Expressway Red gate dungeon...
The hunters outside the gate wondered what was happening inside the dungeon when Liu Zhigang's figure was seen exiting the dungeon.
"National Hunter, Liu,"
"He's out."
"Where's the healer?!"
Truth is, Liu Zhigang walked out of the dungeon with a broken arm. He managed to defeat the dungeon boss, but it didn't let him go unscathed.
The hunters ran to him, making way for the healer who started to do his job. They understood that the dungeon was a certified S-rank one.
Despite the pain and all, Liu's smile remained as he watched the hunters. "Do not worry about me. I'm out of the dungeon now," he said. He was surprised that he made it out that early.
The gate closed and a few of the hunters started to control traffic as the cars started to move.
Though the National Level Hunter's exterior was warm, his mind was in a self debriefing session. While he was fighting the dungeon boss, it kept on saying somethings in a particular pattern, but since he couldn't understand monster language, he didn't know what the words meant.
'What was it saying?'
A few minutes ago...
Inside the red gate.
Liu dodged the beast's axe by a fraction, skidding to a halt across.
"Are you the new dragon? You are not the new dragon. You are not the one to be here. I shall kill you now," the monster said, lunging at Liu.
Liu Zhigang gritted his teeth, deflecting strike after strike. He managed to make an opening and he used it effectively, cutting the beast's side and leaping back to gain distance. "You've been speaking since the start of the fight. I don't understand your language, monster."
"You are not the new dragon. I shall kill you. Where is the new dragon? You are not to be here," the beast said again, ignoring the cut as it charged once more.
Liu used its speed on it, sidestepping and slashing the back of its knees.
The beast fell, but just when Liu put his guard down, the beast swung its axe, using the flat side to slam Liu's shoulder, sending him crashing into trees. "You are not the new dragon. Where is the new dragon? I… must kill you."
Though it couldn't stand up, it held itself up with the axe. A golden light shun in front of it, followed by a blinding flash.
A thick and deep gash appeared on the monster's chest. But even before falling to the ground, dead, it spoke again. "You… are not… the new dragon." With that, it fell flat.
Liu Zhigang walked up to it as the dungeon gate reappeared, holding his broken arm. 'What was it saying, on and on again?'
Now...
Liu Zhigang hummed, convinced something was out of place, and he was afraid it may not be happening here alone. The sudden S-rank red gate in the middle of an expressway was disturbing enough. What if something was happening elsewhere?
As if to answer him, one of the hunters spoke. "At least that's one dungeon down."
"Hmm? What do you mean, hunter?" Liu asked.
"Three more dungeons appeared, right after you got trapped in this one. A-ranks. One of them even had a dungeon break. But the Hunters Association has sent the S-ranks across."
Liu nodded, wondering what could be happening in each of those dungeons.
And as he theorized, he wasn't wrong at all.
Highway dungeon...
Ma Dongwook who had arrived not too long ago alongside Baek Yoonho, put his hands together for Cha Hae-In who was now bleeding on the head.
She ran to him and jumped, placing her foot on his hands as he boosted her up. She spun and soared from above, driving her sword into the serpent's head.
An injured Lim Tae-Gyu and Choi Jong-In dealt damages on its neck side, while Baek Yoonho handled its thick scales by the abdomen with his claws.
The serpent screeched, a painful sound. "Hisss… None of you… ssss… the human monarch… ssss… the dragon." It shook its head trying to shake Cha off.
Cha removed her sword and drove it in again.
"You… ssss… Where is… sss… the young… ssss… dragon?"
Without out much fight left in it, the monster collapsed to the ground.
Choi exhaled deeply, his displaced ankle making him limp to Dongwook who put Choi's hand over his shoulder.
"I wonder what it kept on hissing about. Felt like it was asking something. I'm just saying though, it felt like that," Tae-Gyu said, his head bleeding as well.
"Who knows?" Yoonho shrugged, walking over to them alongside Cha Hae-In.
… …
Minho had been experiencing more of the clashes. War after war after war.
He watched the battles in awe. The Shadow Monarch, Ashborn was a different force compared to his Ruler self.
Every dead enemy or ally became a soldier of his. There was no death in the battlefield. Each life taken was restored with the power of the Shadow Monarch.
He became the major player in the world, but nonetheless, Antares remained a formidable force in his own right.
Then everything winked out and Minho was once again in the dragon palace.
Antares sat on his throne, alone. Minho could clearly hear Antares's thoughts as if they were his.
'Hmm… the Monarch of Shadows. He is becoming a major threat to my existence. Is this fear? I fear something. I fear his purpose. His control over death with his shadows is a counter to my absolute erasure through destruction. If the Absolute Being could create a Monarch of Death… am I, the Monarch of Destruction now… obsolete? No, I need to stop this before it goes too far.'
The scene changed once again in a blink. It was the same place and Antares was on his throne like before, but this time the other Monarchs stood in front of him, Ashborn excluded.
"What do you have to say about the Monarch of Shadows?" Antares asked.
"I believe he plans on killing us from within," Yogumunt, the Monarch of Transfiguration spoke, his form flickering.
"Yes, you are right. He is taking our armies for himself. A backlash may be disastrous with such power," Sillad, the Frost Monarch added to Yogumunt's words.
"I don't like him," Queresha spat.
"I fear that being," said the Monarch of Beginnings, Legia.
The rest of the Monarchs had their say and Antares remained silent for a while before coming to a conclusion. "Monarch of Fangs, Rakkan, I want you and Baran, Monarch of White Flames to handle this one task… put an end to the Monarch of Shadows. Kill Ashborn."