THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 708: The Trial of Blood and Betrayal (2)

Amon was a gatekeeper who permitted entry only to those with sufficient merit.

This strictness was the reason the Upper Ten had remained stagnant for eras. Although Amon held the Rank Eleven position, his actual combat prowess remained a mystery to the masses.

Like the others of his kind, he possessed a unique ability that mirrored Agaroth’s own.

"Speaking of Amon... he’ll be coming to Earth soon as well. And with that, we will end this conflict once and for all."

Wesker gave a firm nod, confirming the details of their strategy once more.

"From this point onward, the extermination of the Shadow Sect .. and the remnants of Nameless .. will begin. Our mission is to kill them all, especially Saint Gehrman... and retrieve Frey Starlight to bring him back with us to Helmund."

Wesker reiterated the primary goals of the impending raid.

It was to be a total offensive designed to wipe their opposition from existence.

Zibar was in full agreement, believing this move would finally settle the disputes on Earth permanently.

"We will attack Frey Starlight with our full strength. When he collapses, the Shadow Sect will have no choice but to move in order to save him. If we destroy them all, Gehrman himself will be forced to come out... and that will be the end of him."

The lineup was terrifying: Wesker of the Fourth Seat, Zibar of the Tenth, the revived abomination Abraham Starlight, and the master of corpses, Geppetto Thanatos.

The coming assault was destined to leave nothing but ruin in its wake.

Their target was Frey, along with anyone foolish enough to support him.

"Let us begin, then... the extermination."

Following the Fourth Seat’s order, the group of monsters set out toward Frey, who was currently across the globe searching for his sibling.

...

...

...

Meanwhile, within the borders of the Empire...

Frey Starlight arrived at the temple, a sanctuary where he had spent a significant portion of his life.

To his surprise, a familiar face was there to meet him.

It was Maika Starlight, the son of Carmen who had been missing for a long duration.

Frey followed him as they descended into the darkest pits of the structure.

They eventually reached an enormous chamber that looked like a combat arena, partitioned off by a thick wall of glass.

Frey stopped abruptly the moment they entered, for his search had finally come to an end.

At the center of the arena lay two unconscious women.

One was Ada Starlight, a young woman in her twenties, and the other was Carmen Starlight herself.

Both appeared to be in a deep sleep, showing no signs of physical trauma or injury.

Frey stood frozen for a heartbeat before lunging forward to reach them—but Maika, standing beside him, blocked his path.

"If I were you... I wouldn’t take a single step closer, Frey Starlight."

Frey paused.

It wasn't Maika’s words that gave him pause, but a sudden intuition from Nameless regarding something unnatural in the air.

Turning his gaze toward Maika, Frey’s eyes burned with a lethal intensity as his killing intent flooded the room.

"What did you do?"

He demanded, his voice as sharp and cold as a blade.

Maika involuntarily recoiled, his brow drenched in sweat under the weight of such overwhelming pressure.

He struggled to keep a grin on his face, though he was trembling before a man who had claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Aware that Frey could end his life in a heartbeat without even trying, he fought to maintain his composure.

Frey, meanwhile, analyzed the scene.

Though Ada and Carmen seemed fine physically, their names were highlighted in a sinister red within his system interface.

This indicated a dire situation, and he was determined to extract the truth from Maika.

The younger man took a breath, and a faint aura began to flicker around him.

Suddenly, a violent burst of dark, stellar aura slammed into him, pinning him down from all sides.

Maika was paralyzed, the humming vibrations of a Black Hole Aura hovering just a hair’s breadth from his skin.

"Choose your next move carefully. It may very well be your last."

Frey’s patience was at its breaking point.

Maika tightened his grip.

"You really are a monster... just as they described you."

He replied, letting out a jagged laugh.

In that instant, his aura expanded, manifesting into a bizarre structure behind him.

The energy solidified into a massive black scale equipped with two balancing pans.

A cluster of aura floated on each side; one was dim and fragile, while the other was vibrant and potent.

Thin strands of energy connected these clusters to the women in the arena.

The weak cluster was linked to Ada, while the powerful one was tied to Carmen.

Frey's face turned grim at the sight.

"What does this mean?"

Maika’s grin widened maliciously.

"How about we play a little game, Lord Starlight?"

He edged forward with the floating scale following his movements.

"A game where we gamble with people’s souls."

He gestured toward the arena behind the glass.

"Look there. Do you know what lies on the other side? Your sister... along with a filthy whore who doesn’t deserve to live."

Pure venom dripped from his voice during the final insult.

"As you can see, I’ve tied the souls of both Ada Starlight and Carmen to this device... the Scale."

"It’s a marvelous tool .. it allowed us to create this entire performance!"

Maika’s voice rose in excitement as Frey’s expression grew increasingly dangerous.

"What in hell are you babbling about?"

"N-no, Frey Starlight, I wouldn’t recommend attacking me now. Things will not end in a way that pleases you."

Maika spoke rapidly, sensing that Frey was a second away from tearing him apart.

"As I mentioned... this Scale allows me to bind souls to it, and pass judgment upon them accurately and fairly. That arena behind the glass has become a courtroom..."

"The defendants are Carmen Starlight and Ada Starlight.

The trial will only end once one of them is condemned.

The guilty one... will die.

And the winner... will live.

Simple, isn’t it?" Maika laughed hysterically before laying out the twisted rules of his game.