The Monarch continued, his voice growing quieter as the memory deepened.
"He looked like a man made of flesh," "but his entire body burned with black fire."
"Suddenly… he disappeared."
"In the next moment, every light in Black Crynthos faded."
"There was no glow."
"No torch."
"No sky-light."
"Everything became darker."
"And then, "he appeared again."
"Right in front of the Three Gods."
"He stood so close… that even they did not react immediately."
"And before anyone could move, "he disappeared once more."
"When he appeared again… he was already beside Basaltos."
"So close that his presence touched Basaltos' face."
"In his hand… there was a sword."
"A blade made entirely of black fire."
"And that sword… was already moving toward Basaltos' neck."
"The speed… was beyond sight."
"I could barely see it," the Monarch admitted.
Ash narrowed his eyes.
"But Valerius and Arkon reacted," the Monarch continued.
"It looked like They teleported instantly."
"They placed themselves between Basaltos and the attack."
"The moment lasted less than a breath."
He paused briefly.
"Even now… I cannot clearly remember how it happened."
"It was too fast."
"But Basaltos…"never flinched."
"He did not step back."
"He did not defend."
"He knew the attack had already been blocked."
"He trusted Valerius."
He paused again.
"And then… the battle began."
The room felt heavier.
"Varkus and I understood something immediately," the Monarch said quietly.
"We had no chance against that being."
"None."
Renji listened closely.
"The Five of them fought together."
"Basaltos."
"Oculon."
"Skayr."
"Valerius."
"And Arkon."
"But that dark fire…"
The Monarch shook his head slowly.
"It never felt like a single enemy."
"It was not a man,"
"It was not a warrior."
"It was… something else."
"That thing felt like an army."
"An entity."
"Something beyond a single existence.
"And then,"the war truly began."
"But we could not see the fight clearly."
"Not even from a distance."
"I could only see black flames spreading across the battlefield."
"They surrounded the entire fighting area."
"A massive cloud of black fire formed."
Renji imagined the scene.
"And within that darkness… silver lightning flashed again and again."
"Lightning struck inside the black fire… like storms trapped within smoke."
"And that war… continued."
"For seven days."
Renji's eyes widened slightly.
"Seven days," he repeated quietly.
The Monarch nodded.
"Varkus and I remained there the entire time."
"We could not move."
"Our bodies burned with fever."
"A fever caused by the pressure of that darkness."
"The power alone was enough to weaken us."
Ash crossed his arms slowly.
"And then… the seventh day came."
The Monarch's voice became heavier.
"On the final day… something changed."
"Arkon withdrew."
"He ran," the Monarch said plainly.
"He left the battlefield."
"And Valerius…"
"He remained."
"Standing on one knee."
"His body covered in wounds."
"Blood falling from every part of him."
"Basaltos… Oculon… and Skayr…"
"They had reached their limits."
"They were exhausted."
"Wounded."
"Strained."
"But that darkness…"
"It did not weaken."
"It did not step back."
"It did not show fatigue."
"It did not even flinch."
Renji felt tension rising in his chest.
"And then…"
"For the first time…"
"It spoke."
The Monarch repeated the words slowly.
"The voice did not sound human."
"It sounded like many voices speaking at once."
"Like echoes of several ghosts layered together."
"And it said—"
'A glorified bacterial colony… cannot stand against me.'
Heavy.
Unsettling.
Because those words…
Were not spoken with anger.
But with absolute certainty.
The Monarch continued,
"No one knew where that thing came from," he said.
"Not the warriors."
"Not the Three Gods."
"Everyone was in confusion."
"Skayr stepped forward first,
"He raised his voice and asked,"
'Who are you? What do you want?'
The Monarch paused briefly.
"Basaltos spoke next, standing beside him."
His tone deepened slightly as he repeated Basaltos' words.
'You do not seem like one who fights for satisfaction,' Basaltos said.
'It feels like you came here with a purpose… a single purpose.'
Silence filled the chamber as the Monarch continued.
"And then… that thing replied."
"His voice was the same—"
"Strange."
"Cold."
"Layered."
"Like many echoes speaking at once."
'Every world reaches a moment…'
'A moment where something like me must rise…'
'To correct it.'
Ash frowned slightly.
The weight of those words lingered.
"And then," the Monarch continued, "the Three Gods acted together."
"Basaltos."
"Oculon."
"Skayr."
"They activated the Golden Scrolls."
"A massive golden ray formed," the Monarch said.
"It burst forward with enormous force."
"The light was overwhelming."
"A beam of pure golden energy passed directly through him."
"The power… was beyond anything we had ever seen."
"For a moment… we believed it was over."
"But before the golden ray disappeared…"
"His voice came from inside the light."
Unchanged.
Unshaken.
The Monarch repeated the words again.
'So… you can use this?'
'For ages… you stood unquestioned.'
'I am the question… you cannot answer.'
"And then…" the Monarch said quietly,
"He moved."
"So fast… that even the gods could not react in time."
The room felt colder.
"Dark energy gathered around his sword."
"Not like flame."
"Not like lightning."
"Something heavier."
"Something denser."
"A darkness that swallowed light itself."
"And with that single strike…"
The Monarch paused.
His voice dropped into near silence.
"He killed Valerius."
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Unmoving.
"As the blade struck," the Monarch continued slowly,
"A massive wave of darker energy surrounded the sword."
"It consumed everything around it."
"And Valerius… fell."
No one spoke.
Because they all understood—
What that meant.