THE VILLAIN'S POV

Unleashing a destructive wave, he cleaved both the clown and the giant sentinel in two, all while continuing his rampage and roaring ..

"Come out and face me! Simon Manus!!!"

He kept shouting his name.

The speakers crackled back to life.

"Hoho? Who would've thought our dear Frey Starlight actually knows me... I'm truly impressed."

Slash!!

Forced to fight against the relentless onslaught of puppet soldiers, Frey had no choice but to keep them at bay—at least until Clana could escape the city.

"Cut the crap and face me already!"

"And why would I do that, little devil?"

Something strange happened ..

The mechanical giant sentinel rose again, and the severed body of the fat clown began reassembling itself.

"I've prepared plenty of gifts for you. No need for me to show up and ruin the fun."

That clown puppet in particular was absurdly strong. Its belly split in half like a giant mouth, trying to swallow Frey whole.

But he dodged the attack with ease.

"That damn Zombozo..."

Harnessing more aura and unleashing his power even further ..

Frey began to tear through the puppets faster and more brutally, putting on a terrifying display of destructive might.

Balerion and Dark Sister—both swords were drenched in blue and red blood as Frey exhaled steaming heat from his mouth with every kill.

Amid the chaotic madness.

Frey's eyes widened as he saw something strange happening across the battlefield...

He saw them clearly.

Some puppets still alive were gathering in sorrow around those already destroyed...

Puppets of children, men, women, the elderly...

All kinds were there.

And Frey had already realized the truth.

His teeth clenched as he continued slaughtering them.

Then, without warning ..

Frey froze in place as an overwhelming surge of aura pressure slammed into him, forcing him to turn immediately.

"SS Rank?!!"

As his focus shifted ..

He saw it.

A single puppet standing atop one of the massive buildings...

A black puppet with glowing red eyes and long black hair, holding two red katanas.

"Frey Starlight. Just like your father, Abraham Starlight... you are truly extraordinary."

Simon Manus spoke again through the speakers, anticipation thick in his voice.

"Your father caused many disasters across this land in the distant past... and this is one of his many victims, returned to exact vengeance!!"

Frey's face grew serious as he released his full power.

"Blood Form."

Ready for battle, he faced the puppet that now leapt toward him—

All while Simon Manus continued, refusing to remain silent.

"Let me introduce you to the former Lord of the Ultras—the man your father killed! Val!"

One of the ancient Lords, slain long ago by Abraham Starlight, had returned…

Now reborn as an enraged puppet, thirsting for revenge.

Val, seeing Abraham in Frey, launched his full strength from the very start. Their swords clashed with violent force as the true battle began.

"Abraham Starlight may be dead... so it's only natural the son pays the price, right? Kikiki..."

Between Simon Manus' twisted laughter, and the puppet army now surrounding Frey—led by an SS-Rank puppet of vengeance—

Chaos once again engulfed the Puppet City.

...

...

...

– The Tea Party –

Inside her splendid garden...

Beatrice sat alone this time, sipping from her cup and thoroughly enjoying the performance unfolding before her.

"Simon Manus… you've always been a deranged old man."

In front of her, a screen displayed everything happening in the Puppet City, in the highest possible resolution.

"You say you don't follow demons, but another race entirely… then what's the difference between us? Hehehehe."

She laughed, recalling Simon's twisted hobbies.

Unlike her, who crafted her own homunculus..

Simon's puppets were something else entirely.

Using a strange blue substance he'd obtained from the very entities he claimed to worship—

Simon had somehow transformed living humans into puppets that resembled machines, turning them into the "art pieces" he so often raved about.

Stripping them of their humanity, making their bodies out of steel ..

Simon Manus had created elegant monsters shaped like dolls.

"We demons gave humans our blood. But you… you poisoned them with your strange toxins. So tell me—what's the difference between us?"

Enjoying the spectacle...

Beatrice watched Frey Starlight's battle against the former Lord, now turned into a puppet by Simon—along with the entire population of the city.

All those puppets Frey had slaughtered so far…

They had once been real people.

People who had lived lives just like his.

And he had known that from the very beginning.

Even so—he didn't hesitate to destroy them, offering them some form of release.

He was incredibly strong…

But he was still just one man.

"I wonder... how much longer can you last, Frey Starlight? Especially with someone weighing you down? Hehehe."

At Simon's request…

Beatrice had lured Frey into the Puppet City, making Simon yet another piece in the witch's grand game—

A move that birthed the chaos unfolding now.

"There's not much time left before we reach the final phase of the game, so I do hope you'll give me a proper show... Simon Manus and Frey Starlight."

…

…

…

While Frey Starlight fought for his life far from them—

The rest of the elite class lay hidden among the Ultras, waiting for his return.

Three days had passed.

Phoenix Sunlight had ventured out again and again during those days, hoping to find Frey if he ever got close.

But he never appeared.

Most of the elite class had shown a willingness to wait—

But the longer Frey delayed, the more others began to consider leaving.

"What the hell is taking Frey Starlight so long?!"

Daemon Valerion cursed, having lost his patience ..

Surrounded by the rest of the elite class, all of whom had reached their limits.

Their food had run out, and the only things keeping them going were aura and the water Seris continued to create for them.

Despite having already discovered the route back home, the decision to wait under such harsh conditions had created a tense atmosphere.

Figures like Scarite Sunlight and her brother were ready to leave.

But on the other hand, some made it clear they would wait for Frey no matter how long it took.

"I'm not moving from this spot until Frey gets here. Anyone who wants to leave—go ahead."

Danzo spoke indifferently as he wrapped a white bandage around his swollen fists.

Like Danzo, Snow, Ghost, and Sansa were the most determined to stay.

This growing divide slowly began to fracture the elite class.

Sansa, who had isolated herself from the others, often immersed herself in trying to control her shadows and the power her body now carried.

If she had been able to go to him—she would've done so without hesitation.

But in her current state, she could do nothing but wait.

While meditating—

Her dark eyes wandered, lost in thought...

'Even though he's not here… I often feel like he's watching me from somewhere…'

There was no concrete proof that the final survivor was Frey.

But Sansa was certain it was him.

She had no idea about the third-person perspective skill Frey had occasionally used on her ..

Yet still, she could feel his presence in an eerie, inexplicable way.

And that alone convinced her he was alive.

She wanted to master her power quickly to prepare for what was coming, fully intent on waiting until the end.

But everything changed—

When Selena suddenly stood up, a dark expression etched into her face.

"Selena… what's wrong?"

Seris, who sat beside her, asked.

Her words drew the attention of everyone nearby, all eyes now fixed on Selena.

Then, with a heavy heart and unable to bring herself to say the full truth—

The witch finally spoke, delivering a message none of them were ready to hear.

"The last remaining marker of the final survivor…"

That fragile thread of hope connecting them to the one person still unaccounted for—

"It's gone."

With a single sentence—

Despair gripped the hearts of some, while a faint light of hope still lingered in others.