The Shadow Castle trembled.
Thirty hunters had entered the gate.
Now only twenty-three remained alive.
The corpses of five S-Ranks still lay cooling on the cracked obsidian tiles—split open by the monstrous Shadow General who stood at the far end of the hall…
OBSKARN — Shadow Emperor.
The lingering shadows around him whispered like dying voices.
Agilan stepped forward, his breath slow, his aura shifting in soft crimson waves across his hoodie sleeve.
He wasn't fully awakened—not yet.
Just his arm was transformed into its fleshy, armored state, slowly pulsating.
Raiden Jang swallowed.
Raiden: "He's not like the other shadows… This one feels like an entire army compressed into one body."
Ananya tightened her grip on her glowing sword, ember-red aura flickering around her.
Ananya: "Agilan… stay close. If he moves—"
Agilan (calmly): "I know. He's fast."
Jai's hands shook slightly as he loaded his blue mana bullets.
Around them, the other S-Rankers whispered.
Hunter 1: "Thirty of us came in… ten died in under five seconds…"
Hunter 2: "If that thing charges again, we're finished."
Hunter 3: "Captain Raiden… orders?"
Raiden didn't answer immediately.
He was staring directly at Obskarn, who stood motionless—like a statue sculpted from pure darkness.
A single word escaped the shadow emperor.
Obskarn: "…A-gi-lan."
The hunters froze.
Ananya blinked.
Raiden turned sharply.
Ananya: "He knows your name?"
Jai: "H...How?"
Agilan's jaw tightened.
Agilan: "This one… he's something else."
Obskarn stepped forward with a deep echoing thud, dragging his scythe across the black floor, sparks of shadow crackling out.
Obskarn: "You… carry a scent. The scent… of the Flesh Monarch."
Raiden whispered in disbelief.
Raiden: "He knows your title…?"
The other hunters backed away.
Obskarn raised his scythe and pointed it at Agilan.
Obskarn: "Come. Show me… if you are worthy of the throne you carry."
Agilan lifted his mutated arm slightly, red lines crawling like veins.
Agilan: "Fine. But I won't be fighting alone."
He looked at Raiden, Ananya, Jai, and the remaining S-Ranks.
Agilan: "We do this together."
Raiden smirked.
Raiden: "Damn right."
Ananya stepped beside Agilan, aura igniting like wildfire.
Ananya: "Let's end this."
Jai cracked his neck.
Jai: "Try not to die, anyone. I can't carry everyone."
The hunters formed into a semi-circle.
The Shadow Emperor tilted his head.
Obskarn: "Then… come."
---
THE FIRST CLASH
Raiden moved first—his thunder aura erupting.
Raiden: "⚡ RUSH—!!"
In the blink of an eye, Obskarn vanished.
A loud THUD shook the ground.
Raiden barely blocked the scythe with crossed blades as shadows exploded behind him.
Raiden: "TCH—!! HE'S INSANE—!!"
Agilan surged forward, using Adrenaline Surge.
Red lightning-like veins burst across his body.
Ananya: "AGILAN GO!!"
Agilan's speed doubled—his feet cracking the stone floor as he intercepted Obskarn.
Their first collision shook the entire castle.
CLANG!!
Obskarn slid back a few meters, surprised.
Obskarn: "…your arm… carries the pulse of a monarch."
Agilan's eyes glowed faint crimson.
Agilan: "And this arm is only the beginning."
He activated Claw Morph—his fingers elongating into razor flesh talons.
He slashed.
Obskarn dodged with ghost-like precision and swung the scythe.
Agilan blocked with Hammerfist, the hardened flesh absorbing the hit.
BOOM—!!
Behind them, Ananya leaped with a fiery red arc of energy.
Ananya: "SUNSPLIT SLASH!!"
The blade hit Obskarn's shoulder, sending black smoke bursting out.
The Shadow Emperor staggered.
He hissed.
Obskarn: "…annoying light."
Three S-Rank hunters jumped behind him with elemental attacks.
Hunter 4: "Frost CHAINS!!"
Hunter 5: "Wind Cutter!!"
Hunter 6: "BLAST ART!!"
Their attacks hit squarely—
For a moment, it looked like they had him.
But Obskarn simply stepped out of the smoke, unscathed.
Jai: "…Oh god."
Raiden: "Everyone BACK—!!"
Obskarn vanished.
---
THE BUTCHERING
SHRRRRIP—!!
One S-Ranker's head rolled across the floor.
Hunter 7: "W-WHAT—?!"
SHLNK!
Another was cut in half.
Hunter 8: "NO—!!"
SHACK—!!
Three more bodies dropped.
Only eighteen remained.
Raiden blocked an attack that would have taken Jai's head.
Jai: "THANK YOU—WHAT THE HELL IS THAT MONSTER—?!"
Raiden: "STAY BEHIND ME!!"
Ananya jumped back, panting, gripping her chest.
Ananya: "We can't track his movement…!!"
Agilan's fists tightened.
He activated Vermicular Surge.
Red tendrils burst from his back like living muscles, coiling and vibrating.
Agilan: "I'll hold him."
Raiden: "Agilan, WAIT—!!"
Too late.
Agilan jumped forward.
---
AGILAN VS OBSKARN
Obskarn and Agilan clashed again—this time at speeds the others couldn't even follow.
CLANG—BANG—SHRRRK—!!
Every strike shook the hall.
Obskarn slashed downward—but Agilan's tendrils grabbed the scythe, stopping it mid-air.
Obskarn's eyes widened.
Obskarn: "…you dare touch my blade?"
Agilan roared, pushing him back.
Agilan: "YOU WANT THE FLESH MONARCH—?! THEN FIGHT ME—!!"
The tendrils pulled Obskarn in, and Agilan countered with Blade Morph, slicing across Obskarn's chest—
A deep gash formed.
Black shadows spilled out like smoke.
Obskarn actually stepped back…
Obskarn: "…Impressive."
Ananya gasped.
Ananya: "Agilan… did that…?"
Raiden's eyes narrowed.
Raiden: "He's keeping up with that thing…"
Jai whispered:
Jai: "Is he human…?"
---
OBS KARN UNLEASHES TRUE SHADOW SPEED
The Shadow Emperor twitched.
Then—
WHOOM—!!!
He moved so fast the air cracked.
Agilan barely dodged as Obskarn appeared behind him.
Obskarn: "Too slow."
The scythe descended for a killing blow—
Raiden pushed Agilan away and blocked it himself.
Raiden: "NOT—TODAY—!!"
The scythe cut Raiden's shoulder deeply.
Ananya screamed.
Ananya: "RAIDEN—!!"
She rushed forward, aura flaring—
Obskarn appeared behind her.
The scythe raised—
Agilan: "ANANYA—!! MOVE—!!"
She turned—
Too slow.
The blade descended—
---
AGILAN AWAKENS — FULL FLESH MONARCH MODE
Agilan's heart STOPPED for a moment.
Agilan whispered:
"Ascend"
Then it thundered.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!!
His aura exploded outward—red, pulsing, violent.
His hoodie tore open.
Flesh armor spread across his chest, neck, back, face—
Tendrils wrapped around his limbs like living serpents.
His eyes turned bright crimson.
SYSTEM:
[FULL MONARCH FORM — ACTIVATED]
Obskarn paused.
Obskarn: "…At last."
Agilan appeared in front of Ananya instantly.
His tendrils blocked the scythe inches from her neck.
Agilan growled—voice distorted:
Agilan: "Touch her… and I'll tear you apart molecule by molecule."
Ananya froze.
Her heartbeat skyrocketed.
Ananya (whisper): "Agilan…?"
The tendrils pushed Obskarn back violently—slamming him through three pillars.
Raiden stared in awe.
Raiden: "…He wasn't even serious till now."
Jai whispered:
Jai: "That's a demon… that's a monarch…"
The remaining hunters backed up.
Agilan stepped forward, aura shaking the whole castle.
---
THE FLESH MONARCH VS SHADOW EMPEROR
Obskarn crawled out of the rubble, laughing.
A broken shadow smile.
Obskarn: "YES. Show me… the TRUTH of your flesh."
Agilan extended his mutated arm—now a massive Hammerfist.
Agilan: "You wanted a monarch?"
He charged.
Agilan: "HERE I AM—!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!
Obskarn was smashed into the floor with godlike force.
The entire hall shook like an earthquake.
Shadows burst outward like black fire.
The fight had only begun—
And PART 3 ends right here