THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 787 The Crack in Creation (2) (End of volume 3)

Frey stayed silent, still struggling to grasp what had transpired moments ago.

The Demon King underwent a total transformation right when the Aether World was brought up.

He had rushed here solely for that purpose.

Agaroth sought the means to access it.

This insight revealed something crucial to Frey.

The Demon King is barred from entering the Aether World.

Regardless of his immense power or skills, he simply cannot breach it.

That's why he's desperately hunting for an entry method.

What Agaroth plans inside the Aether World stays a mystery…

yet this discovery alone proved a massive breakthrough.

His goal now stood crystal clear.

The sole remaining puzzle was…

How much had Agaroth gleaned in those fleeting seconds while peering into Frey with his eye?

No method existed to find out.

---

Far away from Earth…

In the Demon World of Helmond…

Atop his majestic throne in the Tower of the End, the Demon King lounged as usual.

Having possessed Ada, Agaroth had returned to his original form.

His eyes stayed shut, as if lost in profound contemplation.

Gradually, he unveiled his left eye—the very one deployed on Frey.

Its form twisted ceaselessly, cycling through myriad geometric shapes every instant.

Within those short bursts, Agaroth witnessed innumerable visions… echoes of Frey Starlight's memories.

Frey and Nameless got drawn into the Aether World by a figure Agaroth initially couldn't make out.

He couldn't catch the entity's words—some barrier obstructed him—but Agaroth pressed forward relentlessly to pinpoint it.

After agonizing seconds of effort, Agaroth at last glimpsed the creature's appearance…

Blond hair.

Clear blue eyes.

A childlike frame.

These traits caused Agaroth's face to darken ominously.

For the first time…

he appeared truly shaken.

"…That is impossible."

Agaroth surged from his throne, unleashing a torrent of savage dark energy from his form.

The Demon King towered massively—almost three meters high—his physique evoking an endless abyssal portal.

Deliberately, Agaroth reached out his hand… and abruptly…

He thrust it straight into his own torso.

The Demon King's limb sank into his flesh, probing for a hidden prize.

His eerie astral tissue blazed with searing radiance, while an oppressive force rattled the surrounding void.

Agaroth kept his frown fixed for an instant—until he seized what he sought.

He gradually withdrew his hand from within himself.

And as it surfaced, it clutched something.

No… not something.

Someone.

A living entity emerged from deep inside the Demon King… one matching the features of the being Frey had met.

Blond hair.

Blue eyes.

The identical visage.

The sole distinction lay in this version seeming elder… more developed.

The figure writhed in torment, eyes shut, expression vacant.

With one flick of the Demon King's wrist, shadowy energy surged through him, reviving his vitality.

"Open your eyes. I know you're already awake… Seth," Agaroth commanded icily.

The void and suffering fled Seth's features, supplanted by a derisive smirk.

"What's wrong, Agaroth? Did you witness something so shocking you had to drag me out?"

"Hehehe…"

Seth chuckled while the Demon King fixed him with a glare potent enough to quake the mightiest warriors.

Still, Seth showed no fear whatsoever—held fast in Agaroth's iron grip.

"From that look… it seems you foresaw this moment arriving," the Demon King remarked, piecing together the chaos.

Agaroth was convinced he'd eradicated every Child long before… only Audrey had slipped away.

That lay epochs ago…

yet Seth acted as if he'd long awaited Agaroth yanking him from his innards.

That fact defied logic entirely.

Worse still, Agaroth's gaze failed to pierce Seth completely—

since in matters of causality, Seth reigned supreme.

Thus, Agaroth held no means to extract truths by force.

Seth cackled derisively.

"Perish in revulsion, you vile betrayer. No matter your strength, you'll never breach that realm… it's off-limits to scum like you."

Seth's grin chilled the air, utterly dismissive of the colossal beast's dominating presence.

"I've observed you closely, Agaroth. I grasp precisely your schemes."

"Why spare Nameless after crushing him back then?"

"You consume every formidable foe—so why leave him?"

"The truth… you sensed his link to Frey, right?"

Seth declared with absolute conviction, and Agaroth's visage validated it.

"The true prize you crave is Frey—

for he's our supreme pinnacle… the sole conduit to the Aether World."

"That's why you're nurturing his power before subjecting him to our fate."

"You repulsive scum."

Seth's tone quivered with raw loathing.

"You'll crumble, Agaroth. I'll ensure it… whatever the price."

These words narrowed the Demon King's gaze.

He couldn't fathom how Seth endured simultaneously in material and Aether realms.

When Agaroth devours a soul, it's erased from the material plane… so how did Seth linger in the Aether?

Despite every effort, Agaroth grasped no solution.

This fueled Seth's wilder laughter.

Yet the Demon King's grimace dissolved—yielding to his signature smirk.

"No use puzzling over you, dear brother," Agaroth stated evenly.

"You were ever the sharpest of our kin."

The chasm inside Agaroth's form yawned wide again.

"Proceed. Exhaust every trick. Aid him against me if you desire.

It'll merely swell the ranks of entertaining foes… but the end stays unaltered."

As Agaroth recommenced swallowing Seth—

"You recognize it too, Seth… vanquishing me lies beyond reach."

"…For I reign as the ultimate force."

Across every existence in the material world… and the Aether world…

Nothing rivaled Agaroth's existence.

A genuine abomination.

Seth understood that should Agaroth invade the Aether World…

harboring might eclipsing the material plane's…

he'd evolve into an unfathomable horror.

An entity beyond grasp.

An unstoppable nightmare.

Hence, halting him demanded any sacrifice.

"I'm relying on you… Frey," Seth murmured, as Agaroth engulfed him fully.

The Demon King erupted with energy, striving to shatter Helmond's bonds.

But shadowy fetters coiled around him, anchoring him firmly.

Nameless's seal endured—visibly frayed, though.

Agaroth eyed the chains… then grinned.

He knew this cage neared its breaking point.

---

Days remaining until the Shattering: 64

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Author's Note:

Hello, readers.

Today wraps up the novel's lengthiest volume yet… the War of Darkness, spanning four arcs, culminating in the legendary Clash of Legends we finished here.

Volume Four's launch propels us past the story's halfway mark into its intense later phases.

Titled The Fracture… or aptly, The Shattering… this volume holds pivotal weight, poised to reshape the entire narrative.

It's the briefest volume, built around one arc alone, yet that arc ignites both the start and the peak simultaneously.

The arc's name: The Path of the End.

It centers mainly on Frey, our lead, unveiling the reality of his chosen route… and the trials to claim its conclusion.

It spotlights Gehrman's scheme reaching its zenith and resolution—the plot he's woven from the tale's dawn.

And it drives Planet Earth's conflict to its ultimate close… wrapping every event there… as humanity wages its last stand.

Volume Four kicks off next chapter.

I hope you savor it like always, and sorry for any flaws.