THE VILLAIN'S POV

Godfrey wasn't alone. His entire army followed.

The Ultras, after winning the battle of Shizclar against the Empire, had begun to shift their forces elsewhere. And the first to move was the savage lord himself—Godfrey.

"Frey… could that be?"

Clana asked, barely able to endure the weight of the aura pressing down on her. Frey nodded.

"They're here for us."

The Ultras were starting to take them seriously. The arrival of an army this large confirmed that something massive was about to happen.

What convinced Frey even more was the direction Godfrey and his army were heading—toward the other side of the pass. The same road that led to their companions.

"Something's wrong…"

Why had Godfrey appeared here, now?

Had the Ultras already discovered where their group was hiding?

Frey couldn't suppress the killing intent that surged within him as those thoughts filled his mind.

"Frey?"

Clana clutched his waist tightly—but his eyes continued to glow with that dangerous violet hue.

'I can't risk letting him go…'

Frey began to walk, pushing his way to the front of the crowd, while Clana hurried after him in a panic.

His killing intent grew so sharp and focused that even the massive Ultra lord himself stopped walking—turning his head in Frey's direction.

"I'll kill him here!"

Frey didn't know how far his current power could go if he unleashed everything. But one thing he was sure of—taking down a single lord wasn't out of the question.

He was just about to summon his blades and start the massacre—

—but then he froze.

A new presence burst through the area. A second oppressive aura, just as heavy as Godfrey's.

"What's wrong, Lord Godfrey? Why have you stopped?"

From within Godfrey's army, a new figure emerged—walking calmly from the rear.

He had a body larger than any normal human, wrapped entirely in black bandages like some sort of undead creature.

Crimson-red eyes.

Aura pressure: SS rank.

Gavardiol.

He came to stand beside Godfrey, who didn't say a word. He simply turned back around and resumed walking at the front.

As for Frey, now held firmly by Clana at the waist, he had already withdrawn his killing intent.

"…Another SS rank ..."

Frozen in place...

What irritated Frey the most was the man's appearance—the hulking figure, wrapped in black bandages.

He'd heard of someone like this before. Specifically, during the Temple Raid… exactly one year ago.

That man was Gavardiol.

The one who killed Ghost's older brother.

But there was one major difference: his power.

Back then, Ellen White had said he was no stronger than S rank.

Yet now… he had appeared before Frey as an SS rank monster.

Frey could do nothing but grit his teeth—his opportunity to strike had completely vanished.

"What the hell is going on here…?"

He didn't know much about these new Lords who had suddenly emerged from nowhere.

But the black horn protruding from the back of Gavardiol's head made something click.

"…A half-demon."

Frey muttered, eyes wide, as the truth began to crystallize before him.

Third-generation experiments. Half-demons.

The seal that had already been broken, allowing demons to enter the world again.

These people… were the successful results of those grotesque experiments Frey had seen in the past.

"…It all makes sense now."

Grabbing Clana, he pulled her back—far away from Godfrey and Gavardiol's aura range.

"Wait—where are you going?!"

Clana asked in alarm, but Frey didn't respond.

Lord Mergo, the old man the Empire knew nothing about despite his advanced age…

Gavardiol's leap in strength to SS-rank in just one year…

The explanation was simple.

'It's just like what happened in Londor.'

3 months on that dead planet had equaled just 3 days on Earth.

The same principle applied to the demon world—Helmond.

Time there passed far faster.

That alone explained all the unknowns up until now.

"They all came from Helmond."

Realizing that, Frey grasped the scale of the danger.

Lord Godfrey didn't remain for long—he activated the magic pass and teleported to the other side.

To use the circle, however, a specific key was required.

A key Frey didn't have.

Holding Clana's hand, he pulled her away from the crowd.

"We need to find one of the keys to that magic circle and warn the others—fast."

Otherwise, they'd soon find themselves facing the full Ultras army bearing down on them.

Frey had no leads on where the keys might be. Still, he was determined to find one and escape.

"…Selena would've been able to activate the portal easily."

Clana muttered unconsciously, clearly at a loss herself.

Frey frowned and was about to say something, but a sudden voice called out.

"Hey—you two."

Frey turned.

A strange young man in his twenties stood there, his wild orange hair jutting out like spikes. He stared at them with a grin.

"The way you've been moving around—back and forth like that—you're not from here, are you?"

Grinning wide, flashing his yellow teeth, the spiky-haired man walked toward them with heavy steps.

Frey scowled at being noticed and pushed Clana behind him, facing the man head-on.

"We're all strangers in this filthy place."

He replied in a cold voice.

The man laughed.

What Frey said could be interpreted in many ways—but it was clear enough: most of the highbloods present here didn't actually belong to this pass. It was a place usually reserved for the lowblood Ultras.

"Haha… you're absolutely right. Forgive my rudeness, but may I ask who you are?"

"And why would you need to know?"

"…Curiosity."

The man replied with a grin.

"My name is Draxler from Shizclar. I saw you earlier in the crowd—and I've been watching ever since."

"And why's that?"

Frey asked. Under his clothes, the tattoos on his swords glowed faintly.

He was ready to strike the moment it became necessary.

But Draxler didn't seem fazed by Frey's hostility. He continued to speak with the same light tone.

"Unlike everyone else here—and your cute friend hiding behind you—you're the only one whose power I couldn't gauge. That alone makes me curious."

Draxler took another step forward.

"…So who are you?"

Frey, after evaluating the man, determined that Draxler was at least S+-rank.

Which only made him wonder why someone that strong was wandering around this place alone.

Still, Frey had no time for unnecessary bloodshed. So instead, he pulled out the Blood Emblem of High Sovereignty, revealing it once again to Draxler.

The man's eyes widened for a second before he burst out laughing and dropped to one knee.

"My apologies, Lord of the Sovereign Seat, for not recognizing your rank!"

"There's no need for formalities. Now that you know, step aside."

Frey passed Draxler without further comment, with Clana at his side.

But the strange man wasn't finished.

"Forgive me again, my lord, but…"

He raised his voice slightly.

"Would you, by any chance, be looking for the magic circle keys?"

The moment he said those words, Frey halted in place.

Draxler's eyes gleamed. He knew he was right.

"If that's the case…"

Still smiling—his sharp teeth fully on display—he rose from the ground.

"…Then I think I can help."

Having just mentioned the one thing Frey urgently needed, Draxler had now made himself impossible to ignore.

Frey had no choice but to deal with this strange Ultras man… whether he liked it or not.