Chapter 497: Path of Blood (1)
— Frey Starlight’s POV —
Slowly, the morning sun rose, marking the cursed beginning of a new day.
In the continent of the Ultras, it was rare for one to catch a breath of fresh air, with death and desolation having long consumed the land.
But here, on the shores of the Demonic Sea, the air was still almost the same... causing me to inhale deeply without meaning to.
A refreshing winter breeze filled my lungs to the brim.
I had already distanced myself from the gathering of soldiers and was heading toward the tent that now served as my temporary home.
I had spent far too long sparring with them barehanded, to the point where my muscles started to feel slightly fatigued. It wasn’t anything serious ..just a dull, lingering ache from throwing punches nonstop. But still, it was annoying.
If this was enough to wear me out, it only meant one thing.
I still had a long way to go.
Today, the army would begin its advance again, and the main assault on the continent of the Ultras would commence. In other words... the real war was about to begin. Naturally, I’d been chosen to lead the vanguard.
That meant I’d be on the move today, and before that happened, I had only a few short hours to rest.
Silently, I stepped into my tent.
It was quiet inside—bare, really—just my gear and a wooden bed I rarely used.
Standing still, I spread out my aura to scan the area out of caution, but sensed nothing.
"...Sansa didn’t come today."
Or perhaps she came earlier and didn’t find me here.
A shame, really.
We didn’t even get to spend the final night together before the next battle began.
With only a few hours remaining, and complete solitude surrounding me, I figured this was the perfect time... to sharpen my awareness.
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I reached inside my garments and pulled out a certain item.
Without warning, I placed the Nameless Mask over my face and closed my eyes, allowing it to pull me inward .. into that surreal, imaginary world housed within.
The reality around me twisted upside down in an instant.
When I opened my eyes again... I was already standing in that bizarre library space.
This place no longer felt strange to me ..I’d spent enough time here during my early training.
So, with steady steps, I ignored the chaos of books strewn all around the ground and headed straight to the second floor without delay.
That floor wasn’t much better.
Unlike the early days when every book was neatly aligned, practically begging to be read, the place was now a disaster zone.
And honestly... I was the reason.
At some point, I’d grown tired of returning books to their place and began tossing them aside once I finished them.
I did it so often that it became a habit. I never bothered organizing this damned imaginary space.
So, like always, I made my way to the middle of the pile I’d last been reading and picked up the last book I touched:
"Path of Blood."
Seated among the clutter, I resumed reading .. diving deeper into the twisted training methods of that man.
Nameless.
The warrior who built his legacy through the burial of countless souls.
In order to create the ability that shattered the very limits of the world—the power that defied the laws of life and death—he had to study every form of life this world held.
He slaughtered every race imaginable and conducted sickening experiments on them, one after another, until he attained enough knowledge to understand their origin... and essence.
That maddening obsession drove him to kill more than anyone else... to sow more destruction than anyone else.
A monster among monsters, Nameless was the only one truly worthy of the title "Death."
If death itself had a king in this world, it would be him—without a doubt.
In any case, even though his main goal had been to break the cycle of life and death, what Nameless accomplished had other... unintended side effects.
Additional results that only amplified his power further .. pushing him to a level where he could challenge beings like Agaroth.
This was what came to be known as the Path of Blood.
A unique method of training that Nameless discovered and refined over countless years on the battlefield.
By walking this twisted and dark path, Nameless found a way to grow stronger with every life he took.
The more he killed... the more his hands were soaked in blood... the more his power surged.
In other words, he didn’t just gain combat experience from each battle.
He ascended to higher realms every single time he fought.
A sickening method of training .. one fitting only for a beast like him.
And here I am... following in his footsteps, continuing down the very same path.
The path that drowns you in blood, in death... in endless, savage killing.
Yet, even as I say this, what I’ve achieved so far is nothing but a drop in the ocean compared to what Nameless accomplished.
Since the start of the war, I’ve killed a total of 27,000 Ultras soldiers.
Before that, I wiped out thousands of Nightmare Creatures in the eastern territories.
But in the end, those numbers are meaningless. Tiny, insignificant... compared to the legacy Nameless left behind.
I found myself laughing unconsciously as I continued reading about the Path of Blood and that nameless monster’s past.
I’ve killed so many .. humans and beasts alike and as a result... I’m starting to feel like I can’t breathe anymore.
I’ve hidden it well until now, but these stains of blood... the crimson marks that won’t wash off my body...
They’ve grown too numerous.
And now... it feels like I’m sinking into this red swamp .. one I might never crawl out of.
I’ve killed many...
And I’m still ready to kill far more than that .. all for the sake of power.
The overwhelming strength I needed to achieve my goal... I was willing to go much, much further to obtain it.
But somewhere along the way, I began to lose myself.
My sword started craving it...
Blood. Death.
My body, my soul, my very existence... became incomplete unless I was on the battlefield.
That bloody smile .. it would form on my face without me even realizing... whenever I was about to slaughter my enemies.
Today, I’m returning to the battlefield.
That thought alone made my body tremble .. not from fear... but anticipation.
I’ve become someone who craves the battlefield... someone who welcomes war.
I...
"I’m slowly losing myself..."
It’s only been eight months... and already, I’ve reached this state.
I reached it after killing what now feels like a mere handful of people. And because of that, I couldn’t help but wonder...
"What... exactly are you, Nameless?"
How did he kill so many... so many souls...
Innocent or guilty, it didn’t matter.
How did he stay sane all those years... drenched in death and bloodshed?
"Was it because you felt nothing? Were you always that heartless monster from the beginning?"
Gazing upward... toward the library’s upper floors, I asked:
"Answer me, Nameless."