Before Alister could find the right words to refute again, the Monarch's ancient voice rippled again, dropping a tone lower.
"But I grow weary of it."
Alister's brows furrowed, but before he could understand, the Judgment Sword sang in a high-pitched hum, vibrating more sharply than it ever had before.
Something deeper and colder settled into the slots of the Monarch's helm, and the darkness in the chamber deepened all at once.
The shadows all seemed to come alive, hissing like a cacophony of weary souls from all corners, pushing against the already fickle radiance of the torches and candles until they were gradually being snuffed out... one by one.
The Monarch began to slowly approach Alister with intentional strides.
A bit more than twenty meters separated them both.
"Enough of this. You came here to slay a villain, not contemplate ideals."
As he passed, a candle and a torch were snuffed out, leaving half of the chamber on the Monarch's side filled with pitch darkness and shadows, and the other half on Alister's side still flickering with light and radiance.
Alister raised his sword, casting the radiance from Judgment and all the buff it granted against his body. He lowered his stance, eyes burning with embers.
A sound escaped the Monarch again — this time Alister could almost imagine the Dark Lord grinning under the helm.
"Show me how true your ideal world is through your blade!"
Alister dashed at the Shadow Monarch instantly without a word, vanishing into a streak, then merely a flash of light in the dark.
An incinerating sound tore through the chamber as the Sword of Judgment clashed against the Monarch, darkness rippling with waves of blinding light.
"... Impressive. But not enough."
The Blade of Judgment was caught in a vice grip by the Monarch, causing Alister's golden eyes to widen. No one... no being ever judged had ever caught the edge of the blade with their bare hands and survived unscathed before!
For once the Blade of Judgment had decided to administer, nothing could stand in its way.
"Precisely." As if He could read Alister's exact thoughts, the Monarch echoed, feeling the blade vibrate incessantly in his grip.
"Your intent and malice aren't sharp enough. You boasted about will, but the ideal world you paint cannot be built on foundations so fickle!"
The Monarch sneered from under his helm.
"This Commandment is wasted on you."
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed Alister to the side like he weighed no more than ash.
The Monarch stepped to the side, reached out his right hand from under his robe, and pulled out a magnificent black broadsword draped in shadows from the darkness.
The moment the broad blade kissed the air, an oppressive aura that caused the entire fortress to groan exploded outward from within.
A wave of indescribable pressure smashed into Alister from all directions; even the radiance of the Judgment sword seemed to wane.
His golden eyes widened in pure instinctual awe, immense shock, and unbridled dread.
"... Dominion."
One of the Commandments.
The Sword of Dominion.
Alister's shock was short-lived; the sword of Judgment wouldn't let it, as bright, sweltering radiance exploded from his figure at once like a solar flare.
"Ahhh!" Alister roared and charged once again at the Monarch of Shadows, pure golden radiance glowing from his skin like a star.
The Monarch's last words about his lacking will and intent scratched the back of his mind, causing him to grow more irritable and squeeze out even more power from the Judgment.
Meanwhile, the Shadow Monarch just stood in place, bending the rogue aura of his newly summoned sword and containing it. Leaving 'Dominion' to 'declare' any longer would really bring his whole fortress crumbling in stones and crystals.
Not like it mattered now.
The second collision between the two forces was immense regardless, sending out a powerful shockwave that forcefully detonated some of the robust pillars in the chamber.
Devastating cracks tore open the ground beneath them, and the shadows ebbed on one side and retreated on the other.
The magnificent throne atop the platform was turned to dust instantly.
The confrontation between the Hero of Light and the Monarch of Shadows was like a natural calamity.
Despite the Monarch's reservations, his ancient fortress was getting torn apart at the seams.
Each sword clash wreaked havoc akin to a thousand armies and more. And powerful swings that could split and erase clouds were uncanned as if they were the standard.
The entire ancient fortress trembled. It got to a point that those from the Alliance outside could feel the shockwaves and tremors even beyond the walls.
Blinding flashes of light exploded from within the fortress, painting the clouds and horizon in the colors of daylight.
In a single glance, all of the races from the Alliance army could recognize the radiance of their Hero chosen by light.
And the shockwave left them little to imagine about the opponent and the scale of battle.
"It's happening!"
Back in the fortress, the audience chamber was but a ruin of its former glory.
Despite the intensity and scale of the confrontation, the figure of the Shadow Monarch was unreadable and unscathed.
His movements were minimal, merely shifting from foot to foot, step to step, and side to side as he took on the full, immense wrath of Alister Sinclair.
But his earlier thoughts about the hero being young, naive, and most of all — weak — couldn't help but quickly change.
"He has great affinity for Light, and his attunement with the Judgment is extraordinary. He's actively getting stronger in real time," the Shadow Monarch couldn't help but acknowledge calmly, despite the situation.
At some point, the Monarch of Shadows had even been forced to pull out a second sword, another Relic, to hold firmer against the growing pressure of Alister that was constantly mounting.
The Sword of Judgment... wasn't really like what most of the world believed. In any case, it could grant its chosen wielder immense power by harnessing and magnifying their will, among many of its reality-bending capabilities.
While Alister was ultimately still lacking in the face of the Shadow Monarch, it was only a matter of time and experience. The potential was already startling.
For the first time in a very long while, the Shadow Monarch felt a hint of... something as he stared and faced off against the radiance of Alister Sinclair.
At the same time, he could recall his last words with the young hero... about an ideal world.
A world where people no longer live in fear.
A world where no race rules another by blood or shadow.
Where children aren't born into war they didn't choose. Just like he had...
At the time, the Monarch's open response had been "Interesting," but there was a lot more ripple the ancient tyrant felt in his weary and hollowed-out soul.
Perhaps...
The fierce battle drew taut with a thousand dozen blows exchanged. Alister was relentlessly exercising every skill, spell, authority, and buff he had mastered, but still failed to properly push back the Shadow Monarch no matter what he did.
It also seemed like the ancient monster was almost holding back, for neither had Alister suffered powerful wounds or injuries.
But the radiance from Judgment purified such thoughts, deeming them fatal distractions.
Ironically, the same Monarch let himself be distracted, lost in thought, and Alister didn't fail to capitalize and delivered his first thorough blow against the Dark Lord.
"Divine Cutter!!"
Alister roared, unleashing a bright golden giant arc of light from the Judgment in a single powerful swing that devoured the figure of the Monarch in its radiance.
A blinding, devastating explosion tore through the air, vanquishing every single shadow and darkness in the ruined chamber, and blowing the roof off the fortress at once.
The twirling dark clouds that spun above the Fortress's spires dispersed immediately, giving way to the greyish sky just above.
The sound of the explosion was thunderous, traveling hundreds of miles into the distance.
Once the shockwaves and dust began to settle, the grey sky was revealed partially just above the destroyed audience chamber now that the roof was obliterated.
The ancient fortress, or what was left of it, was in utter rubble.
Alister's arms at this point felt as heavy as lead. He stumbled forward on his feet, struggling against the weight of Judgment in his hand.
The broad sword was hissing with steam from its pristine white blade. Alister's vision swam and his head was full of fog.
At this point, he had exhausted his Mana supply, and most of the adrenaline from earlier was gone.
Alas, standing a couple of meters ahead of him was the figure of the Shadow Monarch, embraced in that sinister Dark Mantle and Helm of his.
His armour now was covered in dents, soot, and scratches from the last attack, and the nebulous black regal robe that flowed down his form was burnt to rags.
It certainly wasn't comparable to Alister, but finally, the Dark Monarch looked like he had actually just been in battle.
Yet he stood there, tall and every bit as immense, gripping two powerful Relics of the First Order in each hand. Steam and smoke rose from his armour.
Once Alister confirmed the Monarch was still standing, he bit down on his lips and forced his feet to remain standing, listening to the husky, mysterious voice ring in his ears.
Two words that shook him to his core.
"You lose."
Alister trembled.
"Although I commend you for coming this far and lowering me to such a state, your Will has failed to smite me down."
He regarded the trembling Alister, who looked as feeble as fabric in the wind. Even the Judgment sword had lost all of its radiance, remaining still.
"You've exhausted your strength and Mana, and now you can barely stand on your own two feet. Just like those before you... you have failed as well."
'Maybe in a few more years...'
The Monarch's words were cold. And while his words were ruthless, Alister could pick up a hint of forlorn disappointment.
Indeed, Alister Sinclair was done.
But—
"Who said anything about it being over?"
The moment Alister spoke those raspy words, a beautiful soft, golden radiance began to suffuse from his being like embers.
The Monarch regarded this with... indifference. It was hard to tell what He was thinking under a full body plate of armour, after all.
But something dark definitely shifted in the slits in his eyes at the sight of this.
Alister was out of Mana and had exhausted all of his Will at the moment; the Shadow Monarch was certain about this. Absolutely.
Then where was this glow coming from? He could feel his strength slowly rising once more.
It was then that the Shadow Monarch noticed the small specks of light floating through the air and gathering around Alister's recovering figure.
Then the Dark Lord realised, turning around slightly.
"That... It can't be..."
For the first time since their interaction, Alister heard the first change and clear trace of emotions in the Monarch's voice.
But the Shadow Monarch couldn't be worried about that for now. He was gazing off into the distance from behind his helm at the thousand, countless specks of light streaming through the air and sky, gathering at the very same place:
Alister Sinclair.
The Shadow Monarch lowered his gaze down silently.
Below, beyond the destroyed walls of the ruined Fortress, the surviving hundreds of soldiers from the Alliance were all crouched and kneeling, clasping their hands together before their mouths and chests, seemingly in prayer.
Small specks of light rose from the bodies and gathered.
And it wasn't only them. As an Absolute Authority over Souls, the Shadow Monarch could feel it.
The countless number of souls sharing their life force and hope. All as one.
At the same time, he heard the steady voice of Alister come from behind.
"I told you; where there is a will, there will always be a way."
The Shadow Monarch turned around to behold what could only be called a miracle:
Alister Sinclair standing tall and healed of all injuries and fatigue. His skin glowed with the radiance of a thousand hopes and wills.
His glowing creamish yeast-colored hair had grown longer, his eyes sharper yet calmer. His entire appearance had changed to be even more charming and at least almost a decade older, and calmer—more confident.
And his presence had grown to be more profound.
"Ah..."
The Shadow Monarch could find no right words for what he was experiencing. A strange, overwhelming feeling; emotions he had never felt since long ago.
But Alister had no way of knowing this because of his helm, and raised Judgment slightly, the blade hummed with a resplendent radiance once again.
"Wasn't this what you wanted?" He said very slowly, "Orcs... Elves... Humans... Dwarves... all of the world coming together as one."
He raised the sword higher above his head calmly, preparing for one final attack backed by the weight of the whole world behind his blade.
Surely not even the Monarch of Shadows could survive that, right?
The Shadow Monarch just stood, unreadable as always.
Then the Monarch raised the Sword of Dominion and pointed the tip of its blade forward at him without a word.
Alister's brows crumpled gently at the sight of the Monarch remaining unyielding, but he preferred to regard him as a Warrior fighting for what he believed was true until the end.
Then—
"Come," The Monarch finally spoke, tilting His helm slightly. "Show me the world you spoke about." His voice by the end changed, becoming less dark and ancient, into something softer and yearning.
Alister's eyes fluttered gently, but the Judgment hummed loudly in his hands, urging.
Then the Hero nodded resolutely.
The blade lit up resplendently with the souls and wills of the whole world, raised above his head. A divine beam of golden-white light rose into the sky, painting it with the light of day.
Then he brought it down without a word—a sword heavy with the weight of millions.
Somehow during that last moment, it was like Alister had reached some sort of quiet understanding and acceptance with the enigmatic Shadow Monarch... He didn't feel as hateful, like that.
'Let me see it...'
The blade descended against the earth and wiped out everything within its region—sparing only those of the Alliance and embracing them in a warm glow.
The explosion was massive, devouring the figure of the Shadow Monarch within until there was nothing.
'...A peaceful world.'
Embraced in the light his form was erased to dust, incinerated completely.
And like that, the Monarch of Shadows' decades-long reign of terror was over. The Hero could almost hear his final words during his last moment.
Once the light from the incinerating explosion was over, nothing but ash and rubble was left in its wake.
There was a single broad sword, Dominion, thrust into the ground, and the charred helm of the Monarch sitting empty next to it.
The War of Damnation was over... The Shadow Monarch was Dead.