THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 700: A calamity equal to Agaroth

"This is... perplexing."

Frey spoke the words under his breath, his mind struggling to process the situation.

Almost by instinct, he let a small ripple of his aura bleed out, sensing her presence.

In that moment, the reality of the situation became clear.

"With your current power, you should be able to perceive it, Frey. You aren't slow-witted... you can recognize that this is merely a projection, a tiny shard of my consciousness."

Audrey spoke with a composed tone as she moved toward him.

"So, this isn't your actual physical form..."

"It is not," she replied quietly.

The figure standing before him was nothing more than a fleeting manifestation—a butterfly that had fled Helmund, carrying a piece of her spirit.

Her original self remained entirely unaware that this encounter was taking place.

In truth, the real Audrey was a broken shell, trapped in a cycle of agonizing torture and harvested by demons as a permanent font of Aura.

She had lost touch with reality, oblivious to the fact that she had even rescued Frey and Snow.

Millennia of suffering had shattered her psyche into pieces.

Now, this solitary fragment—this butterfly—was the final remnant of the woman known as the Crimson Saint.

While her physical vessel had been desecrated, the state of her mind and consciousness was far more tragic.

Frey, of course, was oblivious to these details.

However, understanding that she was just a projection made it easier for him to rationalize why this version of Audrey felt so different from his memories.

Yet, another question weighed on his mind.

"Have we crossed paths before? You feel... familiar. And you saved my life—both mine and Snow’s. I am in your debt for that."

Frey’s voice wavered with hesitation, unsure of how to address her or why he felt such a strange, innate warmth toward her.

Audrey gave a soft shake of her head.

"Yes, we have met in the past. And there is no need for gratitude... because you have saved me more times than I can count."

A gentle smile touched her lips as she closed the distance between them.

Frey’s bewilderment only grew.

He possessed no memory of such events.

"There are countless things I wish to share with you... so much that needs to be said... but my time is fading. I have already expended too much of my essence on you and Snow just to maintain this form."

Just keeping her temporary body stable was becoming an agonizing task; her energy was bleeding away.

"In these final moments, listen to me, Frey... the seal binding Agaroth is failing. If the current path continues, the Demon King will liberate himself long before your true strength is restored."

Her voice turned sharp and urgent. Frey’s face clouded over immediately.

"What do you mean by that?"

Then, Audrey laid it all bare.

She spoke the truth that tore through the silence of the moment.

As Frey grew in power, the seal grew proportionately weaker.

Agaroth’s strength was so immense that he wouldn't need to wait for Frey to become the new Nameless. He could break free much sooner.

That was the first warning Audrey delivered.

But before Frey could even digest the news, she continued, her words coming faster and more frantic.

"Stay alert, Frey. The Demon King is not your only threat. Another entity—one just as lethal—is attempting to return to this realm. A being we all gave everything to annihilate."

She reached out, her hands cradling Frey’s face.

"Beware of Odin, Frey. Do not engage him. Not until you have attained the Seventh Stage of SSS Rank... not until your original power is fully reclaimed."

Her form began to shimmer and flicker, bits of crimson light drifting away like dust, yet she refused to stop speaking.

Frey found it difficult to keep up; his thoughts were in a whirlwind.

The news regarding the Demon King was a heavy burden—and now he had to worry about another foe he had never even heard of?

"Odin is the creator of the Great Ones. They are just tools—extensions of his will—meant to pave the way for his rebirth. Long ago, he was stripped of his physical body in a war so old it has been wiped from history. The mightiest warriors of that age banded together to end him... and we thought we had succeeded. But Odin did not perish. His essence persisted—a spiritual shadow beyond the reach of any mortal."

Her voice shook, not out of terror, but from the weight of memory.

Audrey had been a witness. She had faced Odin herself... fighting alongside Agaroth, of all people.

"There is nothing you can do against him for now, Frey. Simply... keep him in your mind. Remember that he is out there."

Odin—a nightmare the world had discarded.

A catastrophe whose very name had once spelled the end for entire nations.

Should he ever manifest again, only the Demon King would possess the strength to stand against him.

Audrey pressed on, desperate to transmit every piece of knowledge before she vanished.

"Frey... the world is immense, and your enemies are legion. They will attempt to trick you, break you, and test your resolve. But I will not allow you to wander in the dark any longer."

Her voice cracked, thick with sentiment.

"You are vital, Frey. Never doubt your worth... never think little of yourself. You are the most essential soul in this world."

"There is so much more I want to tell you... so many secrets I've kept locked away for so long... but I am out of time. It is so painful..."

A single tear escaped Audrey’s eye—her final one—as her form began to fail.

"Audrey... I—"

Frey’s words caught in his throat, his mind still reeling from her revelations.

But her time had expired.

"I will come back for you, Frey. I won't leave you to struggle against them by yourself. I will return... regardless of the cost!"

She cried out her final promise, then lunged forward to embrace him.

Before he could respond, her body crumbled into nothingness mid-air, her lips never reaching his.

Only a cloud of crimson dust remained, glowing softly as it drifted toward the sky.

Frey stood frozen, watching the light disappear.

Agaroth. Odin.

"Just... what exactly is happening to this world?"

He gripped his hands into fists as the earth began to vibrate beneath him.

It felt as though the wheels of destiny had begun to turn once more, dragging him toward a future of endless conflict, toward the peak of power... and toward the most formidable beings to ever exist.

The sensation was stifling.

Sinister.

Unavoidable.