Chapter 373: A New Era (2)
He accused them bluntly, without hesitation.
"Look at you. Refusing to leave—just because you feel he might still be alive."
"He’s your friend, so I get it. I understand what you’re trying to do."
"But what I don’t understand ..what I can’t stand .. Is your damn hypocrisy."
"If losing the witch’s mark isn’t enough proof that he’s dead—
Then why did you declare the other four students dead the moment their signatures disappeared?"
"Hehehe... what brilliant logic."
He had a point ..
And no one could deny it.
"By what right do you stay behind for him? Wait for what, exactly? He’s already dead."
Aegon spoke with a smile—
Though his thoughts betrayed his words.
He knew Frey wouldn’t die so easily.
He had tried to kill him several times already—and failed.
But still, Aegon didn’t need a reason to keep stirring the pot.
Mockery came naturally to him.
Phoenix, however, would never allow them to stay behind.
"The prince is right. None of you should stay here waiting for him—you’re not suited for something like this."
It was Ghost who finally spoke after remaining silent in the corner for so long, as he usually did.
Sansa and the others wanted to object,
But Ghost didn’t give them the chance. He continued right away.
"You shouldn’t stay here. One person is enough—and that person is me."
The only one with exceptional stealth skills ..
Skills that allowed him to survive longer than anyone else in the Land of the Ultras.
"As an assassin, my talents are best suited for this. I’ll find him—no matter what it takes. And when I do, we’ll return home together."
"Just trust me... and leave this place."
Pleading with them,
Ghost Umbra declared his readiness to stay behind alone and search for Frey.
From the beginning, Ghost had always been a shadow.
And a shadow must always follow its light.
And that light ..
Had always been Frey.
"Ghost Umbra... I’m sorry, but I won’t allow you to go."
Standing before him, Phoenix released a burst of aura to block his path.
But Ghost merely shook his head.
"Forgive me, Professor Phoenix... but I don’t need your permission. And I think you’re misunderstanding something."
At that moment—
Ghost’s body shifted ..
Becoming nothing more than a dark, shadowy figure that melted into the ground and disappeared.
"I left this place long ago. What you’ve been talking to all this time was just a shadow clone. My real body is already far, far from here."
The group was stunned.
Ghost had deceived them all.
He had slipped away unnoticed—
And what they had seen was nothing more than a projection.
His stealth was so advanced,
Even Phoenix couldn’t pinpoint when he had pulled it off.
What they didn’t know ..
Was that Ghost had already left days ago—
Even before Selena announced the loss of Clana’s magical signature.
He had moved faster than anyone else.
All for one reason:
To find Frey Starlight.
...
...
...
While the elite class reached a critical juncture in their struggle within the Land of the Ultras ..
The outside world was also shifting,
Ever since the incident of their abduction.
After the catastrophic battle in Shizclar Bay,
Which ended in a victory for the Ultras and a crushing defeat for the Empire—
Despite the win,
Astaroth, one of the demon lords, had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Emperor Maekar Valerion.
He would’ve died ..
Had Beatrice not intervened and saved him in the end.
Astaroth cursed violently once his body had finally recovered—
Taking advantage of the demonic vitality that allowed him to survive.
Though he hadn’t regained his full strength yet, His body had healed enough for him to fight again.
So he returned to his base—
A tower built for him by the Ultras in the capital, Caeled,
Which he had claimed as his domain.
Still fuming from the humiliation dealt to him ..
By Maekar... and Beatrice, who mocked him to his face—
Astaroth found himself spiraling.
His mind was fraying.
Insanity nipping at the edges of his thoughts as he cursed the day he ever came to Earth.
"Where the hell are you, Lord Wesker...?"
He growled.
He walked through the tower’s entrance,
Moving toward his throne,
Memories rising from the moment he first set foot on this cursed planet.
Astaroth, the 19th-ranked High Demon,
Was a loyal servant of one of the Four Demon Lords—Wesker, ranked 4th.
In pursuit of his master,
Astaroth had searched the world for him, step by step.
Eventually ..
He arrived on Earth, a planet whose gates had supposedly been sealed in ancient times.
But Astaroth found them wide open.
Someone had destroyed the seal and left it that way.
Wesker’s trail ended here—on Earth.
It was the last place the 4th-ranked demon had ever been seen.
And that...
Left Astaroth with far too many questions.
Where had Wesker gone?
What had happened to him?
He searched for answers...
But before he could resume the search,
An order came from above—
Assigning him to rule over this insignificant world.
An order rumored to have come from Agaroth himself.
Meaning Astaroth couldn’t leave anymore.
And now ..
He was being humiliated.
By mortals.
Beings he considered pathetic, lowly creatures.
He didn’t understand—
Where had Wesker vanished to?
Why had the slumbering Agaroth suddenly awoken ..Only to issue such an order?
The thoughts drove him mad.
He couldn’t grasp what the higher beings were thinking—
Beings who saw what he could not.
Finally,
He reached the throne built for him by human hands.
And Astaroth came to a stop.
He stepped into the dark chamber that had become his new home.
The demon’s eyes locked onto the throne—
Or rather, the figure seated upon it.
A man in a black suit and long coat,
Resting his hands on a sheathed sword,
Gazing back at him with cold, emotionless eyes.
"What is the meaning of this... Gavied Lindman?!"
Astaroth unleashed his aura in fury—
A crushing, SS+ level force that shook the entire hall, Directing it straight at the Ultras Lord who sat on his throne, seemingly unfazed.
But then ..
From out of nowhere, a second aura clashed with his.
An aura equal in strength pushed back,
Meeting Astaroth’s pressure head-on and forcing him to halt.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"SS+ rank?!"
"You look surprised... Astaroth."
Gavied Lindman slowly unsheathed his blade,
Dark markings forming around his eyes.
"It must be humiliating, huh?
To see one of those insignificant creatures you’ve always despised... sitting on your throne, defying your rule."
"Since when?"
Astaroth barked, unable to comprehend the overwhelming pressure radiating from someone who was supposed to be far beneath him.
"Since the very beginning... Astaroth."
Gavied rolled up his sleeve, revealing cursed tattoos carved into his flesh.
"You... broke the pact?!"
That revelation stunned Astaroth into silence.
He had broken the demonic contract.
A feat so rare, it was considered nearly impossible.
The only one to ever achieve it was Dragoth ..
The same man who had once battled Abraham Starlight.
Dragoth was the only known human to ever shatter the pact and free himself from the demon’s control,
Gaining full access to his powers without being bound by their commands.
That’s why Dragoth was hailed as a hero among the Ultras—
The symbol of hope.
The one human who had escaped the demons’ chains.
He was supposed to be the only one.
And yet—
Here stood another.
Gavied Lindman.
He had conquered his pact too.
Hiding his true power all this time,
Waiting for the right moment to sever the hold of the demon who sought to control his destiny.
"I was right in front of you this whole time, Astaroth...
But your arrogance blinded you.
You couldn’t fathom that a mere ’mortal’ had risen high enough to stand on the same stage as you."
Astaroth’s face twisted in fury, scoffing.
"The same stage as me?
You think just reaching SS+ qualifies you to stand in my world? How naïve."
Even within SS+ rank,
There was a vast difference between someone who had just reached it and someone who had mastered it.
But Gavied didn’t care.
"Reveal yourself, Aether..."
"Die."
Astaroth cloaked himself in a terrifying aura of lightning ..
Then burst forward at blinding speed to finish Gavied with a single strike.
But Gavied Lindman didn’t even flinch.
He revealed his hidden blade at last—
A golden hilt with a magnificent silver edge.
"Phantom Form."
He activated his strongest sword form.
Gavied Lindman became untouchable.
As Astaroth’s claw neared his chest,
Confident of victory—
His hand passed through Gavied’s body completely.
As if he were trying to pierce a ghost...
Not a man of flesh and blood.
Gavied no longer had a physical form.
Astaroth couldn’t touch him.
And just as he moved past him—
Gavied turned sharply,
Blade in hand, eyes darkened by the abyss,
His SS+ aura roaring to life.
"You demons...
You’ve always looked down on humans—
Used them for your twisted games and experiments."
With a swift motion,
Gavied slashed across Astaroth’s chest.
Black demon blood splattered to the ground.
Astaroth didn’t understand what happened ..
Until he saw the blood pouring out of him.
"Let’s see now .. What will you do... when you die at the hands of one of those ’insignificant’ humans?!"
In that moment ...
An unexpected war erupted between the Ultras Lord and the Demon.