THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 533: Rage Beyond SS+ (1)

After a suicidal assault by Frey Starlight against the enemy leaders, leaving behind massive destruction…

The chaos of that battlefield drew the eyes of the entire world. From afar, the powerful could feel the violent fluctuations of Aura erupting in waves.

The amount of aura unleashed in that last fight was on a completely different level. In his berserk state, Frey wasn’t a mere warrior ..

he was a relentless killing machine that wouldn’t stop until either he or everything around him was dead.

At one point, in the midst of that grueling clash against four SS+ rank opponents, Frey finally lost consciousness. His body had endured that hell, but his mind had reached its absolute limit.

In the final moments, Phoenix Sunlight and Maekar Valerion intervened, barely saving him before engaging the enemy themselves.

Phoenix hurled Frey’s limp body as far away from danger as possible, then turned back without hesitation—igniting his flames to their utmost limit, ready for war.

His crimson eyes swept over the battlefield again and again… until they locked on his foes.

Two demons, and the two strongest among the Lords of the Ultras.

The battlefield had become a living hell, reaching a level of devastation Phoenix had never witnessed before.

“What kind of battle… could have caused this?”

And then he clashed head-on with the 18th-ranked Demon ..Baelith.

Gritting his teeth, Phoenix unleashed his Ember Form ..the state that instantly propelled him to the very peak of SS+.

His blazing fist collided violently with Baelith’s own.

The resulting explosion obliterated everything in their vicinity.

In that single exchange, Phoenix understood the measure of his opponent’s power. The impact alone sent a wave of pain tearing through his entire arm.

But Phoenix didn’t falter. Ignoring the agony, his fiery Aura swelled rapidly, while Baelith’s body was engulfed in an equally overwhelming shroud of darkness. Within moments, the two were trading blows in a savage, frenzied storm of destruction.

Realizing the caliber of the foe before him, Phoenix’s expression darkened.

‘Another high-ranked demon… So it wasn’t a lie. The seal really has been broken… and nothing’s holding these monsters back anymore.’

Baelith’s appearance was proof that the war humanity had been fighting had entered the unknown. At any moment, more of these higher-ranked abominations could arrive.

That thought could only bring despair—but Phoenix shoved the fear aside, focusing entirely on the fight.

Elsewhere, Maekar Valerion was locked in a blisteringly fast battle against Mergo and Gavid Lindman, both pressing him hard.

But unlike his weakened political position as Emperor, Maekar was an unquestionable force on the battlefield.

Wielding Sunfire Spear and Fume Knight Shield, having reached the pinnacle of SS+, he held his ground against both enemies at once ..unleashing lightning and fire in a relentless attempt to overwhelm and end them swiftly. But his foes’ strength was formidable, and Beatrice was far from idle.

With Frey Starlight ..and his potent anti-magic that had restrained her—now absent, the Eternal Witch unleashed her full arsenal, seizing control of the entire battlefield.

Celestial orbs flooded the skies, bombarding Emperor Maekar with an overwhelming barrage of multi-elemental blasts, while the ground beneath Phoenix split apart at her command, swallowing him whole.

The battle was not going in the Empire’s favor. Four against two meant they were barely holding on.

If not for the fact that their enemies were already wounded and exhausted from the previous clash, Phoenix and Maekar wouldn’t have stood a chance at matching them blow for blow.

“Not bad!!” Baelith snarled with a sadistic grin as he cornered Phoenix completely.

They were both monsters ..but Phoenix, in particular, had become a walking volcano, burning and charring the earth with every step, hurling torrents of molten fire in every direction.

At one point, his flames burned so hot they shifted to blue, the sheer output threatening to consume everything. Yet even in his full-powered Ember state, despite giving it everything he had, he was barely keeping up against the combined assault of Beatrice and Baelith, both still far from full strength.

Somewhere in the midst of the chaos, both Phoenix and Maekar found themselves thinking the exact same thought—

‘Frey Starlight… Are you telling me that frail-looking boy fought all four of these monsters alone… and not only survived, but pushed them this far?!’

For Maekar, it was a passing shock.

But for Phoenix Sunlight, it was a decisive moment.

The instant he understood what his pupil had accomplished, Phoenix made his choice.

“Frey… whatever it costs me, I’m getting you out of here alive!!!”

They had crossed into uncharted territory now ..there was no telling what horrors the future would bring.

Phoenix would not allow a talent like Frey to die here. He could be humanity’s only hope. And so, fulfilling his duty as a teacher one more time, Phoenix cast aside his own life, choosing to fight to the death—holding back these filthy demons until his last breath.

Drawing a deep, ominous roar from within his chest, he thrust both hands forward toward Baelith, gathering every ounce of his remaining power.

“Eternal Flame: Dragon’s Breath Barrage!”

Shock flashed across Baelith’s face for a fraction of a second before the inferno consumed him ..a searing beam of fire carving a path of blackened ash in its wake.

Blasting Baelith away, Phoenix forged a massive spear of fire and hurled it straight at Beatrice, targeting her as the greater threat.

But Baelith reappeared instantly in the path of the attack, knocking it aside.

“Your opponent is still here! Since when do you get to change dance partners so easily?”

Darkness coiled tightly around Baelith’s fist as he launched himself at Phoenix, leaving a trail of shadow in his wake.

Their collision sent both hurtling away, the momentum tearing the ground apart beneath them.

Phoenix took the brunt of the impact—it felt less like being struck by a demon, and more like being hit by a meteor large enough to crush his entire body.

Baelith was a tank in his own right ..just like him ..but the gap in raw physical ability between them was massive.

Not to mention Beatrice. Phoenix had been struggling desperately just to hold his ground against Baelith alone, leaving him no chance to attack anyone else.

As for Maekar, he wasn’t faring any better. With his blazing spear, he parried Mergo’s katana, while his free arm formed a spear of lightning to meet Gavid Lindman head-on.

“You shouldn’t have rushed here, Maekar Valerion,” Mergo said, unleashing dozens of hidden strikes through the ability of his Ōshigatana… all while coordinating perfectly with Gavid Lindman.

“You’re fighting a meaningless, hopeless war against an enemy you know nothing about—and here you are, completely surrounded by two opponents weaker than you.”

Despite the heavy toll Frey Starlight had inflicted on them, the Ultras’ side could still fight. The vitality of those who had reached SS+ rank was not so easily spent.

“This cursed land will serve as your grave, Emperor,” Gavid Lindman declared, channeling his Black Hole technique to make his blade sharper than ever.

He aimed to strike Maekar from a blind spot while the Emperor was preoccupied with Mergo ..

—but the Emperor of Mankind blocked it effortlessly with a quick motion of his spear.

With a roaring blaze fused with the power of lightning, Maekar blew both of them back, shattering the trap they had set.

“My grave? Do you think the likes of you could kill me?!” With each word, Maekar’s aura swelled, building toward an eruption.