THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 763 A Chapter Written in Death (1)

Thanatos Nightborne... a primordial beast from the time after the Wars of Oblivion and the vanishing of history's chroniclers.

A entity that embodied death in its purest form.

Legends spoke of him commanding vast hordes of undead legions, unleashing devastation and total destruction, claiming rule over immense stretches of the universe...

Thanatos struck fear with his personal might... yet his real threat stemmed from those forces he commanded, troops made up of mighty entities he had slain with his own hands.

Now, this horror had come back—with his focus locked on Amon.

The Eleventh-Rank High Demon scarcely had a moment to recover or even look away, as Thanatos zeroed in on him without mercy.

Amon deflected Thanatos' attack, but the overwhelming force hurled him backward a huge span, slamming him hard into the earth.

Regaining his footing, Amon glanced up at this fresh adversary, then stretched his arms sequentially.

"One punch alone numbed my arms..."

That initial exchange let Amon sense the immense scale of his foe's strength... and uncover who he truly was.

Beings like Thanatos were exceedingly rare.

That pale gray hide.

Eyes merely empty voids, shining with an eerie blue glow.

And lips stitched closed by dark threads, as though an attempt had been made to mute him forever.

"No question... You're Thanatos, right?" Amon questioned while Thanatos advanced steadily.

"You... possess great strength. I meant to end you with that strike."

Those words rasped from Thanatos' lips like a rough scrape... akin to murmurs emerging from the depths of the underworld.

Thanatos eyed his rival... then scanned the surrounding chaos of war... and at last, examined his own form.

"How many years have passed? How long was I absent?"

He balled his hand into a fist as his energy flared with lethal intent.

In turn, Amon triggered his Transparent World, bracing for the fight.

But Thanatos displayed zero response to it—opting instead to keep surveying the area.

"I detect no Soul Bearers... or rather, they've transformed. And that cursed Demon King..."

The instant Agaroth entered his thoughts, raw fury twisted across Thanatos' warped features.

"He didn't just steal the Death Soul from me... he even shared it with some worthless pest. That foul abomination...!"

Thanatos hid his face, masking the rage that warped it beyond recognition.

Bits and pieces of Agaroth's visage gradually returned to his mind... the Demon King he had battled eons before.

Even with Thanatos' infinite troops...

Even with the scores of SSS-rank fighters and higher he had assembled himself...

Even bearing the Death Soul in those days...

It proved insufficient.

Agaroth wiped them out entirely, cutting them down individually.

It was a savage, world-rending conflict... but no matter Thanatos' efforts, he couldn't halt the onslaught.

The Demon King massacred them all amid laughter, delighting in the slaughter...

As though Thanatos amounted to a mere common fighter, not death incarnate.

"Unforgivable..."

Thanatos gnashed his teeth while his presence exploded outward from calm, shock etching onto Amon's visage.

"Unforgivable!!"

He bellowed, his vacant gaze piercing the demon in front of him.

"Merely recalling that scum fills me with wrath... and here you are, stinking of the same repulsive aura."

"I'll butcher you right here, lackey of that despicable Demon King."

Thanatos lifted his limb... and a surge of shadows swept over the whole area.

Moments afterward, the ground started to tremble fiercely.

Out from the dirt, bony claws erupted—remains of the ancient deceased, beings whose eras had faded millennia past.

Still, they emerged once more, heeding his summons.

Within seconds, a horde of undead swarmed the field of combat, as Thanatos lunged directly at Amon, smashing into him with devastating impact.

At that instant...

Frey lingered close by, clutching Abraham firmly.

Abraham twisted in torment, deeply disturbing Frey... Thanatos' final action had stirred the dark mist enveloping him into a wild frenzy.

It seemed Abraham battled an inner force, striving fiercely to hold it back... stopping it from delving further.

Frey's eyes flicked from his father to the raging fight and the skeleton swarm charging wildly at Amon.

His thoughts froze... overwhelmed by the unfolding events.

Then Gehrman’s call pierced the turmoil, jolting him back.

"This is your moment, Frey! Grab your family and escape now!"

Gehrman gestured for Frey to run—but Frey had no plans to comply.

"No. I'm not fleeing."

He answered icily as purple Soulfire blazed over his frame, murderous resolve bursting forth.

"I have no clue what that horror is that popped up from nowhere... but I know this much. He's a foe to the demons."

Clasping the Dark Sister firmly, Frey stood up gradually.

"If I head back into the fray now, I can seize this chance... and finish Amon."

Frey refused to withdraw, refused to waste this opening.

But Gehrman stepped in again.

"I can't fully grasp what you're facing—but examine your surroundings closely."

Positioned in front of Frey with his weary form, Gehrman persisted to the last in urging him to halt.

"See your father. See your sister. Consider it well, Frey Starlight... is this truly the time to dive into a fight you can't foresee the end of?"

While Gehrman urged, bony shapes started to encroach on Ada, though the relic's shield repelled them, driving the undead away.

Nevertheless, she stayed confined in that ocean of demise.

As for Abraham...

He endured unbearable pain.

And it was obvious that Thanatos triggered it.

"If you see Thanatos as a friend, you're dead wrong. That beast hates all that lives. Once he overcomes Amon, he'll pivot to the closest life form and seek to raise a fresh legion... to fill the void of his old one."

Gehrman stated steadily, then directed Frey's focus back to Abraham.

"Your father's current struggle stems from him. Thanatos' might revived Abraham's form—and now he's attempting to seize it, to make him one of his thralls. Your father fights it... but staying so near offers no assurance he'll last."

Gehrman halted briefly, then pressed on with resolve.

"Don't charge forward, Frey. Today's feats surpass expectations. We took down three High Demons, Wesker included, and unleashed a true adversary to the demons. That's plenty to leverage... but not how you imagine."

He rested a hand on Frey's shoulder, making a final plea.

"Reflect, Frey. Think clearly. What's your top priority here on this field?"

For a short while, Frey and Gehrman locked eyes, amid the thunderous booms of Thanatos and Amon's duel resounding everywhere.

Frey grew quiet.

Then he tightened his grip.

"Damn it!"

He swore, slinging Abraham onto his back before vanishing in a quick teleport to land next to Ada.

With a fast slash of his blade, Frey sent a ferocious burst of power that annihilated every corpse nearby. He slipped into the shield, drawing Ada near with his spare arm.

Embracing his kin securely, Frey at last heeded Gehrman’s counsel.

Meanwhile, the duel between Amon and Thanatos grew fiercer.

Thanatos held superior brute force over Amon... but deprived of the Death Soul, he lacked his deadliest striking tool. That fact alone enabled the Eleventh-Rank Demon to just barely stand firm.

Still, the combat zone plunged into total disorder.

Out of the blue...

Mad blue fires poured from above, consuming Thanatos, while enormous dragon-like wings cast their shadow over the whole scene.

Nito showed up in his beastly shape, diving in to aid Amon.

Amon battled with everything he had... yet he still withheld his secret, reality-shattering power, which troubled Gehrman greatly.

Gehrman had anticipated Amon would need to deploy it versus Thanatos.

But he hadn't.

"What the hell are you concealing, Eleventh-Rank Demon...?"

Gehrman whispered, pulling back right as Fulghor plummeted from the heavens at breakneck pace.

"Gehrman—we must depart at once. This fight is beyond us now."

Gehrman agreed promptly, without a second thought.