The Last Monarch : Unlimited Regeneration

Alvaric canceled his skill. At that very moment, he returned—but at the same time, he staggered forward. He nearly collapsed as his entire body was drained of strength.

He even coughed up blood from pushing himself too far inside his own domain.

"Damn, this is bad."

His chest burned as if it were about to explode. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

The burning and tightness in his chest didn't fade. Blood still dripped from his mouth, but at least now he could control it.

"It's finally ov…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Alvaric's eyes widened. He saw Serya, Velka, and the soldier Serya had brought lying on the ground, their bodies covered in wounds.

The soldier's condition was the worst—one leg and both arms shattered. Blood streamed endlessly from the gashes on his body. His consciousness was already gone. The chance of him surviving was close to zero.

Serya and Velka were still conscious, but their bodies were badly injured. Both struggled to even stand. Their skin was stained crimson from the blood constantly flowing out of them.

"Thank you, you're back," Serya said.

She smiled in relief, and a second later collapsed. She had held out for as long as she could, forcing herself to a limit she had never reached in her life.

Seeing Alvaric return gave her peace of mind. She believed that everything would be alright now.

Alvaric's gaze then met the figure who had attacked Serya, Velka, and the soldier—a man with the features of a goat stood in the doorway leading out of the room.

The figure sized Alvaric up from head to toe twice. His eyes narrowed in confusion. "Who are you?"

Then his gaze shifted toward the corpse of the Replica the Angel. His eyes widened before quickly snapping back to Alvaric.

He seemed slightly intrigued. Killing Replica the Angel was not something a weakling could do.

"You managed to defeat that creature. Impressive. I came here to take it down myself, but it seems I'm too late." He grinned, his grip tightening on the staff in his hand.

On the other hand, Alvaric continued to stare at the man before him. He could feel an intense pressure radiating from the figure—an aura that reminded him of the three main generals he had faced in the capital.

His instincts screamed that this demi-human before him was one of the Seven Main Generals. And Alvaric trusted his instincts.

"You're one of the Seven Main Generals of the demi-humans, aren't you?" Alvaric asked.

"This is interesting. Let's see who's stronger between us."

The demi-human didn't bother answering his question. He was far too intrigued by Alvaric's ability to kill Replica the Angel—a feat even he would find difficult.

He raised his hand, pointing his staff toward Alvaric with a smile.

"Answer my—"

Slash!

Suddenly, Alvaric saw an attack coming his way. Instinctively, he jumped back, raising both arms in defense.

BAAM!

The impact sent his body skidding backward. His arms trembled from the force of the blow.

He hadn't seen his opponent's movement at all—not even slightly. If he didn't have the Eye's of Monarch skill, he probably wouldn't have been able to block the strike just now.

"What the hell? He's…" Alvaric swallowed hard. "…he's incredibly fast."

The demi-human burst into laughter. "Interesting. Very interesting. You actually blocked my strike." He lifted his staff again. "Just as I thought—you're strong. Perhaps even stronger than some of my comrades."

Alvaric narrowed his eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. He drew his Vapper's Dagger, lowering into a fighting stance. He was ready to counterattack—

But before he could move, something wet dripped from his nose.

He wiped it with his index finger. The moment he saw the blood on his fingertip, his head began to feel heavy, and his vision blurred.

"Damn. This isn't…"

Before he could finish, his opponent was already right in front of him. The demi-human grinned widely, their eyes locking—

BAAM!

Once again, Alvaric took a heavy blow, forcing him back. His arms shook with pain. A second later, the demi-human vanished from sight.

"Behind."

Alvaric reacted instantly, spinning around—but the pounding in his head worsened, stealing his focus for a few seconds. That was all it took for him to fail to block the next strike. A solid blow landed on the back of his neck.

Bruuuggh!

The strike was so strong that his body flew several meters, crashing into the ground and sliding until he hit the far end of the room.

"Ah, you disappoint me, boy. Get up!" the demi-human taunted.

He raised his staff, aiming it toward Alvaric's face. Just as he was about to strike lightly, a sense of danger jolted through him. His eyes widened, and he spun around—only to see a massive blood sword flying straight toward him.

The demi-human's hand trembled slightly, but his grin widened. "Interesting."

The moment Alvaric's fingers twitched, the blood sword shot forward. It struck at the demi-human, who met it with his own strength. The impact forced the demi-human two steps back.

"I don't know what's happened to you, but you're far weaker than I imagined," the demi-human said.

He had been intrigued by Alvaric's ability to defeat Replica the Angel and his quick reactions, but beyond that, he was disappointed.

The demi-human stomped the ground. Alvaric, who had been preparing to strike from behind, was suddenly blasted away by a surge of magical energy. At the same time, his blood sword shattered instantly.

The demi-human snapped his fingers. "Let me show you what a real attack is," he said, turning around.

Alvaric was already on his feet again, Vapper's Dagger in his left hand. His body was battered and weak, every muscle screaming in pain—but it would heal, and he could still fight. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to launch another attack.

But then his eyes widened. "Damn it."

He clicked his tongue in frustration when he saw a massive wind sword—nearly twice the size of the blood sword he had created earlier. One glance was enough to give him a sinking feeling, especially given his current condition.

"Will I die here?" For a moment, doubt crept in—but he quickly slapped his own face, hard. "NO! I can't die! I have to avenge Niva's death. I won't die before that's done!"

Alvaric steeled his resolve. At the same time, the blood from his body rose into the air. He was ready to fight with everything he had. He had to win.

"I will not lose."

Across from him, the demi-human smiled widely. "Good. Take this seriously! Show me!" he said with excitement.

He lowered into a fighting stance, and Alvaric mirrored him. This time, it was different from a few minutes ago—Alvaric's resolve was unshakable. He would fight to the death. Even his aura had changed slightly.

The demi-human felt it, and his grin grew even wider. "Come at me!" he challenged.