On the outskirts of the Shadow Sect—specifically within the area the father and son had claimed for their training ..
After several days of relentless, lethal, and agonizing combat ..
Abraham Starlight stood with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at his son.
Ada Starlight was there as well, seated far beyond the radius of destruction, awe clearly written across her face.
The source of her astonishment ..
Was her brother, now sitting amid a massive heap of devastation and ruin.
"Whoooooof..."
Frey Starlight drew in a deep breath, inhaling the air hungrily into his body.
His breathing had become entirely different—completely unlike that of ordinary humans.
Because he no longer possessed lungs to receive and circulate that air.
Instead ..
It was his aura that had taken over that role.
Frey’s body glowed with a staggering amount of aura .. a dark, profound aura entirely different from his father’s.
Abraham watched for a moment before closing his eyes, a smile forming on his face.
"He’s done it."
Frey had achieved in mere days what few could even attempt.
It was not identical to Abraham’s own ..
But Frey had reached his own understanding, forging his World-Boundary-Breaking ability from nothing.
The process had been anything but easy.
To reach that level, he had been forced to completely shut down his regeneration and allow his father to destroy every internal organ within him.
At one stage of the training, Nameless himself had intervened .. guiding Frey, pointing out his flaws, directing his growth.
But the result was worth the suffering.
Frey slowly opened his eyes, a magnificent radiance shining from within them.
His very presence had changed entirely.
"How do you feel?" Abraham asked with a smile as Frey rose to his feet, examining his body.
"It’s difficult to put into words," Frey replied, a slow smile forming.
"But... I feel far stronger now."
He wasn’t yet certain of the full extent of his current capabilities.
But as Frey stretched his limbs, he realized ..
For the first time, his body ... now forged entirely of aura .. could finally keep up with his eyes.
During his battle against Amon, there had been moments when Frey could see attacks with his Void Eyes ..
Yet fail to evade them because his body could not match what his perception grasped.
That weakness no longer existed.
And it gave him confidence that, if they were to fight again, he could win.
Perhaps what pleased Frey most ..
Was that he had added something new to his arsenal through his own hands, not by relying on Nameless.
Nameless did not comment much on The Absolute Manipulator, but he was satisfied with its level .. and deemed it worthy of becoming one of the stages of Supreme Shadow Adaptation.
Shadow Adaptation: 8/8
Who would have thought The Absolute Manipulator would contribute to something like this?
It was no longer a separate ability.
It had been completely absorbed into Shadow Adaptation.
It had now become the fourth stage .. positioned between Absolute Aura Control and Black Hole Aura.
Frey was still exploring his new capabilities when Abraham approached him.
"Your Absolute Manipulator is slightly different from mine... or rather, the aura itself is different," Abraham said, impressed.
Frey nodded.
He understood exactly what his father meant.
"The difference comes from the fact that I possess more than one type of aura."
Frey extended his arms.
An overwhelming surge of dark aura erupted from his body.
"In this state, my body is formed entirely of dark aura... but—"
He paused, concentrating as he shifted into a far more powerful state.
Gradually, a stellar black aura formed around him .. granting him overwhelming, oppressive power.
"Thanks to The Absolute Manipulator, I can now reconstruct my body entirely from Black Hole Aura."
That was precisely why The Absolute Manipulator had become one of the core stages of Shadow Adaptation.
Because it perfectly harmonized with the rest.
Smiling faintly, Frey clenched his fist.
"With this power... I’ve taken another step toward my goal."
He spoke unconsciously.
Abraham’s gaze sharpened.
"And what goal might that be?"
He wanted to know what drove his son to fight with such desperation .. such ferocity.
Frey smiled as he walked past his father.
"I’ll create it, Father."
Abraham blinked in surprise.
"Create what?"
Frey stopped beside him, his eyes focusing on a specific person.
His sister.
Ada, who had begun running toward them after realizing the training had ended—and it was safe to approach.
"I will create a world... a world where my sister Ada can live in peace. And in safety."
His voice was heavy. Resolute.
He walked toward his sister under his father’s watchful eyes.
Abraham said nothing.
It was a beautiful goal.
And yet ..
Though it sounded simple, achieving it was nearly impossible.
Abraham Starlight was not naive.
He understood very well what it would take to attempt something like that.
"My son... how far are you willing to go to achieve your goals?"
To reach that end ..
What means would Frey use?
Abraham did not know.
But a grim feeling settled within him.
He kept those thoughts to himself.
In the hours that followed, the three of them spent time together ..
Far removed from every other form of life.
A rare, genuine moment of family.
One none of them had enjoyed in a very long time.
...
...
...
Former Land of Humanity — The Empire
On the continent that had, until recently, been the home of humankind, everything was different now.
That once-proud human civilization had turned to ash.
Whether the central cities where the great families once ruled,
or the surrounding villages where ordinary people had lived ..
Everything had become ruin.
Millions had died overnight.
Humanity’s heroes saved many at the final moment from the claws of the Ultras... but despite their immense and exhausting efforts ..
Saving everyone had been impossible.
Normally, death is the end.
The final punctuation mark of all things. Of all life.
But now ..
There stood upon the Earth a twisted being that transcended the very concept of death.
A creature named Thanatos Adamos ..
known by the title of Death itself.
Now, the capital, Belgrade, had returned to life.
Countless figures roamed its streets, and the royal palace had been rebuilt in an entirely new form .. one designed to serve the whims of a single individual.
The number of humans moving to and fro numbered in the millions.
But the crucial difference ..
Was that they were no longer ordinary humans.
Yes, their bodies moved.
But their eyes were no longer the same.
They had become dark, glowing blue...
and cracks spread intermittently across their faces.
Proof that they were no longer what they once were ..
But soldiers serving the will of their master.
Thanatos.
He had settled in Belgrade, making it his launching point.
There, he revived the corpses of the dead to serve him as a new army .. one that would fulfill his ambitions.
Unlike Geppetto, Thanatos possessed no limitations when it came to resurrecting others.
In the distant past, his army had grown so vast that it was said to rival an entire race by itself.