Shadow Monarch in DC
Chapter 183: Shadow VS Will

Chapter 183: Shadow VS Will

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The air inside the great hall of the guardians thickened.

Where once there was only Arthur Blackwynd, now the hall was filled with shadows.

They emerged like wraiths, drawn out by will and dominance, figures cloaked in darkness, lined behind him with perfect military precision. Their forms towered or loomed, some humanoid some monstrous, and not one drew breath or blinked.

Doom stood ahead of them, the walking cataclysm, arms folded, silent, eyes glowing with cruel sentience. Beside him, Ultra his violet form radiant with dark majesty, hovered off the ground, cape billowing as if stirred by a storm only he could feel. Other shadows followed, the generals, the elite knights, silent enforcers of Arthur’s sovereignty.

But it wasn’t Doom or Ultra that caught the Guardians’ eyes.

It was the Shadow Lanterns.

Quite a number of them, no longer living, yet unmistakably shaped in the image of their former selves. They wore the ring. The very same one on Arthur’s.

Each shadow bore the unmistakable symbol of the Shadow Corps. The light of fear was now wrapped in darkness, and though these were not the true Lanterns, the energy they emitted was undeniable.

They were Lanterns in death. Now they answered only to the Shadow Monarch.

From above, the Guardians stiffened.

One of them scar-faced, eyes narrowed in cold fury, spoke first.

"This... desecration... is not a mere display."

Arthur tilted his head, unbothered, voice calm and clear. "I can call out many more," he said, his tone matter-of-fact, as though he were discussing a minor inconvenience. "But these are more than enough to take care of ... well, you know."

"This."

As if the mighty Citadel of the Guardians, the center of order in the universe, was little more than an irritation.

The silence cracked as boots echoed behind him.

Hal Jordan stepped into the hall, followed by Tomar-Re, Salakk, and Kilowog all of them pausing mid-stride as they took in the army of shadows.

Hal’s eyes locked on the ghostly Lanterns and then back to Arthur. "Arthur... what the hell are you doing? This wasn’t what we agreed on."

Arthur didn’t look at him. His gaze stayed on the Guardians, cold and unreadable. "I didn’t like the way they carried themselves—commanding me like some tool. That false sense of superiority." His jaw tightened. "I serve no one."

Kilowog grunted. "Told ya I didn’t like this runt." He cracked his massive knuckles. "Let’s just beat him down and throw his smug ass into the Sciencells."

But before he could take another step, Doom moved.

A blur.

One heartbeat he was still. The next, he stood in front of Kilowog, arm already cocked.

The punch landed with a sound like a thunderclap.

Kilowog’s body snapped back, nearly sent hurtling through the hall, but Doom gripped his ankle mid-air, twisted brutally, and spun the Lantern like a ragdoll before slamming him into one of the colossal emerald pillars.

Stone cracked. Energy flickered. The very foundation of the hall trembled.

Every Lantern in the vicinity ignited their rings in alarm. The glow of green light filled the chamber as shouts echoed in the distance. An army began to mobilize.

Hal’s eyes flared wide. "I said don’t—you idiot!"

Doom didn’t respond. He simply turned and resumed his silent post beside Arthur, the floor beneath his feet scorched from the impact.

Ultra stepped forward, hovering just ahead of the others, and with a voice that echoed like a choir of shadows, said, "My king, allow me to bring you the heads of the blue midgets. One by one."

A surge of green light ignited. The Guardians stood now, their small frames burning with righteous fury.

"This confirms it," one of them said coldly. "Our initial judgment was correct.You are a threat not only to Oa, but to every Lantern Corps across the emotional spectrum."

Another added, "Your very existence will incite war. Peace cannot exist with your shadow cast over the stars."

Arthur exhaled slowly.

And then, calmly, with absolute certainty, he said, "Fine by me."

Green light surged. Rings flared. Doom cracked his knuckles again.

But before anything more could ignite.

Hal Jordan stepped forward, placing himself between Arthur and the Guardians. His expression wasn’t just stern it was desperate. And furious.

"Enough!" he shouted. "You think this is going to end well for anyone? You’re making enemies of everyone in the universe right now!"

Arthur’s gaze didn’t falter. "They made themselves enemies the moment they tried to chain me."

Hal pointed toward the shadows. "Then maybe look around. You’re already becoming the thing we fight against."

For a moment, no one moved. The shadows waited. The Lanterns hovered, rings glowing, energy crackling like static before a storm. The Guardians watched from their sacred perch, weighing the situation.

Arthur stood motionless at the center of it all. Arms at his side. his eyes fixed on the small, robed figures on their ’throne’. Then, without warning, he moved.

A blur.

He shot into the air like a launched arrow, coat and shadows streaking behind him. Lanterns gasped. Hal shouted something lost in the storm of sudden movement. From midair, Arthur spread his arms like a dark messiah descending.

And the world cracked.

With a roar of pure will and contempt, he unleashed Ruler’s Authority a blast of pressure not made of sound, but force and fury, a telekinetic wave that crashed down like a tsunami from a god’s judgment. The very air warped and howled. The Guardians, who had begun to charge their own defense, raised in a rare act of direct engagement were caught in the blast and hurled backwards.

They slammed into the high wall behind them, their pillars shattered to rubble, ancient stone splintered like brittle glass, columns toppled, sacred Oan architecture cracked like eggshells.

Alarm klaxons blared across the Citadel. More Lanterns surged into the room in emerald streaks, voices shouting orders, rings screaming warnings. Dozens became a hundred.

They charged.

But so did the shadows.

The corrupted Lantern shadows collided with the Green Lanterns midair, violet constructs of chained maws, spiked hammers, and dark serpents clashing violently with radiant green swords, nets, and energy walls. The skies inside the Citadel became a canvas of war, power exploding in wild collisions that lit the chamber like an inferno of conflicting wills.

Ultra, glowing bright with violet energy, descended like a meteor toward one of the fallen Guardians his heat vision charging, eyes glowing ready to finish him off.

He raised his hand.

"My king... Should I?"

The Guardian beneath him was barely conscious, blood trailing from his mouth.

Arthur’s voice cracked like a whip.

"Ultra. Stop."

Ultra froze. The light dimmed in his eyes. He turned his head to Arthur, nodding once, and stepped away from the Guardian, who coughed and slumped, eyes wide in disbelief.

And then Hal was there.

He dove in from the left, a green sword cleaving toward Arthur in a wide arc. Arthur didn’t flinch. A black tendril, his dark construct burst from the floor, coiling up and grabbing the blade mid-swing, holding it in a tight grip like a serpent around prey.

The sword hissed with energy, but the dark tendril held firm, resisting the light.

Hal hovered close, face taut with tension and frustration.

"Arthur, damn it! You really should’ve listened. This—" he gestured to the war behind them, "—this wasn’t the way. We had an agreement not to cause trouble."

Arthur turned to him, slowly. His gaze burned with power, cold and sovereign.

"I didn’t want this either," he said, his voice like a blade drawn slow. "But they weren’t listening. Not really. They only wanted one answer..."

His eyes flicked upward, toward the bruised, scattered Guardians.

"...’Yes. I’ll yield.’"

He stepped forward, the tendril melting away as he stared Hal down.

"I didn’t come this far to say such thing," Arthur growled, "to kneel before a council of self-proclaimed gods. Not them. Not anyone."

Hal’s jaw tightened. His grip on the sword trembled slightly.

From above, Lanterns were still falling in battle. The shadows pressed hard, relentless. Screams echoed down the corridors of the Citadel.

A surge of green energy flickered behind Arthur.

Arthur’s senses flared.

He didn’t turn.

Speed Step.

Time slowed for an instant just long enough for him to sidestep the strike. A Lantern had come from above, blade construct humming with lethal intent, eyes locked onto Arthur’s back.

But when the Lantern struck, Arthur was already gone.

In a blur of dark violet, Arthur reappeared behind him.

Without a word, Arthur reached out and gripped the Lantern’s outstretched wrist, the one bearing the power ring.

The Lantern gasped. His will faltered.

"You should’ve aimed better," Arthur muttered coldly.

His fingers tightened around the Lantern’s wrist, black tendrils swirling around his arm, crushing pressure building with every heartbeat. The air popped as energy cracked under his grip. The Lantern screamed, his bones snapping like twigs beneath Arthur’s brutal strength.

And then

CRUNCH.

The ring itself shattered, splintering into fragments of emerald light that flickered out.

The Lantern collapsed.

Arthur exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing.

Then

[DING]

A system chime rang inside his head.

Arthur’s pupils flared violet.

[A New Level can be accessed in the Legacy Shadow Legion Dungeon.]

He blinked once. The noise around him faded for a second.

"It seems you guys just got lucky.." Arthur whispered.

/-\

If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.

&

If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at

"/FrenzyAren"

You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want