THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 779 The Truth of the System (1)

Shadow Adaptation: 7/7

The highest level was now achieved—

the ultimate peak of the reality-shattering power called Shadow Adaptation.

This skill ranked among the top three mightiest forces throughout history, from the beginning of creation.

The seventh stage had unlocked…

the supreme form out of all seven levels.

However, that mattered little now.

The ultimate quest had been fulfilled…

and the System's limits were utterly broken.

The System had lost almost all relevance, after Frey started depending solely on his personal strength for advancement.

That last assignment marked the final command from the System… a concluding chapter to the enigmatic setup whose beginnings Frey was never permitted to discover.

As Frey eliminated Beatrice,

an odd feeling surged through him out of the blue—

like shadowy restraints that had held him captive for endless ages

were at last snapped apart.

The emotion defied description.

It was unparalleled.

A rush of liberty… of release.

A brilliant white glow enveloped Frey's vision,

and his whole essence plunged into utter calm—

as if his very spirit had departed from his form.

Movement became impossible for him.

Indeed, it seemed he no longer inhabited the material realm at all.

The Shadow Sect's fighters, under Gehrman's command, safeguarded his physical shell,

providing the necessary room to wrap up the System's tale

and reveal the secrets concealed within it.

Thus…

Frey Starlight delved profoundly… even further… into a different dimension.

Initially, darkness reigned supreme.

An absolute black emptiness where visibility was nil,

where feelings themselves dissolved,

and the very notion of being started to shift.

Then, one ray of light emerged—

sweeping across the obscurity in front of Frey's gaze.

The illumination saturated the space, lighting up the emptiness

until perception returned once more.

Upon regaining his senses,

Frey beheld his own figure for the initial time.

He now positioned himself within an enormous blank slate—

an boundless stretch of void.

In this space, all things were present…

while simultaneously, none were.

A domain where temporal and spatial laws ceased to operate.

A sphere lacking both heavens…

and earth.

For an extended instant, Frey remained transfixed,

struggling to grasp the unfolding events.

Yet he quickly pulled himself together,

determined not to get lost in the perpetual whiteness.

It was then that he noticed…

Solitude did not define his presence.

Another had accompanied him.

A figure who had lingered at his side since the outset…

though Frey had overlooked it.

A male of matching stature, clad in a pitch-dark mask.

It was Nameless.

He regarded Frey with folded arms,

as though he had awaited patiently for ages.

“You’ve finally snapped out of it.

I figured you might remain stuck in this spot indefinitely.”

Frey’s brow furrowed.

“How much time has passed while I’ve been immobilized?”

Nameless shook his head.

“Hard to say?

Time holds no sway in this domain.”

Frey hesitated briefly, then composed himself.

“What is this location?”

That proved the proper inquiry.

Even Nameless—

despite his vast wisdom—

faltered.

“I’ve never encountered this area in my existence…

despite traversing the whole cosmos once.”

Frey’s eyes sharpened as he paced a bit over the pale surface.

If Nameless himself couldn’t pinpoint it,

then matters were graver than anticipated.

But Nameless pressed on, as if realization dawned.

“I awoke prior to you,

and I explored this odd domain.

I remain uncertain about its precise position… but I believe I grasp its nature.”

Frey spun toward him right away.

Nameless could very well hold the key.

He held back momentarily before elaborating.

“In various remote parts of our realm… the tangible cosmos…

in far-flung zones dispersed across reality…

over my extended travels,

I uncovered remnants of something primordial—

broken hints, fragmented etchings, enigmatic phrases.

They appeared jumbled, disjointed…

but every one pointed to the identical concept.”

Nameless’s gaze sparkled.

“Each depicted a separate plane—

no… not quite a plane…

a segment of our own reality.

A section utterly concealed from mortal senses,

locked away beyond an impenetrable barrier.”

His sight drifted over the barren space.

“They named it…”

“The Aether Realm.”

“The Aether Realm?” Frey echoed.

Nameless affirmed with a nod.

“That’s the extent of my knowledge.

For whatever cause, once you finished the System’s concluding task,

you got drawn into this domain…

and inexplicably,

so was I.”

Frey inclined his head.

“Put simply…

whatever—or whoever—drew us to this spot

resides here already…

observing us.”

He directed his attention to the endless pale emptiness.

And suddenly…

A voice replied from the void.

“Indeed. You are right.”

The initial sound emerged—otherworldly, profound yet gentle, nearly resembling a youthful tone.

It originated from midway between Frey and Nameless, triggering chills that raced through them both. They jumped back simultaneously, on instinct separating from the voice’s origin.

Positioned together, Frey and Nameless fixed their eyes on that… entity.

In that instant, their minds likely harbored the identical thought.

What on earth is that creature?

The presence facing them was far from commonplace.

Neither Frey nor Nameless could ascertain if it even possessed life. Its traits remained vague, and discerning its sex was impossible.

Its shape… its physique was entirely white, mirroring the pale terrain underfoot.

It hovered in the emptiness, its visage marginally more distinct than its frame.

An immaculate white countenance—

devoid of tresses,

without oculars,

sans nostrils.

Solely… lips.

Lips bent into an odd grin.

Neither benevolent.

Nor malevolent.

The sole apt portrayal was that it hailed from a domain beyond reality.

Frey and Nameless observed it for a few seconds, until the ashen visage addressed them once more.

“What’s this? I called you forth, but you arrived in dual shapes…”

The youthful timbre resounded as the entity cocked its head and chuckled lightly.

“Fate hasn’t favored you, my cherished Frey.”

The figure uttered Frey’s name, prompting him to scowl and heighten his vigilance.

Circumstances looked dire.

In this space, neither Frey nor Nameless could muster the slightest hint of aura.

They stood utterly vulnerable…

wholly subject to this entity’s will.

The figure appeared to sense their concerns and responded serenely.

“Rest assured. Harm cannot come to you from me, even if desired.”

It raised a pallid limb idly.

“Aura fails to operate here, rendering any effort to wield it futile.”

Oddly, such reassurance only intensified the strain.

The absence of aura was an ordeal neither had faced before.

Frey broke the silence first.

“What exactly are you? And what ties do you have to me… to us?”

He shot a look at Nameless nearby.

Nameless stayed quiet, eyeing the entity with utmost wariness.

The figure grinned.

“Revealing my nature serves no purpose. A name, if bestowed, would mean nothing to you.”

It lingered briefly before proceeding.

“Since your essence is warped…

so profoundly warped that you’ve lost sight of your true self…

and overlooked those near you.”

“I can’t make sense of anything you’re uttering.” Frey’s scowl intensified.

The entity circled him unhurriedly.

“Never mind that. You entered this place seeking the System’s verity, correct?”

The ashen features shifted to Nameless.

“I suppose our concealed companion yearns for the revelation too, right?”

Nameless had no rebuttal.

To date, Frey Starlight’s strength, skills, and nearly all his combat techniques stemmed from Nameless.

All of it—

save for the System.