THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 727: Shadow Sect vs the High Demons (9)

"What... the hell is happening to me?!"

Unable to endure the violent surge, Frey was forcibly pulled into the depths of his own consciousness...

He was dragged there by Nameless, who had stepped in at the final moment.

He tumbled into the mental void where the masked king stood waiting.

"You... what is happening to me?" Frey questioned, his voice shaking.

Nameless replied with a serenity that felt ancient.

"No need for that face. You will survive."

He shifted his gaze upward, and Frey followed his lead.

Above them, a massive abyss of darkness was taking shape, expanding with every passing heartbeat.

"...What is that?" Frey asked, visibly rattled.

"Your body was flooded with too much power at once. It is simply struggling to contain it, nothing more."

"Two stages of Shadow Adaptation...

And advanced ones, no less. These are among my most potent abilities."

Nameless turned his attention back to Frey.

"Furthermore, there is the Shadowbolt Spear... naturally, your physical form will not endure such a swift evolution without difficulty."

"Spear? So that weapon... it belongs to me now?"

"Of course. It was originally one of my own armaments.

And since you serve as my vessel, you can command it as naturally as your own limbs."

The voice of Nameless grew deeper—heavy and full of omen.

"Soon, Frey Starlight, you will find yourself at a crossroads.

This overwhelming power will eventually rebound upon you...

And I am eager to see which path you will take."

With a swift motion, Nameless shoved Frey out of the inner void, returning him to the waking world.

Frey’s eyes snapped open.

He remained cradled in his father’s arms...

However, the agony had faded, and the turbulent aura inside him had been mysteriously quieted.

Nameless must have stabilized the energy, helping him withstand the pressure.

"...Father."

Only now, with his thoughts clear, did Frey truly realize who was standing by his side...

Abraham Starlight.

The father he had believed was lost to him forever.

A sense of relief washed over Abraham as he assisted Frey in standing up.

"You fought well... Frey," he said, letting out a soft exhale.

Frey let out a faint chuckle.

"'Frey'? Is that what you’re calling me now?"

"It is the name we chose for you in this world, my son.

Do not reject it." Abraham offered a gentle smile, supporting his son's weight as they walked toward Ada.

Though the instability of Frey’s aura had calmed, the heavy toll of the conflict suddenly crashed down on him.

Standing was a struggle, and walking was even more difficult.

He had no choice but to rely on his father for support.

"Did you kill Geppetto?" Abraham inquired as they moved forward.

Abraham only recognized the name because Geppetto was the one who had brought him back to life.

Frey gave a nod.

"I did."

"Good."

"You’re incredibly strong, Father... You still possess so much power even after everything that happened.

Look at me compared to you... haha." Frey laughed weakly.

Abraham joined in the laughter.

"You are far stronger than you imagine, my son.

I am certain you will surpass me soon. I only exist to clear the path for you."

"You’re overestimating me... Look at me, Father.

I’m nothing but a naive fool, a puppet manipulated by the forces that stand at the peak of the world."

He raised his eyes toward the sky.

High above them...

Another conflict was raging.

Wesker vs. German.

A battle far more intense than the one they had just survived.

"I’m no god... nothing close to it.

Just a human. Just your son."

Frey smiled bitterly.

"I couldn’t change a thing. I allowed them to take your corpse... to desecrate it.

If not for the Engineer, we would have ended up killing each other.

I’m helpless. Pathetic."

They traversed the devastated ground slowly while the thunder from the overhead battle rattled the heavens.

Abraham listened in silence.

Then, he smiled peacefully.

"You know... hearing those words from you has brought me peace."

Frey turned toward him, looking confused.

Abraham went on...

"To be honest... there was a time when I questioned what you truly were, my son," Abraham remarked, his thoughts drifting back to the distant past.

"I still remember cradling you as a newborn... in this life, and in the one that came before. You were flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood... twice, not just once."

"But one day... I was granted the opportunity to see your true self... your soul... what you really are, stripped of every mask and shell. What I witnessed was something far beyond human comprehension... something a man like me could never hope to understand. In that moment, I began to believe you might not be what I had always thought... a mere mortal child. Perhaps something higher... a divine being, even."

Abraham spoke without holding back, revealing the truth he had kept hidden for years, while Frey listened in silence, unable to find a single word to say.

"But you know..." Abraham continued, his voice sounding warm, as if filled with sunlight. "Hearing you call yourself just a human, watching you lean on me... struggling even to walk... I felt relief."

He smiled, tightening his grip on Frey’s shoulders.

"In the end, you are still my son. Flesh of my flesh. Let the world label you a monster, a god, or something beyond understanding... but to me, you will always be my child. The one I am proud of."

His tone left no room for uncertainty; love was woven into every syllable.

Those words cut deeper into Frey than any blade, any curse, or any battle he had ever faced.

Frey blinked once, then twice.

A shaky smile then formed across his face.

Gradually, his composure broke, his foundation crumbling under the weight of emotions he had suppressed for years. His lips began to tremble. His breath hitched. He lowered his head, hiding his face behind his arm.

And Abraham saw it all.

He saw the shaking, the silent plea, and the breakdown of a warrior who had carried too much for far too long.

So he pulled him into an embrace—firm, unshakable, and warm.

"It’s alright to cry, my son," he whispered into Frey’s hair. "It’s alright to tremble. We are not perfect beings... we were never intended to be."

"We lose sometimes. We win sometimes. But we never fall forever... and when we do, we rise once more."

Frey shook quietly in his father's arms...

These words... these simple, human words... were what he had needed more than power, more than victory, and more than any throne or destiny.

After years of bearing the weight of the world alone, of bleeding, breaking, and surviving... he finally found air to breathe.

And that air was Abraham.

The father who had died for him once continued to save him even from beyond the grave.

A bond forged by blood, tested by hell, and tempered by the fires of war.

A bond stronger than fate... stronger even than the demons themselves.

And together... father and son... Frey Starlight and Abraham Starlight,

They brought down Zibar... Demon Rank Ten.

One of the greatest evils to ever walk the earth...

Slain by the sheer strength of their bond.

The Starlight Duo that shattered a legend.