The battlefield descended into complete chaos, and there was no longer any way to predict what would happen next.
In a brief span of time, multiple forces had intervened in the conflict.
Fulgor had arrived from nowhere, forcing back the Third Rank, Vayne .. a single blow from him had been enough to hurl her all the way to the moon by sheer overwhelming power.
The Ninth Rank, Nito, was no longer able to unleash his devastating orbital strikes after Snow Lionheart intervened to restrain him.
And now, down below ..
Only Gehrman and Abraham remained, standing face-to-face with the Eleventh Rank...
Amon.
All of this unfolded before the eyes of Frey Starlight, who still held Ada tightly in his arms.
Frey was still struggling to recover and stabilize his condition after unlocking two additional stages of Shadow Adaptation.
Yet despite the time that had passed, he still couldn’t move as freely as he wanted.
"Damn it... everything’s turned into chaos, and I’m completely useless right now..."
He cursed under his breath as he rose, carrying Ada carefully in his arms.
Using the bare minimum of strength, Frey immediately retreated, distancing himself from the battlefield .. concern etched clearly across his face.
"The ones who appeared were the Third Rank Vayne, the Ninth Rank Nito, and the Eleventh Rank Amon... This is the absolute worst-case scenario!"
Fortunately, Vayne had been driven away.
"And someone stopped Nito too... was that Snow?"
Frey narrowed his eyes, realizing that the light he had seen could belong to no one else.
But that realization brought no relief.
"Snow, at his current level, can’t survive a one-on-one against the Ninth Rank. Facing him like that is suicide..."
Frey and Snow were roughly equal in power ever since Snow awakened his true path and reclaimed his identity as a Pure Vessel.
But even that level wasn’t enough to deal with Zibar, the Tenth Rank, let alone Nito, who was even stronger.
The situation was dire ..
But the most troubling part wasn’t Snow and Nito.
It was something else entirely.
As he retreated, Frey turned his head slightly, casting a glance back toward the battlefield on the ground.
Gehrman and his father stood poised before the masked demon ..
Amon.
He was ranked Eleventh, a position that should have made him inferior to both Gehrman and Abraham.
At least, that was how things were supposed to be.
Yet every time Frey looked at that masked demon, a deep unease settled over him.
Something was wrong.
As for the demon himself ..
Amon had effortlessly avoided Fulgor’s earlier strike and now hovered slowly forward, his arms folded behind his back.
He wore a mask, making it impossible for those present to discern any trace of his expression.
"Hmmm... it seems the Shadow Sect still possesses strength beyond expectations."
Amon spoke calmly, lifting his head toward the shattered moon ..where Fulgor had cornered the Third Rank Vayne .. then toward Nito, who was engaged with Snow.
"A Light Bearer? That’s unusual."
Snow Lionheart was an anomaly.
His presence wasn’t dangerous enough to be considered an immediate threat, yet his power bore a striking resemblance to that of the most powerful Light Bearers ..
Even to the Lord of Light himself—though such a comparison was admittedly exaggerated given Snow’s current level.
Amon studied him briefly.
Then his attention shifted—fully and decisively—to someone else.
"You are Saint Gehrman, aren’t you?"
This time, his focus was fixed on the blue-eyed Engineer standing before him.
Gehrman narrowed his eyes slightly, quietly preparing himself.
"Is my statement incorrect?" Amon asked again when Gehrman didn’t respond.
At last, Gehrman relented, the corners of his lips lifting faintly.
"Forgive me. It’s rare for anyone to recognize me by my old name."
In the eyes of demons, he was known primarily as Nameless’s subordinate—rarely by his true identity.
Yet Amon had recognized him instantly.
The masked demon extended one hand from behind his back, palm open in a casual gesture.
"Of course I know you. I’ve heard quite a lot about you."
"You’re one of the very few who confronted the Great King face-to-face."
"And you even fought my elder brother on equal footing. He spoke of you often."
Amon spoke at length, his tone friendly—almost as if he were conversing with an old acquaintance.
Meanwhile, the clashes in the other battlefields had fully ignited, their violent aura reverberations echoing throughout the world.
Despite this, Amon remained unconcerned.
Gehrman matched his composure, refusing to make the first move.
"Praise from a demon means nothing to me," Gehrman said evenly.
"But you mentioned something intriguing just now."
His expression hardened slightly before he continued.
"Who is this ’brother’ you speak of? I don’t recall ever fighting someone like you."
As he spoke, Gehrman reinforced his body with aura.
Abraham stood nearby, also holding back.
He had expended a great deal of strength in the previous engagements and was now waiting .. analyzing the opponent, searching for the perfect moment to strike.
Yet neither Gehrman nor Amon moved.
"What the hell are they waiting for...?"
Abraham wondered anxiously, his thoughts consumed by the safety of his family.
Amon didn’t appear powerful.
Even his presence felt ordinary .. his aura unremarkable.
So why hadn’t Gehrman attacked yet?
It made no sense.
Amon remained calm, silently observing Gehrman after the question.
"Gehrman... you’re a cautious man," he said at last, stepping closer.
In response, Gehrman retreated the exact same distance.
"I like men like you .. those who calculate every step and never gamble recklessly."
"Even though I’m only the Eleventh Rank, you still haven’t attacked."
"Because you’re not a fool."
His praise was sincere.
"Before I answer your question, Saint Gehrman, I’m curious about something."
"Why are you holding back? Why don’t you come and kill me quickly?"
"After all, I’m nothing more than the Eleventh Rank."
It was a logical question.
Anyone below the Tenth Rank shouldn’t pose a threat to Gehrman.
Yet Gehrman remained unmoved.
"Why?"
He exhaled slowly, maintaining his composure.
In truth, he knew very little about Amon ..
But even a blind man could tell this demon was far from ordinary.
And beyond that...
There was another reason.