THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 728: Shadow Sect vs the High Demons (10)

With measured steps, the father and son walked side by side, moving slowly together.

Abraham provided a steady anchor for his son’s weight, guiding him toward the final member of their household—the young girl who remained paralyzed by the surreal horrors she had just witnessed.

A peculiar sensation washed over Frey. His limbs felt leaden and foreign, as if his physical form was no longer under his own jurisdiction.

Frey Starlight had always been a vessel of turbulent energy—a living arsenal packed with a terrifying array of powers and lethal instruments capable of laying waste to the world. The fractured moon hanging in the firmament served as a grim testament to that reality.

But in this moment, Frey sensed the internal chaos surging beyond the boundaries he had established. For the first time, he felt a genuine spark of dread.

Shadow Adaptation: 6/7.

Even without a full grasp of his new acquisitions, that status alone filled Frey with apprehension toward such overwhelming might. It seemed like a force that no mortal could truly govern.

Yet, Nameless had once mastered this very power, eventually reaching a level of authority that was far more absolute.

Determined, Frey vowed to follow that same path.

He would do it for his own survival, and to safeguard the family that had finally been restored to him.

Battling exhaustion, Frey shifted his attention to his father, Abraham.

Abraham’s arm was draped firmly around Frey’s back to support him. His touch radiated warmth—a tangible sign that he was truly among the living. The deceased never possessed such heat.

The strength in his grip was unwavering, marking him as a man of reliability. He was someone who had forged immense power through sheer will, all for the sake of finding and protecting his kin.

Observing Abraham closely, Frey noted the striking resemblance between them; his father looked less like a parent and more like a matured version of himself.

The primary distinction was Frey’s white hair, a consequence of the premature aging caused by the staggering pressures of his life. Abraham, meanwhile, still bore the long black locks characteristic of the Starlight lineage—the source of their history.

Briefly, Frey reflected on the stories his father had recounted... the years of hardship and the battering he had taken from an unforgiving world.

Frey’s eyes began to sting.

He felt a wave of joy because his father had returned to him.

Simultaneously, a deep melancholy took hold.

It pained him that after everything Abraham had endured, he was now forced to navigate this living hell once again by Frey's side.

His heart was a battlefield of conflicting emotions, yet Frey did not shed a tear.

In truth, he found he was unable to.

It felt as though his tear ducts had been parched for a long time.

Instead of weeping, Frey let out a boisterous laugh.

"It feels... as if I'm in a dream. You are actually here, Father. You are alive—the dead don't possess this kind of warmth."

Upon hearing those words, Abraham narrowed his gaze and looked at his son briefly before turning his eyes back to the path ahead.

"I don't entirely comprehend my own condition. Having endured so much, I've forgotten how the living are supposed to feel... but at the very least—yes. I am here, my son."

Frey gave a slow nod.

"It’s quite surreal... Reuniting with you was my greatest longing. Now that it’s happened, I can't help but wonder—is this a beautiful dream? Or a nightmare?"

As he spoke, a thunderous blast rocked the heavens, drawing both their gazes upward simultaneously.

The sky presented a terrifying vista, split down the middle. One side was a void of darkness while the other remained a brilliant blue, caught in the wake of the titanic auras clashing above.

Gehrman and Wesker were still locked in combat.

The sheer scale of their confrontation far exceeded any battle the father and son had previously encountered.

"Existence has turned into a perpetual nightmare... Each time a foe falls, a more powerful one rises to take their place. This cycle of slaughter seems fated to persist—until the ultimate enemy finally arrives."

"The true catastrophe."

"As long as the Demon King draws breath... there will be no end to this."

The nightmare was far from over.

While Abraham didn't fully realize the extent of the Demon King’s might, his brushes with entities like Wesker and Zibar allowed him to estimate the threat. If the fourth and tenth seats were such monsters, their ruler had to be something infinitely more horrific.

Frey wished his father didn't have to walk this path of blood again, fighting endless waves of ruthless enemies.

And yet, he couldn't deny the happiness he felt having him there.

He knew that feeling was a form of selfishness.

However, Abraham did not share that perspective.

"Whether we are in a dream or a nightmare... it is up to us to decide how we live through it. My choice was made long ago, my son—the moment I first woke up in this world."

"I gave my life to my family. To seeking you out. To keeping you safe. I will continue to do so until my final breath—and even after death."

The conviction in Abraham Starlight’s soul remained unshaken.

If anything, seeing his son and daughter together again had only hardened his resolve.

The son from his past life.

The daughter from his present one.

Even in the face of death, Abraham Starlight had never wavered from his path or his oath. He was prepared to see it through to the bitter end.

"There is no need for guilt. I am walking this path of my own free will."

Frey fell silent.

He lacked the standing to challenge his father’s resolve, especially when it was so absolute.

Instead, his respect for the man only grew.

To remain devoted to a single principle throughout an entire lifetime—and beyond—was a feat few could achieve.

Not even the grave had been enough to change him.

At the same time, Frey felt a question rise within him...

Did he possess the same agency his father claimed?

Abraham had chosen his destiny—but what of Frey?

Was his own path a result of his choices?

Or was he merely a passenger on a journey forced upon him by fate?

Frey contemplated this for a moment, but found no answer.

He avoided the conclusion, fearing that acknowledging the truth might cause his very foundation to crumble.

Suppressing those dark thoughts, Frey and his father finally reached his sister.

Ada remained on the ground, encased in a transparent shield of unfathomable power.

A strange aura pulsated from the artifact held in her hands.

That very barrier had previously repelled the Rank-13 demon, Geppetto.

Yet, it offered no resistance to Abraham and Frey, as if the shield recognized their presence.

Passing through the barrier brought a sense of relief to them both; they had feared they might be barred from reaching her.

It was clear, however, that Ada was in a very fragile state.