[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-195":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","THE VILLAIN'S POV",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},336882,598,"Chapter 195 195: Quarterfinal Draw","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-195",195,"\u003Cp>—One week until the finals—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With less than seven days remaining before the start of the quarterfinals...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey Starlight was still unconscious, trapped inside a body no longer capable of proper combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment they returned to the Temple, the Starlight family immediately took him into custody.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After successfully seizing control of the Starlight household with Carmen's help, Ada thought things would finally settle down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Leonidas Starlight had disappeared under mysterious circumstances...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the family now bowed to her authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once again, she was hit with devastating news—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>her brother had fallen into another coma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For three days and nights, Ada poured every resource and healer the Starlight family had into helping him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing outside the treatment room alongside Carmen, the two women watched the young man lying inside—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his body hooked up to dozens of wires and tubes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still unconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is strange...\" Ada muttered quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carmen's sharp hearing picked up her voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's strange?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada's thoughts drifted to the not-so-distant past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Last time, Frey was in a coma for over a month… making us think he might never wake up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aftermath of the curse back then had taken him far, for far too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And as soon as he woke up… it was only a few days before he returned to the Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he's fallen into another…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She clenched her fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time… it might be permanent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if next time, he returned to her as a corpse—without anyone knowing how or why he died?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They said it was an attack by Nightmare creatures...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the Temple's official story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But what kind of Nightmare creature could cause injuries like these?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made no sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with such a situation, Ada couldn't help but wonder—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was the right move now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As dark thoughts clouded her mind...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carmen's hand settled on her shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ada… don't do anything reckless. The family has just barely stabilized after everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was far too early to make any major move, not when their foundation was still this fragile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's no need to worry. Your brother… he's a lot like him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's why I'm certain—he'll wake up any moment now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey Starlight had already shown them miracles—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>miracles that defied reason and broke through the impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that way, he was very much like his father ... Abraham Starlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was hard to imagine that young man losing to something like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that sense, Carmen Starlight believed in him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wouldn't have accepted him as her master otherwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elsewhere, Ada continued staring at her brother's face…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how fragile he looked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She fiddled with a strange device in her hands, recalling a conversation she'd once had with a certain man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The future he'd shown her…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>they'd already managed to escape it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she still didn't know what this thing in her hands was for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She remembered only the words that man with glowing blue eyes had said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When everything seems over...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>when the devil's claws reach the one most precious to you...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>that's when the time will come.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when was \"the time,\" exactly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't know. Not yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada's only comfort during that time was the steady report that Frey's body had started to respond to treatment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the help of top-level healers—and even one of the most talented saintess candidates volunteering personally—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uriel Platini, the third-place finisher in the senior division of the Island Trial,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>had come herself to assist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to that, Frey's body had fully recovered—except for his aura pathways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uriel let out a sigh the moment she met Ada.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be honest with you... his body is a mystery. One I haven't been able to solve.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After spending hours trying to treat the junior who had caught her attention long ago, Uriel found herself stunned by the strange makeup of his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His body heals much faster than a normal human's, without leaving any scars. You could say my holy power merely sped up the process.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had heard he spent an entire year trapped in the Eastern Nightmare Lands, but even that didn't explain the bizarre structure of his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His aura pathways are completely damaged… and yet, not quite.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't know how to explain it properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, his pathways were still broken…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But compared to the first day she saw him, they seemed—as if—healing on their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bit by bit...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body was restoring itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn't sure how true that was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if it turned out to be real...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would stir the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, she'd never once heard of anyone recovering from destroyed aura pathways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was supposed to be impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All she could say now was—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll do everything I can.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uriel Platini decided to stay involved, having found something she had never seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the empty operating room...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey thrashed violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His bare body was drenched in sweat, glowing with streaks of light beneath his pale skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face twisted in agony, as if wildfire ran through his veins…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even while unconscious, he continued to suffer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His veins pulsed violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That violet light kept surging through him, igniting muscles that struggled to hold on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His aura pathways were in complete disarray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that hour, Frey was alone. It was late at night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His designated guard stood nearby—but something was wrong. The man seemed dazed, as if bewitched. His eyes were completely lifeless, despite being someone of S-rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada had gone too far—she'd assigned someone like that to guard her brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment... Frey suffered alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the next second ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The number of people in the room went from one... to two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the suffering Frey, a grey hand—doll-like in appearance—rested gently against his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blue eyes glowing like twin lamps stared down at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From that hand, a flame of strange blue aura flowed into Frey's chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain was unbearable...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Frey's breathing gradually steadied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His purple aura pathways turned blue, their intensity softening… until they finally settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silently, the stranger withdrew his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure—the Engineer—gazed down at Frey before shifting his attention to the snake tattoo on Frey's hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In silence, he traced his finger across the serpent's form—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the tip of the tail to its fanged head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The snake reacted to him, slithering along his skin the entire way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, without warning...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Engineer pulled Balerion from Frey's hand, leaving it exposed. The prideful blade submitted entirely to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised the blade, staring at its abyssal black surface—lost in what seemed like old memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had only one hand now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But one hand was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, aura poured into the blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When the time comes… do your part, old friend.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gently, the Engineer returned the sword to Frey's hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The serpent slithered back to its den—as if it had never moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as for the Engineer...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already vanished… while the guard finally returned to his senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Day Four-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, the draw was finally announced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The quarterfinal matchups for the Victoriad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone watched the reveal with bated breath, excitement thick in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always, the senior divisions garnered the lion's share of attention…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first-year bracket had a crowd of its own—one that rivaled, and at times even surpassed, the seniors in sheer enthusiasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it showed clearly in the overwhelming response to the draw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quarterfinal - First-Year Division\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Match 1:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow Lionheart vs Dawn Polaris\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Match 2:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ghost Umbra vs Ragna Cloud\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Match 3:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daemon Valerion vs Danzo Smasher\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Match 4 (Final Match):\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey Starlight vs Seris Moonlight\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tournament bracket was starting to take shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The winner of the first match would face the victor of the second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the third match's winner would go head-to-head with the fourth's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like that… the path toward the Victoriad title had been drawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empire now stood at the peak of its glory—shaken repeatedly by one revelation after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none more shocking than this…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An announcement from the Church that left the world in awe—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Prophesied Hero… had finally appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first true hero since the days of Kazis Valerion, the founding emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The great sword, Vermithor, had chosen its wielder at last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And all of this… happened while Frey Starlight remained unconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>",1393,"2026-05-30T03:41:22.346Z","2026-06-01T04:30:13.202Z",1,"novelbin.me","51fa6aecb733b4493e1574a0b09172b86e3000cab9428e8f64d8d4b3e1af32a7","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-196","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-194",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]