Out of a deep shadow, generals clad in black armor began to emerge one by one Standing at the very front, Neroth, with his massive talons and black wings, knelt beside Valorian without wasting a single moment. The instant he placed his palms upon Valorian's chest, purple and black shadow mana began to flow into his body Shattered bones slowly attempted to knit back together, and internal organs began to reshape. However, the damage he had sustained was so immense that the healing progressed at an agonizingly slow pace Right then, a heavy yet calm voice echoed, vibrating through the depths of space.
"What is his status?"
Neroth lowered his head slightly as he answered.
"My King… His life remains in critical danger. Most of his organs are ruptured. I am doing everything in my power… but we have very little time."
Upon hearing these words, Omer Jin-Hoo's gaze shifted toward Valorian for a brief moment There was absolutely no emotion on his face.
No anger…
No panic…
Nor any fear…
Only a dull expression that resembled the ultimate silence of death This utter indifference was, in fact, the truest testament to just how profound the wrath brewing inside him actually was All the generals formed a flawless battle formation around their king.
Ignarion rested his massive sword against his shoulder Clairael spread her wings, scanning the surroundings Morvath silently twirled the dark spear in his hand Baran and Vidal were setting up the front lines of the shadow army.
None of them spoke.
Because they all knew…
When their king was enraged, there was no need for words Watching them from a distance, Vorgath's patience had completely run out The condescending sneer on his face gave way to pure, unadulterated rage.
His veins began to bulge with black energy.
"You…"
He gripped his sword with fury.
"Who do you think you are…"
The sky began to turn pitch black.
"…TO IGNORE ME?!"
With his final word, a terrifying roar echoed throughout the entire universe.
"Aaaaaaaaaaa!!"
The dark mana exploded uncontrollably across his body The sheer violence of the explosion engulfed not only his enemies but his own army as well Thousands of dark soldiers turned to ash before they could even comprehend what was happening Dragons were torn to shreds and flung into space Knights vanished into nothingness Vorgath's power no longer distinguished between friend and foe.
At that exact moment, Omer Jin-Hoo took a single step forward.
He slowly raised his right hand.
The purple and black shadows rising from his palm began to transform into a massive dome.
"Shadow Sanctuary."
Millions of shadow soldiers and all the generals were brought inside this colossal barrier within seconds When the destructive energy radiating from Vorgath's transformation slammed into the barrier, space itself began to crackle and splinter The resulting shockwaves exceeded the speed of light, obliterating the remaining stars of the Hydra Constellation
Then…
A nearby galaxy collapsed in upon itself, as if crushed by an invisible hand Billions of stars were extinguished forever in a single explosion Even the fabric of the universe was struggling to withstand this raw power.
Minutes later…
The dust, debris, and dark mana slowly dispersed The silhouette that emerged was no longer the Vorgath from before His size had grown so immense that it surpassed that of small planets His massive dragon body, covered in black scales, devoured the darkness of space Energy leaked continuously from his blood-red eyes, and with every breath he took, surrounding asteroid belts were shattered into pieces The mere act of slightly unfurling his wings sent tremors through the void of space The entity standing before them now was no longer just the Monarch of Darkness He had become the living embodiment of ruin.
Yet…
Despite this horrifying spectacle, the expression on Omer Jin-Hoo's face did not change His black and purple aura rippled silently, and his dull eyes remained locked onto a single target
In the absolute center of this silence, Vorgath, in his colossal dark dragon form, drew heavy breaths. With every breath he took, the fabric of space trembled, and the dark mana rising from his maw melted even the remnants of nearby stars. His blood-red eyes gleamed with fury and hatred Yet, facing him was only a single individual.
Omer Jin-Hoo.
The black shadow armor covering his body moved as if it were alive, and the black and purple flames rising from his shoulders warped the surrounding void. His eyes resembled a deep vortex where pitch black and purple intertwined. There was neither anger nor fear on his face Only absolute tranquility This very silence fueled Vorgath's rage even further
"YOU CANNOT UNDERESTIMATE ME!"
His voice was not merely heard; it sent shockwaves through space itself. Asteroids millions of kilometers away shattered into pieces, and waves of raw energy rattled the surrounding star systems.
"I AM… VORGATH, THE MONARCH OF DARKNESS!"
Vorgath opened his jaws to their absolute limit Deep within his throat, black mana began to swirl. Then, lightnings bordering on purple started to coil around this dark sphere. The energy grew exponentially by the second devouring the space around it.
The moment the generals witnessed this, they were struck with dread.
"My King!" Ignarion shouted.
"Watch out!" Clairael cried out.
With one final roar, Vorgath unleashed his attack.
"DARK BREATH OF DEATH!"
The black energy surged forward, erasing everything in its path. The fabric of space tore apart wherever it passed, and even light itself was lost within that profound darkness Within seconds, the attack reached the exact coordinates where Omer stood.
Yet…
Omer did not take a single step.
He did not defend.
He did not dodge.
He simply raised his right hand, slowly The very moment he extended his fingers toward the oncoming onslaught, the dark energy made contact with him.
And…
CRACK!
The massive beam of energy shattered into thousands of pieces, like glass There was no explosion.
There was no collision.
Only absolute erasure…
The moment the dark energy touched Omer's palm, it dissipated as if it had never existed in the first place Space was plunged into silence once more Vorgath's eyes widened to their absolute limits.
His breath hitched.
For the very first time…
He experienced true terror.
He whispered in a trembling voice.
"…Impossible…"
Omer slowly raised his head His dull gaze locked directly onto Vorgath's eyes.
Then, he spoke in a calm, yet ice-cold voice.
"The power of the Monarch of Darkness… is it truly this pathetic?"
These words were an invisible strike delivered straight to Vorgath's pride From within the shadows, a dagger covered in red and black dragon scales slowly manifested. The red veins coursing across the surface of the dagger pulsed like the heartbeat of a living creature. The surrounding space began to warp slightly under the sheer weight of the power the dagger radiated Omer gripped the dagger loosely.
Then, he began to walk forward with heavy, yet resolute strides.
With every step he took, shadow energy bled into space, leaving black fractures in his wake.
Vorgath, on the other hand, was involuntarily recoiling The Monarch of Darkness, who had been destroying universes just moments ago, was now stepping back in fear against the mere stride of a single man.
Omer did not stop.
Without breaking eye contact for even a fraction of a second, he uttered only a single sentence with a cold expression:
"I am coming… Vorgath."
At that exact moment, for the very first time, the Monarch of Darkness realized one terrifying truth:This was no longer a battle he could win. He was no longer the predator… he had become the prey
The Monarch of Darkness was truly terrified.
His instincts were screaming a single command at him Run.
Without a second thought, he unfurled his colossal wings and fled with all his might. Dark mana left long, fading trails behind him as he exceeded the speed of light within seconds, rocketing into deep space Yet, Omer did not even move from his spot Without breaking his gaze from his fleeing enemy, he slowly extended his left hand forward.
He opened his palm.
And whispered a single phrase.
"…Ruler's Authority."
At that exact moment, it was as if time stood still The entirety of space fell under the crushing weight of an invisible will. Stars dimmed, the flow of mana reversed, and the surrounding celestial bodies began to be pulled toward an unseen center The fleeing Vorgath ground to a sudden halt His body was being dragged backward against his will He beat his wings frantically, clawed at the empty void, and unleashed his dark mana to its absolute limit.
But it was completely futile.
"No…!"
"This… what kind of power is this?!"
The gravitational pull grew increasingly immense It was as if the universe itself had submitted to Omer's command
Losing all control, the colossal dragon body was hurled backward past the speed of light.
In an instant, he was dragged right in front of Omer With a single movement, Omer brought his arm down.
As if seized by an invisible force, Vorgath crashed into the shattered remnants of the planets with all his weight.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The violence of the impact flung millions of rock fragments into the deep recesses of space. The resulting rings of energy rippled across light-years Vorgath's massive body was buried into the ground, his armor cracked, and thick, pitch-black blood began to pour from his maw He was struggling to even draw a breath.
For the first time in eons…
He felt death looming this close Omer, however, was still looking down at him with the exact same tranquil expression There was no intoxication of victory, nor any rage.
It was as if the entity before him was merely a mundane obstacle whose clearing was nothing more than a duty to fulfill Vorgath looked up at him with trembling eyes And for the very first time, he truly accepted his impending defeat.
Right at that moment…
A heavy, majestic voice resonated, piercing through the silence of space:
"Imperial March."
Across the vast reaches of space, thousands of crimson fissures began to tear open Out from the rifts marched countless dragons, armored knights, and colossal armies shrouded in a burning red aura And at the very forefront of this entire vanguard, a new sovereign emerged with a cold, piercing gaze.
Xu Liangchen had arrived
Thousands of cosmic rifts tore open across every corner of the battlefield Out of each rift emerged dragons breathing blood-red mana The beating of their wings shook entire star systems, and the crimson flames erupting from their maws illuminated the deep darkness of space Following the dragons, countless legions of knights clad in black-and-crimson armor began to march with heavy strides Their spears, swords, and banners were all enshrouded in the same ominous red aura.
Tens of thousands…
Hundreds of thousands…
Millions…
There was no visible end to the army.
Everyone on the battlefield involuntarily held their breath Finally, out of the largest rift, a single silhouette stepped forward A long Red coat draped down from his shoulders, its dark red embroideries glowing within the bleakness His black hair fell down to his shoulders, and the crimson energy overflowing from his eyes made the surrounding void vibrate The serene expression on his face was a silent proclamation of the absolute power he possessed.
This man was…
Xu Liangchen.
With heavy yet confident strides, he walked to the absolute front of his army Behind him, four silhouettes manifested, dropping to their knees Once mighty Monarchs of Darkness…
They had now been reduced to Xu's shadow soldiers.
The shadows rising from their pitch-black bodies demonstrated their absolute loyalty to their master The moment Neroth saw them, he gritted his teeth.
"…You again…"
A faint smirk appeared on the corner of Xu's lips.
He turned his gaze directly toward Omer Jin-Hoo Vorgath, wasting no time, stumbled and retreated right behind Xu The Monarch of Darkness, who just moments ago stood with enough power to destroy the universe, now looked like a child seeking a safe harbor to hide in.
Xu paid no attention to this.
He simply kept his eyes locked on Omer.
"So, you really have returned…"
His voice was calm, yet powerful enough to echo across the entire battlefield.
"The Monarch of Ancient Light…"
A brief silence fell.
Then, Xu spread his arms wide.
Behind him, countless dragons and millions of soldiers roared in unison, a deafening rumble shaking the void.
"The show is over."
"I will destroy you…"
"…and your army, right here."
Subsequently, the red aura gleaming in his eyes grew even denser.
"My Lord Oblivor has given the command."
"This universe will be assimilated…"
"…and everything that exists will be erased into eternal darkness."
A heavy silence enveloped the battlefield.
Everyone was waiting for Omer's response.
Omer's facial expression did not change.
No anger…
No surprise…
Nor any fear…
He slowly raised his right hand.
For a few seconds, Xu tried to comprehend what he was about to do.
Then…
Without uttering a single word, just as he had once done at the international hunters conference Omer flicked up his middle finger.
For a moment it was as if time stood still.
The tranquil expression on Xu's face cracked.
The veins on his forehead bulged The crimson aura overflowing from his eyes began to spiral out of control.
"You…"
"You still don't take me seriously…"
His wrath had reached a level that shook the entirety of space Throwing his head back, he roared to his entire army:
"ATTACK!!"
"TEAR HIM AND HIS ENTIRE SHADOW ARMY TO PIECES!!"
Millions of soldiers surged forward all at once.
Dragons blanketed the cosmos Crimson mana and dark mana were about to collide on a grand scale never seen before And the war that would decide the fate of the universe had truly begun