Arthur’s eyes narrowed instantly at the Ruler’s words.

"There it is again.."

The Fragment paused slightly,

"The Dragon Monarch must fall. The others must fall. So will you stand with us once more?"

Its voice deepened slightly.

"We have exhausted the Creator’s artifacts so there will be no cup of reincarnation this time. No cycle reset. No escape from fate, it is now or never."

Raven’s breath slowed slightly, her eyes fixed on Arthur now. Even she could feel the power building up within him.

"I think I’ve heard enough."

His voice was calm, "I’ll continue my war the way I’ve been doing it."

A pulse of violet light flickered in his gaze.

"And it’s been working wonders, since I’ve already taken four of them down. The rest will follow suit."

His stare sharpened.

"But listen carefully."

The air around him subtly darkened.

"If you interfere in a way I don’t approve of, I will not hesitate to treat you the same as them."

’Arthur...’ Raven’s eyes widened slightly at Arthur’s tone, but she did not interrupt.

Arthur’s voice lowered further.

"I don’t care what becomes of you, Rulers. I only care about who survives when this is over, which is my world and humanity."

The Fragment remained silent for a moment longer than before.

Then its voice returned, quieter, as though receding beyond reach.

"Your words cut deep but your distrust is understood," it said. "And it is not unjust."

The light inside Renshiro’s eyes began to fade.

"Our sin is far too great."

The presence began to withdraw,

"But our duty remains the same... whatever it takes..."

And then it was gone.

Renshiro collapsed slightly forward, breathing sharply as his consciousness returned fully to him. The glow had vanished completely, leaving only snow, wind, and the aftermath of something far too large for one human body to contain, even if he is awakened.

Raven remained silent for a moment longer than usual. Her expression wasn’t fear, but something close to disbelief at how calmly something so vast had spoken to Arthur, respectfully, and even held him in high regard.

"What the hell was that just now?" Raven finally said.

Her violet eyes stayed fixed on Arthur as she spoke, genuine disbelief slipping through her usually composed expression.

"I expected a fight," she admitted. "Some holy war nonsense. That... thing using this idiot as a puppet to attack us or try to kill you."

She gestured vaguely toward Renshiro, who was still kneeling in the snow trying to recover. "But instead it just... talked to you." She frowned slightly. "Not even talked down to you. It felt like they actually respected you."

Arthur remained quiet for a moment, looking out toward the distant lights below the mountain.

The wind moved through his longer ashen white hair softly before he finally answered.

"They respected Ashborn," he said calmly. "Or maybe feared him too much to disrespect him."

Raven folded her arms tighter. "You said he used to be one of them. A Ruler. But if he sided against them afterward, shouldn’t they hate him?"

Arthur’s glowing eyes dimmed slightly as old memories surfaced behind them.

"It’s complicated, I know I mentioned bits and pieces of it but.."

He looked upward briefly, toward the dark sky stretching endlessly above the mountain.

"The Rulers and Monarchs weren’t born enemies naturally. They were created that way."

Raven listened carefully now.

Arthur continued.

"The Absolute Being created both sides. Rulers represented light. Monarchs represented darkness. Darkness and Light cannot mix, and then they got into an endless war that lasted longer than human minds can even comprehend."

His voice remained calm, but there was something bitter underneath it.

"The Rulers eventually realized something terrifying. No matter how much they fought, no matter how many worlds burned, the war never ended. Entire civilizations vanished, dimensions collapsed, countless lives were erased..."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed faintly.

"And their god simply watched, never offering aid."

Raven’s expression shifted slightly.

"They thought he enjoyed it."

Arthur nodded once.

"They believed their creator viewed the war as entertainment. An endless spectacle between light and darkness."

Snow drifted lightly around them as he continued speaking.

"So they rebelled."

Raven stayed silent.

Arthur’s voice lowered slightly.

"Ashborn was the only one who remained loyal."

Even Renshiro slowly lifted his head at that part, listening despite his exhaustion.

Arthur’s gaze grew distant.

"He fought beside the other Rulers against the Monarchs for ages at the command of the Absolute Being. And when the rebellion happened, he tried to stop it."

A faint humorless smile touched Arthur’s face.

"It didn’t go well."

Raven could almost picture it through the way he spoke.

"The other Rulers defeated him easily," Arthur continued. "They left him broken and dying because they believed loyalty to the Absolute Being made him just as guilty, even though he was their brother, the greatest fragment of brilliant light among them."

The wind grew stronger for a moment across the summit.

"Ashborn thought it was over. But before he died, he discovered something the Absolute Being had hidden inside him from the very beginning."

Arthur’s eyes glowed faintly violet again.

"The power of death itself."

Even Raven felt chills at the way he said it.

"He became the Shadow Monarch," Arthur said quietly. "Not by choice, in a way it was Fate at play, he was always a power of light and darkness."

Raven stared at him silently.

Arthur continued.

"When he returned to the battlefield, the rebellion was already over. The Absolute Being was dead."

His expression darkened slightly.

"And then Ashborn realized something else. Without him, the Monarchs would lose the war completely."

Raven blinked slowly. "So... he joined the monsters."

Arthur glanced toward him.

"He joined balance," he corrected. "The Monarchs accepted his help reluctantly."

Raven tilted her head slightly. "Let me guess, they also feared him, because he became stronger than everyone."

Arthur gave a faint nod.

"Too strong."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"The Rulers feared him. The Monarchs feared him. Neither side trusted him after that."

Raven let out a slow breath.

"...Honestly, at first glance, killing the Absolute Being sounds justified."

Arthur looked toward her curiously.

She continued thoughtfully.

"But the more I think about it... a sadistic god doesn’t completely fit or make sense in this case.."

Her eyes drifted toward the sky.

"If he truly controlled concepts like creation and destruction, then maybe the war wasn’t just entertainment."

Arthur’s gaze sharpened slightly.

Raven spoke quietly now.

"Maybe he was preserving something bigger. Some cosmic balance neither side understood."

Arthur looked at her for several moments before nodding slowly.

"I see it that way too."

His voice became quieter.

"Ashborn was loyal. Too loyal maybe. He felt betrayed by his own brothers more than anything else."

A faint sadness passed through his expression.

"But even he never truly understood the purpose behind the war. None of them did."

Raven smirked faintly after a moment.

"You know... from a certain perspective this whole story sounds really familiar."

Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly.

Raven looked at him with a smile.

"Lucifer."

Arthur actually laughed softly at that.

"...Yeah."

He shook his head slightly.

"From a certain perspective."

Raven smirked wider.

"You inherited a power with serious history problems."

Arthur sighed.

"Everything powerful comes with a price."

His eyes drifted toward the distant world again.

"And that applies to all of us."

Raven’s expression softened slightly at that.

"Fair enough."

Arthur’s voice grew colder again after a moment.

"And my problems are only beginning... this really is an endless war."

His violet eyes glowed faintly.

"At this point, the only real solution might be making sure none of them ever pass their powers on again."

Behind them, Renshiro finally managed to stand fully again, though his legs still looked unsteady.

He held a hand against his chest, breathing unevenly.

"I..." he muttered. "I feel terrible..."

His eyes moved between them uncertainly.

"The being that spoke through me..."

Arthur turned toward him calmly.

"I’m sure you heard everything."

Renshiro swallowed hard and nodded slowly.

Arthur continued.

"Now you know the source of your power. You know part of the truth."

Snow crunched lightly beneath Arthur’s boots as he stepped closer.

"What you do with that knowledge is your choice."

Renshiro looked stunned by how casually Arthur said it.

Arthur’s tone remained composed.

"Protect humanity. Be useful or live however you want."

Then his eyes sharpened slightly.

"As for the Monarchs... they will target you, so you should watch your back."

A ripple of shadows moved at Arthur’s feet.

"But I’ll deal with them, so you can rest assured."

Renshiro stared at him silently.

Arthur then glanced toward Raven.

"We’re done here."

Raven immediately nodded.

"Gladly."

Then she added casually, "Though instead of heading back immediately, I need to stop by Jump City first. Titans business."

Arthur smirked faintly.

"Sure."

A shadow portal slowly opened beside them,

"I have enough free time to annoy Robin and Jaime for a bit."

Raven groaned instantly.

"Oh please, Arthur..."

That only made him grin slightly wider, together they stepped toward the portal.

Renshiro suddenly looked up in alarm.

"Wait!"

Arthur and Raven both disappeared into the shadows before he could finish.

The portal closed instantly, leaving Renshiro alone atop Mount Fuji.

Snow drifted quietly around him.

The strongest hunter in Japan stood there in complete confusion, staring at the empty space they had vanished from before finally blurting out,

"...What about ME?!"

/-\

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