The Monster Monarch System-Chapter 39: Rem’s Return

Rem had been very disappointed upon stepping out of the dungeon... he just didn’t have an emotion to express it with.

There was a very good reason for it though; the monsters weren’t really all that strong in there, once he began using his Black Shortsword and Heavenly Crossbow in unison – they were pretty easy kills.

As he stared at Tobi’s figure, he noticed the huge difference from the Tobi of now and the Tobi of earlier – not only had their appearances changed, but also he didn’t seem to be hiding any bit of magical energy anymore.

’He’s a little bit weaker than what I expected though,’ Rem thought while seeing him stumble backward – the monsters in the dungeon had surely been strong and tasking to deal with, but... he managed to absorb the soul of a Monster with a healing ability so all of the wounds he sustained were healed.

’But he doesn’t know that,’

Rem knew Tobi must have thought that he cleared a C-grade dungeon without unscathed... and he could press the advantage into his favor, after all, when push came to shove – the outcome of the battle mattered.

"You’re surprised? I thought you would be happy to see me again," Rem said as his eyes went to the bodies of his fellow Apprentices and only one thought dawned in his mind.

’Why didn’t I get here later?!’

Rem didn’t enter any combat stance... he just stood there, eyeing his opponent silently. Every moment of the passing silence dealt damage to Tobi, whose mind was still trying to contemplate how it was possible for Rem to escape... only for the Apprentice in a black tracksuit to raise a single finger toward him.

A singular beam made of magical energy shot through the air, closing the distance between itself and Tobi in a matter of seconds, aimed for the center of Tobi’s head, Rem wasn’t planning on beating around the bush or lengthening the battle – he already knew the weakest point was the head.

Tobi leaned out of the way as the beam shot past it, burning a hole in his hair before panging against the stone wall some meters away from him, sending shockwaves across the rocky surface.

"What the hell?" Tobi muttered under his lips but he had let his eyes off Rem and that was a mistake – Rem appeared in front of Tobi, his right fist pulsating with soul energy as he smashed it into Tobi’s face, sending the demon flying and crashing into the stone pillar.

Rem didn’t give Tobi any time to recover as he whipped out beams of magic – piercing through the air and sending ripples through the rock each time Tobi dodged, he was barely keeping his breath together- Rem was keeping up the heat on him.

"Enough!" Tobi exclaimed with a force enough to part winds, a gust of wind with force akin to a hurricane smashed into Rem but he didn’t budge... his eyes pulsating with crimson energy.

’I absorbed a total of 46 Monsters in that dungeon, including the Boss,’ Rem thought while sprinting to Tobi, ’I feel a lot different...’

He had gotten the notifications but there was a difference between getting the notifications and feeling them take effect within your body – Rem appeared in front of Tobi and immediately side-stepped to the right, quick enough to dodge a beam of magical energy.

"H- how? How could he dodge at such close range?!" Tobi cried out, he was speechless – his questions remained unanswered, everywhere was hazy and Rem didn’t plan on clearing things anytime soon.

Soul energy flared to life around Rem’s flames as he quickly took his combat stance, maintaining a steady flow of it... Tobi leapt backward and made distance between himself and Rem before entering his own combat stance, he was visibly shaken by what was happening but no amount of disbelief would be able to clear the fact that Rem was in front of him – not only in front of him but he was also fighting him.

Both Apprentices shot to each other, closing the distances between each other instantly – they appeared in front of themselves with blurring speed and Tobi who had the size advantage instantly threw forward a barrage of punches and kicks, each attack laced with even forces of soul energy which prioritized efficiency over power but Rem, with his newfound speed evaded all of Tobi’s strikes with relative ease.

"Is this really the best you can do?" Rem felt inclined to ask and his words got through, Tobi’s muscles spasmed and he suddenly began throwing punches at a much faster rate, each punch threatening to land on the Apprentice only for him to dodge them every time.

Rem caught Tobi’s right fist before it hit his face, his poker face still stirring a look of confusion from the Demon... but realization dawned upon Tobi as Rem’s right fist clenched tightly.

"Convergence," Rem muttered, "It’s quite a useful technique,"

Tobi for the third time today felt the forces of reality ripple and shatter around him, but this time – it felt more controlled than the others, Rem had not actually landed any blow on him yet.

In the darkness where Tobi could not see anything, Rem’s voice echoed around.

"It took me a total of 30 Convergences to realize how to do this," Rem said as he blurred through the darkness, his right fist smashing into Tobi’s stomach and sending ripples through the air as the familiar feeling and rumbling of lightning echoed through the darkness.

"Convergence after all is only a fusion between the soul and the body in form of an attack," Rem said as the darkness began to fade, revealing the light once more.

As the Convergence wore off, Tobi coughed out blood – painting the ground below him with his blood.

"Did one Convergence do such critical damage to you?" Rem asked only for Tobi to let loose two beams of magic at him – Rem vanished from Tobi’s sight, dodging the beams in the process and appearing in front of the eyes of the Demon.

"I believe... you need another one," Rem said while taking a hold of Tobi’s throat, hanging the Demon limply in the air... Tobi winced in pain but settled his aching heart, there was no way Rem could land another Convergence right after the first one... it had just been seconds, it just wasn’t possi-

Tobi’s eyes snapped into realization... If it had been possible for him to escape a C-grade Dungeon unscathed, it was literally possible to do anything at this point.

Tobi’s eyes snapped open as he lifted four fingers into the air, the dark sky rumbled as a thunderbolt befell both warriors – a last ditch effort made by Tobi to ensure that Rem would let go of him, after all, why tank the damage that you could easily dodge?

And as Tobi had predicted, his body landed on the ground but the handsign didn’t break – he raised it into the air slowly, preparing to summon a volley of Thunderbolts which were sure to hinder Rem’s movement up until the point that he could recuperate his own strength.

But Rem did not give Tobi any time to perform the technique, firing a Magical beam right for Tobi’s forehead.

With the new threat, Tobi was forced to abandon his attack and protect his forehead because if these beams enforced by Rem’s magical energy touched him... it was game over.

It seemed Rem had already predicted his movements though, he mounted the head of the devil and grabbed onto the horns tightly.

’You’ve got to be kiddin-’

Rem pulled back on them, enforcing his arms with soul energy and increasing their output – Tobi screamed as his horns were forcefully torn away from his forehead, blood pouring down onto his eyes.

Tobi hurriedly cleaned off the blood only to lock eyes with Rem.

"Do you know the mistake you made?" Rem asked.

He was sure that everything that had occurred up until this point would lead Tobi to the part where had gone wrong –

Tobi was silent but Rem was patient... patiently waiting for an opportunity to land a Convergence on Tobi’s face.

"Do you know the mistake you made?" Rem asked once again, already on the verge of clenching his fists.

"Yes," Tobi replied, "It was letting you live,"

Rem sighed as soul energy burst to life around his palms.

"I wish it was that but no... You made a mistake by sending me into my territory," Rem said, "You already know what I’m capable of in a dungeon and also... that beam that you’re trying to charge, you better cut it out or I’ll cut off your fingers,"

Tobi stopped gathering magical energy for his attack, yet he couldn’t help but tremble in position – something dreadful was coming after this lecture, he knew it.

"So take this as your lesson," Rem said, "And next time you come back-"

Rem’s right fist landed on Tobi’s face, smashing the Demon into the ground and then his left fist descended – packed to the brim with soul energy.

"You’ll use this lesson wisely," Rem finished as he continued the Onslaught.

-

Author’s Note: 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

The Chaos at Orion Battlefield arc is officially ending and now we’re going to delve deeper into the plot, get ready! If you’re enjoying the book so far, don’t hesitate to add this to your library and throw in some power stones for me, and if you’re feeling really generous- you can support me with a golden ticket or two, and a gift too! Support People, Support!