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The [Rulers] (God’s Messengers) asked the [Shadow Monarch] for forgiveness. Even though they had the advantage here and could kill the [Shadow Monarch] whenever they wanted to. They wanted to reconcile because they all were the fragments of same light.

They respected the warrior who had led the army of the monarchs to the forefront of the war.

Even though the [Shadow Monarch] wasn’t their leader, the other rulers respected him more then their own leader. So they ignored their leader’s order and knelt down in front of the [Shadow Monarch] to stop him, the Greatest of [God’s Messengers].

[We have no reasons to fight anymore.]

The loud voice of the [Shadow Monarch] shook the ground beneath them.

[Why not?!]

The [Shadow Monarch] grabbed one of the [rulers] kneeling down in front of him and held him up in the air.

[Did you not kill my lord?]

[He was our master as well.]

[That is why your crime is even more atrocious!]

The ruler maintained respect and spoke politely.

[Do you not know better than anyone else how we felt when we heard his (the absolute’s) words?]

The [Shadow Monarch] looked up in the sky and found their soldiers looking at him with an anxious gaze.

Such loyal soldiers.

How can you not know how they feel watching their brethren die at the hands of their enemies.

He was the one who made them fight and spill their blood in countless battles.

[We just wanted to end this war once and for all.]

The [Shadow Monarch]’s hands that were still grabbing the ruler by his neck, loosened up a little.

[And now the opportunity is finally here.]

[Now, we can finish it.]

The [Shadow Monarch] picked up his sword that fell down from his hands earlier.

[Cut my head with this sword!]

Then he looked around and cried out to other rulers.

[Attack me with your weapons! That’s what you want right? To pierce my heart and kill me. You will win this war!]

But even after he dropped his sword. No one even lifted a finger, let alone attack and kill the [Shadow Monarch].

Instead, only a pleading voice was heard.

[Will you forgive us now?]

But their repentance caused the [Shadow Monarch] more pain than any weapon could.

It was his vengeance that made him want revenge. Want revenge when he lost his soldiers, when they killed his master, when he was lost in the void.

I only wanted revenge until now.

His determination to make them pay was the reason he led his army against them.

But, how can you hate them, these who seek forgiveness, these soldiers who want this endless war to finish?

These soldiers who fought for their masters, and these rulers who fought to save their men, were all victims of their own destiny.

The fact that, it wasn’t the enemy that knelt before him but his own brothers who suffered as much deaths and pain as him, crushed his heart.

Now that the reason for his existence was no more, the [Shadow Monarch] screamed as if he will spew blood.

[KILL ME!]

End everything right here.

I would rather go back to void, forget everything and rest in eternal darkness.

[Come on!]

But the rulers did not move at all.

As they did at first, the [Shadow Monarch] fell down on his knees and bowed his head. He looked up. The soldiers in the sky, with respect for the greatest warrior, clenched their fists to their chests and bowed their heads to him.

[…]

The soldiers who fought against the enemy for different reasons, did not lose the respect in their hearts. The numbers of soldiers were enough to swallow the sky. When all soldiers lowered their heads, he turned and looked around quietly.

The [Shadow Monarch] disappeared, and the other monarchs who were already weakened by the battle, lost to the rulers. The defeated monarchs, together with the remaining soldiers of their armies, fled to another dimension through the gate.

Jin-woo was speechless as he saw the soldiers of the monarchs moving through the gate.\

‘The numbers of the defeated… so low.’

Jin-woo couldn’t even imagine how many soldiers were sacrificed just for the [Absolute]’s entertainment.

He also understood the feelings of the rulers, the reasons why they rebelled against their master.

But then, the [Shadow Monarch] who disappeared before, appeared in front of them again with the [Beast Monarch]. The other monarchs became nervous for a moment. But [Dragon Monarch] intervened between them.

[Now is the time to rebuild our numbers and replenish our powers. I know the circumstances for both sides but I won’t tolerate any fighting now.]

The [Dragon Monarch] accepted the [Shadow Monarch]’s terms.

Jin-woo gulped at the sight of a dragon in a human form. Even though he knew that what he was seeing was only the memories of the [Shadow Monarch].

‘This is the King of Dragons, the [Destruction Monarch].’

(TLnote- destruction monarch = dragon monarch)

The frightening power in just eyes was alone enough to cause him to tremble. The monarchs who had fled through the gate, sought shelter in another dimension to increase their numbers and replenish their powers.

The sight of planets and space moved through Jin-woo’s vision.

Jin-woo groaned unknowingly.

“Aaaaah…”

A Blue planet was shining in front of him. It was Earth.

After a long time and lot of hard work, the monarchs succeeded in creating a pathway in their dimension so they could travel to earth.

With the appearance of an unknown enemy, mankind was unable to retaliate and was facing annihilation.

Jin-woo’s face hardened as he saw the burning cities that he saw on each floor of the “Demon’s Castle” Dungeon.

“Is this the future?” Jin-woo asked.

“No, what you are seeing is the past.” The [Shadow Monarch] answered.

Jin-woo was surprised for a moment.

The [Shadow Monarch] explained calmly.

[The Rulers who came to know about Monarchs’ doings, sent their soldiers. But by then, it was already too late.]

If the purpose of the monarchs’ existence was to destroy the world, then the purpose of rulers’ existence was to save it.

The [Rulers] were furious when they saw that their enemies from their world had destroyed another world. To prevent this, the rulers used a tool that belonged to the [Absolute]. This divine tool was very powerful, so they had already stolen it from the [Absolute] before they rebelled against him. And it seemed like the moment that they were saving this tool for, had arrived.

This divine tool had the ability to reverse the time to about 10 years in the past.

’10 Years!’

Jin-woo’s eyes gleamed.

‘It can’t be just a coincidence that the hunters and the gates started appearing about 10 years ago.’

[You are right.]

The [Rulers] tried their hardest to save this other world but the earth was too weak for them and monarchs to fight. Earth did not have any mana (magic), so it could withstand this great war.

It didn’t matter who won, monarchs or rulers, the outcome was always same – the earth was destroyed.

After countless repeated battles, the rulers came to a final decision. They couldn’t save everyone, so they decided that they would survive and live in this world in a very small number.

“Then…?”

[Then the process of creating those who could survive the war between them (rulers and monarchs) started. Even with the war, the rulers wanted to save mankind.]

It was then that Jin-woo realized the reason why the [Rulers] silently worked behind the scenes without warning the mankind, even though they were aware of the disaster that was coming for them.

‘People that can survive the war in the new world…… Hunters.’

‘If mankind learnt that everyone apart from hunter would die, will the society survive this knowledge?’

‘No.’

Jin-woo shook his head to himself. After the [Shadow Monarch]’s explanation, he understood why gates and hunters appeared in this world.

But, he was yet to learn the answer he most wanted to know.

As if knowing what Jin-woo had in mind, the [Shadow Monarch] waved his hand and Jin-woo’s vision changed again.

[Higher beings like rulers and monarch can perceive when the flow of time has been reversed by the divine tool.]

[Even though they cannot travel through it.] The [Shadow Monarch] added.

While the rulers reversed the time again and again, the monarchs honed their plans and corrected their mistakes each time, until the divine tool was no longer able to reverse the time.

“Wait… is there a limit to the power of that divine tool?” Jin-woo asked.

[There is no Infinite power in this universe. Just like the [Absolute] was killed by the powers he created himself, every power has an end.]

Jin-woo looked back at the [Shadow Monarch] and spoke without even realizing the bitterness in his tone.

“As we are on that topic, how were the [Rulers] able to kill the [Absolute]?”

[It is no different than dying or getting injured by the machines you create with your own hands.]

That was correct.

Even machines created by humans can harm themselves or other humans. The same reason why humans are afraid of artificial intelligence that they themselves created.

[We were made and given the power to fight, and that power was enough to kill its own master.]

Jin-woo nodded in agreement.

Soon, monarchs appeared around jin-woo and the [Shadow Monarch], he was familiar with some of them.

[The monarchs adapted to the ways of rulers.]

Just as the rulers lent their powers to human beings to kill the monsters and strengthen the world, the monarchs used the human bodies to strengthen their own powers so that their armies can arrive more faster than expected.

[Their plan was to turn this planet earth into a huge trap, using the mana that the rulers themselves distributed in this world.]

“So that they could destroy the forces that come to support mankind in the war...”

[Yes.]

Even though the monarchs had great power, they needed human bodies to move in the human world. So the monarchs went to find the human beings that they could possess the bodies of.

But the two greatest monarchs, the [Dragon Monarch] and the [Shadow Monarch], who were the strongest of all, could not find a body that was able to handle their tremendous power.

[At that time, a great magician working for one of the rulers told me that he’ll find the right man for me.]

The Designer.

The Madosa, called the ‘Designer’ by the monarchs, said he would help the [Shadow Monarch], and in exchange he wanted the [Shadow Monarch] to turn him immortal.

The [Shadow Monarch], who was interested in this new human world, accepted his offer.

But no Human being could handle the power of death itself.

[Humans with high sensitivity to magic, humans with tremendously stronger body, even the humans with great mental spirit. No one was able to cope with my strength, they either lost their sanity or died.]

No living being could become a vessel for death. But a contract with a monarch was different from ordinary promises. The designer was growing more and more restless and impatient with time.

“…”

As if there were hundreds of tv was showing his face at the same time, his face appeared everywhere.

[Then I saw you, always so close to death, but always out of its grasp.]

His 4 years as an E-ranker. He was the lowest ranked hunter, going into dungeons and facing death every day. For his mother and his sister, he fought with his life is in hands. The [Shadow Monarch] remembered everything in his memory.

[So I chose you as the subject for the ‘Designer’s experiment.]

The [Shadow Monarch]s fingers were pointing towards jin-woo. His heart leaped.

“I am the past of your struggles, the mark of your resistance, and the reward of your sufferings.”

But those words didn’t explain the reasons behind him becoming the ‘Player’.

The [Shadow Monarch] spoke once again.

[The impatient designer accepted my orders, and eventually designed you into the system.]

A Double-Dungeon, the survival test for the ‘Player’. All of it was designer’s plan to make a vessel suitable for the [Shadow Monarch].

[The ‘Designed’ observed the world that kept repeating itself, designed a system that was easy-to-adapt for humans. He designed it keeping in mind what humans like and do best.]

‘What humans like and do best.’ Jin-woo knew what it was before he even heard the [Shadow Monarch]’s words.

Games.

There was a reason why the system built to handle the ‘Player’, was designed like a game. And Jin-woo was the only successful result of the experiment.

[The ‘Designer’s system that borrowed my powers gradually changed your body’s strength to handle all my powers.]

“And you betrayed the ‘Designer’”?

Jin-woo recalled the angel from long ago that said that he had deceived the monarchs and had entered the double-dungeon again.

‘Why did the [Shadow Monarch] betray the ‘Designer’ that he himself chose?’

“Why?”

[…]

The [Shadow Monarch] hesitated for the first time, he looked worried about something but Jin-woo didn’t press.

And finally, he spoke.

[Because I wanted to.]

A small and simple answer to a question that has agonized Jin-woo for so long.

However, Jin-woo smiled strangely.

[Maybe I was so happy with you that I didn’t want to lose you.]

Instead of removing Jin-woo and taking over his body completely, the [Shadow Monarch] choose to keep him. He chose to stand together beside him.

The [Shadow Monarch] slowly raised his hands and removed the armour helmet that was covering his face.

Jin-woo’s pupils dilated as he saw the [Shadow Monarch]’s face. He was confident. They had the same face.

‘Is that all?’

Jin-woo inadvertently looked down at himself and found that he was covered in the dark armour. The armour was the same as the [Shadow Monarch] was wearing. It felt like as if he was looking in the mirror.

[I became you and you became me.]

‘I am you.’ – it was true.

[It’s not impossible that both you and I are the owner if this body.]

We two are already same.

[So I’ll give you a choice. You choose.]

The [Shadow Monarch] lifted his left hand and all the faces of all the people he missed, appeared.

[You can rest in peace for forever here in the realm of death, with the beautiful dreams you create.]

In the [Shadow Monarch]’s left hand, there was the smiling face of Go Gun-Hee, his mother’s young face before she fell ill, and his younger self before he was hardened by the time.

[Or…]

The [Shadow Monarch] lowered his left hand and raised his right hand. All the faces of people disappeared and a fearsome dragon with the army of countless dragons in the sky behind him, flew over the black sky. They began to burn the cities.

[Or... you can go back to your world and fight them.]

As Jin-woo watched the army of dragons destroying his world, he asked.

“Why didn’t you fight the monarchs with the rulers or escape the world with other monarchs?”

[Because there was no place for me to exist.]

The [Shadow Monarch] was both a ruler and a monarch, and hence could not take any side. So he tried to search for his place, that was in another world.

After hearing the [Shadow Monarch]’s reply, Jin-woo said –

“My answer is also same.”

Jin-woo smiled slight before speaking again.

“This is no place for me to be.”

[…Good.]

‘That’s why I chose you’, the [Shadow Monarch] nodded.

“Will I be unable to see you anymore?” jin-woo asked.

[I’ll go back to peace and rest. Now you are the [Shadow Monarch], you’ll be immortal. There’ll be no reason for us to see each other anymore.]

However, the look on the face of [Shadow Monarch] was of humility. The time to rest for the final time had come, after a long time. Jin-woo bowed to the [Shadow Monarch] for the last time with all his sincerity.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

[….]

For a moment a look of regret crossed his face, but he changed it quickly.

[By dying, your power is complete. Now the way to go back….]

“I know.” Jin-woo cut his words. “I am you.”

The [Shadow Monarch] smiled before leaving. After this long journey, he had finally found a place to stay.

[Goodbye.] said the [Shadow Monarch].

He stepped back and silently stared at Jin-woo. Jin-woo also nodded. Now Jin-woo had become the complete [Shadow Monarch].

Then he spoke the only words that could bring any dead back to life.

“Arise.”