THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 732: The King’s Eye vs The Hand of the Ruler (1)

The Fourth Rank among the High Demons .. Wesker, the bearer of the King’s Eye, a demon who had lived for countless ages without anyone ever threatening his life or coming close to killing him.

What does it truly take to kill such an existence—one that has survived for thousands of years, planning every single step it ever took?

Gehrman intended to uncover that answer today, through this rare opportunity—to reveal a portion of his true power and capitalize on his victory over Wesker in the mental war that had unfolded between them.

The Fourth-Rank Demon looked different now after realizing Zibar’s death. His habitual smile was nowhere to be seen; in its place was a terrifying visage that reflected the depth of his seriousness and rage.

Wesker extended his hand toward Gehrman, and his aura stretched outward, forming a colossal hand that nearly blotted out the sky.

Gehrman was still fighting under a severe handicap compared to his opponent, who had held the absolute advantage from the very beginning. A single direct hit would be enough to end Gehrman and declare his defeat.

Thus, naturally, he was forced to either evade Wesker’s attacks or counter them with something equal—or greater—in power.

The blue-eyed man fought using the power he had borrowed from Vulgar. As overwhelming and magnificent as it was, it was not a permanent strength.

The Engineer knew that even the smallest portion of aura would matter, so he chose to evade the attack, exploiting his immense speed.

Dodging that gigantic hand should not have been difficult .. or so he thought.

Gehrman attempted to move, but froze in place when a crushing pressure descended upon him, weighing his body down tremendously and rendering him unable to move.

"...This is gravity?"

Wesker used his wave manipulation to impose an overwhelming gravitational force on Gehrman from all directions.

The magnitude of that gravity was terrifying .. enough to warp and shatter even the hardest metals. And now Gehrman was forced to endure it with his damaged vessel.

Trapped beneath that pressure, the colossal hand was about to claim him—when, at the very last moment ..

A towering arc of light struck the hand, severing it cleanly and completely.

The arc of light continued onward, exploding high in the sky above them, illuminating it and driving away the darkness of night.

At that instant, both Gehrman’s and Wesker’s eyes turned to the same place, instantly recognizing the identity of the man who had unleashed that attack.

But he had already vanished .. he was far too fast.

In less than a second, he appeared like a shadow behind Wesker, swinging a massive blade of condensed light.

It was a perfect opportunity. Wesker’s eyes were still directed downward .. but that was true only of his normal eyes.

Unlike them, the King’s Eye was already fixed on Abraham Starlight, staring at him with a dreadful intensity, radiating that ominous red glow.

At the same time, Abraham’s blade of light stopped just before Wesker’s face, blocked by one of the invisible barriers protecting the demon’s body.

"You still refuse to let go of life, even though it has already abandoned you, human..."

Wesker extended his hand, and a roaring beam of darkness erupted point-blank toward Abraham.

The thunderous attack swallowed Abraham’s body completely .. or so Wesker thought .. because the Star of the Starlight family was already at his side, leaving behind a mirage of stellar light that reflected the traces of his swift movement as he circled Wesker in the blink of an eye.

"As long as I can fight to protect what is dear to me, I will cling to life with everything I have .. down to the very last particle of my being."

Slash!!

This time, Abraham unleashed an even stronger attack, but Wesker blocked it with his other hand, reinforced with a massive amount of dark aura.

"You will end up dead all the same."

Wesker intensified his aura, quickly overpowering Abraham’s strike .. yet he still couldn’t land a decisive blow, because the other opponent was still nearby.

"Do you really think you can afford to turn your gaze to another enemy, Wesker?" the Engineer shouted .. only for Wesker to reply immediately,

"No .. I was waiting for you. Waiting for the moment you came close."

Gehrman attacked again with his left hand, a terrifying mass of frostfire aura manifesting around it. The response was instant: dozens of blood-red spikes burst forth from Wesker’s body at blinding speed, coiling around the Engineer’s arm.

The King’s Eye granted Wesker complete awareness of every hidden detail and development on the battlefield, making it impossible to ambush or surprise him.

The blood spikes rapidly suppressed Gehrman’s frostfire aura and threatened to destroy his arm .. then his body. Even the slightest attack from a Fourth-Rank Demon was now enough to defeat the Engineer.

Gehrman reacted instantly. Without hesitation, he severed the arm trapped by the spikes. Then, in the same breath, frostfire gathered around the stump of his arm, forming a new hand made of blazing ice.

All of that occurred in less than a second, reflecting Gehrman’s extraordinary control over his power.

He didn’t merely block Wesker .. he counterattacked immediately with a swift punch that forced Wesker to retreat several meters away from them.

The Fourth-Rank Demon quickly regained his balance and now hovered face-to-face with both the Engineer and Abraham.

The two exchanged a brief glance from the corners of their eyes before refocusing on Wesker.

"I never imagined .. even in my wildest dreams that I’d be fighting him alongside you again," Abraham said with a wry smile.

"Don’t be surprised," Gehrman replied. "Fate sometimes prepares the most insane of events for us."

Hearing that, Abraham tightened his grip around his sword.

"...You .. don’t tell me you planned this from the very beginning?"

From the way Gehrman had appeared, and how he carried himself across the battlefield...

It seemed as though he was aware of every detail, large or small. Everything appeared to be unfolding according to his design .. and that made Abraham wonder whether the Engineer had planned everything from the start.

’No... that’s impossible.’

Abraham dismissed that assumption. He still remembered Gehrman’s agitation when Wesker first appeared years ago—when he nearly abducted Frey, who was still an infant at the time.

The Engineer most certainly had not known that Wesker would come.

On that day... Gehrman had arrived in a panic. He told Abraham that Frey was in danger .. that a cursed demon had come, targeting Frey’s life.

A demon named... Wesker.

Remembering that moment, Abraham’s eyes widened slightly.

"He... knew..."

Even now, standing in the midst of the battlefield.

Even with Wesker right in front of him.

Abraham could not stop those cursed thoughts from invading his mind. He was sharp .. keenly observant by nature.

Before, he had been consumed with saving Frey and Ada. But now—now that the battle was against Wesker, and he had joined forces with the Engineer—

Abraham was beginning to understand everything.

In the past, Gehrman had remained close to Anna Starlight throughout her pregnancy. He had always been present—watching over her until Frey was born, protecting him at all times.

But during the war between the Empire and the Ultras, while Abraham was fighting his final battle against Dragoth...

The Engineer suddenly left.

He left Frey behind.

And at that exact moment—Wesker appeared.

As all these facts aligned, Abraham’s expression darkened.

"Are you telling me that all of this... is a coincidence?"