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[ Shadow Monarch in Hogwarts].
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________________________________________________________________________________
Silence.
Heavy. Absolute.
Where once steel screamed and knights marched, now there was nothing—only the faint echo of a battle that had nearly ended him.
Is it over? Akai's ears strained for any sound. No footsteps. No swords. No breathing.
Just... nothing.
The air felt different now. Lighter. Like the room itself had exhaled.
Twenty-three of them. All gone.
All broken.
Akai stood in the center of it all.
Barely.
His legs trembled violently, his body swaying as if one wrong breath would make him collapse. His knees wanted to buckle. His spine wanted to fold.
Stay up. Stay up. Don't fall now.
Blood dripped steadily from his chin, from his arms, from everywhere. He could feel each drop leaving him. Warm. Then cold as it hit the floor.
How much have I lost? Too much. Way too much.
His chest rose and fell in ragged bursts as he fought to stay conscious. Each breath was a battle. Each breath was a gift.
Don't pass out. If you pass out, you might not wake up.
"…hehe…"
A weak, broken laugh escaped him.
I'm still here.
Somehow.
"…finally…"
It's done.
The knights are done.
He tilted his head slightly, staring at the shattered remains of the last knight. The armor pieces lay scattered across the stone like a broken doll. A helmet here. A gauntlet there. Nothing recognizable as a person anymore.
"…death is so final…"
One second you're there. The next second... pieces.
No second chance. No do-over.
Just... done.
A slow breath.
"…and I don't want my final yet."
Not today.
Not like this.
Not ever, if I can help it.
DING.
The silence shattered.
What now?
Then—
DING.
DING.
DING.
Okay. Okay. Slow down.
Notifications flooded his vision, one after another, stacking endlessly in glowing layers of blue and gold.
That's a lot. That's a lot of notifications.
[ First Trial Completed: Throne Guardians Eliminated]
[Rewards Distributed]
Rewards. Akai's tired brain latched onto the word. I get rewards for not dying.
Good. That's fair.
Akai blinked slowly, forcing his focus.
Come on. Read. Don't miss anything important.
"…oh?"
Here we go.
The system began listing everything he had earned.
---
[Rewards & Titles Unlocked]
1. Shadow Fragment Core (x3)
→ Condensed energy from defeated guardians. Can be used later to awaken shadow extraction abilities.
Three of them. Akai's eyes narrowed. Extraction abilities? What does that mean?
Take something from the dead?
We'll figure it out later.
2. Enhanced Vital Recovery (Passive)
→ Gradually restores stamina and reduces pain perception under critical conditions.
Passive means I don't have to turn it on. Good. My brain is too tired for switches.
3. Speed Amplification II
→ Increases base movement speed and acceleration significantly.
Faster. I need faster.
The knights were fast. Whatever comes next will be faster.
4. Precision Strike Boost
→ Improves accuracy when targeting weak points.
Hit where it hurts. Don't waste energy.
5. Busoshoku Haki Upgrade → Level 2
→ Stronger defensive coating and increased offensive impact.
Level 2 already. Akai flexed his fingers. The invisible armor is growing.
6. Pain Resistance I
→ Reduces physical pain response, allowing longer endurance in battle.
About time. A weak laugh. I've had enough pain for ten people.
7. Combat Instinct Enhancement
→ Heightens reflexes and predictive combat awareness.
See it before it happens. Move before you have to think.
8. System Coins +1500
→ Currency for future purchases in the system store.
Money. Digital money. I'll take it.
9. Minor Regeneration Module
→ Slowly heals minor wounds over time.
Slowly is better than nothing. My body needs help.
10. Title: "Guardian Breaker"
→ Bonus damage against armored or structured enemies.
A title. Sounds fancy. Akai snorted softly. Guardian Breaker. I like it.
11. Endurance Boost II
→ Extends stamina limits during prolonged combat.
Last longer. Don't gas out.
12. Shadow Affinity (Dormant)
→ Allows future synchronization with shadow-based powers.
Dormant means sleeping. Sleeping means not ready yet.
But soon.
13. Critical Impact Chance +5%
→ Small probability to deal devastating strikes.
Small chance. But a chance is a chance.
14. Adaptive Growth Trait
→ Faster stat improvement during high-risk battles.
Fight harder. Grow faster. Risk equals reward.
15. Skill Slot Unlocked (1)
→ Enables acquisition of future active abilities.
Room for more. One more thing I can learn.
---
Akai's eyes moved slowly across the list.
Fifteen things.
Fifteen rewards for not dying.
"…damn…"
His lips curled faintly despite exhaustion.
I should almost die more often.
"That's… a lot."
Most of its passive. Most of it works on its own.
That's good. I don't have the energy to manage more buttons.
His gaze lingered longer on certain ones—
"Shadow Fragment… shadow affinity…"
The system keeps pushing me toward this.
Why?
A pause.
"…so that's where this is going."
I don't know what it means yet.
But I'm going to find out.
Then—
"Busoshoku Haki… level 2…"
It grew. Just from one fight.
The harder the battle, the stronger it gets.
He flexed his fingers slightly, feeling that invisible coating—faint, unstable, but undeniably there.
Like a second skin. Like armor made of my own will.
"…interesting."
Very interesting.
DING.
Another notification appeared.
[Would you like to view current status?]
Check the damage. See what's left.
Akai exhaled.
"…yeah."
Show me.
---
[Status Window: Akai]
Level: 20
HP: 34% (Recovering)
Stamina: 21% (Critical)
Thirty-four percent health. Twenty-one percent stamina.
That's bad. That's really bad.
But I'm alive. Alive is enough.
Strength: C+
Speed: B
Endurance: B-
Intelligence: B
Combat Instinct: B+
All going up. Slowly.
B's and C's. Not great. But better than before.
Skills:
Busoshoku Haki (Lv.2)
Enhanced Vital Recovery
Minor Regeneration
Precision Strike Boost
Traits:
Adaptive Growth
Pain Resistance I
Shadow Affinity (Dormant)
Titles:
Guardian Breaker
Overall Evaluation:
→ Rapid Growth Detected
→ Combat Efficiency Increasing
→ User Still Below Optimal Combat Threshold
Below optimal. Akai stared at the final line for a second.
Of course I am.
I almost died twenty-three times.
"…cool…"
A faint smirk formed.
"…but still weak."
Not weak enough to die.
But weak enough to almost die.
That needs to change.
He closed the window with a flick of his hand.
Enough reading. Enough numbers.
Then—
His gaze shifted forward.
The throne.
Still there.
Still waiting.
Unchanged.
The whole reason for the fight.
The thing they were protecting.
He began walking toward it, slow but steady, his footsteps echoing softly in the now-empty hall.
Left foot. Right foot. Don't stumble.
You're almost there.
"…why…?" he muttered.
Why did they guard it so hard?
What's so special about a chair?
Another step.
"…earlier the knights tried to stop me from approaching you."
They threw themselves at me.
They didn't care about dying.
All to keep me away from this.
Silence answered him.
As always.
No voice. No explanation.
Just silence and stone.
He stopped just before the throne, looking up at it—its towering presence, its silent authority.
It's tall. Taller than me.
Old. Carved from something dark.
The seat is empty. But it doesn't feel empty.
For a moment…
It felt like it was watching him back.
No eyes. No face.
But something is there.
Something is looking.
Waiting.
Judging.
Choosing.
Is this for me?
Am I supposed to sit on it?
Or is it just a marker? A sign that says "you made it this far"?
Akai narrowed his eyes slightly, as if expecting something—anything—to happen.
A light. A sound. A voice.
Something.
But nothing did.
No trap. No reward.
Just... a chair.
Just silence.
So that's it?
Fight twenty-Four knights. All dead .
And get... nothing from the throne itself?
The rewards came from the system. Not from this.
Then why—
Then—
Tap…
A sound.
Behind him.
No.
Akai froze.
No, no, no.
Another step.
Tap… tap…
I can hear it clearly.
Heels on stone.
Slow. Like someone taking their time.
Closer.
Slow.
Deliberate.
I just finished.
I have nothing left.
Thirty-four percent health.
Twenty-one percent stamina.
I can barely stand.
Akai's eye twitched slightly.
"…ohhh…"
Not again.
Please not again.
A long breath.
"…don't tell me…"
Something else.
Something new.
Something that waited until the knights were gone.
His jaw tightened.
"…FUCKING AGAIN."
I can't do this again.
I don't have anything left to give.
But here it comes anyway.
The footsteps continued.
Tap…
Tap…
Tap…
Closer.
And closer.
Akai didn't turn around.
He couldn't.
Not yet.
Not until he knew what was coming.
---
[ End of Chapter 21].
To Be Continued...
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N / B : In this chapter I used both the first and third person points of view...( To show both Akai's thoughts and mixed with narration).
___
If you want to read more about my works or just to support me then here is my patreon:
Patreon.com/Doflamingo4 .
__
If you liked this one. Cheek also my other stories:
[ Shadow Monarch in Hogwarts].
Patreon.com/Doflamingo4 .
__
Thank you all for reading...