Chapter 480: Echoes of the Battlefield
They surrounded Frey from all directions, chanting and roaring until their throats ran dry and they could shout no more.
Through it all... Frey never said a word.
He simply walked among them .. a faint smile on his face.
But this smile was unlike the bitter ones he had always worn.
It was different .. confident, resolute .. the smile of a warrior standing at the peak.
"...So this is the strength of that man’s son."
From a distance, watching silently, Bloodmader spoke with an unreadable expression.
He had been meant to be the supreme commander of the vanguard.
But now, he didn’t even bother giving out orders anymore.
He knew .. the soldiers wouldn’t follow anyone else now.
They would only follow Frey Starlight.
The hero who had shown them miracles today.
"He really is like his father... when it comes to overwhelming power."
The one who answered him was none other than Phoenix Sunlight .. the man who had once been Frey’s teacher.
His burning eyes had just witnessed the return of an age of miracles.
"To be honest, I’ve never fully understood Frey Starlight... nor that monstrous power of his.
But today, he demonstrated a level worthy of Abraham himself.
In terms of destructive might, the two are practically equals."
Both possessed a similar kind of strength .. strength powerful enough to turn the world upside down.
"They’re alike, yet different at the same time."
Abraham was radiant .. dazzling.
A star among stars.
A man one could only call an uncrowned hero.
A hero not chosen by the Lord of Light .. but by the people themselves.
Frey, on the other hand... his power was different.
"He’s more of an executioner than a hero."
"An executioner who crawled out of the abyss to exact punishment upon all who dared stand in his way.
A beast among beasts .. a monster whose true limits the world has yet to comprehend."
Unlike Abraham, the radiant hero,
Frey was the monster forged by this twisted world.
That’s why he earned that title.
"The Black Death."
A calamity that brings death and destruction wherever he goes.
Staring at the wreckage left behind by Frey’s ultimate attack, Phoenix stood in silence,
his thoughts still caught on the lingering echoes of what he had witnessed.
He had seen The Nameless Judgement before .. the second time it was unleashed.
Even though it wasn’t aimed at him... even though they were on the same side...
He couldn’t help but feel a creeping terror from the aura it released.
It was unlike anything Frey usually emitted .. as if it belonged to someone else entirely.
The soldiers couldn’t understand it .. their level was too low to even sense such a thing.
But Phoenix had glimpsed a part of it.
It was... Strange.
Cold. Dark. Ominous.
No matter how hard Phoenix tried to find the right word to describe it... he couldn’t.
And who could blame him?
He had never witnessed anything like it before.
But one thing was clear .. it had left its mark on him.
It made him ask himself a question he never thought he’d ask.
What exactly is Frey Starlight?
He was a comrade .. a student Phoenix had personally trained.
A great warrior fighting by his side .. for now.
But what kind of future awaited them?
Phoenix didn’t know the answer.
Frey possessed a magic of his own. He had made all the soldiers loyal to him.
There was no longer any trace of the hated Frey. He had become the idol of hundreds...
Without a doubt, they were now under his mercy. Whatever he decided from this point on would determine the fate of the vanguard unit.
The war wasn’t over yet, and their mission was still far from complete.
After chasing the Ultras deep into enemy waters, the imperial fleet had stopped the pursuit some time ago. And yet, they were now closer than ever...
Closer to the lands of the Ultras, lying just beyond the Devil’s Sea.
In other words... the second round was about to begin .. a round that would surely bring even greater horrors.
From the start, ten thousand soldiers were never enough, and they were never given the power they needed. This raised more than a few questions about Crown Prince Aegon Valerion’s so-called plan.
It all seemed as if he had sent them to be slaughtered.
But they had survived — even won — which made it look like Aegon had succeeded.
A great victory... with minimal forces.
But that wasn’t the truth. Their triumph today was the result of one man’s effort alone.
And yet, life had never been fair. In the end, the credit still went to Aegon.
Now, with barely 2,000 survivors, the Imperial forces continued their slow advance toward the continent of the Ultras... awaiting the start of the second round.
...
...
...
Time passed quickly, and the first night since the battle of the Shizclar Gulf came to an end.
The Imperial fleet was still sailing slowly, but steadily, toward enemy soil.
Aboard the vanguard’s ship, beneath a night sky studded with stars...
Frey Starlight staggered down the steps of the vessel, one hand gripping the wall for support, heading toward his private quarters.
The Lord of Starlight had kept himself composed until now. He had fought the war, led the soldiers, stood at the frontlines... and won.
Even after that, he stayed among the troops. He walked through every corner of the fleet, shared his aura with the injured, helped them, gave them everything he could offer.
Then came a long meeting with Bloodmader and the others, where they discussed their current state... and whether they should continue forward.
That meeting lasted hours .. and ended with a decisive conclusion.
After such a victory, they couldn’t afford to waste their efforts and return to the Empire, giving their enemies time to recover.
And so, the decision was made...
They would risk everything .. all 2,000 men .. to try and establish a foothold for the Empire on the land of the Ultras.
If they succeeded, the Empire’s real army could follow, and the true war would finally begin.
Their role, therefore, was crucial... pivotal.
Frey had given everything until the very end. He hadn’t wavered once.
But now, alone and away from all eyes... those shoulders finally collapsed as he opened the door to his room, stumbling inside with the last bit of strength he had left.
With clumsy steps, he entered the small cabin .. nothing but a bed and a plain desk inside.
He tried to throw himself onto the bed, but his legs gave out before he could, sending him crashing toward the floor.
Yet at the last second .. just before his head hit the hard surface...
Frey found himself landing on something far softer than expected.
Then, when he saw the slender white arms catching him, he realized he wasn’t alone.
With a hollow chuckle, he muttered weakly,
"Nice catch."
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