"This is too slow," Thomas Andre growled as he gazed out at the city before him.
It was estimated that it would take New York a full eight days or so to completely evacuate. People would get stuck inside the city, with the raging armies of the Monarchs, if they didn't speed it up. And even if they made it out of the city, they still wouldn't be safe. No one knew the minimum evacuation distance needed after all. It was likely that they would need to evacuate through several states, or be airlifted to the South Pole to escape entirely.
New York wasn't even the biggest city that needed evacuation and they were already past the time limit of the Gate. The second Izuku confirmed the nature of the Gates, evacuation orders went into effect. New York needed eight days. They had been given less than seven. Shanghai was probably going to end up the worst, as it was the biggest city by population with a Gate right over it.
Thomas considered it a miracle one hadn't appeared over Delhi or Tokyo. The casualties would've been unthinkable. They probably still would be unthinkable.
Thomas wasn't a man that felt fear often. Even fighting against the Monarchs on I-Island or against Izuku, he hadn't felt any sense of dread. But looking up into the sky and knowing that these were for entire legions… it terrified him. Never before had humanity experienced a war quite like this.
With Izuku and the Rulers creating Gates, alongside the massive Primordials, the process was sped up. But because they'd need all their Mana and energy for the final battle, they would have to let everyone fend for themselves on the last day.
"Laura." Thomas spun around, looking to his ever loyal assistant. "I want you to evacuate with them."
"...I think I'll wait. In case Mister Andre needs som-"
"I need you to leave. I appreciate your devotion. But it's worthless if you die."
Laura's shining blue eyes met his, unfazed, "Is this your final order?"
Thomas barked out a laugh, "I don't plan to die, although there's always the possibility." He smiled, "Nah, I just wanna make sure you'll be alive when this is all over. That way, I can still ask you out for a drink."
"I'd have to decline sir."
"Heh, figured."
Laura bowed her head before taking her leave, "Be safe."
"You've known me long enough by now. When am I ever careful?" Thomas earned one final gracious smile from his assistant before she walked out the door, leaving the city on the Agency's private helicopter with a dozen other employees. And once again, Thomas was alone.
"This way!" Igris shouted over the roaring of the crowd, Mana carrying his voice farther than possible, "We have enough room for everyone, please remain calm!" He stood by the enormous gates to one of the arctic bastions, filling quickly with people.
Magical artifacts, crafted by the Seraph Makers and imbued with power by the Seraph Sorcerer, kept the area warm, but even without them, tensions were boiling past the breaking point.
Already, Igris had seen fights break out over nothing more than strained emotions. He had to personally break up three of them. Even with safety just within reach, people were still frantic.
Igris didn't need to imagine how the people without the safety of the bastions were acting. His Liege had already shared several alerts with the Shadow Army to be on the lookout for looters or any advantageous criminals. Rioting and looting had already become common and it was only the second day. But really, who could blame them?
The world was beset on seven sides by Gods and Monsters and they knew they were powerless to stop it. So why not just let out all your rage and frustration your last few days on earth? Plenty still had hope in the Heroes, but stress did plenty to worsen that hope. It was the end of the world and even if they won, the costs for such a victory would be more than anyone was willing to stomach.
Igris had seen countless lifetimes of war, this process had repeated itself on many times, on many planets throughout the universe. Never once had the species in the way of the war made a full recovery. This time… it would be different, it had to.
Three days later:
Izuku could barely keep his head up. None of the girls could either. Well, except for Rumi, who couldn't create Gates. They had gathered at one of the fanciest restaurants in Tokyo. It was completely empty, of course, aside from themselves and the basic Shadow Infantry working in the kitchen.
He had recently tried using his Shadow Magicians to summon more of the basic infantry Shadows, because he no longer had any limit to his Shadows, but as it turned out, the Magicians were actually pulling from a limited supply of infantry that Ashborn saved up. It would've been a nice way to generate infinite troops, but in the end, it was just a fantasy.
Izuku would have another "final meal" of sorts with Sakura, his parents, and Eri tomorrow. It would be the last day before the Gates spilled open. But for tonight, he just wanted to spend the night with Nejire, Rumi, and Momo.
The Shadows were still out in the world, tirelessly working on evacuations. But Izuku and the hosts were relaxing for their last two days, building up every last ounce of power they could to ensure that they were fighting at full steam.
They sat in silence for a good five minutes, unable to say anything, and letting their body language speak for them.
"This is it…" Momo muttered, "It's the end of the path that they started us on."
Izuku wondered if Ashborn had ever truly planned for anything. He wondered if the God had simply chosen him as a host and said, "Go on, do what you want, just let me rest."
"What happens if we win?" Nejire asked. "Gates have been slowly decreasing in frequency, so us Heroes won't have much left to do…" She trailed off as she realized how wrong she likely was. When the dust settled, if they were even still alive, humanity would be picking up the pieces for years, possibly decades to come.
Rumi scoffed, "Man… what are we even gonna do? I've got no talents outside of fighting."
"Well, at least we won't have to worry about money," Momo offered half-heartedly. But it wasn't about finding a career to provide for them. Fighting had taken up plenty of their lives, it was most of what they knew. Their instincts from life or death scenarios would never go away. So how would they fill that hole in their lives? How would any Hero?
"There are always people to save," Momo shrugged.
"Nah," Rumi shook her head, "I mean… I don't mind saving people, but once the Gates are all gone, it's gonna be kinda depressing to not have that outlet."
"Can always use the Shadows," Nejire joked.
"If something goes wrong," Izuku stared intently at the table as the words suddenly came flowing from his mouth, "Would… Would you leave the planet? Would you evacuate to a place where you could hide out and live away from the Monarchs?"
"Are you… asking if we would abandon the planet? Let it be destroyed?" Momo sounded almost offended. "Izuku… with our power we can't just… leave. We have a responsibility."
Izuku shook his head and clasped his hands, "If Earth was a lost cause and staying only guaranteed your deaths, would you leave? I-If you hide away, and just wait long enough… the Primordials will awaken. Th-They might even be able to restore Earth and kill the Monarchs."
Nejire gave him a worried look, "We're not leaving you."
Momo nodded, "She's right. You can't tell us to run just because you're worried about our safety." Then with a gleam of determination in her eyes, "We are not leaving you. We're not going to die."
Rumi said nothing and simply gazed at the table.
Izuku nodded, then chuckled, "I expected that, but… I just had to check."
"Okay, no more end of the world talk!" Nejire declared as the Shadows began presenting a massive meal with several courses, "Let's just enjoy our night!"
"My Liege," Igris began, walking with Izuku through the halls of the Bastion's Forge, "When you offered them a chance to run, you did not include yourself."
"I'm the strongest. Someone would have to stay behind. That responsibility should be mine."
"My Liege, you cannot treat this like a suicide mission. We need you to live," He declared, with more emotion in his voice than Izuku had ever heard. "The Shadow Army can live without their Liege. They will no longer have the regeneration, but they could survive. However… if you perished. Many of the Shadow army would take their own lives." Igris shook his head, "That is not even considering the grief your family would endure. You have a daughter, a sister, you have your parents, and three women whose love holds no end."
"If I die… I die."
Igris grabbed him by the shoulder, "Forgive me, my Liege, but I detest you for thinking that. You wish for everyone to live, even if it costs your own life. I respect that, but that does not mean you should go into this war with the idea that you will die. Without you, the world is helpless before the Monarchs. You value your life, and the happiness you have, so fight for it. Don't accept anything else."
Izuku let out a weary sigh, "I know. I will fight and I don't wanna die. But, if the choice is between saving them, and saving myself. You know what I'll pick."
"What… What if the Monarchs are still alive? To save someone else with your life would doom the rest of the planet… the universe even. It pains me to turn your words back on you, my Liege. But you yourself said that the responsibility should be yours alone. The responsibility is yours, you cannot trade your life. No matter what happens, you must survive, you must keep fighting."
Izuku was silent. He had nothing to say to that. No one would have a proper response to something like that. So instead, he simply continued walking down the hall, coming to a door after some time.
Masamune sensed his presence, and opened the door before he could even fully reach it. "My Liege. It is an honor to finally present this to you." He stepped aside, revealing the total work of the past three years, molding a Divine Weapon Link into the perfect shape.
Izuku felt a bit of life come back into him as he gazed at the gift. It was Shadow Armor and it looked the part. Much like his own Soldiers, the armor smoked and let off puffs of Shadows, like tendrils grabbing at the air. It was perfectly featureless at first, but then Izuku reached out, his fingers grazing the metal.
[Divine Weapon Link Established.]
Green highlights traced throughout the armor, giving it detail as it became a royal shape of kingly armor. Then, it activated, melting off the armor stand and flowing like a liquid onto Izuku's body.
[Item: Armor of the King.]
Item Class: Divine
Item Type: Armor
Divine Weapon Wielder: Izuku Midoriya
+750 All Stats
+2000 Gauntlet Attack Power
Izuku Midoriya:
Level: 300
Strength: 1249
Vitality: 1121
Agility: 1202
Intelligence: 1340
Sense: 1165
[Mana: 752,352/752,352]
[HP: 65,423/65,423]
[Shadows saved: 1,239,125]
"We have maintained all the set bonuses from your previous armor. Your Job-Specific Skills will still be enhanced and you can still fuse Shadows together."
Izuku nodded, rolling his neck and cracking his knuckles, "It feels… perfect. You've outdone yourself."
"My Liege," Masamune said, nearly at tears, "It brings me the utmost joy to he-"
"Hey," A voice said from the entryway, Rumi. "I need a moment with him."
Igris and Masamune bowed, "Of course, my Lady, we shall leave at once."
Izuku smirked, "I don't suppose you're here to tell me-"
"You need to live." She said, a strange look in her eyes.
"Well, I don't plan on-"
"You need to be ready to live without us."
"Wh-What?"
Rumi took his hand, "Compared to you… we're all weak. I'm even weaker. I know Yaoyorozu made a big deal out of telling you that none of us were gonna die… but, really, we could end up being the first casualties."
Izuku scowled, "Don't say that!"
"But it's true. And… if I die, I don't want to become a Shadow because of your grief. None of the girls do. So I need you to promise me, that if we die, you'll be strong without us, you'll live for Eri."
Izuku shook his head, "I won't promise that, because you three have to live for me."
Rumi's bunny ears drooped, but she had nothing left to say and instead buried herself in his arms, "I love you."
"I love you too."
Shadows: Total count: 1,239,125
435,431 Assorted Shadows - Knight
4,345 Arachnoids - Knight
3,313 Cryoursus - Knight
3,173 Shadow Knights - Knight
195,235 Assorted Shadows - Elite-Knight
2,300 Superhumans - Elite-Knight
2,053 Blizzard Golems - Elite-Knight
881 Shadow Infantry - Elite-Knight
700 Death Knights - Elite-Knight
584 Direwolf Lords - Elite-Knight
433 Greater Elemental Spirits - Elite-Knight
400 Shadow Sorcerers - Elite-Knight
357 Ravager Orcs - Elite-Knight
354 Kijin - Elite-Knight
328 Metal Slimes - Elite-Knight
282 Shadow Nomu - Elite-Knight
68 Lava Golems - Elite-Knight
63 Shadow High Orcs - Elite-Knight
49 Angel Archers - Elite-Knight
40 Obsidian Beetles - Elite-Knight
34 Greater Fire Spirits - Elite-Knight
33 Yetis - Elite-Knight
25 Shadow Bears - Elite-Knight
21 Lava Titans - Elite-Knight
15 Ice Golems - Elite-Knight
10 Amphitians - Elite-Knight
6 Ice Foxes - Elite-Knight
Stain (Human) - Elite-Knight
104,356 Assorted Shadows - Captain
33,249 Hiven Mantis - Captain
14,150 Herculean Hiven - Captain
10,620 Blaze Diggers - Captain
1,252 Nine-Tailed Magicians - Captain
785 Soul Eaters - Captain
672 Arch Demons - Captain
400 Templar Paladins - Captain
154 Shadow Wyverns - Captain
149 Dragon Knights - Captain
100 Arch Liches - Captain
67 Perfected Elemental Spirits - Captain
50 Saints - Captain
50 Swordmasters - Captain
45 Oni - Captain
30 Angel Mages - Captain
30 Draconian Cannons - Captain
23 Stone Goliaths - Captain
20 Earth Hydras - Captain
20 Quetzalcoatl - Captain
20 Angel Knights - Captain
20 Fire Serpents - Captain
6 Magicians - Captain
3 Shadow High Orc Bodyguards - Captain
Orc King - Captain
Gipsy Danger (Earthen Behemoth) - Captain
Lucky Seven (Earthen Behemoth) - Captain
Cherno Alpha (Earthen Behemoth) - Captain
Romeo Blue (Earthen Behemoth) - Captain
Crimson Typhoon (Earthen Behemoth) - Captain
Smokey (Ice Bear) - Captain
Slice (Human) - Captain
Twice (Human) - Captain
Chimera (Human) - Captain
Tank (Nomu) - Captain
200,000 Fallen Seraphs - Commander
78,652 Assorted Shadows - Commander
34,031 Seraph Berserkers - Commander
27,690 Seraph Knights - Commander
16,157 Seraph Sorcerers - Commander
10,686 Phantom Bats - Commander
8,993 Karkinoids - Commander
7,829 Seraph Monstrosities - Commander
5,623 Seraph Silencers - Commander
5,162 Seraph Priests - Commander
4,031 Maker Seraphs - Commander
10 Soul Kings - Commander
8 Prime Draconians - Commander
Akumo (Akarachnid) - Commander
Iron (Warden) - Commander
Icarus (Demon Knight) Commander
Hawks (Human) - Commander
Crust (Human) - Commander
Yoroi Musha (Human) - Commander
Fat Gum (Human) - Commander
Best Jeanist (Human) - Commander
Gang Orca (Human) - Commander
Esil (Seraph) - Commander
Zeus (Disaster Oni) - Commander
Poseidon (Disaster Oni) - Commander
Hades (Disaster Oni) - Commander
Ares (Disaster Oni) - Commander
Artemis (Disaster Oni) - Commander
Kojin (Undead King) - Commander
Striker Eureka (True Titan) - Commander
Karkinos (Angelic Wyrm) - Commander
Ifrit (God of Fire/Spirit) - Commander
Pektra (Prime Draconian) - Commander
Fenrir (Direwolf King) - Commander
16,090 Conduits - General
6,486 Shadow Kraken - General
806 Assorted Shadows - General
Masamune (Celestial Engineer) - General
Ken (Celestial Brawler) - General
Seimei (Celestial Spellweaver) - General
Ronin (Celestial Spearman) - General
Saishi (Celestial Healer) - General
Siddharth (Human) - General
Hyo (Ice Elf) - Marshal
Tusk (High Orc) - Marshal
Aurum (Spirit God of Time) - Marshal
Argentum (Spirit God of Space) - Marshal
Hinata (Holy Being) - Marshal
Tatsuya (Holy Being) - Marshal
Glaedr (Dragon God) - Marshal
Thorn (Dragon God) - Marshal
Firnen (Dragon God) - Marshal
Saphira (Dragon God) - Marshal
Uramoth (Dragon God) - Marshal
Shruikan (Dragon God) - Marshal
3 Ancient Dragons - Grand-Marshal
Azrael (Celestial Spellweaver) - Grand-Marshal
Uriel (Celestial Healer) - Grand-Marshal
Sariel (Celestial Brawler) - Grand-Marshal
Raphael (Celestial Behemoth) - Grand-Marshal
Lucifer (Celestial Spearman) - Grand-Marshal
Nakir (Celestial Engineer) - Grand-Marshal
Arkas (Celestial Mercenary) - Grand-Marshal
Igris (Knight King) - Grand-Marshal
Beru (Perfected Nomu) - Primordial
Kamish (Ancient Dragon) - Primordial
Bellion (Fallen Celestial) - Primordial
Barbatos (Primordial of Brimstone) - Primordial
Scion (Primordial of the Chaos World) - Primordial
Nemesis (Primordial of Balance) - Primordial
Thank you all for reading! I know this chapter was a little on the boring side, but next chapter, the final battle begins in full! Some of you may have already noticed, but there are two other fics that I plan on really diving into once Shadow Monarch is over. Class 1-C Enigma and Project Barbatos, both are on my page, it'd really mean a lot if you checked them out while waiting for the next chapter of Shadow Monarch! See you next time!