THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 515: Scars Beneath the Halo (1)

At the same time as Frey Starlight’s sudden escape from his cell...

A particular group exited one of the command tents near the frontlines of the army.

There were five of them .. four humans and one demon.

”That old man’s a real pain in the ass.”

Muttering through bloodied lips, Morval—his body covered in bandages soaked red from fresh wounds—grumbled bitterly after being forced to attend a long, exhausting meeting.

”He’s a sinner worthy of stoning. My Lord, forgive my weakness and helplessness,” Grim muttered beside him, closing his one remaining eye in prayer. He was still cursing Iris Sunlight under his breath ..the man bold enough to criticize the executioner chosen to serve the Lord above all.

Alongside Morval and Grim stood Ghost Umbra, Sansa Valerion, and Celine.

Among them, Sansa stood out the most. Morval recalled her brutal fighting style .. like a true demon on the battlefield, showing no mercy to anyone.

”I look forward to fighting by your side again, Lady Valerion,” he said, extending his one good arm in a friendly gesture ..but stopped halfway as he felt a suffocating presence engulf him.

”Don’t touch me with your filthy hand, please.”

The ground beneath her darkened as Sansa turned to leave first, refusing to draw more attention than needed.

”Fight alongside me? You call that fighting? All you did was get your ass kicked. And judging by the sorry state you’re in, I doubt you’ll be doing much more.”

Waving him off, Sansa gestured for him to just go.

”Go die somewhere no one can see you. Your presence makes no difference.”

Shadow swallowed her whole as she vanished, leaving Morval behind to stew in her cold scorn.

”What the hell? The boss’s girl is so cruel! All I wanted was to praise the way she slaughters people! So unfair...”

Kicking a stone aside, Morval sulked away, shoulders slumped.

”She’s a vile little devil,” Grim remarked coldly. ”But every executioner needs a loyal dog he can unleash when necessary.”

With his prayers complete, Grim turned to leave as well. As a religious fanatic, the very presence of someone like Sansa was naturally unacceptable to him.

But Grim wasn’t your average church zealot ..he was more of a hypocrite who wore faith as a mask to hide the demons within.

Sansa was too close to Frey, and Frey wouldn’t let her die. So Grim showed up, hiding behind the flimsy excuse of faith.

That’s what Ghost thought as he silently analyzed the deranged people who had fought beside him.

Morval: a bloodthirsty maniac.

Grim: a fanatic who used religion to unleash the darkness inside him.

And the third member... Celine.

She had been quiet for a long time.

Ghost couldn’t understand why that girl wanted to stay by Frey’s side until the end.

”Celine Veritra. A Wave Controller in her first year at the Temple. Currently at C+ Rank. Not bad for your age. You use water as your primary element. Come from a modest background.”

As Ghost recited her profile aloud, Celine’s blue eyes rolled toward the assassin standing beside her.

”I can understand why maniacs like them want to keep fighting..they were born to live on battlefields. But you’re different, Celine Veritra. You went through hell with us and barely survived.”

He stepped in front of her, completely blocking her path.

”Your desire to keep following Frey after everything that’s happened is irrational. You should’ve realized by now that Frey isn’t the hero you thought he was in the Battle of Shezklar.”

Frey wasn’t a hero—just another monster. A monster even more savage than the rest.

”So why?”

There was no place for someone like Celine by Frey’s side. She wouldn’t help him.. she would just die for nothing.

And if she got too close to him, her death would only become a burden he’d have to carry.

Ghost understood what Frey was going through. That’s why he tried to carry some of that weight himself. It’s also why he wanted to drive Celine away.

But no matter how much pressure he put on her..no matter the killing intent he radiated ..Celine didn’t yield.

Instead, she smiled weakly at him.

”I want to be a witness,” she said.

”A witness?” Ghost asked, confused.

Lowering her head, she replied softly, ”You must’ve felt it. You’re the closest one to him. Frey Starlight... he’s someone born different. The miracles he’s achieved until now... they speak for themselves.”

Since the beginning of this war, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Frey had carried everything on his own.

”I want to witness his journey... all the way to the end.”

Just as he once looked at her .. when she thought she’d die in a dark corner where no one could see .. she now wanted to be there, watching his path through the chaos.

But her words didn’t sit well with Ghost.

In a flash, he slammed her against the wall, punching the stone just beside her head.

”A witness? To the end? What nonsense is this coming from a coward who can’t even meet my eyes? Did your luck up until now make you cocky?”

Celine wasn’t a fighter. She was just an ordinary girl who had barely seen anything of the world.

Her strength was average at best. Many soldiers stronger than her had already died.

Even now, she kept trembling in front of Ghost, unable to meet his gaze.

And yet... her smile never faded.

Summoning what little courage she had left, she raised her head one last time to meet his eyes.

”I won’t die. Others might—but I’ll stay by his side until the very end. Why? Because he showed it to me! He showed me what I could become one day. He showed me the future!”

Her voice was filled with conviction.

Ghost frowned instinctively.

”Hah? What kind of bullshit are you spouting now?”

”He chose me!”

She repeated herself, her voice steady, reaffirming her resolve.

Seeing the way she responded, Ghost couldn’t help but wonder...

”Maybe you’re the craziest one out of them all.”

A sane girl... yet perhaps more unhinged than both Morval and Grim.

Ghost had hoped words would be enough to dissuade her, but Selene’s conviction proved far stronger than he had anticipated.

”Fine, whatever. If you’re so eager to die, I won’t stop you.”

Turning away from her, Ghost lost interest.

Given her modest level of strength, her death in the upcoming battle felt inevitable to him.

That was what Ghost firmly believed.

But for Selene .. the timid girl who once pissed herself from Frey’s aura alone...

Those brief glimpses of the future he had shown her.. visions of her standing beside him .. had been enough to summon courage from within.

That was the kind of resolve Selene possessed.

And just like that, the squad finally disbanded after their heated meeting with Iris Sunlight.

Speaking of the Sunlight Lord himself—he was currently soaring through the sky, his body ablaze with furious fire.

He had just finished that exhausting discussion with the squad’s mad survivors, and now, he was on his way to meet the one who troubled him the most: their even crazier leader.

It only took him a few minutes to reach the mountain range where said leader had retreated.

Iris descended like a meteor, violently crashing into the ground with blazing intensity.

Just a few meters ahead stood Frey Starlight, who showed no sign of surprise—almost as if he had expected this visit for a while.

”Frey Starlight... you truly love exhausting this old man,” Iris said, stroking his fiery beard.

”I apologize for the chaos I caused,” Frey replied with a smile. ”Lately, I’ve been struggling to control my power. I had no choice but to retreat .. otherwise, I might’ve inflicted even more damage on the camp.”

A brief silence followed as they stared at each other.

”Struggling to control your power, huh?” Iris muttered. ”For a moment, I thought you were trying to escape—which would’ve forced me to waste time chasing after you.”

”Haha... don’t be like that, Lord Iris,” Frey laughed softly, his violet eyes narrowing. ”You can come up with a better lie than that.”

”After all, you alone wouldn’t be enough to catch me.”

”You insolent brat...”