I am the cause of it all.
The reason everyone is suffering.
If I hadn’t existed among them... perhaps they would never have met such a fate.
The blood is thick .. and it will not fade.
It will only continue to grow.
I must keep moving forward.
I have no right to stop... no right to run from this destiny anymore.
"To keep advancing, I must trample over them all ..
burn their souls, down to the very last one."
To gain power, I must torment them.
Torment others.
Feed this obsession within me .. let it grow larger and larger.
"I’ll keep filling this pit with corpses... until it’s completely full."
I don’t know how many more I’ll have to kill to achieve that.
"But that’s fine," I said hoarsely, as a dry laugh escaped my lips.
"That’s fine."
It felt as though the world itself was pushing me down this path.
And if that’s the case ..
"I’m not the one who’s wrong.
This world is."
A filthy world.
A tainted, unjust world.
A world where no one gets to choose their own fate ..
a world ruled by overwhelming entities from above, beings arrogant and audacious enough to decide the destinies of entire races and nations.
And I am nothing more than one of the victims of that manipulation.
A current of fate prepared for me ..
one I was never able to escape.
"With these hands, I will destroy this world... and create another."
"A world where my sister Ada... my father... and the rest can live in peace, without anyone threatening their lives."
To achieve that, I don’t care if I become a monster.
A demon.
"I will create that world... or I will die trying."
With my new goal carved into my soul,
I took my first step forward.
Violet flames erupted around my body, and terrifying power surged forth—fed by the burning souls.
I felt an overwhelming torrent of strength flooding my veins, and at last, I understood why the advanced stages of Shadow Adaptation were different.
Each one represented the absolute pinnacle of what world-defying powers could reach.
"I have six of them now."
I didn’t yet know what the fifth stage did ..
But I was certain I’d find out in the coming battle.
"With this power... I’ll do it."
With a single step, I detonated the ground beneath my feet and erased the distance between myself and the battlefield.
"It’s time to see what this power is truly capable of."
...
...
...
At the same time Frey was awakening to his newfound power...
The battle elsewhere reached its climax.
Overall, the Shadow Sect held no advantage.
Aside from Fulghor, who managed to pressure Vine with sheer force ..
Snow Lionheart was clearly weaker than Nito.
And Gehrman, together with Abraham, were in no condition to contend with a monster like Amon.
Amon’s power was overwhelming ..
to the point that Gehrman became certain his strength surpassed even that of Wesker and Vine.
The fight was entirely one-sided.
All the blue-eyed man could do was evade, relying on his extraordinary speed. He couldn’t mount a single effective counterattack, nor inflict any damage on Amon.
Abraham fared no better.
He couldn’t land his blade on the demon at all .. Amon deflected every strike with absurd ease.
The situation was completely against them.
"This isn’t good... I already used the Hand of the Ruler against Wesker. I won’t be able to use it again anytime soon."
In a battle like this, the Hand of the Ruler was Gehrman’s strongest weapon against monsters like Amon.
"My other attacks won’t be able to break his defense..."
Had Gehrman been at his peak, things would have been different.
Even without the Hand of the Ruler, he could have found a way to win.
The situation was dire ..
Yet Gehrman didn’t look desperate.
And that caught Amon’s attention.
"You truly have nerves of steel, Saint Gehrman... Your eyes aren’t the eyes of a man on the brink of defeat," Amon said, narrowing his gaze.
At the same time, he raised his hand, releasing a wave of dark aura that effortlessly repelled a surprise attack from Abraham.
Abraham had been lying in wait for the perfect opening .. but his efforts were completely futile.
"You’re hiding something, aren’t you?" Amon asked coolly.
Gehrman clenched his fist, maintaining his calm expression.
When Gehrman didn’t answer, Amon continued.
"I’ve heard that Nameless can seize control of his vessel for a limited time... That’s how he defeated Zibar in the past. Is that what you’re counting on?"
"You talk too much," Gehrman replied impatiently.
Amon ignored him.
"Forgive me. But I enjoy facing opponents like you .. because breaking you is worth the effort."
Gehrman was much like Wesker.
This type of fighter always had layers of plans, hidden cards capable of overturning the situation at any moment .. making them especially troublesome enemies.
But Amon enjoyed fighting such opponents.
To him, it was like solving a puzzle—uncovering every secret his enemy hid, and crushing each one in turn.
"When all your tricks run out... that’s when the real fun begins."
Seeing them desperate .. defeated, stripped of confidence .. was something Amon truly relished.
"Don’t disappoint me, Gehrman. I’m placing great expectations on you!"
Amon vanished.
Gehrman did the same.
A high-speed chase erupted .. so fast it was utterly impossible to track with the naked eye.
At the same time, explosions began to detonate everywhere, massive and horrifying.
Abraham tried to keep up, but the speed far exceeded what he could follow at his current level.
"They’re both insanely fast... to the point their movements look like teleportation," Abraham muttered, tightening his grip on his sword.
He didn’t panic.
Instead, he used the time to recover as much strength as possible, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike.
Meanwhile, the pursuit between Gehrman and Amon continued ..
so intense that they crossed hundreds of miles in mere seconds.
"How long do you intend to keep running, Saint?" Amon shouted, punching through the void.
An entire region below exploded without warning.
At their speed, it looked as if the explosions were happening on their own.
From time to time, the two passed through populated areas across the Empire.
Those people were the most unfortunate of all ..
reduced to dust in fractions of a second, without even understanding what had happened.
"Gehrman! The only thing you surpass me in right now is that absurd speed of yours!" Amon roared again, unleashing waves of dark devastation from his hands.
Gehrman dodged every single one .. but the destruction ravaged vast swathes of the Empire.
"Other than speed, I hold the upper hand in every aspect. And even when it comes to speed itself, I can keep up with you quite clearly."
"How long do you think you can maintain this advantage? Sooner or later, you’ll make a mistake .. and that will be your end."
"And let me tell you something ..
even if your master takes over the vessel, I can deal with him as well. So there’s no point in hoping for that!"
Amon was an inescapable pursuer.
Gehrman couldn’t shake him off.
"You’re incredibly annoying to listen to," Gehrman said mid-chase, turning his head as he extended an arm toward Amon.
"So let’s start by shutting you up."