Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely - Chapter 285

Chapter 285: Ilaris and Alikar, Monarchs of Heaven and Hell
[Purgatory Wave #5: The Monarchs of Heaven and Hell.]

Sam looked ahead, his sword gripped tightly in his hand, knowing that he had finally arrived at the final square of the [Road of Purgatory].

The entire time, he had expected there to be five waves of monsters before the end, since it was said that there were five levels of danger.

But now, as he stood in the eerie stillness of the last stage, he realized that the fifth and final level of danger was not a horde of beasts or twisted demons.

It was something far worse.

It was the monarchs themselves.

The rulers of Heaven and Hell.

Even through the thick mist that blanketed the area, he could make out the faint silhouettes of two massive figures seated upon thrones.

Their gazes locked on him as though they had been waiting for this exact moment.

As the fog began to thin, the shapes became clearer, and when it finally faded completely, Sam could see them in their full, divine and infernal forms.

One throne was white and gilded with gold, adorned with angelic wings that slowly flapped, shimmering with light.

The other was crimson and black, wreathed in fire that burned endlessly around it.

[Truly puts the emphasis on heaven and hell.]

‘Hm.’

The two beings seated before him were introduced by the system itself.

—

[Ilaris, Heavenly Monarch]

[Level: 115]

[Skills: Angel Summon, Blade of Heaven, Mist Control]

[Description: She believes herself to be an all-knowing angel who allows only those she deems worthy to enter her paradise.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Idiotic.]

—

[Alikar, Hellish Monarch]

[Level: 115]

[Skills: Spears of Hell, Sentence, Mist Control]

[Description: The counterpart of Ilaris. A ruler of Hell who judges souls alongside her.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Stupid and futile.]

—

Sam’s eyes narrowed, a faint glint of realization flashing through them.

He finally understood why he had been rejected from both Heaven and Hell.

These two monarchs were the judges of all who reached the [Seventh Zone].

Anyone who came this far would eventually stand before them to be judged, to see if their soul was worthy of paradise or condemnation.

Normally, every being, no matter their strength or history, would end up in one of those two realms.

But Sam was a Primordial.

Neither Heaven nor Hell wanted anything to do with him.

That was why he had been cast down this path: the [Road of Purgatory].

The path no one wished to take.

Still, that didn’t matter now.

He was here. At the very end.

“Finally here,” Ilaris said with a radiant grin.

She stood from her throne, her figure tall and elegant, about two meters in height, with flowing white hair that gleamed like silk and golden eyes that seemed to pierce into his soul.

Her long wings spread majestically, and her golden dress shimmered with divine energy.

In her hand, she held a radiant blade that pulsed with holy power, the [Blade of Heaven].

“Good,” she added, her voice melodic yet sharp, “I was getting bored watching you tear through all those fodders.”

Alikar laughed, his tone rough and deep.

He stood beside her, roughly the same height, but unlike her, his body radiated pure heat and aggression.

He was shirtless, his skin glowing faintly red, and flames burned faintly across his muscular arms and shoulders.

He carried no visible weapon, but the [Spears of Hell] skill told Sam all he needed to know, he didn’t need one.

Bam!

The two monarchs rose completely, the ground trembling beneath their presence as they stretched, their divine and infernal energy colliding like waves.

They looked amused, confident.

As if facing a Primordial meant nothing to them.

“I wanna ask something first,” Sam said, his blade reflecting the dim light as he pointed it slightly toward the ground.

It was a question that had been festering in his mind ever since he arrived in this realm.

From the moment he appeared in this world, from his fights with the [Forsaken Lords] to the battles against the [Monarchs], there was one pattern he could not ignore.

They all mentioned Primordials.

They all mentioned deaths.

And every time, he had heard whispers about how some Primordials had fallen, how even those ancient beings had perished here.

But that didn’t make sense.

They were too strong.

Too absolute.

It was impossible.

‘The Primordials couldn’t have all been killed, right?’

There had even been that strange message that had appeared on his panel earlier.

[Only a few of your kind have ever completed the “Road of Purgatory.”]

That meant that clearing all five waves, killing the two monarchs before him, was part of the trial.

But if some had completed it, then these two should be dead.

And yet here they were.

Alive.

Watching him.

So the question that burned in his mind finally escaped his lips.

“How are you alive?”

The words echoed in the empty space like a blade cutting through silence.

The monarchs’ confident expressions faltered instantly.

They exchanged a brief, surprised glance, and Sam caught that flicker of uncertainty.

Void Watcher.

He activated the ability without hesitation.

[Void Watcher: Surprised as to why and how you would know that, but they don’t have any intention to answer.]

They recovered almost immediately, masks of calm returning to their faces.

Alikar gave a low chuckle, though there was tension in his tone now.

“You’re smarter than we thought,” he said. “But you’ll never know the truth. Not in this life.”

“Just give up,” Ilaris added with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“You won’t pass this stage.”

Their reactions only confirmed what Sam already suspected.

There was something deeper behind all this.

Something hidden.

‘Definitely connected to the [King],’ he thought.

But even then, something didn’t add up.

If these beings had been killed before, why were they standing before him again?

Were they resurrected?

Reconstructed by some force?

And did every [Forsaken Lord] and [Monarch] he faced before know about this?

He replayed their expressions, their words, none of them had shown anything.

Not a hint.

‘The [King] must’ve made them keep quiet,’ he realized.

And the one person who had almost revealed something, Zareth, had been killed immediately the moment he tried.

Everything fit together now.

Everything was leading to this.

These two monarchs were his last obstacle before reaching the [Soul] realm.

The realm where he might finally learn the truth.

If he survived this fight, that was.

While Sam’s thoughts churned, the two monarchs’ auras flared, preparing for battle.

The ground began to crack from the pressure of their divine and infernal power clashing.

Then—

Fwish… BOOM!

A beam of light tore through the air.

The [Primordial Clone] had finished charging the [Aura Ray] and unleashed it straight toward the two monarchs.

The attack roared forward like a divine punishment descending from the heavens, its light swallowing everything in its path.

“Do I defend,” Ilaris said casually, “or do you?”

“Heh,” Alikar grinned, crossing his arms. “This thing can’t kill us anyway, so who cares?”

“Why not both, then?” Ilaris replied with a smirk.

“Alright.”

Ilaris drove her golden blade into the ground, and a dome of shimmering light rose instantly, a radiant [Heavenly Barrier].

At the same time, Alikar stomped down hard, summoning a colossal wall of crimson flame that surrounded them both.

BOOM!

The [Aura Ray] slammed into their combined barriers, shaking the entire square.

The blinding light consumed the area, roaring like a living storm as it tried to pierce through their defenses.

For a moment, it seemed like it might actually break through.

But then, silence.

The beam faded, its destructive energy dissipating into the air.

As the smoke began to clear, a rough voice echoed from behind it.

“Holy hell,” Alikar said, sounding impressed. “That almost got through.”

“If it had,” Ilaris answered, smiling faintly, “we would’ve died again.”

“True.”

[Again?]

‘Hm.’

That single word sent a chill down Sam’s spine.

Again.

They had died before.

And yet, here they stood.

Were they being revived every time a challenger reached this point?

Were they trapped, forced to repeat this cycle endlessly?

The smoke finally cleared completely, revealing the two monarchs still standing.

Their barriers were gone, but they seemed unharmed.

They looked ready now.

No more talk, no more curiosity.

“Alright,” Alikar said, cracking his neck and spreading his arms wide. “Let’s do this.”

He grinned with pure bloodlust, and beside him, Ilaris raised her shining blade, her golden wings flaring behind her.

Sam’s expression hardened.

His clone stood beside him, aura crackling violently, its energy rebuilding for another strike.