219

[I am You]

After feeling the black heart in his chest, Jin-woo understood the meaning of that word.

Jin-woo turned to his right, suddenly a huge tree as large as dozen skyscrapers, rose up to touch the sky.

Then he turned left, where he saw a train pass him by in the blink of an eye.

Those two objects appeared because Jin-woo wanted to see them.

They were created from nothing.

[Yes.] - The [Shadow Monarch] said.

[In my domain, you can do everything you want.]

“Because you and I have the same power?” Jin-woo asked.

The [Shadow Monarch] nodded his head in agreement. His gaze then turned towards the huge tree that Jin-woo had just created. The huge tree then quickly shrunk in size and turned into a small little flower.

Although it was possible only in his domain, Jin-woo admired the power to create, destroy and manipulate the world as one wanted. He was amazed that powerful omnipotent power, was now in his (Jin-woo’s) hands.

Jin-woo closed his eyes for a moment, when he opened them again, he saw that the ground under his feet was covered with flowers, in all directions. They were the same flower that [Shadow Monarch] has turned Jin-woo’s tree into.

‘is it the power of good sense? Or is it because it is connected to the [Shadow Monarch]?’

Jin-woo also felt the satisfaction of [Shadow Monarch] as he looked around at the flowers.

[Shadow Monarch] looked at Jin-woo.

[I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time. The moment that we would meet.]

The [Shadow Monarch] greeted (bowed to) Jin-woo.

[I am the [Shadow Monarch]. The King of the dead, and the ruler of the deepest darkness.]

The presence of the [Shadow Monarch] was commanding.

But Jin-woo was not afraid of death, even the death that could make anyone tremble with fear for their life.

‘We are the same.’

Jin-woo, who met someone that was like him, felt his heart grow.

Finally, after first encountering the system long ago, he could now ask the question that he always wanted the answer to.

“Why….. Why me?”

‘Why did the system chose me as the ‘Player’? Was it simply because I survived the double dungeon that day?’ Jin-woo thought.

‘No, there must another reason.’

And now was the time that he got the answers to his questions.

[I’ll show you.] The [Shadow Monarch] said, as he slowly reached for Jin-woo’s forehead.

Jin-woo’s vision changed as soon as [Shadow Monarch]’s fingers touched his forehead.

[our beginning, our end. And your beginning.]

***

In so many centuries, has it ever happened that so many people screamed at the same time?

As soon as Hunter Sung Jin-woo’s chest was pierced by the [Ice Monarch]’s cold ice dagger, people held their head or screamed. The silence that came after their screams was as heavy as iron.

The people groaned in grief as they watched Hunter Sung Jin-woo crumble and fall down.

“aaaah…”

After Thomas Andre, another national level hunter, sung Jin-woo failed.

‘Who’s left now?.... No one.’

People, who knew that there was no one left to protect them from these monsters, stood there like stone, unable to do anything, fear showing clearly on their faces.

After a while.

‘Huh? What’s wrong ..? Huh? Huh?’

Along with his embarrassment, the cameraman cut-off the video feed. As they watched the monster, that appeared at the giant dungeon gate that was floating above Seoul, defeat and kill two national level hunters in succession. (Jin-woo and Thomas)

Viewers around the world couldn’t help but wonder if they were watching the end of the world. Everyone was shocked and astonished.

Even though the video was cut-off long ago, people were still unable to leave the TV screens.

***

The filming helicopter, fell down frozen, and was emitting smoke. The [Ice Monarch] who crashed the helicopter, raised his hand. His eyes fell on Jin-woo who had fallen down.

The frosty lips of the cold monster, gleamed and muttered.

[He’s breathes no more.]

The [Beast Monarch]’s beastly eyes and ears confirmed the same. The enemy’s life energy was nowhere to be found.

They succeeded in killing one of the most powerful Monarchs, before he was able to completely act as a variable. The eyes of the two Monarchs were filled with cheers and celebrations.

But not all was over yet.

The two Monarchs turned to see Thomas, who had already managed to run far away.

Renat sensed their gaze and trembled.

“Damn it…”

He was prepared to die to stop the one beast-like monster ([Beast Monarch]), but now even the ‘white walker’ ([Ice Monarch]) seemed like him.

‘Even Hunter Sung Jin-woo wasn’t better than them.’ His heartbeat increased.

Now he was the only one present who could hold them off, even for a little while.

Renat took a deep breath.

“Huh?.... Hunter Sung’s spirit just disappeared. What happened?” Thomas, who

wasn’t even fully recovered yet, asked.

Renat barely managed to speak.

“He is…”

Just then, the two monarchs, who were walking toward Renat, look back at the same time.

[…!]

[….!]

This can’t be possible!

In the human body, that they confirmed the heart was dead, they heard a heartbeat.

[How?]

[How can this happen?]

The two monarchs exchanged glances in disbelief. The worst imaginable outcome flashed in their mind. They had overlooked one possibility.

[Surely….? It can’t be?]

The monarchs thought that if they killed the human body, the [Shadow Monarch] in this body would also die. Just like they themselves were in their human body.

But the enemy was The King of the dead. There was no guarantee that it would be same for them all. Something that was an end for one, may be the new beginning for someone else.

‘[No…! We can’t let that happen!]’

‘[We have to stop it]’

So much for the death of the fake King, the real king was coming now. The two of them moved instinctively. In a quick instant, the two monarchs closed the gap between them and Jin-woo, both of them with their sharp nails and cold ice spears out.

They poured all their mana in their weapon to completely eliminate the body that could serve as a tool for the (real) [Shadow Monarch].

But their weapons were blocked by someone’s daggers, which now remained on the ground.

But the [Shadow Monarch]’s body was still unconscious.

‘[Then who?]’

[…?]

Their attacks were blocked, the two monarchs were perplexed.

Soon, the [Stealth] lifted off and the owner of the daggers revealed his form.

In the hood of the robe, two eyes with golden pupils glared at the two monarchs.

“No one can touch this human from now.”

***

Somewhere else, in another world.

There was light and darkness at the same time when nothing had begun.

The [Absolute] split the light into eight God’s Messengers, and the darkness into eight monarchs.

At the beginning, Monarchs who wanted to destroy the world and God’s Messengers who wanted to save the world, killed and killed each other’s soldiers endlessly.

After a long war. Tired of the never-ending war, the pieces of light asked The [Absolute].

( TLnote - Pieces of light = God’s Messengers, as they were created from the fragments of light when the absolute broke light)

“O Ruler”

“Why don’t you help the faithful servants who fight for you?”

“Why do you ignore our pain?”

“Do you not hear the screams of countless soldiers that die for you?”

“Help Us”

“Give us strength to destroy them, we will cut their heads off for you.”

But The [Absolute] did not respond to them. Then they learned the truth of the [Absolute].

For the [Absolute], the fight between them and the monarchs was nothing but entertainment, and the [Absolute] didn’t want the fight between them to end.

They were deep in despair, as they realized that the war would never end as long as the [Absolute] existed. Their despair soon turned into anger.

They drew the sword to end this meaningless fight. The rebellion had begun.

Jin-woo saw and endless number of soldiers covering the universe.

“Oh My God…”

But a group of soldiers appeared that stopped them from distance.

The [Shadow Monarch] pointed to the group’s foremost Messenger. It was a six-winged (God’s) Messenger.

[“That’s what I used to be.”]

The only (God’s) Messenger who stood against the rebellion started by the God’s Messengers.

However, the small number of soldiers collapsed against the union of God’s Messengers.

The fragment of light, the only (God’s) Messenger who had not broken his loyalty till the end, was dying, watching his brave men swept away by countless enemies.

He thought that it was the end. But when he opened his eyes in the deep darkness, he realized the power that the [Absolute] had hidden from him. The [Absolute] has planted a strange power in his most loyal servant, to end them in case everything goes wrong.

In the eternal deep darkness of the void, the King of Death, the [Shadow Monarch] finally opened his eyes to his powers. He tore his burning wings and made an armor of darkness that was surrounding him.

[Arise-!]

The souls that died and slept deep within the void opened their eyes and swore their loyalty to their new King. He led his new army back. But he was late, by the time he came back, it was all over.

The [God’s Messengers] became rulers, they have killed the [Absolute] and proclaimed themselves Gods. They began to hunt down Monarch using the tools of the powers of the [Absolute].

The balance of power collapsed as the King of Giants, The First Monarch Regia, was caught by the rulers, it was then that the Monarchs realized the seriousness of the situation.

Then, the [Shadow Monarch] reached out to them. All the monarch came together to fight against their common enemy, The [Rulers].

Hence, the war between the seven rulers and nine monarchs began and continued for a long time. However, as the battle went on, the [Shadow Monarch]’s army only grew more and more.

Time was on the side of the [Shadow Monarch].

It seemed that, with the brilliant performance of the [Shadow Monarch], the victory was on the side of monarchs. However, the rulers were not the only ones that were afraid of [Shadow Monarch]’s army that stood side by side with the soldiers led by the King of Dragons, the lord of destruction, the [Dragon Monarch].

Near the end of war, the two monarchs who also feared the [Shadow Monarch], the [Demon Monarch] and the [Beast Monarch], went after the [Shadow Monarch].

Jin-woo recalled the scene again, the one which he had witnessed in the data memory (by the system).

The demon army and the beast army joined forces with the rulers. The shadow soldiers were nearly completely destroyed.

The King of the beasts, the [Beast Monarch], had already fled the battle, but the King of Demons, the [Demon Monarch] Baran paid for his betrayal.

Words that he didn’t hear before. Jin-woo’s eyes shook tremendously, as he heard the the dying words of Baran.

And from above, Four six-winged angels lowered slowly.

That’s it! The video that he couldn’t see from the data.

Four Rulers surrounded the shadow lord, who no longer could control his shadow army. The [Shadow Monarch] threw his sword down to see the outcome of the fight.

If they killed the [Shadow Monarch] then, how can the [Shadow Monarch]’s existence here now, be explained?

Jin-woo gulped his dry mouth, as he saw the scene that might be the last moments of the [Shadow Monarch].

But then!, the rulers began to kneel to the shadow monarch one-by-one. Few moments later, the prominent ruler, opened his mouth and said –

[Please Forgive us now, the Greatest ‘[God’s Messenger]’]