After disposing of Wesker... and subjugating Maskith,
Frey opened the path back to Earth.
Together with his Shadow Sect followers, Alexander Rybak and Shiva, he stepped through the long-range teleportation gate.
And alongside them came Maskith himself... now reduced to one of Frey’s subordinates as well.
Not by choice.
But by force.
After all, Frey had taken his heart.
Through the power of positive Aether, Frey could now keep the heart alive despite it being removed from its owner’s body.
And whenever he wished, he could destroy it instantly.
Maskith’s life now rested entirely within Frey’s hands.
Even so, Alexander Rybak clearly disliked the old man’s presence among them.
He said nothing aloud, but his eyes spoke far more honestly than words ever could.
Several times already, he looked ready to kill Maskith on the spot.
That was why Frey turned toward him.
"Alexander... do you trust me?"
In response, Alexander lowered his head slightly and answered with respect.
"A blind trust I have given to no one else but you, my lord."
"There’s no need for such formal speech, Alexander. I value that trust... and I want you to continue giving it to me."
"Maskith is a filthy bastard who sees the creatures of this world as nothing more than toys to do with as he pleases."
"But that son of a bitch won’t be able to do anything anymore without my permission."
"We’ll make use of his strength. Which means you’ll be seeing a lot of him in the future... so try to get used to his existence."
After listening quietly, Alexander shifted his gaze toward Frey... then toward Maskith... before finally returning it to his king once more.
"As you command... my lord."
"Good. And drop the formalities already, Alexander. You’re making me uncomfortable here."
"Understood..." Alexander replied hesitantly, having realized that the man before him was completely different from the one he used to know.
This was not Nameless.
Or rather... Nameless had merely been one part of him.
Frey’s tone was gentle and considerate whenever he dealt with Alexander and Shiva.
Yet it changed entirely when directed toward his enemies.
He was not cold and emotionless anymore.
Instead, he had become something impossible to read.
One second, he could laugh casually...
And the next, transform into something dark and terrifying.
Like a ticking bomb no one could predict the moment it would explode.
Their passage through the portal did not last long.
Soon enough, they reached the other side.
At that exact moment, Frey’s eyes narrowed into something sharper as he stepped forward.
"Prepare yourselves... he’s here."
The instant those words were spoken, everyone’s expressions hardened.
Moments later, they found themselves beneath the skies of Planet Earth.
And below them—
Seated calmly atop a towering mountain as though waiting patiently for their arrival—
Was a monster cloaked entirely in darkness.
And there were not many beings in existence who possessed a presence remotely comparable to his.
"Agaroth..." Alexander uttered the name with rage as he gathered his power and began forming his aura.
But Frey immediately raised a hand in front of his subordinate’s chest, stopping him.
Though reluctant, Alexander obeyed and allowed his king to take over.
Meanwhile, Agaroth rose slowly from where he sat, a broad smile stretched across his face.
"So it was true after all... You truly returned."
Agaroth spoke first, openly pleased to see Frey return as a Writer once more.
Frey merely stared at him in silence.
His eyes were cold, devoid of the slightest emotion toward the creature standing before him.
"Yes... I returned."
"Returned only to find that you left behind a pathetic copy carrying that same damned face of yours."
As Frey spoke, he turned his gaze aside, his violet eyes glowing deeply as he searched for the real one.
And soon, he realized that the true Demon King had already returned to Helmond.
The one before him... was nothing more than a replica created through the power of Reincarnation Soul.
"Don’t be so displeased with this copy. I merely wished to see for myself what you had become."
"Eyes?" Frey laughed mockingly.
"You mean that single eye you still have left?"
He mocked him openly, since the Eye of the King had already been destroyed, leaving Agaroth with only one remaining eye—
The Eye of Fate.
Yet Agaroth continued smiling, entirely unaffected by the insult.
Creating a new eye was not difficult for him... though it would never compare to the Eye of the King.
"You are no longer a weak fledgling... nor an emotionless warrior."
"You have become a being capable of threatening my life itself."
"And naturally... I assume killing me is now your goal."
The Demon King extended his hand toward Frey, offering him an invitation.
"Soon, I will enter the mysterious continent that now stands at the center of this universe."
"That place shall become the promised land where both your fate... and mine... will be decided."
"So if you truly wish to settle things between us... then come find me there."
Agaroth said his piece.
Prepared to confront Frey upon the land that existed between two worlds.
"We will meet again soon enough, Agaroth. So don’t trouble yourself over that."
"When the time comes... I’ll find you myself."
Frey responded calmly before raising his own hand toward Agaroth.
But unlike the Demon King’s invitation... Frey’s gesture was one of dismissal.
"You may disappear now."
"I’ve already had enough of you."
The real Agaroth was not present.
But even a mere copy of the Demon King remained stronger than the vast majority of beings that had ever existed within the Material World.
So much so that Alexander Rybak had failed to realize at first glance that the creature before him was only a replica.
Sensing the hostility emanating from Frey, Agaroth’s copy moved instantly.
He lunged forward at terrifying speed, attacking directly.
A monstrous dark aura exploded around him.
He became like a raging storm of darkness threatening to devour everything in its path.
Yet before that roaring tempest of aura, Frey remained perfectly calm.
Slowly, he folded his fingers one after another... leaving only his index and middle fingers extended toward Agaroth.
As though he were holding some sort of gun, ready to fire.
Behind Frey, Alexander Rybak and Shiva prepared themselves to intervene if anything unexpected occurred... especially when they saw Frey standing completely motionless.
Maskith also remained alert, though noticeably calmer than the others.
Because unlike them... he already knew what was about to happen.
Agaroth’s copy nearly reached Frey.
But the Demon King’s hand never touched his body at all.
At the very last moment, it felt as though the entire world had frozen.