The Monster Monarch System-Chapter 260: Desperate...

The air between them grew heavier, charged with the weight of a past neither had fully grasped just moments ago.

The Monarch of Darkness stood frozen, his obsidian eyes locked onto Rem, but it wasn’t just recognition — it was hatred, a deep, all-consuming hatred that ran deeper than his very soul.

The name had slipped from his lips instinctively, a relic from a time long before his rebirth in this frail human shell.

Azrael.

A crackling surge of black energy erupted from his body, shadows twisting unnaturally as they pulsed outward like a living force.

His breathing grew ragged, his human frame trembling under the weight of the darkness that threatened to consume him.

But he didn’t care. No, he welcomed it — welcomed the unrelenting fury that now coiled within him.

"You," he spat, voice thick with venom. "You should not exist!"

The words barely left his lips before he lunged forward, the blade of darkness in his grasp elongating with a jagged, unnatural edge.

Rem, eyes narrowing, shifted his stance just as the Monarch’s sword slashed downward, carving deep into the stone beneath them as he barely dodged to the side.

The impact sent cracks sprawling across the floor, dust and debris rising in the wake of the attack.

Rem responded in kind, his own soul-forged blade humming with raw energy as he brought it down toward the Monarch’s shoulder.

The Monarch twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the slash, but not without cost — a thin gash opened across his forearm, black ichor-like blood seeping from the wound.

He barely noticed. His hatred burned hotter than any pain.

"You’re weak," Rem said, his voice calm, controlled. "Your body can’t handle your power."

"Silence!" the Monarch roared.

With an unnatural burst of speed, he surged forward, swinging his sword in rapid, merciless arcs. Each strike was wild yet devastating, the sheer weight of his blows forcing Rem onto the defensive.

Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, the force sending shockwaves rippling through the ruined underground chamber.

Then the darkness began to move.

Tendrils of pure shadow slithered from the Monarch’s back, writhing like monstrous appendages as they struck toward Rem, aiming to ensnare and crush him.

He dodged, pivoting sharply, his blade severing two of the tendrils mid-air.

They dissolved instantly, but more took their place, each one lashing out with unrelenting aggression.

Rem gritted his teeth.

’He’s losing control.’

The shadows deepened, spreading across the floor like a living abyss, devouring everything in their path.

The very air became suffocating, thick with corruption, as the Monarch’s reckless use of dark energy began warping the environment around them.

His human body was failing, but still, he fought with a ferocity that defied reason.

"Why do you wear that face?!" the Monarch bellowed as he swung wildly again, his voice a broken mixture of rage and anguish. "Why do you exist while I was cast into nothingness?!"

Rem’s eyes flickered with something unreadable, but he said nothing.

He simply moved.

His speed became a blur, his body shifting in perfect synchronization with his attacks.

Every strike was precise, every dodge effortless — his footwork an art perfected through countless battles.

He cut through the shadows, countered every attack, and for every wound he inflicted, the Monarch’s anger only grew.

The Monarch roared, shadows surging outward in an explosion of energy, forcing Rem to leap back.

He stood there, chest rising and falling rapidly, his hands trembling. The dark runes on his body pulsed violently, glowing with an eerie black light, and cracks had begun forming along his skin.

The body was breaking apart.

But still, he fought.

The darkness coiled around his arms, manifesting into jagged claws that extended from his fingertips.

He lunged again, slashing furiously, but this time, his movements were slower — sloppy. His body was betraying him, unable to keep up with the power he was forcing through it.

Rem saw it. He saw the desperation, the sheer refusal to yield despite the inevitable.

And then he sighed.

"I thought you were stronger than this," he murmured, his tone almost pitying.

The Monarch’s eyes widened in sheer fury. "You dare — "

A single movement.

In the blink of an eye, Rem closed the distance, his blade finding its mark. The Monarch barely registered the searing pain before he was forced backward, his entire form slamming into the far wall.

A deep gash now ran across his chest, black blood staining his tattered robes.

For the first time, he faltered.

The shadows flickered.

His breaths came in short, ragged gasps as he pressed a trembling hand to the wound.

He lifted his gaze, and in that moment, something in his expression shifted. The pure, unfiltered rage remained, but beneath it... there was something else.

Recognition.

"You..." His voice was weaker now, but laced with disbelief. "You move just like him... like Azrael." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Rem didn’t answer, his grip tightening around his weapon.

The Monarch let out a weak chuckle, dark blood spilling from the corner of his lips.

His fingers twitched, curling into fists, but his body betrayed him again — he staggered, nearly collapsing to one knee. The shadows around him flickered once more before dimming.

He hated this.

Hated how familiar this felt.

Hated the face in front of him.

But most of all, he hated the helplessness creeping into his very core.

His dark energy flared once more, but this time, it wasn’t controlled — it lashed out in erratic, violent bursts, his body convulsing from the overwhelming force.

And Rem simply watched.

"It’s over," he said, voice unreadable.

The Monarch’s entire body trembled, his fingers clawing at the floor as he tried to push himself up. But the moment he attempted to move, a violent jolt of pain wracked through him, forcing him to grit his teeth.

The cracks along his skin deepened, black veins pulsating beneath them.

Rem lowered his blade slightly. "Your body won’t last much longer."

The Monarch let out another chuckle, though it was more bitter this time. "Then I’ll take you with me."

The darkness roared to life one final time, consuming the chamber in an eruption of black tendrils.

The entire mansion shook as the last of his energy surged outward in a desperate, all-encompassing wave.

Rem exhaled, gripping his blade tighter.

Then he vanished.

A flash of silver streaked through the darkness, cutting through the tendrils in an instant.

Before the Monarch could react, he felt something cold press against his throat. His breath hitched.

Rem stood behind him, his blade resting against his neck. The fight was over.

But the hatred... the hatred still burned.