Flames nearly set the entire sky ablaze, but even more dazzling than the firelight was the sole purple shadow within this white world.
Sung Jinwoo keenly noticed it—the moment Cha Hae-in was engulfed by the dragon's breath, a color distinct from the bright world appeared where she'd been swallowed.
Then, from that different hue, something shot out with extreme speed, streaking down like a meteor as it chased after the dragon.
The dragon's breath, powerful enough for Sung Jinwoo to admit he couldn't withstand head-on, was cleanly split in two before the Death Dragon.
With the oppressive force of the Death Dragon's descent, the King of Dragons found it immensely difficult even to evade.
BOOM!
The already fragile earth shattered once more under the Death Dragon's impact.
Countless debris and dust were flung skyward by the tremendous force, only to rain back down under gravity's pull.
When the view cleared again, all that could be seen was the mere ten-meter-long Death Dragon having sent the hundred-meter-tall King of Dragons tumbling head over heels, lying battered and bloody on the ground.
The Death Dragon roared toward the heavens, as if declaring its status as a dragon of a higher order.
But this was only from Sung Jinwoo's perspective.
From Castorice's point of view…
Pollux: What's this thing that came out with fire all over its face?
Pollux: The fire seems to be coming from that direction?
Pollux: Did I hit something?
Pollux: Feels like a dragon… Is it normal for it to shatter on impact?
Pollux: [Looking up at Castorice] Was this thing okay to hit? I thought it was a speed bump.
"Roar…!"
The King of Dragons, dazed from the collision, had just regained consciousness when he saw an unknown magical beast standing atop him.
Its posture, like that of a victor, filled him with fury, while its immense magical power left him utterly astounded.
What kind of power is this?
Though Pollux appeared draconic, the King of Dragons didn't truly consider it a dragon.
He could clearly sense that this so-called dragon was merely a shell; its essence bore no relation to dragonkind whatsoever—no dragon scales, not even a dragon heart or draconic aura.
It was less a dragon and more like Death that had taken a dragon's shape.
Mid-air, Cha Hae-in had braced herself for serious injury.
While her defenses as a warrior-type hunter far surpassed a fragile mage like Sung Jinwoo, she lacked his regenerative abilities. Her damage threshold was higher, but once injured, her condition would truly deteriorate.
Though confident that even in a weakened state she could handle the Monarch of Transfiguration and the Monarch of Fangs—since they couldn't breach her defenses—sustaining the first injury in such a battle was undoubtedly a bad sign.
Unexpectedly, the anticipated attack never arrived. Instead, a familiar purple rift appeared before her.
Before she could process it, the Death Dragon's form shot from the rift, slamming directly into and flipping over the Monarch of Destruction.
Castorice, who stepped out afterward, was also taken aback by the situation. She had just opened a portal using the magical coordinates left on Cha Hae-in, only to see an attack heading straight for her.
Almost instinctively, the Death Dragon shot forward.
Facing this extension of her own will, Castorice certainly wouldn't blame it for acting on impulse; its charge was undoubtedly driven by her own subconscious.
Besides, the impact was spot-on—hitting the enemy wasn't a problem at all.
"My apologies, Cha-sunbae, I'm late."
Castorice looked toward Cha Hae-in, offering a slight, composed smile.
"Not at all! You're right on time! This is a huge help!"
Seeing the familiar figure and her unruffled demeanor, Cha Hae-in's tension instantly eased. But then she remembered the Destruction Legion rushing in all directions. "Right! Those magical beasts—!"
"Don't worry."
At that moment, Sung Jinwoo, riding his wyvern, flew up beside the two.
His expression relaxed, he said, "My soldiers have done their best to protect the survivors. While their frontal combat strength falls short of the King of Dragons's troops in the short term, they won't lose in a prolonged battle."
Backed by the entire Underworld's magic, he spoke with undeniable confidence.
"Your soldiers… Speaking of which, Hunter Sung Jinwoo, you are…?"
Cha Hae-in had long felt something was off.
Whether it was Sung Jinwoo's status as Castorice's subordinate, his ability to continuously summon soldiers, or his magic resembling Castorice's own—all of it, combined with intel from her earlier exchange with the Monarch of Frost…
"Ah, I am the Monarch of Shadows," Sung Jinwoo stated directly.
"Hunter Sung?"
Castorice was also somewhat puzzled. She could sense Sung Jinwoo had progressed significantly, his life essence completely transformed, utterly different from his previous half-measure state.
But… the specifics of what happened, she didn't know.
"Simply put, the Monarch of Shadows and I have merged into one."
Sung Jinwoo found it hard to explain fully, so he kept it brief. "Now, all his power has been transferred to me."
Their exchange left Cha Hae-in even more confused. So Sung Jinwoo hadn't been the Monarch of Shadows before, but had just become it?
"Can Monarchs… be succeeded?" she couldn't help asking.
Noticing the conversation was drifting off-track since Castorice's arrival, Sung Jinwoo felt the need to steer it back.
"Generally, no. My situation is special… But more importantly, we have other matters to handle first."
Even as he refocused the topic, he used the slightly arrogant phrasing 'handle.'
After all, in his view, the situation was clear: he and Cha Hae-in would each take down a Monarch, while Castorice dealt with the King of Dragons.
If he and Cha Hae-in finished quickly, they might even join in against the King of Dragons.
He didn't consider the King of Dragons a difficult opponent for Castorice. He knew his own odds against the King of Dragons were four-to-six, and Castorice still seemed unfathomably deep to him.
"Guess that's the God of Death for you…"
Sung Jinwoo wasn't too surprised.
Even as the Monarch of Shadows now, he held no particular fondness for Monarchs or Rulers—at most, he felt a vague sense of camaraderie toward the former Monarch of Shadows.
Compared to these outsiders from beyond Earth, Castorice, the local God of Death, naturally earned more of his respect.
She was the strongest, and that made her easier for him to accept.
Though the fact that Castorice's identity as an Earth deity was appearing for the first time across multiple cycles was intriguing… he didn't care.
There were too many possible explanations—like Castorice herself stating she'd recently taken the position, or that the previous God of Death didn't care about humanity's extinction.
He paid such explanations no mind. Based on their interactions and his understanding so far, he was simply willing to believe Castorice was their Earth's deity.
If Castorice checked her approval rating, she'd find it had surged significantly once again.
"God of Death?"
Cha Hae-in looked at Sung Jinwoo, then at Castorice, feeling a sudden understanding, yet lacking key information and confirmation. She grasped it only vaguely.
A sense of discomfort pricked at her.
Why did these two have so many conversations she didn't understand? Weren't all three of them friends?
Each having identified their respective opponents, Castorice landed and turned her gaze toward the King of Dragons pinned beneath the Death Dragon's claw.
Though directly in Castorice's line of sight, the King of Dragons instinctively felt she wasn't truly looking at him.
And… only by facing her directly could he truly sense it—this unknown being, or the one the Monarch of Shadows called the God of Death, was terrifyingly powerful!
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.