Chapter 610: The Army of Chaos

CHOAS WORLD -

The world was called Chaos, and it had earned the name, its surface was a patchwork of terrains, each one a fragment of the worlds the Monarchs had once ruled. Frozen tundras stretched beside volcanic plains, their borders marked by rivers of ice and lava that flowed against all reason. Forests of blackened trees rose from fields of ash, their branches reaching toward a sky that shifted between day and night with no pattern or warning. The horizon bled into impossible colors, violet and crimson, all swirling together like paint in water.

A plateau rose with that world from the chaos like a stage built for gods. The plateau stretched for miles, its surface smoothed by forces beyond mortal understanding. On it, an army had gathered, an army so vast that the horizon itself was not enough to contain it. They spilled across the plains, filled the valleys, climbed the slopes of distant mountains. Millions of soldiers, each one a warrior from a world that had known nothing but war for eons.

Ice Elves, their forms elegant and deadly, their armor gleaming with the frozen light of their fallen kingdom. They had once been slaves to a Monarch who treated them as fodder. Now they stood free, their eyes fixed on the plateau, their loyalty earned by the being who had promised them a future, the shadow monarch and the new frost monarch he selected.

Beast-Kin, their forms a blend of animal and humanoid, their weapons carved from the bones of monsters they had slain. They were savage and proud, their packs organized by strength and loyalty. They had been scattered across their world, hunted by the rulers who saw them as nothing more than beasts. Now they stood united, their growls a low rumble that shook the ground.

Giants, their forms towering above the rest, their skin the color of stone and iron. They had been the foot soldiers of the Giant Monarch, used as living battering rams, their lives thrown away in battles that meant nothing. Now they stood with a new purpose, their massive hands clenching and unclenching as they awaited orders.

Insectoid Horrors, their forms chitinous and alien, their eyes a thousand facets of gleaming intelligence. They had once served the Plague Monarch, their hive-minds bound to her will. Now they followed a new queen, one who had yet to be saved from captivity, but whose subjects had still answered the call to war.

And above them all, circling the plateau like a storm waiting to break, flew the Shadow paradragons thousands of them, their mechanical wings beating in perfect unison, their eyes burning with violet fire. They had been Darkseid’s weapons once. Now they were Arthur’s.

Including every other army the Monarchs managed to rally and at the center of the plateau, the Monarchs stood.

Arthur Blackwynd, in his cosmic shadow armor, his ashen white hair moving in the wind, his violet eyes sweeping across the gathered army with the calm of a being who had seen far worse and survived. Raven stood to his right, her dark robes billowing around her. Kara stood to his left in her Kryptonian armor, while Aurora remained safe within the Realm of Eternal Slumber.

Behind them, the other Monarchs had assembled. Superman, no longer just the Man of Steel but something more, the Monarch of the begining, his eyes glowing with a power that was both familiar and terrifying. Zatanna, the Monarch of Transfiguration, her golden eyes carrying the depth of a thousand spells. Beast Boy, the Beast Monarch, his form shifting restlessly, his connection to the beast world felt more natural, as if he was meant for this. Killer Frost, the Frost Monarch, her pale blue eyes scanning the army with a mixture of awe and unease.

And in the shadows at the edge of the plateau, the Marshals watched.

Bellion, the Grand Marshal, his sword resting across his shoulders, his eyes fixed on his monarch. Igris with his arms crossed. Beru, the Ant King, his insectoid form twitching with barely contained energy. Galatea, the Clone, her eyes cold while Doom, the Relentless shadow of Doomsday was eager for a battle.

Arthur raised his hand.

The army fell silent.

His voice carried across the plateau, across the plains, across the chaos itself, it was a sound that seemed to vibrate through the very fabric of reality.

"Monarchs. Report your forces."

Frost stepped forward first, her voice carrying across the gathered armies. "The Frost Realm has sent forty-two thousand ice elves. Veterans of a hundred battles.. At least that’s what I learned, alongside a hundred thousand beasts that are native to that world."

Beast Boy followed, his voice steadier than it had ever been. "The Beast World has sent a hundred thousand beast-kin. Every pack, every tribe, every creature that can carry a weapon. They came when I called. All of them... they surprisingly obeyed..."

Zatanna spoke next, her voice calm and measured. "The Realm of Specters has sent twenty-eight thousand. Not the largest force, but each one is a trained mage, capable of bending reality to their will, I made sure of it myself."

Superman stepped forward last. "The Giant World has sent ten thousand. They are not numerous, but each one is worth a hundred soldiers. They will fight bravely... even though I hoped to avoid this..."

Arthur nodded slowly. "Well, as for my shadow legion..."

Bellion’s voice emerged from the shadows, "Three hundred thousand shadow soldiers, my Monarch. Every one of them forged in battle, tempered by death. They await your command, the others remain within the world of eternal slumber and more scattered on earth and across the sectors in the universe."

Arthur’s eyes swept across the gathered army, the ice elves and beast-kin and giants and insects, the Shadow Legion and the Marshals who had fought beside him through everything.

"Almost three hundred thousand living soldiers," he said quietly. "Three hundred thousand shadows. Thirty thousand Paradragons." He paused. "The Rulers will bring more. They always do."

Superman stepped forward, his voice carrying a note of genuine concern. "What now, Arthur? You’re sure the Rulers will meet us in open battle like this? They’ve hidden behind their closed realm. Why would they come out now?"

Arthur’s smile was thin, knowing. "Because they have no choice."

He turned to face the gathered Monarchs fully.

"If there’s one thing the Rulers are willing to sacrifice, it’s their soldiers. The ones gathered here, if they die, they don’t come back. Unless it’s me who does that." He paused. "The Rulers’ heavenly soldiers are endless. They’re born from the World Tree itself, shaped from its branches, animated by its will. That’s how they withstood the Monarchs for eons. That’s how they overpowered them in the past. Their soldiers never stop coming."

He looked at the horizon, at the chaos that stretched beyond.

"I’m the only counter to that. The only one who can turn their endless army into my endless army. They know that. They’ve always known that. So yes... they’ll meet us in open battle here, because they have nothing of value to lose. Every soldier they send, they can replace. Every soldier we lose, we cannot unless they become my own, but you lose yours."

Kara’s voice was quiet. "Then what’s the actual target? If they’re not here, what’s the point of this whole fight? We’re not here to destroy troops."

Arthur turned to her, his expression softening. "No. We’re not."

He stepped forward, his eyes scanning the gathered Monarchs, the Marshals, the army beyond.

"I have a plan to drag them out of their closed realm. They’ll only appear if one thing happens."

Raven’s eyes narrowed. "You can’t mean that."

Arthur’s smile widened. "I make it seem like I’m on the verge of death."

The silence that followed was absolute.

Kara’s voice was sharp. "Nothing here can harm you. They’ll know it’s a trap."

"Of course they’ll know." Arthur’s eyes gleamed. "That’s why it needs to be convincing."

He looked at each of them in turn, Kara, Raven, Clark, Zatanna, Beast Boy, Frost.

"Somewhere in the middle of the fight against their armies, all of you... the new Monarchs of Darkness, you will attack me. You’ll show your ’true faces.’ You’ll attack me like you mean to kill me."

Frost’s eyes widened. "You want us to.."

"This is exactly what they think of you," Arthur continued, his voice calm and steady. "They believe the powers will consume you. They believe the darkness will twist your minds. They believe that killing me.. the Shadow Monarch, is what you’ll want, once the primordial darkness takes hold."

Kara’s voice cracked. "I can’t do that."

Raven’s voice was equally firm. "Neither can I."

Arthur met their eyes, his expression gentle but unyielding. "You can. And you will." He paused. "I can take it. All of it. But it needs to be convincing, otherwise, they’ll never show themselves. They’ll wait until we’re exhausted, until we’re weak, and then they’ll strike. This is the only way to force them out."

Superman’s voice was quiet. "Seems very risky."

"It is." Arthur nodded. "But it’s the only way... we need to spend quite some time here fighting before we proceed with that plan."

Zatanna stepped forward, her golden eyes searching his face. "And if they don’t take the bait? If they see through it?"

"They will." Arthur’s smile was thin. "Because they want to believe it. They’ve spent millennia convincing themselves that the Monarchs are a threat that must be controlled, that the darkness always consumes its wielders. When they see you turn on me, they’ll believe it’s the confirmation they’ve been waiting for."

Beast Boy’s voice was hesitant. "And if we actually hurt you?"

Arthur laughed, genuine laugh that seemed to lighten the weight of the moment. "You won’t. I’m the concept of Death now. You could try to kill me with everything you have, and I’d still be standing. But it needs to look real."

He raised a hand, and shadows gathered around it, swirling in patterns that seemed to bend the very fabric of reality.

"You all worry too much," he said, his eyes glowing violet."Just do as I say. And you’ll understand why I’m the concept of Death itself now."

A warm voice spoke inside his head, soft and amused.

’You really can’t help yourself, can you, Arthur?’

Arthur’s smile widened. ’Not when it comes to protecting what’s mine.’

Didi’s laugh echoed through his mind. ’I know. That’s why I like you.’

Arthur turned back to the gathered army, his voice carrying across the chaos.

"Prepare yourselves. The Rulers will come."

The army roared in response.

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