Among everyone present, that senile old man—despite his appearance—was the most proficient in spatial manipulation thanks to his abilities.
Teleporting Madam A from her location would have been effortless for him.
And yet, he shook his head.
"Sorry, I can't bring her here. There are too many powerful Awakened around her. The moment I attempt it, they'll sense me and cut the connection immediately."
Spatial teleportation was simpler than it seemed.
It was merely the act of linking two points and bridging the gap between them.
To do that, he needed to send his aura to the target's location.
But with people like Oliver Khan there… his signal would be intercepted instantly.
Teleporting her was not an option.
"Hmm."
Suddenly, both Lindman and the old man froze at the sound of a low hum.
That sound… was not human.
"Why… do you humans always rush toward death?"
"…"
"Your weakness is the reason the Supreme Sovereignty has ignored this place for so long. Disgusting creatures… fragile and frail. Why was I chosen to defile a place like this?"
Clearly, that being was talking to itself, so no one bothered to respond.
Lindman, in particular, was annoyed but knew he could do nothing against such a creature.
As for the old man… his greatest concern at the moment was that his drink had just run out.
The entity continued muttering to itself, though not for long.
"A piece like this cannot be lost… No, it must not be lost…"
It had made its decision.
"Mergo… Lord of the Dark Hive."
The moment his name was spoken, the old man obeyed.
"As you command."
"Save her."
A direct, undeniable order.
With a faint smile, the old man, Mergo, scratched his head.
"Well ... About that..."
"You can't?"
"I never said that."
Mergo sighed before continuing.
"I won't be able to bring her here… but instead, I can do the opposite."
His words were clear.
"I can send one person to support her. And just to be clear, I won't be the one going. Since I'll be the one facilitating the transfer."
A lie.
Who in their right mind would volunteer for such an arduous task?
The old man was cunning.
"So… we need someone to go and—"
"I'll go."
A fourth voice spoke this time.
A deep, resonant voice.
Accompanied by the heavy clang of armored plates shifting.
The figure had been sitting quietly in the corner all this time, but at the mention of a battle—
He stirred.
Rising to his full height—towering over four meters—he gazed down at them all.
His imposing body, clad in black-gold armor, was proof of his overwhelming strength.
No one objected.
How could anyone stop a ravenous beast from going on the hunt?
Meanwhile, within the Moonlight Manor, the sky above suddenly shone brightly.
"Hmm?"
The first to notice was the Emperor's brother—Ivar.
That light…
It was growing.
"I will drop you right above them."
The light engulfed the colossal warrior completely.
"Remember… you're not going there to fight. Your job is to buy me time so I can bring you all back."
"…"
Mergo received no response.
He knew his words were meaningless, so he sighed and continued his work.
"Just do what you do best, Lord Godfrey."
Above Moonlight Manor—
The darkened sky witnessed the birth of a star.
All eyes turned upward.
Descending from the heavens—
Engulfed in flames.
"A meteor?"
That was the only thought those below could muster.
That monstrous figure fell upon them like a blazing comet.
"Shit."
Ivar barely evaded the impact, while Oliver Khan swiftly retreated.
The moment the figure touched the ground, an explosion erupted, shaking all of Winterfell.
He landed directly in front of Madam A.
Oliver Khan was the closest—making him the first to face him head-on.
A body towering over four meters tall.
Fully armored, with long white hair cascading behind a skull-shaped helmet.
The strangest part about him… were the black horns protruding from his head.
They weren't just for show.
Oliver Khan didn't recognize him.
"You…"
The Royal Guardian took slow, deliberate steps forward.
The monstrous figure before him wielded two colossal daggers—so massive they seemed almost absurd.
"What are you?"
Oliver Khan knew all four Lords of the Ultras. And this one was certainly not among them.
Yet the terrifying truth was clear—he was undoubtedly stronger than Madam A.
At that moment, the towering warrior unleashed a battle cry so deafening that even Oliver Khan had to cover his ears.
"Mark my name—Godfrey!"
Lightning exploded above him as he sharpened his daggers, gravity distorting the ground beneath his feet.
"Lord of the Ultras—and the one who will kill you!"
Like a juggernaut, Godfrey charged forward with speed that defied his massive size.
"Watch out, Oliver!"
His daggers slammed into the ground where Oliver had stood, unleashing both lightning and crushing gravitational force.
Another earthquake rocked the battlefield.
But he had struck nothing.
"Who did you say…"
Above Godfrey, Oliver materialized—his body glowing with pure white aura.
"You were going to kill, bastard?"
Oliver shone brightly, illuminating the darkness of the night.
He knew now—this opponent was no joke.
So he responded immediately, unleashing his full strength.
Meanwhile, Godfrey only grinned.
"Come at me!"
And with that, a battle erupted—one that none who witnessed it and survived would ever forget.
...
...
...
-Frey Starlight's Pov-
Amid the darkness…
Endless silence.
Nothing.
I couldn't feel anything.
I couldn't see or hear anything.
"What happened?"
Did I die there?
Inside the Moonlight Manor—the place that had always wanted me dead?
Was this the end of my desperate struggle?
A year of suffering, drifting aimlessly…
Trapped in a body everyone wished dead, enduring every form of physical and mental torment…
Was it all over now?
This wasn't funny.
It was unfair.
Pathetic, even.
"Is it really.. the end?"
Suddenly, I heard a faint voice near my ear.
It was distorted, barely comprehensible.
When I followed it… I saw the ghostly figure of someone staring at me from within the darkness.
"Who… are you?"
…
"It's not time yet."
Suddenly, I saw light.
"Return… to where you belong."
In an instant, the ghostly figure vanished completely—
And the light consumed me.
Moments later, I opened my eyes—
Only to find something familiar falling onto me.
"Hah?"
I barely managed to lift the upper half of my body.
Bandages were wrapped all over me.
The scene around me… was familiar.
A massive bed—or should I say, a bed the size of a stadium?
I was back.
"To where it all began…"
Frey's room.
I was inside Starlight Territory.
Beside me, I saw someone familiar.
"Ada…"
She was sleeping next to me.
"Hey…"
"Mmm."
"Wake up."
It only took Ada a few seconds to fully awaken.
Seeing how disheveled she was, I tried my best to smile.
"Good morning."
"Frey! You're finally awake!"
Unexpectedly, my sister went into full panic mode.
Not that I wasn't expecting it.
She started checking me over frantically, as if she were looking at a ghost.
Her reaction was… a bit exaggerated.
"How long was I out?"
For some reason, I really wanted to know the answer.
Seeing how much Ada struggled to respond, I realized—I must've been on the brink this time.
She lowered her head, clutching both my hands tightly.
"I thought you'd never wake up… I didn't know what to do…"
"…"
"I thought I had enough strength to save you… but I only made you suffer instead. I'm sorry… I'm really sorry, Frey…"
"Ada…"
Seeing how unsteady she was, I gripped her hand even tighter.
"I'm alive. And I wouldn't have survived without you back there. I don't want to hear you saying that right now."
"Mmm…"
"Tell me… how long was I unconscious?"
Ada took a few seconds before answering.
"A month."
"Hah?"
I had been unconscious for an entire month ?
"Did I hear that wrong?"
She didn't seem to be joking.
If that was true…
"Damn it!"
I immediately jumped out of bed.
"That means there's only one month left!"
I could feel my blood boiling.
"Until the Victoriad!"
…
…
…
A.N:
Thus ends the long Moonlight Arc. And with this, we officially enter the final arc of Volume One… The Victoriad.