"Finally!"
Zibar’s smile widened the moment the outcome he had long sought finally came to pass.
Frey Starlight had displayed a level far beyond anything they had expected, but despite this unforeseen obstacle... he and the corpse of Abraham had still succeeded in achieving exactly what they wanted from the very beginning.
The Engineer... German had finally revealed himself on the battlefield after hiding in the shadows all this time.
He was there .. standing atop the crater, looking down at them with those cold blue eyes...
When Zibar’s gaze met the man’s own, a faint tension crawled into his chest—something that surfaced against his will.
He had lived long enough to witness German at the height of his power, and he remembered all too well what the man had once been capable of.
But Zibar quickly steadied himself, tightening his grip on Frey’s limp body with one hand after having pierced his chest with the other.
German now was nothing but a shadow of what he used to be.
His vessel suffered far more damage than any member of Nameless’s Sect; he had been working on a certain plan for hundreds—no, thousands of years.
He could no longer fight properly. Dealing with him would not be a problem.
And even if the three of them weren’t enough... Zibar had no reason to be concerned .. and the reason revealed itself at once.
Slowly, the world darkened as filthy black ink began forming in the air, gathering upon itself to announce the arrival of another foul demon.
German calmly lifted his gaze away from Zibar and Abraham, directing it instead toward the opponent he knew had been waiting for him.
Seconds later, that mass of corruption twisted into the form of Wesker, who stepped into the battlefield with the same vile smile carved across his face.
"We meet again... dog of Nameless."
Wesker greeted his counterpart in his own twisted way as he floated leisurely over the massive crater carved by Frey Starlight’s battle against Zibar and Abraham.
"You can’t imagine how exhausting it was to drag you out after all these years. You’re truly gifted at hiding .. so much so that even with the King’s Eye, I couldn’t find you. You should be proud."
Wesker wasn’t lying. He had never once managed to locate German throughout his entire stay on Earth.
The blue-eyed man always managed to slip away, disrupt his schemes, and sabotage his plans without ever showing himself directly.
German finally revealed his face... and the corners of his lips lifted slightly in a faint smile aimed at the demon.
"Save your compliments. I don’t need praise from a demon."
German spoke as he removed the torn black cloak he had worn for so long.
Seeing that, Wesker’s grin widened.
"Well now... what do we have here? Am I to assume you intend to fight? In that broken shell of a body? Hehehe..."
He mocked him, letting his eyes roam over every crack and fracture covering German’s vessel.
The Engineer had once been Nameless’s perfect creation ..
the pinnacle of manipulation over the laws of life and death.
German’s current body had been crafted to replicate his former one perfectly ..
stronger, even.
But time had not been kind to him.
Only Nameless himself could repair that vessel, for none of the sect members possessed control over the law of life.
Possessing that law was the only reason their vessels lived at all.
German did not respond, prompting Wesker to approach him slowly.
"You know you stand no chance here, follower of Nameless... not with your own strength, at least."
Wesker’s King’s Eye gleamed ominously.
He fully expected German to appear once they threatened to take Frey to Hellmond .. that place was completely out of German’s reach, so he had no choice but to intervene.
But Wesker genuinely believed German would bring support.
The Shadow Sect had massacred mankind... perhaps some of their strongest warriors like Adir would be present.
Yet German had come alone.
That was what puzzled Wesker.
German wasn’t stupid.
He had shown countless times that he could play at Wesker’s level whenever it came to strategy.
So Wesker knew the man had something planned, and he intended to uncover it.
To do so, he decided to launch the first strike.
"You’re alone this time, follower of Nameless. Even the human you once relied on has become your enemy. Tell me... what will you do now?"
Wesker moved closer, while Zibar and Abraham advanced as well ..
Zibar still clutching Frey’s mangled body in his hand.
Meanwhile, Gepetto retreated, dragging Ada with him.
He couldn’t touch her due to the strange barrier protecting her, so he transported both her and the barrier at once by weaving a massive aura-net around them.
Ada was barely conscious, blood streaming heavily down her forehead and face...
but the dead, hopeless look in her eyes was what stood out most ..
after witnessing her father and brother fight to the death.
After seeing Frey fall...
after watching him beaten and brutalized by the very enemies surrounding them...
German finally appeared.
But alone, he seemed so small compared to their overwhelming might.
Wesker wasted no time.
He summoned a massive surge of dark aura and launched it toward German at terrifying speed.
The attack was monstrous, carrying Wesker’s full power.
The beam reached German instantly ..
but then, inexplicably...
The dark aura scattered in all directions, dissipating before it could even touch him.
Both Wesker and Zibar narrowed their eyes.
They failed to grasp what German had done, or how he had nullified the attack.
"So you still have enough strength left for a passable fight, at least."
Wesker said, as his body began radiating an immensely dense aura of darkness.
On the other side, Zibar prepared to join the attack as well.
"Careful, follower of Nameless," Zibar warned, lifting Frey’s limp, blood-soaked body so German would clearly see him.
"Your precious little protégé is in my hand."
"You’re a cruel one, aren’t you? Letting him fight to his limit, then showing up at the end to exploit every last scrap of effort he gave. Makes me wonder .. who’s the master and who’s the pawn here?"
"Quite a complicated relationship you two have... don’t you agree?
Tell me, Frey~"
Zibar whispered beside Frey’s ear as the boy hung half-conscious.
With great effort, Frey opened his eyes just enough to look toward German standing in the distance.
He was still fighting against the overwhelming waves of pain crushing him...
but even so, he held onto enough clarity to understand the situation and focus on German.