[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-278":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},336615,598,"Chapter 278: The Devil’s Hand","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-278",278,"\u003Cp>– Frey Starlight's Pov –\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like every function in my body shut down without warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When had it happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could've sworn… just moments ago, I was sitting beside Ada.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just the two of us, sharing a quiet family moment .. free from chaos, free from the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So close…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To living the life my father had once dreamed for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once, I had everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I started over from nothing in this world ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Building it all back, piece by piece.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was brutal. But I did it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why ?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world turned gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every hair on my body stood on end, as if a bolt of lightning had struck me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn't stop trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My lower lip quivered with a fear I couldn't suppress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was so close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why?!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helpless, I looked toward Ada.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why are you looking at me like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those eyes ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crimson red, glowing bright .. were the only thing not swallowed by the colorless world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hello, ****.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was her voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My sister's voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the suffocating presence pressing against my chest…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That burning sensation in my heart…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn't her aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I already knew who it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, trembling, the only thing I could manage to say was ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ada .. smiling calmly, her crimson gaze unblinking .. sat as if upon a throne made just for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why? You're seriously asking me that… ****?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one being I never dared to cross.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one whose presence alone could break me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And hearing my true name .. the one I had before reincarnating .. Only twisted my insides with nausea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure crushing me wasn't even one percent of his real power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was far away, only puppeteering Ada's body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even with everything I had…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could barely breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why… are you here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What do you want from me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to ask a hundred things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the trembling… the uneven breath… they sealed my throat shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I had to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why had Agaroth, the Demon King himself .. Chosen to appear now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting comfortably in Ada's form, he crossed one leg over the other, resting his arm on the chair's armrest .. smiling without a care in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you doing, ****—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, I suppose I should say Frey Starlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That's what I want to know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked a question I couldn't begin to understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What… do you mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I fought the urge to collapse, struggling to stay upright beneath the crushing weight of his will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You really don't know, do you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Agaroth sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A normal life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normal friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A normal family…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured toward me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A normal person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since when did you become so… unbearably dull to look at, Frey Starlight?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His smile faded slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still didn't understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My thoughts were empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Completely blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you even talking about?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of madness was this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Agaroth exhaled again and rose from his seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Frey Starlight… up until now, you've been guided by a strong fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One tangled with countless others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even your light… eventually reached me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began to pace around the room, speaking in riddles that only made my confusion worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be honest, your pitiful little struggle for your family..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As laughable as it was ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still managed to be entertaining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching your climb from a small insect to a slightly bigger one…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made for a good show.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Agaroth was speaking more now than he ever had before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kneeling on the floor, heart racing like it was about to burst…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just wanted it to stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped in front of me, staring down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That look .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It reminded me how small I truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From where I'm standing, you've got nothing left to offer… Frey Starlight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words dug deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A show? A struggle? Something \"ugly to look at\"?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been watching me…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This entire time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Engineer. Wesker. Agaroth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All these beings… circling around me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Am I…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything I've endured until now…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Am I just a show?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just something pathetic ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something you watch from above when you're bored?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A worthless toy you enjoy watching suffer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Agaroth, still wearing Ada's body, leaned toward me with a smile that could freeze hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's right, Frey Starlight…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You've been nothing but an endless source of amusement.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lay there, speechless ..crushed and hollow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Every fight you've had, every step you've taken…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I've been there, watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I placed great expectations on you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what did you do with them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice turned sharp, biting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Family. Friends. Sentiment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rubbish.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked up that same wicked knife from earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Listen carefully, Frey.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your life ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything you cherish ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Depends on what you offer next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This little piece of happiness you're clinging to, This fragile world you've built…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, he pressed the blade against Ada's neck, carving a thin cut that bled down her skin ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I screamed, barely able to move, as Agaroth laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everything you love ..your family, your friends ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can end it all in a heartbeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did you really think I couldn't reach you,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just because I'm sealed far away?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words struck deeper than any blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure around me was unbearable ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I bit my lip so hard it bled, and forced the words out:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why me?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why are all of you obsessed with me?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to scream it ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn't respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who are you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened my mouth—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was the answer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey Starlight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a regular human?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A failed author?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was I?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Agaroth saw the confusion in my eyes and smirked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Blame fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blame yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It doesn't matter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still holding the knife in Ada's hand, those crimson eyes locked onto mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just remember…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am always here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter where you go, or how far you run ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I will find you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So don't disappoint me again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or else…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snapped his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The show ends early.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clear threat.\u003C\u002Fp>",1030,"2026-05-30T03:41:22.346Z","2026-06-01T04:30:12.387Z",1,"novelbin.me","3c14a2b7faa8568764242f169b17dc4a1e3155f04afdd54bea13c3e1713a77f1","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-279","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-277",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]