THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 717: The Last Thousand Steps (2)

"Does it bring you joy to watch me battle my own father? To see him attempt to strike me down... even after he gave his life to save mine? Does this spectacle satisfy you?"

Frey’s knuckles whitened as he gripped his blade. With a sudden, explosive motion, he unleashed a horizontal slash saturated with a massive wave of Black Hole Aura, forcing Zibar and Abraham to recoil from the impact.

Simultaneously, he activated the aura-circulation technique of the Nameless, pulling back a vast portion of the energy he had just expended.

Retreating to a safe distance, Frey kept his hand firmly on the hilt while his presence expanded outward.

"I am merely human... No matter how I mimic a monster or strive to transform into one... in moments like these, my true nature resurfaces. The agony currently tearing at my heart is the only evidence I need of my own frailty..."

He murmured these words while pressing a hand to his chest, a bitter, faint grin hidden by the contours of his mask.

"You share that sentiment, don't you? Answer me... Nameless."

"..."

Silence was the only response from Nameless, though Frey had anticipated nothing more.

His clothes were drenched in crimson despite the lack of visible wounds. This was the grim result of his regeneration working overtime, stitching him back together after Zibar and Abraham had landed dozens of lethal blows.

"With every strike I aim at my father, my resolve fractures. It doesn't feel like I'm cutting his flesh; it feels as though I am carving away pieces of my own soul. Even now, I can feel myself wavering."

"Even as fury consumes me and the instinct to kill permeates my spirit, I still hesitate before him... That cowardice is the proof of my weakness—proof that I am still the same naive brat I’ve always been..."

"If that's the truth... then why did I choose this Path of Blood? Why did I slaughter so many? Why did I let my hands be stained by their lives? Was it not all for the sake of obtaining power?"

But at this moment...

His adversaries were holding back, treating him like an opponent who didn't even require their full concentration.

He was a mere hurdle.

A simple warm-up act before the true conflict they were anticipating.

Ultimately, it felt as if all of Frey Starlight’s desperate struggles were meaningless—he was nothing more than a source of amusement to them.

As harsh as that reality was, he was facing Zibar, a being who had survived for millennia, and Abraham Starlight, a man whose lifelong strength had been further surged by Conflagration.

Yet, Frey refused to use that as a justification, especially since he wielded the powers of the Nameless.

"Am I... truly this pathetic?"

Frey whispered the question to himself.

In front of him, Abraham lunged from the right, cloaked in a thunderous white aura, while Zibar closed in from the left, trailing a shroud of pitch-black demonic mist.

Both figures appeared infinitely more terrifying than Frey’s own stellar aura.

Zibar slowed his pace for a second, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Indeed... you are incredibly weak, Frey Starlight."

He spoke with cold, absolute conviction.

Frey remained quiet for a few heartbeats... before finally responding:

"I understand..."

He let his eyelids fall shut.

When they snapped open again...

The light within them had transformed.

They were frigid. Sharp. Brimming with murderous intent.

Instantly, Frey shifted his weight and hoisted his sword high above his head.

Then...

BOOOOOM!!!

His aura detonated outward, releasing the absolute limit of his SSS-Rank Cultivation.

"Then watch closely... and see what this 'weakling' is capable of."

Frey realized there was no point in continuing a futile back-and-forth. His enemies would simply keep him backed into a corner.

Rather than allowing them that advantage, he staked everything on a desperate gamble that had formed under the crushing pressure of the fight.

Using his fury and his sorrow as high-grade fuel, Frey ignited his full potential.

"Ten Thousand Steps of Shadow: Frey Starlight’s Style..."

Inhaling deeply, he prepared to recreate the feat from his past... the strike that had once severed the moon and obliterated Zibar’s previous clone.

Sensing the overwhelming pressure Frey was gathering, Zibar didn't dare take it lightly, and even Abraham felt a prickle of genuine dread. This was no ordinary attack.

"Black Hole Aura Output: 100% + Dark Ascension + Combined Power of Dark Sister & Balerion: Nameless Judgement!"

Bringing his blade down in a thunderous vertical sweep, Frey tore a massive crescent through the atmosphere.

A dark, stellar moon-shaped arc manifested as he unleashed Nameless Judgement upon Zibar and Abraham simultaneously.

The sheer destructive force of the strike was so immense that even Geppetto, watching from a distance, felt a cold shiver of terror. He felt a wave of relief that he had opted to kidnap Ada Starlight instead of entering the fray; he knew he wouldn't have survived a direct hit.

The void of the Nameless Judgement began to swallow everything in its path, its power operating on a scale far beyond anything seen before.

Yet, against this consuming shadow, a different light erupted.

From the center of the Black Hole Aura, the brilliant radiance of Abraham Starlight flared up, manifesting a titanic shield of stellar aura to intercept Frey’s blow.

This was a legendary, transcendent technique Abraham had perfected long ago, much like Frey had forged his own Nameless Judgement.

One move was the pinnacle of destruction; the other was the ultimate form of defense.

It was a tragic irony—father and son clashing with their most powerful signature moves.

Abraham Starlight was truly a force of nature.

After a full minute of a cataclysmic collision that leveled the surrounding terrain, the dust began to settle.

Abraham stood firm, with Zibar positioned safely behind him. They stood before Abraham’s massive stellar shield, which was now splintering and cracking apart—but it had successfully held against Frey Starlight’s ultimate move.

Seeing this, Zibar couldn't help but roar with laughter.

"Is this your grand finale, Frey Starlight? The same trick you played on me before? How pathetic! That won't be enough to save you this time!"

Zibar’s laughter was crazed, relishing the fact that Abraham had been the one to absorb the brunt of the impact.

However, his joy vanished instantly as a strange sensation washed over him.

"The aura... why is it moving?"

He looked around frantically, unable to process the sight before him.

The energy from Frey’s Nameless Judgement—the massive reserves of Black Hole power—was clearly lingering in the air. But instead of fading away after being blocked by Abraham...

...it began to churn and coalesce, surging back toward a single point.

It was all flowing back into Frey Starlight.