Deep within the Shadow Sect, in the very temple where everything had begun,
the sacred hall had been transformed into a war council chamber, gathering the strongest human warriors who now fought for nothing less than victory against the demons.
Seated around a massive table, every major power was present, debating the fate of the world.
Among them was, of course, Frey Starlight—arguably the strongest individual within the Shadow Sect at this point.
Yet despite his position, he had not spoken a single word throughout the entire meeting, as if none of it concerned him.
The veteran human heroes were the ones discussing the next steps of the war, choosing for now to focus on evacuating and saving as many civilians as possible.
The reason was Thanatos .. and the terrifying possibility that the demon side could launch a strike that would wipe humanity out in one blow.
The Shadow Sect had recently taken in millions of refugees. It was as if the entire Empire had begun to be reborn inside its territory.
But that did not change the brutal truth—countless people were still dying every single day. Even the old human heroes could not save everyone.
The number of humans now sheltered within the Shadow Sect was nearing five million.
Roughly the same number were still trapped behind the Empire’s remaining walls.
On the other side, nearly thirty thousand humans from the Ultras had defected, following the traitor Mergo and his organization, the Black Order.
Mergo himself was present at the meeting and was treated with formal respect, but the Imperial side remained wary of him.
Even the thirty thousand who had followed him were isolated on the outskirts of the Shadow Sect, just in case they posed a threat.
One of the most important issues discussed was the fate of certain Ultras prisoners .. Gavid Lindman and V, who were still in their custody.
Mergo requested that their handling be entrusted to him, promising that he could pull them to his side.
The proposal was initially rejected—but Frey intervened and allowed it.
He had his own reasons. V possessed a terrifyingly rare talent, one that had made him close to both Frey and Snow in the past.
As for Gavid Lindman, Frey did not care whether he lived or died, so he left his fate in Mergo’s hands.
That decision angered the old human heroes, especially Nova Starlight, but it earned Frey Mergo’s gratitude.
Mergo was a dangerous, enigmatic man—but he was not the type to stab Frey in the back as long as their goals aligned.
Frey understood that perfectly, and he intended to exploit it.
Meanwhile, Snow Lionheart was still missing after his clash with Nito during the last battle.
Some proposed sending a search party, since Snow had fallen somewhere in the southern continent .. the Nightmare Lands.
Frey, however, dismissed the idea.
In truth, he had already checked on Snow himself using teleportation.
When he reached Snow’s location, he realized there was nothing to worry about. Snow had not intervened in the last battle recklessly.
In the southern Nightmare Lands, Frey had witnessed a breathtaking surge of pure, radiant light.
Following it, he reached its source—a blazing star-like presence that scorched the surrounding land with white, sacred flames.
One glance was enough for Frey to know the truth.
Snow was behind it.
And more than that .. Snow was on the verge of breaking through.
Having reclaimed his nature as a Pure Vessel, Snow’s power was growing at an explosive rate. With the other half of the Light Soul now in his possession, his true strength had finally awakened.
Breaking into SSS would not be difficult for him .. it was more like reclaiming power he once had rather than reaching something new.
Seeing how fully Snow understood what he was doing, Frey had not worried in the slightest. He knew Snow would return on his own once he was finished.
With Frey and Snow, along with Shadow Sect elites like Fulghor and the veteran human heroes, the core fighting force for the final war was beginning to take shape.
Frey’s friends—the younger generation—were strong as well, but not strong enough to face monsters like the High Demons head-on.
Since his return, Frey had been avoiding them. Still, Gehrman had told him they were training relentlessly, pushing themselves as far as they could. Every one of them had something worth fighting for.
But in this world, weakness was a sin.
Only power mattered.
With Vex of the Hell Dukes having appeared, Gehrman warned that Amon would likely send more of the Dukes to compensate for the loss of high-tier fighters.
"At least two more will come," Gehrman said, his words making everyone tense.
Every Hell Duke was a combatant who had reached at least the third stage of SSS. Even the weakest among them could defeat the strongest human .. except for Abraham Starlight.
Two more Dukes would mean the next battle would pit them against three High Demons:
Rank 11, Amon.
Rank 3, Vayne.
Rank 9, Nito.
And alongside them, three Hell Dukes—Vex being the only one revealed so far.
All signs pointed to one truth.
The coming conflict would be the hardest yet.
Which was only natural .. because it would be the final battle on Earth.
The meeting continued for several more hours as everyone shared their thoughts—everyone except Frey.
When it finally ended, Frey lifted his head, having remained silent the entire time.
"Since everyone has finished saying what they needed to say," Frey said in a cold, emotionless voice, "I’d like you all to leave for a while. Everyone... except Gehrman."
The way he spoke made it sound less like a request and more like an order.
After exchanging glances, the others began to leave one by one.
Soon, the chamber fell silent.
Only Frey and Gehrman remained, seated across from each other, staring into each other’s eyes.
The blue-eyed man was the first to speak this time.
"Are you certain about this?" Gehrman asked with a faint smile, still carefully evaluating Frey.
"You stayed silent through the entire meeting, not a single word... and now, the moment it ends, you choose to speak—with me of all people. The only non-human in that room."
Frey remained quiet for a moment before answering.
"You’re the one who holds the answers I want. Not them."
"That may be true," Gehrman replied, leaning on one hand, "but that doesn’t mean I’m obligated to give them to you."
Frey narrowed his eyes.
"I never expected you to give them freely. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here."
He turned his gaze toward the black walls of the Shadow Sect, memories stirring within him.
"To be honest, I didn’t think you’d bother showing yourself after the last battle. You always vanish once your schemes are complete."
At that, Gehrman let out a quiet sigh.
"There’s no point in that anymore. I can’t hide from you now .. given your new abilities and the way your power has grown."
Frey understood what he meant.
The Void Eyes.
Even Vex, the greatest assassin of the Hell Dukes, had failed to escape his perception. Compared to that, Gehrman—wounded and weakened—had no chance of slipping past Frey’s senses.
"...Come to think of it," Gehrman added softly,
"This is the first time you and I have ever faced each other... with you being the stronger one."
A faint smile formed on his lips.
"So what do you think? Why not attack me, the way you used to in the past?"
"Don’t you hate me?"