THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 626: Prelude to the Final Act

As if he were telling him that even if Frey killed him again now, Aegon would reappear sooner or later .. and in the meantime, the entire Empire would become his enemy.

For Frey Starlight, who had fought multiple fronts at once and borne insane pressures no sane man could endure .. was making the Empire his enemy as well truly the right choice?

That was the nerve Aegon pressed, the wedge he tried to drive into Frey.

Frey stood alone against the whole Empire.

He had the power to face them by himself .. but choosing to do so was another matter.

If he did, he would have no place left in this world to return to ..and whether he could kill Aegon at all was in doubt to begin with.

And then ..amid that crushing tension . a second young man stepped up beside Frey.

Exerting a terrifying pressure to rival Frey’s own, Snow Lionheart took his place at his friend’s side, his body blazing with a fierce golden runic glow. “You’re mistaken, Aegon. He isn’t alone.”

Raising Vermithor, Snow showed he was ready to fight. “Between you and the Empire you’re trying to build, and Frey Starlight .. I’ll take his side without a shred of hesitation.”

Likewise, Uriel stepped forward to stand behind them both.

Aegon nodded, as if he’d expected exactly that. “The Church’s hero… Shame your presence doesn’t carry the same weight anymore. The Lord of Light who chose you is cursed by mankind now as much as the demons.”

To the world, it appeared that the Lord of Light had caused the catastrophe of thirty-five million sacrifices—the orders seemed to have come from him.

Aegon had made no effort to correct that. He exploited it to the fullest.

Clearly, he had no intention of winning a straight fight against Frey Starlight .. his aim was to strip Frey of the place he called home.

If Frey fought here, the Empire would turn on him. And if he didn’t…

The prince would simply carry on, exploiting Frey’s presence in the war.

He seemed confident that Frey wouldn’t be able to kill him, so either outcome amounted to a win for him ..at different costs.

What he truly wanted was to see which choice Frey would make… to fight and start a massacre ..or to retreat, grinding his teeth. “That’s enough. All of you ..we’re on the same side. There’s no point in fighting each other. Even if Frey is dangerous, I want to believe in him ..and in the necessity of his presence.”

Standing between them, Phoenix Sunlight stepped in, making clear his wish to defuse things as peacefully as possible.

On the other side, Snow stood before Frey, shielding him. “Frey… let’s fall back for now,” he said, turning to his friend.

He’d shown he was ready to fight for Frey, but he didn’t want to kill imperial soldiers if it could be helped ..and he believed Frey felt the same. After all, both of them were fighting for the Empire first and foremost…

But Snow froze when a single look at Frey’s face told him a terrifying truth about the man standing before him. “Frey… you—”

Shocked by what Frey was about to do, Snow lunged, gripping his shoulder. “Frey! Come to your senses!”

Frey said nothing.

He turned his head to the right ..dozens of soldiers stared back at him with all kinds of eyes. He turned left ..more of them, with the same expressions.

Some of them feared him.

Some of them saw him as a monster to be used.

A killing machine. A weapon of war. A tool to slay their enemies.

A tool, drenched in blood, whose purpose was to win the war for them—and then be tossed aside once they had what they wanted.

This was the mindset of those Aegon had deliberately kept here for this very purpose.

In that moment, Frey wondered: “Would I feel anything… if I killed them all?”

He wondered it honestly.

The soldiers. Sir Alon. Maekar. Ivar. Iris.

Whatever their strength, whatever their necessity to the war ..

Frey asked himself whether he needed any of them.

From the start, I’ve had nothing to rely on but my own strength. Power decides everything…

His emotions were the only thing making him hesitate ..but in this decisive instant,

Frey found his feelings toward them completely numb, realizing he wouldn’t be affected at all even if he butchered every last one.

If I slaughter every soldier of the Empire—and then the Ultras after them ..the Blood Path will grant me immense power. Power enough to set my feet on a wholly different plane ..enough to stand against the mightiest demons.

What’s the point of fighting for the Empire?

What’s the point of sparing their lives?

In any case, the number of people who mattered to him was small ..and none of them were among this crowd.

Maybe they’d hate him if he did it.

Maybe they’d turn on him…

Frey saw no problem with that.

So long as I can gain the power I seek, casting aside these feelings is a paltry price to pay.

He said this, gripping his swords and taking his first step toward Aegon and the imperial soldiers.

Staring at him, Snow understood that his friend truly intended to make the entire world his enemy, without a shred of hesitation.

Realizing the scale of the danger, Snow pleaded for Frey to stop…

If a monster of Frey’s caliber went off the leash now, the dead would number beyond counting ..and that only deepened Aegon’s laughter across the way.

Frey didn’t care. In those brief heartbeats, he remembered a certain presence he had seen in his visions ..

Nameless.

That strange being who had weighed so heavily upon his life.

That great warrior had always stood alone, steeped in solitude.

He forged no bonds, relied on no one.

He built his strength himself and achieved what none before him had ..and nearly defeated Agaroth, the Demon King.

That was the kind of power Frey Starlight sought. And if butchering imperial soldiers was the key, he found himself unexpectedly ..ready to pay the price.

Like that, Frey prepared to fight .. but at the last instant, he halted as a slender hand cracked across his face, snapping his head aside.

The slap rang out through the tent, and Snow blinked to see someone else standing in Frey’s way.

Stunned, Frey slowly turned toward her .. Uriel stood before him, a complicated expression on her face, her hand still gleaming with halo-light after the blow. “That’s enough, Frey.”

She pulled him into a fierce embrace; her body blazed with intense golden light, and the golden aura formed around her, taking the shape of six wings that burst from her back.

Gathering her power, she shaped countless golden chains that coiled around them both, binding Frey to her .. then stretched out to snare Snow as well.

Without warning, she blasted the ground beneath her and took to the sky.

She was fast, but Sir Alon and Maekar moved at once to stop her .. and in moments they were upon her, only to recoil as Snow repelled them with a fearsome wave of light, hurling them back.

Snow backed Uriel immediately, and together they bore Frey away ..before he could cause a disaster.

From a distance, Aegon watched them go, his smile deepening. “So it wasn’t your feelings that stopped you this time ..but your friends’,” Aegon said lightly, closing his eyes as he stepped back. “It’s time to set the stage for the final act.”