THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 702: The Truth Behind the Abyss (2)

Frey’s eyes stretched wide at those words. A vital realization struck him—he had nearly overlooked a critical mystery, an unsolved enigma.

"The Missing Fragments of the Self..."

Long ago, the system had assigned him a quest to retrieve three specific relics intended to mend his true essence: the mask, the weapon, and the armor.

As of now, he only held one in his possession.

"Could it be... that your existence is fractured because the remaining pieces are still missing?"

Nameless did not offer an immediate reply.

If Frey only possessed the mask, it stood to reason that Nameless’s consciousness was restricted to it.

The pieces of the puzzle finally clicked together.

The Dual Soul had been stirred into awakening the moment Frey secured the mask back in Londor.

This confirmed that Nameless truly remained ignorant of German’s schemes; his perception was limited strictly to what the mask contained.

"For the time being... German is the only one who holds the full truth.

The truth regarding you... and regarding me."

Those words dragged Frey back to the very beginning. He let out a sharp, bitter chuckle.

"How pathetic... Nameless, you are just as wretched as I am."

Even the legendary king—the entity that gods and demons alike trembled before—was left in the dark.

Ignorance was their only common ground.

Vast power felt hollow when one could not even grasp the nature of their own being. Nameless might still wield immense strength, but he was merely a fading reflection of his former glory.

"I have no interest in seizing your body... or participating in this misery.

I have no wish to be consumed by these... emotions."

There was a subtle weight behind his words.

The more intense Frey’s emotions became, the tighter their connection grew. This had been proven during the conflict with Zibar; when Nameless assumed control of Frey’s physical form, their bond had been pushed to its absolute threshold.

In that moment, a shift had occurred.

Rather than Frey transforming into Nameless... it felt as though Nameless was gradually being molded into Frey.

Just then, the copies of Frey surrounding the fire shifted their gaze toward Nameless, their eyes burning with that familiar, dark violet radiance.

They observed him in total silence, their stares heavy and profound, as if they were attempting to absorb him into their collective self.

The masked king appeared weary for the first time, looking as though he were engaged not in a clash of might, but in a struggle for his very existence.

Recognizing this, Frey let out a long, defeated breath.

"Hah... my life is such a disaster that even a being of your stature wants to flee from it.

That is actually quite funny."

A soft laugh escaped him.

"First, I am told I must battle the Demon King,

and now another foe of that caliber could surface at any second."

Nameless looked up, his voice steady yet filled with gravity.

"You are incapable of defeating Agaroth.

Not yet. Even utilizing my power, it will fall short."

He spoke with the tone of someone recalling a distant era.

"Agaroth is an anomaly... his strength knows no ceiling.

Even if you manage to corner him, he will only continue to grow more powerful as the fight progresses.

He evolves without limit... until victory is his.

That is precisely how I suffered defeat at his hands."

Nameless went quiet, his violet eyes losing their luster.

"Agaroth’s true strength is evolution.

Mine... is adaptation.

The ability residing within you, once fully realized, will allow you to adapt to any phenomenon you encounter—much like Agaroth himself."

In the ancient past... during their final showdown... the collision between Agaroth and Nameless had triggered a literal cataclysm.

Initially, the Demon King held the upper hand.

However, Nameless adapted to every technique Agaroth unleashed, eventually surpassing him entirely.

But then... Agaroth evolved once more, reclaiming the advantage.

The cycle continued without end...

Agaroth would dominate for a moment...

then Nameless would take the lead...

back and forth they went, endlessly, until the Demon King ascended to a height that Nameless could no longer reach..

and the conflict finally reached its conclusion.

In that final moment, Agaroth birthed a technique unlike any other..

the most devastating strike ever envisioned,

one that Nameless found himself unable to withstand.

To put it simply, their duel had been a direct confrontation between Agaroth’s world-shattering power—the strength of a monster that consumed all—and the Shadow Adaptation wielded by Nameless.

Inevitably...

the edge went to Agaroth.

"To overcome Agaroth... you require a second deciding factor to complement Shadow Adaptation."

That was the final judgment of Nameless.

Frey offered no response; he simply retreated into silence.

That "decisive factor"...

Nameless was clearly pointing toward Frey himself, the chosen vessel.

Perhaps this was the very goal German had been pursuing from the beginning.

"The Demon King commands many powers... you may study them at a later time.

Odin, however, is a different matter. I possess very little knowledge of him."

For the first time, a trace of curiosity colored Nameless’s voice as he discussed the mysterious ancient entity.

"He existed long before my time—before any of us.

His echo eventually reached me...

and we spoke on one occasion.

It occurred after I had slain one of the Great Ones."

Frey’s attention sharpened instantly.

Odin was a being beyond anyone's reach..

a presence that only the Great Ones could perceive.

Yet, somehow, Nameless had engaged him in conversation.

It had happened eons ago, when Nameless had annihilated countless lives on a far-off world during his experiments regarding life and death.

In retaliation, the Great One of that realm descended to halt his progress...

and the two fought in a cataclysmic battle that soaked the world in the essence of death.

Nameless had been at the peak of his power then, and he emerged as the natural victor.

But once the dust settled... something bizarre happened.

"I suddenly found myself in a realm of pure white—a blinding, colorless void.

And he was there... without shape or form... nothing but glowing eyes fixed upon me."

Odin had discarded his physical vessel long ago.

He was no longer capable of interfering with the physical world in any capacity.

This was the very fact that had frustrated Agaroth in the past when he went searching for him..

for even the Demon King could not destroy an entity that lacked a physical presence.

Odin could do nothing but whisper fragments of his intent across the fabric of existence.

One of those whispers was his meeting with Nameless.

"He spoke very little... only touching upon the nature of life and death..

of the methods to control both...

of the Lords of Life and Death who structured the world as mortals perceive it...

and of a thin shroud that conceals the ultimate truth from all living things."

Then, as their brief encounter concluded...

Odin uttered a strange remark.

"Your color has faded... when compared to the Demon King."

Those were his final words before vanishing once again.

Nameless lowered his eyes slightly.

"I do not know much about him... but he is certainly not an entity to be disregarded."

"Nobody understands the true nature of his power...

but there are whispers..."

Frey listened, his brow furrowing deeper with every word.

"They claim he is immortal.

It is said he has been present since the dawn of creation... and that no entity is more ancient than him.

They say... he is the father of aura itself."

Upon hearing this, Frey’s expression grew even more grim.

"And I am expected to fight something like that?"

He let out a dry, joyless laugh.

Nameless remained silent.

In that moment, it felt as though the two of them—Frey Starlight and the legendary Nameless—

were bound to the same path.

A cold, relentless destiny.