Seated atop a hill overlooking the Shadow Sect, Frey gazed into the distance with quiet composure.
His dark eyes were still—like the surface of a flawless mirror, untouched by even the faintest ripple.
At the center of each eye, a V-shaped sigil had formed, symbolizing his Void ability ...
a power that had become an inseparable part of him, active at all times.
He looked down upon the living, breathing Shadow Sect...
the place that now sheltered everything that remained of humanity.
An entire race... on the brink of extinction.
The Eyes of the Void allowed Frey to see everything within ...
the people, the streets, the buildings.
If he focused, he was certain he could even see through walls.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he simply watched them... for a while.
In those rare moments of peace and stillness, Frey found himself recalling what the Sect had been like years ago.
How he had first entered it... drenched in his own blood.
"Back then, it was just me and those statues—
the only inhabitants of an abandoned, ancient place..."
"And now... it has become the last city of mankind."
Frey smiled faintly as he exhaled a cloud of warm breath into the cold air.
The atmosphere was crisp... refreshing.
"It almost feels like winter has come again..."
For a moment, it truly seemed as though winter had returned.
But that wasn’t the case.
The chill in the air did not come from nature ...
but from a human being.
From time to time, Frey would quietly observe his former companions as they trained day and night, striving to catch up.
Among them, Seris Moonlight stood out the most.
Her control over the ice element had reached an advanced level.
Her body was adorned with markings that resembled petals of frozen roses.
Her aura output was remarkably high compared to others of her generation.
"SSS-level output... but it isn’t truly her own power."
Frey immediately recognized the foreign force within her.
The legacy of the Moonlight lineage had somehow settled inside her body.
"It’s somewhat similar to my situation with Nameless... yet fundamentally different."
It seemed that Semiramis Moonlight had chosen to remain in a spiritual state rather than a physical one, making it impossible for her to manifest like the other ancient human heroes.
Instead, she chose Seris as her vessel—
granting her immense power while leaving control entirely in her hands.
Aside from Seris, Uriel Platini was equally noticeable.
Her golden, sacred aura ... granted by the Church’s ancient saint radiated brilliantly.
Her strength had evolved to the point where she could heal injuries instantly and automatically,
in addition to gaining numerous offensive abilities specifically effective against demons.
"She’ll be a valuable asset in the coming battle... without a doubt."
Frey continued observing the others.
Dawn Polaris, whose strange world-breaking ability had piqued his curiosity.
Selena, the witch, whose offensive power was devastating.
And Daemon Valerion, who had fused his body with a golden armor.
Then there was...
Sansa.
The demonic girl his eyes unconsciously searched for every time.
Sansa had isolated herself from the others.
She never appeared in the training grounds, nor among the soldiers.
Instead, she remained inside one of the buildings ...
with her uncle, Oliver Khan, the only family she had left.
The masked fighter had survived the previous horrors...
but suffered severe damage that rendered him unable to return to the battlefield.
As for Sansa—
She was a special case.
Unlike the others, her power had not increased at all.
Her level remained stuck at the peak of SS+, no matter how hard she tried.
And though she had once stood among the strongest at the beginning of the war—alongside Frey and Snow ...
the gap between them had now grown vast.
Because her power... was merely a fragment of someone else’s strength.
Sansa carried mixed emotions about this reality.
And Frey had never been there for her.
She had no choice but to face it alone.
"Weakness is a sin in this world..."
"But Sansa... when it comes to you..."
"It’s okay to be weak."
He said quietly, averting his gaze from her before lifting his eyes toward the sky.
"You’re not required to achieve anything."
"There’s no reason for you to grow stronger than you already are."
"So... you’re not meant to walk this dark path."
Among all of them ...
There was only one person truly suited to walk that path with him.
Ghost.
The one Frey had chosen himself.
"What about me? Am I suited for it?"
A familiar voice suddenly echoed from behind him.
Frey smiled faintly as he turned.
It was his radiant, golden companion.
"You?" Frey said with a soft chuckle.
"You’re far too bright compared to me."
"And you’re far too dark," Snow replied, stepping beside him.
"So dark that you prefer hiding in the shadows... watching your friends from afar instead of going to meet them."
Snow stood next to him, looking out in the same direction.
"They’re planning to begin the final battle tomorrow."
He turned toward Frey.
Frey nodded slowly, without meeting his gaze.
"I know."
"Then you also know that you and I are classified as final weapons—
not to be used until the very end of the battle."
Snow spoke, outlining the plan agreed upon by the leaders of the Shadow Sect.
"Almost everyone will be sent into battle."
"And we’ll do nothing but watch... until the strongest on the enemy’s side step in."
He paused.
Then added quietly:
"Which means... you might not see them again."
"Today is your last chance."
"...Are you really going to settle for just watching?"
The final battle—
humanity’s last stand against the demons—would begin tomorrow.
No one was certain they would survive.
Anyone could lose their life... and die.
You might stand beside someone today ...
only to lose them forever tomorrow.
Most of the former Temple students had been selected to participate in the first clash, with the exception of Frey and Snow.
The two of them would not take part unless the Higher Demons or a Duke of Hell appeared.
Until then, they would remain in the rear—alongside Fulghor the Planet, the Dragon Emperor Kalameet, and the Engineer Gehrman.
The only supreme powerhouse permitted to enter the battle from the beginning was Abraham Starlight, who had been appointed as the overall commander of the army.
He would be supported by the warriors of the Shadow Sect, the ancient human heroes... and the gathered Dragon Kings.
Frey understood this clearly.
Today might be his last chance.
"I think watching from afar is more than enough for me."
"There’s no need for me to meet them."
He seemed content with the distance he had created...
almost as if he were deliberately maintaining it.
Even Snow was no exception.
Had Snow not come to him on his own, Frey would not have bothered to seek him out ...
despite the fact that the two of them were, in practice, the most synchronized pair within the Shadow Sect.
To the point that they had once managed to combine their world-breaking abilities against Wesker—
an extraordinary feat that spoke volumes about their compatibility.
"You seem different," Snow said, voicing his thoughts aloud.
"As if something inside you has changed..."
"Do you really think so?" Frey replied calmly.
"If you ask me... I think I’m still the same as I’ve always been."
"I’ve simply found my path."
His voice was quiet... cold.
Snow stared at him for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"I suppose that’s fine."
"As long as we’re still fighting side by side, I have nothing to complain about."
Snow stepped back slightly, creating some distance as he stood facing Frey.
"I heard your power has grown significantly after your battle with Thanatos."
"How about we test that... a little?"
He drew his sword, inviting Frey to a duel.
Frey rose to his feet in response.
"Are you confident you can endure the disappointment?"
As he spoke, the dark Valerion gauntlet formed around his arm, and the Dark Sister manifested in his grasp.
Snow laughed.
"We’ll see about that."
For a brief moment, the two of them shared a light laugh.
Then—within less than a second—
their expressions turned completely serious, as if they were about to enter a battle to the death.
Frey remained cold.
Snow grew sharp... cautious.
Despite the friendly atmosphere moments ago, Snow found it difficult to fully understand the current Frey.
So instead of words ...
he chose the sword.
After all, it was the truest language between warriors.
With a single glance, Snow understood just how powerful Frey had become.
Frey had advanced two stages at once, reaching the third stage of SSS rank.
Meanwhile, Snow still remained at the first stage.
The first stage enhanced all SSS attributes.
The second expanded a warrior’s limits and potential significantly.
The third granted the innate power of one’s race.
But Frey had not awakened the human trait.
Instead... he had manifested the nature of Nameless’s race—the one that once existed on Krat.
On top of that ..
Frey possessed far more world-breaking abilities than Snow.
Frey had eight.
Snow had only two.
It was clear ... Frey had surpassed him once again.
And yet ...
Snow wanted to experience that difference firsthand.