Chapter 486: A Game Set in Shadows (1)
When Nightmares Become Reality. A Tangible Reality.
That seemed like the perfect description of what unfolded in the High Blood Province of the Ultras ..there, in Shezclar.
The grand edifice, the wondrous gate built with difficulty by the Ultras, witnessed the first clash.
A clash between humans… and those who stood above.
The entities Frey had always tried to escape from .. now, one of them stood before him.
The first was Geppetto, a vile demon who looked like a 14-year-old boy ..if you ignored his devilish features. Who would’ve guessed he was the 13th-ranked Archdemon?
But Geppetto wasn’t the worst one.
No, that title belonged to the monster standing directly in front of Frey now.
A filthy, cursed demon ..one who held the 10th highest rank.
Zibar, the man known as the One-Man Army, and the bearer of Agaroth’s Reincarnation Soul.
This being had nearly devoured Ghost, until Frey arrived at the last possible second, pulling his friend away from the demon’s jaws.
Zibar made no effort to conceal his power. His SSS rank aura continued shaking the entire place.
Frey could barely stand. He was facing an opponent who completely outclassed him, and the only reason he hadn’t crumbled was because he had pushed his explosive aura to its maximum limit.
But even after going beyond his limits, his strength felt lukewarm compared to the monstrous presence in front of him.
The Lord Starlight, who had gained both restraint and overwhelming power, was now struggling.
His expression had darkened. Even he couldn’t hide his true emotions before such a being.
“Ghost… no matter what happens .. don’t move.
Don’t breathe.
Don’t even think about doing anything.”
Shielding his friend behind him, Frey’s body flared with a blinding violet light. His eyes never left Zibar … not for a second. Any delay could mean catastrophe.
Then, something ominous crept into the air…
A sinister force slithered like serpents across the ground, wrapping around Frey and Ghost’s necks like quiet nooses. The two froze in place.
As if some kind of curse had bound them.
Ghost didn’t understand what was happening, but Frey knew.
He understood clearly .. whatever these things were, they came from the demon before him.
And just when everything was about to explode ..
A cheerful voice interrupted the tension from behind.
“Now, now, Zibar. You know you’re not allowed to do that.
Especially not in front of that boy.”
Geppetto floated calmly in the air, drifting closer with a cold smile.
“That’s Frey Starlight ..the one Beatrice told us about.”
Stopping his comrade, Geppetto took control of the situation.
“There’s no need for all this hostility, Frey Starlight.
We’re not here to participate in your pathetic little war.
Please relax .. there’s nothing to fear.”
He said this with the same playful tone he’d been using since he arrived. Frey responded with a half-smile ..one that couldn’t hide his unease.
“Not here to participate in the war?
That’s hard to believe.”
“Why wouldn’t you believe it?
You know full well we possess enough power to wipe you and everyone with you off the map.
There’s no point in deceiving you.”
For a moment, Geppetto’s words sounded almost reasonable.
If the demons could send monsters like them… then this entire war was meaningless.
But Frey saw things differently.
“Forgive me, but I don’t believe you.”
“I know you both have the strength to end this war in an instant.
And that’s exactly why I can’t trust you.”
Geppetto tilted his head, intrigued.
“Go on…”
Frey gave them both a quick glance before declaring:
“Zibar. Bearer of the Reincarnation Soul.
A demon who can create countless clones of himself .. each one nearly as strong as the original.
That’s why he’s called the One-Man Army.”
” Geppetto .. you, on the other hand, are a cursed demon who commands a filthy ability.
You can manipulate the dead and force them to fight for you.
Both of you are specialists in large-scale warfare.
The top war generals among all high-ranking demons.”
” And you want me to believe that creatures born for war .. will simply refuse to join one?”
Frey laid his cards on the table. His words rang with truth, and he had just revealed undeniable facts.
He was right .. and that’s why the reaction he got was explosive.
Even Geppetto abandoned his playful tone for the first time… and revealed his other face.
“I see. So that’s what Beatrice meant.”
The strange human Beatrice spoke of…
This was him. Frey Starlight.
A bizarre human, full of surprises.
“You know quite a lot already.
I wonder… where did you get all that knowledge from?”
Geppetto couldn’t figure out how Frey knew so much ..especially about their abilities and their roles in the demon army.
Earth was supposed to be completely isolated. There was no way a human should’ve known any of this.
And yet… somehow, he did.
“Will you tell me?
Or maybe you won’t?”
Raising his hand toward Frey, Geppetto’s body flared with a deadly gray light that made the void itself tremble.
“I wonder… if I cracked your skull open, would I find the answer?
If I killed you and turned you into one of my puppets… would you whisper your secret to me? Hehehe…”
Geppetto laughed softly.
As the pressure surged ..
The nightmare had only just begun.
Whether it was Zibar or Geppetto, both were monsters of the legendary tier…
A rank that had long been lost to time ..
The SSS tier.
Although Frey’s aura was on the same level, it barely covered a small space in front of them, giving him and Ghost who stood behind him .. a sliver of a chance to remain standing.
One could say Ghost took the worst of it.
He hadn’t breathed since the strange confrontation with the high-ranking demons began.
But unlike him… Frey held himself together far better.
Facing Geppetto, he raised his middle finger toward him, a terrifying grin stretching across his face.
“If you want answers, then go ask your damned King for one.”
He chuckled mockingly, scoffing.
“I’m sure both Agaroth and Wesker already know.
What’s the matter? Didn’t they tell you?
Haha… I guess you’re not that important after all, Rank 13 Demon.
How pitiful.”
Standing behind him, Ghost stared at Frey in horror.
He couldn’t speak ..
But his face said everything.
What he wanted to say in that moment was simply:
“Frey… have you lost your mind?”
Had he finally snapped?
Where did he even get the nerve to say something like that to those creatures?
Was he brave? Or just stupid? Or both?
Ghost couldn’t understand him.
But one thing was certain ..
Frey had achieved exactly what he intended.
He’d pissed them off.