Chapter 557: Paradise at the Edge of War (1)

A week had passed since Blattier declared his vengeance against both the Starlight and Valerion families.

Turning the entire Empire into his hunting ground, he took the families of soldiers hostage, splitting the Empire’s forces in half. Many tried to betray their comrades to protect their loved ones.

Given the current situation, the elder, Iris Sunlight, took command—placing the members of House Starlight and House Valerion on one side, and the rest of the soldiers on the other.

This move reduced the skirmishes between the two groups, but it did nothing to ease the seething rage or the miserable morale of his men.

The Starlight and Valerion side burned with fury and hatred after news reached them of their homes and families being wiped out. The other side was gripped by tension, fearing what might happen to their loved ones if they dared oppose the Church’s enemies.

In this way, chaos spread through the camp, and the Empire’s side lost all semblance of order.

Things worsened drastically when soldiers began killing one another as tensions boiled over.

High-ranking officers constantly intervened to stop the fighting, but with over sixty thousand troops, there was no way to control them completely.

The Empire’s forces were tearing themselves apart. If the Ultras attacked now…

It would be a disaster of the highest order.

“No choice but to deal with the Church as quickly as possible,” Iris Sunlight said grimly, cutting down more of those causing unrest as he moved alongside his brother, Gal Varion, trying to suppress the chaos.

Around them, the other leaders and strong fighters roamed the camp around the clock, trying to maintain order—men like the Lord of House Moonlight, Oliver Khan, and Valerion powerhouses like Ivar.

Their combined efforts were barely enough to keep the army from collapsing entirely.

“This is like self-destruction. If this keeps up, we’ll lose the war in the worst way imaginable,” Gal muttered, scowling, unable to contain the situation. Iris, for his part, stared with his one remaining eye at soldiers turning on each other, sorrow etched on his face.

“We’ll have to place our hopes on those three.”

“Hmph. You’re putting your hopes on three kids with no real experience? Has the Empire fallen this low?” Gal Varion made no effort to hide his disbelief in the current strategy.

If those three failed, it would spell the end for them all.

“Don’t forget—the youths you’re talking about are monsters who could crush old men like you and me .”

Iris was certain of this; his fight against V still haunted his mind to this day.

If one copy of Frey Starlight could unleash that level of destruction upon them, then… how terrifying would it be to face the real one?

And he wouldn’t be fighting alone—beside him would be the chosen hero, Snow Lionheart, whose talents were said to surpass even Kazis Valerion himself. And then there was Aegon…

The prince no one had ever been able to see through.

Gal would have preferred sending people like Sir Allon or Maekar Valerion instead, but Iris…

He saw the greatest chance in the new generation, and was willing to bet on them.

Still, somewhere deep in the old man’s heart, a different feeling took root—especially toward Frey Starlight.

A dark power with an unknown origin. Limitless potential that couldn’t be measured. Unfathomable motives. A beast born for war.

Was leaving such a monster among us truly the right choice?

This question plagued Iris’s mind. His reasoning told him that as long as the Empire benefited from keeping that monster, he wouldn’t object.

But with how fast he was growing… sooner or later, he would become something the Empire could never hope to control.

“Fighting this kind of beast… frightens me.”

A fear had taken hold in his heart. And who could banish it?

What Frey had done so far wasn’t a secret—many had witnessed it from different perspectives.

Those in command had likely thought the same thing.

If the Empire won and the war ended, they all knew they’d have to do something about him.

In the worst case… they might have to eliminate him.

A power beyond control could just as easily become the cause of their destruction.

These were the thoughts that haunted the elders and leaders whenever the topic of Frey arose.

Far from the camp, Frey himself stood with a select few, gathered in an open area, ready to move out.

It was dawn, the sun just about to rise.

“Looks like everyone’s here,” Aegon said with a faint smile.

The prince wore a striking black armor set adorned with gold patterns. It was clear this was no ordinary gear—Aegon had armed himself with the finest equipment this time.

Beside him stood Frey and Snow, wearing their usual battle armor—nothing flashy.

Around them, only Oliver Khan, Ghost Umbra, and Sansa Valerion were present.

There was little left to say; everything that needed to be discussed had already been said.

“We’ll teleport directly to the Holy Island. I have no idea about Uriel Platiné’s current condition, so we don’t know what’s waiting for us there,” Frey said. He had tried multiple times to use his Third-Person View on Uriel, but all he saw was darkness.

That meant she was either unconscious… or something was blocking his vision.

“In the best case, we find Blattier, kick his ass, and come right back. In the worst case, it’s a trap. No one knows how this will play out, so be ready to fight the moment our feet touch the Holy Island.” Frey’s warning was clear—the battle could begin the instant they arrived.

Aegon and Snow both nodded at the same time. At the very least, they understood this much—everyone would be responsible for themselves, and if one of them died, the others would not bear that weight.

“The War Angel Frey fought before is still somewhere above the Demonic Sea. In other words, you might not necessarily run into him,” Ghost said, sharing the latest intelligence they had.

That colossal War Angel was the greatest threat, which was why the Empire had kept a constant watch on him.

He had recently been spotted aimlessly roaming over the waters of the Demonic Sea, near the Ultras Continent. For that reason, it was unlikely he would appear on the Holy Island, which was far removed from that place.

“It seems the Church is keeping him close, waiting for the right moment to strike again.”

Oliver Khan nodded, agreeing with the conclusion.

“The Church holds the absolute advantage over us right now. They won’t attack unless another conflict breaks out between us and the Ultras… or if our army collapses entirely.”

In terms of losses and damage, the Empire’s condition was undeniably worse.

The Ultras had endured the onslaught far better than they had.

“If the Angel moves against us, we’ll fight him with what we have here. So focus on the mission in front of you—and don’t overextend,” Oliver said, his gaze locking onto a certain person.

“This is especially for you, Frey. If you see you can’t win, pull back immediately.”

Those last words weren’t those of a military commander—they were those of a friend who let a fragment of his feelings show, unwilling to see Frey dead.

And truthfully, a large part of that came from Sansa, for Oliver knew exactly what Frey meant to her.

Frey simply nodded with a smile.

“No need to worry. As you can see, I’m the strongest among you.”

“We’ll win, without a doubt. So hold out until then—I have no desire to return victorious only to find nothing but ash.”

The battle on the Holy Island was too important to understate. It was no exaggeration to say that the fate of the entire war rested on its outcome.

With full awareness of this responsibility… Frey and his companions readied themselves to depart.

But before the teleportation began, Frey and Sansa shared a brief look—no words, only a long silence.

After recent events, a fragment of the old Sansa had resurfaced… the human Sansa.

And this was thanks to Oliver Khan, with whom she had finally mended her relationship.

Perhaps she had never expected it to happen, and somewhere deep inside, she had thought a filthy demon could never find their way into another human heart—except for Frey, the madman who loved playing with monsters.

But reality proved otherwise.

In other words, Frey Starlight was no longer the only one Sansa lived for.

If he died, she still had somewhere else to return to.

That fact hadn’t escaped Frey—not for a moment. With a single glance, he understood. There was no longer a reason to drag her with him toward death.

There was no need for them to die together.

And so, he began to push her away.

Not bringing her along now was proof enough. Sansa was an SS+ rank— even if the Church possessed a counter to her, she could still fight and survive there, just like them.

But he deliberately chose to keep her away, because he wanted her to find a reason to live beyond him.

‘There’s no one in this world worth walking this dark path with me. This is my punishment alone… my fate alone. So, Sansa… find your own road—far from my shadow ‘

Smiling at her one last time, Frey’s body lit up as he placed his hands on the shoulders of Snow and Aegon, preparing to initiate the teleportation.

‘I’ll see you later, my sweet poison.’

Though the words never left his lips, Sansa understood them all just by looking at his face.

She reached out for him without thinking, her mouth opening as if to speak—but no words came in the end.

Yes, she had loved him, and that was no mistake.

But the bond they had built—a bond where each leaned on the other—had crumbled far too easily.

Unlike her, Frey had known this would happen sooner or later. He had simply been there for her when she had no one, and now that she had found another reason to keep going… he quietly, gently stepped aside.

No noise. No fuss. Just paving the way… and walking away.

Sansa understood this, but she realized it too late. Frey was gone before her, and she couldn’t speak a word to him—because everything that had led to this was true.

Conflicting emotions churned within her chest, unable to define her fragile connection to Frey Starlight.

He had never been fair to her—not once.

He left her with no choice but to watch from afar.

And so, Frey Starlight vanished with his companions, leaving the rest behind on this side of the world.

At that moment, none of them could have known the scale of the disaster about to unfold on the Holy Island of Sicily… a disaster that would change everything.