a voice.
[A debt? Surely not from before...]
The Monarch of Frost and the Beast Monarch had once targeted the Shadow Monarch from behind. Jin-Woo had learned this through the Shadow Monarch's memories. But what Jin-Woo intended now had nothing to do with that. Jin-Woo drew "Kamish's Wrath" from the subspace the System had named "Inventory." Srrrk. With "Kamish's Wrath" gripped in one hand, Jin-Woo pointed his other thumb at five spots on his chest.
"Five wounds where your claws pierced my chest."
The excruciating pain was still vividly etched in his memory.
"Endure five strikes, and I'll forgive you."
That meant he had to survive all five lethal wounds. Realizing that Jin-Woo had never intended to show mercy, the beast's last shred of dignity erupted into a furious roar.
[You dare...! You toy with me, the King of Beasts?!]
The Beast Monarch, attempting corporeal transformation, shifted into a colossal wolf. Whether because this wasn't his original world, he was far smaller than the form remaining in the previous Shadow Monarch's memories. Still, he was the King of Beasts, possessing more than enough power to raze the world. The enraged Beast King roared at the Shadow Monarch.
[My life ends here, but you will not escape unscathed!]
Shhhk. Just then, a sliver of cold wind grazed past the wolf's face. The wolf whipped around to follow where Jin-Woo had vanished from sight. There, Jin-Woo had already repositioned behind him and was slowly turning to face the beast.
"That's one."
The wolf saw it—the horrifically intense black aura blossoming from Jin-Woo's entire body. This one was no fake. His movements matched the Shadow Monarch's precisely. Gulp. A dry swallow slid down his esophagus involuntarily. Just then, something dropped to the ground with a soft thud. Forgetting entirely who stood before him, the wolf's gaze drifted downward. What had fallen was a massive ear—his own, severed from his face, lying grotesquely at his feet. Moments later, blood gushed like a waterfall and excruciating pain followed. The wolf clenched his teeth and raised his head, only to see another dagger in Jin-Woo's hand. One in each hand now. "Kamish's Wrath," wreathed in black aura, Jin-Woo delivered his final verdict.
"Four left."
* * *
Cornered on all sides. After Jin-Woo vanished, the Monarch of Frost found himself in a position where he could neither advance nor retreat. Running would be the natural choice when there was no chance of victory. His gaze shifted toward the Shadow Monarch's two corps commanders.
'That ant treating the Ruler's human's injuries is one thing...'
The other was the problem. Igrit—one of the two wings of the Shadow Army—stood there, keeping watch over him. His epithet was "Knight of Death." He was the strongest soldier, having accompanied the Shadow Monarch across countless battlefields, cutting down an innumerable quantity of enemies. One of the most dangerous targets stood right before him.
'However...'
He was not some foot soldier—he was a Monarch. If he fought at full power, bringing down two corps-commander-level soldiers shouldn't be difficult. The problem lay in their ability of undeath. As long as the Shadow Monarch's power held out, they could regenerate infinitely. For the Monarch of Frost, who expended tremendous stamina on corporeal transformation, this was anything but welcome news. Moreover, striking them down was tantamount to alerting their master to his movements. All Shadow soldiers were connected to the Shadow Monarch. Even if he succeeded in defeating the corps commanders, it would only draw the Shadow Monarch back here. He had to prevent that at all costs.
'Then...'
The Monarch of Frost turned to create a Gate for escape. Shk— But Igrit had already blocked his path, slowly shaking his head while tapping the hilt of the sword at his hip with a fingertip. Don't do anything foolish. Without a single word, his intent was made perfectly clear. Shk— He turned his head, and on the other side stood the ant, jaws gaping wide as it unleashed a thunderous roar.
"Kieeeek—!"
If the ant that had been treating the Saber Saber's injuries was here, then— The Monarch's gaze shifted forward, and there he saw the Saber Saber, fully recovered from its wounds, approaching him.
[You wretches...]
The Monarch of Frost trembled with fury at the enemies who had surrounded him.
[How dare you, creatures like you?!]
The enraged king's roar shook the earth. The atmosphere began to freeze, and dark clouds gathered once more.
[How long do you think you can hold out against me?]
Igrit drew his sword, Beru extended his claws, and the robed man gripped a dagger. But the four forces never collided. The first to sense the anomaly was, predictably, the Monarch of Frost.
[...!]
His gaze locked onto a single direction, and as if by unspoken agreement, every eye turned that way. The shadows were rippling. The Monarch of Frost, who had needed more time, bit his lower lip.
[Shadow Monarch!]
Jin-Woo rose from the shadow a comfortable distance away.
'Good thing the time limit disappeared along with the System.'
All restrictions on his power had been lifted. Having returned to where he was in an instant, Jin-Woo's gaze shifted to the Monarch of Frost. Jin-Woo lightly tossed something in the Monarch's direction. The Monarch caught the object arcing toward him, and his pupils quivered.
[This is...?]
A wolf's ear. Of all the wolves he knew of, there was only one of this size.
[You killed the Beast Monarch in the few minutes you were gone?!]
The Monarch of Frost cried out in shock, but Jin-Woo's reply never came. Instead, just as he had with the Beast King, Jin-Woo summoned two daggers. The twin daggers, forged from dragon fangs, still bore the Beast Monarch's blood—not yet dried. The malice of a being of immense power focused on him all at once, and the Monarch of Frost flinched involuntarily. Watching the black aura begin to bloom from Jin-Woo's shoulders, the two corps commanders and the robed man fell back. Jin-Woo tightened his grip on the daggers. He had given the beast ample time. Now it was time to repay the debt he owed him. The Monarch of Plague, the Beast Monarch, and the Monarch of Frost. The deaths of these three would serve as his warning to the remaining Monarchs. As Jin-Woo began to glide forward, the Monarch of Frost desperately launched hastily conjured ice arrows.
[You insect!]
But even hastily forged, the magical arrows created by a supreme being were near-lethal. Arrows that not even an S-rank Hunter could withstand in a single hit rained toward Jin-Woo in an endless, truly endless barrage. Dududududududududududu! The Monarch of Frost poured every ounce of his power into halting Jin-Woo's advance.
[Aaaaaah!]
But Jin-Woo's hands were far swifter than the arrows. Deflecting every ice arrow that flew at him, his charging speed never slackened in the slightest.
[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!]
Dududududududududududududududu! Countless ice arrows were fired without pause from the incarnation of cold—but Jin-Woo pierced through every last attack and stood before him. Puck! Into the Monarch of Frost's shoulder, the very spot where a dagger had once been driven, Jin-Woo drove "Kamish's Wrath" once more. It was Jin-Woo's intent—remember Chairman Go Gun-Hee.
[Graaaah!]
Pain on a completely different level made the Monarch of Frost throw back his head and scream. Before the dagger in his other hand could strike, the Monarch of Frost hastily unleashed the cold he had gathered in his mouth. Jin-Woo reached out and clamped the beast's mouth shut entirely. Kuaaah! The cold that could not force its way through his hand thrashed inside the Monarch of Frost's body, and Jin-Woo, reversing his grip, plunged the dagger into his chest. Crakk! The sound of ribs shattering and a heart being pierced echoed through the air. The exact same attack the beast had received.
[Graaaaaaaah!]
But—having already taken the lives of two Monarchs, Jin-Woo knew full well that this alone would not kill the Monarch of Frost.
"The beast died on the fourth."
A cold, pale light blazed in Jin-Woo's eyes.
"How many more can you endure?"
The Monarch of Frost's gaze, looking down at Jin-Woo, filled with creeping dread. The Death Monarch. The look in his eyes was identical to that of the supreme warrior who had mercilessly cut down his enemies across endless battlefields! Only then did he realize whom he had provoked, and his entire body began to tremble in terror. Immediately after, the dagger embedded in his heart carved downward, tearing the Monarch's body apart.
[Graaaah!]