Felion and the girl made their way back to the tower where the four monarchs were waiting.
On the way, they talked.
"I must say that human was something else," Felion remarked. "What would you say, Silent Assassin — Kaevra Selyn Voss Solis?"
"Just call me Kaevra."
"If you say so." He paused. "About that human — the one who broke your wrist. Twice. What do you think of him?"
"He was a weakling," she said coldly. "And he died miserably."
"I wouldn't say that." Felion disagreed.
"And why not?"
"Both of them were strong opponents, but the second one was no ordinary fighter. Even after I used our realm's most hidden and powerful technique, he still struck back — through horrible pain." Felion showed her the cut. "That kind of opponent doesn't come around often."
"What was that technique?"
"It forces the target to relive the same death over and over again — whatever suffering they caused us. For us it lasts a second, but for them it stretches into hours of torture."
Kaevra went quiet. A bead of sweat traced her neck and she felt a flicker of unease.
The monarchs were right. These humans are monsters. Demons who will devour our realm.
"Still," Felion continued, his voice low, "the ninth king's bastard will die the same way his ally did."
"We've arrived."
—
Upon reaching the tower, they bowed before the monarchs.
Queen Aelthirya Mooncrown — Sovereign of Elves and Spirits.
Queen Noctyra Blackveil — Ruler of the Veiled Dominion.
Felion bowed toward Queen Aelthirya. Kaevra bowed toward Queen Noctyra.
Both gave their full reports — every detail of the mission, every incident from start to finish.
"My queen," Felion said when he was done, "may I add something? For all four monarchs to hear."
He received a nod.
"Kings and Queens — having now witnessed firsthand the strength of the ninth shadow's allies, I can say this without hesitation: our enemy is not merely strong." He let the words settle. "They are beyond what we anticipated."
Seraphel's gaze shifted to Malzaryth. Just a single glance — and between them, everything was understood. The true weight of what they were facing had finally come into view.
—
Meanwhile…
In the Realm of Thunder, after Althric collapsed, Zyra's scream cut through the silence.
"ALTHRIC—!"
"Guards!" Ren's voice snapped out. "Call the medics! Get him inside the chamber — draw the poison out, now!"
Ren stood frozen for a breath, staring down at the man he had trusted most. His most reliable ally — on the ground.
"Zyra." His voice dropped.
She looked up, tears already falling.
"I'm sorry to put this burden on you. Can I leave Althric here with you?"
"Yes, sir," she whispered.
"Thank you." He exhaled slowly. "I hope the next time I see him; he's back on his feet." He turned. "Umbra — take Yume home. I'll go alone to see Daiki's body."
"Yes, my king."
"Ren—" Yume reached for him, then stopped.
He crossed to her without a word and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Yume," he murmured, "if someone did this to Althric… this threat is far bigger than we thought."
He pressed a kiss to her cheek, then stepped back and opened a gate.
"Umbra. Take her."
"Yer, my liege."
Ren moved quickly, crossing through the realm and disappearing into his own world.
—
The ball continued in the great hall while Althric, Zyra, and King Raizen made their way to the healing chamber — a long room built entirely from a white marble-like mineral found only in the Realm of Thunder and Sky.
"Put him here," Raizen said, gesturing to the central platform. He looked to Zyra. "This will accelerate the healing. I've sent for the thunder doctors — they'll see to him shortly."
But deep within the body forged from the essence of a ninth shadow monarch, something else stirred entirely.
—
Althric found himself inside a void — dim and still, like the depths of open water.
This place again. He turned slowly. Where am I?
"HEY. THE ONE KNOWN AS ALTHRIC. THE NAME GRANTED BY HIS MASTER."
Blue flames moved toward him, slow and deliberate.
Althric went quiet.
What is this?
"Did you call my name?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Who are you?" He hesitated. "…For some reason I feel like I know you. But we've never met."
"We haven't. But your master and I have. You carry his essence — so some part of you recognizes me."
The flames stilled.
"I am the ninth sovereign. The one who held the title before your master."
Althric listened. Something in his chest settled — not fear, but recognition. A truth he couldn't explain.
"I don't sense a lie in you," he said. "And I feel like I should bow."
"There's no need for that."
"Then — King. What are you doing here?"
"There were circumstances."
"What does that mean?"
A pause.
"Do you remember the time your king descended into the Abyss to conquer it?"
"Yes. That was when I was born."
"After your master sold his soul, I lost the thread connecting me to him. But when you came into being, I found myself inside your consciousness. I watched you. Got to know you." The voice moved around him. "I had thought I would return to his body eventually. But I couldn't. So instead I waited — watched — to see whether you were worthy."
"Worthy of what?"
"I am entrusting everything to you. Your source remains your master — that doesn't change. But you will become a warrior who rivals him. This world needs that. Your master needs that."
Althric's head dropped.
"I can't do that."
"You want to protect him," the ninth king said. Not a question.
"Yes." His voice was steady, at least. "I would put my life on the line for him. Without hesitation."
"You already have." A quiet weight in those words. "Your master evolved. He made mistakes. He kept going. You need to do the same."
"I have my king. The queen. And…" The words caught in his throat and didn't come.
"You have someone special," the ninth king said, "and you're resisting it. But you're changing, Althric. You're becoming more like your master — not a warrior with no heart, not a simple summon. Something more."
"Then I'll resist it harder."
"You cannot resist it."
"…Why not?"
"Because you have to accept it." A pause. "I told your master something once: we are both one now. And now the same is true of us."
The rusted iron cube appeared between them, floating in the dark.
Althric stared at it.
That thing. I've seen it before — before I even had consciousness.
"Inside that," the ninth king said, "is my power. My authority. Everything you need. It is also the only thing keeping the poison from spreading further into your body."
"So this place—"
"Is your inner self. Yes."
A long silence.
"Althric. Warrior of the new ninth king — take my power, blend it with your own, and protect this world with it."
"Am I… worthy of that?"
"You've already proven it."
Althric looked up.
"But King — the generals who stood beside you, the ones who fought at your side for ages. Why not them? Why me? I'm an outcast. A lowly—"
"ALTHRIC."
The word landed like iron.
"Who told you that you were lowly?" The ninth king's voice filled every corner of the void. "Your master trusted you above all others. While he was gone, he left the entire world in your hands. None of our previous generals were ever given that or capable for that."
Something moved inside Althric's chest. Like a knot, pulled loose.
"Your guilt is that you couldn't protect your comrade." The voice softened — not gentle, but honest. "You didn't run. You stayed. That matters. I won't tell you it doesn't hurt. It does. It should. When you stand at the top, those beneath you are in your care — and when they fall, you carry that weight. That's the price of the position."
A smile crept across Althric's face before he realized it was there.
I'm an idiot.
He felt the sting behind his eyes.
I'm a knight. A general. I protect the people in my care.
"King." His voice was clear now. "I'll take it. For a moment back there, I felt the full weight of what Mister Daiki suffered, and it broke me. But I won't break again. Not now."
The ninth sovereign stepped aside.
The cube drifted toward Althric.
He reached out and touched it.
The rust began to dissolve — evaporating into nothing — and then a burst of blue light split open, and from it came black mist, spiraling outward, circling him slowly. Gradually the shadows turned inward, merging with his own power. The void around him began to bubble, deep currents rising from somewhere far below.
What's happening?
"Let the process run. The poison is fading. Your body is regenerating."
The ninth king's voice was quieter now, almost distant.
"Remember this, Althric — your scar won't fade. Every time you look at it, remember what you're protecting. Remember why."
The black shadow exploded outward in every direction — a wave rippling across the void like the crack of a whip. And on the left side of Althric's body, markings began to appear, rising through his skin like ink through water.
He closed his eyes.
He let the cube be absorbed.
His body lifted from the ground.
"Now — rise, Warrior."
Annoucment!!
Volume I — Complete
The Rise of the Shadow Sovereigns
Author's Note · Chapter 100
You just read Chapter 100 — and if you've been here from the beginning, you already know what that number means. This chapter was written on June 1st, 2026. One day before that — on May 31st — Volume 1 was completed.
That was a moment I had been desperate to reach. A restart. A milestone. And we got there.
Volume 1 — The Awakening spans 12 chapters, with fewer chapters carrying two or even three parts. The story has grown — new twists have been introduced, and a few things have quietly shifted from where they began.
A quick note for longtime readers: you may remember a character called Ichigo from the earlier chapters. That name has been changed to Elena. New characters have also been introduced along the way, so don't let any unfamiliar faces catch you off guard.
📖
Coming Soon — Amazon KDP & More Volume 1 will be published within two to three weeks across Amazon KDP and multiple other platforms. If this story has meant anything to you, picking up a copy is the single greatest way to push the author forward — and keep the chapters coming.
Thank you — genuinely — for reading Chapter 100. Every reader who made it this far is part of why this story exists.
Chapter 101 releases soon.
— Rise of the Shadow Sovereigns
And! Congratulate on hanging till chapter 100