Chapter 23 – The Higher Monarch
The temperature dropped instantly.
Even Arjun's shadows trembled.
A colossal silhouette formed in the sky.
Wings of darkness spanning kilometers.
Eyes like dying stars.
[Warning: True Monarch Presence Detected]
[Compatibility Resonance: 89%]
The Demon Commander knelt immediately.
"All hail…"
Arjun felt the pressure crush his bones.
This was the real thing.
Not a fragment.
Not a shadow.
A true Monarch.
The entity's voice echoed directly in his soul.
"You carry my fallen brother's power."
So the Shadow Monarch had siblings.
"You are incomplete."
Arjun forced himself to stand.
"I'm not your puppet."
The Monarch laughed.
"If you refuse…"
"You will be erased."
The sky began collapsing inward.
Time slowed.
The Monarch Core inside Arjun reacted violently.
[Forced Awakening Initiated]
Pain consumed him.
His vision turned black.
And then—
He saw the throne again.
This time—
It wasn't empty.