[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-290":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},336627,598,"Chapter 290: The Lord of Graves (2)","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-290",290,"\u003Cp>The fog had thickened so much, it completely blinded them. They could barely breathe through the weight of the corrupted aura pressing down from every direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every step stirred the stench of rot and decay—an unbearable odor that clung to their lungs and minds like poison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey tried not to ask the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he couldn't stop himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What exactly are we walking on?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Driven by a surge of curiosity, Frey slowly leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the blood-slick ground beneath them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the help of his Hawk Eyes, everything came into sharp focus—and his face darkened with every passing second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn't just some slimy terrain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The solid black earth was still there underneath…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What they were walking on… was flesh and blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tension spiked violently when he realized it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were treading over corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thousands—no, far more than that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twisted, mutilated bodies had been laid across the ground like some grotesque carpet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were skinned, featureless… just raw muscle and hints of mouths and eyes that had once belonged to living beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red fog, the wandering beasts, the absolute silence ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey couldn't help but wonder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had they stepped into a nightmare crafted to resemble hell itself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because it certainly felt like it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, the three of them were used to blood. If not, they might've broken long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even they were starting to reach their limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the hell happened here…?\" Snow muttered, his voice shaky as he took in the most horrifying sight of his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A massacre…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the only word that fit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A grotesque genocide, where creatures that once lived in peace were torn apart, mutilated beyond recognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Words could no longer express what they saw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing they could do now—was get out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They pushed forward…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, things got worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey suddenly froze—something was clinging to his leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panicked, he looked down and saw a pair of hands gripping his ankle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse beneath him let out a soft, broken moan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to kick it off instinctively .. but everything spiraled into madness the moment all the corpses beneath them began to twitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weapons drawn, hearts racing, they braced for the assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the attack never came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, the corpses began to crawl… trying to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mercy…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word came from every direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mercy… please… have mercy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were begging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have mercy upon us\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These things—these skinned, broken bodies—were pleading for their lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey immediately dropped to one knee, grabbing the one that had held onto him, desperate for answers amid the chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What happened here?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse trembled, voice raw and low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, oh .. you...help me. He is...the hideous, Aah, Have mercy..Have mercy upon us... H-he… the Great Evil… the Nightmare… the Beast of Beasts… he did this to us…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoever this was—whatever he had endured—Frey could feel the agony radiating from his voice alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mercy… mercy…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cries grew louder. Louder than ever. The dead were awake, scrambling in terror, dragging what was left of their bodies away like insects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment ago, there had been silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, it was madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He'd mentioned a great evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who?!\" Frey shouted. \"Who did this?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could have possibly caused such a massacre?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer came with a name that turned his blood cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Lord of Graves…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Him again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey cursed under his breath as the screams around them intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse in his arms began sobbing ... wet, choking cries that turned to blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We waited… waited for so long… for his return… but he never came back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse grieved aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So many of us chose to fight rather than wait… but all that awaited us… was something worse than death…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey could barely hear him anymore. Between the screams, the reeking air, and Ghost and Snow yelling at him to move, everything blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who did you wait for?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shouted with all he had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our king…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But he never came. We should have never left the Crownlands… It was the only haven, the only place safe from the Lord of Graves…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if summoned by his name ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pressure swept through the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A monstrous aura, unlike anything Frey—or even Snow—had ever felt before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A suffocating force that stole the air from their lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Too late.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He's already here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those words hit like a falling star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure rose ... overwhelming, inescapable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"FREY!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow and Ghost shouted in unison, panic lacing their voices as they prepared to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the presence ...they couldn't outrun it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"FREY!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They called again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"SHUT UP!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey roared back, face twisted with rage and something deeper—something primal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With both hands, he drew his blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aura exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He entered his full ascension—activating every ounce of power he had left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Channeling the ocean of aura within him, Frey stood firm as the earth beneath them began to tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time was running out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Frey shouted at Snow and Ghost, ordering them to use the latter's ability and retreat into his shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the terror of the moment, neither of them argued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they vanished into the darkness, Frey clenched his teeth, bracing himself for what was coming. His worst fear had come true—the enemy he never wanted to face was approaching fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only one option left…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lowering his stance like a sprinter at the starting line, Frey focused all the aura in his body into his legs. With a roar:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ignition!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he didn't ignite his blades—but his legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground shattered beneath him as a massive explosion of violet aura launched Frey Starlight like a missile through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spot where he'd stood moments ago turned into a crater of pure devastation. The moaning corpses were obliterated in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Frey… he was nowhere near the impact site anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his legs nearly destroyed, blood dripping like water from pulverized muscle, Frey rocketed through the landscape, tearing through stone, terrain—even mountain ridges—until he finally crashed down, far, far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Collapsed on the ground, his breathing labored, Frey's feet were nothing more than a mangled, bloody mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his face didn't relax for even a second—because that monstrous aura… it was still coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever that thing was, it hadn't stopped hunting them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow and Ghost emerged from the shadow immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight of Frey horrified them—but they didn't have the luxury to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow grabbed both of them, summoning every ounce of power he had left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Void Step!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Activating his strongest ability ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow vanished, then reappeared, then vanished again in rapid succession, teleporting them as far away as he could, again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Void Step!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many kilometers had they crossed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only knew one thing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn't stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure behind them made his heart feel like it would burst. A sensation he hadn't felt in a long, long time ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fear deeper than anything he had ever known.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A monster among monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Void Step!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over and over, Snow pushed further, farther, faster—refusing to look back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because if he did… he might've seen the land itself turn black behind them, as death spread and consumed all life in its path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Void Ste—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow halted mid-step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey and Ghost froze with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beads of sweat rolled down their skin. Their bodies wouldn't move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The suffocating aura was gone…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the dread—it had never been greater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because beneath their feet, a massive shadow began to swell and stretch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shadow of something standing right behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Thump-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Thump-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Thump-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their heartbeats became the only sound in their ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With excruciating hesitation, they slowly turned their heads—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—and heard it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp, piercing hiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What stood behind them defied reason itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shrouded in a cloak of corrupted aura, with a face like a skeletal mask carved from bone, its hollow eye sockets glowed with crimson light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last being they wanted to meet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air itself froze as the creature slowly extended his hand toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of them could move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Frey, barely holding himself together, felt his mind slip at the sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rank Six of the demon's upper Seats...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lord of Graves… Asmodeus.\u003C\u002Fp>",1385,"2026-05-30T03:41:22.346Z","2026-06-01T04:30:12.387Z",1,"novelbin.me","ddc07082236431ef2d8fa9447bab7677b517050cdabec96d8db312fdbbfbe4af","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-291","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-289",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]