THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 758: Snow vs Nito (1)

Earth gleamed with its captivating blue glow, prominently displayed against the endless void of space.

Nito, known as the Ninth High Seat, lingered high above the planet's atmosphere, positioned at just the right range, as he launched his devastating assaults toward the surface, aimed straight at Gehrman and his allies.

Yet, the abrupt arrival of Snow Lionheart compelled him to pause, abandoning Amon to battle solo.

"You have something that belongs to me down there," Snow stated icily.

"Traitor of the Pantheon."

Enveloped in his dazzling light aura, Snow ascended until he matched Nito’s height. Nito pivoted to face him.

"And who might you be?"

Nito failed to identify his foe in the slightest. Snow’s forgotten war form was entirely alien to him.

A warrior donned in gleaming golden armor—

with pure light aura emanating from his frame.

"You resemble the Lightbearers... but you’re different," Nito murmured, scrutinizing him through his wild green gaze.

Meanwhile, Snow clutched Vermithor firmly, bracing for combat.

"You don’t need to know who I am," Snow responded steadily.

"All you need to know is that I am your enemy."

"Well then... Very good."

Nito’s ferocious smile broadened as his sky-blue locks whipped wildly in the void.

His build was imposing... towering beyond two meters, bulging with superhuman muscles beyond mortal limits.

Nito lifted his Slitherine Sword skyward, letting the Aura of the Light Soul envelop his form... the reality-shattering might bestowed by Agaroth, the Demon King.

"The farther the distance between me and my enemy, the stronger my sword strikes become," Nito proclaimed.

"But you are not an opponent worth keeping distance from."

His eyes flashed as he swung downward, unleashing a massive surge of Light Aura at Snow.

"After all... you’re far too weak."

Nito brimmed with assurance. His rival was plainly outmatched in sheer strength.

Snow spotted the incoming strike via the slim openings in his golden helm—

yet oddly, he offered no resistance.

He didn’t even lift his shield.

He merely remained in place... observing as the assault swallowed him whole, erupting in a dazzling blast that lit up the cosmic shadows.

Nito’s brow furrowed.

"Did he really come all this way just to die?" the Ninth Ascendant grumbled—

—and then he got his reply.

A reply that caused his eyes to bulge and his forehead to crease as an utterly unforeseen event unfolded.

As the intense Light Aura faded...

Snow remained standing... untouched.

Not a mark on him.

In truth, his armor now radiated with even greater splendor than prior.

Under his helmet, Snow grinned.

"Just as I expected..."

Upon hearing this, Nito pointed his sword at Snow.

"What just happened?" he demanded.

"How are you still unharmed?"

But no explanation followed.

Snow disappeared.

In under a second, he bridged the gap and lashed out.

Vermithor met Slitherine, sparking a fierce clash of energies.

And yet... the real astonishment...

Snow matched Nito blow for blow without yielding.

"This is impossible..." Nito growled.

"He’s far weaker than me... yet he can fight me on equal footing?"

Scowling intensely, Nito poured out more of his Light Soul Aura.

This force was utterly dominant—the boon earned from the Demon King for turning on his kin and handing them over to the demons.

Through the Light Soul, Nito’s strength had surged immensely after lingering in Midir’s shadow for so long.

Up to this day, this reality-shattering skill had always crushed... or at minimum injured... his foes.

But on this day... everything shifted.

No matter the intensity he applied, the Light Soul Aura couldn’t scratch Snow at all.

Nito found himself utterly disoriented.

Snow capitalized on that instant, ramping up the assault seamlessly.

"What’s wrong?" Snow mocked coolly while striking once more.

"Don’t tell me that’s all you can do."

Nito hit back with amplified might.

Their blades met in rapid frenzy, drawing them into a savage, lightning-fast swordfight that highlighted their skills.

Snow excelled as the finer swordsman... sharp, polished, and streamlined.

Nito depended on sheer devastation and ferocity.

For an instant, they seemed dead even.

But that was mere deception.

Nito’s early frown eased into steady poise.

Noticing this, Snow’s eyes tightened—sensing his foe was no amateur.

Unlike Vayne, quick to rile, Nito was seasoned. He was piecing it together.

The Ninth Ascendant unleashed yet more Light Soul Aura, bathing huge swaths of space in glow.

Despite the immense ruinous force, Snow stood firm unscathed—and struck back without delay.

But now, Nito parried the hit with ease.

Snow’s strike lacked potency.

And mere seconds later—

Nito’s smile resurfaced.

"I see now..."

Rather than slashing, Nito reached out a hand at Snow.

A tremendous blaze of fire aura gathered in his grasp.

The fire burned sky-blue.

The Ninth Ascendant amassed a staggering volume of that aura... and exploded it right in Snow’s face.

For the first time in the skirmish, Snow hoisted his shield, pulling back while blocking the onslaught.

Nito ranked as a Fourth-Stage SSS-rank fighter.

Unsurprisingly, his aura surpassed Snow’s by a wide margin.

Though Snow withstood the hit, the blaze clearly singed his shield, wearing down part of it.

Witnessing this...

Nito erupted in manic guffaws.

"Ahahahaha!!! What a surprise!"

Nito bellowed, barely containing his mirth.

"You! ... You’re the Pure Vessel, aren’t you?!"

At those words, Snow stayed silent...

but evidently, he wasn’t thrilled that his secret had been exposed.

"That silence, and your refusal to deny it, means I’m right... damn it, what kind of nonsense is this..."

"Ridiculous as it sounds... it’s the only logical explanation for what’s happening."

"You’re far weaker than me—you haven’t even reached the SSS tier—yet you can withstand the Light Soul without suffering any damage."

"There’s only one situation where that’s possible..."

Nito’s face grew grave as his laughter ceased.

"And that is if you are the original bearer of that power."

The Six Fundamental Soul Bearers stand apart from everything else:

Light Soul.

Death.

Darkness.

Blood.

Reincarnation.

And the Demonic Soul.

These forces are deadly... harboring apocalyptic ruin and methods that surpass the bounds of reality.

And yet—curiously—

They hold no sway over their initial hosts.

In essence, regardless of the Light Soul’s dominance...

it fails against its true origin.

That was Nito’s deduction.

"Even if that’s the only logical explanation... I still find it hard to believe," Nito went on somberly.

"Are you truly the Pure Vessel... or merely a copy of him? The First Lord of Light could never be this weak."

The First Lord of Light had been a peerlessly mighty fighter—

one who scaled the heights of the SSS tier and commanded various reality-shattering powers.

Snow, though, didn’t seem potent enough to fit that mold.

Grasping that his adversary was no pushover, Snow dropped all caution at once.

"Since you’ve already figured it out... there’s no point in hiding it any longer."

Snow thrust his sword forward...and summoned the Light Soul’s might on his own.

Nito’s eyes bulged in disbelief.

"What the fuck"

The Ninth Ascendant’s scowl deepened.

It was obvious he’d never realized the Light Soul he wielded was merely a fragment of the full force.

The remaining portion... resided with Snow.

"You’re right, Ninth ascendant," Snow Lionheart declared evenly as he settled into his fighting pose.

"The Light Soul doesn’t work on me... because I am its original owner."

"But unlike me..."

Snow’s stare intensified.

"You’re still vulnerable to it, aren’t you?"

The instant those words escaped, Snow unleashed the complete might of his Light Soul, hurling a ferocious torrent of brilliance at Nito.

Nito met the assault with one of his own...

this time drawing on his brute force alone, forgoing the Light Soul.