THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 789 The Path to Absolute Manipulation (2)

"I know just how precious this power is, Father… but handing it over to me means you'd never be able to wield it anymore. And without it, won't your body just crumble entirely?"

Tension gripped Frey's voice.

It was Absolute Manipulator that preserved Abraham's superhuman physique after Ignition.

Lacking it, death would claim him in an instant.

Unlike the Demon King, who mysteriously distributed his strengths, Abraham couldn't do the same.

Transferring Absolute Manipulator would strip it from him permanently.

Naturally, Abraham was fully aware.

"Don't fret. I have zero plans to relinquish my power—it's vital for my survival and battles."

Confusion furrowed Frey's brow.

Abraham proceeded to clarify.

"The process I'm initiating with you stems from my theory—concerning the shared power between us."

"Long ago, I once had something akin to a system. It fueled my swift progress, enabling me to forge this ability. Yet that system was never truly under my ownership."

His hand lifted, radiating an otherworldly glow.

"My power endures—but the system has vanished. And I've uncovered a crucial truth."

"The system was yours all along. Meaning… it was your strength. I merely borrowed it."

Frey offered no rebuttal.

The system had simply manifested as a shape of his power due to outside meddling.

A smile crossed Abraham's face.

"Since I attained this ability via your power, it stands to reason you can achieve it independently."

Enlightenment dawned on Frey.

"So… you intend for me to forge my own Absolute Manipulator… exactly as you once did?"

Abraham gave a firm nod.

"Precisely."

Those words prompted a frown from Frey.

Despite Abraham's freakish talent and piercing genius, crafting Absolute Manipulator had demanded ages of relentless effort.

Starting from scratch, Frey couldn't predict the timeline.

Abraham remained unconcerned.

"No cause for concern," he assured, drawing nearer.

"Your journey won't mirror my lengthy ordeal."

"With me as your guide, you'll bypass endless pitfalls—unlike my path. And crucially, your base exceeds mine from back then. You're already at SSS rank, with control that eclipses my early days."

Years had Abraham toiled on Absolute Manipulator, squandering time against baffling hurdles.

Frey would sidestep them.

Abraham would illuminate the way.

Moreover, Frey entered at SSS, far beyond Abraham's starting point.

"You've got this," Abraham pressed on.

"Though the approach… it'll be rather brutal. Can you withstand it?"

Frey chuckled, as though hearing nonsense.

"Absolutely. No regimen is too grueling for me… regardless of the torment."

His smile emerged.

"I trust you utterly, Father. You'd never steer me toward an impossible road."

Satisfaction gleamed in Abraham's nod.

"Excellent. Time to start."

Aura erupted from him, as Frey lifted his hand to call forth his blade.

Gripping Dark Sister, Frey gazed at it briefly before facing Abraham.

"Now that I think about it… this blade was yours first. Your thoughts? Shall I return it?"

He flung Dark Sister toward Abraham.

Abraham snatched it mid-air.

Staring at the ebony edge in his grasp, his grin broadened.

"Indeed… reconnecting with this longtime companion after so long feels magnificent."

Power flowed from him into the sword.

Dark Sister yielded to him seamlessly, recognizing him as it did Frey.

Yet Abraham returned it promptly.

"You're its true wielder now, son. Only you can unleash its utmost might."

Keeping it held no appeal.

"Besides, swords have no place in this drill. Fists alone will suffice."

Frey scowled and banished both Balerion and Dark Sister.

"So, what's the plan precisely?"

Abraham's smile lingered.

"Simple enough. We'll clash bare-fisted—no powers. No skills. Pure aura and primal brawling."

"To grasp even a sliver of Absolute Manipulator, shatter this body utterly."

Before Frey could reply, Abraham blurred away—reappearing before him instantly.

A barrage of devastating blows hammered Frey's torso and gut, each packed with horrifying might.

Frey scarcely blocked them.

Stripped of world-shattering powers and the Void, tracking his father's motions proved nearly impossible.

The initial hit forced blood from his mouth, flinging him rearward through a gauntlet of splintering trees.

Regeneration kicked in at once, mending the wounds—

—yet Abraham quashed it.

"Quit leaning on regeneration, Frey. It's stunting your progress."

Renewed assault pulverized Frey's innards quicker than healing could cope.

Frey swung back, only for Abraham to dominate utterly, snapping his arm on the counterstrike.

Agony raged, yet Frey's face stayed stoic.

Suffering held no sway over him.

This irked Abraham.

"Son… death holds no terror for you, does it?"

Abraham's form blazed with peak power as he assumed a fighter's poise.

"You don't evade it. You embrace it. And that renders you weaker than you know."

"Explain," Frey demanded, shadowy aura seeping from him.

Abraham lunged, pummeling savagely as Frey parried desperately.

"Fear of death fuels a warrior's ascent like few things can. It's the ultimate finale. Die, and your ambitions perish. Slain, and protection ends forever."

He demolished Frey's vitals repeatedly amid his words.

"That dread accelerates evolution, sharpening survival. Those boasting no stakes, no fear of the end—they stagnate most."

"Frey… what is death to you?"

BOOOOOM!

Abraham cratered the earth, propelling Frey skyward—pursuing without pause.

"Rest? A relief? Any gain in your demise?"

Frey's freakish healing and fearlessness had erased a primal truth...

A trait innate to all life.

Survival instinct.

The drive to endure.

Abraham sought to awaken that in his son—the essence of battling for existence, dreading oblivion.

"Recall it, son… the essence of life."

Abraham ramped up the onslaught, gradually weaning Frey from regeneration.

Though all six Shadow Adaptation stages lay sealed, healing fired instinctively on injury—hampering growth.

Absolute Manipulator—or its equivalent—demanded total rejection of regeneration until attained.

Terrifying prospect.

Ruined organs spelled unsustainable life.

Abraham compelled aura substitution… for aura embodied vitality.

Grasping differed vastly from executing.

Blackouts plagued Frey repeatedly.

Each triggered regeneration, reviving organs.

Cycle looped ceaselessly, yielding no advance.

Abraham demolished Frey's frame.

Frey flooded with aura for survival… yet faltered, succumbing to hemorrhage and ruin.

Regeneration surged upon unconsciousness.

Solely Frey's awareness could suppress it.

Organs reformed.

Reset to naught.

"I can't grasp it… how do I sustain on aura alone?! It's absurd!"

"Logic evades this realm, son. World-breaking powers mock reason."

Abraham hammered relentlessly.

"Your gifts arrived perfected. No forging from scratch."

"But defying Chaos's Law… unveils the world's profound irrationality."

Abraham's fist shimmered.

A rocket-force strike bored through Frey's chest, erupting from behind.

"Evolve, Frey. Carve your own trail."

Gravity weighted his tone.

"Fail… and perish."