The angry statue spoke for the first time.
Now possessing a human form resembling that of an ordinary man, he had long black hair, a powerful muscular frame, sharp features, and tightly drawn lips that naturally formed a scowl.
It was obvious Frey had remembered the statue’s old face while reconstructing his new body.
The same applied to the others.
Smiley possessed a cheerful face, blond hair, and a slimmer physique, while Sad appeared weary and ash-haired, standing somewhere between the two.
From their reactions, Frey understood they were happy.
But they still needed time to adjust.
What had happened was simply too much for them after spending thousands of years trapped as cold statues, to the point that they had forgotten how to make expressions beyond the ones they had worn for ages.
"You’ll grow used to it soon enough." Frey said calmly.
"Time is all you need."
Afterward, he turned his attention toward the other warriors of the Shadow Sect.
Among them... stood his human friend.
Ghost Umbra.
As usual, Ghost appeared calm and composed, his dark eyes fixed on Frey for quite some time now.
Seeing that, Frey smiled faintly at him.
"It seems you have a lot you wish to say," he spoke first.
Ghost answered briefly.
"Not really."
"You just... don’t seem all that different."
"Is that how it looks to you?" Frey asked.
Ghost nodded.
"Yes."
"Even though I know very well how wrong I am for saying that..."
"...you’re capable of reviving the dead now."
"Is that what makes me different?" Frey asked again, genuinely curious about his friend’s perspective.
Ghost shook his head.
"No."
"The change runs far deeper than that."
His dark gaze narrowed slightly.
"So let me ask you something, Frey..."
"Are you finally capable of using me now?"
"Capable of deciding my battlefield like you once promised?"
In response to the question, Frey smiled faintly.
"Follow me, my friend..." he said quietly.
"And you’ll find your answer."
His voice echoed across everyone present as he turned toward them all.
"Follow me, all of you."
"Our battle is only beginning."
Every warrior of the Shadow Sect answered him immediately, including Fulghor and Adir.
Both of them carried traces of sorrow they tried their best to hide after learning from Shiva what had happened to Gehrman.
Their blue-eyed companion had succeeded.
He had achieved the goal he pursued for thousands of years, and that filled them with happiness beyond words.
But that success had come at a terrible price.
His life.
Despite their grief, Fulghor and Adir accepted the outcome, especially after Shiva told them about Gehrman’s final moments... and how peaceful he had been in the end.
"How do we proceed now, my lord?"
Fulghor asked the most important question of all, inquiring about the next step now that Frey had fully regained his power.
This time, Frey answered directly without speaking in riddles.
"We will leave this planet."
"And we will gather the entire Sect of Nameless once more."
His next objective had been decided.
To gather every follower of Nameless and rebuild one of the most dangerous organizations in history.
Though many who had followed Nameless in the distant past had already died, many others had survived.
And after them... the Sect itself had survived as well.
The name of Nameless still existed in every corner of the universe.
Even now, there were still people who revered him.
Frey intended to gather them all.
Because he had a purpose for them.
"Before entering the continent..." he continued calmly,
"...we will gather the Sect, settle several old debts, and remind the universe of a name it forgot long ago."
"But first..."
Frey turned toward the massive crowd of humanity.
"...we need to finish things on this planet."
He raised his hand.
A massive amount of aura began gathering in the distance before the eyes of the Empire’s soldiers and citizens, all of whom instinctively turned toward it after sensing its terrifying intensity.
The aura rapidly expanded until an enormous gate formed before them.
A gate leading them toward the place where their eternal enemies waited.
The enemies whose defeat would finally end the war forever.
The transformed Ultras army.
The demons.
And the puppets that marched beside them.
They were still alive somewhere on Earth, wandering aimlessly after all the horrors brought about by the descent of the Demon King.
They were the final enemies remaining.
As for Amon... he had vanished alongside Agaroth without leaving behind a trace.
The moment the gate opened, Frey stepped forward, revealing himself before all of humanity.
"Arm yourselves, warriors of the Empire!"
"And prepare for battle!"
"Your war is not over yet!"
His voice struck like thunder itself, pulling them from their hesitation and disbelief after returning from death.
"That voice..."
"Frey..."
Many recognized him instantly, especially the elite students such as Uriel, who attempted to move closer to him only to find him standing impossibly far away.
Frey decided to cast the final spark.
The spark that would ignite the flames of the battle destined to decide all their fates.
"Victory is already within your grasp."
"The Demon King is gone. He fled far away and will never return to this place again."
"His upper demons are dead."
"The Dukes of Hell met the same fate."
"All that remains now are the Ultras."
"And none are more deserving of destroying them than you."
"Today..." Frey declared, his voice echoing across the world itself,
"...Earth will finally be freed from the tyranny of demons."
"After more than three hundred years..."
"...all of you will finally become free."
"One battle."
"That is all it takes."
"So do not hesitate."
"And achieve the dream you sought from the very beginning."
With those words, Frey cast the torch into their hands.
And the warriors of the Empire seized it without hesitation.
Many of the people standing below were already fiercely devoted to Frey.
Others simply believed in him... and in his power.
The moment confirmation came directly from him, it took only a few short minutes for their confusion to disappear entirely.
In its place rose fury.
A monstrous killing intent directed toward the creatures waiting on the other side of the gate.
Once those monsters were dead... the war would finally end.
That single thought intoxicated them.
To the point that they all charged forward at once, throwing themselves into battle without hesitation.
The ancient heroes of humanity led the advance.
Alongside them marched the majority of the elite war forces.
The Shadow Sect joined the battle as well, supporting humanity and tipping the scales heavily in the Empire’s favor.
Before long, the final war became nothing less than a one-sided massacre through which the Empire finally claimed its revenge against the Ultras.
The final battle lasted only a few hours.
A handful of hours... yet enough to bring everything to an end.
Frey did not participate in that battle.
He merely watched from afar in silence, waiting for the fighting to conclude.
While observing the battlefield, several familiar figures approached him.
Three people in total.
The first was Snow.
Behind him came Sieghart... accompanied by Dawn.
Or rather... the Great One of Earth.
It seemed all of them had much they wished to say to Frey.
Especially Snow.
One sought the complete truth.
Another wished to follow him.
And the last sought to bargain with him.
Frey received them all calmly while the final battle neared its conclusion.
He was severing the last ties binding him to Earth... preparing himself for the next step ahead.