LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 26: Chapter 26
Now, Ashborn had an arsenal of defensive, supportive, and attack-based skills, honed and perfected within his illusionary training.
"My lord, it's finished," Reed announced, handing Ashborn his newly forged creation, an ore fused from both Proto-Adamantium and Mysterium. To Ashborn, months had passed in training, but to the outside world, only a few seconds had elapsed.
"Amazing…" Ashborn muttered, channeling his power into the ore. The moment his energy coursed through it, the output of his power increased by heights his current armor couldn't hope of matching.
Without hesitation, he continued pouring his energy into the metal, refining it further. Hours passed, and under the immense infusion of his shadow energy, the once pure silver ore began to morph and transform, taking on an entirely new, never-before-seen form, a material that had never existed in any world before.
[Mission Completed: Shadow Monarch's Ore]
Objective: Take Proto-Adamantium and Mysterium and fuse them with the power of the Shadow Monarch to create Shadow Monarch's Ore.
Reward: [Army Soldier's Armor Set], [Shadow Monarch Gear Evolution]
With that notification, all of Ashborn's shadows underwent a transformation. Their forms shifted, clad in newly forged armor that significantly boosted their power.
The same was true for Ashborn himself. His silver armor shimmered for a moment before darkening, shifting into a sleek black and purple set, radiating an aura of pure dominance. The transformation was complete—his new gear embodied the essence of the Shadow Monarch.
"Such power…" Ashborn muttered, feeling the surge of raw strength coursing through his body. His new armor didn't just increase his power—it amplified it to heights so extreme that his body needed time to adjust. His stats had skyrocketed into the hundreds of billions, an astronomical leap that even he found staggering.
He exhaled slowly, steadying himself as his body adapted to the sheer increase in strength. It wasn't just him, his shadows had evolved alongside him. Moments ago, they were 500 times stronger than when they were alive. Now?
500 million times stronger.
The increase was insane. His new armor, combined with their enhanced gear, had pushed their capabilities to 50 million times their former strength. And with Ashborn's newly gained mastery of darkness, courtesy of his training under Mega Mind's illusion, their abilities had multiplied tenfold.
"Let's go." Ashborn's voice was calm, yet absolute. He threw a glance toward his shadows, his eyes gleaming beneath his helm. With this power, he knew he was still far from facing the likes of Asgard. Even with the stats of a billion, destroying a planet was still a challenge for Ashborn.
****
Deep in the void of space, amidst the silence of the cosmos, a group of powerhouses drifted forward—Spider-Man, Jean Grey, Iron Man, Ant-Man, Luke Cage, Hulk, Wolverine, Gladiator, Galactus, Firelord, Thanos, and Thor. They had scoured the universe, devouring everything in their path, but now… they all paused.
Before them, a portal of swirling darkness split reality open, and through it, a figure emerged. Cloaked in living shadows, standing atop a colossal dragon, the presence was imposing, absolute, and unreadable.
Ant-Man narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
The figure did not hesitate. His voice was calm, yet carried a weight that bent the cosmos itself. "I am Ashborn, God of Darkness."
With those words, the void itself seemed to move, and from beneath him, a sea of shadows surged forward, forming an unstoppable wave of monstrous power. Yet, among them, only one shadow stepped forward—Energy Master, the fused entity of Vulcan, Alexander, and Gambit.
A being of pure energy manipulation, crackling with power beyond mortal comprehension.
"You're in a weakened state," Reed said with a smirk, his gaze locked on the most dangerous person present—Jean Grey. She had yet to fully succumb to the Dark Phoenix, but it was only a matter of time. "Galactus' power has been divided among you, which means the Galactus standing before us is nothing more than a starving husk, and the rest of you should be roughly at his level."
The zombified heroes and titans were stunned.
"Reed?" Iron Man's voice carried both shock and disbelief. It was impossible, Reed Richards had been among the first to fall. Yet, before any of them could react further, Mega Mind moved.
A force of unparalleled mental might, he struck directly into Jean Grey's mind, challenging the Dark Phoenix head-on. The battle was instant, a war of wills fought in a realm beyond the physical.
Jean had no choice. She had to divert all her focus to aiding the Dark Phoenix against Mega Mind. But even with cosmic power at her disposal… She was losing.
A weakened Dark Phoenix was not enough to match the sheer mental force of Mega Mind. The tide of battle had shifted before it even began.
Why was the Dark Phoenix weakened?
How could something known by so many titles, The Beginning and End of All Creation, Alpha and Omega, the Heart of All Things, the Sum and Substance of All That Lives, be losing?
There was a pattern to these names. Life and Death. The beginning and the end. A force that transcended all living things.
Yet, here in this broken universe, where the concept of life and death no longer existed, the Phoenix Force had no foundation to draw upon. It was like a fire deprived of oxygen, flickering dimly in the void.
With its power diminished, Mega Mind was able to completely suppress it, forcing Jean Grey into an unwinnable battle. But even if the Phoenix Force was not weakened thanks to the state of this universe, Mega Mind would have still won.
That left Energy Master to face the rest of the zombified Titans.
"Come." At first, it seemed as if Energy Master was simply challenging the zombies, beckoning them to attack. But within seconds, they all felt it—their very energy was being drained from their bodies.
Every ounce of cosmic power, kinetic force, and gamma energy they possessed ripped away as if obeying Energy Master's call.
Realizing the danger, the zombies instinctively tried to move… but they couldn't. Even the kinetic energy needed to take a single step was gone, leaving them frozen in place.
"My lord," Energy Master said, kneeling as the stolen energy gathered into a concentrated mass before him. With a nod, Ashborn reached out, absorbing it all into his shadow,
[Host has absorbed a large amount of Gamma Energy and Power Cosmic…]
Warning: This energy exceeds the host's current limits. 99% of the energy has been redirected to strengthen [Shadow Monarch]. The remaining 1% has been utilized to evolve the host.
[Host Evolution: Initiated.]
The host has remained human for too long. To accommodate the power gained, evolution is necessary.
New Race: Half-Monarch, Half-Human.
[Note: Due to reason, full Monarch transformation is currently unavailable.]
Ashborn stood still, feeling the changes unfold within him. His power surged, his stats multiplying many times over, but more than his own strength, his shadows had undergone an even greater transformation.
He turned his gaze toward Franklin Richards, once a being whose very existence defied reality. Now, even as a shadow, Franklin was beginning to reclaim fragments of his full power.
If Galactus had been at full power, Franklin would have regained 100% of his full strength. But that was a matter for another time. For now, Ashborn turned his attention toward the Hulk.
"Make him angry." Ashborn ordered, his voice calm yet commanding.
Without hesitation, Mega Mind split his focus, reaching into the depths of Hulk's mind. He suppressed Banner entirely, allowing Hulk's rage to explode unchecked. The angrier Hulk became, the stronger he grew—and the more Gamma energy he accumulated.
Energy Master stepped forward, his expression serious. With a single motion, he siphoned every ounce of Hulk's energy, draining it away before the Hulk could unleash his full strength.
The raw energy surged toward Ashborn, who absorbed it all into his shadow.
[Shadow Monarch Job Class has grown stronger.]
Ashborn's power continued to expand, the system refining and evolving his abilities with each new surge of energy. The stronger his shadows became, the closer he edged toward something beyond mortality.
[Warning: The host has caught the attention of a powerful being. The host should stop or risk the destruction of this universe.]