[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-437":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},336724,598,"Chapter 437: Despair","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-437",437,"\u003Cp>— Frey Starlight’s Pov —\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking a spoonful from his bowl of spicy food, Ghost’s usually calm face visibly twisted with discomfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What exactly do you people like about this stuff?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked, glancing around at the old men and locals who were happily devouring the same dish, their faces radiating pure joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the food of real men, kid! No place here for the weak! Hahaha!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaheen laughed heartily, making his rounds between the tables, taking orders from everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Ghost had barely managed a single bite, Frey had already finished his entire bowl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You finished it that fast?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ghost asked in confusion, clearly baffled. He had lived a hard life, forced at times to eat grass just to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even then, he had never tasted anything as fiery as what was now burning in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You should’ve ordered something else, Ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of spicy food is one of a kind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either you fall in love with it and devour it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>or you can’t stand it and leave it untouched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s no middle ground.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey spoke with a rare smile ..something he hadn’t shown in a long time ..as he signaled for Shaheen to bring him another dish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Coming right up! Hahaha!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey, I see you still appreciate real spicy food! You have my respect!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t underestimate me, old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m tougher than you think.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha! We’ll see about that!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaheen disappeared into the kitchen again, while Frey and Ghost sat quietly at their table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere around them was loud and chaotic, like a public café watching a football match .. a sport that had vanished hundreds of years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noise was overwhelming,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but somehow, Frey found himself genuinely at ease in this environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike him, Ghost seemed clearly annoyed,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but he chose to let Frey enjoy this rare moment of peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m glad to see you like this again, Frey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I have to ask .. what do you plan to do now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ghost was clearly talking about Danzo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing that, Frey lifted his head, gazing up at the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll save him, Ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ll save him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So far,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>nothing in this life had gone the way he wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world had always pushed back against everything he tried to accomplish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey had never forgotten the death of Clana Starlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could still remember the warmth of her body in those final moments as she died in his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t meant much to him,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and yet she had died to save him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like her life had been wasted on someone like him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a burden he never wanted to carry again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll save him... no matter what it takes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Danzo’s fate rested entirely in his hands,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and he intended to carry that responsibility to the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Final Mission :\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time Remaining: 17 Days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, Frey visited his sick friend once again, with Ghost by his side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several other elite students came to visit as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And by chance, Seris was there this time, having finally finished her duties toward her family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The princess of the Moonlight family remained as calm as ever,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but there was a clear maturity in her demeanor now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the lack of church forces capable of using advanced holy power, Seris hadn’t yet recovered her severed arm,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>instead using a hand crafted from pure ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wearing her black coat, she nodded to Frey, and he did the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After everything they had been through,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>an unspoken respect had grown between them,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>allowing them both to leave their hatred behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was Seris letting go of what Frey had once done to her,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>or Frey setting aside his grudge against the Moonlight family and its tangled past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between them, Danzo sat quietly on his bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His skin looked much better than before,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but he was still pale compared to what he once was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll be leaving now. I’ll give you some space.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having seen Frey and Ghost arrive, Seris didn’t want to intrude, so she left quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m glad to see you’re still alive and well, Danzo. I wish you the best.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response to her kind words, Danzo simply nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seris left,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>leaving only Frey and Ghost behind with Danzo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man spent his remaining days in complete peace, unaware of the monster lurking inside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>— Frey Starlight’s pov —\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time was slipping away fast...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially when you needed it most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barely half of the allotted time remained before the quest’s deadline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I hadn’t made any progress so far .. a reality that pushed me to my limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave up sleep, abandoned all comfort, and poured every second I had into the Nameless’ library,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a place holding all of his knowledge and wisdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Searching for a solution,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spent 23 out of every 24 hours inside that place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the last hour for Danzo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I visited him every day now. Our presence by his side seemed to bring back a little life to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body was visibly improving day by day, which made his father happy .. and filled my heart with growing unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as my time with him was over,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I would teleport straight back to the Shadow Sect and continue what I was doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sect had grown terrifyingly massive, its size breaking beyond the limits of the Black Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only God knew what that Engineer was trying to build there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time remaining: 16 days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, I managed to get permission from Adam Smasher to take Danzo outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Danzo was using a wheelchair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weather had grown bitterly cold with the coming of winter, and it had been snowing and raining frequently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adam had wrapped his son from head to toe in warm clothes, covering him completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Danzo looked strange in that wheelchair of his, but I made sure not to show it on my face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Together with Ghost, the three of us went to Shaheen’s new restaurant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaheen recognized Danzo instantly—he’d often visited the old man with me before—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and he handled the situation well, saying nothing about Danzo’s condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he tried to lift his spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I appreciated what the old man did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to him, I saw that familiar smile on my sick friend’s face once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time remaining: 15 days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knowledge about teleportation and spatial manipulation was so vast that even after 15 days, I still hadn’t finished it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It frustrated me deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nameless had somehow turned this knowledge into a world-breaking power—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>allowing him to transcend the very laws of space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a being capable of appearing anywhere in the world at will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A power beyond imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because of that, I now found myself drowning in this endless field, unable to reach what I sought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The anxiety within me kept growing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The odds were against me, and the Engineer did nothing to help me in my struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dark circles under my eyes had worsened, and my head throbbed constantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spending 23 hours a day on this madness had drained me, but I had no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With each passing second,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt myself inching closer to collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time remaining: 12 days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empire was undergoing great changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Iron Emperor—Sir Alon—was building a vast military force, reorganizing everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who saw what he was doing would know:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he was preparing for a brutal war soon to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Iron Emperor wanted to meet me, according to what Ada told me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already met with all of my fellow elite classmates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I simply ignored his invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t have the time to waste on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I snuck into Danzo’s room with Sansa once darkness fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as we arrived, Sansa let go of my hand and quietly approached the sleeping Danzo to check on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a single glance, she could tell what was happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This isn’t good. The Devil Seed has spread its roots completely inside him...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The princess spoke quietly, though it was what I had feared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can you suppress it?\" I asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can. But only temporarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In ten days from now, I won’t be able to stop the growing power inside him anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning to face me, Sansa spoke firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we reach that point, we’ll have to kill him, Frey.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was blunt—and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I was determined to avoid that outcome at all costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll take responsibility for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So don’t take any action on your own.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I warned her firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would likely try to kill him herself, sparing me from having to do it with my own hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew she would ...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had already read those thoughts inside her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it seemed like she knew that I knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, she finally gave in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine. I promise I won’t do anything without your knowledge.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thanked her with a heavy sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was much more to talk about ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But we said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We simply left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t seen much of Sansa lately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had been busy with her own situation inside the Imperial Family ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a family where most of them wished her dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had her own problems, just as I had mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But we didn’t burden each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, we fought our battles alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sansa had grown incredibly strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I was sure she’d find a way to deal with her situation somehow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that didn’t change the fact that I hadn’t done anything to help her through her struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m sorry... Sansa...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time remaining: 10 days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days later ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I finally began to reach my limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trapped within the endless walls of the library,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt an unbearable pain in my head, as if someone was forcing something into my brain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hallucinations became frequent now ..\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could no longer tell left from right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was just a tiny, insignificant speck in the vast ocean of existence,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>desperately trying to break through the crashing waves that swept me away without mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throwing me deep into the abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gathering this much knowledge took thousands of years. What makes you think you can grasp it so quickly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what The Engineer told me once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nameless, with all his greatness and wisdom, spent millennia to reach this point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By what right did I think I could claim it for myself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it all...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t want to acquire all that knowledge—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I only wanted the smallest fraction of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just enough to achieve my goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let Nameless, his mask, and his knowledge all burn in hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why can’t I grasp it?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a hysterical fit,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hurled the books everywhere, unable to reach what I sought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was still stuck on the first floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And beyond me were countless other floors...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some piercing through the skies,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>others plunging deep into the earth below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s no end to this...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was starting to lose them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Danzo... and my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time remaining: 7 days.\u003C\u002Fp>",1859,"2026-05-30T03:41:22.346Z","2026-06-01T04:30:12.387Z",1,"novelbin.me","45f2ae7f54f4b9ba724f02a85945691e46ad1e19d25e8963b84acdf5d6d1a1df","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-438","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-436",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]