The giant figure knelt in the center of the massive chamber, his immense frame casting long shadows across the cracked stone floor. Dozens of black chains jutted from the surrounding walls, each one ending in a cruel pike driven deep into his body. The air trembled faintly with the sound of metal straining against metal.

"Welcome... Monarchs."

"Is this guy the boss?" Vivi murmured, glancing at Kaede.

Kaede didn’t answer immediately, stepping forward cautiously.

"Free me..." the figure rumbled, his voice deep enough to make the stone underfoot vibrate. He dragged the chains taut as he leaned forward, the sound of grinding metal echoing in the chamber. "Free me from these chains. I know what the Rulers have planned. I must warn the other Monarchs..."

His words trailed off. Slowly, his eyes narrowed, sharp and searching. "You... are not the ones I know."

"Ones you know?" Vivi raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are you talking about? How could you possibly know us?"

"Because he's another one," Kaede said quietly, almost regretfully.

"Another...?" Vivi began, but her words cut off when a glowing screen materialized in front of her.

---

You are in the presence of a Monarch.

---

Vivi froze mid-step. "A... Monarch?"

Kaede’s gaze didn’t waver from the chained figure. "I know of you. The Monarch of Beginnings. Legia."

"Wait, hold on." Vivi shook her head. "How do you even know this guy? He’s just the boss of a dungeon."

Legia’s voice dropped into a growl. "What I am... is a prisoner. A prisoner the Rulers intend to use as a stepping stone, laying the groundwork for the true war that is to come."

He turned his gaze fully on Vivi, studying her as though looking through her skin. "I sense Baran’s essence within you. That can only mean you are his successor."

Vivi blinked in confusion. "How do you even know that? I don’t even know what I’m succeeding. And... what’s a Ruler?"

This time, Kaede answered with hesitation. "The Rulers are ancient enemies of the Monarchs. They’re also the ones responsible for the dungeons that have been appearing for the last ten years."

Vivi’s jaw dropped. “The dungeons? They were sent… here? And you were going to tell me this when?”

Kaede looked away, her expression tight. “I was going to tell you... honestly. I planned to take you to meet Queresha first, then have her explain everything.”

“Who’s Queresha?” Vivi asked, confusion sharpening her tone.

“Oh, she’s the Queen of Insects,” Kaede replied casually, “and the Monarch of Plagues.”

Legia’s gaze flicked between them. “So, you have met the Monarch of Plagues.”

“Another Monarch?” Vivi repeated, her brow furrowing. “What exactly is a Monarch, and why am I one?”

“I will answer your questions,” Legia said, voice urgent, “but you must free me immediately. We don’t have much time. Once the others find out about our meeting...”

“The other Monarchs?” Kaede interrupted.

“Not just the Monarchs,” Legia corrected, his tone dropping lower. “The Rulers as well. Once word spreads, neither side will simply stand by and watch. In fact…” She glanced toward the shadows as if expecting movement. “Envoys of the Rulers may already be on the move.”

Kaede tilted her head. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I must warn the other Monarchs of the Rulers’ plan,” Legia said.

“With the dungeons, right?” Kaede asked, eyes narrowing.

Legia nodded. “It appears you’re already aware. Then the other Monarchs have already figured it out?”

Kaede’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Yeah. Queresha herself explained it to me.”

"Uhm… I'm a little lost here," Vivi interjected, glancing between Kaede and the massive figure before them. "What exactly is the plan? And… what’s it for?"

"Answer her," Kaede said, her tone leaving no room for evasion. Then, almost as an afterthought, she added, "Truthfully."

She walked over to one of the colossal chains embedded in Legia’s shoulder, running her fingers along its night sky, metallic links. "Iz could make use of a material like this," she murmured.

Planting her boots against the giant’s skin, she gripped the chain and pulled. It didn’t budge. She climbed higher onto his shoulder, bracing herself, and used the full weight of her body to yank at it until she was hanging upside down, teeth clenched with the effort.

While Kaede struggled, Legia extended a [Pledge of Trust] toward Vivi. The moment she accepted, her eyes sharpened.

"Alright," she began, "then tell me, what is a Monarch?"

Legia inclined his head slightly before answering. "The Chaos World is divided into many realms. Each realm contains countless species, but they are all variations of the same race. The Monarchs are the kings of those races, the strongest among them."

Vivi’s gaze narrowed. "And you would be…?"

Kaede let out a startled yelp as her grip slipped, tumbling down from Legia’s shoulder.

"I am the King of Giants," Legia said, his deep voice carrying an ancient weight. "The Monarch of Beginnings."

He studied her for a moment before continuing. "The one whose power you’ve inherited was known as the King of Demons. The Monarch of White Flame."

Vivi lowered her eyes to her hands, flexing her fingers as if expecting to see flames. "The Monarch of Ivory Flame…" she murmured. "So… I’ve become the Queen of Demons?"

Legia slowly shook his head. “There is still one final step. You must obtain a Primordial Darkness. Only then will you have the authority to rule over all demonkind.”

Even Kaede paused at that. “Primordial Darkness?”

Legia’s deep, resonant voice rumbled again. “Yes. It is the essence of a Monarch. Without it, a Monarch can never reach their full potential. When a Monarch dies, their Primordial Darkness returns to the World Tree, where it is safeguarded by Nidhogg, the Eight-Headed Serpent.”

He lifted his gaze toward the dark horizon as if recalling an old memory. “If a Successor is to become a fully realized Monarch, they must battle Nidhogg, endure its trials, and sever one of its heads.”

Vivi’s eyes lit up with almost childlike excitement. “Whoa. That sounds incredible. The serpent sounds strong.”

From her perch atop Legia’s neck, Kaede tugged on another massive chain embedded in his thick hide. “So… you wanna be the Queen of Demons?”

“I don’t wanna hear it from you!” Vivi snapped back, cheeks puffing in frustration. “You’ve been hanging around Monarchs this whole time. Does Iz even know about this?”

Kaede looked away, her tone softening. “I was going to tell her eventually… I just didn’t want her to get dragged into my mess.”

Vivi’s expression darkened. “Yeah, it’s too late for that, you know? We’re already reincarnated here, and I have a feeling that’s also your fault.”

She turned back to Legia, her voice firm. “How do I get to the World Tree? And Maple, just cut the damn chains already!”

Kaede shook her head. “No. They’re a present for Iz. These chains can hold a Monarch. Iz could definitely make something out of them.”

Legia rumbled with faint amusement before turning his massive head toward Kaede. “If you won’t break the chains, then perhaps you can break the magic circle instead. It is what keeps them anchored in my body. Though…” His eyes narrowed. “…I’m not certain you can. It was forged by four of the Current Rulers and is incredibly powerful.”

Kaede’s lips curved into a small smirk. Without another word, she jumped down, landing lightly on the floor. Placing her palm on the glowing circle etched into the ground, she uttered one word.

“[Devour].”

The magic circle pulsed once before its edges began to crumble into glowing dust.

Legia blinked in confusion. “Wha...”

Vivi sighed, her expression unimpressed. “You get used to it. Now, how do I get to the World Tree?”

Legia’s gaze flickered toward Kaede, who was still kneeling on the floor, calmly devouring the magic circle that had been conjured by four Rulers. The sight made his jaw tighten. “Uhm… first, you’ll need something from the previous Monarch, like a claw, a tooth, even a strand of hair. After that, you have to travel to the center of the Monarch’s Realm to declare your intent.”

“A part, huh?” Vivi’s lips curved into a smile as a sudden flash of blue light flared in her hands. “Like these feathers?” She held out a small bundle of shimmering plumes, each one carrying a faint, mournful heat. “His regrets. I’ve got plenty of them, I collected these after killing that ice bird.”

Legia nodded slowly. “Yes, indeed. That will be sufficient. Though I would advise you to gather more strength first. While you may be Baran’s successor, you lack his full abilities, as he and most of his power was sent to the Realm of Eternal Slumber by Ashborn himself.”

Vivi grinned, a spark of amusement in her eyes. “You’re looking down on me? That’s a new feeling. Maple, look at this, I’m being looked down on.”

“Done!” Kaede announced cheerfully as the last of the glowing runes in the magic circle flickered and vanished.

“Graaarh!!” Legia roared, his voice reverberating through the chamber as he yanked against the chains. The embedded pikes tore free from his flesh with wet, sickening sounds.

Splat! Clang!

A pike wrenched from his shoulder hit the stone floor with a sharp ring.

Splat! Clang!

Another followed… and another. One by one, the restraints were torn from his body. Within minutes, the last chain fell to the ground.

Kaede wasted no time, she gathered each chain methodically, the heavy metal vanishing into her inventory with a muted shimmer.

When she turned back, Legia was already rising to his full height. His massive frame was riddled with gaping holes and long tears, yet the wounds sealed rapidly before her eyes, knitting together with unnatural speed.

“Hah…” Legia exhaled deeply, a wave of oppressive power radiating outward from him like the first gust of a storm. “Freedom… after more than six millennia.” A low, rumbling laugh swelled into booming triumph. “Hahahaha! I am free! At last… I am free!”

Kaede watched him stretch his enormous limbs, each movement rippling with power. “A monster doing calisthenics,” she muttered under her breath. “Live long enough, I guess…”

"I thank you, young ones," Legia said, his voice carrying genuine gratitude as he looked at Kaede and Vivi. "Now, I must return to the other Monarchs." He turned and began walking toward the chamber’s exit.

Only for Vivi to step into his path.

Legia’s stride halted. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked, a trace of wariness sharpening his tone.

Kaede approached from behind, her boots echoing softly against the stone. "That’s not how this goes," she said evenly. "We freed you from your imprisonment, when we could have just as easily killed you. You owe us your life… and a favour."

Her lips curled into a smirk as she stopped beside him. "Put those two together, and well..."

To his credit, Legia didn’t flinch when a grey panel materialized in the air before him, its faint glow painting silver edges across his sharp features.

"This is…?" he murmured, eyes scanning the text. His brow furrowed. "Bold. Very bold. And what if I were to reject your offer?"

"You die," Kaede replied instantly, without hesitation. "You are still an enemy of humanity. Letting you live is too much of a risk otherwise."

Legia’s red-glowing eyes narrowed, the glow intensifying. "Is that so?"

A surge of crimson energy erupted from him in pulsing waves, flooding the chamber with pressure that rattled the walls. The air vibrated with raw power. "And you think you can do it?"

"Wow," Vivi muttered, shaking her head. "I’m sure the entire gaming community of New World Online is laughing their heads off right now. This fool is actually looking down on us."

Kaede’s chuckle was low and amused. "How about a deal? You fight us both at once. If you win, you walk away. If we win… you join me. That should be simple enough, right? After all, I’m just a Monarch Candidate, and Vivi doesn’t even have her Primordial Darkness."

Something in her tone made the hairs at the back of Legia’s neck rise. His instincts told him danger lurked here, but the rush of having his strength restored drowned out the warning.

"Your overconfidence will be your undoing," he said coldly.

Without another word, Vivi erupted into an inferno of swirling red and blue flames, the heat distorting the air around her. "[Flame Empress]!" she roared.