THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 779 The Truth of the System (1)

Shadow Adaptation: 7/7

The peak level was now achieved—

the ultimate summit of the reality-shattering power called Shadow Adaptation.

A power ranked as one of the top three mightiest forces throughout history, from the universe's beginning.

The seventh stage had unlocked ..

the mightiest level out of all seven.

Yet that mattered little now.

The ultimate task had been fulfilled…

and the System's limits were utterly broken.

The System had turned almost irrelevant, after Frey started depending solely on his personal strength for advancement.

The ultimate task marked the System's very last command .. an ending to the bizarre mechanism whose roots Frey was never permitted to discover.

As soon as Frey slew Beatrice,

an odd feeling surged through him out of the blue—

like shadowy bonds that had restrained him for endless ages

were at last snapped apart.

Words failed to capture it.

An unmatched experience.

A rush of liberty… of release.

A brilliant white glow enveloped Frey's vision,

while his whole essence plunged into total calm—

as if his very spirit had departed his form.

Movement became impossible for him.

Indeed, it felt like he had ceased to be part of the material realm entirely.

Gehrman's Shadow Sect warriors guarded his form,

providing the room required to wrap up the System's tale

and reveal the secrets concealed within.

Thus…

Frey Starlight plunged profoundly… even further… into a different dimension.

Initially, darkness reigned alone.

A total black emptiness where visibility was zero,

where feelings themselves dissolved,

and the very idea of being started to shift.

Next, one ray of light emerged—

sweeping across the gloom in front of Frey's gaze.

The glow overwhelmed all, brightening the emptiness

until vision was restored once more.

Upon recovering his senses,

Frey beheld his own figure for the initial time.

He positioned himself within an enormous blank field—

a boundless stretch of void.

In this spot, all things were present…

while simultaneously, none were.

A domain where temporal flow and spatial rules ceased to apply.

An area lacking both heavens…

and earth.

Frey lingered in wonder for an extended instant,

struggling to grasp the unfolding events.

Yet he quickly pulled himself to focus,

rejecting absorption by the boundless pale.

It was then that awareness struck…

Solitude did not define him.

Another presence had accompanied him.

A figure who had lingered at his side since the start ..

though Frey overlooked it entirely.

A figure matching his stature, clad in a deep black mask.

Nameless stood there.

He regarded Frey with folded arms,

like he had awaited patiently for ages.

"You finally came back to yourself.

I thought you'd stay trapped in this place forever."

Frey scowled.

"How long have I been frozen like that?"

Nameless shook his head.

"Who knows?

Time doesn't exist here."

Frey hesitated, then composed himself anew.

"Where are we?"

This query hit the mark.

Even Nameless—

despite his vast wisdom—

faltered.

"I've never seen this place in my life…

even though I once traveled the entire universe."

Frey squinted and paced a bit over the pale void.

Should Nameless fail to recognize this location,

the circumstances were graver than anticipated.

Yet Nameless pressed on, like a realization dawned.

"I regained awareness before you,

and I examined this odd domain.

I still don't know exactly where this place exists .. but I think I understand what it is."

Frey spun toward him right away.

Nameless could hold the solution.

He held back briefly before voicing it.

"Across various parts of our reality… the tangible cosmos…

in remote areas dispersed across being…

on my extended voyage,

I discovered hints of an ancient entity—

broken hints, dispersed etchings, enigmatic phrases.

They appeared disordered, unlinked…

but each pointed to identical concepts."

Nameless's gaze sparkled.

"They all depicted a separate dimension—

no… not a dimension…

a segment of our dimension.

A section utterly concealed from corporeal entities,

locked beyond an impenetrable barrier."

His eyes roamed over the vacant space.

"They called it…"

"The Aether Realm."

"The Aether Realm?" Frey echoed.

Nameless affirmed with a nod.

"That's all I know.

Somehow, after you completed the System's final mission,

you were pulled into this realm…

and for some reason,

I was pulled in with you."

Frey inclined his head.

"In other words…

whatever—or whoever—brought us here

is already here…

watching us."

His sight shifted to the endless pale emptiness.

Then…

A sound replied from the void.

"Yes. That is correct."

The initial tone emerged—otherworldly, profound yet gentle, nearly resembling a youth's timbre.

It originated from the space between Frey and Nameless, instilling icy tremors in them both. They jumped back simultaneously, naturally pulling away from the voice's origin.

Positioned together, Frey and Nameless fixed their eyes on that… entity.

In that instant, a shared thought probably crossed their minds.

What in hell is this thing?

The creature ahead was far from typical.

Neither Frey nor Nameless managed to ascertain if it lived at all. Its traits remained vague, and discerning its sex proved impossible.

Its shape… its frame was entirely pale, matching the pale realm underfoot.

It hovered amid the emptiness, its visage marginally clearer than the remainder of its structure.

An immaculate pale visage—

devoid of locks,

lacking orbs,

without nostrils.

Solely… lips.

Lips bent in an eerie grin.

Neither benevolent.

Nor malevolent.

The sole apt portrayal was that it hailed from a fictitious existence.

For a few beats, Frey and Nameless observed it, until the ashen countenance uttered once more.

"What is this? I summoned you here, yet you came with two forms…"

The youthful tone resounded as the creature angled its head and chuckled lightly.

"Life has not been kind to you, my dear Frey."

The presence uttered Frey's name, causing him to scowl and heighten his vigilance.

Matters looked dire.

Here, neither Frey nor Nameless could muster the slightest hint of energy.

Utterly vulnerable ..

wholly subject to this creature's whim.

The presence appeared to sense their minds and addressed them serenely.

"No need to worry. I cannot harm you, even if I wished to."

It raised its pale limb idly.

"Aura does not function here, so attempting to use it would be pointless."

Oddly, such reassurance heightened the strain.

Lacking access to energy was an unprecedented ordeal for both.

Frey broke the quiet first.

"What are you? And what do you have to do with me… with us?"

He shot a look at Nameless nearby.

Nameless stayed mute, eyeing the creature with utmost wariness.

The presence grinned.

"There is no point in telling you my identity. Even if I gave you a name, you would not recognize it."

It held silent briefly before proceeding.

"Because your self is distorted ..

so distorted that you have forgotten who you are…

and forgotten everyone around you."

"I don't understand a single word of what you're saying." Frey's scowl intensified.

The creature glided lazily around him.

"Forget me. You came here to learn the truth about the System, did you not?"

The ashen visage oriented toward Nameless.

"I imagine our masked friend wishes to know the answer as well, correct?"

Nameless could not refute it.

Up to this point, Frey Starlight's strength, skills, and nearly all his combat techniques stemmed from Nameless.

All of it—

save the System.