"You used their receptacles to prepare a portal here," said Antares, still standing, looking at the thousands of sovereigns hovering in the air.
"You found a way to win the war, even if you lost the battle," he said between sighs, as he felt his strength ebbing away. The Shadow Monarch's cut had finished him, leaving only his last few words.
"I lost completely by only looking at the smaller battle," he admitted.
"It was you, wasn't it?" Jin-woo questioned and continued: "The White Flame Monarch and the Beast Monarch... It was you who ordered them to attack the Shadow Monarch." He waited for an answer, but received another question.
"Did the White Flame Monarch tell you that?" Antares asked. The small memory of Baran being held by the face flashed through his mind, him muttering his last words.
Jin-woo could only smile and spoke cheerfully: "The Ashborn..."
Antares' golden eyes turned to Jin-woo's hand, where he wagged his middle finger at the Monarch of Destruction. "Ashborn sent you a hug."
He braced himself, with the rest of his strength, and shouted loudly, like a curse: "YOU DEVIL!!!"
Unfortunately, for the last living monarch, all that remained were the rulers' spears piercing the flesh of his body in a joint attack.
He could only look up to the sky and see 'The Fragment of the Brightest Light'.
His last words began to come, understanding that this was the end for him, the glorious Dragon King, Antares.
"The world is covered by a light so bright and a shadow so dark..." His words sounded fearful, shaky and without much time. "From the start, I had no chance of winning."
He looked at Sung Jin-woo... "I will wait in true eternal sleep, not the eternal sleep you created." And, with one last look at his greatest enemy... "We will meet again."
Jin-woo's eyes glowed purple... "Don't worry, I'll see you again soon."
Antares only felt his existence being dragged into the darkness, as if an enormous force was pulling him, distorting everything around him.
The pain of the Shadow Monarch's cut still pulsed in his flesh, but that sensation was fading, replaced by a deep, inescapable emptiness. His eyes, now lifeless, were fixed on a distant point, where the light he had feared so much seemed to be dissipating, like a last flame about to be extinguished.
His body, once glorious and imposing, was slowly torn apart into particles of mana, dissolving into the vast darkness of eternal sleep. He no longer felt the weight of the world upon him. It felt like floating on an invisible current, taking him to a place that had no name, where time didn't exist and where fear and pain were just empty memories.
"So... this is the end," thought Antares, without a voice to express what he felt. "I've never been able to see the whole picture. Now... I'm paying the price for my failures."
The darkness around him seemed like an endless ocean. There were no more enemies to fight, no more battles to win. Only the deep, immeasurable silence that enveloped him... what seemed to be the eternal sleep they talked about so much, but which he had never fully understood.
He floated aimlessly, like a broken fragment of a forgotten legend, until something began to form in front of him.
A light.
Soft. Vibrant. Alive.
It wasn't the cruel light of the Rulers, nor the destructive light of the Monarchs' world. It was different. It pulsed in a calm, hypnotic rhythm, like the beating of an ancient, patient heart.
The light took shape. A woman emerged from its center, dressed in pure white, blindfolded, with a veil covering all her skin. Her presence was not domineering, but absolute. She wasn't arrogant, but unquestionable.
Antares felt himself wanting to bow, but resisted out of instinct.
"To approach the unknown is daring... to be created from destruction," her voice sounded ethereal, as if each syllable echoed through multiple layers of reality.
Even without physical form, Antares responded. "Who are you?" she demanded, keeping her 'gaze' fixed on her.
The figure tilted its head slightly, as if pondering the answer.
"Who knows?" it said with a disconcerting lightness. Then her bare feet touched something invisible in the void, supporting her. She began to walk slowly around him.
"Fragment of the Brightest Light-"
Before he could finish, she raised her hand. A simple but absolute gesture. Her head also moved negatively, denying his assumption.
"No. Don't confuse me with your creator's creations." She stopped in front of him, and her voice took on a tone of slight melancholy.
"Rulers are interesting beings. The absolute being of their world really was someone to be respected... creating such a dramatic play. Light against darkness. A vicious cycle of war and pain... until the light got tired and killed its creator. Then it wanted to erase the shadows too..."
She came closer, and now Antares could feel that her presence wasn't just spiritual. She was like a living law of the universe, something primordial.
"You... Antares. The Monarch of Destruction. The last of the Monarchs. You fought to the end. You fell..."
He replied suspiciously, "To fail is to not fight. I was defeated... but I never broke my conviction."
The woman smiled, even though her eyes were hidden. "That's why I'm here."
The light around them began to swirl slowly, like a whirlpool of possibilities.
"You have a choice, Antares. This darkness can be your eternal tomb... or your cocoon."
Silence. "Reincarnate." she said softly.
"...What?"
"In another world. Another time. Another body. With free will. Without the weight of its origin. Without the burdens of the past... without being forced to be destruction."
Antares remained silent.
"For the first time... you can decide who you want to be. A hero. A villain. A king. A wanderer. A creator. A destroyer. You will decide your path."
He felt his existence shudder. It was tempting. The chance to live not as a weapon or a symbol... but as an individual.
"And why would you give me that?" He asked slightly irritated, it sounded like a trap, but... He received the most honest answer he had ever heard.
"I'm just bored and wanted to see a new story born... we're like that, right? Gods are tired of your creations, so I stole someone else's creation and I'll watch your story for my own pleasure."
"Wha--"
She held out her hand. A circle of pure light appeared, and in the center of it, a distorted reflection of Antares began to shape itself, younger, more human.
"But you need a wish to get started. Something to carry with you. I'll give you a gift so you can enjoy me."
Antares was silent for a long moment. Then he spoke: "I want the power... of the Shadow Monarch."
The surrounding light flickered. The woman stopped for a moment. "Why?"
"Because he was the only one worthy of defeating me," said Antares, with a touch of respect in her voice. "If I have that power... I'll know what he felt. I'll know what he carried. And maybe, this time, I'll go beyond him."
The woman touched the chest of her spirit form.
"So be it. You will carry the fragment of a shadow that transcends the light."
A black circle appeared under the woman's feet, and its light began to merge with the surrounding darkness. The veil on her body shimmered for a moment, and a black mark appeared on Antares' soul - the symbol of sovereignty over death, dominion over the end.
"This will be your gift... and your curse. Free will. Choice. Consequence."
Reality began to shatter around them. The void roared like silent thunder.
"When you open your eyes, you will be a new being. In one of my worlds. But something inside you will always remember... who you were."
Antares felt his soul shatter and rebuild at the same time. His gaze then opened as he saw a message on his retina
[The completion requirements for Secret Mission: The End of the Dragon King has been met].
[You have acquired the rights to become a Player, will you accept?]
Antares looked at the Goddess in front of him, and she just nodded... "Right."
[Congratulations on becoming a player.]
CLARION!!!
A blinding light suddenly enveloped Antares' body and, at the same time, he lost consciousness.
The flash, however, continued as a blinding light erased some of the darkness from his being... the delight in destruction began to be erased, little by little.
When his eyes opened, the first thing he saw was a cute girl with dark hair and piercing eyes. She stood before him with a mysterious smile, and her words cut through the silence with a somber tone:
"Could you die for me?"
A feeling of déjà-vu ran through his mind. The scene was unfamiliar, but at the same time, he felt as if he had experienced it before. The image of the girl in front of him, with a look that reflected something sinister, and the words she had said... all seemed to echo in his mind in a strange and vivid way.
Her name, "Yuuma", was the first to form in his mind, like a distant but clear memory. She was standing there in front of him, asking something that seemed to be part of a story he still didn't fully understand.
But the real question was: who was he now?
With the mere opening of his eyes, a whirlwind of memories filled his mind. He was not only Antares, the Monarch of Destruction, the Dragon King, but also... Hyoudou Issei. The memories of a life that didn't belong to him merged with his own. The boy, who lived in Japan, had a simple life, but now those memories were his too. An overload of experiences, desires and fears accumulated in his mind.
He remembered every step up to that moment... Then...
Black wings emerged from her back. The scene before him was surreal, like something out of a fantasy, but for Antares, it was just another piece on the big board. She flapped her wings, creating a spectacle of black feathers that fluttered around her and fell to the ground until they accumulated at his feet.
He watched her with a calculating gaze, his power being assessed, like a monarch analyzing an opponent. "An Angel? Demonic, more likely." He didn't believe in religions, only in facts, but he knew enough about the supernatural to recognize that she wasn't what she seemed.
Yuuma smiled at him, but that smile wasn't sweet or affectionate. It was cold, cruel. The smile of someone who had something much darker in mind.
"It was fun, the time we spent together. But like playing boyfriend and girlfriend with a child..."
Her voice, soft, cut through the air. There was a palpable indifference in it. "This isn't just a game for her. Are you trying to test me, or eliminate me?" Antares reflected quickly. He was in no hurry. He was no longer a young man to be fooled by outward beauty. He knew what was going on.
Bzzzzz.
The sound of the blade, which she materialized in her hands, caught his attention. A spear, shiny and powerful, that seemed to contain immense power. It was no ordinary thing, and he assessed it instantly.
"That spear... attracts light, maybe energy, power... interesting." He knew she wasn't just threatening. She was about to attack him, and he was ready to deal with it. But he felt no fear. Nothing that came from Yuuma could touch him. He was Antares, and death would not reach him so easily.
The wind cut through the air. Antares felt a noise coming towards him, but unlike Issei, who would probably have been taken by surprise, he remained still. He knew what was coming next. The spear pierced his body hard, but he didn't react with pain. He was beyond that.
DOM!
The impact was strong, but Antares didn't flinch. He felt blood gushing from his belly, but it was only an inconvenience. The sight of his own blood being spilled was a distant memory of a time when pain still meant something. Not any more. He had experienced much more pain throughout his eternal existence.
'Wait... my powers?" he wondered.
As his senses began to dull, he looked down and watched the blood flow, a metaphor for his temporary decay. 'This pathetic form... this fucking goddess sent me straight into a body and simply banished my powers?!' He roared internally.
'I'm sorry. You were a danger to us, so we decided to eliminate you early. If you want to blame someone, then hate the god who put the Sacred Gear inside you."
'Sacred Gear... that damn goddess.' He thought.
Antares' consciousness was slowly fading, but it wasn't the end. He knew what was happening. Pain, death, were just stages. Death was nothing to him. He had destroyed entire kingdoms and been reborn stronger with each cycle. He looked at the blurred vision of his imminent death and thought.
'If I'm going to die... then let it be in the most interesting way possible. I want more power. I always want more.
[System Initiated: You have received a notification]
[Message from God: Sorry to bother you, I actually thought I'd give you a good life, so this was the best option... I hope you like what you see when you wake up. Fate has given you a very good chance! Don't forget my efforts! Create your Harem!]
[A Noble Demon has been summoned, enjoy your resurrection Player!]
Before his consciousness faded completely, a silhouette appeared in front of him. It was a red-haired figure, familiar and imposing. Antares felt the weight of the presence, and a smile appeared on his lips.
'That bastard... sent me to my death... I've already fucking died once...' Antares nervously muttered before seeing the face of a red-haired woman, she seemed happy to see him.
'You look like you're dying. Your wound... well, it looks like something interesting is going on." She murmured and her eyes sparkled "So it's you... How interesting." The red-haired woman murmured, "If you're dying, then I'll take it for myself. Your life, that is. You'll live for me."
Before I lost consciousness, I could see a red head in front of me. The same shade as his... before he became this boy.