The Snowclaw Wolf’s mood brightened immediately. Its tail wagged vigorously.
“Unfortunately,” it replied with a touch of regret, “Father won’t leave his territory for a long time. If you truly wish to seek refuge, I can tell you the route.”
Even as it said that, resentment still lingered.
“Hmph. If Father were here, would those humans dare touch me? He would have torn them apart with a single claw.”
Won’t leave his territory…
Axel’s gaze flickered.
That suggested a hidden balance—perhaps even a tacit agreement—between Morris and the Icefield Wolf King.
Then another wave of consciousness came through, catching Axel’s full attention.
“There’s still some potency left in this spring,” the Snowclaw Wolf said. “As a reward, you may absorb it.”
Its tail wagged again.
Axel’s heart leapt.
“The spring…?”
“I must return to Father’s territory first.” The Snowclaw Wolf called out mentally to the surrounding Snowclaw Gray Wolves. “Escort me.”
Then it turned back to Axel.
“Come find me once you’ve completed your ascension. I, Prince Hatch, will give you a proper welcome.”
“Definitely. Absolutely,” Axel replied enthusiastically, his tail—still in beast form—wagging just as fast.
As if I’d ever go, he thought.
If Hatch had even hinted that the Wolf King might show up at any moment, Axel would’ve bolted without hesitation.
Thankfully, that nightmare didn’t come true.
After Hatch and his entourage departed, Axel waited quietly for a while before reverting to human form.
He didn’t immediately enter the spring.
Instead, he walked over to Harris’s corpse.
The Life Crystal lay quietly on the ground, shimmering with a faint, brilliant glow.
Axel activated it.
> Harris. Subordinate of Valentino, leader of the City of Sin.
> Recently mutated his Awakening Skill through the spring, earning his superior’s favor—only to die a sudden, unexplained death in the wilderness.
The memories themselves weren’t particularly useful.
But that single piece of information mattered.
It confirmed that Harris had indeed mutated his Awakening Skill through the spring—and hadn’t turned into a monster.
Axel turned toward the pool.
The instant he did, an overwhelming yearning surged from the ancient tree within him.
Axel froze. He had never felt anything like this before.
“…Could it be,” he muttered, “that this spring is even more valuable than any spiritual treasure I’ve ever obtained?”
Excitement surged through him. Without further hesitation, Axel stepped forward—and plunged into the spring.
The first sensation was weight.
The moment he entered the water, an immense pressure slammed down on him, dragging his body deeper and deeper. Even after a long while, he still hadn’t touched the bottom.
The second sensation was cold. A bone-piercing, soul-freezing chill.
Even with a Level Six physique, it was unbearable. Worse still—an indescribable sorrow welled up in his heart.
Images surfaced against his will. His father. His sister Annabelle. Charles… who had sacrificed himself.
The memories flooded in. The grief deepened.
“How… how is this possible…?”
Yet amid the crushing pressure, the freezing cold, and the overwhelming sorrow, Axel retained a rare clarity.
This isn’t normal.
The weight and cold were far beyond what he could endure.
He didn’t have time to analyze further.
One thing was certain— He could not stay in this spring.
Axel erupted with power. He forced his primal energy to its absolute limit, pushing his body to its peak—
And activated Burning Fighting Spirit.
But even then… He still couldn’t stop himself from sinking deeper into the water.
Am I… going to drown in this pool?
The thought surfaced faintly, then was swallowed whole.
His memories surged faster and faster, crashing into him like waves. The grief grew heavier—until it transformed into something worse.
Regret. Self-loathing. Crushing guilt.
A voice echoed in his mind, cold and relentless, repeating itself like a curse.
Your father was framed.
He was so close to the truth—just one step away. He had the evidence. And yet you were powerless to clear his name.
Your sister hasn’t killed a single innocent person, yet she’s forced to flee the world with you. One wrong step, and she’s finished.
Killian was just a child. And he died in a tide of mutated beasts… because of you.
Charles—Obsidian’s former captain—was dragged down and killed because of you. Can you really live with that?
Each sentence stabbed straight into the deepest part of his soul.
Axel couldn’t dodge them. Couldn’t argue back.
The memories, the accusations, the grief and guilt—all of it surged at once, overwhelming him completely.
Admit it.
They were all dragged into disaster because of you.
You’ll drag even more people down in the future.
The Obsidian Squad. The five who fought the Saints at your side. Your sister Annabelle. The Holy Light Organization. In the end… they’ll all die because of you.
You are the one who deserves to die.
The voice carried a strange, seductive authority.
Axel’s thoughts stalled. His body stopped resisting. He continued sinking, deeper and deeper into the pool.
The water rippled faintly, pressing in from all directions—Then Axel opened his eyes.
“…You’re right.” His voice was calm. Steady. “I have implicated too many people.”
“Many have died because of me.”
“I am deeply sorry to them.”
“But I cannot die.”
The voice recoiled, laced with anger and disbelief.
After everything you’ve done—after all the blood on your hands—you still think you deserve to live?
Are you just going to keep running forever?
Axel smiled faintly.
But his eyes were harder than they had ever been.
“I did make mistakes.”
“My greatest mistake was being too weak to shoulder everything.”
“But even so—”
“I will do everything in my power to protect those I still can.”
“I will make up for my failures, even if it costs me everything.”
“Annabelle—I will protect you to the end.”
“Killian… Charles…” His breath hitched for a moment. “Their deaths will not be meaningless.”
“I will uncover the truth about my father—completely and thoroughly.”
“But I will not expose it prematurely, wasting his sacrifice and burying the truth forever.”
“My death would bring nothing but pain to the people I love—and joy to my enemies.”
“So I will keep getting stronger.”
“Stronger. And stronger.”
“Until no one ever has to cry for me again.”
“Until no one can ever force me to sacrifice myself again.”
“This—”
“—is my choice.”
“My responsibility.”
“My true will.”
In that instant, Axel’s resolve crystallized.
The crushing sorrow and guilt shattered completely.
The pool was still heavy. Still freezing. But the emotions no longer touched him.
He faced his past—every sin, every regret—without flinching.
And then— The illusion shattered.
What remained was the dark, silent pool beneath him. His consciousness snapped back into focus.
“Again.”
“I will not sit here and wait to die.”
Axel gathered his focus, preparing to ignite Burning Fighting Spirit once more—
When suddenly— His awareness was yanked inward. Into his inner world.
The Origin Tree was trembling.
Not in fear. In excitement.
Wave after wave of ancient aura surged outward, sending chills down his spine. His entire inner world shook violently, as if responding to something colossal.
“Holy shit—!”
Axel’s scalp tingled.
This was his core. His lifeline.
If something went wrong here, there would be no second chance.
As the tremor spread, the bone-freezing cold returned—far worse than before. It pierced into his flesh, his blood, his bones, flooding every pore at once.
If his mental strength hadn’t already been tempered to this level, the shock alone would have knocked him unconscious.
“A fire spirit!”
Without hesitation, Axel condensed his will into a single, explosive command— And unleashed it upon the fire spirit residing within the Origin Tree.
A torrent of pure fire elemental force erupted.
Warmth surged through his body like a lifeline. It couldn’t overpower the surrounding cold—but it stabilized him, anchored his consciousness, let him think again.
Then— He saw something.
Something that made his breath catch. The world in which the Origin Tree had taken root…
Had transformed.
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