Chapter 22

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***

Eventually I got over the surprise.

But still, it was shocking news. Bloody was a woman! I mean, I'd perceived him...I mean her, as a guy all along. And then she started talking.

- Master... - A quiet deep voice.

She sounded completely different before! Well, not much different, but the helmet distorted her voice a bit.

And by the way, I just realised. I remembered that Aesil has almost the same sleek silhouette in her armour as Igris. They have a very similar build. And it's hard to tell the demoness' gender, too, as long as she's completely covered in her lats. Just a graceful warrior of the speedy type. But her voice isn't as distorted under her helmet as Bloody's is. Also, Igris is considerably taller. If Aesil is a little shorter than me, Igris is the opposite, a full two heads taller. Looking at her, it's easy to believe that she's not human, but some kind of humanoid type creature, like ice elves.

- Ohhh... sorry. - I said guiltily. - All this time I took you for a guy and didn't realise there was a beautiful girl under that armour.

Igris looked away awkwardly. And now I felt awkward myself.

- Ahem... yeah... okay, I'm going to visit the Architect....

- I'm with you, Master.

Darkness surged and rose up Igris' armour, covering her face with her helmet. The girl herself knelt ever so habitually.

- Igris..." I sighed.

I reached out and placed my hand on the knight's head.

- Thank you.

She looked at me in surprise.

- Regardless of your gender, I really appreciate you. And I'm glad you chose to come with me then.

- I will always follow you, Master.

- And your loyalty is one of the qualities I especially appreciate in you.

The light in Igris' eyes sparkled.

- All right, let's go.

When I left home, I only warned my family that I might be on the raid for a while. Neither my sister nor my mother urged me to stay. Though, they both clearly didn't want me to continue putting my life at risk in the dungeons. Gen-Ah is now a little more aware of the dangers of such places, though clearly not fully. And Gen-He, she's already lost her husband in the dungeon, so she has reason to worry. That's true of her sister too, her father disappeared outside the gate. But she was just a little girl then, and it's been ten years already.

Anyway, when I left the house.

I travelled to one of my shadows in the city and summoned Kysel.

Just like that, quietly, in the middle of town. Of course it caused a stir, some even shouted. But, I had no intention of sacrificing comfortable flying for the peace of mind of the citizens. They'd soon get used to it. At least I don't do it near my house.

And so...

I came to a newly-appeared gate. It looked ordinary, it didn't have the power of a horrible place that promises death to anyone who enters. Except that the information about the location of the gate had only been revealed to me today. But the gate itself seemed to have appeared two days ago. There's already been an association perimeter in place. There's a typical employee in a black suit with his mouth hanging open, watching Kaisel descend majestically as he prepares to land.

Well, I just jumped down and landed smoothly.

- S-stay! - A member of the association exclaimed fearfully.

I calmly showed my licence.

- Has anyone been sent inside yet?

- Ah... yes... - The guy looked at my licence in surprise.

Then he stared at the wyvern again, which did not bother people's eyes and ducked into the shadows.

- Yeah... it's a double gate, and there's another S-rank dungeon inside.

- W-what?

- Don't let anyone else inside.

Having said that, I simply walked forward to the gate itself. The association staff member came to his senses at the last moment and tried to stop me, but he didn't have time to stop me as I disappeared in a whirlwind of energy.

Inside, I made my way through the spacious cavern, finding the bodies of weak monsters along the way and raising them into my shadow army. Stockpiling doesn't drag on the pocket, as of late. And so I reached the massive stone gate, at which a group of hunters were crowded together. The guys didn't know what to do next, because they couldn't open the gate. But, lo and behold, they spot me.

- What? Who the hell are you?

- This is our dungeon!

I just walked up to the gate and touched it.

- It's a double dungeon. - I explain to the hunters by taking a key out of my inventory. - You should go back.

- Fuck you! - The warrior was stunned. - We paid for this gate, it's ours! Who the hell are you?

Again, I'm just showing my licence.

- S-rank?

- Yes, and so are the monsters behind these gates. I can open them, but are you sure you're ready to face them?

- What are you talking about? This is a D-rank dungeon!

Rolling my eyes, I just used the key and with a stony rumble, the gate opened. And then I let the warrior step forward. But grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and yanked him away before he would have been crushed by the blow of the huge sword that the five-metre statue was about to hit him with.

The boy stared at the monster in horror. The golem, on the other hand, lost interest in the hunter when I pulled him back.

- Are you sure you want to go there?

The hunters shook their heads in disagreement.

- Well, good for you. Now go back. - I said and went through the gate myself.

The statue didn't even try to attack me.

But what I didn't expect was for the three hunters to run after me.

- Hey! If you're S-rank, do you think you're in charge? - A warrior exclaimed indignantly.

He shuddered as he heard the rumbling sound of the gate closing.

- W-what?

- I'm not protecting you. - I'm telling these weirdos to take it easy.

At the same time, I was looking round the temple hall. Lots of giant statues, but I couldn't sense any life in them. The statues didn't even have magic power. They're not golems. But, I could also feel the threads of magic that ran through the entire room, clinging to these stone dolls. And they were all reaching out to one single creature.

A pulse of magic travelled through those threads.

And several statues made their move. The giant warriors seemed clumsy, but they moved so fast that the hunters who had passed behind me didn't even have time to react. The blow of the giant sword did not even chop, but simply crushed two people. And the third was stepped on by another stone warrior with his foot.

- Hehehehehe... I only invited you... - The voice of the angel statue rang out gloatingly.

- Looks like even you don't have all the information, eh, Architect? - I stretched out, glaring at him.

The most powerful puppet in this hall. But it was drastically different from all the others. The figure of the stone angel was restrained by threads of spells. It was also like a system, but he used it more to completely control the puppet by filling it with his mana.

But, it's worth understanding that mana isn't just some impersonal energy.

Each living being's mana is unique and bears the imprint of its soul.

- Ohhh..." the statue sighed dazedly. - Have you... already been reborn, Master?

His voice immediately became more respectful.

- Allow me to pay my respects.

The stone tablet in the Architect's hands cracked open and the monster knelt down, taking a step forward. Greed glittered in his own eyes. Ashborn's vague memories let me know far more about this creature than I'd hoped.And as I stepped closer, I struck a lightning blow, piercing the Particle of Light through the statue's chest, the centre of the spell through which magic flowed into this artificial body.

- W-what-" The Architect's eyes bulged.

- You've made a mistake.

Clenching the fingers of my free hand, the monster's body began to crumble from the titanic pressure. Light streamed from the threads of the fissure, and the Architect's stone mask reflected its agony. Even if this body wasn't real, he felt such pain as if he himself was being torn to pieces.

- After all, you invited me here to kill me.

- N-impossible... - The monster exclaimed.

- But I will honour Ashborn's pact. You'll get the immortality you've longed for.

Even in his agony, he understood. And the warlock's eyes widened in horror.

- No!

He tried to pull the strings of the system, to take away my powers. But he froze in shock, feeling the weaves of his spell tearing. In the next moment, the statues tried to attack me, but....

Bang!

- Grrr...

With a womb-like growl, Chthon rose from the shadows, intercepting the stone warrior.

Scarlet rays from the god statue's eyes burned through the translucent shield that appeared in front of it, shattering it. But the volley itself stopped there. Behind me, Gork retreated tensely. That was the name I had given the rebellious High Orc warlock.

And so did the rest of my servants rise from the shadows, shielding me from the Architect's stone puppets. Aesil, at the head of a demonic squad, attacked one of them, simply smashing the statue with a frenzied stream of powerful shadow attacks. No matter how it was, it was under her command that was now the most capable part of the shadow army. Well, apart from the fact that as a general, she was still under the Marshal's command.

- You... pathetic man..." the Architect's voice was distorting.

He was almost shrieking with rage and his voice was sounding more feminine. And, at the same time, his stone mask had almost completely shattered, exposing the face of a magical ghost, divided by his dual nature. The left half of his face, pure, with graceful feminine features, emitting a soft light. And the right half, a grim disfigured skull with a fiercely blazing red eye.

And in that moment, realising his position, he tried to break the spell binding him to that body.

- Where are you going?

I squeeze my grip even tighter, shattering the Architect's stone body.

And intercepting the threads of his magic.

He was far more skilled at sorcery than I was. But I had an unstoppable force on my side. Darkness surged into the artificial body, clutching at its mana. And through the very threads of the spell, the darkness flowed to its very essence, hidden between dimensions.

- No! No! No! No!" the Architect screamed in panic.

Somehow he found the strength to attack me.

More focused on getting to my enemy, I loosened my grip a little. And now several stone hands are already trying to latch onto me. The armour of darkness encompasses my body. After that, a counter punch with my fist simply shatters the Architect's hand, splitting it into pieces.

- Ghaaaa! Stop...stop....

- You're not leaving. - I have spoken. - And you don't have much choice. You can keep lashing out and I'll just rip you to shreds. Or you can--

- No..." The monster gritted his teeth.

- You can embrace the darkness.

- You think... The monarchs will let you get away with it? Wretch... pathetic man... you will know death!

- The monarchs will die.

The architect suddenly relaxed.

He resisted until the cold claws of darkness cut into his soul. And from that moment on, his resistance was useless. The mage himself realised this perfectly well. He didn't want to become a shadow. But he didn't want to be torn to pieces. And so, when I pulled his soul, filling it with my power, the Architect himself came towards me.

The threads of the spell weakened, and the stone body of the puppet began to crumble.

And in its remains flashed a violet light of a gate.

A moment more, and a mysterious power flowed out of the gate, with which my new servant entered the hall.

- Command me, my lord.

The new general went down on one knee.

And he also lowered his wings to the floor.

The Architect's shadow had the same appearance as the statue had, six wings, and six arms. In the distorted senses of this creature, boundless devotion reigned henceforth. And that only showed how terrifying the Shadow Monarch's power was.

- Excellent... I will need your knowledge of magic... but for now... let's finish this dungeon.

- Yes, Lord.

The architect snapped his fingers, and the magical energy of the dungeon came into disarray. After that, the mage retreated into the shadows, and I headed for the exit, leaving the gate. The doors of the main hall opened in front of me again, and soon I was outside.

The association agents wanted to question me, but I just ran away, jumping on Kaisel's back as she soared into the sky.

There was still time, so...

Once I was out of the city, I opened the red gate.

Any Monarch or Overlord knows how to open a gate, including the Shadow Monarch, from whom I inherited a great deal. And, hiding in the interworld, where time flows differently, I began my development again. Only now the system didn't allow me to progress as before. My stats barely grew at all. But, the Architect himself, a consummate master of magic, began to train me.

Ashborn's memories allowed me to take a sharp start, mastering the new art at a breakneck pace.

And, with each day I spent in the interworld, I became more and more aware of what I could do with magic.

With the Architect's help, I also improved his best creation, the system. The spells that were woven into this complex structure were strengthened and bound more tightly to my body. While the original function of the system was to pump up my body and adapt it to use the Shadow Monarch's power, it was now fully customised to purely strengthen my physical body. And the stronger it was, the more magic it could withstand.

That being said, I still had the same skills.

Only, it was not quite right to call them that. Passive skills were complex structures that merged with my aura and made me stronger. And now that I understood how it worked.

I could create my passive skills and perfect them!

So I had a whole bunch of new skills, and old ones were modified and improved.

Skills

Passive:

Fortitude

Weapon enhancement

Magic enhancement

Sense Enhancement

Strength enhancement

Dexterity boost

Stamina boost

Magical Defence

Physical defence

Mental Barrier

There were a lot more passive abilities, but that was pretty much my limit. Such a cluster of complex magical structures in my aura created a very dense layer of magical effects. A few more skills could simply overload the entire structure, which would have already gone through my body with recoil.

Also, the skills no longer had a level indicator, it was simply unnecessary. These skills are created in their most perfect design.

And the same with the active skills. They have been improved, but remain as ready-made spell structures that I can use. This is useful in that this way I can quickly use magic with the right configuration without bothering to weave the spell itself. These skills can be called spell forms, through which I use them. But, I also learnt how to create them all without the right skill form, just weave the spells themselves. And that took considerable concentration and diligence. And time. In fact, even an Architect could not weave a spell instantly. Thus, for a real magician one of the most important details of sorcery is preparation for various situations, when he creates in advance such forms of spells for all occasions.

After some more time, my own skill increased so much that I could already weave spells faster than the Architect.

That didn't mean I was better at magic than him. He was still much more skilled. But, I had the advantage of immense magical power on my side. Mana was simply more willing to obey me.

And a little later, I finally found a use for one of my trophies.

- Aesil...

- Ahhhh...

The shadow groaned sensuously as it felt the threads of enchantments squeezing it.

I also enhanced my best shadow servants with a similar system structure. And it allowed me to grant one of the shadows even greater power. I had the thought of empowering Igris as one of the strongest and most loyal. But I decided that this particular gift was more appropriate for Aesil. And for Bloody, I'll find a more appropriate one later.

Removed from the inventory, the Demon King's flaming heart was linked to Aesil's system.

Brightly glowing lines travelled along the girl's body, and her mystic light became stronger. I also felt her growth. The Monarch Heart had not yet fully taken root, but even that was enough for the demoness to immediately reach the level of a strong marshal. She had become more powerful than Igris at once. And in time, she would become even stronger, reaching the power of a true Monarch.

- Huh...

I can't make the Monarch my shadow.

But I can make my shadow a Monarch!

All I had to do was to refine the Architect's system. And then process Baran's heart, ripping out all the unnecessary things, namely the memories and personality imprint of the Demon King himself. Yes, in the end, Aesil will only get the Monarch's power, not experience or knowledge, but that's not a bad thing.

Also, she's the kind of creature I could trust with that kind of power.

Although, if it were possible, I would prefer to embed that heart into my own system. But unfortunately... even though it's possible, two Monarch hearts beating in the same body won't make me stronger. On the contrary, they will hinder each other.

Even now, my Black Heart is still not beating at its full strength because it is hindered by the human heart.

And I was just determined to fix that.

My body was already ready for it. But it had to happen quickly. I had to spend some time creating spells to secure my "rebirth". And while the easiest way was simply... to die, to stop a human heart, I went the more complicated route.- I'm beginning, Master," the Architect said excitedly, pointing his index finger at my chest.

A pulse of power travelled through my entire body.

My breath caught, and I felt the life draining from my heart. The shadow shuddered but didn't disappear, continuing the operation. The power was pouring out of me in a powerful stream, destroying the very space around me, but it wasn't critical yet. All the essence of my life was spreading through my body, while the Architect stabbed my chest with a sharp movement and simply ripped out my convulsively beating heart.

My senses were cut off.

I was no longer breathing...

And, just then, a purple flame lit up in the place where my heart had been ripped out. Darkness flowed through my veins and, even through my skin, you could see my veins turning black.

- Haa...

The architect pointed his palm at me and light burst from them.

Just like that, I myself changed the mana current in my body, speeding up recovery. The hole in my chest began to heal itself. And I was feeling better by the second. And when my red heart in one of the architect's hands stopped beating, at the same moment I was at full strength.

- You are now the true Monarch, my Lord. - The shadow in front of me bowed its head.

- My Lord... - Esil exhaled with delight that she could only watch anxiously.

The power was bursting out of me in powerful pulses, making the space shudder. And, covering my eyes, I suppressed my aura, not allowing it to drain out of me in a raging stream of chaotic mana.

After all...

The Black Heart was different from the hearts of ordinary Monarchs. It was the Creator's secret weapon, entrusted to his most loyal servant, the Greatest Shard of Light, Ashborn. Naturally, this heart was far more powerful than other shards of light or the hearts of other Monarchs. Only the Dragon Monarch's heart could compare in power to the Black Heart.

But, the potential embedded in the Black Heart was far greater. It was truly limitless....

- We're going back. - I said calmly.

- Yes, Master.

So, I left the red gate before a day had passed on Earth.

I was able to return home by evening.

*** 

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