Chapter 543: A Predator’s Smile (3)
"I told you before, didn’t I? Back when we faced each other in the Victoriad... we’re two sides of the same coin. Both of us ignorant of our origins... ignorant of our true nature in this world."
"Sword training. Absorbing Aura. Practicing combat techniques. Drinking elixirs. These are all methods for humans to train—the human path that allows them to grow stronger over time."
"But Snow... neither you nor I are truly human. Or rather... only part of us is human." I said it calmly, as if it were the most obvious truth, but Snow was shaken to the core, unable to even form words.
"The ordinary methods of human training will get you nowhere from now on, Snow. Those are the shackles you could never break—human limits."
Such methods only worked for those who were purely human.
But for me—and for Snow—that path had ended.
I’d reached my strength by following the Blood Path of Nameless, the most fitting route for me since I was made to be his vessel.
But Snow... he had never found his path, leaving him lost in darkness.
"I’m not qualified to tell you the whole truth, Snow, especially since your body is far more complicated than mine. You have a human side... and other sides as well. A side from beings far beyond human comprehension."
Unfortunately, I couldn’t help him when it came to Lightbearers.
But I could give him another kind of hint.
"Don’t forget, Snow... the same blood of that bastard runs in your veins. You know what that means, don’t you?"
Besides his human side, and the otherworldly essence he carried...
There was a third, invasive element inside him—one he was very much aware of. He had been conscious when all that demonic blood was injected into him.
That was why Snow was so much more complicated than me—he was a storm of chaos bound together in one body.
"Get up, Snow. This isn’t the hero I know."
As my consciousness slowly faded from his mind, I spoke my final words to him.
"You are not Snow Lionheart the human, nor the Church’s hero... nor Kazis Valerion’s heir. You are far greater than that. So don’t fall in a place like this... the hero I once wrote about would never fall so easily."
I couldn’t see his face now—this place we spoke in was nothing but a formless, colorless spiritual space.
But I had given him all I could give.
Whether he lived or died... whether he rose or fell...
It was all in his hands now. Only he could pull himself out of this.
And I prayed he would... as my body was pulled away.
[Possession Canceled]
"Good luck... Snow."
...
...
...
–Snow Lionheart’s POV–
For what felt like endless seconds... maybe minutes, I just stood there, staring into the dark void before me.
The place where Frey had vanished... after spitting out his cryptic nonsense, only deepening my confusion.
I chuckled faintly, even as Smogh carried my body further and further away.
"What the hell are you talking about, Frey? You tell me I’m not human... then just leave, saying you’re not ’qualified’ to tell me the truth? Go to hell, bastard. That’s not even funny."
I cursed under my breath, trapped alone in the emptiness of my own mind.
"But at least... I’ve finally started to see the color of these chains."
I stared at the shackles coiled tightly around my body.
For the first time... I could see their color.
The reason I couldn’t grow stronger no matter how much I tried... was because the human path no longer suited me.
"If I’m not human... then what the hell am I? Why wouldn’t you tell me, damn it, Frey?"
You throw me half the answer... and keep the other half for yourself?
There was no way for me to learn the truth now, and that burned me to the core.
But... that bastard did give me a different kind of answer.
"I don’t know what difference this will make... but at the very least... I can stand again, and try once more."
Will it be another defeat? Or will I finally win?
I didn’t know. But I was going to try.
"I’ll unleash that ugly side... the side unfit for a hero. This is what you want, isn’t it, Frey?"
I closed my eyes one last time... and stepped out from the darkness, into the light.
---
---
Outskirts of Old Yharnam
A certain man moved like a shadow, leaving behind the battlefield raging between the Empire and the Ultras.
Carrying Snow’s body over his shoulder, he made it his priority to get as far away as possible—so he could begin his sick ritual, devouring the perfect prey he had let grow in solitude until now.
"By consuming the flesh and blood of the human destined to be the strongest... I’ll gain the surge I need."
A twisted smile spread across Smogh’s face as he moved forward, unable to wait any longer for the goal he had chased for countless years.
"You have no idea how long I’ve waited, Snow Lionheart."
Since the dawn of time, Smogh had wandered the earth.
He built orphanage after orphanage, gathering every kind of child with talent.
Some were destined to grow into the strongest... others, doomed to remain trash forever.
Among them, Smogh had always searched for the perfect human.
The one destined to reach heights no other could.
For those bound to the demoness Yosefka, strength only grew through the consumption of their own kind—human flesh and blood.
This was their demonic path.
The stronger and higher quality the flesh they consumed... the greater the power they gained.
In the distant past, his deputy— the woman Snow had once called his mother—Annalise, nearly ruined the plan when she couldn’t resist her hunger and tried to eat Snow as a child.
But fortunately... the boy had exceeded all expectations, killing her with his own hands.
"You’re the best there is, Snow. I can’t wait until you and I... become one!" Smogh said with a sadistic grin.
But he froze—when he heard a voice right by his ear.
"Yeah... neither can I."
The moment those cursed words reached him, blood sprayed before his eyes, accompanied by the sound of a vicious bite.
Pain tore through him, forcing him to drop Snow’s body without thinking.
Staggering back, sweat rolling down his face, Smogh clutched his shoulder—blood pouring freely from it.
In front of him... Snow slowly rose to his feet, having just thrown him off.
Blood dripped down Snow’s chin... as he chewed something in his mouth.
"You taste like the rotten guts of a pig that’s been dead for days... and your blood... like old motor oil with a foul metallic aftertaste. Ugh... disgusting."
Smogh’s face twisted as the realization hit him.
"You... you ate my flesh."
"That’s right." Snow’s bloodstained grin widened.
"The blood of the demoness Yosefka flows in my veins... just like yours, right? Which means... I’ll grow stronger... when I eat your filthy flesh! Isn’t that right?!" Snow roared, summoning the Vermithor.
He had taken a massive bite from Smogh’s shoulder—and despite the vile taste...
Snow’s body welcomed the flesh, strength surging into his veins.
Alongside the human path... Snow had finally found another way to grow stronger.