THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 513: The Architect of Ruin

Step by step, he approached.

”So? What is it this time? Some entity trying to hijack my body? A parasite? A demon seed? Or maybe it’s your precious king? Heh... I doubt that.”

Ignoring the sarcasm laced in Frey’s words, the Engineer simply shook his head lightly.

”Neither of those. It’s... more complicated.”

Hearing that, Frey burst out laughing.

”Of course it is! When has it ever been simple? That’s just how our twisted little game goes, isn’t it?”

”...”

The Engineer said nothing for a few seconds, merely staring at Frey. His face betrayed no emotion, but something was definitely churning inside his mind.

”Why are you just standing there, staring at me like an idiot? Spit out whatever you came here to say. I don’t want to look at your damn face any longer than I have to.”

It was clear Frey had neither the time nor patience for the Engineer’s games. He had already guessed this would be yet another setup—another step in some pre-planned future.

That’s just how the blue-eyed manipulator worked.

”I see... You’ve changed,” the Engineer said suddenly, prompting a raised brow from Frey.

”Changed? Didn’t expect to hear that from you.”

The Engineer gave a rare, faint smile as he stepped away from the cliffside.

”Usually, by now, you’d be screaming at me.. charging straight in, trying to kill me.”

”Ah...”

Frey exhaled, a strange feeling washing over him.

He couldn’t quite put it into words ..like the feeling you get when your father reminds you of something stupid you did as a kid.

”Let’s not do this now,” he said.

But the Engineer pressed unexpectedly.

”Why not try attacking me? You’ve grown so much since the last time we met. You might even land a hit.”

”What are you, some kind of masochist who enjoys getting punched? If that’s your thing, those statues of yours are probably more experienced at it than I am.”

Frey chuckled dryly, recalling for a moment his time with the likes of Smiley and Sad... Definitely former torture experts, judging by the way they treated him.

Bringing his attention back to the Engineer, Frey’s violet eyes lit up with an even fiercer glow.

”There’s no point fighting you in my current state. I still can’t see your true level.”

Frey hadn’t attacked simply because he had no chance against someone like the Engineer. Besides, he had now gained full control over his emotions... emotions that had grown colder recently, making it easier to stay calm—even in front of this man.

The Engineer looked like he was about to say something.

But Frey moved first.

With no warning, he unleashed a powerful wave of aura ..

”That said, let’s see what kind of face you’re hiding under that damn hood, Engineer !!”

Frey’s attack wasn’t aimed to hurt him .. it was simply to knock off the hood he always used to conceal his face.

”I’ve grown tired of staring into those damn blue eyes all the time.”

He still couldn’t fight him... but he could at least achieve this much.

And for the first time—he did.

For the first time ever... Frey revealed the Engineer’s face.

He had expected to see some kind of old man, or perhaps a grotesque entity that would make anyone avert their eyes.

But what stood before him... froze Frey in place for several seconds.

”I see some things never change,” the Engineer said, after the hood covering his face was completely destroyed.

As for Frey, all he could do was curse.

”What the hell? Why do you look better than me?!”

The Engineer’s features were not at all what Frey had imagined.

His face bore a pale, sickly complexion, like a man plagued by some terminal illness. His skin was lined with cracks—though oddly, they resembled tattoos that matched the mature air around him.

He looked to be in his early forties, with long, sky-blue hair and radiant eyes that once signaled doom, now suiting him perfectly.

No matter how long Frey stared... the Engineer looked like a nobleman from another world .. an air of royalty surrounding his every expression, his serious features making it nearly impossible to look away.

”Ah... So this body is just a vessel, isn’t it? I assume it was crafted to look beautiful and hide your hideous original form.”

Frey sneered, but the Engineer shook his head.

”Sorry to disappoint you, but my King made this vessel to resemble my original body as closely as possible. What you see before you is what I looked like for most of my life.”

Frey was visibly stunned.

’Should’ve left the damn hood on...’

Regretfully, he stole another curious glance at the strange man standing before him.

”Now that I’ve seen your face, I’m genuinely curious .. who are you, Engineer? You were once the second strongest under your King, so I assume you were well-known... A presence that must’ve carved a name for itself up there, in the higher realm.”

The Engineer now stood as a broken vessel, worn by time. He had lost a great deal of his former strength—to the point that comparing his current state to his peak would be nothing short of insulting.

And yet, even now, he remained a force strong enough to defeat most early-stage SSS-rank fighters.

Frey hoped to peel back some of the mystery surrounding the man before him...

But the Engineer showed no desire to answer any of Frey’s questions.

”I’m not the one whose secrets you should try to uncover,” he said. ”Your body—that body you’re beginning to lose control of—is.”

Frey groaned in frustration.

”At least tell me your name.”

”I abandoned that name a long time ago. I believe I’ve told you this already.”

Such was the price of being one of the Nameless.

Frey didn’t look convinced, but he saw no reason to press further.

It was a rare kind of conversation they were having ... one that, oddly enough...

Made Frey feel some strange connection to the man he had always hated. His perception had broadened. He was beginning to see things he couldn’t before.

He felt it clearly now .. his fate was entirely entangled with this man... with the Engineer.

”Speak. What’s happening to me this time?”

Frey finally asked the most important question, and the Engineer gave a subtle nod.

”What’s happening to you... is a mistake. One caused by me.. and Abraham.”

The mention of his father made Frey’s eyes widen involuntarily.

”A mistake caused by you and my father... I can only think of that day.”

”I’m glad you’re finally connecting the dots. You’re right,” the Engineer admitted, walking alongside Frey through the barren mountains.

”One of that demon’s shadows is sleeping inside you.”

”Wesker...” Frey muttered, his expression darkening.

”That damned demon’s been circling me forever, even though I haven’t clashed with him directly yet.”

”He’s closer than you think. But even I can’t detect him .. his King’s Eye blocks me completely,” the Engineer said, clearly irritated at the mention of that demon.

”Wesker is incredibly cunning. He doesn’t act without reason. On the day of our battle—mine and Abraham’s—he could’ve killed you easily. You were right there in his arms.”

”But he was forbidden from ending your life. His King didn’t want you dead. So Wesker chose to play a different game.”

As the Engineer laid out the situation, he showed a rare sense of dread. Wesker was a schemer on his level .. or perhaps even beyond it.

”Before we reached you that day, while you were still in his arms... he planted something inside you. Something that wouldn’t awaken unless certain conditions were met. And it seems... you’ve now met those conditions.”

Nineteen years ago, Wesker emerged into the world and fought a colossal battle against the strongest humans .. and the Engineer himself.