[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-558":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},336995,598,"Chapter 558: Paradise at the Edge of War (2)","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-558",558,"\u003Cp>Chapter 558: Paradise at the Edge of War (2)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teleportation was swift ..only a matter of seconds before Frey and his companions erased the distance, reaching the other side of the world, where the Holy Island of Sicily lay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trio materialized on that thriving land, swords drawn, ready to fight at once—they had come prepared for dozens of possible scenarios.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, against all expectations… the place where Frey and the others landed was completely empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They scanned the area around them, silence stretching between them for a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lush, fertile grassland. Towering, flourishing trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clean, refreshing aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air was fresh, carrying a strange atmosphere for those who had spent the entire past month fighting in the dead lands of the Ultras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to that cursed wasteland they came from, the Holy Island felt like paradise—especially with that colossal waterfall cascading down from the heavens, feeding it endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scanning his surroundings, Frey’s expression hardened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t see Uriel anywhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unleashing his aura to its absolute limits, Frey formed an immense celestial dome around himself, stretching for miles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, his enhanced senses caught nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell is going on here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had arrived ready for battle, only to find nothing but emptiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s as if the entire island has been abandoned,” Aegon muttered, glancing around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Relocating their base might be a smart move on their part, though I doubt that’s the case here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze lingered on the grand waterfall in the distance, and the monumental remnants of a faith that had endured on this land for centuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aegon shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No… they’re here. I’m certain of it.” Frey’s voice was firm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The teleportation brought me to this exact spot. That means Uriel is here, but some kind of force is preventing me from reaching her directly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The logic was simple—whatever applied to Uriel applied to the Church’s forces as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re hiding themselves somehow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then we move forward and uncover their purpose,” Snow said, drawing Vermithor’s blade, which shone even more brilliantly than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been here several times in the past, but I’ve never liked this place. Always felt there was more here than meets the eye.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With their auras cloaking their bodies, the three of them surged forward at high speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we’re certain they’re here, then this island must be hiding a secret,” Aegon remarked, surveying the terrain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And that secret is what we’re going to find,” Frey replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step after step, they arrived at one of the Church’s main shrines—a sacred place where people had once come to pray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many ancient marble structures, built with meticulous care. The place could almost be called heavenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment they set foot inside, the three froze .. shocked by a sight that seized their attention entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the top of a marble staircase leading upward stood a platform overlooking the entire island. Crimson blood had trickled down its steps, clotted and rotting after days had passed, leaving it to dry slowly under the sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the source of that blood—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha! Would you look at that?” Aegon’s laugh was sharp and mocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the end, the Church’s so-called pure and holy followers are no different from the Ultras’ lunatics.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The prince seemed amused, but Frey and Snow’s faces remained grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the peak of that high platform, nine towering spears stood upright like crosses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon each one, an unfortunate girl was crucified, their bodies mutilated so that their blood had endlessly poured down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aegon recognized all but one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eight of them are the Saintess candidates—the ones said to have a chance at ascending to the position.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a prince, he had met them before. The ninth girl, however, was a mystery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cross was the largest of them all. Her skin was shriveled and withered, like that of an old woman who had long passed her prime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hair was blonde, her lifeless eyes—wide open—were a deep crimson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Different as she appeared, her features were still recognizable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Saintess Yurasha…” Snow’s voice slipped out unconsciously. He had spent more time with her than the others, and her presence had been carved into his memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now here she was—crucified and dead, left to rot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell happened here?! Why does she look like this?!” Snow roared, unleashing a wave of aura that shattered the crosses and sent the girls’ bodies tumbling down one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manipulating the winds, Snow caught them all before they hit the ground—yet it was pointless. Every one of them was already dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially Yurasha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had been a young woman, not even thirty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s not like Carmen, who hides her age. Yurasha was truly in the prime of her youth,” Frey said, examining her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A warrior of SS+ rank—her life force should have been virtually inexhaustible. She should have been able to live for a very long time before her body gave out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet here she was ..dead, her body looking like that of an old woman at the end of her days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like some cursed ritual was performed here,” Aegon said, unable to hide his twisted smile as his eyes scanned the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange, blood-drawn symbols had been etched into various spots across the shrine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if a demonic summoning ritual had taken place here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So this is the so-called paradise on earth they talked about? How laughable,” Aegon sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow’s anger only deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey’s gaze swept the area again and again.. searching for someone. She wasn’t here, and that fact brought him a flicker of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This isn’t a joke, Aegon. We just confirmed the loss of another SS+ warrior,” Snow growled, unable to hide the heat in his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was right—warriors of SS+ rank were so few they could be counted on one hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, there’s no guarantee she was on our side to begin with, so maybe it’s not a complete loss,” Aegon said with indifference. To him, Yurasha had always been an enemy—just another pawn of the Church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow’s jaw tightened, ready to retort, but Frey cut in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No time to argue. Arm yourselves.” His tone was firm as he drew his blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment those ominous words left his lips, a crushing wave of aura descended upon them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above, the sky split open, revealing swarms of angels descending one after another until they surrounded the trio completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their numbers were so great they looked like a plague of locusts blotting out the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the Saintesses’ corpses behind, the three of them stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The battle starts now, Snow. If what you saw made you angry, this is your chance,” Frey said, a bloodthirsty smile curving his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body flared with radiant power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No mercy! Tear them all apart ..leave none alive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a roar that shook the air, Frey launched himself into the heavens, Snow and Aegon right behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle had begun.\u003C\u002Fp>",1154,"2026-05-30T03:41:39.916Z","2026-06-01T04:30:13.202Z",1,"novelbin.me","a00fd1ec7f7d8a85f7772548a35a24123a444d567bf5aec447ebe3ee24fcd28c","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-559","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-557",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]