I am the Monarch Chapter 223:

The way to stopping Mad Monarch Simon Rinse who once more started to rampage .
The method was unexpectedly simple .
Roan, Flamdor, and Travias combining into one .
Instead of taking turns and controlling Roan’s body, it was altogether the three existences being reborn once again as single existence .
If the three existences were to become one, they could use all of everyone’s abilities and power without limit and instead could aim for an effect where each other’s abilities becoming a step stronger .
Only, because each different existence were combining, the chance of two amongst three perishing the moment they experience this process was high .
The reason that Travias greatly objected when Flamdor proposed this method .
It was because this method was greatly advantageous to Flamdor who comparably possessed the strongest power and abilities .
Nine out of ten, it was obvious that Roan and Travias would perish .
Even so, Roan made the difficult decision to suppress Mad Monarch Simon .
As that result, the one who absolved all of the three existences’ powers and abilities and survived alone, like Travias’s worry, became Flamdor .
Flamdor, fully enjoying the giant power, so easily suppressed, no, erased Simon .
And though he recollected a memory of very long ago and resolved revenge……

‘Roan . I didn’t expect that you **** didn’t perish and is alive . ’

Sensing a squirming existence in Vertex, the deepest place of the body and heart .
Flamdor realized that existence was Roan .
He immediately at that moment casually sat down on the ground and entered into the Vertex .
The Vertex, which was completely black, was changed to a beautiful and brilliant sight .
Green fields and a tall mountain, lush forest and clear river, a sky without a speck of cloud .

“Where are you? Where are you hiding?”

The man of crimson-hue uniform, Flamdor looked around and loudly shouted .
The sky and the earth sharply trembled .
At that moment, a black point was dotted in the blue sky .
The black dot, with an amazingly fast speed, fell towards the ground .

Chk!

A soft landing .
Brown hair, eyebrows, and eyes tinged with black hue .
Although his appearance had slightly changed, the man who fell from the sky was definitely Roan .
He, while wearing a crimson armor, was holding the Travias Spear .

“Oho . You really are alive . ”

Flamdor queerly laughed and shook his head back and forth .
An expression that said he predicted but still find it hard to believe .

“Just how did you survive?”

At those words, Roan raised up the Travias Spear .

“I received some help . ”

Instantly, Flamdor’s lips deeply twisted .

“So it was that blacky bastard’s work as expected . Idiotic **** . ”

Thickly spat out curse .
His words kept continuing on .

“Well, this is something I expected to a degree . That blacky bastard, he began to slowly change since he started eating your blood . ”

Travias too originally thought completely of only himself and decided and acted only for his own benefit same as Flamdor .
But after drinking Roan’s blood and awakening, a large change began to appear in his heart .
Assimilation .
Travias assimilated into Roan .
That too was a truly instinctive event .
A relationship tied with blood .
As the time flowed more and more, Roan and Travias became unable to reject each other .
In the middle of that, Roan, Flamdor, and Travias fought a grand duel within the Vertex in order to suppress Mad Monarch Simon .
The grand duel, as predicted, flowed towards Flamdor’s overwhelming dominance .
At this moment, Travias made a portentous decision .
He had separated his power and abilities into two and gave one to Flamdor, and another to Roan .
Of course, he didn’t simply give his strength .
Travias had used his last strength and abilities and confused Flamdor’s senses, and at that moment had broken Roan out of the Vertex and hid him inside the Travias Spear .
Flamdor was superbly caught in Travias’s scheme .
He had thought Roan too had perished together with Travias .
Understandably, it was because Roans’ existence couldn’t be felt in Vertex as well as anywhere inside the body .
He completely hadn’t thought that he had possibly been hiding inside the Travias Spear .

“Come to think of it, the reason the Travias Spear showed no reaction when I tried to kill Simon brat just now wasn’t because the spear didn’t listen, but because Roan, you **** has refused my order, wasn’t it?”

Roan nodded his head in place of answer .
Flamdor stared at that sight and lightly clenched his fists .
“Somehow avoiding being erased is something commendable, but there’s nothing that changes even so . ”

His eyes turned fierce .

“You brat can never win against me . ”

In the first place, the strongest amongst the three was Flamdor .
On top of that, he absolved half of Travias’s power and abilities .
There were reasons to why he was confident .
But Roan’s expression, for some reason, was notably calm .
He exhaled a breath shortly and formed a faint smile .

“It would be so if it was the past me . ”
“Past?”

Flamdor frowned .
An expression saying it made no sense .

“Past? Me erasing you and killing Simon was something that happened in a blink . What can happen in that short……”

Flamdor who was continuing his words suddenly goggled his eyes .
An unbelieving expression floated up on his face .

“You **** actually……?”

The end of his words slightly trembled .
Roan was still making a faint smile .
Within his head, the story Travias passed just before perishing floated up .

< Vertex is your space . It means you’re the **** here . If you can just control the Vertex properly, something like Flamdor is nothing . >

At first, he didn’t understand what that meant .
But to fight Flamdor and survive, he had to find the way to properly control the Vertex that Travias spoke of .
And before Flamdor realize his existence too .
His heart had been desperate, but finding the method wasn’t easy .
Blindly, he had come out of the Travias Spear and entered into the Vertex .
It was because of a hope that he might be able to find at least a small thread of hint if he were to directly jump in and try .
But the moment he entered the Vertex, Flamdor had noticed his existence .

‘I thought that it was completely over . ’

Roan driven to a corner .
The desperate heart had ridden up his throat and had completely filled his head .
At that instant, the entire Vertex had very faintly but sharply shaken .
It was a movement unstable as if it was showing Roan’s tangled and desperate state of mind .
Though it was a change very minute enough for most people to not notice, Roan did not miss that change .

‘And at the same time, I found the way to control the Vertex . ’

The Vertex wasn’t a separate space .
The place that was the origin of Roan’s mind and emotions .
Thus, Vertex could be said to be Roan himself .

‘It wasn’t controlling the Vertex . It was controlling myself . ’

Roan had opened up his mind that focused on, no, was absorbed in Vertex and began to meditate largely and widely on himself .
As his body and mind calmly subsided, the Vertex’s unstable trembling had also stopped .
It was the moment that Roan had come to completely control the Vertex .
At that moment, Vertex’s time had stopped .
No, to be exact, the time that flowed in the Vertex had become incredibly slower than the real world’s time .
This too was one of the unique feature Roan gained as he came to completely control the Vertex .
No, it was one of its natural abilities .

‘I can’t tell how long the time flowed . Since there is no day and night here in the Vertex . ’

Firstly, Roan had devoted to making the half of power and abilities Travias left wholly his own .
The good thing was that Travias had passed all of the memories and abilities related to spearmanship to Roan .
Thanks to that, Roan had been instantly able to learn the tens, hundreds of skills that directed the powerful spearmanship and the spear .
Roan who had completely absorbed Travias’s power and abilities had continued and focused on spearmanship training .
Because mana was of no use in the Vertex anyway, he didn’t separately do mana technique training .
Time without a visible end had continued to flow .
During that time, Roan had achieved an unrecognizably great advance .
Meanwhile, his hair, eyebrows, and eyes that were brown had changed to a peculiar color with a hint of black .
Roan and Travias had perfectly became one .
And finally .

‘The gate of Vertex opened up and Flamdor showed up . ’

Roan stared with calm light in his eyes at Flamdor .

“Should we finish about now?”

A voice soft but overflowing with confidence .
Flamdor’s face comically twisted .

‘As expected, he became able to control the Vertex . ’ 1

That in short meant that he could freely mold the Vertex’s time as well .

‘If it’s Roan bastard’s level of ability……’

The calculation within his head turned complicated .

‘At the least, has about 2, 3 years have pass?’

Of course, it was a significantly approximate estimate .
For if Roan’s ability was much greater than his prediction, he could have instead stop the time itself .
If so, the gap between the real world’s time and the time within the Vertex would be much bigger .
Flamdor formed a **** smile .

‘If he repeated training and research within all that time……’

His eyes sharply shook .

‘It could also not be easy . ’

It was a moment that a slight **** formed in his concrete confidence .
The firm belief collapsed and doubt rose up .
Though Flamdor did not quite realize it, that very doubt was the part that should be most cautious of in the Vertex .
The nearby space very slightly blurred .
A sight as if the Vertex was pushing Flamdor away .
Roan didn’t miss that sight .
Travias Spear’s head pointed at Flamdor .

“Not believing yourself here in Vertex……”

A quiet voice pierced into his ears .

“In short means erasure . ”

The instant his words finished, Roan kicked off the ground .
Distance closing in an instant .
It was a speed that exceeded the level of a human .

“Damn it! What a haughty look!”

Flamdor too kicked the ground with a shout .

Paat!

A fierce charge that rip apart the air .

Fwoosh!

Fire burst out from his entire body .
Simultaneously, the lightly clenched fist followed the Reid Art of Fighting and moved amazingly dizzily and rapidly .
Roan thinly opened his eyes .

Jiing .

Through the Kalian’s Tears, Flamdor’s movement was seen slowly .
But even so, at a level similar to an ordinary person throwing a punch .
Flamdor’s movements were rapid to such degree .

Paat! Ssweaaak!

With sharp shattering of air, the Travias Spear moved as if dancing .

Kkang! Kkagang! Kkakakakang!

Roan’s spearhead and Flamdor’s fist clashed and metallic din echoed .
Though it was something unbelievable, Roan and Flamdor weren’t perturbed .
Right now, Roan and Flamdor’s battle was a duel that exceeded the level of humans .

“Kuk!”

Flamdor tightly clenched his teeth with a groan .
Although it seemed an equal exchange when seen from the outside, it wasn’t actually so .
Each time the spear and the fists crashed, a pain like the entire body’s bones shattering was felt .

‘I, I merely by a human!’

It didn’t matter that the space right now was the Vertex .
That himself who drove the world into fear hundreds of years ago was being pushed by a mere human and feeling pain was degrading .

“Damn it!”

Flamdor couldn’t hold back and shouted .
Simultaneously, he raised an incredible flame and pounced towards Roan .
But at that instant .

Paat!

Roan who was right before his nose instantly became far away .
It wasn’t him kicking off the ground and throwing his body backwards either .
Flamdor’s face comically twisted .
“You **** . You’re molding the Vertex as you wish . ”

He could see it clearly .
The space between Roan and himself extending by tens of times the instant Roan faintly smiled .
Roan pointed at Flamdor with the spearhead .

“Feel it . ”

A quietly echoing voice .

“The despair . ”

Simultaneously, Roan who was far away appeared in front of his nose .
In reverse this time, the space between Roan and Flamdor had shrank to mere centimeters .

Spat!

The spearhead slashed past Flamdor’s side .
Flamdor had dodged Roan’s attack with an incredible reflex in that short instant .
But Roan’s attack wasn’t a single strike .

Wuung! Wung! Pbat! Spat!

The length, size, and thickness of the Travias Spear that rode Roan’s hand and moved changed stupefyingly .
It didn’t stay still for even an instant .
It thickened tens of times wider than a body and then quickly thinned thinner than a needle, and it elongated until its end disappeared and then shortened shorter than a nail .
Roan even threw the spear that shrank to an invisible degree then changed it to an incredible size and length .
Now, Roan could freely change the Travias Spear’s length, thickness, and size without even touching it .

‘It’s something possible because it’s Vertex, of course, but……’

If it was the real world, it was something only possible at a very short distance .

Kkakang! Pbuk! Kkang! Kkakakakang!

Flamdor, at the stunningly flooding attacks, began to slowly, slowly be pushed back .
A feeling like the bones of the entire body were turning to dust .
But he was Flamdor .

‘I can’t fall just like this!’

Flamdor glared at Roan with brightly burning eyes .
The fire bursting out of his entire body turned even fiercer .
The crimson fire slowly turned blue .
Right now, he was squeezing out all the power he had .

“I’ll show you the essence of fire . ”

Flamdor murmured with a quiet and powerful voice .
The blue flame slowly turned faint, then became colored into a white hue .
A bizarre sight .
But the change was not over with that .
Even the white light slowly turned faint, then soon completely disappeared .
The fire pouring out of his entire body completely lost its color and turned transparent .
Flamdor made a bright smile that showed all his teeth .

“I am the fire . ”

Synchronously, he kicked off the ground and rushed towards Roan .

Fwoooosh!

Fire erupted on the ground each time he moved .
No, it wasn’t only the ground .
Fire spread even onto the air and the sky along the wind .

“Hhm . ”

Roan leaked out a quiet groan .
Even though it was within the Vertex, foul heat was felt .
It was a heat that exceeded the threshold the Brent’s Ring could endure .

‘I would already have turned to a fistful of ash if it was the outside world . ’

He newly awed at Flamdor’s ability .
But he did not become dispirited nor despaired .

‘Because this place is Vertex . ’

Roan deeply inhaled and extended the spearhead forwards .
A somehow slack movement that strength was drained amazingly naturally .
It was a pose embarrassing to dare call a stance .
Roan collected his breath and extended his left foot forwards .
His torso turned and his body and the spear became one .
Meanwhile, Flamdor neared before his nose .
A pose intending to pour down the invisible and transparent flame all over Roan .

“Roan! I will kill you **** and become this body’s true owner!”

Flamdor’s roar rang the Vertex .
Roan faintly smiled and extended the spear he held .

Sss .

It was a very slow thrust without any change .
Travias’s spearhead split the heat and went forwards .

“Let’s now end this . ”

Roan’s quiet voice fully filled the Vertex’s inside like an echo .
Simultaneously .

Kkkwaaaaaaaaaaaanngggg!

The Travias Spear and Flamdor’s fire clashed .
An incredibly bright light completely filled the Vertex .
Meanwhile, Pierce and Katy were worryingly staring at Roan who had abruptly and casually sat down on the ground and didn’t move a bit with his eyes closed .

‘The energies within his body are rocking on their own . ’

Pierce, through outstanding sense of energy, had noticed that Roan was currently experiencing unusual event .
He, even with an injured body, raised his old spear and guarded Roan’s side .
He was worried that someone might perhaps approach carelessly and touch his body or cause harm .
Katy too noticed Pierce’s such heart and guarded his side without a word .
Though the talents she possessed were insignificant, she wished to at least act like returning the kindness she received from Roan and Pierce .
After who knew how long .
Pierce who was standing guard slightly creased his forehead .

‘It finished . ’

The incredible stream of mana felt from Roan’s body disappeared .
He, raising his spear back, moved about two steps back from Roan .

“Princess . Come behind me . ”

He pulled Katy back too and stood her behind his back .

‘Just in case……’

The alien feeling he felt when he met Roan .
Just in case Roan might show the bizarre look again, he was worrying and staying guarded .
At that moment .

Paat!

Roan widely opened the eyes he had closed .
Crimson eyes flashed and shone with light .

“Si, Sir Count?”

Pierce called out Roan with a cautious voice .
But Roan showed no reaction at all .
Instead, only the crimson eyes were very sharply trembling .
And .

Flash!

Light flashed from Roan’s entire body .
The light was a truly strange color that wasn’t brown, wasn’t black, and wasn’t red either .
Pierce instinctively raised his spear and aimed at Roan .
A moment later, the light disappeared and Roan’s appearance showed .

“Hhm . ”

Pierce and Katy leaked quiet groans .
Roan’s appearance was different than before .
The hair, eyebrows, and eyes that were blood-red until just now had changed to a truly sublime and strange blackish crimson hue .
Though it was a greatly fearsome and melancholic hue from an angle, somehow a majesty that naturally made heads lower was felt when looked close .
A sublime feeling like an existence that exceeded human .

“……”

Pierce and Katy stared at Roan dazed .
At that moment, a faint smile hanged on Roan’s face that had no expression at all .
An infinitely gentle and warm smile .
The blackish crimson eyes slowly moved and stared at Pierce and Katy .
At the same time, a voice quiet but overflowing with dignity flowed out .

“Pierce . Are you going to cut me?”

Pierce widely goggled his eyes seeming asking what did he mean, then soon looked at his hands and made a shocked and jolted expression .

“Ah! N, no sir!”

He quickly pulled back the spear he aimed at Roan .
Roan looked at that sight and brightly smiled as he stood up .
The grand duel in Vertex .
Roan had finally defeated Flamdor and after absorbing him was able to regain his body .
He deeply breathed in and closed his eyes .

“Ah……”

Roan unconsciously let out a quiet exclamation .

“These memories and powers, just what……”

They overflowed .
Incredible memories in the head, and incredible mana and energy in the body .
Furthermore, they weren’t simply memorized superficially and stored .
Thanks to training and duel in the Vertex, and directly absorbing Travias and Flamdor, they were at a state where he had already completely learned them as his own .

‘I became strong . No……’

It wasn’t just that much .
Furthermore .

‘I will become stronger . ’

If it were the memories and powers of now, he could become much stronger than now .
Roan made a bitter smile .

‘I thought that the limit was clear, but……’

He had thought that there was a limit to martial strength and abilities one could raise through training and research .
He had thought that he would someday face a wall he simply cannot jump over .
But today .

‘Now, is there no such thing as a wall before me?’

It was a feeling like the wall called the limit was all destroyed as he absorbed Travias and Flamdor .
The bitter smile hanging on his mouth became even deeper .
His heart was tangled .
At that moment .

“Sir Count . Are you okay?”

Pierce approached and cautiously asked .
His face seemed truly relaxed .
Because he was confident that Roan before his eyes was the Roan he had known .
A deeply moved light was apparent fully in his eyes .
Roan faintly smiled and nodded his head .

“Pierce . Have you become the best spearman of the continent?”

At those words, Pierce bashfully smiled and scratched the back of his head .

“I was confident just until I was coming back out of the mountains, but……”

His gaze turned towards Roan .

“It seems the strongest is impossible and I can be about the second strongest spearman, sir . ”

Meaning that he would concede the seat of the best spearman of the continent to Roan .
No, it meant that he could only concede it .
At those words, Roan cheerfully smiled and shrugged his shoulders .

“We won’t know until we fight . ”

Pierce bitterly smiled and shook his head .

“If you have to hit me, then I’ll just have to get hit . ”

A whining he couldn’t even imagine in the past .
Roan once again smiled as he looked at that sight .
His heart became reassured as he looked at Pierce before his eyes .
At that moment .

“Waaaaah!”
“Die!”
“Kkuaaaah!”

Sounds of cheer and arms were heard from below the hill .
Roan moved his steps towards the edge of the hill .
Below their feet, the battle was still at its peak .

“Pierce . ”
“Yes sir . ”

Pierce approached at Roan’s call .
Roan lightly swung his Travias Spear and looked down at the battlefield .

“Let’s do our fight after the battle ends . ”

Pierce once again made a bitter smile at those words .

“So I said do as you wish if you insist on hitting me, sir . ”

A whine once again flowed out .
Roan lightly tapped such Pierce’s shoulder, then kicked off the ground .

Taat!

Instantly, his image shot up towards the sky .

“Wow……”

Katy who was watching from the back let out an exclamation with her mouth wide open .
Roan brought to mind a bird .
The crimson bird cut across the sky and then soon landed on top of the earth .

Boom!

A wind pressure arose with the place he landed as the center .

“Kkuaaaah!”
“Kkeeee?”

At the same time, blackish crimson fire drew a circle shape and spread out in all direction .

“Kkuaaaah!”
“Gguah!”

The hex dolls that foolishly pounced, with a bizarre shriek, turned into a fistful of ash and disappeared .

Fwoosh!

Flame soared along the Travias Spear .
Roan’s blackish red eyes twinkled with a cold light .
Simultaneously, the spearhead that held flame moved as if to dance .
Brilliantly blossoming flower of fire .
That, like the Amaranth, fiercely burned up as if it would forever unwither .
With Roan’s entering of the fight, the battle flowed one-sidedly .
Hexers who created and controlled the hex dolls all lost their lives .
Thanks to that, the battle ended truly blandly .
A complete victory .
Roan and the Lancephil Legion completely defeated Simon and the Legion of Dark .

“Huu . ”

Roan stood at the center of the battlefield and exhaled a short sigh .
On his right hand, two small letters were held .
The news that arrived simultaneously with the victory .
The one was the news of the Rinse Kingdom’s North that Agens had sent, and the remaining one was the news of the South that Tenebra Troop had sent .

“So it ultimately becomes like this . ”

Roan looked back and forth between the north and the south .
A peculiar smile hanged on his mouth .
The small letters held at the tip of his fingers received the wind and fluttered .
The lettters’ stories took on the clear sunlight and flickeringly showed .

< Webster Legion led by Clay defeats the Estia Imperial Army Mills Voisa leads! Enthrones the Webster House’s firstborn Barry Webster and founds North Rinse Kingdom! >
< Prince Kallum Rinse receives Diez Kingdom’s help and conquers Rinse Kingdom’s southern region! He climbs onto the throne himself and founds South Rinse Kingdom! >

Although the two letters’ preceding stories were different, their ends were surprisingly the same story .

< Ablaze! >
< Ablaze! >

Translator : CSV
Proofreader: Fujimaru

 

  “as expected” as in confirming his earlier suspicion .