Chapter 703: Footsteps in a Fallen Kingdom (1)

– Frey Starlight’s POV –

Is this really... Nameless?

That was the only question in my mind as I stood before him within this dark void realm that existed inside me.

The figure in front of me felt like a manifestation..

a construct born from endless fragments of combat arts, supernatural abilities, and overwhelming power.

A being built from zero: from the infinite information stored inside the mask.

A monster without a true "self," without personality, without identity.

And yet... that monster had somehow been affected by my experiences ..

my pain, my struggles, my emotions ..

all of it had fused into him, reshaping the empty template he once was.

The man before me looked nothing more than an ordinary figure wearing a black steel mask.

But that image was a lie.

The real Nameless ..

the terrifying king whose ancient images and fragmented visions I had once seen—

was nothing like this.

He was a relentless beast wrapped in human flesh,

a creature who slaughtered entire races to reach his goals,

a calamity that even demons feared.

What stood before me was only a shadow, a flawed fragment.

It was obvious:

I still lacked two pieces of the Self-Puzzle.

I had obtained the mask, but not the weapon nor the armor.

Without them, Nameless would remain incomplete ..

stuck in this half-existence,

struggling to understand feelings he was never meant to have.

I tried asking him why he was obsessed with the law of life and death...

how he obtained his cosmic abilities...

why he could see the future...

why he spent his entire existence trying to defy mortality.

Was it because of what Odin told him?

Unlikely.

Nameless’ obsession started long before that ancient encounter.

But Nameless gave me no answers.

Because he didn’t have them.

Not in this incomplete state.

"You really are trapped in darkness just as much as I am,"

I muttered.

"Who would’ve imagined a king like you ending up this... pitiful?"

The truth was ugly.

Just like me, Nameless was a pawn trapped in German’s scheme ..

and trapped in the schemes of others we still didn’t know about.

"I’m stuck in this situation, and so are you," I said.

"And yet you want to step aside? Is that truly what you want?"

I tried one last time, hoping he would take over my body again.

Even incomplete, Nameless was much stronger than I could ever be right now.

But he rejected me again.

"I have no desire to take your body," he said quietly.

"Your roots... have sunk too deeply into me."

His voice was cold, steady ..

yet I understood the hidden meaning.

Nameless was like a blank page tainted with the ink of my miserable life.

He feared that diving deeper would turn him into me ..

that he would not absorb me... but become like me.

"Fine... so I’m on my own again?"

I exhaled in annoyance.

For now, I pushed aside the issues of Audrey, Agaroth, and Odin.

I could do nothing about them.

I neither had the power nor the knowledge.

"What matters now is what’s happening here, on Earth."

Wesker was my enemy.

And saving the people important to me came first.

"Ada..."

Her name slipped from my lips as I made my decision.

Ada and Carmen ..

both their names were still glowing red in the system interface.

I had wasted enough time.

While thinking that, Nameless finally raised his head again.

His violet eyes glowed with that same deep, oppressive radiance.

"I will help you," he said.

I froze.

"What did you just say?"

He didn’t repeat himself.

He knew I heard him.

"You’ll help me? Save Ada?"

He answered simply:

"That’s right."

"Why?"

I felt a strange, heavy warmth in my chest.

Nameless—the monster even demons feared—

was offering to help.

A ridiculous turn of events.

It felt almost unreal.

Nameless didn’t answer immediately.

Then finally:

"I’m tired of watching you lose to demons," he said.

"Even while you carry a piece of my power."

He rose from his simple chair.

"I won’t take your body.

But I can guide you ..

teach you how to fight the right way."

For a moment, I lost the ability to speak.

Nameless was offering aid...

because he didn’t want to see me suffer anymore.

Me.

The pathetic human he used to treat as nothing but a vessel.

I almost laughed.

Then it hit me ..

that absurd, almost childish realization.

Nameless had been affected by my memories,

my experiences,

and... my emotions.

He felt my pain.

He didn’t want Ada to suffer.

He didn’t want me to break.

It was naïve.

It was stupid.

But I knew it was true.

And I needed his help.

"Then let’s go," I said firmly.

"We’re saving Ada."

Nameless nodded.

A moment later, the void shattered around me,

and I opened my eyes in the real world again.

A deep violet glow burst from my pupils—

the same color Nameless wielded.

I was still inside the Shadow Sect.

Other than Audrey’s projection, I hadn’t encountered anyone yet.

They would surely notice my disappearance soon.

So I moved immediately, without greeting anyone.

There would be time to talk later.

Right now...

Ada was waiting.

But at the very least, I had a rough idea of where she was.

She was still inside the Empire ..far away, behind its walls.

Reaching that place would take time, but for once... I wasn’t worried.

"My spatial manipulation allows me to appear anywhere in this world.

You can’t do the same yet, not with your current level ..

but teleporting into the Empire and back out again won’t be difficult for you."

Nameless’ voice echoed calmly inside my mind.

So this was what he meant when he said he would help.

To be honest, talking to him like this felt strange ..

uncomfortable, even ..

but I had no choice but to get used to it if I wanted to take full advantage of his guidance.

"Then let’s go..."

I prepared myself to teleport straight into the Empire and see the situation with my own eyes..

But a familiar aura stopped me.

Someone I knew was close.

"Leaving so quickly after waking up... without even saying a word?"

From the shadows, a familiar figure stepped out, following me from the temple.

"Sno..."

Snow Lionheart ..

the friend whose light balanced my darkness.

"I’m sorry," I said, "but I have to go.

There’s someone I must save .. no matter what it costs."

"It’s your sister, isn’t it?"

Snow replied immediately, confirming he understood everything already.

I nodded.

"So? You’re just going to leave?

Walk out and abandon everything behind you?"

His eyes narrowed .. not in anger, but in a quiet, pained disappointment.

I knew the situation well.

Humanity was scattered, the war was spiraling into the unknown...

Our enemy was the Fourth Upper Demon.

We barely had enough strength left to stand, let alone win.

But even so ..

"What do you expect me to do?

Stay here and act like a leader?

Leave my sister on the other side until she dies far away from me?"

I gave him an empty smile...

refusing even to entertain the thought.

"I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.

I’m neither a leader nor a hero.

To me, Ada’s life alone outweighs every human here.

If I have to choose ..

then I’m sorry, but I made that choice long ago."

That was the truth.

Ada would always be the most important person to me.

She was my only remaining family ..

the one person who carried a piece of my old world... and my new one.

She was the hidden anchor that kept me sane.

Losing her... was something I would never be able to endure.

So I would go save her ..

or die trying.