Chapter 502: Among Monsters (2)

He asked with a soft smile...one that did not match at all with his blood-drenched face.

"N-No... never mind. Things are just fine this way."

With another sweep of his massive sword, Morval sent more Ultras flying through the air.

"But I do wonder... Lord Starlight, is it really wise to keep advancing blindly like this?"

Morval had been fighting beside Frey the entire time ..and he could barely keep up with Frey’s insane momentum.

Most of the enemies they encountered seemed weak, whether they were of the higher or lower bloodline.

"What’s wrong? Hitting your limit already, Morval? Didn’t you say you were born for moments like these?"

Frey’s words felt darkly ominous, especially as he casually sliced an enemy clean in half mid-sentence.

"Thinking of running away too?"

"Not at all~" Morval replied with a sadistic grin, his thirst for blood on full display.

"What I’m saying is... I fear the Ultras might send their main forces soon if we keep advancing like this."

They had gone too deep—far deeper than they should have.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if one of their commanders showed up," Morval said.

To which Frey Starlight calmly responded..

"That’s exactly what I’m betting on."

Putting an end to the spectacle, Frey unleashed a terrifying wave of dark aura that swallowed the remaining enemy troops.

A sweeping blast tore through everything in front of him, ending the battle in one brutal stroke.

"In this era, it’s individual strength that determines the outcome of wars. The strong... the monsters that lead from above ...that’s what truly matters."

Ordinary soldiers could fight all day if they wanted, but in the end, a single overwhelmingly powerful enemy could show up and wipe them out in an instant.

"That’s why I’m here. To deal with enemies like that," Frey said, wiping the blood from his face.

This was their sixth victory in just eight days.

A terrifying number, to say the least.

Frey had shouldered most of the battles alone so far, allowing the other soldiers to conserve their strength and stamina.

That was how they had managed to endure up until now.

As Frey and Morval spoke, a pure green light enveloped their bodies.

A healing glow that washed away fatigue, injuries, and exhaustion.

When they turned around, they saw that Uriel had already activated her divine power, letting out a breath of relief alongside the others.

She had stayed at the rear with Celine, but since they had followed Frey, even positioning themselves behind the main fighters hadn’t spared them from ending up amidst the enemy.

"Thank you, Saintess Uriel. Your presence truly is a blessing."

Beside Uriel and Celine, the witch Zenith appeared with her usual crooked smile. She looked nothing like the terrifying sorceress who had just bombarded the battlefield with lightning moments ago.

Uriel didn’t respond ...still focused on healing the wounded .. but Zenith didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

"So, what’s the next move, Frey?"

From the shadows emerged Ghost Umbra.

The assassin who had already caused countless disasters for the enemy.

"We’ve come too far. Any further... and we’ll reach the point of no return."

Though they had advanced deeply, retreat was still an option ..for now.

But once they crossed a certain line, they’d be trapped, surrounded by enemy forces from both sides.

Frey nodded. He had already considered that possibility.

"We’ll stop here for the night and decide how to proceed from this point on."

Hearing that, Ghost narrowed his eyes.

Frey’s vague answer made it clear ..he had no intention of stopping.

Ghost’s earlier assessment had been both right and wrong.

If they were surrounded, many would die. But the strong ..those with true power might still survive and escape.

As for the weak... their fate was sealed.

Frey seemed ready to sacrifice them without hesitation. That’s what Ghost had come to understand from watching him these past days.

Then there was that strange squad he had gathered.

Except for Celine, they were all monsters—beasts willing to follow him to the bitter end.

No matter how one looked at them, that was a death squad.

Sansa, too, seemed completely unfazed. As long as Frey was intent on marching forward, she would support him without question.

Or rather... she seemed to be enjoying every second of it.

A demoness like her thrived on despair, death, and destruction.

The only ones not thinking with such twisted logic were the regular soldiers... and a few select individuals.

Uriel Platini and Celine were among them.

They stood silently, staring at the corpses and blood all around them.

Celine was the first to speak.

"Lord Starlight... forgive my rudeness, but... is it really necessary to go this far?"

Merciless slaughter. Ruthless killing.

From the very beginning, Frey had made himself clear.

No mercy. We spare no one.

That’s what he had told them at the start of the raid.

And he followed through with every word.

He had shown no mercy, not even to those who surrendered.

"I know the Ultras are the evil side here... followers of demons who deserve death... but I can’t help but wonder if this is truly the right path."

Celine said hesitantly, while Ghost stared at her with his dead eyes.

She had voiced what many others had been thinking.

And Frey’s answer came immediately as he approached her ..still soaked in the blood of those he’d killed.

"Your name’s Celine, right?"

He asked gently, causing her to nod nervously.

"Very good, Celine... then allow me to correct a few misconceptions in your last question."

Staring at the corpses of the Ultras, he spoke:

"There’s no such thing as good and evil here. You too, it seems, are blinded by the tales they feed you inside the Empire’s walls."

"Huh?"

Celine looked puzzled, but Frey was kind enough to explain.

"Do you really think everyone we’ve faced so far were evil monsters who deserved to die? Sorry to disappoint you... but most of them were just ordinary people. Some may have lived more righteously than us."

True, the Ultras were demon followers ..but most of them were just victims, forced into that fate.

Many were simply humans born with demonic blood in their veins.

"There’s no such thing as good or evil here. What stands before you are enemies.

Enemies you must eradicate. That’s all."

Whether righteous or corrupt, criminal or kind...

It didn’t matter.

"As long as they stand on the other side of the battlefield, that’s all that matters. They won’t hesitate... and neither will we."

That was the grim reality they lived in.

A reality Frey had accepted long ago.

"You’d best get used to it. This is just the beginning."

With that, Frey ended the conversation, leaving Celine in silent confusion.

Unlike her, the others didn’t seem the least bit surprised.

In that moment, she realized...

She had been spending her days among monsters.