The battlefield surrounding the towering Gate in Shinjuku was chaotic—but within that chaos, two figures moved with perfect control.
Po, the tall, aristocratic young man with obsidian-black hair streaked with a line of white, his sharp jawline gleaming under the stormy light, surveyed the devastation with a glint of sharp focus in his dark eyes. Beside him stood Jinwoo, his black armor rippling like liquid void, his expression calm and terrifyingly cold.
In the distance, Jinho worked frantically, helping civilians retreat from the ruins of the city, making sure not a single soul was left behind.
Without a word, the two Monarchs moved. Jinwoo extended his hand, his command slicing through the air. "Arise."
Several fallen giants shuddered, their enormous frames quivering before collapsing into dark mist and reforming as monstrous shadow soldiers under his dominion.
Not to be outdone, Po snapped his fingers, a radiant surge of energy cracking the air around him. A brilliant silver-black portal formed, and from it emerged dragons—giants of claw, wing, and tooth, shimmering with radiant shadows. These were not ordinary creatures; they were the product of Po's unique system—dragons whose strength and durability were unfathomable.
Despite having summoned only about a hundred, each dragon possessed the durability equivalent to tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of standard ones. Each wingbeat sounded like a thunderclap.
Together, Jinwoo and Po stood at the forefront of their armies, their auras blending into a hurricane of authority and power.
They raised their voices as one:
"All soldiers... CHARGE!"
The earth trembled under the stampede of shadow beasts and radiant dragons. The lone massive Giant, stationed before the ominous S-Rank Gate, grinned grotesquely as it raised its colossal sword—larger than a multi-story building—and swung.
The resulting shockwave annihilated nearly a hundred of Jinwoo's soldiers in a single, devastating blow. But Jinwoo's mana pulsed through the battlefield, immediately reconstituting them, their forms flickering back to life as though death were merely a brief inconvenience.
Po's dragons, meanwhile, emerged unscathed—their supreme durability and overwhelming might shrugging off the blow like it was little more than a breeze. They tore into the Giant, savage and merciless, ripping through its flesh with gleaming claws and burning breath.
In moments, the battle was over.
A simultaneous ping rang in Po and Jinwoo's minds:
"You have defeated the enemy."
Not the boss, merely the enemy.
Jinho cheered, racing toward them with a huge grin, but before he could even reach, the entire area erupted in a swirling, violent mana storm. The Gate began greedily sucking in the Giant's mana.
Po narrowed his eyes. He wasn't having it.
"You think I'll just let you do that?" he said coolly.
With a casual gesture, he summoned forth a power Jinwoo didn't have: a forceful Extraction. It wasn't Shadow Extraction—it was domination. Po pulled at the very essence of the fallen Giant, forcibly crafting it into a new soldier, cutting off the mana flow before it could alert whatever monsters lurked within the gate.
The moment the Giant knelt before Po in silent obedience, the storm calmed.
"Jinho, stay behind," Jinwoo ordered, voice brooking no argument.
Jinho, despite his desire to help, understood the gravity of the situation and nodded solemnly.
With that, Po and Jinwoo pushed through the portal—into the darkness beyond.
Inside, the gate's interior was a twisted mockery of a world: dark, chained cliffs suspended in endless voids, strange winds carrying distant screams. The oppressive atmosphere didn't faze them.
Yet, amidst the silence, a deep, rumbling laugh echoed through the air.
Beru and Igris, summoned at Jinwoo's side, shifted into battle stances, but Jinwoo raised a hand. "Wait."
Po cracked his knuckles lazily, his expression indifferent—but his mind sharp. He recognized the voice.
Legia.
Their path led them to a grotesque sight: a giant, larger than the one they'd just felled, bound by chains thicker than buildings. His golden eyes gleamed with a madness and desperation that spoke of centuries of captivity.
The chained giant grinned.
"Hahaha! How amusing! How amusing indeed... you despicable Rulers!" Legia cackled, the chains rattling like ghostly rattlesnakes.
"Look who has come to see me first! Welcome, Monarchs. Free me from these chains. I know what the Rulers have planned... I must warn the others."
He inspected them closely, his laughter halting.
"You two... you're not the Monarchs I know."
Jinwoo stepped forward, keeping his guard up. "Did the Rulers do this to you?"
Legia's chains rattled as he strained against them. "They are trying to use me... as a stepping stone for the true war to come. To soak this Earth in mana."
Po casually spun a small dagger in his hand, an idle smirk playing on his lips. He was pondering something far more important: how to turn this Monarch into his own soldier.
Jinwoo pressed for answers. "Who are these Rulers?"
Before Legia could answer, Po cut in, voice smooth but sharp as a blade.
"They're the creations of the Absolute Being. Supposedly the 'good guys' while Monarchs like us are the villains. But that's a naive way of seeing things."
Jinwoo's eyes narrowed at that revelation.
Legia resumed his mad muttering. "The Rulers... longtime enemies of the Monarchs. They seek to chain us, imprison us, use this planet for their war games."
As Jinwoo listened, understanding dawned. The Rulers were manipulating humanity and the Monarchs alike. They had rigged the board before the game even began.
To ensure no deceit, Jinwoo activated a magical binding—both parties were unable to lie to each other.
Legia, now cornered, revealed the last truth: "All the Rulers and Monarchs will eventually come for you... you cannot face them alone. You will need allies."
The idea of freeing Legia was tempting—too tempting. But Jinwoo noticed something: a faint glimmering magic stone embedded deep within Legia's neck.
Without hesitation, Jinwoo moved like a flash of lightning, striking at Legia's vulnerability.
Po acted at the same moment, his grin widening. He didn't just want to defeat Legia—he wanted to own him.
As Legia's form began to dissipate, Po roared:
"Not so fast!"
He summoned one of his mightiest radiant dragons, fusing it into Legia's dissolving form. The dragon's soul essence anchored Legia, creating a soul where none had existed—a requirement for shadow domination.
Arise.
In a blinding flash, Legia's body reformed, now kneeling before Po, chained still—but with new, darker chains of absolute loyalty.
A new notification rang in both their minds:
You have defeated the Dungeon Boss. Bonus Experience awarded for Subjugation of a Monarch-class entity.
Both Jinwoo and Po's levels surged, climbing to Level 125.
Po couldn't help but chuckle. "Another for the collection."
Meanwhile, halfway across the world…
A military helicopter descended onto a sprawling, extravagant mansion.
Standing on the marble steps, waiting with a casual smile, was Christopher Reed—one of the few Hunters in existence deserving the title of National Rank Hunter.
He was tall and muscular, with wavy brown hair shaved on the sides, piercing blue eyes, a trim of facial hair, and a lazy confidence that belied his immense strength. Dressed simply in a gray long-sleeved shirt, pants, and blue Crocs sandals, he looked more like someone heading to a beach party than the strongest Hunter in America.
As Deputy Director and Ms. Sellner approached, Christopher grinned.
"It's been a while, Deputy Director, Ms. Sellner."