THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 786 The Crack in Creation (1)

"I am asking you… Agaroth."

The room's atmosphere transformed in an instant.

An oppressive weight filled the surroundings.

From the void, Agaroth suddenly gripped Ada's form.

This marked the second instance where the Demon King had taken over Frey's sister's body.

And it represented their third clash in this exact fashion.

Agaroth swiftly gained total command of Ada, grinning at Frey while locking eyes with him briefly through those blood-red orbs.

"I have many things I wish to say," Agaroth declared with cheer, rubbing Ada's palms together.

"But to begin with…"

"Allow me to applaud you, and your tremendous growth. You deserve praise."

Just from a quick look, the Demon King discerned that Frey Starlight now stood at a power level matching the Ten Supreme Demons or even the Dukes of Hell.

Such rapid progress in so little time once more highlighted that Frey's aptitude was far from average.

The Demon King himself admitted that Frey's feats warranted genuine respect.

This was their third meeting like this, yet the first where Frey confronted him without any dread or doubt.

Usually, just Agaroth's aura alone would cause Frey to shake so badly he almost blacked out.

But things were different now.

Frey remained calm, having already spotted that Agaroth was possessing Ada.

He had noticed it via the Void Eyes.

With those eyes, Frey perceived the complete reality of Agaroth's odd power.

Frey directed his sight to the area over Ada's head.

An entity materialized there, one invisible to ordinary senses.

A weird figure, akin to a shadowy ghost, its traits obscured by matted dark locks.

This ghost stretched out peculiar strands, like puppet strings.

They enveloped Ada fully, restraining her physical form and spirit.

Agaroth's possession worked only on those under SSS rank, so it wasn't flawless domination, yet it delved into the realm of life and death.

That domain had always been Agaroth's weaker suit, but he managed this extent even while lagging behind Nameless and Maskith in that principle.

Agaroth kept applauding for some time, truly delighted by Frey's advancement, which only hardened Frey's face more with every moment.

"Stop playing around and state your reason for coming, Demon King," Frey demanded, his Void Eyes shimmering.

At his present strength, he felt confident he could break Agaroth's hold on Ada effortlessly if he wished.

The method Agaroth employed wasn't overly intricate.

Yet Frey held back.

He desired a conversation with the Demon King, and this was his opportunity.

Agaroth remained unaffected by the menace in Frey's voice, though he ceased the clapping.

"Of course… There is a reason for my visit today. But first…"

Speaking via Ada's form, Agaroth glanced around the area.

A modest hut.

A warm familial vibe.

It didn't take long for the Demon King to grasp the situation unfolding here.

"I believe you asked me an important question," Agaroth stated with a broad grin—though hearing it from Ada's mouth felt profoundly disturbing.

"What is the purpose of power, and what is it meant for… A beautiful question. It may seem complicated at first. People like you tend to seek meaning in your strength—protecting the weak, enforcing your own sense of justice. That is likely how you think."

Frey stayed silent.

The Demon King spoke truth.

In the past, power was what Frey chased to safeguard his loved ones and those precious to him.

That held for his former self at least.

For the Frey of today, his real aims remained quite vague.

Agaroth had picked up on this shift already. Those eyes perceived too deeply.

Frey's development had always amused him.

His hardships, his fights, his pain—

All formed a sorrowful drama that the trapped Demon King of Helmond relished observing.

Agaroth understood Frey deeply, knowing he would never embrace his view on power.

Still, he shared it.

"The true meaning of power is not complicated.

It is not deep.

It is not noble or grand.

It is far simpler than that."

"Power is not something you use for others," Agaroth explained, pointing at his own form.

"Power is something you use for yourself .. and no one else."

Frey's eyes briefly widened.

True surprise didn't grip him.

This fit precisely what one anticipated from the Demon King.

"Life is simple.

If I find a strong enemy, I fight him.

If someone annoys me, I kill him.

If I desire something, I take it—regardless of who stands in my way."

"My power exists to fulfill whatever I wish. That is the path I have walked my entire life .. the road that led me to where I am today."

It was ruthlessly straightforward.

The predator's way that consumed all in its path.

He acted on his whims, heedless of others.

Every move he made served only himself.

That's why Agaroth wielded such might ..and had no stakes to risk.

That route bestowed him vast strength, crowning him atop the world…

Yet it also isolated him utterly.

No competitors.

No companions.

After endless ages of indulging freely, an inner void had crept in—

Since none could match him any longer.

Not within this physical realm.

Frey grasped all this solely from Agaroth's statements.

And that insight sparked another thought.

"That selfish way of life…" Frey remarked steadily, uninterested in pursuing the debate.

"It truly suits you."

"Why are you here, Demon King? Say what you came to say already .. speaking with you brings me nothing."

Agaroth responded with a smile.

"You already know what I want, don't you? You're not stupid," the Demon King noted, tilting Ada's form a bit closer.

"You went to that place…"

Those words made Frey scowl.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Aether World," Agaroth revealed—causing Frey to tense up.

"How did you do it? How did you leave the material world and enter that domain?" Agaroth inquired evenly… though an unusual tone emerged this time.

The red eyes deepened in shade slowly.

A peculiar craving emerged in the Demon King .. as though he would seize the secret at any price.

Witnessing that, a chilling grin spread across Frey's features.

"Go to hell, you damned demon. I'm not telling you."

Frey flipped off Agaroth, who stared back intensely through Ada's vessel.

The intense look faded after just a moment as Agaroth's typical smile reappeared.

"I don't need you to tell me," he declared.

"I will tear the answer out of you by force."

Right then, the Demon King attacked.

Frey jumped away, calling forth his blade while his Void Eyes blazed with alert.

Out of nowhere, numerous red energy surges burst forth.

Frey attempted to deflect them .. but these weren't material blows.

They targeted his essence spiritually.

Following their source, Frey saw they emanated from the Demon King's altered left eye.

"That… isn't the King Eye," Frey observed, comprehending that Agaroth wielded another eye power.

That organ probably allowed intrusion into Frey's thoughts .. the eerie energy had already permeated him wholly.

Realizing Agaroth's intent, Frey's frame burst into purple Soulfire, wielding the Law of Life and Death.

"Don't you dare underestimate me, you bastard."

Immediately, the blaze cleansed Frey's form and spirit of Agaroth's taint.

Next, he charged forward, slashing at the odd ghost floating over Ada's frame.

One strike eradicated it utterly.

The binding strands broke apart and dispersed.

Even with Frey's quick counter, he glimpsed Agaroth's smile in the last instant .. right before Ada resurfaced.

That sufficed to confirm it.

Agaroth had achieved his goal.

He had probably obtained the information he sought.

Gradually, the Demon King's aura faded away.

Silence returned to the cabin as Ada collapsed into her seat, out cold.

Moments later, her eyelids parted.

She scanned her surroundings, then eyed Frey poised in front of her, weapon in hand.

"Frey… what are you doing?" Ada inquired with innocence.