Summary
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In the highly eventful final episode ofSolo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-, we are treated to the cameo appearances of not one, but two Monarchs, characters that will likely be very important in the third season of the anime, if not, in future installments. Rakan, the Monarch of Fangas, and Sillad, the Frost Monarch, appear together on Jeju Island in the aftermath of the Fourth Jeju Island Raid Operation, where their movements are closelysurveilled by Jinwoo’s father, Sung Il Hwan, who seems to be connected to them somehow.
Just who are these two characters, what do we mean by “Monarchs”, and how will their appearance affect the future of theSolo Levelinganime adaptation? Here’s a quick breakdown.
The Context of Their Appearance
The Aftermath of the Fourth Jeju Island Raid
In the days following Sung Jinwoo’s defeat of the Ant King, and the overall success of the Fourth Jeju Island Raid Operation, Korea holds a memorial to pay respects to those who lost their lives on Jeju Island or as a result of the Jeju Island S-Rank Dungeon Breakthat gave rise to the island’s horrific circumstances. While the majority of Hunters and the public are preoccupied with the memorial, the members of the Knights Guild, led by Park Jongsoo, clean up the remaining ants on Jeju Island and ensure that the ant threat has been thoroughly squashed.
However, while performing their duty, they run into Rakan, the Monarch of Fangs; also known as the King of Beasts, and Sillad, the Frost Monarch, who swiftly puts them all to sleep using his powerful magic. When they appear, their speech is unintelligible, but SIllad’s power lets the humans understand them very briefly before they are knocked out. The two survey the area and note traces of “his” power, most likely in reference to Sung Jinwoo. This aligns with the fact thatSung Jinwoo reached Level 100shortly before leaving Jeju Island, which is an important milestone set to set in motion another aspect of the power granted to him by the System.
It will be as important as the incident that granted him this power to begin with. Jinwoo’s title, “Shadow Monarch”, is not merely a name for his necromancy, but rather, a reference to the latent power that the System was created to train him to house within his own body: the power of Ashborn, King of the Dead and the Monarch of Shadows,the Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light. What the appearance of Rakan and Sillad indicates is the story’s preparation to delve into the metaphysics of theSolo Levelinguniverse. This will include the actual origins of the Gates, where Jinwoo’s strange power comes from, not to mention the true significance of the Cartenon Temple Double Dungeon Incident that kicks off the events of the series. Sensing the Shadow Monarch’s power on Jeju Island, Rakan and Sillad went there independently and instead found each other.
So, Who Are These Guys?
About Rakan and Sillad
Rakan is the Monarch of Fangs, the King of Beasts and the Beast Monarch, an aggressive, condescending and bloodthirsty individual who happens to be one of the Nine Monarchs, who will be revealed as the primary antagonists of the Solo Leveling narrative overall. The creation story of the Solo Leveling universe involves an aeons-long war between beings of light known as the Rulers, and beings of darkness known as Monarchs.
At some point in history, the Rulers approachedtheSolo Levelingdemiurge; an entity referred to as “The Absolute Being”, and asked him for more power to defeat the Monarchs and end the war, but they soon realized that the Absolute Being let the war wage on for so long because he saw it as entertainment. Seven of the eight rulers, except for Ashborn, conspired against the Absolute Being, killing him and gravely injuring Ashborn who tried to defend him.
As he succumbed to his injuries, Ashborn thought he was a goner, but he then realized that the Absolute Being hid a tremendous power within him; one that enabled him to be reborn as the Shadow Monarch, the King of the Dead. Now fighting on the opposite side, Ashborn rushed back to protect the Absolute Being, but it was too late. The war continued to rage, and Ashborn became a balancer as the Rulers had captured one of the Monarchs; however, both sides grew wary of Ashborn’s power, and he was soon betrayed by two of the Monarchs: Rakan and Baran, the King of Demons, the Monarch of White Flame. Essentially,the third season ofSolo Levelingwill most likely see the developments around the movements of Rakan, Sillad and other Monarchs and Rulers as they begin to chase down Sung Jinwoo in order to snuff out the power that wells within him. It will make for what will be themost important part of theSolo Levelingstorythus far.
