THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 731: Shadow Sect vs the High Demons (13)

"Does my presence startle you so much?" Gehrman questioned with a calm demeanor while maintaining his relentless assault.

"Compared to my former self, my current speed is quite lacking."

BOOOOM!!!

Gehrman accelerated his strikes, completely suppressing Wesker. Every blow discharged a cataclysmic wave of aura that rocked the surroundings.

"When I was at my peak... not even the Demon King or my lord Nameless could track my movements."

"In that specific area... I was unrivaled across the entire world."

In an era inhabited by monsters and entities who had shattered all boundaries—beings like Agaroth or Nameless—it was an almost impossible feat for any warrior to exceed them in any discipline, regardless of their power level.

Nevertheless, Gehrman had achieved supremacy in one specific field.

One vital attribute.

Speed.

That was the true significance of being ranked Number One within the Shadow Sect.

Even in his current state, far removed from his prime, Wesker struggled to perceive his trajectory even with the aid of the King’s Eye.

The Rank Four Demon eventually ceased his futile attempts to rival Gehrman’s swiftness.

Instead, he pivoted toward pure, unadulterated carnage.

By manipulating the surrounding waves, Wesker manifested the gaping jaws of a foul, mammoth beast. He launched this grotesque creation directly from his own form toward Gehrman.

The entity stretched across hundreds of meters, attempting to swallow Gehrman whole in a single gulp.

However, the moment it closed its maw...

The creature was instantly flash-frozen, shattering into a million shards under the sheer intensity of the frost.

Gehrman leaped clear of the attack, but as he landed, he found himself encircled by thousands of dark stars. Under Wesker's command, they began to rotate around him in a lethal orbit.

"If matching your speed is impossible..." Wesker remarked with a sadistic smirk, spreading his arms wide.

"Then I simply need to turn everything to dust."

The dark stars discharged a relentless storm of shadow projectiles, effectively shredding the fabric of the sky.

Gehrman began to weave through the chaos, evading every projectile with an inhuman grace.

"I’ve made a realization, Gehrman!" Wesker bellowed, his gaze locked on the moving target through the network of dark stars.

"You may have tapped into some external power to reclaim this level of combat—but your physical vessel is still brittle, isn't it?"

Wesker’s grin grew more pronounced.

"That is the reason you are dodging everything... your body lacks the durability to survive even a single direct strike from me!!"

He ramped up the pressure, having identified the Engineer’s fatal flaw with alarming intuition.

Gehrman continued to dance through the onslaught with supernatural agility, all while attempting to bridge the gap between them.

'As expected of a high-ranking demon... he has already seen through me.'

Wesker was no trivial adversary.

From that brief clash and Gehrman’s defensive maneuvers, the demon had already deduced the Engineer’s physical constraints.

Those eyes truly possessed terrifying insight.

'I have channeled a vast amount of power from Fulgor to simulate my past strength... but my physical form remains weak.'

Gehrman’s blue eyes flashed as he fixed his sights on Wesker.

'A solitary hit at full strength would be my certain death.'

The playing field was entirely uneven.

Gehrman had entered this confrontation facing overwhelming odds.

The Rank Four Demon required only one successful connection to conclude the duel instantly.

And unfortunately...

Wesker was fully aware of that fact.

"You’ve taken a desperate gamble, Saint!" Wesker thundered.

"You are looking down on me, aren't you?!"

He extended his arms, and the heavens vibrated as if struck by a massive tremor.

"Do you truly believe you can remain untouched forever?! Who do you think stands before you?!"

His visage morphed into a terrifying mask as Wesker’s crimson eyes glowed with a lethal light.

"I shall grant you a glimpse of true purgatory."

Behind the demon's silhouette, a portal began to manifest.

A massive, obsidian gate rose out of the void.

The doors swung open unnaturally, and from the darkness within emerged the sounds of the abyss—noises that had no place in the mortal realm.

Then, without warning, thousands of foul, slime-covered entities surged from the portal. They flooded the heavens, their mouths agape as they hunted for Gehrman.

"Supreme Art: Gate of the Sinners."

This represented one of Wesker’s ultimate techniques—a gateway that unleashed nightmarish horrors so vile they could shatter a man's sanity.

It appeared as though the apocalypse had descended.

These repulsive beings multiplied endlessly, blotting out the sun.

Before the Engineer—who now looked like a mere speck in a vast ocean of darkness—the monsters swarmed from every angle, lunging in unison.

Immediately, the blue-eyed warrior unleashed his own power, counterattacking without a moment's pause.

The carnage began.

A rain of gore soaked the earth.

It was not water falling from the sky, but the putrid blood of slaughtered monsters.

In a matter of heartbeats, Gehrman had cut down a staggering number of foes, yet it felt like trying to empty the sea with a cup.

The entities continued to pour from the gateway in a never-ending stream.

"These creatures are the physical embodiment of the miserable souls I have tormented throughout my long existence," Wesker announced with cold indifference.

"Their agony, their malice, and their spite have forged them into these hideous shapes... all seeking vengeance against me."

"Yet, in the end, they are nothing but fuel for my gate!

The Gate of Hell is now brimming with their damned spirits!

Ahahahahaha!!"

Wesker’s manic laughter rang across the sky, harmonizing with the collective wails of the mutated abominations, sounding like the world's final scream.

Gehrman and Wesker were nearly lost within the hellish landscape—tiny figures drowned in an infinite abyss.

This was Wesker's perfect counter-strategy against a high-speed opponent.

An omnidirectional assault of such scale that dodging became a mathematical impossibility.

And Gehrman could not afford even a single graze.

To guarantee his triumph, Wesker had laid numerous traps around his own person... just in case Gehrman managed to pierce through the sea of monsters.

"Let’s see how you handle this, Gehrman!"

Even with a portion of his old power restored, fighting a battle where one mistake meant certain death was a massive risk—especially against an opponent of this caliber.

Wesker held the upper hand, and he intended to tighten the pressure as Gehrman continued to slaughter the creatures at a breathtaking, yet insufficient, pace.

Watching from a distance, Wesker’s keen perception caught something unusual.

He was incredibly observant.

"That fool... is he only using his left hand to fight?"

Upon further reflection, Wesker realized that since the duel started, Gehrman had only used one arm for his offenses.

His right arm—the one adorned with the clock-like rings—remained idle.

Even the previous barrage of strikes had originated from a single hand, appearing as a multitude only because of his terrifying velocity.

Wesker was not one to miss such a detail.

The King’s Eye had already cataloged the anomaly.

"What is he scheming...?"

The demon was deep in thought when his focus was suddenly pulled away.

Far below, a massive detonation occurred, rocking the foundations of the world.

The combined might of a father and son.

The strike that claimed the life of the Tenth-Rank High Demon.

Looking down, Wesker’s concentration faltered for a second as he realized the weight of what had happened.

"...Zibar."

The Tenth-Rank High Demon had fallen.

He had been defeated by Abraham and Frey.

Because Wesker could not read the destiny of Frey Starlight, he had never anticipated this turn of events.

The death of Zibar left him stunned.

It had been centuries since one of the Ten High Demons had been slain.

In those few seconds of distraction...

A voice pulled Wesker back to the present.

"Do you really have the freedom to worry about other battles, Fourth-Rank Demon?"

Wesker spun around instantly.

Gehrman was standing directly in front of him—despite having been a great distance away only a moment ago.

"What—?!"

Wesker was paralyzed with shock.

All the monsters he had summoned were now suspended in the air, frozen in time and bound by strange rings marked with clock-like runes.

It was as if time itself had been halted for them.

As for Gehrman...

He raised his left hand, condensing a massive amount of frost-fire into the shape of a colossal spear.

"High-Rank Demons are ultimately just creatures that can be slain," Gehrman said evenly.

"Just like any other living thing. When the end arrives, you will fall just as easily as common insects."

"There is no fundamental difference between you and them."

"And your time..."

"...is up."

With a speed that transcended sight and perception...

Gehrman hurled the spear with devastating force.

The frost-spear tore through the dimensions, slamming into the gate and obliterating it instantly.

The portal shattered into countless shards, falling like glass around Wesker.

Once again, they were alone.

The battlefield had reset.

This time, the smirk on Wesker’s face was gone.

Veins throbbed on his distorted face as his expression turned truly demonic.

He was consumed by rage.

"Playtime is over, Nameless’s dog," Wesker hissed, releasing his full, suffocating aura.

"I will slaughter you here—and every single one of your followers."

Seeing the Fourth-Rank High Demon finally lose his cool...

Gehrman let out a soft chuckle.

"You’ve finally lost your composure... it is a sight I find quite satisfying," he remarked calmly.

"A rare view. One I intend to enjoy."

Gehrman’s body erupted with power, preparing for the next exchange.

"You will not find victory today, Wesker," he stated firmly.

"I have already told you."

"The end is here."

"Right before your eyes."