THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 632: Glimpses of a Doomed Future (1)

—Frey Starlight’s POV—

Our meeting with Daemon ended in a blink, light on details ..muscle-brain was never suited for briefings or leadership to begin with.

He led us to a corner of the camp and handed us a place to sleep.

“We move at dawn. Until then, do whatever you want ..sleep, train, have sex… I don’t care. Just don’t make too much noise,” Daemon said, waving as he walked off.

He was still wearing the Golden Dragon armor that now seemed part of his body. From the way it looked, I doubted he could take it off even if he wanted to.

Seeing him like that made me wonder what exactly he’d done to end up this way.

Watching his broad back recede, he reminded me a lot of Danzo.

Danzo died some time ago, but I still find myself remembering him; his shadow forms before me often ..especially in the moments when I lose myself.

With Daemon here, that shadow felt alive again.

Even so, I was genuinely glad to see Daemon. These simple feelings are something I want to cherish as long as I’m able ..they mean a great deal to me.

Seconds later, Daemon vanished into the camp, leaving the three of us alone.

“So we’re back to the battlefield tomorrow…” Uriel said softly.

“We’re already back,” I answered with a slow nod.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we hadn’t even had time to catch our breath. I’m used to that kind of pressure ..but it’s different for Uriel.

She’d seemed a little flustered lately .. especially after Daemon’s bold talk.

She’s innocent. And to be honest… given my current relationship with her, I wouldn’t have much trouble taking advantage if I wanted to.

But I didn’t want that. Uriel is too pure ..like a living, spotless white canvas.

I, on the other hand, am closer to a bottomless black abyss. If I touched her, my darkness would seep into her and rob her of that purity.

The thought of defiling something so pure was tempting, if I’m honest. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t pictured it.

But I wouldn’t do it. What little feeling remains in me dwindles by the day; my heart leans toward nothing in this life.

Not to mention Sansa ..I don’t even know what I feel for her. Uriel is… similar.

Both of them, and the others with them, are people I treasure ..people I want safe.

But do I love them?

Do I love Sansa?

Do I love Uriel?

…

“Maybe.”

And maybe not.

I can’t give an answer ..or even think straight about it ..in the middle of war and all its nonsense.

So if we win the war, and everything ends well…

maybe then I’ll have an answer.

Until then, whatever feelings they hold for me are fated to hang in the balance.

Catching Uriel’s eyes ..she’s been looking my way a lot lately ..I could only feel sorry for her… because she loves someone like me.

Those were my thoughts about such things .. until Snow pulled me back to reality.

“Are you sure? About not wanting to see the others now…?”

He meant Sansa and Ghost, most likely.

I wasn’t worried about them. “They’re strong. They’ll be fine.”

There aren’t many Ultras who can truly threaten Sansa; as for Ghost, he always finds a way.

Snow nodded ..agreeing, at least to that extent.

“So we’ll be fighting the Hollows from here on…”

“Yeah. They’re very strong, but at our current level it won’t be difficult to handle them ..that is, as long as it’s just Pontiff Sulyvahn and Ludwig.”

“Then Simon Manus is the most dangerous? Isn’t he SS, while Pontiff Sulyvahn is SS+?” Uriel asked, uneasy.

She was right ..there’s a full tier between them.

But Simon’s danger lies elsewhere entirely.

“Simon Manus is unique. He’s neither contracted with demons nor one of their followers. His threat is in the puppets he wields. In the past he used against me a puppet of an ancient lord ..SS tier.” I said it plainly, remembering that fight.

Simon controlled Lord Val’s puppet ..along with thousands of others ..at the same time.

“In wartime, Simon Manus and his puppets are a real catastrophe .. an army you can’t underestimate. He’s the main reason I prioritized this front over the others.”

Understanding Simon’s threat, Snow and Uriel both nodded.

“Then let’s deal with him quickly and rejoin the others,” Snow said with a confident smile.

Honestly, with me and Snow on the field, there’s nothing about the Ultras to fear.

The real danger would be a third, anomalous force stepping in .. but the stronger demons haven’t joined the war yet, so we’re safe for now.

Who knows when that balance will break. Until then, I have to be ready.

“Let’s get some rest, you two. We’ve got a long day ahead.” I motioned for them to turn in; it was already late.

Snow and I would sleep in the same space, while a separate place had been arranged for Uriel at my request.

“Good night to you both. Try to rest and recharge .. even people like you have limits.”

Uriel insisted we rest, and I could only agree.

“Good night to you too ..and don’t worry, I’m not planning to sneak out and pick a fight,” I joked, but her scowl said she took me seriously.

Snow stepped in, slinging an arm over my shoulder and hauling me toward our tent.

“Don’t worry. I’m not letting him go anywhere,” he said, dragging me along by force.

“I get it, man. No need to pull ..I can walk on my own,” I sighed as we ducked into the tent and waved to Uriel.

She waved back, and in a blink… quiet settled over the place.

The tent held two simple cots.

Snow took one, I took the other, and we lay down in silence.

For all our bravado, we were both exhausted.

We hadn’t slept properly in days—days spent fighting battle after battle.

This is what it means to shoulder a war from the front.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I’ve borne most of the war’s horrors alone so far .. everything that came with them.

There isn’t an enemy I haven’t faced among the Ultras’ elites and the Church. I did it alone, but now Snow had shown he was ready to stand with me and carry the fight.