The Frost Monarch was not one to keep questions bottled up. He demanded bluntly, "Just who are you?"
Cha Hae-in blinked in confusion. 'Huh?'
The blonde college student glanced from the Frost Monarch to Castorice, her own bewilderment mounting.
'You kept going on about 'that person I'm thinking of,' so how come now that Castorice is actually here, you're acting like you don't recognize her at all?'
A thought struck her. 'Does that mean Castorice isn't the person you were looking for?'
Castorice, however, quickly grasped the situation.
Though fury still simmered within her, her mind remained clear. She had known from the moment she stepped through the portal that the one who attacked Cha Hae-in was likely a Monarch.
After all, the Rulers had no reason to strike at humans, and a National-Level Hunter wouldn't attack a hunter from another nation without cause.
That left only the Monarchs as the ones capable of overwhelming Cha Hae-in so completely.
But… why?
Why target Cha Hae-in?
Castorice couldn't think of any reason a Monarch would be interested in Cha Hae-in herself. The only possible answer, then, was that it was because of her.
While Castorice found it hard to believe, a chilling possibility occurred to her. 'Could it be… they've mistaken her for the Shadow Monarch?'
According to the deductions she and Sung Jinwoo had shared, Sung Jinwoo was almost certainly the vessel the former Shadow Monarch had used for revival—his Class all but confirmed it—and his mana did possess similarities to her own.
If Cha Hae-in had been targeted because of that connection…
A dangerous glint flickered in Castorice's otherwise unreadable eyes.
"Not going to answer me, then?"
A vague sense of foreboding stirred within the Frost Monarch.
As one of the world's apex beings, his perception of mana far surpassed any human's.
Even though the girl before him currently showed no overt signs of power, the frost around them was slowly receding, and a deathly aura that seemed ready to devour him whole thickened the air.
It all spoke of her extraordinary nature.
"You're not from this world, are you?"
If he could sense the danger, then the Fang Monarch, with his sharper instincts, must be feeling it even more keenly.
Since the Fang Monarch hadn't revealed himself yet, it was best to let him stay hidden in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
And so, the Frost Monarch chose the same tactic Cha Hae-in had used moments before: stall for time while fishing for information.
His very first question was a bombshell, instantly piquing Cha Hae-in's curiosity as well.
She had long since lost any ability to analyze the rapidly shifting situation, a state of mind even the Frost Monarch himself now shared.
Castorice, however, had no intention of answering. The true Castorice might have been able to suppress her rage, but she, in this moment, could not.
All schemes and maneuvers were meaningless before an absolute disparity in power.
As a Monarch, the Frost Monarch understood this better than anyone. He had grown utterly weary of watching cornered insects struggle desperately for a way out.
He had never imagined that he, born to stand at the pinnacle, would one day find himself in the insect's place.
When he came back to his senses, he felt his mana dissipating at an alarming rate. His limbs felt like uprooted weeds, and his entire body was already slumped on the ground.
'What… just happened?'
An intensely potent aura of death coiled around him.
This power was all too familiar to him, but… she wasn't the Shadow Monarch. Wait, no… If this continues, I'll die!
The thought spurred him to focus his spirit with unprecedented intensity.
Spiritualization—if he could achieve that, he would be immune to the power of death. It was a countermeasure the Monarchs had specifically devised to deal with the Shadow Monarch. But…
Not only was spiritualization impossible, he couldn't even muster the barest trickle of mana.
Looking down at the Frost Monarch collapsed at her feet, Castorice's eyes held neither pity nor joy.
The smile that usually graced her features was gone, replaced by the impassive visage of Death's incarnation, silently reaping the life before her.
Cha Hae-in's eyes widened. Only now did she fully process what had happened.
The enemy who had so effortlessly pushed her to the brink, who had just posed a question she herself was curious about, was now lying defeated on the ground?
"Castorice…"
This unimaginable, overwhelming strength sent Cha Hae-in's worldview crumbling. It felt as if, in the blink of an eye, someone she knew had transformed into a completely different being.
The powerlessness she felt now, confronted with this scene beyond comprehension, was it not just like an E-Rank hunter caught between an S-Rank and two A-Ranks?
"Oh! There should be another one!" Cha Hae-in hurriedly added. "He had a companion, a tall, well-built man!"
The Fang Monarch, who had been monitoring the situation the entire time, felt every hair on his body stand on end.
As the King of Beasts, he possessed a preternatural talent for concealing his presence.
He had been waiting in the shadows all along, biding his time for the Shadow Monarch's arrival to see if another opportunity for a backstab would present itself.
But the current scene had completely upended his expectations.
Not only had a terrifyingly powerful stranger appeared—one who was not the Shadow Monarch—but she had also killed the Frost Monarch, a being whose strength was on par with his own, in the blink of an eye.
This was not an opponent he could handle… Probably only the King of Dragons could reliably subdue her!
With that realization, he resolved to concentrate fully on hiding his aura.
Open a gate to escape? That would be a death sentence. She had clearly followed a gate here. The mana fluctuations from opening one would undoubtedly draw her attention, exposing him instantly.
It was far better to simply minimize his presence.
He now bitterly regretted that the Frost Monarch hadn't just killed this blonde human. Leaving her alive had led to his existence being revealed.
He considered stepping out to declare his harmlessness, but just then, he heard that damned blonde human continue, "That old man said they were enemies of humanity! If we let his companion get away, it'll definitely cause massive casualties!"
'Damn these humans!'
If the other party hadn't noticed him, the Fang Monarch was confident in his ability to hide.
But if a powerhouse of this caliber started actively searching for him with a fine-tooth comb, even he couldn't remain concealed.
Clenching his fists so tightly his palms nearly bled, the Fang Monarch adjusted his breathing and stepped out into the open, striving to project an air of harmlessness and calm.
The moment he appeared, the blade of a scythe was already pointed directly at him. The Fang Monarch quickly spoke, "I have no intention of becoming your enemy."
His tone was steady, but only he knew just how tense he truly was.
Hearing this, Castorice glanced at Cha Hae-in.
For Cha Hae-in, this feeling of having someone solidly in her corner was a long-forgotten experience.
Moreover, Castorice's act of first confirming her wishes helped lessen the sense of distance and strangeness that had just begun to form in her heart.
But…
Cha Hae-in furrowed her brow.
To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure how to proceed.
While the old man had declared them enemies of humanity, upon reflection, this dark-haired man hadn't actually attacked her and had even tried to dissuade the old man several times.
They seemed to be together, but their hearts might not be united.
Furthermore, their identities were clearly significant. If possible, Cha Hae-in wanted to extract information from them.
"…Is there a way to restrain him?" she asked after a moment's thought.
"There is," Castorice replied.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.