(QUICK NOTE: THE TALE IS NOT A CARBON COPY OF THE OG SOLO LEVELING LORE. ANY DEVIATIONS ARE NOT MISTAKES! ENJOY.)
Minho landed in the battlefield once more. There was another war against the Rulers. This time the Rulers played a crucial card, which was capturing Legia.
They targeted him in particular for a good number of reasons. As the Monarch of Beginnings, he was one of the strongest of the Monarchs.
His army of giants were one the greatest military forces of the Monarchs.
And lastly, to use him as a means to pool mana into the human world and prepare it for the final war against the Monarchs.
They used the Absolute Being's mana-absorbing chains to trap Legia in a pocket dimension deep under the earth, implanting an essence stone at the back of his neck, causing his bloodlust towards humans grow.
After this event, time passed and the next war happened when the Monarchs of Fangs and White Flames ambushed the Monarch of Shadows after he fought the Rulers.
'So, he was never the real traitor?' Minho thought, his eyes half-lided as he watched the fight.
'I know the Monarch of Frost lied, but then again… why did this all start? Fear. Because someone was too scared. Scared of getting his position in the hierarchy taken away. Pfft… how lame.'
Minho looked down at his own hands. 'You speak so high of yourself. You have this much power. I can even tell I'm nowhere close to what I'm seeing, but… you fall to the fear of insecurity? Fear of being rendered obsolete? A King? Don't make me laugh. You don't deserve that title.'
When he raised his head, the war was over. The Beast Monarch managed to escape, but Ashborn killed the Monarch of White Flames, Baran, as a punishment for the betrayal.
Then it all disappeared again.
Nothing.
Information started to flood Minho's brain once again.
After the betrayal, the war inside a war and the punishment, Ashborn disappeared. The Monarch of Shadows was nowhere to be found.
Eons passed and the Monarch of Shadows finally made his return. He met with the Monarchs, though the Monarch of White Flames was now dead and the Monarch of Beginnings was trapped.
The Monarchs admitted their worries of him still being a traitor. Ashborn said he had no reason to still be with the Rulers, so they offered to let him back in. On one condition.
"What reason will I have? What would be the purpose? Would I not have conspired against you eons ago?" Ashborn spoke.
"You might be working on a grand plan we may not know of," Sillad's voice came in cautiously.
"I have not a grand plan that entails betrayal, Monarch of Frost," Ashborn replied.
"Then prove yourself," said Queresha.
"That is true. Prove you are fully an ally," Tarnak added.
"You will join us on this one condition," Antares finally spoke. "Show you have the will of the Monarchs."
Ashborn looked between the Monarchs, "What is this 'condition' you speak of?"
"Use your armies to invade the world and destroy the land (Japan) protected by the Rulers," Antares said, his words final.
"Why? Why will I use my armies to kill innocent humans?"
"Are you admitted you are indeed a traitor?" Sillad's eyes narrowed.
"I refuse this condition. I will not use this power to cause any harm to the innocent beings who have nothing to do with this."
"Very well," Antares muttered.
Ashborn's refusal to the condition painted one fine picture to the Monarchs: He was still a traitor at heart and was toying with them.
This led to another war breaking out. All remaining six Monarchs joined their forces and ambushed the Monarch of Shadows.
The war lasted for a really long time and the injured Shadow Monarch realized he could not really win against all the forces of the six Monarchs combined. He needed to retreat and find a means to put an end to all of this.
Ashborn retreated and disappeared once again.
During this period, the Monarchs learnt of vessels. Using humans as a keep for their powers, just like the Rulers did. A means they could use to finally enter the fragile world, because it was too weak to handle the immense amount of mana both the Rulers and Monarchs possessed.
They started to posses the humans strong enough to withstand their immense powers, but the only difference between the Monarchs' vessels and that of the Rulers' was simple. Unlike Rulers' vessels, Monarch vessels could not keep identity and died off, leaving the bodies to the respective Monarchs.
Although this was going on, Antares was unable to enter the world through the use of vessels, because there was no human who had enough capacity to withstand the power of the Monarch of Destruction.
So he stayed back and waited for Monarchs and their doings to make the world fit enough for him to enter in his full monstrous form.
Suddenly, the Monarchs could feel the presence of the Shadow Monarch on earth and they guessed he had also acquired a human vessel.
They had a meeting but Antares was absent, his say was passed on by Sillad. The Monarch of Frost suggested they take care of the vessel before it becomes a force too strong to handle.
'What is all this?' Minho thought.
The rest of the story flooded in and Minho realized the human he believed to be the Shadow Monarch - Jinwoo, was just a vessel for Ashborn before becoming the Shadow Monarch himself and killing the Monarchs.
The final battle was between Jinwoo and Antares. The battle was long but Antares was finally killed by the Rulers' spears after being distracted by Jinwoo.
"So this is it? That's how he died?" Minho muttered. "Then how? How was… the Monarch of Frost wa… How? This doesn't make sense at all."
Minho then watched as the cup of reincarnation was used to rewind time. All the Monarchs were revived with their full memories.
Jinwoo then went on to face the other Monarchs, but for some reason he spared them, ordering they leave the world and go into hiding if they wanted to live. They then went on to meet Antares and claimed the Shadow Monarch was planning to ambush them, starting with him, Antares.
The Monarch of Destruction then ordered for another war against the Shadow Monarch's forces.
This act made Jinwoo act on self-defense. Despite sparing them, they still decided to come after him. He took his forces and prepared for the war.
On reaching the battlefield, Antares realized the other Monarchs were nowhere to be found. Was this a trick?
The war took place either way. The second face-off between the Monarchs' of Destruction and Shadows.
… …
In the real world.
Inside the dungeon.
The disciples, despite in their full dragon form excluding Vasha, were dismantled and laid helplessly, bleeding on the floor, including the slime that was now back to its normal form. Bihami was splattered on the floor, unmoving. The slime was probably already dead.
Rakkan held a bleeding Vasha up by the neck, pressing tight as she struggled to pry open his fingers. "You seem to be the one making a a fuss about this the most. How about I kill you first?"
Vasha struggled, the veins in her head popping out as she scratched his hands with her nails that were now dragon-like. She was growing weaker by every passing second.
Rakkan's smile faltered when he noticed her turning to Minho. "You dare take your eyes off me? Even dying, you still turn to your so-called new King?"
Vasha turned back to him, looking down. A faint smile appeared on her face as she managed a small whisper, her voice strained. "At… least he's… a… awake… now. I c-ca… can die in, p-peace."
"What did you say?" Rakkan asked, wondering what it was she muttered.
Vasha slowly raised her shaking hand, showing him her middle finger. "Y… Yo… You're. Fucking. Dead."
Rakkan's blood instantly ran cold as he heard something after Vasha's words.
Minho's eyes slowly opened with that familiar crimson glow. He breathed out, steam leaving the corners of his mouth. "Haa,"