Within the borders of the Empire .. specifically in the Starlight Province ..
a cataclysmic battle unfolded between three ancient heroes and a monster reborn from legend.
Abraham Starlight, the prodigy of House Starlight, had become a merciless weapon
. a being of light and death whose speed and strength defied comprehension. His power stood on a level entirely beyond the three, leaving Nova Starlight, the very creator of the Star Dust Technique, in pure disbelief.
"Never... never did I imagine seeing my own art wielded like this."
Just thinking about replicating such mastery made Nova’s head ache .. controlling Ignition shouldn’t have been possible for anyone.
"Your lineage brought us ruin, Nova," growled Inver Sunlight, his body engulfed in divine fire. "At this rate, we’ll fall pathetically."
With a roar, he unleashed the blazing might of Ilios .. the Eternal Flame itself.
"To die by his hands the moment we awaken from our seals would be a humiliation..."
He laughed . a low, burning laugh .. as his aura erupted outward.
"A humiliation I cannot bear!
Eternal Flame — Ilios State: Dusk of the Solar Mass!"
While Nova and Avalon clashed head-on with Abraham, Inver retreated a few steps, gathering his full strength.
His fire turned blue... then violet... until it burned like a newborn sun. He hurled it toward Abraham .. a miniature star meant to annihilate all before it.
The explosion deafened the heavens.
Waves of violet flame devoured the battlefield, melting the very ground.
Both Nova and Avalon withdrew to avoid the inferno.
"That should at least hurt him a little..."
But the hope was in vain.
From within the blazing chaos, Abraham emerged .. walking calmly, his stellar aura forming a barrier that rejected even the Eternal Flame.
"That’s infuriating..." Inver muttered, scowling.
"All my life I’ve never seen a human like this .. terrifying and magnificent both... yet he stands with the enemy."
None of them could grasp his true strength, but his mere presence evoked memories of the greatest demons of history.
In those fleeting moments, Nova’s mind worked faster than lightning.
"I’m at the peak of SSS-Stage Two... Inver and Avalon are around the same.
Even together, we can’t bring him down."
That could mean only one thing.
"He’s Stage Four... or at least the peak of Stage Three."
If that was true, then Abraham’s power rivaled that of Zibar, one of the High Demons.
And with his World-Breaking Ability, his body .. made entirely of Aura .. circulated power with inhuman efficiency.
The realization chilled Nova’s heart.
"I hate to admit it... but we can’t defeat him in a straight fight.
To win, we’d have to sacrifice ourselves... and even then, I’m not sure it would work."
Inver’s eyes widened. The only method Nova implied was Ignition .. sacrificing one’s life for temporary godlike power.
But even if Nova used it, he would still be weaker than Abraham, who had mastered Ignition through his Absolute Manipulator ability.
Still, Nova’s resolve hardened. There was no room for hesitation now.
"Let’s end this."
He unleashed his full might.
In that instant, the Star Dust Technique shone in its purest form. Nova raised his blade, radiant as a sun upon the earth.
"Now! Unleash everything you have!"
The three legends struck together.
"Star Dust Technique .. Ultimate Art: Stellar Tempest!"
"Eternal Flame .. Ilios: Infinite Inferno!"
"Light Formation .. Ultimate Art: Dawn Severance!"
Their combined strike consumed the sky ..three ultimate powers entwining into one overwhelming cataclysm.
Abraham charged forward into the heart of it without slowing down.
Star Aura, Flame Aura, and Light Aura converged to swallow him whole.
His instincts flared .. pure survival. He crossed both blades, calling upon a torrent of star-light that engulfed his entire body.
Then, with a brilliance that split the heavens, his aura condensed into a colossal radiant sphere .. a living star.
Nova froze, his eyes wide.
"That’s... Star Dust Technique... but it’s not mine."
This move was something new .. something Abraham had created himself, much like Nameless Judgement once had been for Frey Starlight.
Encased within his blazing sun, Abraham met the trio’s combined strike head-on.
The collision shattered the land .. space itself groaned under the force.
But when the dust cleared, what remained was a white dome .. a radiant shell shaped like a star, untouched by destruction.
Within it... Abraham Starlight still stood.
There he stood .. Abraham Starlight, unscathed.
Not a single wound marked his body, and even the ground beneath his feet remained untouched.
His aura was overwhelming .. terrifying.
Slowly, Abraham dissipated the radiant star surrounding him, nullifying his absolute defense.
It was clear now .. the battle was over.
The combined might of three legendary warriors hadn’t been enough to even scratch him.
In other words, they could never defeat him.
Abraham had emerged unharmed from their ultimate assault... yet he quickly realized what his opponents had done.
Nova Starlight had known from the start that victory was impossible.
And in that moment, he’d chosen the only option left .. retreat.
Now, the battlefield was silent. Abraham stood alone; the others were gone.
They had escaped at the last second, using the cover of their joint attack .. the very one Abraham had chosen to defend against.
Had he retaliated instead, they might not have survived.
But they had gambled on his choice to defend, and they were right.
Even so, Abraham didn’t intend to let them go so easily.
He expanded his aura over vast distances, searching for even the faintest trace of them...
Yet in the end, he found nothing.
They had vanished completely .. a sign that one of them must have possessed a teleportation ability of some sort.
With their disappearance, Abraham’s senses gradually settled, and his aura retracted.
He stood alone amidst the ruin.
He had won, yes .. but he had failed to kill his enemies.
There was nothing left to do but withdraw... and await the next battlefield he would be unleashed upon.
...
...
...
Far away .. beyond the Empire’s borders, within the Shadow Sect, which had sheltered the last survivors of the war...
Someone slowly opened his eyes.
Frey Starlight had awakened.
He had fully recovered, surpassing the exhaustion brought by pushing Nameless’s powers to their absolute limit.
When Frey came to, he found himself inside the temple of the Shadow Sect. The place was eerily quiet; everyone else was scattered, occupied with the aftermath of the recent catastrophe.
The only one near him was Uriel, who had clearly tended to his injuries and kept his body stable after the battle with Wesker.
Doing so had required her to maintain that golden angel for far too long .. draining her completely.
Now she lay asleep beside him.
Seeing her there, Frey rose quietly and draped his cloak over her, covering her shoulders before leaving the chamber.
A sharp headache lingered... but his mind quickly refocused.
In that instant, one thought echoed louder than any other:
"Ada..."
His sister.
Her name still glowed crimson on his system interface .. meaning she was in danger.
Frey ignored everything else. He was ready to move immediately... until something stopped him.
In the dimness ahead, within the temple’s shadows, a crimson butterfly drifted silently .. scattering glimmering red dust as it circled him, urging him to follow.
He recognized it instantly.
It belonged to the one who had saved him before.
Without hesitation, he followed.
The butterfly guided him gracefully through the dark halls .. to a hidden passage leading to an abandoned sector atop the black mountain on which the Shadow Sect had been built.
"Where are you taking me?"
Frey muttered, wary but curious.
Moments later, the butterfly halted midair ..then its body dissolved, falling like glowing red dust.
From that light, a form began to take shape .. a woman, radiant and calm.
Her figure solidified gradually, until she stood before him: a woman in her late twenties, wearing a long crimson dress.
Her beauty was striking .. red eyes, flowing scarlet hair, and an aura that felt strangely familiar.
Though Frey had never seen her before, something about her stirred a deep sense of recognition.
Face to face, the woman smiled faintly.
"At last... we meet. After all these years."
Her voice carried a gentle sorrow, the weight of endless waiting.
"Who are you?"
Frey asked, ignoring her words, seeking clarity.
"My name is Audrey. Does it sound familiar?"
At that name, Frey’s eyes widened.
He knew it .. but not in the way she expected.
Audrey.
The name of one of the central heroines .. the strongest among them, rivaling Snow himself at his peak.
He’d written her into his story once... never imagining he would meet her like this.
But this Audrey didn’t match her legend.
The woman before him wasn’t the fierce, indomitable warrior who shattered demons and defied gods.
Her eyes were soft... sorrowful.
She looked less like a warrior and more like an ordinary girl, fragile and kind.
"This is... confusing."
Frey muttered, unable to make sense of it all.
Then, almost unconsciously, he released a faint wave of aura .. probing into her presence.
That was when he understood.
"Your current strength allows you to see it, Frey. You’re not foolish .. you can tell this is nothing more than a projection, a fragment of my consciousness."
Audrey’s tone was calm as she stepped closer.
"So this isn’t your real body..."
"No," she admitted softly.
What stood before him was only a temporary manifestation .. a butterfly that had escaped Helmund, carrying a fragment of her awareness.
Her true body had no idea this meeting was even happening.
In reality, the real Audrey was broken .. trapped in endless torment, used by the demons as an eternal source of Aura.
She no longer knew what was real... nor that she had saved Frey and Snow at all.
Thousands of years of agony had shattered her mind.
And now, this single fragment .. this butterfly
.. was all that remained of the woman once called the Crimson Saint.