Chapter 79 | The Shadow Monarch Returns to the World of Eternal Nothingness #1

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

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As if the world itself shifted for the shadow soldiers, every one of them felt the strength leaving them. The connection between them and their lord was broken. This was comparable to losing five senses altogether.

The bright purple color on their bodies was slowly diminishing. With no strength in them, they fell to their knees.

'No, my liege!'

The first person to begin crying was Beru. He already paid no mind to the Monarch of the Plague. "What happened to my liege?" was the only question the ant king had on his mind, similar to others in his bunch.

The Shadow Army foolishly thought that they could finally overpower the Monarchs, with them losing numbers.

Apparently, it was just an illusion. The two monarchs went to help out the damn lizard in defeating their liege.

'It was our fault.'

Agrona was still very new in the army, but he established himself as the strongest. Their lord trusted them with commanding the rest, but if the most important soldiers can't set an example for others, what will the rest do?

'I had to notify the others sooner.'

They had a chance that they had to use before they were driven to the corner. Agrona could replicate the barrier once used by his lord against himself.

'Why didn't I use it?!' Inwardly, he screamed at himself, enraged by what had happened.

His screams, however, won't change what has already occurred. Agrona wouldn't be able to help out his liege, who was kilometers away, laying on the ground dead-cold with a hole in his right chest.

[This is magnificent!]

The three Monarchs gathered around the lying body of Ashborn, with Antares holding the black heart in his hands.

[Such power in this tiny item, and now it's ours.] The dragon monarch started to grin broadly as the black heart he was holding continued to glow with purple mana.

[Oh, Ashborn...I have outplayed you this time. Of course, I'd like to get this item for myself. It would've been stupid of me not to aim for it initially.]

Other monarchs followed his lead and began to mock the person. The latter did not hear any of it, though.

[Baran wanted to kill you first and even agreed to sneak up on you... the first attempt failed, and you still couldn't figure out our goal. That one mistake cost you this, as well as your life.] Antares pointed at the black heart.

[Antares, do you think he is dead?]

[No, he isn't yet. There is magic left in him. That's why we'll stay here until we confirm it.]

They have already seen the Shadow Monarch rise after a so-called "death", and he might do it again. Nobody knows what is going on in his mind, except for himself.

Ashborn, meanwhile, felt the darkness consume him. The taste of blood on his tongue, which also blocked his breathing path, seemed a lot more disgusting than before. He was so powerless that he had no strength to even open his eyelids.

The usual feeling of two hearts beating in his body had disappeared... Instead, there was one that had no use but to pump that iron-tasting human blood.

His mind was too tired to even think about what was going on anymore. Well, maybe he was feeling bad for those who he let down.

Ashborn definitely got close to people in this world.

His father, Reynolds, was one hell of an idiot, but that human heart of his had the ability that he didn't possess. He could spread positive energy around him by just being who he is. Unlike Ash, who was pretty much hiding his true identity from everyone else. His soldiers were exceptions.

Alice... oh, the dear mother she was to the Shadow Monarch. She made him experience motherly love and melted his cold-hearted demeanor. Her caring attitude was fully returned by Ashborn and by Arthur as well. She truly was the best mother he could ever hope for.

Then the promise with Ellie? He wanted to apologize to her. Ashborn clearly remembers her threat, "Brother! I will be waiting for you and Arthur to return. Don't you dare die!"

It seems that he couldn't fulfill the inward promise he made with her. He'd already passed away... or he is close to dying at any moment.

Oh, speaking of death, he's feeling awfully sick even by thinking about it. They called him the king of the dead, and now that same king is on the verge of dying. His greatest weapon was stolen and will be used for whatever his enemies wish for.

'I'm sorry, Arthur.' And it will be used not by anybody else, but by Antares in the body of his brother.

He was a big idiot for doing everything alone. As Ellie would call Arthur, "One big idiot!"

Now Ash knows who the actual idiot is. He once said to someone, "There is no absolute power." Thus, it is already a great indication of why you should never rely solely on yourself. You need to have an ally.

Because of the mistake that he made now, people he knew are going to suffer. Not only them, but the shadow soldiers that loved him more than themselves are going to die in vain... That was terrible.

A complete disaster if he had a say in it from now on. Perhaps this is his punishment now.

'Was my suffering not enough?'

Ashborn asked himself. Unfortunately, neither he nor anybody else was there to answer. He just fell into the abyss of infinite nothingness.

*Swish*

His consciousness appeared in the same place where he first bid farewell to his successor. A large open field, with a sole tree that he created, was still standing strong, and the silence was filling everything. Aside from a slight breeze, there was nothing else.

'So in the end, this is the place I close my eyes...'

At least the previous time he had someone else to talk to, and it wasn't his end at all. Ash talked with his successor and then with his creator.

'Maybe, it was just a dream?'

It was definitely in the realm of possibilities, but it was just too unbelievable to be a dream. In the eternal world of nothingness, everything has no ending. It is the world of eternal "dreams".

'No... it wasn't a dream.'

He took a step, but when he looked down, he saw that his normal leg was gone. He couldn't feel the touch, and instead of the actual leg, it was just a mist that resembled his limbs. He was confused. Why did he make such an appearance?

He quickly peered at the pond in the area to see his face. Ironically, he couldn't see his face...

'Just like before, huh?'

Inwardly, Ashborn chuckled. This was yet another factor contributing to his awkwardness in speaking his mind. He had feelings, but they couldn't be seen on his face at all; he didn't have a face that could express any emotions.

It took him some time to even smile properly.

The King of the Dead once struggled to maintain control over his facial muscles, which some people might find hard to believe. His own first attempt to smile frightened him because it was too...wide.

The smile that once freaked out his successor and twenty more participants in the double dungeon. Definitely not the smile you'd like to show your parents. He had to struggle even with that.

*Thud*

The Shadow Monarch sagged against the sole tree there was. He sat on the grass with his back against the tree and looked in front of him.

There was an endless horizon, with the sun shining bright. He couldn't feel anything, but the sun's rays had a warming effect on his consciousness.

There were clouds floating carelessly above him, blocking out some of the scorching sun.

The tall grass was moving back and forth like a wave as the gentle breeze played with it. Additionally, the nearby grass stroked his smoky appearance.

Unfortunately, he was not being serenaded by birdsong. There was silence everywhere else, save for the sound made by the slight breeze.

It appeared to be a perfect place for resting... for someone. Ashborn's conception of the rest was different from others. For him, it wasn't this. For him, resting was what he did in the first eight years of his second life.

Ash enjoyed that time to the fullest; his mind wasn't bothered much and he couldn't care less about his physical needs. He was a being that could easily negate the human body's drawbacks.

This place wasn't for him and he wanted to leave it.

He was bothered by this pond, where he saw his appearance. It was a disgusting sight, and he wished to never see it again. He liked his face, which could express his emotions.

Those human hands that could reveal a lot about him, his struggles, and the sweat and blood he poured into them.

Not this abomination of his old self.

'A machine...'

In this form, Ashborn was nothing more than a killing machine. It brought back painful memories for him from his past, which words could not express how much he hated.

It was a big no for him to stay like this, but the dream was more of a nightmare this time. He was stuck in this realm, couldn't change anything, and there was nobody else to call for.

Finally, he felt his anger starting to rise within him. Because of it, he tried to destroy the tree he was leaning on with a punch. He attempted to make a fist with the tree's hard outer shell but was unsuccessful. The tree appeared to have been just recently traversed by his hand.

'What even is this place? How do I get out?'

This was not the World of Eternal Nothingness he knew. It wasn't under his control... and now that he thinks about it, it shouldn't have been under his control. He gifted his power to his successor and, with it, control over this realm.

He before placed himself in an already prepared world of his dreams, he had to live in that dream world.

He did, however, show up in an odd location. In front of his maker, with whom he spoke.

"This doesn't look like Eternal Rest for me."

This place was not something to be associated with the word 'rest'. It did quite the opposite of what was expected and made the feeling of unrest rise in Ashborn. Someone must've been there controlling the process.

With his nonexistent eyes, Ashborn looked around. He had no mouth, but words formed without it, and so he asked nothing.

"I am not alone here, am I?"

A few silent seconds passed.

*Freeze*

Everything around Ashborn froze, even the light breeze that moved the grass stopped. There was no more rattling of leaves. As if time itself stopped, Ash was sure more than ever that there was someone else doing this.

"Show yourself to me."