Ömer Jin Hoo stood tall, despite the blood trickling from his chest. His breathing had grown labored, and the countless wounds on his body had deepened beyond the point of healing. Yet, the determination in his eyes had not dimmed in the slightest Opposite him, Oblivor, the Monarch of Ancient Darkness, stood without a trace of fatigue, his cold gaze fixed upon him Suddenly, all four Dark Monarchs moved in unison As their shadows vanished into the darkness of space, they appeared behind Ömer with movements that transcended the speed of light.
"NOW!"
The four Monarchs grabbed Ömer's arms, shoulders, and legs simultaneously, pinning him down with all their might Ömer gritted his teeth As his muscles strained, black mana surged wildly around him.
"Get out of my way!"
BOOOOM!
A shockwave of exploding mana rippled in every direction One Monarch's arm was severed from his shoulder, while another was sent flying hundreds of kilometers away Ömer swung his dagger like lightning.
The first strike…
It severed the head of one Dark Monarch from its body The second strike…
It sliced another's chest completely in two.
The bodies of the two Monarchs dissolved into black particles, vanishing entirely into the void of space However, the remaining two Monarchs did not retreat; instead, they grew more feral The heavily wounded Monarch, dragging himself along the ground, lunged at Ömer, raising his dagger with his final breath.
As Ömer turned, reflexively preparing to counter the attack…The void behind him silently turned pitch black Mana, so dense it could not be sensed by anyone…
Oblivor.
He thrust his massive claw, forged of darkness, through the very fabric of space.
The claw pierced through space itself and impaled Ömer in the back.
"AAAGHH!"
The dark claw entered his back and emerged from his chest Blood scattered into the black void like red stardust Ömer's eyes widened for a moment.
His breath had been stolen.
Just then…
The shadows moved once more.
Neroth.
Ignarion.
Antaios.
Clairael.
And all the surviving Shadow Generals…
They used the fusion technique they had once performed in Tokyo one last time.
Countless shadows began to coalesce into a single point As black mana, violet lightning, and eternal shadows intertwined, a colossal warrior was born The new entity emanated more mana than all the armies combined.
"PROTECT OUR KING!"
The giant shadow warrior struck at Oblivor with all his might His fist crushed the fabric of space as it surged forward.
But…
Oblivor simply raised one hand He stopped the attack With a single hand…He seized the entire massive shadow body.
A moment of silence fell.
Then…
He slowly closed his fingers.
CRACK!
Thousands of fissures appeared across the giant warrior's body.
Neroth's scream…
Ignarion's fury…
Clairael's final gaze…
All echoed at once.
The next second…
BOOOM!
The giant shadow warrior shattered into millions of black fragments, vanishing completely.
Ömer's eyes widened in horror.
"NO!"
His voice echoed throughout the entire universe.
"NO!"
They were…
They weren't just his soldiers They were his family, those who had fought by his side for years.
"NO! NO! NO!"
Ömer tried to lunge forward with all his might.
But the remaining three Dark Monarchs pinned him once again They channeled all their power into their daggers simultaneously.
The first dagger…
Pierced his chest.
The second dagger…
Tore through his right arm.
The third dagger…
Completely impaled his left leg Ömer's body was beginning to fall apart His muscles were dissolving…His bones were shattering…
His mana core was on the verge of collapsing Oblivor began to walk forward with heavy, measured steps Each of his footsteps made the darkness of space grow denser He stopped in front of Ömer He slowly raised his right hand The infinite darkness surrounding him turned into ice-cold mana.
In an instant…
Ömer's entire body began to be encased in black crystals The dark ice crept deep into his veins Even breathing felt agonizing Oblivor did not consider this enough He slowly drew the long, black sword at his waist The moment the blade appeared, even the light of the surrounding stars began to fade Oblivor, showing not a hint of emotion, plunged the sword into Ömer's chest.
SHIIING!
The blade pierced his heart and emerged from his back Blood trickled from Ömer's eyes.
His breath began to tremble.
Oblivor leaned in close.
"So… your story ends here."
There was not even a flicker of anger in his voice There was only absolute judgment.
"Resist this, too."
Then, he pushed his sword even further.
"You… are merely a tiny creature."
Suddenly, he swung the blade upward.
Ömer's chest shattered with a massive explosion Blood scattered like red rain inside the black void Ömer collapsed to his knees.
His hands were trembling.
For the first time…
He felt that he had truly been defeated.
As the bloody tears falling from his eyes drifted into the void, his mind drifted into the past.
Busan…
A cold night…
That desperate moment when he had thought of ending his life Then, his sister Irem's smile…The happy days he spent with Jung Woo…The moment his dog, Ace, ran toward him with joy…
Everyone he had lost, everyone he couldn't protect, and everyone he had fought for…
They all passed before his eyes, one by one.
His trembling lips parted for the last time As bloody tears streaked down his cheeks, he whispered:
"If only…"
"…I had…"
"…one more chance."
And his voice slowly faded into the infinite darkness