The other eight Rulers wasted no time.
The Ruler of Strength roared, launching himself toward Matt with a punch capable of shattering planets.
"DIE!!!"
Matt vanished.
In an instant, he reappeared behind him, golden energy surging.
BOOM!
A single palm strike from Matt sent the Ruler of Strength crashing through mountains, his divine body cracking like glass.
Before Matt could continue, the Ruler of Space appeared, his hands shaping the cosmos itself, sealing Matt in a prison of infinite dimensions.
"You will never escape this!"
Matt blinked.
Time twisted.
The prison that was meant to contain him folded in on itself, erasing its own existence before it could even form.
The Ruler of Space paled. "That's… not possible…"
Matt appeared in front of him, smiling. "You deal with space?"
His golden sword pulsed.
"I deal with time."
A single swing—and the Ruler of Space was sent backward through time itself, vanishing into a past that would no longer exist.
The battlefield fell silent.
The remaining seven Rulers hesitated.
For the first time in history…
The so-called Gods of Order felt fear.
The Brightest Fragment clenched his fists.
"Enough hesitation!" he shouted. "He's not an Absolute yet! Attack together!"
The remaining seven Rulers unleashed their full power.
Celestial spears rained from the sky.
Reality-warping flames burned existence itself.
Dimensional ruptures threatened to erase Matt entirely.
Yet, as the chaos unfolded, Matt closed his eyes.
He took a deep breath.
His golden aura erupted, growing beyond comprehension. The very concept of past, present, and future bent around him.
His power had already surpassed every single being before him.
Matt opened his eyes.
"Too slow."
With a single step, time froze.
The Rulers were trapped mid-attack, their divine energies halted.
For the first time in history…
Gods were powerless.
Matt slowly walked forward, standing in front of the Brightest Fragment, who was frozen in time, eyes wide in horror.
Matt raised his sword.
"I am the future."
SLASH!
Time resumed.
The Brightest Fragment's body split apart, erased from existence.
The remaining six Rulers collapsed, their divine power shattered, their very beings reduced to nothingness.
Silence.
The battlefield, once filled with divine war, was now empty.
The sky, once torn apart by celestial forces, was now still.
Matt stood alone.
His golden aura burned brighter than ever, the very laws of reality bowing before him.
The Monarchs—Tarnak, Yogumunt, Silad, Qursha—knelt before him, their eyes filled with awe, fear, and devotion.
"He has done it."
"The Rulers are no more."
"He is the Absolute now."
Matt looked at his hand, feeling the infinite power coursing through him.
He clenched his fist.
The war was over.
He had won.
He was no longer just the King of Humans.
He was the Absolute Ruler of Time.
"Haah… damn, that felt amazing," Matt mumbled after absorbing the power of the Nine Rulers. He could feel it—he was now truly at the top of the top.
"Congratulations, my lord," Silad said, kneeling before him. The other Monarchs followed, bowing in complete submission.
Matt stretched his arms, exhaling. "Well, time to fix this mess."
He snapped his fingers.
All the portals across Earth vanished instantly.
However, he didn't erase the mana itself. Instead, he opened a single portal, pouring his mana into the Earth's core.
A massive surge of energy spread through the planet, awakening it from its dormant state.
The once modern Earth transformed into an ancient world filled with mana, where even nature itself became attuned to magical forces.
Matt smirked. "That'll do."
Around the world, humans felt the change. Cities had expanded, lands had shifted, and mana now flowed freely, allowing even the weakest to sense its presence.
People stood in shock as they discovered their homes were now kilometers apart, the planet itself having grown larger to accommodate its new magical nature.
Unlike the Rulers, who had forcibly poured mana into Earth's atmosphere, Matt had done something different—he had made it natural. Instead of overwhelming the planet, he allowed it to produce mana on its own, letting it evolve organically without outside interference.
Matt smirked. "Now, I guess I've played around enough. Time to return."
He could already sense his new world, but there was one more power he had yet to claim.
"But before that… there's one last Ruler's power I need to take."
His body vanished from the Monarchs' world, reappearing in front of a simple house.
Knock. Knock.
A moment later, footsteps approached from inside. A gentle voice called out, "Coming!"
The door opened, revealing a kind-looking woman, her face filled with shock as she saw Matt standing there.
Her eyes widened in recognition. "You… you're the World's Strongest Hunter, Matt!"
Matt smirked slightly. "Well, I guess I really am that famous now."
His gaze sharpened. "Where is your brother, Jin-Woo?"
The woman blinked in confusion before nodding. "I'll go call him." She quickly retreated inside.
A moment later, Sung Jin-Woo emerged, his expression serious.
Matt wasted no time. "Let's go out and talk."
Without waiting for a response, he led Sung Jin-Woo toward a nearby lake—an isolated place where no one would disturb them.
Matt turned to him. "Open it."
Jin-Woo frowned. "What do you mean?"
Matt's golden eyes glowed. "I mean… open the gate to the Hell Dungeon. You have it, don't you?"
Jin-Woo froze, his eyes widening in shock. "How do you know about that?"
Matt waved his hand dismissively. "That doesn't matter."
A small golden vial appeared in his palm, glowing with radiant energy. He tossed it to Jin-Woo.
"This thing can cure your mother's illness. Open the gate now."
Jin-Woo's hands tightened around the vial, his breath hitching. "Can it really…?"
Matt nodded. "It can."
Jin-Woo didn't hesitate. He pulled out a small key and tossed it to Matt.
"Just twist it in the air, and the gate will open."
Matt nodded in satisfaction as he watched Jin-Woo rush back toward his house, no doubt to give the cure to his mother.
Now, Matt held the key to the Hell Dungeon.
"Let's see what's inside."
***
Support me at
patreon.com/boring_world
It's 22 chaps ahead