THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 703: Footsteps in a Fallen Kingdom (1)

– Frey Starlight’s POV –

Is this truly him... Nameless?

Standing within the obsidian void of my inner realm, that was the solitary thought occupying my mind.

The entity before me appeared to be a mere manifestation...

A construct woven from countless threads of ancient combat arts, supernatural techniques, and devastating power.

He was a being forged from nothingness, synthesized from the boundless data stored within the mask.

A monster devoid of a "self," possessing neither personality nor a distinct identity.

And yet... that very monster had somehow been altered by my own path...

My agony, my internal conflicts, and my raw emotions...

Every bit of it had merged into his form, redefining the hollow template he once represented.

The figure standing there seemed like nothing more than a common man obscured by a mask of black steel.

However, that appearance was a deception.

The true Nameless...

The dread sovereign whose ancient legends and fractured memories I had glimpsed—

Was nothing like this humble image.

He was a savage predator in human skin,

A creature who had purged entire civilizations to achieve his ends,

A walking disaster that struck terror into the hearts of demons.

What I faced now was merely a shadow, a corrupted remnant.

The reality was blatant:

I was still missing two components of the Self-Puzzle.

The mask was mine, but the weapon and armor remained lost.

Without those pieces, Nameless would never be whole...

Condemned to this half-existence,

Wrestling with sentiments he was never designed to process.

I attempted to question him on his obsession with the laws of life and death...

How he had mastered his cosmic techniques...

Why he possessed the sight to view the future...

And why his entire life was spent attempting to conquer mortality.

Was it due to the words Odin spoke to him?

That seemed doubtful.

The obsession driving Nameless had taken root long before that primordial meeting.

But no answers came from him.

He lacked them entirely.

Not while he remained in this broken state.

"You are just as imprisoned by the dark as I am,"

I whispered.

"Who could have guessed a monarch of your stature would end up this... pathetic?"

The truth was grim.

Just like myself, Nameless was merely a piece on German’s chessboard...

Caught in the webs of others whose identities remained hidden.

"I am trapped in this mess, and so are you," I noted.

"Yet you intend to step back? Is that your genuine wish?"

I made one final attempt, hoping he would seize control of my body once more.

Even in his fractured state, Nameless possessed a strength far beyond my current reach.

But he declined me yet again.

"I have no interest in claiming your vessel," he replied softly.

"Your roots... have taken hold too deeply within me."

His tone was frigid and unwavering...

Yet the underlying message was clear.

Nameless was a clean slate that had been stained by the ink of my tragic life.

He was afraid that by merging further, he would transform into me...

That instead of absorbing me, he would become me.

"Fine... so I must face this alone again?"

I let out a frustrated sigh.

I pushed the complications regarding Audrey, Agaroth, and Odin to the back of my mind for now.

There was nothing I could do about them.

I lacked both the necessary Cultivation and the insight.

"The only thing that matters is the current situation on Earth."

Wesker was the target.

Protecting those I cared for was the only priority.

"Ada..."

Her name escaped my lips as my resolve hardened.

Both Ada and Carmen were still highlighted in crimson on the system display.

I had lingered here for too long.

As that thought crossed my mind, Nameless finally looked up.

His violet eyes flared with that familiar, soul-crushing intensity.

"I shall assist you," he declared.

I went still.

"What did you say?"

He didn't bother repeating it.

He was well aware that I had heard.

"You're going to help me? To save Ada?"

His response was blunt:

"Correct."

"Why?"

A peculiar, suffocating warmth spread through my chest.

Nameless—the terror of the demon race—

Was volunteering his aid.

It was an absurd development.

It felt surreal, almost like a dream.

Nameless hesitated before answering.

Finally, he spoke:

"I am weary of watching you suffer defeat at the hands of demons," he admitted.

"Even while you wield a fragment of my own power."

He stood up from his modest chair.

"I will not possess your body.

However, I can direct you...

And instruct you in the proper way to wage war."

For a moment, words failed me.

Nameless was providing his support...

Simply because he no longer wished to see me in pain.

Me.

The insignificant human he once viewed as nothing more than a tool.

I nearly broke into laughter.

Then the realization hit me...

That ridiculous, almost naive truth.

Nameless had been compromised by my history,

My trials,

And... my heart.

He shared my suffering.

He didn't want Ada to be hurt.

He didn't want my spirit to shatter.

It was foolish.

It was irrational.

But I recognized it as the truth.

And I desperately required his strength.

"Then we move," I said with conviction.

"We are going to save Ada."

Nameless gave a single nod.

In an instant, the void around me cracked and dissolved,

And I returned to the waking world.

A vibrant violet light erupted from my eyes—

The exact shade of Nameless’s power.

I remained within the territory of the Shadow Sect.

Aside from Audrey's mental projection, I hadn't run into anyone else.

My absence would surely be noted soon.

I began to move at once, skipping any formalities.

Conversations could wait for later.

Right now...

Ada was out there.

At the very least, I had a general sense of her location.

She was still within the borders of the Empire... deep behind its fortifications.

Getting there would be a journey, but for the first time... I felt no anxiety.

"My mastery over space lets me manifest anywhere in this realm.

Your current Cultivation level prevents you from doing the same on your own...

But infiltrating the Empire and returning will not be a challenge for you now."

The calm voice of Nameless resonated in my mind.

So this was the nature of his "help."

To be honest, communicating with him like this was bizarre...

Even unsettling...

But I had to adapt if I wanted to utilize his expertise to the fullest.

"Let's go then..."

I readied myself to warp directly into the Empire to assess the situation personally...

But a familiar presence forced me to halt.

Someone I recognized was nearby.

"Leaving the moment you wake up... without saying a single word?"

Emerging from the darkness, a familiar person stepped forward, having followed me from the temple.

"Sno..."

Snow Lionheart...

The friend whose radiance served as a counterweight to my shadow.

"I apologize," I said, "but I must depart.

There is someone I have to rescue... regardless of the price."

"It's your sister, isn't it?"

Snow countered instantly, showing he was already aware of the stakes.

I nodded silently.

"And? You're just going to walk away?

Turn your back and leave everything behind?"

His gaze sharpened... not with rage, but with a quiet, aching sense of letdown.

I understood the gravity of the situation.

The remnants of humanity were scattered, and the war was descending into chaos...

Our foe was the Fourth Upper Demon.

We had barely any strength left to resist, let alone claim victory.

But even so...

"What do you expect of me?

To stay here and play the role of a leader?

To abandon my sister on the other side until she dies alone?"

I offered him a hollow smile...

Refusing to even consider such a path.

"I'm sorry, but I can't fulfill that role.

I am neither a commander nor a hero.

To me, Ada’s life is worth more than every human in this place combined.

If a choice must be made...

Then I'm sorry, but that choice was made a long time ago."

That was my ultimate truth.

Ada would always take precedence over everything else.

She was my last remaining kin...

The solitary bridge between my past life and this new one.

She was the anchor that prevented me from losing my mind.

Losing her... was a fate I could never survive.

So I would go to her...

Or I would fall in the attempt.