Shadow Monarch; Heir Of The Shadows.

They rapidly transversed through the Dreadful Mountain range, as hero made way for the dreadful land. After all, it was still injured, therefore he would try to capitalize on that as early as possible.

He had a wide grin on his face, as this only further boosted his determination, as he moved at a faster speed.

They were about to pass by a cave, when zeras suddenly had a light smile on his face.

And then...a bloodied figure suddenly stumbled out of the cave, as it collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud.

Hero had a narrowed brow, as upon second thought. He came to a full halt just before he passed by the bloodied figure.

SCREEEECH!!!!

The sound of his legs forcibly coming to a stop, resounded through the area. As he bent down a little, turning the body of the figure.

"S-he's a girl." He stuttered in shock, as this was surely the first time he was seeing a girl who just happens to be a World Evolver.

'It all just keeps getting better, doesn't it.'

Zeras had a light smile on his face, as he immediately closed his eyes afterwards.

As it seemed as though he had fainted...

'oh...seems that the guy has fainted.' Hero immediately grabbed the second girl, as he gritted his teeth. Almost as though in the midst of making a difficult decision.

"Aaargh!!" He grunted in anger, as he finally carried both Zeras and the wounded girl into the cave.

Dark abysmal like stalagmites and stalactites filled the cave, as it radiated a kind of devilish beauty. And on the floor, laid the corpse of countless Nightmarish creatures.

Hero narrowed his eyes, as this meant that the girl singlehandedly defeated 15 of this awakened Nightmarish creatures that were surely above tier 2.

'Just how monstrous is her strength...at least with such a level of strength...her combat prowess shouldn't be any less weaker than mine.'

Hero had a wide grin on his face as he muttered.

"But this is also good anyways...this just further strengthens my plan."

He immediately dropped both of them onto the ground, as he moved to pick up the shard and various cores. He picked up a total of 12 cores and 3 shards, each pulsing with otherworldly nightmarish energy!

He brought out an artifact; "SAFE OF ANTHERIA." one which he had taken from the dead carcass of one of his fellow world evolvers.

And then...the artifact mysteriously appeared from nowhere, yet that didn't seem to be logical. As they was definitely a logic behind it.

And the logic was actually quite simple. He had kept the artifact in his sea of soul or more appropriately, his soul realm.

He immediately dropped the cores and shard into the artifact, as surprisingly, the artifact that seemed to be no less than some centimeters large and tall...actually managed to hold the entire 12 cores and 3 shards.

And while it might seem as though it couldn't contain more...Hero knew that wasn't the case.

As the runes itself had said that it could contain more cores and shards than he could have ever imagined...

He had a light smile on his face, as he immediately willed for the artifact to be gone, and then a white glow covered the artifact as it immediately went into his soul realm.

He glanced at the torn and ripped bodies of the Eldritch dream creatures, his sword was brought out of his body as he slowly got to work....

Finally, after cutting the various Eldritch dream creatures into various pieces. He couldn't help but be glad that he had been part of that...previous expedition team. But what a pity...they just happened to be too fragile and feeble to survive within the ecosystem of the dreadful Dream realm.

He let out a light chuckle, as he smashed into the stalagmite continously, his veins popped up continously, as it wriggled all across his arm. And then, a light whirlwind of sort suddenly ejected out of his sword.

As it collided with the stalagmite with a loud thud...and then, the stalagmite came crashing down with a loud thud.

As he took two pieces, and then he went deeper into the cave and just as expected, every cave had the water. A water they called; Water Of Flames.

And the reason was soon shown, as Hero came just before both Zeras and the girl. He had a narrowed brow as he felt a weird smell assault his nose.

"Hmm...why is this kid smelling so badly." Hero muttered, before shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter anyways." He removed his eyes away from Zeras as he dropped the pieces of stalagmite on the ground continously, and when it got to a certain height. He opened the bottle in his hand, as he poured down the water of flames, and then....

A sizzling sound erupted out, as slowly smoke rose into the sky....quickly followed by a loud

PA!!

PA!!!

As the shattered stalagmite underwent great change...and then flames soon started burning, then it got hotter and hotter....

Until it finally stopped at a certain temperature of 100 degree celsius.

Time passes by as quickly as possible...

As hero stood watch over them with a raised brow, as he watched the entire surrounding with utmost level of attention.

When suddenly...a light groan was heard from behind him.

'it seems one of them is awake.' He glanced back, immediately catching the sight of the girl.

She grabbed a hold of her head, as she felt a stinging pain assault her head. Glancing around her, she immediately caught sight of Hero and the supposedly fast-asleep Zeras.

She could see he was also injured...which came to a conclusion. They were both saved by the guy, who had an amiable smile on his face.

"Hey...how did you end up in such a situation." Hero asked with a narrowed brow, as he found it quite weird that the girl hadn't choosen to escape before she could have been surrounded by the Nightmarish creatures. With her level of strength...that shouldn't be quite difficult.

"Hmm..." She let out a slight grunt while touching her head as she replied.

"I can't remember...all I remembered was trying to escape from a Nightmarish creature...and the-n everything else just seems to be too blurry."

"Oh...sorry for that. Hope you get better soon. So what's your name." Hero asked with a light smile on his face.

"My na-me, my nam-e" She seemed to be trying hard to recollect something, as she suddenly had a bright smile on her face before she replied.

"My name is Sofie."

"Oh...quite a nice name you have got."

"Thanks." Sofie replied with a light smile, as she slowly moved deeper into the cave as her voice tore through the air.

"I need to wash myself...will be back in some couple of minutes."

"Oh...alright, just make sure it isn't the pinkish pond, since the water contained in it is highly flammable."

"Yeah...I know." She muttered in a low breathe as she made way deeper into the cave, soon dissapearing from sight.

'Quite a shame for such a lovely girl to be dying soon.' He shook his head as he let out a light sigh.

Zeras slowly opened his eyes, as the first thing he saw was the various stalactites and stalagmites, as it immediately occured to him that they were already inside the cave.

As for why he was so comfortable, even falling unconscious beside a mere stranger...

That is due to the fact that...

'I wouldn't be dying anytime soon...at least not now.'

He had a cold gaze as he glanced at Hero, who was busy chatting with Sofie as they tore apart the chunks of meat and dipped the Nightmarish barbecue into their mouth...

Zeras couldn't help but lick his lips, as he moved closer to them.

"Oh...you are awake." Hero glanced back as he caught sight of the approaching Zeras.

"Yeah."

'isn't that very obvious.'

He slowly got closer to them, as he grabbed a hold of one chunk of meat and then within the breathe of a second, he demolished it into his stomach.

And he didn't seem to be done...two...three...four.

He finally stopped at the 9th chunk, as he let out a slight burp.

Hero and Sofie glanced at him in shock and perplexion.

'Isn't he afraid of being stuffed to death.'

Zeras seeing the look in their eyes could only laugh within his mind.

'If only they knew how bad it was within the slums...perhaps then they would understand...'

But he didn't care if they understood or not, as he let out another blurp. He suddenly stretched his hands forward as he got onto his two feet.

"Water." He said, as his hands was stretched towards Hero.

Hero let out a light chuckle, as Zeras seemed like a big-fat kid. His hands immediately went beside him, as he grabbed the bottle that was now filled with water.

Though it was water from a pond within the cave...but through its' white pristine color, he knew it was the: Pristine Water. The only drinkable water within the dream realm.

Zeras grabbed a hold of it, as he drank it slowly moving out of the cave.

"Where are you going." Sofie asked with a raised brow.

"Nowhere...just trying to see the rays of the moon. It has been quite a long time since I got to peacefully see one." Zeras replied as he dropped down with his butt, while glancing at the various dark constellations, and the three moons that hung in the sky.

And then suddenly...the three moons became one. As they trembled wildly before joining together.

Zeras let out a light smile, as he glanced at Hero and Sofie who were busy having the chats of their life.

A small fruit slowly appeared in his hands, as it had a very bad smell, but slowly that smell got cleared.

As it was a normal thing...the more the nose smells something, the faster it gets used to it. And it would come to a point whereby the smell was already a common thing and one wouldn't be able to differentiate it from the normal air one breathed in...

'Seems that being a lover of biology is really going to save my petty life countless times.' He shook his head, as he dripped the juice contained within the fruit into the water.

As if he was correct....or better still, of his simulation was correct.

It would come to work at exactly that point in time.

He had a wide grin on his face, as Hero's voice suddenly tore through the air.

"Hey...kiddo, throw me the bottle."

Zeras happily threw him the body as he let out a light chuckle heard only by him...

And then....

In another place....

Within a De-Sacred Palace, the Temple Of A Daevis. The Temple of one of the most powerful Daevis to have ever existed since time immemorial....

A kid with skinny body; almost as though made of bone, a long dark hair and weary eyes...

And most importantly...The kid had blood flowing down his forehead continously...

'Even such a large Eldritch dream creature is anticipating stuffing me in its' stomach...seems that my bad fate has really taken me this far.'

'congrats fate...you win.'

"But...it doesn't matter anyways. My life is already coming to an end already. Yet...how I wished I could live and survive, not only to spite fate...but also to spite those who wish me dead..."

And so did his wish come true...as his dark abysmal blood dripped onto the dark abysmal throne....

An otherworldly changed occured...one so great it caused the various constellations of the starry sky to merge together...the three moons...came to become one.

And then...

A set of golden words appeared right before his eyes...

A set of runic words appeared before his eyes...as his pupils were too drowsy to even see anything...all he could see was blurry ancient words..

As large hands suddenly emerged from the darkness...as if Khain was here. He would have easily identified it to be the same as the energy oozing out of the body of one of the Daevis that stood against the Gods.

The large hands immediately grabbed onto the large Eldritch dream creature...

As the previously terrifying creature...didn't seem to be so terrifying after all.

It tried to resist...but how could a mere Tier 6 Awakened Eldritch dream creature, hope to match up to the prowess of a Daevis.

It was easily dismantled by the hands that had suddenly emerged from the endless darkness...as blood, organs and viscera dropped onto the ground with a loud thud...

[You have completed a mind blowing acheivement....

Not only did you stir the Will of a Daevis...you got him to send you his blessing...

Due to the blessing from the Daevis...

Your Origin name; son of the shadows has been elevated to an higher grade...

You have gained a new origin name; Heir Of The Shadows...

Your Origin ability; shadow king...has evolved to Shadow Monarch

Your Shadow's Monarch Flaw has been altered...

Petty Light...is no longer your nemesis...yet stay clear from the Holy light of the Scion Of Light.

You have gained an Artifact; Immemorial Shadowy Daevis...]

Max had a wide grin on his face, as he felt his strength rapidly increasing...intense energy like never before.

His control of the shadows being elevated to greater heights....

Slowly...he could feel it...

He was finally becoming the True Monarch Of The Shadows...

"Seems that fate has lost this time around...and I won, and I intend for it to stay that way forever..." Max made a determined vow, his hands clenched tightly...as slowly light came to the surface of the entirety of the dream realm.

Welcoming the arrival of a new day...