[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-253":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},336590,598,"Chapter 253: Shadows Beneath the Throne (1)","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-253",253,"\u003Cp>– Frey Starlight's Pov –\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took a full minute of silence—me and everyone else—just to process what had happened, before the crowd erupted into cheers for the princess who had just delivered a breathtaking display.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where did all these people come from?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow muttered beside me, still trying to pull himself together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of us had suffered fatal injuries except for the deep gash across Daemon's chest ... but we were in rough shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temple students who'd witnessed the match were captivated by Sansa. She had just defeated the students believed to be the strongest of their generation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match hadn't been broadcast to the Empire's citizens , it was limited to a handful of people .. but rumors would spread, inevitably. And without even realizing it, Sansa had just scored major points against Aegon in the race for the throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of the prince... he stood clapping alongside the others, a calm smile drawn across his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What just happened was clearly a blow to him. Because no matter how intelligent or cunning an emperor may be, those traits are meaningless without overwhelming strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An emperor is, first and foremost, the Empire's shield and sword. Their only requirement is to be strong enough to defeat anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Sansa had just shown that kind of strength ... strength worthy of the throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why are you smiling, Aegon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where exactly does the darkness within the Imperial family lie?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the hell were those shadows?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I couldn't cut through them… and they were ridiculously fast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daemon and Snow had already started breaking down what they'd just faced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa's shadow ability was vast in range, harder than steel, faster than the eye could follow, and disturbingly versatile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was, without exaggeration, an absurdly well-rounded power with no visible weaknesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could almost call it a perfect shadow ability… if such a thing existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Her darkness isn't natural. I've only felt something like that once in my life.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow was inching closer to the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had sensed this kind of power once ... during his fight with the masked man from the Ultras. The man who wielded an otherworldly black flame unlike anything he'd seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa's shadows carried that same energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only a matter of time before people realized she was using a demonic ability .. if they hadn't figured it out already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about you, Frey?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow's voice pulled me from my thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Her shadows are definitely nothing like Ghost's.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Obviously,\" Daemon muttered, sparks of lightning dancing between his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Valerions have always inherited light and lightning. Generation after generation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clenched his fist, casting a final glance toward his cousin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But that cursed darkness… only the gods know where it came from.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Different opinions, but from the outside? We probably just looked like a group of losers licking their wounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't linger long. I slipped away at the first chance, distancing myself from the roar of cheers and from Danzo's shouting as Selena continued mocking him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn't even sure how I ended up at one of the temple's private gardens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sat alone on a bench, staring at the system screen and the one mission that had been haunting me for some time:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Eliminate the Darkness of the Imperial Bloodline –\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time Remaining: 23 Days\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was difficult to grasp what exactly this mission wanted from me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Sansa was the darkness in question… did that mean I was meant to kill her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if the darkness was Aegon instead? Or somewhere else entirely?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I doubted the system would throw me against someone like Maekar ... not unless it wanted me dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. I was almost certain that the target this time... was Princess Sansa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So then what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had no intention of killing her. And I wasn't even sure I could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I've always hated these kinds of missions ... ones that throw me blindly into the unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, I had the tools to shine a light on that uncertainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that tool was one of the system's most broken abilities:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>– Glimpse of the Future –\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more I thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It literally allowed me to see the future. That kind of power broke the rules of this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And honestly, I had no idea why I even had access to something like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the Victoriad, I'd avoided using it .. I was too afraid of seeing myself fail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now? There was no reason not to use it. Except… its cost was high. Very high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I had enough points saved up from completing the final mission before ...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>so after a deep breath, and for the first time in a long while, I used my cheat ability once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mission Eliminate the Darkness of the imperial Bloodline had a countdown:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>23 days remaining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn't know what that meant exactly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but I decided to look 23 days into the future to see how this would all unfold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Show me the fate of that damned family… please.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It cost me a full 1,000 achievement points,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but the ability activated flawlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reality tore apart around me ...like someone had taken an eraser to the world...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and the colors gradually came together to form the scene I wanted to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heartbeat accelerated from how violently I was yanked out of the present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, this ability would only show me a single image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, what unfolded before me was a moving scene .. so vivid, so real,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt like I had actually traveled into the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was nighttime. I floated like a ghost in the sky,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>watching from above the Royal District ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a place I had only seen before in photographs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a region brimming with majestic castles and towering palaces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, three massive castles stood above the rest .. which I assumed belonged to Maekar and his sons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything was eerily quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just another crisp, uneventful autumn night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seconds ticked by. Then minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I began to think I had just wasted a thousand achievement points for nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But of course, that was just the calm before the storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How strange, how easily the world can shift ...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>as if someone were tampering with my vision and senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOOOOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a deafening explosion, one of the three castles erupted in flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Screams echoed through the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From beneath the rubble, pitch-black tendrils tore into the sky,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>as fire and shadow swallowed everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I watched those black tentacles shred through anything in their path,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>while something crawled through that cursed darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aha… AhahahahahaHAHAHA!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the center of it all,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a creature—a demon—laughed maniacally\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>as it slaughtered every soul in its way, painting the land with blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It slithered across the ground like a plague,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>bringing destruction and death in its wake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it had only one target:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the Imperial Castle, Maekar emerged...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>carrying a colossal spear in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face and golden eyes were cold as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Serpents of lightning coiled through the sky, illuminating the night as the Emperor hurled his weapon at the thing crawling toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bolt of lightning ...an attack worthy of an SS+ entity clashed with the cursed shadows,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>unleashing waves of destructive power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was thrown from that twisted reality and woke up, back on the garden bench—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>drenched in sweat, with a cold hand on my shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel the sweat crawling across my skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breathing was erratic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart pounded against my ribs like it was trying to escape my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned to see whose hand it was ...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and within moments, I had my answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Sansa?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How long have you been here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took everything I had to keep my composure, trying to meet her gaze while silencing the primal instinct inside me screaming to get away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa, ever observant,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>was already watching me closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to lock down my expression fast ...or she'd see right through me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've been here for a while. I called your name a few times but got no answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah… I guess I got lost in thought again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's nothing wrong with that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It's actually nice to see you acting like yourself again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked. Her reply wasn't what I expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You've looked… empty, ever since you came back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a sharp insight, as always, from the princess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Empty, huh? …Now that you mention it, we haven't really talked like this in a while.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time I tried to find her, something would get in the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when she came looking for me? Nothing stopped her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah… It wasn't easy sneaking away from all those students earlier.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can't blame them. You did just wipe the floor with me, Snow, and Daemon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't respond immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe she was thinking about something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I didn't give her time ..I followed with another question:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How have you been lately?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa tilted her head and looked at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm fine… nothing out of the ordinary.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about your power? Those shadows…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment I added that last question and studied her expression ..it lasted for less than a second .. but even though she tried to hide it gracefully, I noticed the faint crease in her brow before she smoothed it away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was incredibly skilled at controlling her facial expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I assumed it was one of those habits she'd mastered over time, likely due to her status as a princess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of that, I couldn't tell if I was imagining things, or if I'd really seen it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response, she simply raised her hand ... allowing thin strands of shadow aura to swirl around her fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've recently reached the point where I can manipulate it freely.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa began shaping her shadow aura into different forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She started simple—circles, squares—while continuing to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Little by little, this power has become an inseparable part of me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, the shapes became more complex: a three-dimensional sword, a spear formed entirely from shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way she controlled it ..so swift, so precise ..felt almost instinctive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your control is amazing,\" I commented as she put on the display.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The princess smiled softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. I have it under control now, so there's no need to worry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to worry?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truthfully, I wouldn't have worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That level of aura manipulation proved how deeply she'd mastered it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That glimpse I saw of the future still haunted me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because that thing ...the shadowed monstrosity that attacked Maekar ...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I saw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a fleeting second, I recognized the figure within that darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That creature, that nightmare that had risen from nowhere…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if she looked slightly different ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>it was still you, Sansa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That abomination .. one more terrifying than any demon I've seen…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was that really you?\u003C\u002Fp>",1825,"2026-05-30T03:41:22.346Z","2026-06-01T04:30:12.387Z",1,"novelbin.me","895c35f52be311d72f2a58e98de50aabf78e396be502560f5b7c521398c906a1","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-254","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-252",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]