THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 836 The Meaning of Terror (2)

"Your subordinate gave a fine performance."

Agaroth's fist plunged into Frey's chest, eliciting a gout of blood from his throat as the Demon King advanced relentlessly. "You need to surpass him… otherwise, this has no meaning." As he uttered these words, Agaroth unleashed his aura, repelling all who dared to approach – Abraham, Snow, and the others – ensuring no one could interfere this time. The moment wasn't right yet. Thus, Frey found himself isolated once more, compelled to face this trial alone. He felt The Pursuer ignite within him, driving him forward against an adversary whose power far exceeded any conceivable limit, a level unattainable even in dreams. Agaroth proved cunning. He could have ended Frey with a single, decisive blow, yet he deliberately modulated his strength with each strike, ensuring Frey would not perish. He maintained a vast chasm… just enough for The Pursuer to persist in its chase. Then, he proceeded to pummel Frey. Unceasingly. He crushed Frey in an overwhelming display of dominance, devastating the entire planet simultaneously… yet, for reasons unknown, he spared the humans. "Not yet." A smile touched Agaroth's lips as Frey's form was once again consumed by a dark cocoon, this one significantly larger… and far more potent. "The fifth phase of SSS…" Frey's power erupted violently, boiling over as he ascended to an entirely new echelon of overwhelming might, becoming an entity few could withstand. But even this transformation… was insufficient against the Demon King. Frey attacked with the entirety of his being, and at some point—Dark Sister shattered once more. With its destruction, Balerion also broke. His weapons were gone. He then molded a blade from a dark, gray aura, simultaneously summoning the Shadow Bolt spear—the sole weapon he could still wield at his current capacity. Explosions erupted in rapid succession, black lightning rending the heavens and showering the earth in cataclysmic tempests. The ground convulsed ceaselessly, volcanoes spewing forth as if the planet itself raged against the devastation they inflicted. But this—Was merely the prelude. The two combatants had become harbingers of destruction. One, a shadowy abyss; the other, a tempest of gray crackling with lightning. Yet, one was undeniably superior. And the Demon King utterly overpowered Frey. He struck with such ferocity that Frey's face snapped back against the Nameless mask. The mask held firm against the impact, but Agaroth did not relent. He continued his assault, pressing Frey relentlessly, to the point that even the Nameless mask began to deform under the sheer brutality of the onslaught. From a distance, the living could discern it… a horrifying symphony of laughter and screams. The Demon King reveated in his amusement. And Frey cried out in agony, struggling desperately to keep pace. Those who attempted to pursue and intervene were met with an inferno of fire, lightning, darkness… and something else entirely. Something beyond comprehension. Their powers reshaped the very fabric of the Earth, forging a new landscape born from magma and flame. A level no one could ever aspire to reach. And once again, after being pushed to the absolute brink, it occurred. Another black cocoon materialized, vastly more immense this time, stretching across an immeasurable expanse… so vast that its boundaries were indiscernible. Frey rested within it, arms drawn close, seeking to cherish every fleeting moment. The brief intervals Agaroth granted him to break through… were his sole sanctuary. The only respite he could find, however slight, from the impending nightmare. And Frey broke through. "The sixth phase of SSS." The same stage Amon had attained, and Agares, second only to the highest. Yet, in Frey's experience, it felt profoundly more terrifying… more monstrous. This was due to the catastrophic energies he now wielded. Following this, the battle descended into an absolute stillness. Frey perceived nothing. A prolonged, profound silence. Because the subsequent clash… did not endure even a fraction of a second. Within that singular second, he and Agaroth traversed half the planet, exchanging blows. Frey's aura surged to an entirely different magnitude, his hand grasping a power he had never fathomed. A colossal force that gave him the sensation that the entire world was now cradled within his grasp. Such overwhelming might. Such terrifying grandeur. "Then why?" Frey questioned inwardly. "Why… even after grasping all this power… has one thing remained unchanged?" He was incapable. He could not land a single decisive blow. Agaroth parried every attempt, then submerged him beneath an unyielding barrage of strikes that tore him asunder. And mere moments later… Frey plummeted. He crashed into the void. Agaroth stood before him, a sweeping cloak of shadow and flame billowing behind him. Frey looked upward, gazing into the deep crimson eyes of the King… then attempted to rise. He could not. His legs lacked the requisite strength to support him. No matter the intensity of his effort, he remained grounded.

Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and persisted, even desperately clinging to Agaroth's leg.

The King forcefully kicked him away.

"Are you finished?" Agaroth inquired, his expression utterly vacant, the smile completely vanished.

His gaze was chilling, akin to portals leading to the abyss.

He advanced slowly as Frey dragged himself across the ground.

"Your cultivation has plateaued at the sixth phase. Even with The Pursuer activated, your strength is not improving… I see."

"So this is the extent of your capabilities for now."

Slowly, Frey lifted his head to face him.

The Demon King... whose initial excitement had entirely dissipated, superseded by something else.

Profound boredom.

As if a child had grown weary of a toy that no longer provided amusement.

In such a state... he was left with only one recourse.

To seek out a new diversion.

Agaroth's smile gradually reappeared, and Frey's heart momentarily ceased its beat as he grasped the impending reality.

"Your part is concluded, Frey. It is time for the others to be brought in."

The Demon King turned.

Abraham, Snow, and Kalameet stood behind him, encircling him completely.

Frey observed from a distance, witnessing the unfolding events in what felt like slow motion.

Kalameet launched the initial assault, unleashing his formidable physical prowess, wielding the resilience of the Pantheon and world-shattering force through his spear.

Agaroth intercepted him.

Subsequently, he utterly overpowered Kalameet physically with a solitary blow, a strike imbued with his true might.

The very power he had withheld from Frey... precisely to avoid ending his life.

Half of Kalameet's upper torso was instantaneously annihilated.

His impenetrable armor, his colossal physique, his adamantine bones... all obliterated. Nothing remained.

The lower portion of his body plummeted to the ground, his internal organs scattering.

Abraham and Snow then commenced their attack.