[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-villain-s-pov":3,"chapter-the-villain-s-pov-the-villain-s-pov-chapter-862":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},337049,598,"Chapter 859  Grace (1)","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-862",862,"\u003Cp>Within the Grave of Darkness—the very tomb where a great soul perished, and an even greater one was reborn…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grave trembled, and the black substance that had engulfed Frey began to recede, slowly fading as though his body itself was devouring it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mask of Nameless, once shattered by Agaroth, reformed anew—this time stronger, more refined, more terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharp eyes like those of a predatory hawk, deep, jagged engravings along its sides… and its color remained as it always had been ... black. The color both Nameless and Frey shared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey's white hair began to glow faintly, as if it had gained a will of its own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Shiva's tear-filled eyes, still mourning Gehrman's death, her king's form began to emerge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Armor of Peak Night wrapped around him like an ancient war relic, making him appear as a warrior born from the depths of eternity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Sword of Shadow Dominion stirred on its own, coiling around his hand as if yearning—no, begging—to be wielded once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, Frey's hair shifted… turning into a dark gray, a perfect fusion of his mother's abyssal black and his father's radiant white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within mere seconds, the black substance vanished entirely, leaving nothing behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing… except Frey, lying silently upon the cold stone floor of the ancient tomb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still. Unmoving. Yet undeniably present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shiva approached slowly, cautiously, her aged face filled with unease and disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could not comprehend what she was witnessing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the king truly returned, as Gehrman had promised? Had he succeeded?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had all that suffering ... the endless, silent struggle of the blue-eyed man ... finally borne fruit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could not tell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey ... no, Nameless from her perspective—gave off no aura… no pressure… nothing at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt Wesker outside. She felt Maskith. She felt Alexander Ryback clashing with everything he had, holding them back with relentless force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Frey… felt like nothing. Like an ordinary man, devoid of presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a fleeting moment, fear gripped her—that everything had failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until… those eyes opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From behind the sharp slits of the mask, violet eyes emerged ... utterly different from the dark void they once were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eyes that beheld the world from an entirely new perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, Frey rose to his feet, examining his body with quiet intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arms that had been severed… restored. Legs… whole. His chest, his face… all intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As though he had been nothing but a wandering soul for an eternity… lost, aimless, without form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, he had returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returned to the world his own hands had once written.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With heavy, deliberate steps, Frey moved forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shiva stood frozen in place, her mind blank, her gaze locked onto him as if reality itself had ceased to function.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had waited for this moment for so long… since the day she chose to follow Gehrman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the day the Shadow Sect was torn apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had imagined it countless times—her joy, her reaction… the overwhelming relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet when it came… it was nothing like she had imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet… deeply, painfully sad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because someone had left. Forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, she regained her senses as Frey stood before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, she dropped to one knee, lowering her head, her gaze fixed upon the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My king… welcome. Welcome back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tears streamed down her face as she bowed, ready to prostrate herself completely ...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Frey stopped her instantly, grasping her gently and helping her rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Raise your head, my dear. Your knees should bow to no one… and that face should never touch the ground.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand rested against her cheek, wiping away her tears with quiet tenderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shiva stared at him in silence for a few seconds… before clutching his hand tightly, nodding again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warmth… something she had never felt from him before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold king… had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My king… we have waited for so long… so very long…\" she whispered, her voice trembling as she held onto him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey nodded softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know, my dear. I know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was calm. Gentle. Unlike anything she had ever heard from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know that countless lives were lost for my return… we lost them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And among them… our blue-eyed friend Perhaps was the kindest… the most loyal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No…\" Frey paused, closing his eyes briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He was the most loyal. Without question… more than I ever deserved .\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shiva's eyes reddened as those words struck her, her emotions crashing violently within her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is… is there no way to save him? Perhaps… with your power, my king—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She clung to hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Frey shook his head… extinguishing it before it could grow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is impossible. He no longer exists… what remained of him now lives within me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gehrman had given everything to his king—every last fragment of his existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His memories. His struggle. His power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey could feel it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gehrman's strength… his world-breaking abilities… all of it now belonged to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had truly given him everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He is gone, Shiva… and even if I could bring him back—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey's voice fell, quiet… yet absolute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I never would.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He suffered… more than enough. He endured what no one else could, bore a burden that would have crushed any other—and he earned this rest… the right to finally be at peace after I chained him to an impossible task.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, Frey pulled his arm free from Shiva's grasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gray-crimson light flared around his hand, expanding in a quiet pulse that made her eyes widen in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I cannot bring him back… but I can at least grant him this much.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He moved his hand through the air as though painting across the canvas of existence itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the depths of oblivion, space twisted—warped—until a dark fracture split open, radiating a brilliant golden light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A golden light… reflecting the legacy of a man who had left the world behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had left everything. His dreams, his strength, his life…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All entrusted to the one he believed in above all others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who was—and would forever remain—Number One within the Shadow Sect…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saint Gehrman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From beyond that fractured veil, Gehrman appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened his eyes ... no longer blue, but glowing with a radiant gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shiva broke into uncontrollable sobs the moment she saw him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Frey… he removed his mask, refusing to face his most loyal companion from behind cold iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey smiled—openly, warmly—and Gehrman smiled back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know words won't be enough, my old friend…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frey spoke with a gentle warmth, his eyes filled with genuine respect—true appreciation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no trace of contempt, no shadow of resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wanted you to know… you succeeded. You did it, Gehrman. Your sacrifice was not in vain… and it never will be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will carry it all. Your hopes, your dreams… your strength.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will carry them within me until my very last day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So rest now… my friend. Rest, and let your soul find peace. You have already given me more than I ever deserved.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his newfound power, Frey bent reality itself ... granting himself a few fleeting minutes with that loyal soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long enough… to say what needed to be said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long enough… to give him the only thing he truly sought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gehrman's smile deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could not speak in that form… yet his eyes said everything .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, he closed them ... his spirit dissolving at last, freed… at peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Frey, too, closed his eyes, placing his mask back upon his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Goodbye… my friend.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1253,"2026-05-30T03:41:46.111Z","2026-06-01T04:30:13.202Z",1,"novelbin.me","d01c9530d777fa3430073c80c92dd00e16be8f875c605e0238458035f7ccff68","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-863","the-villain-s-pov-chapter-861",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-villain-s-pov-cover.jpg"]