THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 752: Frey vs Amon (1)

Amon faced off against Frey Starlight directly.

Darkness crept over the demon's face while his gaze scrutinized the fresh challenger before him.

"Hmmm... the vessel, rather than the original?" Amon sneered, twisting his lips into a sly half-grin.

His mask was gone now, baring all his expressions and traits without cover.

Close by, Gehrman sprawled on the earth, completely exhausted... his vessel unable to provide even a scrap more.

Though Gehrman possessed deep knowledge of what lay ahead and its concealed routes, he hadn't foreseen Frey stepping in at this point. Frey Starlight remained an outlier—someone beyond the grasp of destiny or prophecy.

And that's when Gehrman spotted it.

The violet fires blazing wildly around Frey Starlight's form.

"...That's the strength of souls?"

True astonishment flashed across Gehrman’s features.

"For him to wield this force... it signifies he's already hit the sixth level of Shadow Adaptation. This fast..."

The Engineer understood Shadow Adaptation down to its bones... each phase, each toll it exacted. That's exactly why he'd figured Frey would face the biggest hurdle at the sixth stage. Activating it ought to scar his psyche and mental equilibrium deeply.

But the truth had shattered those predictions.

Frey triggered the power right away—without a second's pause.

"Employing Soul Incineration equates to crushing the souls of those you once battled to safeguard..."

"Frey... what on earth has befallen you?"

In reality, Gehrman had been molding this iteration of Frey bit by bit... exerting steady pressure, steering him gradually toward resembling Nameless.

One step at a time. No rush. No errors—starting from the instant Frey reincarnated.

Yet this marked the first occasion Frey had genuinely surprised him.

The second Gehrman locked eyes with Frey Starlight, he sensed the shift.

These weren't the eyes belonging to that familiar youth.

"This unforeseen element... but it could play to our advantage."

The Engineer hauled himself up gradually, sending his message straight into Frey's mind.

"I hadn't anticipated your entry—but now that you're here, you might offer our strongest shot."

"That demon holds overwhelming might. Victory over him lies beyond reach... but it isn't required."

Gehrman’s tone rang with unwavering confidence.

"Simply delay him. For the longest stretch you can manage. Pouring in all your effort, that goal stays within grasp."

His words flowed to Frey exclusively—inaudible to the rest.

Frey glanced his way for a fleeting second, those empty eyes fixed... before he turned back to Amon in composed silence, uttering nothing.

At the same time, the demon closed in leisurely, one deliberate step after another.

"Just moments ago... you two exchanged hidden words, right?"

Amon issued a empty laugh, clasping his hands behind him.

"Old habits die hard for you, Saint. Still plotting in this moment?"

He let out a sigh while pressing onward.

"Were Nameless here in person, perhaps you'd stand a fighting chance... but swapping in the vessel alters zilch."

Amon spoke true.

The divide separating him from Frey loomed vast... even should Frey deploy every fearsome ability in his arsenal to narrow it.

Not to overlook that Amon’s full potential stayed shrouded. He hadn't unleashed his world-shattering power yet...

The force rumored to flip any clash on its head, no matter the foe.

That uncertainty gnawed at Gehrman deepest.

He remained ignorant of its nature.

Luckily, Amon showed no rush to invoke it without specific triggers—or unless driven to the brink of loss.

Even so...

Gehrman couldn't shake the doubt.

Could Frey Starlight truly withstand this ordeal?

Even he alongside Abraham had barely contained Amon for a short while.

Mention of Abraham...

He lay shattered from the prior crushing blow, yet upon spotting Frey charge into the fray, he compelled his body upright.

"No... Frey... don't clash with him..."

Abraham ground his teeth, mustering the scant energy left within.

"That beast isn't a foe you can confront!"

He strained to approach his son... but the effort proved pointless.

Then, in rising, Abraham abruptly stilled.

He crumpled once more, hand pressed to his chest as a horrifying feeling flooded through.

Something thick. Corrupt. Sinister.

Something brushing against his heart.

A torrent of malice coursed inside him, icing his veins.

"What in blazes... was that?!" Abraham wheezed, staring wide-eyed while clutching his chest.

For an instant, the entire battlefield faded from view.

It seemed like death had extended its grasp... attempting to pull him under.

But Abraham pushed back.

Upon looking over his shoulder, emptiness greeted him.

Still—he perceived it vividly.

As though death whispered his name.

All this played out beneath Gehrman’s keen observation.

The gleam in his eyes altered the instant he noted Abraham’s response... like a revelation had dawned.

"...Time's running perilously short," Gehrman rasped lowly, shifting his focus to Frey.

"A bit more endurance, Frey. Keep it up."

The man with blue eyes entrusted his hope to Frey.

Frey offered no reply.

"..."

A short hush descended.

Nothing but Amon’s advancing steps resounded as he neared Frey.

It spanned only seconds.

Then... the scene transformed in a flash.

Frey disappeared utterly...

And materialized right before the demon.

"Instant teleportation?" Amon noted, witnessing his rival strike from thin air.

Frey’s blade slashed sideways, targeting the neck amid a massive aura burst channeling through the edge.

The demon parried the blow using his naked fist.

The impact unleashed a booming blast of ruinous energy, cracking the terrain behind Amon.

"Remarkable... unleashing such might without touching SSS-rank," Amon’s grin stretched broader.

"Fitting for the frame destined to bear Nameless’s powers—the sole match for the mighty Demon King."

Amon kept firing off comments in rapid succession.

Frey stayed mute.

He hammered forward without mercy, delivering blow upon blow while infusing more of those violet flames into each assault.

Amon’s hand blurred with speed, batting aside every onslaught... until he halted abruptly.

An odd ache pierced him.

Blood sprayed across the soil.

"...This—"

Amon stiffened briefly, then grasped the truth at once.

"Black Hole Aura."

Frey had switched to Black Hole Aura over standard aura... abruptly, in vast amounts.

A tremor coursed through the Rank-11 demon’s frame.

"You harbor genuinely perilous skills, Vessel of Nameless..."

Amon pulled back, creating space... but Frey pursued without delay.

The assaults came with savage swiftness and crushing weight, forcing Amon to drop any notion of holding back.

From the sidelines, Gehrman observed closely, strain etched on his face.

"Soul Incineration bestows him an outrageous surge of brute force, which he funnels into Black Hole Aura—a deadly tool by itself..."

Through the might of souls, Frey elevated his power to insane heights... inherently boosting Black Hole Aura’s devastating yield too.

"He’s employing Nameless’s aura-flow technique to reclaim his energy, slashing aura waste to the bare minimum."

Nameless’s aura circulation let Frey reclaim a hefty share of spent aura per strike... a method he'd honed sharper after clashing with Zibar and Abraham earlier.

"And it doesn't stop there. Dark Ascension also empowers him, granting SSS-rank-level physical prowess for a time... merged with the amplified force from his burning arms..."

"...Total mayhem."

Despite Gehrman’s vast knowledge and sharp mind, he couldn't pinpoint Frey Starlight’s present power anymore.

Layering so many world-breaking skills together defied possibility.

However—being Nameless’s ultimate vessel—he withstood the strain.

"Never have I witnessed anyone juggle this array of world-breaking abilities simultaneously, save the King and my elder brother," Amon grumbled ominously as Frey ramped up the assault.

What disturbed him above all was the raw fact that Frey had drawn his blood.

Black Hole Aura, empowered by soul strength, posed a deadly threat... and far more chilling was their seamless blend.

"This fool... fusing two elite abilities like it's trivial..."

The injuries Amon suffered weren't minor.

And regarding sheer attack potency...

Frey Starlight now outstripped both Abraham and Gehrman.

"Time to wrap this up fast. I've no patience for more of your drivel, Vessel of Nameless."