Chapter 72

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

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"Arise."

The echo that resonated around the throne room accentuated the shadow monarch's heavy, deep voice as he spoke. Ashborn closed his eyes, hiding away his glowing purple eyes.

The building dramatically rocked as he was doing this. The corpses that were resting began to tremble somewhere in the shadows. as if they were alive.

The tranquil mana that was slowly fading from those dead bodies took some time to answer the summons of the All-Powerful. The screams? Or the joyous sounds? Nobody would be sure, but the corpses made this call right after.

When the shadowy hands magically appeared, the already gloomy, shadow-covered chamber grew much shadier. In front of their caller, they gently rose from nothingness to take their positions in the column.

The souls of the foes the shadow monarch once vanquished, made up those new shadows. They knelt down and slowly and loudly put their hands on the concrete. The particular shadow was at the very front of the formation, and it was considerably distinct from those kneeling behind him.

It had an unclosing purple eye on the forehead... It was sparking while gazing at the figure in front of him. Because the shadow was in the same chamber as the king of the dead, it was evident that it was in awe of the sight.

*Pshhh...*

The breath of the King of Death came... He finally opened his eyes as a purple glow filled the room. With the purple burning eyes and nearly purple blaze on the head, the shadows adopted his manner and achieved their finalized form.

"Now, all of you are gathered here..."

Next to the throne, a few dark bulbs emerged. They were joined by prominent shadow soldiers like Beru, Agrona, and Windsom. They were to take part in the discussion and put up strategies as the major pillars of today's shadow army.

"We haven't seen each other for months, Aldir." Wisdom addressed his old acquaintance in his more human-like guise. However, the individual named Aldir did not respond to the speaker.

Ashborn understood why that was the case,

"You must now be addressed in my service as Aldir, soldier, starting now." He spoke as formally as he could.

"I'm grateful, my lord." Aldir first expressed gratitude to his master before responding to his old dragon friend, "Indeed it has been a while, my comrade."

"Aren't you guys forgetting someone?" Agrona chimed in on the conversation.

He was in another person's body, but his soul was still in the form of the old him. The Vritra still wore its sly smirk as a result. It was an expression that Windsom and Aldir were both familiar with, and it was still irritating just like before.

"I don't want to bother our lord with unnecessary chatting, Agrona." Aldir, a former general in the Asuran army, had a stern word for the former head of the Vritra clan.

Following Aldir's example, the three prominent shadows kneeled after realizing their mistakes. They could now, at last, begin making plans. Beru never actually spoke, although he acknowledged responsibility for failing to instruct newbies.

"We have a battle approaching us. A devastating one, never experienced before by any of you. You'll be engaged in combat with former allies of yours, perhaps even a family... I know that every single one of you is prepared to lift your arms in support of me. But I want you to understand how serious things are for us."

Ashborn wanted his shadow warriors to feel like actual beings because he knew how important family was and that they weren't just replaceable tools for him. Since his mind is connected to every shadow soldier's, it goes without saying that he can feel their emotions.

He always feels love and joy emanating from his soldier, but he can't help but think that those feelings are just a part of his wish. Those emotions don't feel real sometimes, and he just wants them not to be fake.

"My Lord, nothing will make us break our eternal oath to battle for you. It would be our greatest honor to assist you in any way. My Lord, your wish is our order." Nobody would have believed Agrona's claims if he hadn't been transformed into Shadow Troops. But this time, the entire shadow army was in support of him.

The shadow army began the discussion.

Their objective was challenging, but if they fail, all is lost. So, in order to defeat their foes, the strategy had to call for drastic measures. Up to this point, nobody had knowledge of what was taking place in the Asuras' abode. At this abode, Ashborn could sense a spot where a horrifying quantity of destructive energy was flowing forth, but he had no idea what the heck was there.

Agrona made a crazy suggestion, but it was only valid when contrasted with other ideas. He wanted to send a shadow soldier and at least learn something else that could possibly help them.

So they did just that. Ashborn dispatched a soldier from the Asuran force to look into it. The majority of shadows were aware that this was a suicide mission, so they were all eagerly awaiting the outcome. The fact that their comrade was picked to give his all meant that the shadow soldiers could do nothing but admire him.

Their lord had his eyes closed as he sat on his throne. His announcement was anticipated by the shadows. However, everyone lost faith that their comrade would live when the shadow monarch sighed in disappointment. The connection was terminated.

"How did it go, my Lord?"

"Immediately after getting there..." Ashborn didn't have to continue the sentence since everyone caught it right away.

The effort to at least discover something about Epheotus' current predicament having failed, the shadow army now had to devise a strategy for directly attacking it while employing some defenses. A short debate broke out between the notable soldiers, and others haven't dared to interrupt them.

Beru was shrieking ferociously, urging them to assault immediately because they had no idea what to anticipate. Aldir advised mounting a full defense, drawing their adversaries out, and eliminating them one by one.

"Aldir, If it weren't for one little point, I would have entirely agreed with you. Our Lord had made a significant reference to our adversary before your appearance, so I'll enlighten you. The opponent gets stronger the more time we squander by not fighting." Agrona shut the bickering soldiers up with his words.

"Thus, I'll support Marshal Beru in this one. My lord, it is better to attack our enemy right away, but let's think of the actual plan of action."

"I'm listening."

Such was the plan of Agrona. When they found all their enemies, they would certainly attack Epheotus straight away, but Ashborn would have to identify the biggest threat and teleport to a different dimension with him. The shadow monarch will need to settle a score with an old adversary while the shadow army manages the soldiers on the planet.

Ashborn would undoubtedly have to vanquish his opponent first, then finish off the other opponents on the planet, if the shadow army is unable to repel the enemy. All of it ultimately rested on the shadow monarch. The soldiers will just make his job easier.

"Shall we depart, my lord?"

"Yes, it's time."

The troops melded with Ashborn's shadow as he finished speaking. Then he himself disappeared into the darkness, leaving this vast fortress by itself. It's a shame that this work of beauty will suddenly become a particle of dust.

However, it won't be the only castle. All of them could end up in ruins, and the stunning natural beauty that this world offers would become a wasteland. Unfortunately for the former inhabitants, there was nothing that could change this outcome.

Then Epheotus, which used to be referred to as the land of the deities and capable of utterly stunning a mere mortal, will be the first to encounter that. The start of the big battle would take place there.

The view in front of Ash did not, however, astound him. There was no time to waste admiring a future pile of dust since he was entirely focused on the conflict and the shadow army had taken his lead. The ex-Asuras had no inclination to remember their previous home.

The castle that was smaller than his own appeared on the horizon as he ventured farther into this mysterious place. It was colored in white and gold, exactly as he imagined it to be. The Indrath's castle.

Inside, it was what he came for. Ashborn felt none of it. He had to deal with someone today, and even though this castle was enhanced by many spells that restricted anyone praying inside it, Ashborn felt none of it. Even through the gates, he could see and feel them.

Those blazing golden eyes... He could clearly recall them, but he loathed running into them once more. Especially at this place, at this time, and under these circumstances.

Ashborn entered the lengthy corridor and proceeded to the gates guarding the royal room. He entered right away because there were no guards. The throne room was eventually made visible when the golden gates gracefully opened.

The real throne was placed meters from the entryway in a throne room that was just as long as the corridor. In his onward motion, Ashborn passed several pillars that were dropping from the lofty sky.

He was approaching the guy seated on the throne second by second. His vision gradually changed as he got closer to the throne, and he could make out what was concealed by the pillars there. Behind each of them are people. He looks into the eyes of each person he recognizes.

There were seven identities in total waiting for him. He, therefore, arrived precisely in front of them and came to a stop.

"Haha, we haven't seen each other in a long time...Ashborn..."

The shadow monarch's ears were assaulted by a sinister chuckle. The six other people in the room were also ominously grinning at him, clearly anticipating something else, as he looked around the room further.

"I never thought we'd have a reunion like this. Once again, together, eight of us, in the same room."

The guy in the room kept laughing, and others in the room also caught it. They began laughing hysterically as if to frighten the King of the Dead. They failed because the individual they attempted to stoke was just as stoic as before.

"Ah, unfazed as always, Ashborn. That's one of the things I liked about you, and you were also strong. However..."

The person's laughter stopped as his expression grew serious. He was staring intently into Shadow Monarch's purple, glowing eyes, and it was evident that he was the only person who was able to do so. Being able to go toe-to-toe with someone who is so daunting shows your strength.

"You betrayed me... even going as far as not facing me yourself." Without displaying any overt hostility, the person spat. With pure seriousness.

The shadow monarch experienced anger for the first time in a long time. The veins on his hand started to get visible as his fist became more clenched. Even if he kept a stoic expression, his opponents could still see it.

The person sitting on the throne, with auburn hair and golden glowing eyes, and similar to Ashborn's face features... was Antares, the Monarch of Destruction, and to the demise of the shadow army. He wasn't alone.

There were also six other monarchs present, all of whom were lusting after the blood of their most dreaded foe.

"You had it coming...Antares."