THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 723: Shadow Sect vs the High Demons (5)

Geppetto was no more... his physical form had dissolved, wiped from existence by Frey Starlight’s strike.

The execution had been simple... perhaps far too simple.

However, the aftermath was a different matter entirely.

The very fabric of the world seemed to shift the moment Geppetto expired.

A dark haze drifted upward from what remained of him, as a peculiar energy saturated the atmosphere. The transformation was so intense that many across the land could feel the change.

Frey Starlight, however, remained indifferent to the surroundings.

He stood motionless, his gaze burning with a fierce, violet radiance...

It was a manifestation of the staggering power now coursing through his veins.

"Shadow Adaptation: 5/7."

Once again, his limits had been surpassed.

While the exact nature of the abilities granted by this new stage remained a mystery to him, he understood that he had made a monumental leap forward... drawing closer to the ultimate strength he craved.

"I must assist my father..."

He murmured, pivoting toward the chaotic zone where Abraham Starlight clashed with the Tenth-Rank Demon.

Their confrontation was like a collision of natural forces... light and shadow attempting to consume one another.

In the distance, another disaster unfolded... the brutal struggle between Gehrman and Wesker.

The conflict between the Shadow Sect and the High Demons had reached its tipping point.

The victor of today’s carnage would determine the future of all mankind.

Abraham Starlight remained an enigma... the freakish genius of the Starlight clan and the most powerful human in recorded history.

He held total dominance over Zibar, fighting with a terrifying level of composure.

His martial style was unparalleled... possessing speed that outpaced thought and techniques refined to the highest degree.

Zibar struggled to keep up, lashing out with Katarina with demonic rage, but in a pure contest of blades...

Abraham was unreachable.

S L A S H !!

A sudden, precise strike... Abraham’s edge tore through Zibar’s torso, leaving a gaping, fresh laceration.

Staggering in fury, Zibar attempted a counter-attack infused with a massive aura, moving like a bolt of lightning... but Abraham was already in position, parrying the blow without effort.

"Too slow."

The remark was whispered directly into Zibar’s ear just before a powerful kick from Abraham sent the demon tumbling across the field, leaving a trail of ruined earth in his wake.

Zibar managed to regain his footing with difficulty... only for Abraham to materialize behind him like a ghost.

The demon lashed out by instinct... but his weapon met only air.

Abraham had already vanished from that spot.

S L A S H !!

Another savage wound was carved into Zibar’s flesh before he could even catch his breath.

"You bastard!!"

Zibar unleashed a titanic fist of aura, vaporizing everything in his path...

Yet Abraham was nowhere to be found.

"If you possess a final technique, I suggest you reveal it now...

otherwise, your end will come before you can even blink."

Abraham’s voice resonated across the entire battlefield.

He moved around Zibar in streaks of brilliant light, creating hundreds of luminous arcs that caged the demon within a web of radiance.

Zibar stood at the center, his eyes darting frantically as he tried to anticipate the incoming strike.

But Abraham’s velocity was beyond human comprehension.

"Are you attempting to predict my path?"

The voice echoed from every direction... and yet seemed to come from nowhere at all.

"It is a futile effort.

The attack originates from everywhere at once."

Zibar’s expression twisted in terror as hundreds of deep gashes suddenly erupted across his skin... all in the same heartbeat.

His dark blood sprayed across the ground like spilled ink.

Overcome by panic, Zibar caused his own aura to detonate, releasing a violent shockwave that pushed Abraham back.

Abraham skidded to a stop, driving his Light Sword into the soil to anchor himself.

He gazed at Zibar in silence.

The demon was heaving, his body shaking... he was regenerating, but the process was sluggish.

His indignation was absolute.

Especially since Katarina... his ultimate defense... had been shattered earlier by Frey’s Nameless Judgement.

Zibar had been stripped of his most reliable protection.

The momentum had shifted completely... and the man standing before him possessed the power to end his life.

"You have forced my hand... human."

Zibar stood tall, spreading his arms wide.

"From this moment on, I will fight with the knowledge that you are a lethal threat."

His frame began to thrum with violent energy, his aura warping the very space around him.

Abraham squinted... he could sense the change in the air.

"Reincarnation Soul... Release."

A wave of gray energy exploded from Zibar, rippling through the world like the tolling of a silent bell.

"What have you done?"

Abraham questioned, his tone growing sharper.

Zibar broke into a wide, malicious, and arrogant grin.

"I have triggered my true ability."

The Soul of Reincarnation.

"I am a War General of the Demon Army.

My manifestations are currently fighting all over the globe.

However, in a crisis... a moment where my life is at stake...

I can call every single manifestation back into my own body."

His smile grew more distorted and monstrous.

"To put it simply..."

Zibar shifted his stance as his aura condensed into a physical force.

Two identical versions of himself appeared at his sides... flawless duplicates, slightly less powerful but still formidable.

"Two clones... each possessing eighty percent of your original strength..."

Abraham whispered, assessing their power levels instantly.

Zibar let out a dark chuckle.

"Precisely.

Each copy holds eighty percent of my power... while my primary self remains at one hundred percent.

This means..."

His voice dropped an octave.

"...you are essentially facing three of me simultaneously."

The clones took a single step, and Abraham was instantly encircled.

Zibar spoke with the authority of a judge delivering a verdict:

"This is the Reincarnation Soul.

It is among the most catastrophic abilities bestowed by the Demon King Agaroth.

Most believe it is only useful for massive wars.

But in a duel, it is just as deadly."

Abraham adjusted his shoulders, his eyes partially closed.

"A troublesome ability."

He surveyed the three demons with a calm expression.

"But inferior copies will not save you."

Zibar smirked in response.

"Heh... we shall see."

Filled with newfound confidence, Zibar wasted no more time.

He lunged forward alongside his clones, heading straight for Abraham.

From the flanks and the front...

all three struck in unison, aiming to tear Abraham apart.

But their weapons found nothing but shadows.

Abraham had vanished.

Zibar and his duplicates gave chase immediately, and a high-speed pursuit began.

A streak of pure white light darted ahead, pursued by three dark shadows...

clashing, diverging, and smashing through the terrain with immense force.

Abraham sent one clone flying repeatedly, but it reformed and rejoined the fray every time.

He was clearly the faster combatant... but the pressure of defending against three angles was starting to mount.

Despite this, the Star of Starlight remained composed.

"Eliminating these clones won't be easy... I'll have to use one of the Supreme Arts... but the original body won't give me the opening I need."

Evading Katarina’s edge, Abraham adjusted his grip,

manifesting a second Light Sword in his other hand.

Now wielding two blades, he met the onslaught head-on...

his twin swords flashing as he parried Zibar and the clones in a relentless flow.

"World-breaking powers provide an insurmountable edge in combat,"

Zibar bellowed, his darkness fracturing the air,

"and the Soul Reincarnation is one of the greatest ever conceived!"

BOOOOM!

The ground shattered under the weight of his aura... the crushing intensity forcing Abraham to retreat.

"This strength was given to me by the Great King Agaroth himself!"

Zibar roared.

"In the face of that... what can your meager ability possibly achieve?"

Metal shrieked and sparks of light filled the air...

Abraham’s swords moved at a supernatural rhythm, intercepting three blades at once.

He dealt numerous wounds to the clones, and though he took several cuts in return...

not a drop of his blood was shed.

Only flickering marks appeared on his aura-protected skin.

"You cannot win! No mortal can truly harm one of the Ten High-Rank Demons!"

Zibar opened his mouth, firing a massive beam of pure aura.

His clones copied the move instantly...

three devastating beams converged on Abraham from point-blank range.

For a split second, the attack seemed final.

But from the center of the blast...

a shimmering shield of pure radiance expanded.

A divine dome... gleaming white and impenetrable.

"Stardust — Abraham Starlight Style: Dawn Barrier."

Zibar recognized the technique immediately.

It was the same defense that had endured the Nameless Judgement multiple times.

A shield perfected to withstand the impossible.

Abraham’s voice came from within the dome... steady, frigid, and final.

"You place too much faith in your world-breaking power...

and that reliance will be your undoing."

Inside the protection, he crouched low...

letting go of one blade and gripping the remaining sword with both hands.

"Abilities are useful... but they are not the sum of a warrior."

"Finesse. Technique. Reading the flow of battle... these are equally vital."

"And it seems you... have failed to learn that lesson."

He took a single breath... and the world seemed to grow dark.

Then, Abraham erupted in a blinding flash of light.

"Stardust - Abraham Starlight Style: Purging Star."

He executed a swing.

The very fabric of reality seemed to tear.

A massive crest of light sliced through the three beams...

and continued its path.

It tore through Zibar.

through the mountains behind him...

through the very horizon...

igniting the sky in a white blaze.

A heavy silence followed.

And then...

Zibar’s upper torso fell to the earth.

His duplicates were completely wiped out.

"W-what...?"

A pool of blood formed beneath him... black, thick, and surreal.

He looked up, completely stunned.

Abraham approached him, carrying a massive sword made of concentrated light...

his weapon pulsing with borrowed strength, radiant and pitiless.

"It appears this is the conclusion... High-Rank Demon."

Zibar clung to life.

From his mangled torso, threads of aura shot out...

pulling his upper half back onto his waist.

His body reconnected... shaking and unstable.

He collapsed to one knee.

He panted like a wounded animal.

Abraham’s eyes narrowed.

"Your resilience is remarkable. To finish you once and for all,

I must completely incinerate your body."

"Silence... human."

Zibar covered his face with one hand...

his eyes glowing with a lethal gray light.

"Do not think for a second that this fight is over!"

His aura exploded... more powerful, more chaotic, and completely unchecked.

In less than a heartbeat...

Abraham was surrounded once more.

Not by two clones.

Not by three.

But by hundreds.

A whole army of Zibars... each one holding a fraction of his true power.

"The King’s power resides within me!"

"Even if it costs me my life — I will NOT be defeated!"

He braced himself... the sword of Katarina reforming in his hand.

Abraham called forth his Light Blade once again.

"Still clinging to your ability...?"

"Is this a sign of desperation, or simply ignorance?"

He slowly scanned the area...

looking at the endless ring of clones closing the distance.

And then... he softly shut his eyes.

"Very well."

His eyes snapped open... shining like a rising sun.

His aura surged.

With one broad sweep... dozens of clones were instantly vaporized.

"I will slay you and every shadow you hide behind."

"We shall see if your precious gift can protect you then."

Abraham lunged forward...

a bolt of light crashing directly into Zibar’s legion.

The final stage of the conflict... had truly begun.