[Chapter Size: 2200 Words.]
Third Person POV
Great Britain.
...
...
"The newspapers are going crazy. All the Aurors and the clueless forces are certainly looking for us all over Great Britain right now..." Alaric Prince could not help but murmur.
Summons, questions, doubts, and hasty conclusions — images of an entire army of shadows covering the whole city appeared in the newspapers, gigantic dragons, winged beings everywhere... All standing still while their dark bodies looked like small embers of darkness.
Meanwhile, Severus was at the center of all that, being revered by all those dark creatures, very similar to the shadows he already used.
People panicked, not knowing what that meant.
"He said he would return as soon as he had better answers," Bellatrix murmured, in Severus's house.
Everyone was gathered there: the brides and the brides' families, even the Evans family. They discussed the newspapers that kept arriving. Even the four main house-elves, along with part of the other hundred who were in the village, were also present.
"Severus said, when he needed to talk to those shadows, that he would go somewhere isolated to understand what had just happened, since even he couldn't comprehend it," Rosária continued.
So far, Severus only knows that thanks to this portal, the number of his soldiers increased by 84 times... Soldiers so powerful that they could destroy all of humanity, far stronger than the giants that ravaged Japan.
What was most frightening was not even the matter of the powerful army, but the fact that they all simply knelt before Severus and declared him sovereign. After that, those hundred thousand soldiers entered directly into his shadow, as if they were nothing. All who witnessed this in Cokeworth and even in the newspapers were deeply unsettled.
That left the world stunned. Questions arose from all sides: what was happening? Could it be that the new enemy coming to light was Severus himself? As always, there were two sides. Those who suspected Severus of being an enemy had never ceased since the beginning. However, there were also many who defended him. For the most part, they remembered his actions in Japan and before that, especially since there had been no battle in Cokeworth and everything ended peacefully, despite the shock.
Still, everyone awaited an answer from Severus.
"No matter what they say, Severus managed to protect everyone in some way," said Clarisse. "He said that someone even more powerful is coming to this world, so this must be the strength he will need in the end."
After that, the discussions continued among them and each family went to their home, waiting for Severus.
Meanwhile, somewhere unknown in some part of the world, Severus stood in the middle of the day. There were two shadows by his side, none other than Igris and Beru. In front of him, a humanoid being with four wings remained kneeling.
He introduced himself as Bellion, the Marshal of the Shadow Army. Behind him, the entire unit of more than one hundred thousand creatures — dragons, angels, and other beings — remained motionless, all kneeling in submission.
Severus needed answers, and the problem was that not even his own shadows could provide them. Bellion explained that they had remained dormant for thousands of years in a separate space, until they were finally summoned to serve a new Monarch.
Severus questioned whether that made any sense, since they did not even know him and how they could already have such loyalty. The Marshal merely stared at him with a firm and determined look.
"We serve the one who holds the power of shadows, and that is you. You are his heir, the one who now assumes his power. There is no denying who you are, my sovereign. We are here to serve you, for eternity," the man declared, with a deep and reverent voice.
And it was not just him. Some shadows now possessed speech: Beru, Bellion, and the three dragons were the five creatures who could speak, all at least at the level of generals.
Severus realized that, soon enough, Igris would also reach that level. He was evolving rapidly, growing in power and authority. Severus felt a certain curiosity — and even anticipation — to discover what kind of person Igris had been before becoming a shadow, considering his skill with the sword and his absolute loyalty as the main guard.
He thought this because Beru, who was at his side, was the same as he had known him before, except that his loyalty now belonged to him. The ant was extremely fanatical about Severus.
He even showed jealousy toward the girls who were his fiancées, forcing Severus to put him firmly in his proper place a few times. In Japan, in fact, he protested when he was separated, wanting to remain at his sovereign's side, but Severus was firm in saying that everything would be fine and that the separation was necessary to expand the reach of his actions.
"So you are the Marshal… the one who commands the entire Shadow Army," Severus pondered, observing the figure before him.
"Exactly, my sovereign. I will guide your soldiers to victory, no matter who the enemy may be," Bellion replied, with absolute confidence.
Severus took a deep breath and turned his gaze to that entire army. He had also released the other shadows he had accumulated over time. In total, there were 101 thousand soldiers there. A force he had never imagined possessing since he awakened in that world.
He had always known he would need power, but he never thought he would reach such an absurd scale to face the other Monarchs. Now, he truly had the capacity to fight the Monarch of Ice.
"Now I can deal with you," Severus murmured, lifting his gaze to the sky.
If the Monarch of Ice came to this world, then let him come.
When he turned his attention back to the army, Severus was certain of something: Steve knew this. He never directly said that the portal would be a threat, he left subtle hints in his words. He always said that the threat was another, another who was coming to this world, never the portal, and he had confidence that Severus would deal with the Monarch of Ice.
Steve should have warned the world about all of this, but he did not. Severus sighed. He would still have that long conversation with Steve, but before that, he needed to clean up the mess he had created — the image of him disappearing with an army capable of causing far more destruction than the giants in Japan must have been leaving the world in panic.
As he thought about this, Beru stepped forward.
"My king," he declared, making Severus look at him in surprise. The shadow had taken the initiative to speak. "If you allow me, I have a request to make."
"Go on," Severus replied simply.
"I would like to become a Marshal of the Army," Beru said, making Severus raise an eyebrow even further and all the surrounding shadows turn their attention to him.
They were not mere soldiers who simply obeyed orders. The shadows possessed their own personalities. The loyalty imposed by the power of shadows was absolute — to obey, fight, and die for the king — but even so, they still thought for themselves.
"You want this?" Severus murmured, and turned his gaze to Bellion.
The Marshal remained silent for a moment before looking at the king. "If he wishes to prove that he is worthy, very well, I accept the challenge. Let it be a fight. If he wins, he will have the power to command the Shadow Army. If not, he will recognize me as his Marshal and follow me," Bellion declared, as if asking the sovereign for permission to proceed.
Severus understood immediately. Bellion did not just want to strengthen his position among the hundred thousand soldiers and the thousand shadows Severus already possessed. He wanted Beru to acknowledge him. If Bellion's dominant strength were recognized, Beru would have no choice but to obey it as a general.
"All right. You may do that," Severus said. "If you want to fight, very well."
The shadows seemed excited by the confrontation and quickly gathered around them. Severus transfigured a stone into a comfortable chair and sat down, watching Beru and Bellion stand face to face.
They stared at each other for a second before advancing against one another.
Bellion wielded his sword, which extended like a whip, while Beru dodged with extreme speed, beating his wings rapidly. The fight instantly became fierce. When Bellion closed in, Beru responded with absurd strength and reaction speed, delivering a punch with his claws that sent Bellion flying and exploding against the ground.
Bellion rose from the shattered ground and quickly regained his stance, and the battle continued.
The fight went on for some time. Severus had to admit that both were powerful. Beru had become much stronger after what happened in Japan, but Bellion proved to be an even greater force. Gradually, Beru began to fall at a disadvantage.
Severus had already tried to ask about Bellion's origin, but not even he could obtain answers, even though Bellion was loyal and would not lie to Severus. It was as if the system were blocking any information about the former Shadow Monarch.
Once again, Severus found himself surrounded by questions… and without answers.
For a while, Severus was still lost in his thoughts, but he did not take his eyes off the fight, clearly observing how both moved at high speed. Until Beru could no longer endure it and finally fell to his knees.
"You fought well, but you are still not comparable to me," Bellion declared, as the victor.
He then turned to the king and knelt. "My sovereign. I have proven myself worthy. Should I continue to assume the position of Marshal of the Shadow Army?" he asked. He still needed his sovereign's final approval.
"You have the experience and the strength necessary to continue leading the shadows. I will leave this role with you as the main commander," Severus declared, feeling satisfied with Bellion's strength.
Around them, the shadows began to applaud. Even Beru accepted the victory by kneeling beside the other shadow. Bellion, in turn, maintained a serious gaze. Even amid the celebration, he remained proud and alert.
Severus then looked at Beru, who seemed to let out a few groans before suddenly opening his eyes and starting to cry.
"Beru… are you crying?" Severus asked, making a face.
"I was not worthy, my sovereign," the shadow said. "My greatest desire is not to fail you, and even so... even so, I failed. I feel unworthy of your will. Please, punish me." Severus choked.
"What are you talking about? It was just a fight. Bellion proved to be stronger, but that does not define you as having inferior worth," he said.
His gaze swept over the surrounding shadows, who remained silent, but soon nodded, agreeing with the king.
Igris, Beru, and Bellion were, without a doubt, the most important shadows in the entire army. Other powerful shadows — including those originating from Voldemort and other entities — were also there, but none compared to that trio in terms of strength and importance.
The three dragons could even be just as strong, or even stronger, but they were different. To Severus, dragons were the army's weapons of destruction, used only in specific moments, not commanders who would walk by his side.
"My Sovereign!!" Beru began to cry even more, moved by Severus's words.
"Anyway, let's go. We've already wasted too much time here," Severus said.
The shadows began to disperse, sinking into the ground and heading directly toward his feet. In a few moments, the entire army had disappeared, and the place became deserted again with only Severus there.
Severus raised his staff and vanished, returning directly to Great Britain. Once again, he needed to clarify to the world what had happened on that very day.
Perhaps the world would no longer see him the same way now that he possessed a gigantic army, but Severus could not deny that it was necessary: for what was to come, that power had emerged at the best possible moment.
At the same time, outside the world, a massive comet shot from Mars toward Earth. Its ice began to crack, forming a long tail as it advanced, gaining more and more speed. This alerted Earth's satellites, which finally detected its activity and began issuing warnings to the planet, indicating that the object was heading directly toward it.
A little farther away from Mars, another comet, golden in color, was also advancing toward Earth. It was already being detected, but it was not as large as the first and, therefore, did not cause the same alarm.
If the world was already exhausted by two portals filled with monsters, it would not be even a little pleased to discover that the portals were only part of the disaster waves… and that others would come soon after.
It seemed there would be no rest.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝
New update: I'm working with AI and creating images from the best scenes in the chapters!
I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!
I hope each chapter has provided incredible moments. If you like my work and would like to support the continuation of this fanfic, consider becoming a patron with plans starting at $2!. As a token of gratitude, I offer access to more than 210 extra chapters with 7 active fanfics at the same time, along with other exclusive benefits on my profile, such as images and significant decisions for the stories.
Even if you are not a patron, I am making chapters available a few hours earlier here, so become a free member on the platform!
🌟 RaccoonLeague | Patreon🌟
Visit our Patreon for more: https://www.patreon.com/RaccoonLeague
Extra Content Already Available:
🏴☠️ One Piece - I Am a Different Luffy!: 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic!: 30 extra chapters!
🌀 Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI!: 30 extra chapters!
🗡️ The Witcher - As Uchiha Madara! 30 extra chapters!
⚡ Harry Potter - Shadow Monarch! Finished! [100%]
👑 Game of Thrones: DragonBorn! 30 extra chapters!
Except for One Piece with daily chapters and DragonBorn once a week, all fanfics are updated 3 times a week, there's just a pause in updating in the week, only to create drafts for the week's chapters.
In addition to the extra chapters, daily chapters are posted and 25 chapters per week!
Your support is very important and makes all the difference in keeping these stories alive.
Thank you very much for being part of this journey! I hope you continue to enjoy the story and that it brings even more joy to your life!
Visit our Patreon for more!!
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆