He thrust his hand toward the Engineer’s back .. but this ti, Gehrman was ready.
He evaded the strike by a hair’s breadth.
"So... you dodged it."
But surviving the first blow was hardly good news.
Amon imdiately pressed the attack, tightening the noose.
It took every ounce of Gehrman’s unmatched speed .. along with his senses pushed to their absolute limits .. to evade Amon’s strikes.
"Damn it... this isn’t an opponent I can defeat at my current level..."
Gehrman cursed inwardly, struggling to survive for as long as possible.
A single blow would be enough to end him, given how fragile his vessel was.
An opponent like this would require Gehrman to fight at full power if he wanted even a chance.
Abraham Starlight tried to intervene between them on several occasions... but he couldn’t.
"They’re moving so fast I can barely stay on the sa wavelength as them..." Abraham admitted in shock.
He never expected to witness soone capable of matching Gehrman’s speed.
If things continued like this... a catastrophe awaited them.
Elsewhere, Frey watched from a distance.
"This is bad... very bad..."
After putting enough distance between Ada and the battlefield, Frey stayed close to her, watching the clash unfold.
"Amon is Crimson’s younger brother... and he’s so powerful that he’s considered a joker among the High Ranks. His true standing far exceeds his current rank."
Frey knew of Amon’s existence, but his abilities remained largely unknown to him.
An opponent like this was, at the very least, stronger than Wesker and Vayne.
"At this rate... the Engineer and my father will lose without being able to do anything."
If that happened, Frey would be taken by force to Helmond, and everyone on his side—including Ada and Abraham—would die.
That was sothing Frey refused to allow, no matter the cost.
Without hesitation, he placed Naless’s mask back on his face.
"You’re watching, aren’t you... Naless?"
At once, Frey closed his eyes and entered that void-like realm .. the safe space within his mind.
There, Naless stood, staring into the horizon.
"Your damned subordinate is going to lose, and if that happens, we’ll be back at square one. I won’t allow that, no matter the price," Frey said firmly as he approached the masked man.
"I’m not asking you to fight in my place. I have no intention of wasting ti arguing with you."
At that, Naless turned his head.
"Then why are you here?"
In response, Frey stood face to face with him.
"Tell ... how do I use this dormant power inside ?"
"The additional stages of Shadow Adaptation... those are advanced stages, aren’t they? With them, I might be able to deal with that demon!"
Frey pleaded, hoping that the fifth and sixth stages of Shadow Adaptation would be enough to turn the tide.
Naless remained silent for a while before answering.
"You may be able to achieve what you want if you use the advanced stages to their full potential... but in your current state, you won’t be able to endure it," Naless replied in his usual cold tone, causing Frey to frown instinctively.
"My weak foundation is holding back again..." Frey cursed.
"If only... I were SSS-rank..."
This had always been Frey Starlight’s greatest weakness .. his low training level compared to his enemies, and his heavy reliance on abilities and external factors.
But Naless interrupted him, correcting sothing crucial.
"Don’t misunderstand , Frey Starlight. I wasn’t talking about your training level... but sothing else entirely."
As Naless spoke, the void around them gradually darkened.
"What I’m saying is... your mind won’t be able to endure it."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Frey asked, confused.
"If you want even a chance to fight—let alone with the fifth stage—you’ll need the power of the sixth stage."
"And that... is sothing no human mind can withstand."
The mont he said that, Naless opened the path before Frey.
The dark void shattered .. turning crimson.
Frey’s feet suddenly sank into sothing strange... sothing red, viscous, filthy, and vile.
"Is this... blood?" Frey asked in shock.
But that was only the beginning.
Gradually, grotesque shapes began to rise from the sea of blood...
Then ca the screams.
Screams that made Frey’s skin crawl—screams of agony and rage, screams rising from the abyss... screams of souls that did not belong to this world.
Spirits reached out, grabbing Frey with desperate hands, clinging to him and refusing to let him go.
Frey tried to pull away imdiately... but within seconds ..
Thousands... no, millions of corpses appeared from all directions.
Twisted, mutilated bodies that sent chills through Frey despite everything he had endured in his life.
Once surrounded, Frey leapt high into the void, trying to escape .. his only possible route.
He climbed and climbed, striving to reach the top.
But the mont he looked down, his terror only deepened.
The corpses piled atop one another, chasing him relentlessly, forming a colossal mountain that grew larger with every passing second.
From above, everything beca clear to Frey.
An endless sea of blood...
And corpses erging without end, all reaching for him.
Burned, butchered, severed, deford bodies ..
Scenes torn straight from a nightmare.
"Is this... hell?" Frey whispered as he stared at the tragic spectacle.
Then the mountain of corpses reached him.
Dead hands crawled over his skin.
Frey felt pure terror .. and tried to fight back.
But it was useless.
He was far too weak in this world.
With no other choice, he tried to flee again, climbing higher and higher .. but it was futile.
The corpses were endless.
Amidst this blood-soaked hell...
Naless stood above it all, watching with his usual calm indifference.
"So look with your own eyes, Frey Starlight..."
"At what the sixth stage of Shadow Adaptation truly is."
The stage for which Naless had spilled blood .. endless blood.
"This stage belongs to the path of life and death..."
"And the human mind cannot endure it."
"So tell ..."
"Will you be the exception?"
Naless asked with curiosity ..
But his voice was swallowed by the screams of the dead...
And by Frey Starlight’s desperate struggle.
User Comments
0 comments from readers