He thrust his hand toward the Engineer’s back .. but this time, Gehrman was ready.
He evaded the strike by a hair’s breadth.
"So... you dodged it."
But surviving the first blow was hardly good news.
Amon immediately pressed the attack, tightening the noose.
It took every ounce of Gehrman’s unmatched speed .. along with his senses pushed to their absolute limits .. to evade Amon’s strikes.
"Damn it... this isn’t an opponent I can defeat at my current level..."
Gehrman cursed inwardly, struggling to survive for as long as possible.
A single blow would be enough to end him, given how fragile his vessel was.
An opponent like this would require Gehrman to fight at full power if he wanted even a chance.
Abraham Starlight tried to intervene between them on several occasions... but he couldn’t.
"They’re moving so fast I can barely stay on the same wavelength as them..." Abraham admitted in shock.
He never expected to witness someone capable of matching Gehrman’s speed.
If things continued like this... a catastrophe awaited them.
Elsewhere, Frey watched from a distance.
"This is bad... very bad..."
After putting enough distance between Ada and the battlefield, Frey stayed close to her, watching the clash unfold.
"Amon is Crimson’s younger brother... and he’s so powerful that he’s considered a joker among the High Ranks. His true standing far exceeds his current rank."
Frey knew of Amon’s existence, but his abilities remained largely unknown to him.
An opponent like this was, at the very least, stronger than Wesker and Vayne.
"At this rate... the Engineer and my father will lose without being able to do anything."
If that happened, Frey would be taken by force to Helmond, and everyone on his side—including Ada and Abraham—would die.
That was something Frey refused to allow, no matter the cost.
Without hesitation, he placed Nameless’s mask back on his face.
"You’re watching, aren’t you... Nameless?"
At once, Frey closed his eyes and entered that void-like realm .. the safe space within his mind.
There, Nameless stood, staring into the horizon.
"Your damned subordinate is going to lose, and if that happens, we’ll be back at square one. I won’t allow that, no matter the price," Frey said firmly as he approached the masked man.
"I’m not asking you to fight in my place. I have no intention of wasting time arguing with you."
At that, Nameless turned his head.
"Then why are you here?"
In response, Frey stood face to face with him.
"Tell me... how do I use this dormant power inside me?"
"The additional stages of Shadow Adaptation... those are advanced stages, aren’t they? With them, I might be able to deal with that demon!"
Frey pleaded, hoping that the fifth and sixth stages of Shadow Adaptation would be enough to turn the tide.
Nameless remained silent for a while before answering.
"You may be able to achieve what you want if you use the advanced stages to their full potential... but in your current state, you won’t be able to endure it," Nameless replied in his usual cold tone, causing Frey to frown instinctively.
"My weak foundation is holding me back again..." Frey cursed.
"If only... I were SSS-rank..."
This had always been Frey Starlight’s greatest weakness .. his low training level compared to his enemies, and his heavy reliance on abilities and external factors.
But Nameless interrupted him, correcting something crucial.
"Don’t misunderstand , Frey Starlight. I wasn’t talking about your training level... but something else entirely."
As Nameless spoke, the void around them gradually darkened.
"What I’m saying is... your mind won’t be able to endure it."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Frey asked, confused.
"If you want even a chance to fight—let alone with the fifth stage—you’ll need the power of the sixth stage."
"And that... is something no human mind can withstand."
The moment he said that, Nameless opened the path before Frey.
The dark void shattered .. turning crimson.
Frey’s feet suddenly sank into something strange... something red, viscous, filthy, and vile.
"Is this... blood?" Frey asked in shock.
But that was only the beginning.
Gradually, grotesque shapes began to rise from the sea of blood...
Then came the screams.
Screams that made Frey’s skin crawl—screams of agony and rage, screams rising from the abyss... screams of souls that did not belong to this world.
Spirits reached out, grabbing Frey with desperate hands, clinging to him and refusing to let him go.
Frey tried to pull away immediately... but within seconds ..
Thousands... no, millions of corpses appeared from all directions.
Twisted, mutilated bodies that sent chills through Frey despite everything he had endured in his life.
Once surrounded, Frey leapt high into the void, trying to escape .. his only possible route.
He climbed and climbed, striving to reach the top.
But the moment he looked down, his terror only deepened.
The corpses piled atop one another, chasing him relentlessly, forming a colossal mountain that grew larger with every passing second.
From above, everything became clear to Frey.
An endless sea of blood...
And corpses emerging without end, all reaching for him.
Burned, butchered, severed, deformed bodies ..
Scenes torn straight from a nightmare.
"Is this... hell?" Frey whispered as he stared at the tragic spectacle.
Then the mountain of corpses reached him.
Dead hands crawled over his skin.
Frey felt pure terror .. and tried to fight back.
But it was useless.
He was far too weak in this world.
With no other choice, he tried to flee again, climbing higher and higher .. but it was futile.
The corpses were endless.
Amidst this blood-soaked hell...
Nameless stood above it all, watching with his usual calm indifference.
"So look with your own eyes, Frey Starlight..."
"At what the sixth stage of Shadow Adaptation truly is."
The stage for which Nameless had spilled blood .. endless blood.
"This stage belongs to the path of life and death..."
"And the human mind cannot endure it."
"So tell me..."
"Will you be the exception?"
Nameless asked with curiosity ..
But his voice was swallowed by the screams of the dead...
And by Frey Starlight’s desperate struggle.