Rulers vs Monarchs in Solo Leveling

The War That Started Before Humanity Even Existed. The Bigger Picture That Everyone Seems to Miss Out On
Firstly, from what I know, most of the people are watching Solo Leveling and at the end of the day, their takeaway from the show is that: it’s simply a one man’s journey from the lowest point (the weakest hunter in existence) to godlike power (re-writing the reality through his will). And it’s a fair thing to say since the story itself shows a character — Sung Jinwoo — going through a transformation that is, to most people, enjoyable to watch; basically proving that from zero to hero stories are great not because of the character itself, but to see them actually become something you would never have thought possible.
However, if you ONLY see the show at face value, you’re completely missing the point of story. Every gate that opens, every dungeon that appears, every time a National Level Hunter nearly dies holding back something incomprehensible — it all connects to a war that started long before humans were even a factor.

A war so old that the destruction of entire planets was just… collateral damage. That’s the Rulers vs Monarchs conflict. And once you actually understand it, Solo Leveling hits completely differently.

Someone Built This War on Purpose :
We will begin at the start, because I think so much of this story is unsettling just due to how it began. The god who created everything – The Absolute -was in charge of everything (created all things, was in charge of all things) in this universe. And what did this omnipotent god do with that power? create two races of beings and set them against each other for eternity, basically.
He formed the Rulers of Light and the Monarchs of Shadow. He purposely formed the two in such a manner that neither can win against the other if they face off against each other. It is not because he wanted peace. It is not because he wanted things to be in order. Bringer of cosmic gods tearing down everything in their path as he sits back and watches the drama unfold before his eyes like television.
That’s the world Solo Leveling takes place in, a war that someone created and never wanted to end.

The Rulers: The Rulers, as written policy, would appear to be the good guys. They’re beings of light, and they’re emotively joined to maintain full protection of existence; therefore, maintain a pure stance against destruction. And that is partially true.

They’re messier than that.

Therefore, the Angels are nothing but Spirit beings with no body, so they are incapable of touching humanity physically ever. Due to this, they depend on humanity to work on their behalf. When they come across a Hunter who possesses the right kind of power and willpower, they will choose that person, and make him their own. They lend their divine power to a “host.” The National Level Hunters are on a much different level than the S-Rank Hunters. That’s the real reason National Level Hunters are NOT on the same level as regular S-Ranks. “Go Gunhee” & “Thomas Andre” & ‘Liu Zhigang’ were not just incredibly human. they were gifted a portion of the Ancient Divine (Ruler’s) beings within them. What the Vessels use is essentially a miniature version of the Ruler’s Power (aka Ruler’s Authority/ The Telekinesis, etc.) is nothing but a FRACTION of what Rulers themselves can do.

The Monarchs used the Cup of Reincarnation, which was a trump card since using it reversed Earth’s time by ten years. As the war between the Monarchs reached earth many times and destroyed humanity, the Rulers would use the Cup’s reset capacity to begin the war from the beginning, i.e., continue using the Cup until its power was exhausted, as there was no other way to use it.
Things are about to get really crazy in your brain, so get ready. At some point, these Rulers went straight to the Supreme Being Himself, asked for more power, asked for it so they could finish off this war once and for all, and He said “no”. Not only did his refusal indicate he wasn’t going to help them, but it also demonstrated he never wanted the war to be over anyway. He viewed them as his playthings. He created them to be used at his own amusement.
So they killed him.

It’s a Big Deal. This Decision Reveals the Rulers’ True Nature. They Are Not Blindly-Obedient Soldiers or Selfless Heroes. They Are Individuals Who Have Been Pushed to Their Limit and Have Chosen to Rebel Against Their Creator By Murdering Him; Thus, They Are Complex Yet Not Boring at All.
Monarchs: Ancient and Destructive, and Doing Everything They Can to be Destructive!
While the Rulers are exceptionally complex, the Monarchs are, as the above statement indicates, remarkably simple in comparison. There is nothing, no good, hidden away inside them. They are not secretly wishing for change from what has been. They were created out of the darkness, with the intent of destroying, and are fully committed to that destruction.
There are nine kings and nine domains. There were nine armies made of creatures, and they were made to destroy. Among them, we have the Monarch of Beast, Frost, and Plague. The Monarch doesn’t think that humanity is deserving of anything. To him, humanity is not worth any fear, respect, or even hatred. at best, humanity is just in the way, sometimes it provides him with a body. The Monarch needs a human to act as his vessel. He takes humans from the Rulers without asking for their consent, doesn’t respect them, and just possesses them.

The one large exception to all of this is Ashborn. He was, in fact, the original strongest of all the Rulers and his name was the Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light. Ashborn did not participate in the murder of the Absolute Being; he was alone against the Rulers and was defeated; he was reborn as the Shadow Monarch, a Ruler in the form of darkness, his powers were not like Ruler or Monarch. When Ashborn became a Monarch, he joined in the war and changed the balance of power in favour of the Monarchs; however, chaos was introduced into the Monarch army because of his presence. The Rulers Baran and Rakan had betrayed Ashborn, and immediately after that, both were also filled with guilt about their actions. Ashborn ended up killing Baran with little effort, while Rakan fled from the battlefield i.e. ran away from the scene. The Monarchs’ internal turmoil led to weakening of their force at an inopportune moment.
Even among those who bring chaos, pride and betrayal manage to sneak in.

Everything is incredibly dark about this particular conflict because mankind was not involved in any way. The Ruler/Monarch conflict did not originally involve Earth at all. The Monarchs used Earth to restore their armies. The Rulers came to stop them. Whenever the conflict occurred on Earth, humanity would be wiped out. Time would be turned back, humanity would return, and it would all happen again.
At last, the Rulers came up with a new set of calculations. The Cup of Reincarnation was almost exhausted. Time could not continuously be rewound anymore. Therefore, the Rulers purposely chose to open the Gates ten years prior to the onset of Jinwoo’s story. The Rulers allowed Dungeons to invade the human realm with heavy mana and, as a result, humans became hunters. The number of Hunters killed during the initial raids was massive, and there were many Hunters whos’ lives were ruined. There was much chaos surrounding the birth of the system of hunters due to the destruction that resulted from the early Raids on humanity.
Rulers knew what it would cost but they went ahead to guarantee that Homo sapiens should survive the impending calamity. They had noble intentions in their hearts, but they did not use kind or sound ways to achieve them. That is what makes them morally ambiguous. They are not antagonists nor are they Pure protagonists.
Ashborn had already done his deed while all of this was happening. He found a free agent in Sung Jinwoo, and not to take control of him against his will, but actually to pass on everything he had – his powers, army and purpose, which had not yet been fulfilled. Jinwoo was chosen because of what he could become, not because of what he already was.
The distinction between the two groups
At the basic level, rulers and monarchs are separated by the idea that humanity has value to rulers while it does not have value to monarchs.

The Monarchs see humans as farm animals at best. The Rulers see them as something to be protected, even though their efforts at protection have in many cases, caused great harm. This difference in the way each side sees humanity is what makes their conflict irreconcilable. There can be no negotiation or meeting in the middle, as one of them wants to preserve life, while the other was created for the purpose of ending it.

The Final Ending of the War and its Significance :
The fighting between the two sides finally ends in a way that neither side could have created alone, not after all the resets, betrayals, shifting allegiances, and a war spanning thousands of worlds.
In the most intense fights we’ve ever seen, Jinwoo defeats Antares, the Monarch of the Dragons. Jinwoo has now won, but he does something even more than the Rulers or Monarchs ever thought could happen. He utilizes the Cup of Reincarnation for a final time, creating a timeline where the war did not occur, and all those who died in the war are alive and well, and the people of Earth do not have the burden of fighting in a war that they weren’t supposed to fight in.
Following an unending conflict, the Rulers basically stood aside. they accepted their fate and departed.
It was not the force of numbers that brought it to an end, nor yet the force of might. It was a single individual who decided to use this power in a manner that no ancient cosmic being had ever thought of.

Why You Should Care About This Lore :
Solo Leveling provides multiple action sequences . The fight sequences in Solo Leveling have a major visual appeal, with addictive achievements making Jinwoo and the entire storyline an amazing narrative. Although knowledge of the Rulers and Monarchs is not needed for a person to enjoy the surface level.
When you finally get the whole thing in your head, there’s suddenly this new level of seriousness to the situation. Jinwoo didn’t get stronger just because he wanted to; he didn’t even realize that he was moving toward the end of a war that had been raging on before mankind existed. Basically, every level he gained, every shadow he owned, every impossible monster he survived was all working towards something a lot bigger than himself.
The Creator made a game he thought would last forever. Ashborn found the one thing that could break the game. The person everyone laughed at for almost dying in an E-rank dungeon, Sung Jinwoo, was that thing.

It’s worth knowing this story.