Chapter 27: Stone Cold

- Mars -

Jeju Island

"Wait, wait, wait..." I speak into my phone, looking around the near annihilated island with hungry eyes. "You're saying Go Gunhee is just giving me the whole island?!"

"Heh, that's correct." Woo Jinchul snickers back to me, I could picture the rare smile on his face right now. "Chairman Go said it was all but abandoned anyway, of course due to the mutated ant monsters. Even the few original survivors of Jeju agreed with his proposal to them. Their thinking was we only have the island thanks to you and your shadow summons anyway. He's right, it's the best way to show our evolution into a superpower... Our biggest embarrassment is now the heart of our greatest strength."

"So, basically, I can do whatever I want? Don't joke with me, Inspector." I make sure to get explicit approval from the Korean Hunters Association, a satisfied grin forming on my face.

"Yep. You have free reign, consider the whole island your new base of operations." Jinchul confirms with me one more time. "Congratulations on the new guild by the way. Chairman Go wanted to officially announce the Shadow Guild to the world once he's back from Tokyo."

This is coming together rather nicely. I won't turn down absolute control over Korea's largest island, and more importantly, complete privacy. I'm already wondering what to do with my surprisingly not ill gotten land, my mind instantly racing to letting the demons establish a hidden base in the heart of the volcano.

It's rather shrewd of the Chairman, but it makes a lot of sense for me, considering I'll need plenty of space for all of my shadows to roam free.

"Well how can I say no to that? Thank you, Inspector Jinchul, and send my thanks to the Chairman as well." I accept their offer easily. "For now, I'll just wait for the old man to return. Do you have any idea how long he'll be?"

"I'm not sure, Mars. I'm guessing a day or two, maybe more." The tired Jinchul sighed back to me. "Before I let you go, let me just say I completely agree with the Chairman. We wouldn't even have this land if you didn't exterminate all of the ants. Even if he'll never tell you outright, he is seriously relieved you've decided to stay loyal to Korea. Especially since you weren't even born here."

He should take his sweet time, if everything goes my way, I won't even be in the same universe before he gets back. Not that it matters since time will be frozen here once I'm gone, so I shouldn't even need to worry about being caught off-guard by anyone from this world.

"Korea is my home, I do have some precious people here, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe." I utter out, fighting the yawn on my face.

"Alright, Mars, I'll speak with you soon." Jinchul said before he hung up.

I have a couple hours before I can return to the Cartenon Temple, so now is the best time to have my shadows start the complete reconstruction of Jeju Island.

Expanding my shadow as far as I can, all of my eager summons appear in front of me. It really seems like I'm all alone on the island with my soldiers, barring a few Association officials on the outskirts of the island, completing their objective of collecting all of the magic crystals the ants left.

I'm not exactly hurting for cash, and once my guild is officially up and running I have a feeling I won't need to worry about paying any of my bills. Thank the goddess I don't need to pay or feed my growing legion.

"My Liege, the damaged mountain is an excellent choice for the lair, the tunnels we have created underneath can be easily extended to the entirety of the island." My freak ant suggested to me, rubbing his mandible in deep thought.

"I agree. Go forth with a group of ants to get started on that right away." I order the loyal Beru, patting the bulky shadow General on his back. "In fact, dig as far as you can, I don't care at all what land lies above. But don't go too deep, you must make sure the underground passage stays hidden for now, I don't want any uninvited guests."

"Kekekeke... I will not let you down." Beru hissed out excitedly, commanding the dozens of S-rank royal giant ants and a couple thousand of the mutated ants to follow him back into the ant farm they originally created.

"Esil, Metus, my demons..." I call out, and instantly, my demon fiancée and my first arch lich appear from my shadow.

"Mars!" Esil cutely squeaked out, finding herself within my arms as soon as she came out.

"Lord Mars." Metus bowed to me, the entirety of the Radiru clan kneeling behind him.

"I appreciate your patience, I finally have the appropriate location for your new castle." I greet my fully assembled demon force, all of them looking at me with an earned devotion. "You can follow Beru into the volcano. Take some of the shadow ants, they will assist you when it comes to the construction."

"Thank you, Mars." Esil whispered to me, lovingly squeezing me one more time before she seamlessly transformed into her confident demon queen mode. "Let's go, Radiru clan! We've all been waiting to make our mark as the new Shadow Monarch's demon horde! We will begin with the rebuilding of the Radiru castle!"

"You all heard your Queen." Metus bellowed loudly to the demons, his teeth clattering as he evilly laughed to himself, floating behind the demon knights as they marched towards the volcano in need of repair.

The shield volcano Mount Hallasan really is the perfect lair I could ask for, the summit is the highest point in the whole country. I'll make sure to keep the surface and remainder of the island welcome to tourists and any visitors, I'm sure there will be bus loads of citizens who will want to visit now that the island is habitable again.

There's simply no way anyone could possibly imagine deep underneath the dormant volcano will be a demonic castle filled with noble knights and undead demons.

"Igris. Take the rest of the ants and whatever shadows you need to get started on the official Shadow guild base and the surrounding buildings." I turn to my first ever shadow, who was patiently waiting for my orders. "I'm going to get some rest before my upcoming duel with the Architect."

"Your will shall be done, my King." Igris promised me, placing a hand over his heart, before he took command of the rest of the shadow soldiers, leaving me alone with a few specific summons that have a new duty.

Now that my Immortal Army has grown a lot more powerful, I can send Igris and Beru to do my bidding anywhere I want, while I can stay safe back and relax in the shadows.

"Greed, Samurai, Kang, Iron." I acknowledge the four shadows who were foolish enough to challenge me when they were once humans. "From now on, you will be tasked with being my official bodyguards, when Beru and Igris are out acting on my behalf."

"Yes, my Liege." Greed simply pledged to me again, on his knee with the other shadows.

"It is a great honor, we shall keep you safe at all times." Samurai promised me, saluting to me with his hand over his chest.

Kang and Iron joined them, wordlessly worshipping me, it seems any of my soldiers would be ecstatic to be given the role of my official guard shadows.

This is my very own goon squad of sorts, it feels quite fitting that these soldiers will forever be tasked as my personal guard. Now I can take a more supportive backup role, even more so than I have been already. Igris, Beru, Tusk and all of my shadows can be fully unleashed anywhere with ease, knowing I'll be safe and sound.

I just need to pass one more test, and then I'll have almost everything I need, before I can leave ready for the next universe. In this upcoming meeting, I won't have the luxury of even a single shadow soldier to assist me. A chilling feeling washes over me for a brief moment, when I imagine the god statue, before the feeling dissipates in a flash.

Young Mars, do not worry too much about this. I believe you should save that energy for when we depart from this world that I foolishly assumed was completely alone.

Okay Ashborn, I trust you. I wanted to wait just a little bit longer for Bellion and the rest of the awaiting shadow army, but something tells me I'll be coming back to this world sooner rather than later.

You should trust your gut, I will never lead you astray, partner. We will be more than ready to explore the vast multiverse after this fated encounter.

I wouldn't have it any other way, partner. If I could give you a great big bearhug right now I would, I can't help but feel unstoppable knowing you have my back.

Item: Cartenon Temple Key

Item Class: ?

Type: Key

This key allows the user to enter the Cartenon Temple. This key can be used on the appropriate gate. This gate's location will be revealed after a predetermined amount of time

Time Remaining: 7 hours

Okay, time to get some rest now. I want to be nice and ready to take on the Architect and the statues.

- David Brennon (Federal Bureau of Hunters) -

Washington, D.C.

"Fuck..." The Director of the American bureau of hunters cursed to himself, wishing that they could have prevented Hwang Dongsoo from entering the S-rank gate in Japan. "Why couldn't have Thomas Andre forced Dongsoo into the S-rank gate here in Maryland with him instead..."

He poured himself a strong drink, not wanting to deal with the fallout once Thomas found out what happened. Thankfully, the Scavenger guild master was still inside the S-rank dungeon in Maryland, at least he had some time to strategize for the incoming shitstorm once Thomas finds out.

David was just as shocked as anybody once he was informed Dongsoo was recruited by Goto Ryuji and the Japanese to help clear the gate in Tokyo. There was definitely something suspicious about the whole thing, if only his recon squads warned him in time.

Regardless what happened inside the gate with Valentino Mars and Goto Ryuji, the fact was Thomas' favorite hunter was mysteriously killed inside. He wouldn't be surprised at all if Dongsoo or Ryuji were the ones who started things, in the case there was foul play involved.

Well, it doesn't matter what happened, only what will happen once Thomas returns from the raid.

"Director!" An agent burst into his office, a manic look on his face. "We finally found his identity. The human-type monster found in the A-rank dungeon break."

"Who is it?" David sighed out, it wasn't just the disaster in Tokyo he had to worry about, but also the incident where a powerful monster broke out from an A-rank dungeon in the Midwest, where the presumably S-rank dungeon boss immediately went into hiding.

"We identified him as the missing S-rank hunter from Korea, Sung Il-Hwan, who was presumed dead for many years now." The agent handed him a small file on the S-rank rogue, one of the small country's first ever S-rank hunters.

This was an unprecedented incident, how could a human come out of a high ranked gate? The lone A-rank survivor was absolutely certain he was saved by the stranger, who was protecting him against two National rank monsters. What he hoped was infighting between the monsters was made even more confusing given the few clear photographs showing the bearded man.

"It really is him... How can a hunter emerge from a gate?" He furrowed his brow in wonder, comparing the old hunter photo picture on file with the shaky camera footage of the man escaping in the dungeon break. "What if it's a monster with human memories?"

"We have no idea... One more thing, sir. His daughter, Sung Jinah, we have her listed as Mars' girlfriend back in Korea." The agent hesitantly admitted to him, making their operation in finding the missing hunter even more complicated.

"Are you fucking with me right now?" David slammed his fist on the desk, pouring himself another drink. "For now, don't tell a single soul. If we're lucky, we'll find him before anyone else does, and we'll be able to sweep all of this under the rug."

- Later -

- Mars -

Waking up after a peaceful slumber I lean back into the strangely scaly yet warm feeling I'm up against. Clearing the sleep from eyes, I look up as it was just Kaisel clearly deciding by itself to take on the role as my nap partner, where I'm snug right under its massive wing, which I'm glad to learn doubles as a comfy blanket.

My wyvern steed looks mighty cute snoozing in peace.

The key item in my pocket throbs, where the key to the Architect's gate is flashing brightly.

Item: Cartenon Temple Key

Item Class: ?

Type: Key

This key allows the user to enter the Cartenon Temple. This key can be used on the appropriate gate. This gate's location will be revealed after a predetermined amount of time

Time Remaining: 56 seconds

It's showtime.

I wake up the dreaming Kaisel, who yawns wide as hell, rows of deadly sharp teeth revealing themselves.

"My King." Kaisel huffs out, stretching its massive wingspan, licking me up the side of my face.

"Good morning, Kaisel." I pet the adorable yet destructive General-rank shadow. "It's almost time."

I impatiently wait for the countdown to reach zero, ignoring the busy commotion my shadows are making, who have been working non-stop as I slept. Ten seconds to go, and my hearts beat perfectly in sync as the timer runs out.

The key in my hand shines a bright blue, right as a window pops up in front of me.

[The location where the key can be used will now be revealed]

Hopping onto Kaisel, my shadow steed roared out loud, flapping its wings as it flew into the air.

"To the school, full speed!" I order Kaisel, the location of the gate shown to me in a hazy mirage.

After a swift flight, thanks to Kaisel's upgraded speed, we arrived to the school, where many Korean Association officials surround what looks like a newly spawned gate.

It's always amusing watching people get terrified of my shadows, my General grade wyvern is certainly a frightening sight, especially when its flying at full speed towards them.

Hopping off Kaisel, I quickly put my demonic armor on, helmet included.

"Hu-Hunter Valentino Mars?" A bespectacled agent greeted me in front of the low-rank gate. "What are you doing here?"

"Call Inspector Woo. Tell him it's an emergency." I say bluntly, striding past the confused official. "I'm canceling the raid right now."

"Huh? But according to the measurements, it's just a C-rank..." She said to me with a puzzled face. "What is happening? If you would give us an explanation..."

"There's no time, just call him. Tell him it's the double dungeon." I order her, before stepping into the gate, ignoring her protests.

Spreading my wings, I fly at full speed towards the heart of the cave, where it's almost identical to the first gate I entered since reincarnating into this world. Eventually, I find a small group of hunters, who reached the blue and gold royal doors, where the Cartenon Temple awaits.

"Is this the boss room? Why isn't it opening?" The raid leader scratched his head, trying to pry open the doors magically shut.

"What should we do? Even our magic won't make a single scratch on the door." Another hunter chimed in, staring at the huge doors like it was a puzzle.

"We can't leave after coming all this way." The lead hunter said stubbornly, hitting the door with the blunt hilt of his sword.

"It's a trap." I surprise the group of low rated hunters, who all flinch at my sudden arrival.

"Shit, you scared me!" The B-rank hunter yelped out. "Who are you?! Wait, you're hunter Valentino Mars?"

"For real?! It's Seoul's Saint!"

"This is an extremely dangerous place. Leave now, I'll handle everything from here on out, so head back." I reveal to them as they form a path for me, pulling out the key.

Ignoring the various reactions from the scrubs all around me, I insert the key into the lock, where it disappears with a hiss as it unlocks the unmovable doors.

"What?! How did you open it? It definitely wasn't opening before!"

"Excuse me, Hunter Valentino. The Dragon Guild purchased the rights to raid this dungeon." The lead raider walked up to me, his face looking apologetic. "You don't have the right to tell us to leave."

"Heh. Fine, I won't stop you. If anyone wants to go in, you can go in." I shrug at them, smiling as they look at each other in confusion.

"I'll go ahead then." He said out loud, confidently walking past me, into the narrow opening, where the newly opened room is shrouded in darkness.

[Someone without the key has entered the new zone. Entry has been denied]

As soon as the clueless hunter stepped inside, a giant statue appeared in front of it, already mid swing with its great sword.

Before anyone could react, I telekinetically pull him back, forcing him onto the ground on his ass.

The wide-eyed hunter stared at the spot he was just standing, completely crushed thanks to the guard statue's impossibly fast swing.

The statue stood up straight, its red eyes glaring at the uninvited hunter with fury.

"All the monsters inside are like that. Do any of you still want to enter?" I look back at the stunned group, who are all speechless. "I won't say it again. Leave this place."

"Y-yes..." A hunter said, pulling up the shell-shocked leader, before they all began to run towards the exit.

Finally alone, I enter the boss room, the royal doors behind me closing with a bang.

[The holder of the key has entered]

The torches around the room all lit up with harrowing blue flames, showing all of the moss-covered statues in the large area.

I check out the statues, who haven't moved an inch yet. As I walk around the room slowly, it feels like countless sets of eyes watch my every move. Each of the gigantic statues are embedded with magic, but I can easily tell now with my enhanced senses, they're all puppets, even the colossal god statue, who stares ahead with a blank look on its face. The statue that looms over everything, its red eyes glowing softly up high. So this is what the Absoulte Being looked like.

Being in this room, I can't help but feel a chill go down my spine, I have rather unpleasant memories of this place, where I watched countless hunters get squished like bugs. I can never forget the brutal screams of the hunters begging for their lives, before the god statue vaporized them out of existence, thanks to its laser beams.

After a silent minute of reflection, I find myself in front of the unique winged statue, holding an ancient tablet with runes carved all over it.

FIRST, WORSHIP THE LORD. SECOND, PRAISE THE LORD. THIRD, PROVE YOUR FAITH.

I'll give the Architect a bit of credit, it certainly created a cool dungeon that would give any S-ranks trouble. I can only assume me or any Ruler vessels are the few hunters who could survive an all out assault from these evil angelic statues.

"You called me?" I shout out confidently at the hooded angel, where two menacing red eyes appear from the dark hood, an inhuman wicked smile revealing itself.

Bits of rubble and stone began to break off as the ground underneath it rumbled slightly. Its two wings extended far out, before four more grey stone wings sprouted out, giving it six total. The tablet in its hands crumbled into a hundred pieces, the Architect easily pulverizing it with its large hands.

"Finally, you are here." [Finally, you are here.]

As soon as it spoke, I felt unnerved, the Architect and the System speak at the same time. It's weird, in person it has a masculine voice, while the system voice only I can hear has been feminine this whole time.

"I'm ready to begin." I smile at the psychotic Architect, who was responsible for the death of countless hunters.

[You look quite confident for the final test?] "You look quite confident for the final test?"

"Oh yes, Ashborn himself has been preparing me this whole time." My smile grows wider as it's clear the Architect is surprised I know this much. "What are you going to reward me with after I ace your test?"

"Tch." [Tch.]

I laugh a little, as it clicks its tongue at me in annoyance. At this point, I'm feeling quite sure I can't lose to it, since the Architect is still working under the assumption Ashborn is taking over my body. I was slightly worried it knew more than it originally did.

I cover myself in my shadow armor, flexing my own six shadow wings, matching it in intimidation.

The Architect didn't say a word, but even I could sense the bewilderment in its body language. It clapped its stone hands, activating its puppet-like magic on the statues, glowing red energy starting to hum in every stone warrior. It snapped its fingers right after, displaying a message in front of me.

[Class-specific skills are limited for the final test. You cannot exit until the end of the final test]

Thankfully it doesn't seem to affect my shadow armor somehow, it only seemed to have temporarily blocked the connection between me and all of my shadow soldiers.

A despairing and ominous energy floods the room, as the statues all begin to march at me, covering a lot of ground with each huge step. With a brief glance I see dozens of them, wielding axes, spears, swords, hammers, flails, halberds and even a bow.

Summoning my sacred gear shield, I brace myself as the statue closest to me swings its sword at me.

On the loud impact, we're both surprised as the rock sword breaks in half, thanks to my unbreakable shield. I fly up to its helmet, stabbing two holy light spears into its forehead, watching as the red glow underneath dies out.

The one hostile with a ranged weapon shot out with a stone arrow even bigger than me. Instead of deflecting or dodging the projectile, I catch it with my [Ruler's Authority], stopping it within a foot of my face, before I flipped it around, returning it back to the sender with even more velocity, destroying its head with its own fired arrow.

Realizing my telekinesis is my strongest ability in this fight, I use it to its full extent, creating a black hole, the statues being forcefully pulled in its direction, allowing me to charge a max power holy lightning blast, decimating a bunch of enemies at once.

- The Architect -

It watched the fight with greedy eyes, floating above the battlefield as the vessel smashed a statue to pieces with his bare hands. The familiar symphony of battle echoed in the temple like glorious music, as it watched the young human destroy its statue puppets one at a time.

"No wonder Ashborn was so pleased earlier... This vessel has grown extraordinarily well, it's impressive to come this far with a human body." The Architect whispered to itself in a smug tone, imagining Ashborn's gift for finding the perfect vessel. "Well, it's obviously not fully human, thanks to those strange and hideous black wings on his back."

It still couldn't understand why the human awakened with a set of wings after passing the initial test, where he eventually ended up growing considerably stronger, the extra two pairs of wings indicating his unnatural growth. It was a tad frightening, sensing the human was quite close to sprouting another pair.

The Architect only felt jealousy, the human only awakened to magical powers for a tiny fraction of time compared to the ancient mage, but he already displayed much more potential than it ever could. Were the powers of the Shadow Monarch that limitless?

"Amazing, but it is still far too early to end the test here."

The mage concentrated its power to the crude mockery of the Absolute Being, a creepy smile dripping with hate.

It laughed to itself as the ground violently rumbled just from the Statue of God standing up from its stone throne. Each step cratered the ground below, its red eyes glowing, staring at the winged human.

"It is time to worship the lord."

The rest of the statues paused, as the colossal statue's eyes burned red, charging up its catastrophic heat vision attack.

In preparation for the laser, the vessel Mars used his Ruler's Authority to forcefully contort the statue puppets in front of him into a crumpled ball of stone. The energy beam struck the mangled mass, superheating the statuesque sphere until it exploded, raining sweltering bits of debris everywhere.

The destructive detonation blinded it, allowing Mars to fly up, staring the Statue of God in the eye. The Architect's masterpiece and strongest puppet began to recharge its attack, unfortunately too slow as Mars blitzed forward, using his golden shield to slug the statue right in the face.

"AARGH!" The terrifying human roared out in an enchanted fury, smashing the shield in its mouth, countless stone teeth fracturing off its mouth. "Wipe that fucking smile off your face!"

Statue of God's beam shot out, too late, as Mars took ahold of its nape, aiming the God's fury at the few remaining statues, disintegrating them into pebbles.

With all of the lesser puppets of the way, the human began to ruthlessly snap the Statue of God's neck in every direction, the room echoing as fissures began to appear on its neck and head.

After a moment of struggle, Mars viciously tore off its head, after a dozen sadistic snaps. The broken puppet collapsed onto the ground with a heavy boom.

"Haha... Incredible. To counter my creations like that."

The Architect couldn't help but crack into a grin, as Mars looked up at it in triumph.

- Woo Jinchul (Korean Hunters Association) -

The Chief Inspector sat back in his chair, drinking more coffee as he was in charge while Go Gunhee was in Tokyo, helping smooth things over with the Blade Guild and the Japanese Association. The television in his office was blaring loudly, the program had been about the events of the S-rank gate Mars entered, where Hwang Dongsoo and Goto Ryuji were killed in action.

A handful of gates spawned around the country, ranging from D-rank all the way to A-rank. He was glad they had just enough manpower to clear the dungeons, thanks to Mars clearing many high ranked gates that spawned recently. His cellphone began to vibrate violently, a call from an official in charge of the C-rank gate that spawned at the school earlier in the morning.

"This is Chief Woo Jinchul-" He answered the call, before a panicked agent yelled into his ear.

"Chief, we received a report, I think you should go check it out."

Once he heard his agent's message, he wasn't surprised at all that Mars was involved, but the words double dungeon caused his heart to drop. The same double dungeon where Mars reawakened? It was the deadly incident that caused the deaths of over a dozen low ranked hunters, he felt like it was the first of many events that began to change the world.

After a frantic ride to the school, he approached the official while he and his small squad of A-rank hunters were clad in Association silver armor.

If Mars is right, the Dragon Guild members inside stand no chance, he hoped Mars made it in time.

Stepping to the blue gate, he flinched when a sharp magical energy slapped him in the face.

"Chief?"

"Sir?" His backup worriedly asked him if he was alright, as he started to sweat profusely.

"D-Do you guys not feel it?" He shivered, as a dreadful feeling washed over him, like a grim reaper held a scythe to his neck, warning him of a horrible death if he entered with his squad right now. "Isn't there a large guild nearby preparing for a raid?"

"Yes. The Hunters guild is preparing close to our location." One of his inspectors answered him.

"What about the guildmasters?" He asked, knowing he needed S-rank backup to safely enter the wrongly measured gate.

"Hunters Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In are both participating in the raid." An inspector informed him, already dialing the guildmaster's phone.

"Put in an emergency request for cooperation with the Hunters Guild..." Jinchul ordered, hoping Mars wasn't in any danger.

- Mars -

The boss room is much quieter now that the statues have been defeated. The Architect began to clap, slowly descending down towards me, where it still towered over me by a fair bit.

"The test isn't over yet, I'm still standing, aren't I? I am the final test." [The test isn't over yet, I'm still standing, aren't I? I am the final test]

[An emergency quest has started]

[Your heart will stop if you do not defeat the enemy in the allotted time]

[Time remaining: 3 minutes, 59 seconds]

The Architect's wings morphed, grotesquely transforming into six stone arms.

Name: Architect

Leve-

Ra-

I didn't have enough time to observe the angelic statue fully, as the Architect rushed me faster than any enemy I've met so far, even Beru or Vulcan couldn't compare with its speed. I braced myself just in time, my wings just barely able to absorb its triple punch, but its original hand still landed a clean blow on me.

Each arm only amplified its power, sending me back crashing into the wall, where it immediately dashed at me even quicker, but I was ready this time, deflecting its hands with my wings, sending a haymaker of my own, hitting him on the left side of his face.

After that surprise counter, I can see its true form showing, half of its face is a pale silver, one of its eyes was glowing white.

[What a surprise! You have exceeded all of my expectations!] "What a surprise! You have exceeded all of my expectations!"

"Honestly..." I spat out at him, blood dripping down my chin. "I thought you'd be stronger."

I use my telekinesis against it, but the Architect only laughs with a sinister grin on its twisted face, completely negating it with its own telekinetic powers.

"Whether you kill me or not... Your fate has already been decided!" [Whether you kill me or not... Your fate has already been decided!]

"You're sure about that?" I ask it with a bright smile, taunting the boss to charge at me again.

It raises its eight arms, the statue puppet's various weapons flying towards it, where it looks menacing as hell armed with a stone weapon in each hand.

[From the moment I designed everything... The very moment you were chosen as the player in the System... My plan is perfect. Let us fight to the utmost in the remaining time!] "From the moment I designed everything... The very moment you were chosen as the player in the System... My plan is perfect. Let us fight to the utmost in the remaining time!"

It flew up high, trying to impale/slash/clobber/slice me all at once with its handfuls of weapons.

[Time remaining: 1 minute]

Flying up at it, I use my shadow wings to deflect its countless strikes, blocking its attacks so I can pummel it right back. Something strange is happening; while I continue to brawl with the Architect it feels like my senses are getting clearer, and I'm getting faster, I'm dodging more of its attacks, my blows hitting the rattled Architect even harder.

"Urgh! To make me struggle to this extent, there's no doubt to why you've been chosen..." [Urgh! To make me struggle to this extent, there's no doubt to why you've been chosen...]

Before I can move in for the final exchange of blows, I stop and stare as the Architect's shadow begins to flicker violently, before its own shade towered over the multi-armed statue.

[You're just a mere human... How dare you-KRRRK!]

Silence rings through the temple, as the Architect drops to its knees, wheezing for its life. A glowing purple great sword made out of pure shadow is sticking out of it, before the shadow sword is mercilessly pulled out, leaving a gaping hole in its chest. The shocked Architect fell forwards onto its face, revealing the haunting figure responsible, clad in jet black armor.

"Ashborn..." I gasp out, looking up at the original Shadow Monarch in all his glory, as the temple starts to fade into complete darkness, leaving me alone with Ashborn in his shadow.

"Young Mars... I have been waiting for you this whole time."

- BONUS -

- Choi Jong-In (Hunters Guild) -

Jong-In, Cha Hae-In and a small group of his guild members hurried behind the Chief Inspector and the Association hunters.

They were just about to enter an A-ranked dungeon, when a frantic Woo Jinchul called for an emergency request, according to him Mars discovered the double dungeon. The very one Jong-In read about when Mars first re-awakened, how interesting.

As they entered the gate, he could tell right away something was wrong, it was certainly no mere C-rank gate, it had to have been S-rank strength, as it was considerably more dense with mana than the earth giant gate.

Following the trail of dead C-rank beasts, the rescue group found themselves at the royal blue and golden doors, slightly cracked open. An S-rank dungeon hidden within a C-rank dungeon? Is there where Mars received his new powers?

"It's real..." Woo Jinchul whispered to himself, a distressed look on his face.

"This magical power is incredible... You said that Mars is in there?" Jong-In put his hand against the door, shivering at the mana concentrated inside.

"Yes, I'm sure." Jinchul confirmed with a nervous tone.

"I can sense Mars' presence, but there's another horrible power inside..." Hae-In noted, entering the room first, her eyes determined to help Mars.

Jong-In was next behind the brave Hae-In, he didn't forget he owed Mars a great debt as well.

"What the?" He reacted to the devastated battleground, where shattered statues littered the ground. "What is this place?!"

"It really was here... The stone statues were really here!" Inspector Jinchul yelled out with wide-open eyes.

"Mars defeated all of these monsters by himself?" He observed, looking for any signs of life.

The hunters gathered all recoiled in surprise when a freezing energy exploded further inside.

"MARS!" Hae-In shouted out in fear, rushing towards the source of the magical eruption.

Mars was floating in the air, legs crossed as he was covered in a black shadow, it looked like he was in a deep slumber.

Hae-In shook Mars, trying to wake him up, but he wouldn't react at all. He was the one causing the violent magical tornado, it seemed like Mars was absorbing the absurd amount of mana around him.

"His wings..." He could barely speak in the intense storm.

The rest of the hunters were speechless, watching as Mars grew another set of wings.

AN: Here's 27. Always thought the Architect was a pretty sick character, if Jinwoo can't resurrect it I bet Ashborn can.

Anyway, this is the final act (for now) of the Solo Leveling world. I want to save the endgame of SL once Mars comes back from DxD. So yeah, Mars is entering DxD next chapter. Kuoh needs to get ready for the arrival of a fully awakened Shadow Monarch.

Thanks to everybody who's made it this far. See ya