At the peak of the battle between the Shadow Sect and the High Demons, Frey Starlight stood face to face with his counterpart—Amon.
The raw gap in power between them was immense.
Yet Frey Starlight managed to endure by stacking six world-breaking abilities simultaneously.
What made this clash truly astonishing was not merely Frey’s resistance .. but the fact that he was not trying to restrain his opponent at all.
He was genuinely attempting to kill him.
For that very reason, he never retreated.
He did not seek to prolong the fight.
He attacked with everything he had .. without hesitation.
The Dark Sister, fused with Balerion, withstood Amon’s blows head-on, enduring the combined force of Soulfire and Black Hole Aura.
By merging those two powers, Frey attained a staggering level of destructive force—one from which even Amon could not escape unscathed.
The Rank 11 Demon attempted to end Frey swiftly using his flash strikes, his fists reinforced by the advanced stages of SSS-class aura.
But Frey was able to respond thanks to The Void.
His eyes perceived everything with absolute clarity, no matter how great Amon’s speed became.
By synchronizing that vision with instant teleportation, Frey avoided most of what Amon unleashed upon him .. something even Gehrman himself had been unable to do.
As for the strikes he could not react to in time ..
His extraordinary regeneration performed flawlessly.
In offense and defense.
Endurance and speed.
Aura control.
Frey possessed everything.
And all of it stemmed directly from Shadow Adaptation.
That was precisely why this ability was regarded as one of the three greatest world-breaking powers in existence.
"Truly terrifying... and it isn’t even fully complete yet," Amon remarked, a forced smile etched across his face.
His arms ignited with a massive surge of dark aura, his speed increasing with every passing second.
Unlike Frey Starlight, Amon possessed only one world-breaking ability ..
And for some reason, he still had not used it.
Because of that, he had no choice but to rely on his raw power and refined combat techniques to secure victory.
And so, the two clashed in an extremely close-range battle, fast-paced and relentless.
Normally, enemies never dared approach Amon at such proximity due to the insane speed of his strikes.
But the defining strength of the Rank 11 Demon had been completely neutralized by The Void.
"To struggle this much against someone who isn’t even Nameless himself... haha, how ironic," Amon said.
Despite the dire situation, he maintained that peculiar demeanor of his .. truly enjoying the fight.
On the other hand, Frey Starlight remained perfectly calm.
He did not utter a single word.
His face showed no emotion .. only absolute focus on the battle.
His sword moved differently than before.
He was no longer fighting with his usual style.
All of this was due to Nameless’s guidance, echoing beside Frey’s ear in the midst of combat.
"Listen carefully, Frey Starlight.
If you wish to surpass your opponents in battle, then you must abandon the primitive style Ten Thousand Steps of Shadow."
Nameless’s words were audible to Frey alone.
He had been observing everything from within Frey’s mind since the very beginning.
"Binding yourself to a single combat style is utterly impractical.
It will not always serve you on the battlefield .. especially when your opponent possesses a superior fighting style."
Ten Thousand Steps of Shadow was indeed a powerful combat art, developed by one of the strongest humans in history.
But compared to the peak of the world’s greatest beings ..
It was pitifully inadequate.
"It is time to discard that style completely and fight the correct way .. by exploiting the First Stage of Shadow Adaptation, which you have neglected until now," Nameless said, guiding Frey earnestly.
"The First Stage is the foundational pillar upon which all these powers are built.
You were never able to use it properly because you remained shackled to your style."
"The First Stage is the counter to all combat styles and techniques.
It is a replacement for fighting styles .. one I created myself."
As Frey’s sword collided with Amon’s fist and aura erupted violently from their clash, Nameless continued to guide him.
"Let the shadows lead you.
Move according to your opponent’s rhythm—then overturn the flow against him."
"There is no need to fear him.
Even if he appears powerful, his style is not something I cannot surpass.
In close combat, I stand far above him .. and so does my ability."
"You have every weapon at your disposal.
Do not lose."
"..."
Frey’s eyes lit up as every word carved itself into his body.
His sword began to move in perfect response to each of Amon’s attacks.
There was no trace left of Ten Thousand Steps of Shadow.
Nameless permitted Frey to retain only the most powerful strikes he had created himself .. such as Nameless Judgment.
Everything else was abandoned.
And the result was worth it.
Frey no longer felt inferior to his opponent despite the vast gap between them.
He fought Amon as an equal.
The coordination of so many world-breaking abilities placed unbearable pressure on Frey .. so much so that it felt as if his head might explode at any moment.
Yet he endured the strain without showing the slightest reaction on his face.
A clear sign of immense growth .. not only in power, but in mental stability as well.
"Vessel of Nameless... all that borrowed power has indeed made you strong.
But will you endure until the very end?" Amon asked, throwing a heavier punch.
His body was still overflowing with terrifying strength .. as though the battle had only just begun.
"As you can see... the Third Stage of the SSS-class—Origin Revelation— has granted me the innate traits of demonkind: overwhelming endurance and vitality."
"In other words... I am immune to exhaustion, no matter how long I fight."
BOOOOM!!
Their auras collided once more ..
And Amon successfully defended against the Black Hole Aura, reinforced by Soulfire.
"Furthermore, the Fourth Stage .. Aura Boil grants me a type of aura far superior to ordinary aura.
That is precisely why I am able to keep up with the terrifying abilities you possess."
Amon’s smile widened as his crimson-red eyes ignited with a thunderous glow.
"The Fifth Stage .. Curse of Immortality allows me to remain at my peak at all times.
I do not age, and under normal circumstances, I will never die."
BOOOOM!!
"The Second Stage allowed me to transcend the limits of demonkind itself ..
not to mention the massive increase in raw power granted by each successive stage."
Amon stepped closer, until his face was directly in front of Frey’s.
"And then there is the Sixth Stage, the one I have been bound to since time immemorial ..
the Domain of Life and Death."
"Through it, I obtained a world-breaking ability of immense power from the Great King,
and gained the freedom to shape and invent my own techniques and abilities."
"In other words...
Six SSS-class stages versus six world-breaking abilities personally created by Nameless."
"I truly wish to see how this battle will conclude..."
Between raw power and the power granted by abilities ..
It was difficult to determine which side held the advantage.
Yet the strangest thing about this battle was Amon himself.
The Rank 11 High Demon also possessed a world-breaking ability,
yet his refusal to use it until now deeply unsettled Frey.
Amon continued to apply pressure, showing no intention of releasing that power anytime soon.
That left Frey with no choice but to fight with everything he had .. and deal with that ability if and when it appeared.
"Those eyes of yours are special. They can clearly perceive my flash strikes," Amon said calmly.
"But I wonder... what will happen if the attack comes from everywhere?"
For a brief instant ..
It felt as though time itself had stopped moving.
Amon spread his arms ..
And fists began to erupt from everywhere.
From his body.
From every angle of the battlefield.
Watching from afar, both Gehrman and Abraham immediately realized ..
It was the very same technique Amon had used to defeat them.
"A high-speed flash assault coming from all directions...
making defense utterly impossible," Gehrman muttered, clenching his fist,
wondering whether the current Frey could survive such an attack.
Amon unleashed his lightning-fast assault, completely surrounding Frey Starlight.
At that critical moment ..
Frey’s Void Eyes ignited,
and the flow of time slowed to an unprecedented crawl.