Step by step, he approached.
"So? What is it this ti? So entity trying to hijack my body? A parasite? A demon seed? Or maybe it’s your precious king? Heh... I doubt that."
Ignoring the sarcasm laced in Frey’s words, the Engineer simply shook his head lightly.
"Neither of those. It’s... more complicated."
Hearing that, Frey burst out laughing.
"Of course it is! When has it ever been simple? That’s just how our twisted little ga goes, isn’t it?"
"..."
The Engineer said nothing for a few seconds, rely staring at Frey. His face betrayed no emotion, but sothing was definitely churning inside his mind.
"Why are you just standing there, staring at like an idiot? Spit out whatever you ca here to say. I don’t want to look at your damn face any longer than I have to."
It was clear Frey had neither the ti nor patience for the Engineer’s gas. He had already guessed this would be yet another setup—another step in so pre-planned future.
That’s just how the blue-eyed manipulator worked.
"I see... You’ve changed," the Engineer said suddenly, prompting a raised brow from Frey.
"Changed? Didn’t expect to hear that from you."
The Engineer gave a rare, faint smile as he stepped away from the cliffside.
"Usually, by now, you’d be screaming at .. charging straight in, trying to kill ."
"Ah..."
Frey exhaled, a strange feeling washing over him.
He couldn’t quite put it into words ..like the feeling you get when your father reminds you of sothing stupid you did as a kid.
"Let’s not do this now," he said.
But the Engineer pressed unexpectedly.
"Why not try attacking ? You’ve grown so much since the last ti we t. You might even land a hit."
"What are you, so kind of masochist who enjoys getting punched? If that’s your thing, those statues of yours are probably more experienced at it than I am."
Frey chuckled dryly, recalling for a mont his ti with the likes of Smiley and Sad... Definitely forr torture experts, judging by the way they treated him.
Bringing his attention back to the Engineer, Frey’s violet eyes lit up with an even fiercer glow.
"There’s no point fighting you in my current state. I still can’t see your true level."
Frey hadn’t attacked simply because he had no chance against soone like the Engineer. Besides, he had now gained full control over his emotions... emotions that had grown colder recently, making it easier to stay calm—even in front of this man.
The Engineer looked like he was about to say sothing.
But Frey moved first.
With no warning, he unleashed a powerful wave of aura ..
"That said, let’s see what kind of face you’re hiding under that damn hood, Engineer !!"
Frey’s attack wasn’t aid to hurt him .. it was simply to knock off the hood he always used to conceal his face.
"I’ve grown tired of staring into those damn blue eyes all the ti."
He still couldn’t fight him... but he could at least achieve this much.
And for the first ti—he did.
For the first ti ever... Frey revealed the Engineer’s face.
He had expected to see so kind of old man, or perhaps a grotesque entity that would make anyone avert their eyes.
But what stood before him... froze Frey in place for several seconds.
"I see so things never change," the Engineer said, after the hood covering his face was completely destroyed.
As for Frey, all he could do was curse.
"What the hell? Why do you look better than ?!"
The Engineer’s features were not at all what Frey had imagined.
His face bore a pale, sickly complexion, like a man plagued by so terminal illness. His skin was lined with cracks—though oddly, they resembled tattoos that matched the mature air around him.
He looked to be in his early forties, with long, sky-blue hair and radiant eyes that once signaled doom, now suiting him perfectly.
No matter how long Frey stared... the Engineer looked like a nobleman from another world .. an air of royalty surrounding his every expression, his serious features making it nearly impossible to look away.
"Ah... So this body is just a vessel, isn’t it? I assu it was crafted to look beautiful and hide your hideous original form."
Frey sneered, but the Engineer shook his head.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but my King made this vessel to resemble my original body as closely as possible. What you see before you is what I looked like for most of my life."
Frey was visibly stunned.
’Should’ve left the damn hood on...’
Regretfully, he stole another curious glance at the strange man standing before him.
"Now that I’ve seen your face, I’m genuinely curious .. who are you, Engineer? You were once the second strongest under your King, so I assu you were well-known... A presence that must’ve carved a na for itself up there, in the higher realm."
The Engineer now stood as a broken vessel, worn by ti. He had lost a great deal of his forr strength—to the point that comparing his current state to his peak would be nothing short of insulting.
And yet, even now, he remained a force strong enough to defeat most early-stage SSS-rank fighters.
Frey hoped to peel back so of the mystery surrounding the man before him...
But the Engineer showed no desire to answer any of Frey’s questions.
"I’m not the one whose secrets you should try to uncover," he said. "Your body—that body you’re beginning to lose control of—is."
Frey groaned in frustration.
"At least tell your na."
"I abandoned that na a long ti ago. I believe I’ve told you this already."
Such was the price of being one of the Naless.
Frey didn’t look convinced, but he saw no reason to press further.
It was a rare kind of conversation they were having ... one that, oddly enough...
Made Frey feel so strange connection to the man he had always hated. His perception had broadened. He was beginning to see things he couldn’t before.
He felt it clearly now .. his fate was entirely entangled with this man... with the Engineer.
"Speak. What’s happening to this ti?"
Frey finally asked the most important question, and the Engineer gave a subtle nod.
"What’s happening to you... is a mistake. One caused by .. and Abraham."
The ntion of his father made Frey’s eyes widen involuntarily.
"A mistake caused by you and my father... I can only think of that day."
"I’m glad you’re finally connecting the dots. You’re right," the Engineer admitted, walking alongside Frey through the barren mountains.
"One of that demon’s shadows is sleeping inside you."
"Wesker..." Frey muttered, his expression darkening.
"That damned demon’s been circling forever, even though I haven’t clashed with him directly yet."
"He’s closer than you think. But even I can’t detect him .. his King’s Eye blocks completely," the Engineer said, clearly irritated at the ntion of that demon.
"Wesker is incredibly cunning. He doesn’t act without reason. On the day of our battle—mine and Abraham’s—he could’ve killed you easily. You were right there in his arms."
"But he was forbidden from ending your life. His King didn’t want you dead. So Wesker chose to play a different ga."
As the Engineer laid out the situation, he showed a rare sense of dread. Wesker was a scher on his level .. or perhaps even beyond it.
"Before we reached you that day, while you were still in his arms... he planted sothing inside you. Sothing that wouldn’t awaken unless certain conditions were t. And it seems... you’ve now t those conditions."
Nineteen years ago, Wesker erged into the world and fought a colossal battle against the strongest humans .. and the Engineer himself.
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