Chapter 379: The Final Round (2)

—Frey Starlight’s POV—

Hidden among the Nightmare Mountains, I sat alone—leaning against the icy wall of a towering peak that reached into the clouds.

Two nights had passed since the battle in the Puppet City.

With a broken body, I made a vow to never fall again.

I could feel every cell in this body burning, straining to repair the devastating injuries I’d sustained.

I never lost consciousness—not even once. I wouldn’t allow myself to.

Trapped in a strange limbo between wakefulness and sleep, I kept my eyes half-open.

Motionless. Frozen in place like a lifeless corpse.

But life hadn’t abandoned this body. It wouldn’t.

Every so often, primitive nightmare creatures emerged from the shadows, creeping toward me with the intent to feast.

I didn’t see them.

I sensed them.

They would draw close—very close—only to retreat the moment they breached the invisible boundary around me.

Even in my semi-conscious state, those monsters seemed to understand that appearances could be dangerously deceptive.

Hours passed rapidly.

Hours of silence.

Hours where I lived through the same moment again and again...

I knew what I was seeing was just an illusion—yet I couldn’t escape it.

Surrounded by fire and shattered puppets, their broken limbs crawling toward me, trying to devour me.

Holding Clana Starlight tightly in my arms, her trembling body clung to mine, refusing to let go.

I couldn’t forget the words she kept whispering into my ear...

Her final words.

"I don’t want to die."

But she did.

She died... stripped of her humanity, turned into a puppet that plunged her blade into my chest, leaving a gaping, bloodied hole.

The Puppet City. Simon Manus. And Clana...

I knew they would continue to haunt my nightmares for a long time.

Even when I’m awake... even when I’m conscious...

Her ghost would keep appearing before me.

I had no choice but to live with it—and move forward.

Sinking deeper into this whirlpool of dark thoughts, drowning my mind in shadows...

My brain shut down for a moment as a jolt, like a thunderous surge, struck my head and violently jolted me back to reality. I gasped, drawing a sharp breath, struggling to breathe.

I was still here, sweating profusely between the mountain chains.

But unlike my broken state before...

This time, I felt no pain—only a surge of explosive power that made me shoot to my feet, throwing off the black cloak wrapped around me.

I couldn’t grasp what had just happened.

I tore off my shattered armor—riddled with holes and scars—and looked at my bare body.

As soon as I stripped it off, I stared at my chest, my abdomen... my arms and hands.

This body that should have been mangled with wounds—two bloody cavities, one from Val’s puppet, and the other from Clana ..

It had been restored.

Fresh, powerful skin replaced the damage. Not a single scar remained from injuries that should’ve killed any human instantly.

Struggling to comprehend this absurd regeneration, I released my aura.

A powerful violet glow erupted from my body, radiating pressure in every direction.

"Class A..."

My raw power had risen to Class A—without even using my swords or the rest of my abilities, which would easily push me into SS.

I felt strong.

A raging strength that made me feel like I could do anything.

This body was no longer human.

It was like a separate being—one that could recover from any wound the moment I willed it.

As if I had never been human to begin with.

To be honest ..

I felt a burning urge to return to the Puppet City and bury that son of a bitch Simon Manus who killed Clana.

I wanted to kill him—tear his body into pieces just like I did to his puppets.

This fire burning in my chest...

I wanted revenge—for Clana, who died in my arms.

But the time hadn’t come yet.

"There are more important things to worry about."

Thankfully, I had enough self-control to turn my back and keep moving.

Wrapping myself in aura, I bolted westward at high speed, determined to reach the rest of the elite class.

Clana was dead—and with her, the only clue I had to find the others.

But I couldn’t just sit and do nothing. I had to go back to square one and search again.

At least this time, I had a lead.

Go west—the direction Clana had mentioned before.

As I finally left the mountain range behind, I used Third-Person Perspective again to locate my friends ..and discovered much.

The elite class thought I was dead, so they’d all started moving toward the gate they’d found earlier. They had already covered a great distance.

All of them... except Ghost, who left on his own to search for me using his high-level assassin skills.

"That idiot..."

Now I had to worry about him, too.

They were good friends...

Ghost, Danzo... even Snow.

Even though I’d never given them anything, never really helped them since we met—

They’d shown they were willing to risk their lives for me, if it came down to it.

To me, they were among the few people in this world who truly mattered.

I wouldn’t let them die.

My father—Abraham Starlight. And Clana Starlight...

Both of them died for me. And that was more than I could bear already.

I couldn’t handle losing anyone else for the sake of saving me. The chains I already carried were enough.

That’s why I decided to find Ghost first.

Locating him was the priority. The others were together, and more than capable of surviving on their own.

With that thought, I accelerated even faster, tearing through the wastelands of the Ultras without a second glance.

Finding Ghost—who was a master of concealment—was a difficult task, even while constantly using Third-Person pov on him...

My current running speed was already at its peak .. everything I could muster...

And yet, I couldn’t help but push myself harder as a strange feeling took hold of me.

A sinister premonition slowly crept into my heart the further I advanced.

Especially when I began sensing a massive number of unfamiliar auras moving somewhere up ahead...

There were so many of them...

As if an entire army was marching—heading in the same direction I was.

"What the hell is going on?!"

First Lord Godfrey and Gvardiol...

And now these new signatures...

All of them... going toward the same place I was headed.

This wasn’t a coincidence .. there was no way it could be.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand.

They wouldn’t be able to catch up to Phoenix and the others—they were already close to the teleportation gate.

So what was the purpose of this army?

Trying to find the answer...

Whether it was a trap set by the enemy...

Or something else entirely...

I had no choice but to run faster—faster than ever—praying from the depths of my heart that I would arrive in time.

. . .

. . .

Far from Frey Starlight ..

Back to the demonic witch who had spun her web carefully around the entire Ultras Continent, turning it into her personal stage...

Beatrice hovered in the sky, a powerful magical aura swirling around her body.

"The Witch’s Game... is about to enter its final stages."

A glowing magic circle pulsed around Beatrice as the players of the Ultras took their positions.

"This game will determine the fate of the entire Earth!!"

She burst into laughter as she continued weaving her spells.

"Those fated to survive—shall survive."

"And those fated to die—shall die!"

The Witch’s Game was perfectly fair.

"Those who seek revenge will get their chance. Those who crave power and glory ..they’ll get their shot too! A game of desires at its finest! Kihihihi!"

And just as her maniacal laughter echoed—

Frey Starlight came to a sudden halt, his expression darkening as a group of people stepped into his path.

One look at them was enough to ignite the fury in his eyes.

"Leonides..."

The ancient elder of the Starlight family—alongside dozens of traitors from the same bloodline.

The same faction that once stood against his sister in the battle for control over House Starlight.

Leonides took a step forward, drawing his sword as an ominous aura surged around him—greatly amplified by his pact with a demon.

Surrounded by other warriors, most of them ranked S...

The Immortal Lion of the Starlight family roared with burning hatred.

"You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment, Frey Starlight!!"

Revealing his mastery of the Stardust Style, now at the Eighth Star, matching Carmen’s level.

Leonides shouted with a face twisted by age and the toll of demonic blood.

All of it... just to wield the sword once more with that borrowed power.

"The moment I kill you!"

But despite the explosive display of aura Leonides had unleashed—Frey Starlight walked toward him calmly, unbothered.

His cold eyes no longer saw Leonides as human. And with a voice that made the immortal lion’s blood boil, Frey spoke:

"Step aside, Leonides. I have no intention of fighting someone weaker than me."

"What did you just say?!"

After all the pressure he had built up... these were the first words Leonides heard from Frey?

"You’re going to die anyway. Your body won’t withstand the demon’s blood."

Frey could see it clearly ..Leonides looked several years older than the last time they met.

"So go bury your pathetic corpse somewhere I won’t have to see it."

"You bastard!!"

Driven mad by Frey’s taunts ..

Leonides charged with a roar, accompanied by many other warriors, as Frey slowly drew his twin swords to meet them—welcoming them with steel and blood.

Thus began the first of many grudge matches...

Here, in the heart of the Ultras Continent.