[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-523":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},337076,598,"Chapter 523: The Stand Against Oblivion (3)","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-523",523,"\u003Cp>The game continued. A new Chapter began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Empire’s victory in the first round, the Ultras struck back with a vengeance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The complete annihilation of their forces at the rear shattered the morale of the imperial troops, who now realized there was no longer a safe place to retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, without warning, one imperial unit after another came under assault—attacked by elite Ultras forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that wasn’t all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battlefield witnessed, for the first time, the arrival of the Lords of the Nightmare—creatures far beyond the SS- tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Empire’s right flank, the Abyss Watchers unleashed absolute chaos, slaughtering soldiers in droves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the left, they released the mindless Hollow, Pontiff Sulyvahn, accompanied by hundreds of nightmare creatures that attacked with relentless fury, aiming to wipe out the Empire’s forces entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battlefield plunged into complete disarray. The Empire’s advantage was slowly crumbling. In response, many of their forces began grouping together, uniting to hold the line against this overwhelming threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no turning back now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Life-and-death battles erupted daily ..and with each clash, hundreds fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chaos had become the name of this war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On one side, the bulk of the imperial army was surrounded and suppressed by the Ultras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Prince Aegon and his forces advanced rapidly, burning every city in their path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ultras’ reaction to Aegon’s maneuver came too late, and with the full might of House Valerion supporting him, there was little they could do to stop it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Losses piled up on both sides, and no one could say for sure who held the upper hand anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no longer a war of strategy or intelligence. It had devolved into blind slaughter and utter chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sides were now locked in a war of total annihilation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none suffered more than the vanguard...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant Snow Lionheart and Frey Starlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For several days, their squad was forced to fight without rest. Yet unlike other units that regrouped and retreated, they stood strong, holding the frontline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had no choice but to face off against dozens of nightmare beasts beyond the SS- tier. Frey and Snow endured immense hardship just to contain the disasters before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both of them led from the front, drenched in blood from head to toe. The number of enemies they’d already slain was uncountable...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And still, more kept coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just want to know... how the hell did the Ultras manage to control these things?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow growled, gripping Vermithor, whose healing aura continually replenished his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Frey decapitated another abomination, wiping blood from his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out these past few days,\" he said. \"And I think I finally found a clue.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seriously?!\" Snow shouted back, cutting through more nightmare creatures as they fought back-to-back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battlefield echoed with the sounds of shrieking monsters, grinding limbs, and destruction. The noise was so overwhelming that they had to scream just to hear each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In particular, Sansa Valerion had unleashed utter mayhem after flooding the battlefield with her spreading shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of tendrils of darkness slithered across the ground, each ending in massive mouths that resembled worms ..devouring everything in their path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Sansa had already slain many, Frey’s eyes kept scanning the battlefield... again and again...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They’re well hidden. Strange markings carved into the skins of all the nightmare creatures. They may look like meaningless runes, but there’s a faint stream of aura flowing through them... so faint, you can’t sense it at all,\" Frey said as he turned another nightmare beast into shredded remains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But they can’t escape my senses. I’m almost certain it’s the witch’s doing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey’s tone was firm, and Snow’s expression darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Beatrice...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Somehow, she had managed to bring every single nightmare creature under her control in a shockingly short time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of it, through that strange, logic-defying magic of hers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be honest, we’re in terrible shape... We need to deal with them quickly and retreat. They say a monster resembling you showed up at the rear and completely wiped it out,\" Snow said, referencing the recent report they had received.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The description matched that of V—the masked one they’d clashed with several times before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the power he reportedly displayed... it was something else entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A monster capable of mimicking Frey Starlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’ll deal with him when the time comes. For now, focus on the enemy in front of you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey showed no reaction to the news about V, making it clear that worrying over a fight bound to happen anyway was pointless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His logic was simple—and effective. This was war. They’d face him sooner or later... and when that moment came, Frey would kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, he prioritized the enemy before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir! Another wave of beasts is coming!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two of them fought, a soldier rushed in to report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A new wave is incoming—and it’s bigger than the last!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were already worn out from the brutal, relentless combat, and now another wave?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers had reached their limits. Exhaustion had taken its toll. But the battle was far from over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another offensive was heading their way—and it was anything but ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey Starlight was the first to sense it, thanks to his enhanced perception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt it clearly... and his expression darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Prepare yourselves. A disaster is about to descend upon us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His warning instantly put everyone on edge—Frey’s words carried weight, especially now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, Ghost emerged from the shadows, having sensed the same thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, within seconds... the fog came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange mist crept toward them, forming from nothing ..like someone had tossed a giant smoke bomb over their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stinging, choking fog sent panic through the ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mist stalker?\" Ghost asked, sharpening his senses to the limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No... that’s not the Mist stalker.\" Frey immediately denied it. He knew the Mist Ghoul better than anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is a different kind of beast... one far more lethal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words did nothing but amplify the fear spreading among the troops. The battlefield had gone eerily quiet. All the creatures around them had vanished into the fog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mist was so thick that it completely blocked their vision ..none of them could see more than a few steps ahead. And to make matters worse, it didn’t just rob them of sight... it numbed their senses too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation left the imperial troops with no choice but to gather tightly into a single formation .. backs to each other, weapons drawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next to Frey and Snow, Dawn Polaris arrived with Selina, the witch who had been traveling with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This doesn’t bode well... I can’t expand my domain at all,\" Selina said, clearly disturbed by the way this magical mist worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tension kept building as silence dragged on...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where will they come from?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dawn looked around nervously, eyes scanning left and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the soldiers did the same—backs together, covering every direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With their senses crippled, there was no way to pinpoint the source of the attack. And that uncertainty only deepened the fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seconds ticked by.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence reigned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then ..Frey Starlight’s shout pierced the tension like lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From below!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He yelled the warning and instantly leapt into the air, but it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without warning, the ground beneath them ruptured—and from the depths of hell itself, death came roaring upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens... no, hundreds of gray, ghastly hands exploded from the abyss, surging toward them like a swarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone stood frozen in shock, staring at those elongated hands—each over a hundred meters long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t the sheer size or destructive force that terrified them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was what happened upon contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the hands touched someone, a horrific phenomenon occurred—one that drove many to the brink of madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoever these hands touched... their life was stolen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their skin decayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their flesh shriveled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only bone remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it all happened in seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>",1317,"2026-05-30T03:41:39.413Z","2026-06-01T04:30:13.202Z",1,"novelbin.me","bdf737a1b3489fb771128e73f88276510b2214b4cc35c8a680f114276ce68e31","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-524","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-522",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]