[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-540":6,"glossary-terms-598":24},{"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},337093,598,"Chapter 540: Possession","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-540",540,"\u003Cp>\"It’s been a long time since I last saw you, my boy. I let you wander and grow... until you became what you are now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with those same golden eyes, I can see you haven’t changed much.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smough’s words reflected in Snow’s mind as his body reacted on instinct—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He unleashed the Warlord Form at full force, ignoring the agony, and lunged without hesitation, aiming straight for the man’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You haven’t changed either ..but you’re no longer the obedient child I once knew.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without warning, a crushing wave of pain slammed into Snow Lionheart’s mind, shaking him to the core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His sword bit into Smough’s neck... but the man’s body was so impossibly solid that the blade stopped halfway through, cutting only part of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In turn... Smough’s massive fist drove deep into Snow’s chest, punching through until it burst out of his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The child I raised would never have attacked me... but you’re no longer that obedient boy. You’ve rebelled, my son, and it’s time to come home.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clutching at Smogh’s fist, Snow coughed up blood, swearing through the agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Burn... to hell!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within Snow’s body, more power surged into his sword as he tried to cleave Smogh’s head off, but the latter remained unmoved by his struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veins crawled across the Hollow’s skin, his body hardening manyfold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can’t win. In your current state, you wouldn’t be able to swat a mosquito.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pulling his hand from Snow’s chest, Smough left a gaping, bloody crater in his son’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow writhed on the ground, screaming in pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vermithor was still lodged in Smogh’s neck, irritating him. The Hollow wrenched it free and tossed it aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Annoying sword,\" he muttered, wiping away the bleeding wound. That blade was a bane to those who wielded demonic power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze returned to Snow, who was still writhing on the ground, trying to clutch the hole in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what he did, the wound refused to stop bleeding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow tried to rise, but Smogh’s foot came down hard on his head, forcing him back into the dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t want to mutilate you any more than this. Be a good boy and stay down, Snow. Be a good boy, and everything will be fine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those words were a curse in Snow’s ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was racing against time, his mind spiraling into chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Damn it... is all of this my blood?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kept trying to press against the void in his chest, but all his hands found was more blood—far too much of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt his consciousness slipping away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His sword was gone. His strength completely spent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It’s fine... it’s fine... I’ll be okay.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spat out more blood, sobbing beneath Smogh’s boot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I just need to circulate my aura... just focus, and the wound will heal on its own... I’ll be fine... I’ll be fine...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow’s breathing was ragged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inhale... exhale... then a hacking cough, splattering more blood around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I’ll be fine.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breathing became a task in itself. Blood filled his throat entirely, and his vision began to dim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I’ll be fine...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kept repeating it blindly, unable to process that his blood had already pooled around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s truly pitiful...\" Smough said, a look of disgust twisting his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You think yourself a noble hero, pure and righteous... unlike me, the monster who devours humans. Isn’t that so?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hollow whispered into Snow’s ear with a faint chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How naïve you are, my son. You and I are no different at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dipping his hand into Snow’s blood, he smeared it across the boy’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The same blood runs through your veins... I injected it into you myself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Demon’s blood.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patting Snow’s white hair—now stained crimson—Smogh continued to pour his venom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And not just demon blood... but the blood of all the other children who lived under the same roof as you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those final words made Snow’s head boil with rage... but he could do nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your body was always the most perfect. That’s why I chose you as the ideal vessel for all that blood. So don’t hold it against me... my son!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smough laughed loudly, as Snow’s consciousness slid into darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t speak in this state... but inside his mind, he cursed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cursed the man standing before him, and he cursed his own weakness—the weakness that had once again left him powerless to do anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man he’d searched for years to find was right in front of him... and he’d lost to him in a single blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pathetic. Truly, utterly pathetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, Snow fell completely—defeated before the Hollow, Smogh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latter reached out to take him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seems you’ve finally fallen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hollow had chosen to appear at the worst possible moment, after Snow had drained himself completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew full well that if he’d fought Snow at his peak, no one could say how things might have turned out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why he struck when he did. And his plan had worked flawlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, all that was left was to claim the body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment his hand extended—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—the pressure around them shifted from nothingness into something crushing, and Snow Lionheart’s eyes snapped open once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Church’s hero slapped Smogh’s hand away, and with a flick of his wrist, Vermithor came flying back to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gripping it, Snow plunged the sword deep into his own chest, unleashing a brilliant radiance that engulfed the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With quick, deliberate steps, he retreated from Smogh, who stared, baffled by what he was seeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You?!\" Smogh barked, as Snow smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah... damn, that hurts more than I expected.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the sword still buried in his chest, Snow stood face-to-face with the Hollow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You really are a cursed bastard, Smough—attacking your enemies like this? Pathetic...\" Snow laughed, while Smough’s brow furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man before him had changed entirely. As if...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Someone else...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah... you caught me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smiling faintly, a ghostly image of another figure appeared behind Snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Third-Person Pov: Target possessed (Affinity insufficient, possession will be\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>canceled shortly) *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glaring at the system’s notice, Snow gripped Vermithor tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t have much time... so let’s finish this quickly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Frey Starlight—speaking through Snow’s body—ready to face the enemy who had tormented his friend for far too long.\u003C\u002Fp>",1048,"2026-05-30T03:41:39.413Z","2026-06-01T04:30:13.202Z",1,"novelbin.me","d541a5d6309f1abded74080ba0914d864eac2091d4167adb348a457555f84eb2","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-541","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-539",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg",{"terms":25,"userReplacements":26},[],{}]