THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 736: Prophecy and an Unending Conflict (1)

The demon plummeted from the highest reaches of the firmament.

Wesker’s descent was far from typical; his demonic form sank toward the abyss with a heavy slowness as his majestic wings disintegrated into something akin to ash.

The final blow from Gehrman had ripped a massive hole through Wesker’s chest. Freezing frostfire ravaged a significant portion of his demonic anatomy, tunneling deeper into his core to eradicate whatever life remained.

From his vantage point above, Gehrman looked down at Wesker with exhausted eyes. His skin was now covered in cracks, resembling a statue that had been weathered by the relentless grinding of centuries.

"Wesker... you were long regarded as one of the greatest masters of fate in this world—one who toyed with destiny as though it were nothing more than a tool to serve his ambitions."

As the temporal rings of the Ruler’s Hand shattered and faded away, Gehrman lifted his arm.

"You were mistaken, Demon of the Fourth Rank. Fate is not something beings like us can truly manipulate. We are strong enough to create ripples, yes—but in the end, the current of destiny will continue to flow exactly as it was meant to, regardless of our will."

"The most we can do... is attempt to exploit that current for our own gain. That is what the Demon King did to me in the distant past ..

and what I have done to you today."

This time, the King’s Eye was powerless to save Wesker. The tremendous strength granted to him by the Demon King was insufficient to secure his victory.

The spectacle of Wesker falling—and his steady transformation into ash—was a haunting sight. It held the attention of both Gehrman and Abraham Starlight, the latter of whom remained standing nearby after narrowly surviving the previous assault of the perfect domain.

Abraham watched Wesker for a brief moment before turning his attention toward Gehrman.

By nature, Abraham was perceptive, sharp, and ever-cautious.

The conclusion of this battle had raised a multitude of questions in his mind regarding the Engineer.

"Just how far did that man plan ahead...?

How much of this did he foresee?"

Despite their total victory, Abraham decided to remain wary of Gehrman. He suspected this man might be a more formidable manipulator than Wesker—and perhaps even more powerful.

Gehrman, of course, was perfectly aware of Abraham’s suspicions. Having watched him for a long duration, he understood the man well.

The father possessed much sharper intuition than the son.

And regarding the son ..

Frey Starlight remained below, his face etched with pure disbelief as he watched Wesker’s descent.

"That cursed demon... Wesker—no, Aegon... fell?

It’s over? He’s dead?"

Cradling the unconscious Ada in his arms, Frey found it difficult to process the scene before him.

Wesker had always stayed several moves ahead of them. Seeing his downfall felt completely surreal.

Through their repeated confrontations, Frey had developed a deep, instinctive dread of the Fourth-Rank Demon without even realizing it.

No matter his efforts or his resolve, it had always felt as though he was merely a pawn trapped in the palm of that monster’s hand.

Yet, there he was... plummeting before Frey’s eyes, defeated by the blue-eyed Engineer .. Gehrman.

"He said his name was Saint Gehrman...

What kind of man was he in the past?"

Frey wondered as he looked toward Gehrman .. whose image was reflected not only in Frey’s eyes, but also in the eyes of Nameless, who was observing the same event.

"..."

Nameless remained silent.

His current state was hollow and incomplete .. consisting of nothing but data and memories preserved within the mask. These memories had manifested in his current form, a far cry from his true essence and original character.

Nonetheless, even this fragmented version recalled Gehrman with perfect clarity .. the most powerful individual within the Shadow Sect, and the flawless vessel Nameless had once engineered.

Nameless had discovered Gehrman on Irethiel, a frozen world that had once endured a savage demonic invasion.

The Fireborn of Irethiel were known as one of the most formidable races in existence, housing one of the Seven Great Powers and many legendary combatants.

However, when the demons struck in the ancient past .. under the leadership of Agaroth himself .. it was not Fulgor, the Sixth of the Seven Great Powers, who stepped forward to challenge the Demon King.

Instead, it was a completely different figure.

A warrior without a noble house or heritage—simply a wandering combatant.

Yet his dignity and power were so immense that he earned a specific title:

The Saint.

Gehrman battled Agaroth that day... and perished at the hands of the Demon King.

Even so, he fought with such intensity that Agaroth himself was satisfied .. to the point that the Demon King recognized his prowess. Gehrman had managed to inflict real wounds upon him.

Because of that struggle, the demons failed to fully subjugate Irethiel. The planet turned into an anomaly .. partially occupied by demons, while the rest remained held by the Fireborn.

As the years passed, half the world died... while the other half survived.

All of it .. was the consequence of one man’s stand.

But there was a detail never recorded in history, something hidden from all eyes and never spoken of.

On that field where Gehrman and Agaroth fought... a third party had been present.

Someone who watched the entire event .. and stepped in at the end.

That individual was Nameless himself.

It was his very first meeting .. and his first clash .. with Agaroth.

The world believed their first conflict happened many years later, so no one knew this encounter had occurred.

Nameless fought Agaroth that day, and he was the direct reason Irethiel endured.

These memories lived within the current Nameless... yet a piece was missing.

During that initial meeting between Agaroth and Nameless ..

The Demon King had spoken.

Something vital. Something definitive. Something of immense weight.

But the current Nameless found he could not reconstruct those specific memories. He was unable to recall Agaroth’s words .. and it bothered him immensely.

Why had those memories been suppressed?

He could clearly see the Demon King’s face from that day .. the long black hair moving like serpents, the blood-red eyes, and the pale complexion hidden behind swirling shadows... and that grave, respectful smile.

Nameless sensed he had forgotten a crucial detail from that day—something he needed to recover.

However, it seemed the time for that memory to return had not yet arrived.

Eventually, Nameless took Gehrman and incorporated him into his private research.

Gehrman was incredibly strong; his soul was difficult to bend, and creating a vessel sturdy enough to contain such overwhelming power was no easy task.

It served as the ultimate test of Nameless’s theories on life and death—resulting in the most flawless vessel ever produced.

And that vessel... was the modern-day Engineer: Gehrman.

A man of his caliber was never a simple servant; he was a man with his own mind .. and hidden goals that no one else knew.

So, what was Gehrman truly after?

What had kept him struggling for so many years, until even time began to break him down?

Neither Frey nor the present Nameless had the answer.

It was a mystery destined to stay buried for a little while longer.

But today... Wesker had been defeated.

As Frey watched the demon fall, a sudden, sharp wave of vertigo hit him, making his vision blur.

"Damn... I still haven't mastered my current condition..." Frey muttered, still struggling to control the new abilities he had gained.

He had triggered two more levels of Shadow Adaptation, but he was still unsure of the specific powers those levels provided.

Throughout the fight, an ominous feeling had been clinging to him ..

As if something was hiding in the very atmosphere.

Something that felt remarkably like... death.

"Something is wrong... I just can't put my finger on it."

Frey scanned the area while holding Ada tighter .. ensuring her safety was his main concern.

In another part of the battlefield, Wesker’s body finally slammed into the earth, much of it already turning to dust.

The Fourth-Rank Greater Demon was in a state of ruin he had never known in his long life.

His horrific face was covered in blood, and only the King’s Eye still showed a faint pulse of life; the light had left his other eyes, leaving only a dim crimson glow.

At that moment, Abraham moved to stand beside Gehrman.

"Should we not deliver a final blow to finish him?" Abraham inquired.

Gehrman gave a small shake of his head.

"No. He cannot survive my last strike. The eternal frost will finish destroying him shortly."

There was no room for doubt .. Gehrman was certain Wesker was finished.

However, Abraham remained skeptical. He raised his hand, manifesting a blade of pure light.