Chapter 562: Resonance of War

On the other side of the world…

Specifically, in the Blood Cities under Ultras control, the demon worshippers were busy reorganizing and putting the final touches in place to plunge once again into the depths of war.

The situation for the Ultras was far better than that of the Empire. They had successfully repelled the Church’s offensive and limited the damage from that attack.

And with the Imperial Army suffering such heavy losses, now was the most opportune time to strike.

In the capital, Kaeld, within the fortress of Lord Gavid Lindemann…

The lord sat in the company of Mergo, who remained by his side most of the time. Both had sustained severe injuries from their last battles—first against the War Angel, and before that against Frey and the others. Thus, they had withdrawn from the chaos of war to recover.

Sitting bare-chested, his upper body wrapped in bandages, Gavid stared blankly into space, drowning in his own thoughts.

“You’ve been spacing out a lot lately, my friend. Is old age finally catching up to you?” Mergo’s voice cut in, mocking him as usual.

With a weary sigh, Lindemann answered.

“I was thinking about what we lost in the last battle… and what we gained.”

“You mean Dragoth?” Mergo asked, to which Gavid nodded.

“After all the effort we put into freeing him, he died so easily to a mere youth from the new generation…”

“You mean Frey Starlight. He’s no mere youth. He’s a fully-grown monster,” Mergo replied, closing his eyes, remembering his clash with that young man.

“I know… But I can’t help feeling regret. Dragoth was the people’s hero. I grew up my whole life walking in his shadow. And now, to see him end in such a pitiful way, only to be replaced immediately by the 18th Seat Demon…”

“You mean Beleth.”

Gavid nodded again.

“More and more high-ranking demons are flowing into our ranks, yet our heroes are gone. You and I are the last SS+ warriors left on this side.”

Mergo shook his head. “There’s still the new generation… and that prodigy you raised yourself.”

“Ah… V.”

At the mention of his name, both men turned their eyes toward the same direction.

In a separate chamber, visible through a thin glass barrier, that youth could be seen slumped against a filthy wall, the ground around him littered in disarray. His body was exhausted, and two swords lay buried in the floor at his sides.

“V is strong… but his power is unstable.”

“We don’t fully understand how his copying ability works. I’ve been pushing him hard lately, forcing him to try replicating Frey Starlight. It gave him overwhelming strength… but the results are lying there in front of you.” Gavid rose from his seat and approached the glass.

“His ability lets him mimic the techniques and combat styles of those he copies. Even their skills. But he cannot replicate unique abilities or elemental powers. In other words, he makes do with what he already has to compensate.”

Frey Starlight possessed an SSS-tier aura reserve—something V did not. To make up for it, V substituted with the dark flames drawn from his demonic contract.

That substitution allowed him to endure.

“He can mimic Frey Starlight’s strongest techniques, but in V’s hands they are far weaker. I saw the difference clearly in our last battle against him. The gap between them is like night and day,” said Gavid, and Mergo nodded in agreement.

“So you’re saying he’ll never defeat the original, is that it?”

“Not through copying alone, no. That much is certain. But that’s not the way I intend for him to fight,” Lindemann replied, his thoughts spilling out.

V had always been his student, his creation—his masterpiece to shape as he wished.

“I don’t know the exact conditions or limits of his ability, but my plan is to have him copy as many combat styles and techniques as possible, building an arsenal of endless weapons at his disposal. That way, he may never beat Frey Starlight through imitation alone, but he could compensate with sheer versatility.”

This was the vision Gavid placed his hopes on—his most talented disciple, forged into the ultimate weapon.

“You want to turn him into a killing machine that masters countless styles? Is that even possible…?” Mergo asked, his eyes flicking toward the discarded swords on the floor.

Firstly, V could only wield two legendary swords when in Frey Starlight’s form. Once he dropped the imitation, his body collapsed the moment he tried using both. Mergo never understood why—that mystery lay with Frey himself.

Secondly, there was no proof V could copy more than one person at a time, nor any clear understanding of his limits or conditions.

Thirdly, even when the copying succeeded, V was still weaker than the likes of Frey.

The ability was powerful, yes—but riddled with shortcomings.

From Mergo’s perspective, Gavid was blinded, perhaps even obsessed.

But in the eyes of Ultras’ lord, V was their last hope. And he had staked everything on him.

“That’s not the right way to fight, Gavid. One man alone will never change anything,” Mergo said, frowning, before turning to leave.

“Raw, overwhelming power is all that matters in this world. A single man with enough strength can achieve what thousands cannot. I thought you, of all people, understood that… Mergo.”

The words were true enough, yet Mergo simply did not see that potential in V.

“Let’s just hope your precious prodigy doesn’t shatter before becoming what you want him to be.”

With that, Mergo turned and walked away.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” Gavid shouted after him.

Mergo waved him off with a hand.

“You have your way of fighting, Gavid… and I have mine. Let’s both do our best to save our kind before it’s too late.”

With those words, Mergo vanished before him, leaving Gavid alone with V.

The Lord of the Ultras had placed much on the young man’s shoulders, trying to forge him into a monster that could be relied upon against the countless other monsters threatening their existence.

—

Meanwhile, as the Ultras were preparing for war…

A single man had already crossed the entire Demon Sea by himself, returning to the Empire he had once left behind for the sake of battle.

Maekar Valerion.

He descended out of nothingness into the skies above Belgrad, shaking the heavens with relentless thunder. Within minutes, he annihilated wave after wave of war-angels. None who stood in his way were spared as he cut straight toward his imperial fortress.

But upon reaching the place where he had spent most of his life, Maekar found only ruin. The flames of purification had reduced the once-mighty castle to ash, slaughtering everyone within.

He didn’t care.

With his nerves taut and his face darkened by deep anxiety, Maekar rushed toward a specific part of the fortress, blasting aside rubble as he carved a tunnel through the earth with his explosive might.

“No… it’s fine. There’s no way they could have found this place,” the Emperor muttered under his breath, though worry still tightened his expression.

The chamber he sought lay deep underground, where no fire could reach. That was the reason Maekar had hidden his greatest treasure there.

And sure enough—within seconds—he broke through to the secret tunnels beneath the fortress.

The Valerion estate was laced with underground passages, used in times of emergency as shelters. Maekar sensed many people within them now—likely members of his family who had fled and by sheer luck survived.

At first, he grew tense, fearing they might have stumbled upon his hidden chamber. But the passage they had taken was entirely separate, and the magical traps he had placed remained dormant.

Relief washed over him when he saw the outer chamber untouched.

Still, he refused to take chances. Pressing forward, Maekar reached the door and forced it open.

The frozen chamber.

The quiet, icy room he had retreated to whenever life became too much. The place where he had hidden his weapons, his tools, and—most importantly—

the body of the one he had been obsessed with for so long.

As the door swung open, Maekar’s eyes met a sight that shattered his expression entirely.

Everything was as it had always been—cold, silent, untouched—except for one thing.

One thing that broke him.

With heavy steps, he walked inside, staring directly at the object at the heart of the chamber.

The coffin.

The frozen coffin was destroyed—smashed open by foreign hands.

Its contents were gone.

“…It’s not here.”

“It’s gone…” Maekar whispered, his face twisting into something monstrous.

His greatest fear had come to pass.

Someone had broken into this place, ignored the weapons, ignored the treasures… and taken only the corpse.

Rage boiling in his chest, Maekar’s golden eyes burned as he turned toward the faint presence of survivors hiding behind distant walls.

“Was it them?”

Had one of them discovered his secret?

Clenching his fists, the Emperor surged forward, his heart trembling with fury.

“Whoever it was… they won’t live to see tomorrow.”

He swore it, unleashing explosions in his wake as he hunted for the thief—

the thief who had stolen what he valued above all else.