[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-73":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},336941,598,"Chapter 73 73: A Battle to the Death (1)","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-73",73,"\u003Cp>-Frey Starlight Pov-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Calm down... Balerion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My sword trembled violently, thirsting for the blood of the man standing before me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew my chances of victory weren't great, but I wasn't worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Balerion gave me the confidence I needed. And more than that, I had to stop him here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feyrith's mission was the same as Frey's in the original story—to destroy the Core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Core was the energy source sustaining the Celestial Dome, the barrier surrounding the temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was like a nuclear reactor; if tampered with or destroyed incorrectly, it would trigger an explosion large enough to erase the temple from existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing this, stopping the Contractor had always been my top priority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither Kai Luc nor the Black Masked Ones were the real danger right now—it was Feyrith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to admit, he'd given me some headaches before. But thanks to the Image ability, everything was finally clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the second Image, everyone in the Elite Class was struggling—everyone except two people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Princess Sansa and Feyrith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That alone was enough for me to confirm his identity as the Contractor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had already burned through a lot of Achievement Points to use Direct Advice and get here, and as always, that damn system threw an obstacle in my path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On my way, a magic circle had suddenly appeared, unleashing dozens of invaders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to fight them all before reaching this place. Consider it a warm-up, though they were more troublesome than I expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which brings us to now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Winds raged violently around Feyrith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure he exuded was overwhelming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the smirk on his face never wavered, not even at the sight of Balerion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk... Look at you, Frey. Do you really think that sword in your hand will change anything?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, he raised his hand toward me, black aura swirling around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm going to tear that annoying face of yours apart, and then—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood gushed as I appeared behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You talk too much.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I spoke, a severed hand dropped to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attack was too fast for him to process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feyrith spun around violently, his once-amused face now twisted in rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he turned, Balerion was already slicing through half his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did he realize just how serious this was. Black runes ignited across his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment ago, my sword had sliced his flesh with ease, but now, it refused to move forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I frowned and tried to pull it free, but it was stuck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his severed wrist, a new black hand emerged—one that extended into a massive, two-meter-long blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of this happened in the blink of an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feyrith let out a furious scream, swinging that monstrous weapon toward my face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing the danger, I channeled a double dose of Dark aura into Balerion, managing to yank it free and block the incoming slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sheer force of his strike sent me skidding several meters away, a sharp sting prickling my hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clean cut I had delivered was already healing, while his once-pale skin darkened into a deep crimson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strained smile crept onto my face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This won't be easy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Frey! Frey! Frey! Frey!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quit yelling my name in that obnoxious voice. You're ruining it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feyrith's body convulsed as he kicked off the ground, vanishing in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His blade was now reinforced with razor-sharp wind aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He struck from above, but thanks to Hawk's Eye, I saw it coming and raised Balerion to block.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My sword was strong—my body, not so much. The impact buried my feet into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's always you! It has to be you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deceptive kick sent me flying toward the stands before he leaped after me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You always show up to ruin everything!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His massive blade came for my face. I deflected it with my sword, sparks bursting from the clash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The force of his weapon carved deep into the ground beside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, his free hand twitched unnaturally. A second blade—larger than the first—materialized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Devour!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade was mere centimeters from me, but I used that split-second to pull in an immense amount of air, my eyes glowing violet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening explosion followed as I unleashed a wave of black aura, launching Feyrith into the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at his arm, noticing small cracks forming in his monstrous blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, sensing an ominous energy above, he looked up—only to find me waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ten thousand steps of Shadow: Black Meteor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both his giant blades moved to guard his chest, but Balerion shattered them. The blade tore through his thick flesh as we both crashed into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You want a brutal fight?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ten thousand steps of Shadow : Mirage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty copies of me surrounded Feyrith, all slashing at him at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on, I'll show you what brutality really means.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't mess with me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A storm of razor-sharp wind erupted, forcing me back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feyrith had located me in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he fought with both hands, dozens of celestial spheres orbiting around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He unleashed countless tornadoes and punches infused with both dark and wind aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I struggled to defend myself—he could hit me from both near and far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The punches kept coming, each one strong enough to knock me out of the fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I barely managed to block them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Balerion left new wounds on his body with every strike, but he regenerated instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And worse—those damn celestial spheres kept bombarding me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The injuries were piling up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let the weaker blows land, sacrificing myself to block the deadlier ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I knew I couldn't keep this up forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to use Phantom Steps to increase my speed, but Feyrith kept up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed a way to lessen the pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the relentless onslaught didn't give me any room to think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This ends now, Frey Starlight!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feyrith roared, summoning all his celestial spheres for a final attack—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before he could unleash it, a third force intervened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A series of rapid blasts obliterated his projectiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both of us turned in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Princess Sansa had risen to her feet, barely holding herself together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain was evident in her trembling frame, but she refused to let it hinder her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll handle the long-range attacks...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Focus on taking him down.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A grin stretched across my face before I could even stop it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Swordsman and a Wave Controller… This completely changed the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thanks!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The balance had shifted again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Sansa handling those pesky celestial spheres, I could finally focus on my opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feyrith was livid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dark aura pulsed violently around him, proof of his seething rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His punches came faster, his voice reduced to nothing but furious screams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was leagues above me… He had long since surpassed Rank B and was now knocking on the door of Rank A.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without Balerion, I would have been crushed already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But amid the chaos, I found an opening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His rage had consumed him, stripping away his discipline as a Swordsman. Now, he fought like a wild beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I timed my movements with Balerion's devastating strikes, I could take him down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sinister smile crept across my lips as I clashed with him, the battlefield shaking under the weight of our blows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a battle of endurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had an infinite supply of aura, but my body wasn't limitless… and Sansa wouldn't hold out much longer either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike me, Feyrith's wounds healed instantly. His body had grown monstrous, barely resembling his original form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fall! Fall! Die!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground quaked beneath us—a sign that the war outside had reached its climax. And inside this arena, it was no different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a distance, I no longer looked like I was fighting a human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was battling a monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To end this, I needed to unleash the most powerful technique of the Ten Thousand Steps of Shadow—one that would deal irreparable damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, I did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the next hour, we tore into each other with everything we had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lost count of how many times Balerion pierced his flesh, how many times his blood—both red and black—splattered across the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet not a single strike was enough to finish him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, I could barely stand, my body riddled with wounds and broken bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My face was smeared with blood—his and mine. I felt filthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I drove Balerion into the ground, using it for support as I gasped for breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feyrith stood tall across from me, his wounds still knitting themselves back together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His regeneration had slowed significantly, but he was still in far better shape than me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You've lost, Frey Starlight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1432,"2026-05-30T03:41:22.346Z","2026-06-01T04:30:13.202Z",1,"novelbin.me","469c787545cd3aa264cd53abd5dca94d6754cefece336d8ff42df79ac25cdc77","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-382","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-381",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]