Chapter 525: Frey Starlight vs Dragoth (1)
The pace of events quickened, and a catastrophic clash was on the verge of erupting.
In the east of the Ultras Continent, in one of the Lower Bloodlands, there stood an ancient city erased from the annals of history .. its name was Yharnam.
Once a flourishing and advanced city, time had shown it no mercy, leaving behind nothing but ruins.
Amidst the devastation and wreckage, a lone man sat waiting, beneath a dead tree that once served as his only shade.
The Human Demon, Dragoth, contrary to his usual savage nature, appeared genuinely calm this time.
He wore a long black cloak, a massive greatsword resting on his lap.
His crimson eyes had been staring at the ruins for quite some time. The place was peaceful, with a soft breeze gently playing with his long black hair.
The Human Demon stared for long at his birthplace. Destruction, rubble, and death—these were all that remained of this land.
And when he’d finally had enough, he closed his eyes, letting the memories wash over him... He pondered deeply, but soon opened those eyes once more.
For the old land of Yharnam hadn’t welcomed just one person that day .. it welcomed two.
When Dragoth opened his eyes, he was already there.
No sound, no pressure. He had simply appeared from nothing.
A young man, much younger than him, wielding two dark swords. His face was hidden behind a strange mask that only revealed his dimly glowing dark eyes...
At last, his awaited enemy had arrived.
They stared at one another, neither making a move.
The other battles had already begun .. the distant thundering they heard confirmed that.
But here, in Yharnam, neither side took a single step.
"Looks like you’ve got something on your mind, son of Abraham," Dragoth was the first to break the silence.
On the other side, Frey Starlight removed his mask, revealing a familiar smirk upon his face.
"No... I’m just a bit surprised," Frey laughed for a moment, then pointed his sword at Dragoth.
"Forgive me. I came here expecting to face the same mindless beast who didn’t know left from right, but it seems you’ve regained your composure."
Since the moment he launched himself toward this battlefield, Frey had been prepared to unleash everything from the start against Dragoth and crush him immediately.
But his enemy caught him off guard .. showing a self-control so unlike him.
In fact, Dragoth hadn’t even released the slightest killing intent toward him, which made Frey hesitate at the last moment... giving way to this unexpected dialogue.
Looking around, Frey spoke again without moving from his spot.
"If I’m not mistaken, this is the old city of Yharnam... Has returning to your birthplace after all these years calmed you down to the point you’re suppressing your instincts?"
Frey’s final words carried many implications between their lines.
Although Dragoth seemed calm, Frey could tell his state of mind.
Dragoth was barely holding himself back .. suppressing that monstrous bloodlust, especially when standing before the son of the man he hated most.
Despite the boiling rage in his chest, the madness he could hardly contain...
Dragoth held back and continued speaking instead of fighting.
"Frey Starlight, I have two questions for you—no more. And that’s all you’ll hear from me," he said, raising two fingers.
Frey tilted his head slightly, showing genuine curiosity about what the Human Demon wanted.
"Let’s hear it," Frey replied, willing to go along with Dragoth’s flow for now.
Dragoth scowled, then asked his first question.
"Do you truly believe you have a chance of winning this war?"
The Human Demon’s first question was unexpected, making Frey instinctively frown.
But Dragoth continued speaking before Frey could respond.
"I’ve heard much about you, and I’m sure your eyes see far more than others do."
"We’re nothing but facades in this war—pawns in a grand play directed by someone else. We have no power, no control against that person."
Pointing to himself, Dragoth growled with visible rage.
"Look at me. I was once called the greatest hero in Ultras’ history. I did everything I could to resist whoever pulls the strings. I shattered my demon contract. I gave up my humanity. And what did I achieve?"
"I lost to your father, but I didn’t die. Instead, they dragged this body away and tortured me for years, driving me mad—those very same people who now command you in this war. Whether it’s me, or Abraham Starlight... we were both just pawns. More lively than others, sure, but ultimately worthless before true power."
"Your father was immense. I’m certain he crossed the threshold—I’ve seen with my own eyes what he was capable of. Yet even with all that power... he died without changing anything. And as for me, I’m still alive only because they allowed me to live."
"You have many enemies, Frey Starlight. And there are still far fiercer monsters lying in wait. You’ve already clashed with some of them."
Dragoth’s last words made Frey narrow his eyes instinctively. He was referring to the higher-ranked demons who had recently come knocking on his door.
"What’s the point of fighting here, Frey Starlight...? The current you’re trying to resist is far too overwhelming. Mere humans can’t stand against it."
The point Dragoth raised was completely valid .. but Frey didn’t expect to hear it from him, of all people.
And yet Dragoth hadn’t said anything new. He had simply reminded Frey of what he was already prepared to face.
Which is exactly why... a violet aura enveloped Frey’s body as he stepped forward .. his eyes stabbing into his opponent.
"You talk too much, Human Demon... Hurry up and ask your second question."
Frey didn’t need to answer with words. His current battle-ready state was more than enough to give Dragoth the answer he sought.
Frey Starlight was prepared to fight this war to the very end.. no matter what he had to face along the way.
Standing firm, holding his greatsword in hand...
Finally, the scowl on Dragoth’s face vanished, replaced by a monstrous smile that revealed his true thirst for blood.
"You truly fear no death, do you? Then allow me to ask you my final question."
As his body surged with a dark aura of black lightning, crackling and rumbling like a vengeful storm, Dragoth revealed his true face.
"Do you truly believe... that a whelp like you can defeat me?!"
Exploding with pressure, his grin widened further .. so wide it looked like it might tear his face apart.
Frey responded with even greater pressure, his expression just as twisted, radiating that same sickening craving for bloodshed.
Once more, no words were needed.
Both Dragoth and Frey ..
.. detonated the earth beneath them, launching themselves at each other with speed that defied logic.
The ruins of Old Yharnam were wiped out in an instant. The land cracked and shattered from the violent clash of two bloodthirsty monsters.
Their auras collided, neither backing down, as they threw themselves into a raw contest of brute strength.
Dragoth gained the upper hand, shoving Frey backward with terrifying speed, bulldozing through everything in their path with nothing but sheer force.
He kept plowing through the ruins, smashing everything in sight with Frey’s body, until they slammed into a massive mountain behind them.
But Dragoth’s physical strength was so overwhelming that he kept pushing, burying Frey deep into the mountain, carving a tunnel with his opponent’s back.
Lost in the darkness of the mountain’s interior...
Dragoth laughed maniacally, gripping his sword and unleashing a lightning-fast slash, cloaked in the explosive aura of black thunder.
The strike created a devastating shockwave that split the base of the mountain in two with its sheer destructive power.
But it didn’t reach its mark.
The mighty slash stopped halfway through, crashing into metal even tougher than stone.
Frey Starlight had blocked the attack—halting Dragoth’s greatsword—and in the blink of an eye...
A blinding burst of violet light exploded in Dragoth’s face.
The glow consumed the entire mountain, and in less than a second ..the upper half of the mountain, already split by Dragoth’s attack, was shredded into hundreds of pieces as it was engulfed by thousands of dark slashes.
Caught in the center of the massacre, Dragoth’s body was marked with hundreds of deep, bloody wounds. His blood spilled in torrents.
In less than a second, Frey Starlight had unleashed a thousand strikes, tearing through the body Dragoth once took pride in.
Face to face, Frey’s glowing violet eyes met Dragoth’s crimson ones again.
But this time, one pair was filled with pain—while the other glowed like a starving beast ready to devour everything in its path.