Frey gave no reply .. he was still trying to understand what had just happened.
The Demon King had changed completely the moment the Aether World was mentioned.
So much so that he had come here for that reason alone.
Agaroth wanted to know the method.
And that realization told Frey something extremely important.
The Demon King cannot enter the Aether World.
No matter how powerful he is—no matter his abilities—he is incapable of crossing into it.
That is why he is searching for a way in.
What Agaroth intends to do in the Aether World remains unknown...
but the fact itself was an enormous gain.
His objective had now become clear.
The only question left was ..
How much had Agaroth learned in those few seconds when he used his eye on Frey?
There was no way to know.
---
Far from Earth...
In Helmond, the Demon World...
At the Tower of the End, the Demon King sat upon his grand throne as always.
After possessing Ada, Agaroth had returned to his true body.
His eyes were closed, as though he were deep in thought.
Slowly, he opened his left eye—the same one he had used on Frey.
Its shape shifted endlessly, forming different geometric patterns with each passing second.
In those brief moments, Agaroth saw countless scenes .. scenes that reflected Frey Starlight’s memories.
Frey and Nameless had been pulled into the Aether World by an entity whose form Agaroth could not discern at first.
He could not hear what the entity had said—some force blocked him—but Agaroth continued pushing with all his might to identify it.
After long seconds of strain, Agaroth finally caught a glimpse of the being’s form...
Blond hair.
Clear blue eyes.
A body like that of a child.
Those features made Agaroth’s expression darken.
For the first time...
he looked genuinely disturbed.
"...That is impossible."
Agaroth rose from his throne, violent dark power erupting from his body.
The Demon King was enormous—nearly three meters tall—his body resembling a bottomless abyssal gate.
Slowly, Agaroth extended his hand... and without warning ..
He drove it deep into his own chest.
The Demon King’s arm plunged into his body, as though searching for something.
His strange astral flesh flared with blinding light, and a crushing pressure shook the void around him.
Agaroth remained frowning for a moment—until he finally found what he was looking for.
He slowly pulled his hand back out of his body.
And when it emerged, it was holding something.
No... not something.
Someone.
A living being was dragged out from inside the Demon King .. a being bearing the same features as the entity Frey had encountered.
Blond hair.
Blue eyes.
The same face.
The only difference was that the one Agaroth extracted appeared older .. more mature.
The person looked to be in agony, eyes closed, his face blank.
With a single wave of the Demon King’s hand, dark power flooded his body, restoring him to life.
"Open your eyes. I know you’re already awake... Seth," Agaroth said coldly.
The emptiness and pain vanished from Seth’s face, replaced by a mocking grin.
"What’s wrong, Agaroth? Did you see something so unbelievable that you had to pull me out?"
"Hehehe..."
Seth laughed as the Demon King glared at him with a presence that would make even the strongest tremble.
Yet Seth remained completely unfazed—despite being firmly in Agaroth’s grasp.
"Judging by that reaction... it seems you were expecting this day to come," the Demon King said, trying to make sense of what was happening.
Agaroth was certain he had hunted down all of the Children long ago .. Audrey was the only one who had escaped.
That was ages in the past...
yet Seth looked as though he had anticipated the day Agaroth would bring him back from within himself.
That alone made no sense.
What made it worse was that Agaroth’s eyes could not see through Seth at all—
for when it came to causality, Seth was unrivaled.
Meaning Agaroth had no way to force answers out of him.
Seth laughed mockingly.
"Die in disgust, you filthy traitor. No matter how strong you become, you will never reach that world .. it is forbidden to creatures like you."
Seth’s smile was terrifying, completely indifferent to the overwhelming aura of the monster before him.
"I’ve been watching you, Agaroth. I know exactly what you’re trying to do."
"Why didn’t you devour Nameless when you defeated him in the past?"
"You always devour powerful enemies—so why not him?"
"The reason... is because you knew he was connected to Frey, didn’t you?"
Seth spoke with certainty, and Agaroth’s expression confirmed it.
"The one you truly want to devour is Frey—
because he is the greatest among us... and the only one through whom you might reach the Aether World."
"That’s why you’re letting him grow before you do to him what you did to us."
"You disgusting bastard."
Seth’s voice trembled with pure hatred.
"You will fail, Agaroth. I will make sure of it .. no matter the cost."
Those words made the Demon King narrow his eyes.
He still could not understand how Seth could exist in both the material and Aether worlds at once.
When Agaroth devoured someone, they were considered dead in the material world .. so how could Seth still persist within the Aether?
No matter how hard he tried, Agaroth could not find the answer.
That only made Seth laugh harder.
But the Demon King’s scowl soon faded—replaced by his usual smile.
"There’s no point trying to understand you, my dear brother," Agaroth said calmly.
"You were always the smartest among us."
The abyss within Agaroth’s body opened once more.
"Go ahead. Do everything you can. Help him oppose me if you wish.
It will only add to the number of amusing enemies .. but it won’t change the outcome."
As Agaroth began to devour Seth again—
"You know it yourself, Seth... defeating me is impossible."
"...Because I am the strongest of all."
Among all beings in the material world... and the Aether world...
Nothing like Agaroth had ever existed.
A true monster.
Seth knew that if Agaroth were allowed to enter the Aether World ..
where power far greater than that of the material realm resided ..
he would become something entirely different.
Something no one could comprehend.
Something no one could stop.
That was why he had to be stopped... no matter the cost.
"I’m counting on you... Frey," Seth whispered, as Agaroth devoured him completely.
The Demon King unleashed his power, attempting to break free of Helmond.
But dark chains wrapped around him, binding him in place.
Nameless’s seal was still there—though it had clearly weakened.
Agaroth stared at the chains... then smiled.
He knew this prison would not last much longer.
---
Days remaining until the Shattering: 64
---
Author’s Note:
Hello everyone.
Today marks the end of the longest volume of the novel so far .. the War of Darkness volume, with its four arcs, the last of which was the epic Clash of Legends that we concluded today.
With the start of Volume Four, we officially pass the midpoint of the story and enter its advanced stages.
Volume Four is titled The Fracture ... or more precisely, The Shattering .. and it will be an extremely important volume that will change the story completely.
This volume is the shortest one, consisting of only a single arc, but that arc will serve as both the beginning and the climax at the same time.
The name of the arc is: The Path of the End.
It focuses primarily on Frey, the protagonist, and the truth behind the path he has chosen ... and what he must do to reach its end.
It will also feature the peak and conclusion of Gehrman’s plan, the scheme he has been working on since the very beginning of the story.
And it will bring the war on Planet Earth to its finale .. the end of all events there .. for this is humanity’s final war.
Volume Four begins with the next Chapter.
I hope you enjoy it as always, and I apologize for any shortcomings.