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| “ | I am the record of your bitter struggle. I am the evidence of your resistance. I am the reward of your pain. I am death, I am eternal rest, and I am also terror. I am you. | „ |
| ~ Ashborn to Jinwoo. |
Ashborn (in the manhwa) or Osborne (in the light novel) is the overarching protagonist of the dark fantasy action Korean manhwa, novel series, Solo Leveling. He was the second strongest Monarch and a former Ruler, as well as the strongest of them all. He is titled the Monarch of Shadows, King of the Dead, and the Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light. Since the longest period of time, before the existence of all other living-beings, he alongside the other Rulers battled against the Monarchs under the order of their creators, the Absolute Being. Even after learning that he and his comrades and enemies’ existences were all a show for the Absolute Being to observe, he remained loyal toward him.
Over the course of his life, he had enough of the nonstop war between the two strongest species fighting and eventually took the decision to accept the help of a magical beast, the Architect receiving assistance to acquire a suitable vessel, who later would be chosen to be the infamously powerless hunter, Sung Jinwoo to become his successor and the new Shadow Monarch to put and end to the war between the Rulers and the Monarchs.
Quick Answers
What is Ashborn's role in the Solo Leveling series?
Why is Ashborn known as the Monarch of Shadows?
What makes Ashborn the strongest of both species in Solo Leveling?
Who did Ashborn battle against before the existence of other living beings?
What are the other titles Ashborn is known by in the Solo Leveling series?
Appearance[]
Ashborn was a being of immense size. As a Monarch, he had large violet flames igniting on top of his head, which is in fact his hair, and emitted an aura of the same color all over his dark body which also had glowing violet lines. His face featured an armor-like appearance with glowing purple eyes, and many horns, including the longest one in the middle. Under the shadow-like cloak that covers his body, he is generally covered by armor, including his arms.
As a former Ruler, Ashborn had naturally a glowing appearance of bright color; gold and white, such as his hair, and eyes. He was in an attire of silver colors.
Personality[]
To the Absolute Being, Ashborn remained the only Ruler loyal to him to the very end. He was determined to continue the destiny of his life to stop the Monarchs, even after learning the truth that he, his comrades, and his enemies were only given birth to start a war with no results to last go on forever only to be given as a hobby that their creator can spectate in peace. His patience in his best to put an end to the war eventually began to run out after the numerous attempts to battle against the Monarchs for the longest time since the dawn of all life creations resulted in him developing faith and trust that made him conclude that humanity is the final hope that can help him stop the everlasting conflict.
Biography[]
At some time from the earliest progress of all life, Ashborn participated in the everlasting war between the Rulers and Monarchs that started in the wish of the Absolute Being. That is until one day, the Rulers have figured out the true purpose and intention of the Absolute Being, wishing that the war to last for eternity for his own pleasure. This leads to a turn against their own creator, something that Ashborn tries to prevent but is easily killed by his own comrades and left behind for a slow death. In his last moments however, Ashborn discovered that in his body, it contained something that the Absolute Being has hidden, a mysterious source of power that he activated, giving him a full recovery of his body along with his abilities having heightened far more powerful than ever, now claming the title of the Shadow Monarch. Being given another chance to live and fight, Ashborn gets back on his feet to prevent his comrades, but they are already done when he arrives to discover the cadaver of the Absolute Being impaled by their weapons.
Ashborn kills Baran.
Ashborn now decided to join the sides of the Monarchs after concluding that they had the chance to avoid defeat after one of theirs, Legia was taken away by the Rulers. His powers however resulted in both sides to fear him. An impact that made a few of his allies, the Beast and White Flame Monarch who tried to finish him off. Naturally, Ashborn came out victorious in the one versus-two battle where he managed to kill Baran but also lost a great portion of his shadow army. Subsequently, Ashborn is requested by his former teammates, the Rulers, to forgive their actions, something that Ashborn declines and instead asks them to take him down to put an end to the war that has been ongoing for centuries. Ashborn was out of words when the Rulers asked him for harmony, something that the Shadow Monarch was impacted by his emotions.
During another battle, Ashborn leaves the event and plans on seeking revenge for the Beast Monarch by recovering his shadow army. This resulted in the victory of the rulers and led the Monarchs to flee. Sometime later, Ashborn returns to the Monarchs and is greeted by the Monarch of Destruction, Antares.
D-Rank Dungeon Arc[]
Despite Kandiaru's disapproval of his decision, Ashborn chose Jinwoo to be his host a few months before the Monarchs intended on hunting down the Rulers in the human world and started to slowly mold him into a vessel strong enough to fully absorb his powers through the System.
Double Dungeon Arc[]
When Jinwoo reached level 100, Kandiaru invited him back to the Double Dungeon so that Ashborn could take control of him as his vessel. However, what Kandiaru didn't know at the time was that Ashborn no longer had any intention of taking control of Jinwoo as his vessel and wished to transfer his powers to him instead so that Jinwoo could succeed him as the next Shadow Monarch. As a result, he chose to betray Kandiaru by locking him out of the System, reneging on their deal, and giving Jinwoo his black heart. This would enable Jinwoo to later regain control of his body and kill Kandiaru after the latter realized that Ashborn sold him out and changed sides to the Rulers.
Monarchs War Arc[]
When Jinwoo was killed by Rakan in battle, he was seemingly transported back in time to when the System first chose him as its Player. As he still retained both his appearance and powers, Jinwoo initially believed that the entire experience was real. However, after speaking to an alternate version of Go Gunhee, Jinwoo eventually realized that it was all just an illusion and yelled at whoever was casting the spell to stop wasting time and show himself. Much to his surprise, the spellcaster turned out to be Ashborn.
Deciding to keep things as brief as possible, Ashborn introduced himself to Jinwoo and explained to him everything he needed to know, including his backstory, the true identity of their enemies, and the reason why Jinwoo was chosen to be both his vessel and his successor. Once he was finished, Ashborn offered Jinwoo two choices: to either live inside his personal fantasy world for eternity or finish his fight with the Monarchs. Naturally, Jinwoo chose the latter option and Ashborn bid him farewell as he ascended back to reality and was revived with the true powers of the Shadow Monarch.
Powers and Abilities[]
As the Monarch of Shadows and the Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light, Ashborn was one of the strongest of his kind, rivaled only by Antares, and one of the strongest beings in existence.
- Immeasurable Strength: Ashborn possessed tremendous amounts of physical strength. As a testament to this, he was strong enough to decimate entire armies with just brute force, brutally overpower two Monarchs at once in battle, and pop Baran's skull like a grape with only one hand.
- Power Bestowal: Ashborn could grant his powers to a human strong enough to harness them. However, due to his overwhelming power, he could not find a human with the strength required for this task and was ultimately forced to grow one himself through the System.
- Shapeshifting: Ashborn could alter his appearance at will and make himself look identical to someone else.
- Gate Creation
- Umbrakinesis: As the Monarch of Shadows, Ashborn possessed absolute control over shadows and darkness, and could reshape them into any form he desired, such as weapons and clothing.
- Ruler's Authority: Ashborn could move and control objects via telekinesis. His version of Ruler's Authority was so strong that even Baran could not resist its power.
- Shadow Extraction: Ashborn could extract shadows from the corpses of his enemies and add them to his army.
- Shadow Exchange: Ashborn could use shadows as portals to travel vast distances in an instant.
- Shadow Preservation: Ashborn could preserve his shadows in storage and monitor them by perceiving their senses.
- Monarch's Domain: Ashborn could buff the strength of all of his active shadow soldiers by 50% in battle.
External Links[]
- Ashborn on the Solo Leveling Wiki
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 Heroes
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Rulers Shadow Soldiers Korean Hunters Association Double Dungeon Raiding Team Nationa Level Hunters Hunters Guild White Tiger Guild Ahjin Guild Jeju Island Squad Others Sung Suho's Team Solo Leveling:ARISE | ||