The Shadow Castle shuddered.
Pieces of broken pillars floated in the air, held up by leftover shadow magic.
Obskarn crawled out of the crater Agilan smashed him into—black ash spilling from his wounded chest.
But he wasn't defeated.
Not yet.
Agilan stood with his full Flesh Monarch form active—pulsating armor, tendrils wrapped around his arms and torso like crimson serpents, eyes glowing red with killing intent.
Only four hunters remained standing:
Raiden Jang.
Ananya.
Jai.
Agilan.
The other thirty-six S-Rank hunters lay dead across the battlefield—including the three that died earlier—making thirty-nine in total.
The hall was silent except for the faint moaning of the castle walls.
---
OBSKARN RISES FOR THE FINAL ROUND
Obskarn straightened his spine with a sickening crack.
The shadow mist around him thickened into a swirling abyss.
The scythe dug into the floor as he leaned on it, one eye flickering like a dying ember.
Obskarn:
"Flesh Monarch… you entertain me greatly."
Agilan's claws retracted.
He took a deep breath.
And then—
He activated BattleFist.
A pulse shook the castle.
Red armor gathered around Agilan's right arm, bulking, twisting, growing denser, heavier, harder.
Tendrils fused into the dual axe-like construct until it became a axe fist—
Four times larger than his normal arm.
A flesh-engine of destruction.
Raiden (stunned):
"His arm… evolved again…"
Jai:
"Bro is turning into a final boss…"
Ananya (whispering in awe):
"Agilan…"
But Agilan didn't answer.
He stepped forward.
Agilan (low, calm):
"Round two."
Obskarn grinned.
Obskarn:
"Come, Monarch. Break me if you can."
---
THE LONG, BRUTAL FINAL BATTLE
Agilan charges.
The ground implodes beneath his feet.
He appears before Obskarn—
Battle Fist extends like a whip blade—
then slams it downward.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The entire castle trembles.
Black shockwaves blast outward.
Obskarn blocks with his scythe—
But the force is too much.
The shadow weapon bends.
Obskarn is hurled through ten small towers of the castle's interior, smashing through each pillar until he crashes into a wall of writhing shadow.
Raiden shields Ananya and Jai from the impact.
Raiden:
"HE SHATTERED THE CASTLE'S CORE WALL??!"
---
Obskarn recovers—barely.
His form glitches.
Pieces of him flicker like a broken hologram.
But he stands.
Barely.
His voice fades in and out.
Obskarn:
"…Flesh… Monarch… you… are…"
He vanishes.
Appears behind Agilan—
Slashes.
Agilan bends backward unnaturally, tendrils pulling him to dodge.
He retaliates with—
HAMMERFIST TO THE RIBS.
Obskarn's form splits into fog… but the blow still damages him, scattering shadows like shattered glass.
---
A long exchange begins.
A storm of blows.
Shadow scythe arcs.
Flesh claws rip.
Darkness erupts.
Crimson aura pulses.
Agilan's Vermicular Surge lashes around Obskarn's legs, slamming him to the ground.
Obskarn retaliates by summoning shadow spikes that impale Agilan's shoulder—
Agilan tears them out without flinching.
Ananya covers Jai from stray shadow bursts.
Raiden channels lightning to deflect a wave of darkness.
But no one else interferes.
This was a monarch's duel.
---
THE DECIDING MOMENT
Obskarn collapses to one knee.
Half his torso gone.
Face cracked.
Scythe trembling.
He still smirks.
Obskarn:
"…I see it now…"
He looks up at Agilan with fading pride.
Obskarn:
"You are… not merely flesh."
Obskarn:
"You are the heir… to a throne buried in moons and blood."
Agilan raises his monstrous Battle Fist.
Energy gathers.
The castle starts disintegrating under the pressure.
Agilan:
"…Goodbye."
Obskarn opens his arms.
Accepting defeat.
Obskarn:
"Then… take your place… Flesh Monarch."
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The Battle Fist crashes down.
A crater explodes, swallowing half the castle.
A pillar of red and black energy shoots skyward, ripping the shadow dimension apart.
---
OBSKARN IS DEFEATED
When the dust fades…
Obskarn lies motionless.
His scythe is cracked in half.
His body disintegrates into black particles.
Ananya covers her mouth.
Ananya:
"He… did it…"
Jai collapses onto the floor.
Jai:
"Holy… shit…"
Raiden kneels, exhausted.
Raiden:
"That monster… is gone…"
Agilan stands alone in the center of the ruins—
Flesh Monarch aura fading, chest rising heavily as he reverts to human form, only the mutated arm remaining.
He stares at the fallen scythe.
And slowly…
He reaches down.
---
THE SHADOW TRIAL BEGINS
The moment Agilan's fingers touch the cracked scythe—
THRUMMMM—!!!
Darkness swallows him whole.
Raiden, Ananya, Jai scream—
Raiden:
"AGILAN—!!"
But he's already gone.
Everything collapses into black.
Agilan floats alone.
No castle.
No hunters.
No ground.
Only endless void.
Then—
A holographic blue notification appears before him.
---
SYSTEM MESSAGE
[ SHADOW WEAPON CREATION TEST ]
[ Item Class ]
▪ Primordial Relic – EX Rank
(Above SSS-Rank. A category only granted to weapons forged before the creation of modern dimensions.)
[ Weapon Type ]
▪ Abyssal Shadow Scythe
▪ Bound-Weapon (Cannot be equipped by anyone except the chosen Monarch)
[To claim the Scythe of Obskarn,
you must defeat—]
A silhouette forms.
Tall.
Muscular.
Carrying an identical shadow scythe.
Eyes burning with the same rage Agilan carried in his deepest moments.
[ YOUR OWN SHADOW ]
The system booms:
"DEFEAT YOURSELF."
Agilan clenches his fists as his shadow twin raises the scythe toward him.
System:
[ Begin Trial? ]
Agilan smirks.
Agilan:
"Let's finish this."
The screen cuts to black.