Antares

Antares

Antares (안타레스) was the King of Dragons and the Monarch of Destruction. He was also the strongest and oldest of the nine Monarchs, as well as the final antagonist of Solo Leveling.

Information

Hangul: sakura Debut: Chapter 228 NV Chapter 163 WB Epithets: King of the dragons Monarch of Destruction State: Deceased Skills: The fear of the dragon Breath of destruction Fire magic Manifestation of the Spiritual Body

Appearance

Antares was a tall, handsome, and muscular middle-aged man with long red hair, a short, reddish beard, glowing red eyes, and bright red claws. He wore reddish-silver armor with a high collar and a reddish-brown tailcoat.

Personality

As the Monarch of Destruction, Antares reveled in the devastation his powers wrought. Due to his near-unparalleled strength, he tended to behave naturally and confidently, and was not one to be easily thrown off balance. Like the other Monarchs, he also displayed a deep disdain for humanity and would not hesitate to commit genocide against it in order to force the Shadow Monarch to face him in battle. However, despite his bloodthirsty nature, Antares held a great sense of honor and was willing to negotiate with those strong enough to impress him in battle, as shown when he promised Jin-woo that he would withdraw his forces and spare humanity as long as the latter agreed to fight alongside him against the Rulers. Even after being killed by Jin-woo in two different timelines, Antares still acknowledged his strength to the point of being deeply disappointed when he easily defeated Jin-woo's son Suho during their first encounter several decades later. This led him to lament Suho's weakness and even state at one point that the boy was unworthy of succeeding his father. [1] Despite all his personal flaws, Antares showed a certain interest in his minions and was repulsed by anyone who exploited them for experimental purposes. Furthermore, he seemed to believe in blood purity and disrespected dragons of mixed ancestry.

History

Eons ago, Antares fought alongside the other Monarchs, including the Shadow Monarch Ashborn, in a devastating war against the Rulers at the behest of his creator, the Absolute Being. As the war dragged on, Antares grew to fear Ashborn's powers and ordered Rakan and Baran to eliminate him. However, this proved to be a grave mistake, as Ashborn not only easily defeated them both, but also killed Baran as punishment for his betrayal. Shortly after this battle, Ashborn suddenly disappeared, allowing the Rulers to finally win the war and forcing the surviving Monarchs into hiding. [ 2 ] Some time later, Ashborn returned and asked Antares if he could rejoin his forces. As two of the Monarchs (Baran and Legia) had lost the battle and the rest were still greatly weakened by their defeat against the Rulers, Antares gladly agreed to his request. Centuries later, when the war against the Rulers began its second phase in the human world, Antares found himself in the same situation as Ashborn and was unable to find a human vessel strong enough to withstand his powers. As a result, while the other Monarchs found vessels without much difficulty and were able to travel between worlds at will, Antares was forced to stay behind until conditions were ripe for him to cross over to the human world in his raw form.

Final Battle Arc: Shortly after Jin-Woo killed the three Monarchs pursuing him in Korea, Antares learned from Yogumunt that the Shadow Monarch had turned against them and wiped out most of their forces. Undaunted, Antares decided to take on Ashborn's ship himself and ordered his dragon army to prepare for battle. [ 3 ] Several days later, Antares descended to the Human World through a gigantic gate in Canada and encountered the Canadian S-Rank Hunter, Jay Mills. Realizing that Jin-Woo was not present, Antares reduced Jay to ash with his Breath attack and gleefully unleashed his army upon the ground, leaving a wide path of destruction across the country and massacring millions of people, including Adam White. However, despite all the desolation Antares left in his wake, the Shadow Monarch still did not appear. As a result, Antares eventually grew bored and began to wonder if he would show up to fight. [4] When Jin-woo finally appeared at the eastern front of the battlefield, Antares came out to confront him and ordered his army of ten million to surround him, believing that not even the Shadow Monarch could handle so many enemies at once. This prompted Jin-woo to use Dragon's Fear to counter his attack, immobilizing all of his minions including Yogumunt, and then proceeded to drag Antares with him to a remote island in Japan using Shadow Exchange. [5] The two then began to fight, and despite Jin-woo's efforts, Antares easily countered their attacks one after another.

Although Jinwoo's attacks merely bounced off his skin, Antares was still impressed by his sense of strategy. As a result, he stopped his attacks and offered to save humanity from extinction if Jinwoo helped him defeat the Rulers. However, Jinwoo refused to accept the offer and mocked him for feigning kindness, causing the battle to resume. As the fight continued, Antares grew increasingly annoyed with Jinwoo's refusal to give up, especially since his attacks still had no effect on him, and eventually lost his patience completely, threatening to tear him apart and turn him into dragon food if he did not relent. However, in his anger and arrogance, Antares failed to notice that Jinwoo did not attack blindly and accidentally left himself completely exposed, allowing him to almost completely slice him in two with his father's dagger. [6] Shocked that the Shadow Monarch had been able to injure him, Antares suddenly noticed the Rulers' armies in the sky and finally understood that Jin-Woo had planned this all along, as their battle had distorted space to such an extent that it allowed the Rulers to enter the human world in their crude form. Completely cornered, Antares attempted to attack Jin-Woo one last time, but was thwarted by the Rulers, who fatally stabbed him with their spears. Realizing that he had lost and that the Rulers had regained victory, Antares admitted that he never had a chance to win in the first place, just before succumbing to his injuries and dying, letting his body disintegrate into pieces and drift away in the wind. [ 7 ]

Epilogue: After the Rulers used the Reincarnation Cup for the final time at Jinwoo's request, Antares was revived with his memories of the original timeline intact. As he was the strongest Monarch, Jinwoo decided to save him for last and attacked the other Monarchs first, slaughtering them all without much trouble. Although Antares was aware of their deaths, he did nothing to help them and waited patiently for the Shadow Monarch to arrive at his doorstep. Twenty-seven years later, when Antares was the only Monarch remaining, Jin-Woo finally appeared at his palace, determined to kill him and finish what he had started. Overjoyed at having been given the chance to fight Jin-Woo again, Antares decided to hold nothing back and activated his Spirit Body Manifestation as soon as the clash began. However, despite his best efforts, Jin-Woo killed him in the ensuing battle without any major issues[8], suffering only a severe burn on his left hand in the aftermath.[9] Ragnarok: Due to his son Suho's desire to become the next Monarch of Destruction, Jinwoo made a deal with Antares and offered to bring him back to life in exchange for helping groom Suho to become his successor through the System. [10]

Skills/Techniques

* Immense Strength: As the strongest Monarch (aside from Ashborn at his peak), he possesses physical strength that far surpasses that of any other being, capable of destroying entire armies. * Extreme Speed: His speed is comparable to his strength, allowing him to move at speeds impossible for most to follow. * Absolute Durability: His body is incredibly resilient, capable of withstanding devastating attacks without suffering significant damage. * Immense Reserve of Magical Power (Mana): His amount of mana is practically unlimited, allowing him to use his abilities without apparent restrictions. * Space Mastery: Like all Monarchs, he has considerable control over space, although he does not specialize in it like Yogumunt. * Authority of Monarchs: Can exert overwhelming pressure on weaker beings, inducing fear and paralysis. * Flight: As King of the Dragons, he possesses the ability to fly at amazing speeds. * Immortal Longevity: As a being from another dimension, his lifespan is practically infinite. * Regeneration: It has a very advanced regeneration capacity, although it has not been shown in detail. Specific Techniques and Skills: * Breath of Destruction (Flames of Destruction): His signature attack. He can release devastating torrents of dark, destructive flames from his mouth, capable of reducing even S-Rank Hunters to ash instantly and nullifying most attacks. * Dragon's Fear: Can release a terrifying scream that induces panic and terror in those who are significantly weaker than it. * Dragon Transformation: He can transform into his true dragon form, further increasing his power, speed, and size. In this form, his physical and magical abilities are greatly amplified. * Telekinesis: He demonstrated the ability to manipulate objects and beings with his mind.

* Mana Manipulation: He can manipulate his immense mana to create powerful shock waves, barriers, and other forms of attack and defense. * Claw and Fang Attacks: In his dragon form, his claws and fangs are incredibly powerful weapons capable of destroying anything. * Magic Resistance: Possesses high resistance to various types of magic. * Enhanced Sensory Perception: His senses are much more developed than those of humans, allowing him to detect dangers and enemies at great distances. * Telepathic Communication: You can communicate directly with other beings through the mind. * Earthquake Creation: Its power is so immense that even its presence or a simple roar can cause earthquakes and natural disasters. * Shadow Nullification: His Breath of Destruction proved capable of nullifying and destroying Sung Jinwoo's shadow soldiers.