Solo leveling vol 7, p.14
Solo Leveling, Vol. 7, page 14
The Frost Monarch yelled at him. “The human you are protecting is the harbinger of tragedy! Are you planning to bring the end of all things by your own hands?”
“……” Instead of answering, the man raised his hands up to his chin, each wielding a dagger in a reverse grip. He refused to step aside.
The Frost Monarch scowled at the show of determination. The strange man was attempting to borrow a Ruler’s power while still in his human body, but human bodies were incapable of withstanding a god’s power. Without the Ruler taking total possession of the human body as the Monarchs did, this vessel would crumble to dust.
And yet……he’s risking his life to help the Shadow Monarch’s resurrection? What in blazes do the Rulers think they’re doing……?
The Frost Monarch exchanged looks with the Fang Monarch. Time was running out. The King of Beasts nodded, and the two Monarchs charged at the man, one from the right and the other from the left.
But the man skillfully blocked the relentless claws and spear while getting in some jabs of his own. He moved like a warrior who had seen his fair share of battles. Though he was facing certain death, he proved to be a tough opponent with his excellent skills and strength.
Boom!
The man in the robe blocked his opponents’ mana-charged weapons and pushed them back. The two Monarchs landed at a distance as they realized how difficult it would be to end this fight if they continued to battle in this manner.
Tak. Tak.
The man stood his ground instead of chasing after the two Monarchs, as if his only purpose was to protect the Shadow Monarch’s vessel.
“……Who are you?” The Frost Monarch demanded to know the man’s identity, but he said nothing.
It was then that the Fang Monarch transformed out of his werewolf form. “I shall retreat.”
His sharp fangs regressed, and his long, pointy claws turned into the fingernails of a human.
The Frost Monarch called after him. “You’re running away after we have come this far? Are you out of your mind?”
“Can you not feel it?” The Fang Monarch raised his head. His exceptional perception sensed a change in the air that made his body tremble. “The mana in the air is crying out. The Shadow Monarch is coming.” The Fang Monarch turned his eyes from the sky to the Frost Monarch again. “I am leaving.”
“Y-you promised to help me battle the Shadow Monarch!” the Frost Monarch sputtered.
But the Fang Monarch shrugged. “I promised to help with the Shadow Monarch in a human state, not his true form. I have no reason to stay.”
“So you run away with your tail between your legs? And you call yourself the King of Beasts?!”
Affronted, the Fang Monarch snatched the Frost Monarch by the collar. “You do not understand because you have never faced the true power of the Shadow Monarch!”
The Fang Monarch had witnessed the Shadow Monarch survive an assault from six armies simultaneously: his own army of beasts, the army of the Monarch of White Lightning, the armies of four Rulers. Such a monster was en route, so what did pride matter? Even if it meant being ridiculed for hiding behind the Dragon King, survival was the most important matter.
It had been the right call to abandon the Monarch of White Lightning, the King of Demons, on the battlefield. And the King of Beasts was not willing to now destroy all his hard work by risking an encounter with the true Shadow Monarch.
As the King of Beasts, the Fang Monarch’s power came from the vitality of living creatures. Because of this, nothing frightened him more than death.
The Fang Monarch didn’t have time to argue with the Frost Monarch. He sensed death approaching quickly. He let go of the Frost Monarch’s collar and generated a gate for himself.
“I wish you luck.” With that, the King of Beasts stepped through to the other side.
The Frost Monarch glared at the closing gate. “Fool.”
How could someone who abandoned prey ripe for the taking be considered the best hunter in the World of Chaos? The Frost Monarch was ready to do whatever it took to kill the Shadow Monarch, outside interference be damned. He had already cornered his prey at the edge of a cliff, so he certainly didn’t need help from that coward.
The determined Frost Monarch transformed into a spiritual body. Because he was not of this world, maintaining this form consumed a lot of his stamina. He needed to end this as quickly as possible before the Shadow Monarch awakened.
“Taste the terror of frost, puny human!” The Frost Monarch transformed into a raging snowstorm. The living storm thundered as it looked down at the man in the robe.
“Face my true power!”
Mana crystals in the air merged to create tens of thousands of icicles. They blew violently through the air like spears made of ice, each packed with enough power to instantly kill any human. The attack swept cars off the road like mere toys, and gales ripped buildings apart.
Despite this, the man in the robe stood his ground and protected Jinwoo to the best of his ability, enduring scars from the countless ice spears.
The Frost Monarch did not relent. “My soldiers!”
Thousands of soldiers made of ice emerged from the snow that had piled up knee-high.
“Charge!”
The ice soldiers leaped at the man in the robe. He fought desperately to shake off the hunks of ice coming at him from all sides.
Shhhk!
The man stumbled as he was stabbed in the shoulder by an ice spear.
“……”
He gritted his teeth and straightened back up, holding his own against the oncoming wave of soldiers.
Seeing the man in the robe persist, the Frost Monarch joined the attack. He transformed into a crystalline manifestation of cold energy, and white vapor rose from his body as he approached.
“Move!”
His icy lackeys scattered out of his way.
Standing in front of the man in the robe, the Frost Monarch opened his mouth wide. Bone-chilling cold began gathering in his mouth. The air itself began to freeze, and frost formed on the man’s exposed chin from under the robe.
The man in the robe knew he couldn’t take too much more of this, but he also knew that if he dodged, Jinwoo would get hit. And so the man in the robe continued to stand his ground.
The Monarch’s face twisted in fury. This human was merely borrowing the power of a higher being, so how dare he look arrogantly upon the face of his mighty power?
A frightening burst of cold energy shot out of the furious Monarch’s mouth.
Hwoooosh!
The man crossed his arms in front of his chest to block the icy energy. His two arms froze from the blast, rendering him unable to move them. He could no longer defend himself from the following barrage of attacks.
Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!
With each punch, the man’s upper body teetered, but his feet remained planted firmly on the ground. He endured the attacks even as blood pooled at his feet.
“The gall of this mere human!” The Frost Monarch raised his right arm behind him. Cold energy coated his arm, forming a massive column of ice. Would the man be able to withstand this? The Frost Monarch dropped the ice column, aiming to not only take down the human but also crush the Shadow Monarch’s vessel.
Whoom!
As the ice column descended upon him, the man raised his frozen arms above his head. He would protect Jinwoo to the last, even if it meant breaking his arms or being completely crushed. His body shone as he mustered every ounce of the Ruler’s power within him.
Boom!
A collision. But he felt no impact.
What’s going on……?
The man peeked up to see someone standing in front of him.
……!
Pitch-black armor. A long red mane atop a black helmet. It was Igris, a loyal subject of the Shadow Monarch. To the Frost Monarch’s disbelief, Igris had caught the column of ice with both hands and shoved it out of the way, perfectly blocking his attack.
“Igris the Bloodred?”
The appearance of a marshal could mean only one thing. The startled Frost Monarch hurried to look behind the human. Sure enough, the vessel of the Shadow Monarch had vanished from sight.
The Frost Monarch now understood what the Fang Monarch had been saying earlier. The mana in the air was practically vibrating as a reaction to the appearance of a transcendent being.
Igris turned around, respectfully dropped down on one knee, and bowed his head.
“Skraaaaaah!”
Beru had appeared at the same time as Igris. He roared to announce the return of their master and went down on one knee.
Jinwoo walked out between the two soldiers. He scanned the terrible destruction before turning to the Frost Monarch.
“Did the beast run away?”
“……”
It wasn’t until he was finally facing the true Shadow Monarch that the Frost Monarch realized why the Fang Monarch was so frightened. Despite being the king of all things frozen and being the embodiment of the shivering cold itself, the Frost Monarch couldn’t stop quivering.
Jinwoo frowned. “……I did not allow this.”
Puzzled, the Frost Monarch asked, “What?”
“I did not allow him to leave.”
“What are you talking about……?”
Jinwoo ignored the bewildered Frost Monarch and closed his eyes, expanding his perception beyond South Korea to locate the Fang Monarch’s unique magic-power signature. He was confident he could find the Fang Monarch as long as he was hiding somewhere on earth and not between dimensions. He eventually hit the jackpot as he detected the Fang Monarch in his hideout.
Jinwoo opened his eyes and smiled. “Found you.”
As Jinwoo focused all his attention on locating the beast, the Frost Monarch saw an opening. This was his one and only shot. Despite the gap in their powers, Jinwoo was letting his guard down in front of his opponent. If he let this opportunity slip through his fingers, all that awaited him would be death. It was a last-ditch effort to avoid the encroaching shadow of death.
I must finish him with one strike.
He wound his right arm all the way back as mana gathered around it, and he generated the most powerful ice spear he could create. The Monarch poured every drop of his power into this spear, so much so that the ground he stood on froze and began to crack.
Then, when the ice spear in his right hand was impossibly huge, he sent it ripping through the air like a missile.
Whiiiiish!
At the same time, his ice soldiers went after Jinwoo like a pack of angry dogs.
Whish!
Right before the spear of ice pierced Jinwoo’s face, he opened his eyes. “Found you.”
Time seemed to stand still, as if someone had pressed Pause on a video. Well, it was more like time slowed down to the point that it looked like it had stopped. The spear of ice was moving slowly but surely. Behind the spear, Jinwoo could see the Frost Monarch glaring angrily at him. He was also able to clearly see each movement of the ice soldiers surrounding him.
This was how the Shadow Monarch saw things when he was in a battle. His cognitive ability was beyond human comprehension, so living objects appeared to be frozen in time. Jinwoo casually surveyed his surroundings as the entire world seemingly held its breath.
I’ve felt this before……
When had that been? Jinwoo slowly recalled the moment he had been about to die at the hands of the stone statues. Time had drastically slowed for him back then as well.
The Shadow Monarch was already with me at that time.
Jinwoo was coming to understand just how long the Shadow Monarch had been watching him after unlocking the full extent of his powers.
As he looked around, he saw the backs of his two marshals.
Oh?
Although everyone else seemed to be frozen in time, Beru and Igris were slowly responding to the enemies’ attacks. It was evidence of their unparalleled agility. As he looked upon them with pride, Jinwoo then remembered the spear coming at him.
Oh yeah.
The spear inched closer like a bug crawling in midair. Jinwoo used his power to stop the spear’s advance.
Ruler’s Authority.
Of all the Shadow Monarch’s abilities, this was the one he had put into practice the most. As soon as Ruler’s Authority was activated, mana wrapped around the ice spear and stopped it on the spot. Jinwoo gasped in amazement as he saw the inner workings of Ruler’s Authority for the first time.
So it wasn’t some invisible hand.
Instead, it was mana that couldn’t be seen by the naked eye carried out by the will of the user.
Awesome.
When he increased his perception to the max, he could sense every single flow of mana around him. His eyes sparkled with delight. This was what the Rulers had given the world to strengthen it. Though this world hadn’t had a single ounce of mana before, it now overflowed with it. And with the Shadow Monarch’s power, Jinwoo had free rein over it all.
Ba-dump, ba-dump!
His heart leaped as he felt the ebb and flow of the mana around him.
……Let’s give it a try.
Jinwoo approached his two marshals and put his hands on their shoulders.
You two don’t need to do anything.
Beru and Igris immediately paused at Jinwoo’s instruction.
He walked past them. He had practiced Ruler’s Authority whenever he’d had the chance. Now he could maximize his control of the mana. Jinwoo took a deep breath as he looked around at the ice soldiers. He was filled with appreciation for the Shadow Monarch and how much he had taught him through the system. He concentrated and took control of the mana around him. The entire area seemed to shake.
Woooom!
It literally took only a second for the powerful wave of mana Jinwoo had emitted to sweep away the massive number of ice soldiers. The Frost Monarch felt the mighty mana storm coming toward him as well.
“……!”
He rushed to create an ice barrier to protect himself. When the Frost Monarch deactivated the shield, he saw the remains of his ice soldiers strewn throughout the area. The powerful mana had swept away everything, including the blizzards he had conjured up.
This was the power of the Shadow Monarch, also known as the greatest Fragment of Luminosity and one of the two mightiest kings.
“H-how……?!”
The Frost Monarch was left trembling in fear. The Shadow Monarch was like a wall the Frost Monarch could never overcome.
Satisfied by the results, Jinwoo nodded as he made eye contact with the frightened Frost Monarch. Even at this distance, Jinwoo was able to feel the Frost Monarch trembling.
He still had a debt to settle with the ice elf. Jinwoo’s expression turned cold as he remembered the late President Go, and he decided on his plan. He’d kill this one last and give him time to wallow in fear about his imminent death.
“You’ll go last,” Jinwoo said as he slowly sank into the shadow beneath his feet. “Wait here while I go after that beast.”
President Jinchul Woo slammed his fist down on the desk when the live broadcast cut out.
Bam!
The last thing they’d shown was Jinwoo’s body falling to the ground in defeat. He was devastated. If this desk hadn’t belonged to the late President Go, Jinchul would’ve smashed it to pieces.
Jinchul’s tightly clenched fists shook. The subordinates who were watching with him in the president’s office kept their mouths shut tight. A heavy silence fell on the room.
However, Jinchul knew better than anyone that they didn’t have time to just sit there and do nothing. “Has any guild reached the area?”
“Yes, all five large guilds have arrived at the scene.”
Jinchul quickly rose from his seat. “The Surveillance Team must also head there. Myself included.”
“It’s too dangerous, sir!”
“What does that matter in this case?”
The subordinates trying to stop him were at a loss for words as he glared at them. Korea had lost Jinwoo Sung, their strongest line of defense. That meant there was nowhere to retreat. Every hunter had to work together to stop those monsters or there would be no tomorrow.
As Jinchul hastily put on his jacket, he glanced at a monitor broadcasting another live feed. This particular camera was fixed on the sky, constantly filming the monolithic gate above Seoul. It gave Jinchul pause.
Maybe……
Maybe Korea was already finished. His heart sank.
Even if they got lucky and killed the monsters, the damage would be too great. Would the remaining hunters be able to handle a gate of that scale without Jinwoo? Thinking of both the monsters in the downtown area and the monolithic gate hit him with an overwhelming sense of despair.
But Jinchul managed to shake his head. Even if every citizen of Korea thought the same thing, that wouldn’t change the fact that someone had to fight on the front lines. This was the reason why hunters had been bestowed their powers. Jinchul bit his lip hard and banished the negative thoughts from his head.
He was about to leave when one of his staffers hurriedly called out, “President Woo, sir!”
Jinchul whipped around toward the large TV screen from which the voice of a reporter came with breaking news.
“Our camera on location is back up!”
Based on the wide angle of the scene, it looked like the camera was shooting from the top of a faraway skyscraper, but that was good enough. The snowstorm that had been blanketing the area was being dispersed by an unknown force.
Jinchul excitedly pushed past the employees who had jumped to their feet in order to get closer to the monitor. As the fog lifted, they were able to see five people. No, make that four people and one insect. Jinchul knew exactly who the man standing in front of the insect was.
“Hunter Jinwoo Sung!” Jinchul blurted out as everyone cheered at the sight of the crushed remains of the ice soldiers.
“Yeaaaaah!”
They’d thought he was gone, but not only was Jinwoo alive, he had put the enemy on the ropes. How could they contain their emotions? Tears welled up in Jinchul’s eyes.
