Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

Even Sunfire lacked explosive burst. In his hands, it was a tactical weapon, not a decisive blade. “If only I had a mental attack awakening skill…” He paused.

Wait. Mental attack? A realization struck him like a spark hitting dry tinder. “I do have one.”

His breathing quickened slightly. If his guess was correct…

Then he might already possess a reliable frontal attack method—one that could finally complement the Eye of Truth.

“Damn it.”

He glanced up at the sky. The light had shifted. He had spent far more time in the spring than he originally intended. The inner turmoil and transformation had stretched far beyond his estimate.

There was no time to experiment. Without hesitation, Axel kicked off the ground. His figure shot upward like a cannon blast, disappearing from the canyon in the blink of an eye.

Outside the South Gate of the City of Sin. A massive crowd had gathered. Dark. Dense. Restless.

Nearly every civilian willing to evacuate had already left the city. The road stretched endlessly with refugees, carts, beasts of burden, and armored awakeners maintaining order.

A small minority had stayed behind. Some refused to abandon their homes. Others believed Commander Morris would return soon enough. The City of Sin had stood for years. Its walls were strong. Its defenses formidable. It wouldn’t fall.

And then there were those with uglier ambitions. Former mid-tier powerhouses who saw opportunity in chaos.

Once the old commanders were gone, they planned to raise their own banners. Become the new rulers. Carve out territory. Oppress others instead of being oppressed.

The commanders didn’t even bother looking at them. In their eyes, those people were already dead. “What’s going on?”

“Why aren’t we moving yet?” Whispers rippled through the crowd.

At the edge of the gathering, Yarden stood tightly gripping his wife’s arm. Ellie’s face was pale. The mass of people pressed in from every side, suffocating.

“Honey… are you alright…” She shrank closer to him. Yarden tightened his hold. “It’s fine. We’re already outside the city.”

He forced calm into his voice. “The higher-ups still have preparations to finish. That’s why we’re delayed.”

He glanced back at the towering gates of the City of Sin. The wind howled through the open plains. Something about the air felt wrong. Like the calm before a storm.

Yarden hadn’t made the decision to leave lightly. He’d known for a long time that the world outside the City of Sin was a living nightmare. Mutated beasts roamed freely. Trade routes had collapsed. Small settlements were wiped out overnight.

Staying trapped inside the city walls would only delay the inevitable. So no—he didn’t regret leaving. But standing here now, packed shoulder to shoulder in a sea of anxious refugees, he couldn’t shake the unease gnawing at his gut.

He’d heard fragments of conversation. They were waiting for someone. Some kind of hunter group had gone ahead to lure away the mutated beasts, preventing the evacuation force from being surrounded.

“Hunter group?” Yarden’s brows furrowed. “You mean the Vicious Dog Hunter Group?”

“The Vicious Dog what?”

“The group that went to draw the beasts away—it’s called the Vicious Dog Hunter Group?”

Someone nearby misheard him, assumed he had inside information, and immediately repeated it louder.

That was all it took. The rumor spread like wildfire through dry grass. Different accents. Different languages. Same conclusion.

The Vicious Dog Hunter Group had risked their lives to lure away the mutated beasts and secure the evacuation route. A few well-informed individuals added “confirmation.” Within minutes, nearly everyone outside the city believed it as fact.

At the core of the formation, the senior leadership of the City of Sin had no idea the legend forming outside the gates. They were busy arguing.

“We’re past the agreed time,” Valentino said coldly. “According to the arrangement, we leave now.”

“It’s been a few damn minutes,” Penny snapped. “If you’re that scared, go. No one’s stopping you.”

“Yehuda made it clear,” Isos added evenly. “When the time is up, we move. We’re honoring the agreement.”

His voice hardened. “Besides… you all felt it just now, didn’t you?”

A subtle shift in the air. A pressure from the north. Heavy. Oppressive. Like something vast had stirred.

“You’re not in a hurry?” Isos continued. “Or are you planning to stay here and become that thing’s dinner?”

Time was up. The Vicious Dog Hunters hadn’t returned. To Isos and Valentino, that confirmed it. Their trap had worked. Those bastards were dead.

The only oddity was that none of their own men had reported back either. Something must have gone wrong. Losses were possible—but that didn’t matter right now. The disturbance from the north was far more terrifying.

The other commanders—Adler among them—exchanged uncertain looks. Their legions were already deployed. They could handle mid-scale beast waves.

But a Level Seven mutated beast? Or that even more terrifying existence rumored to roam beyond the northern wilds? That would be slaughter. And yet…

Without the Vicious Dogs present, they would lose a convenient set of expendable pawns.

Seeing hesitation flicker across their faces, Isos pressed harder. “They calculated the timing carefully. If they haven’t shown up by now… something must have happened.”

He let the sentence hang. “They’re probably already—”

He didn’t finish. If that was the case, waiting was pointless.

Saka’s eyes flickered. Penny’s expression changed sharply. If the Vicious Dogs were truly dead, then she and Saka had just suffered a massive hidden loss.

“Isos, stop spouting bullshit,” Penny snapped. “Who says they’re dead—”

A clear laugh cut through her words. “Commander Isos isn’t wrong.”

All heads turned. “There was an accident.”

“And some people did die.” A group approached rapidly from the south. Dust trailed behind them.

“However…” the leading figure said calmly, “it wasn’t us.”

Sergio stepped forward, smiling faintly. “Sorry we’re a little late.”

In truth, they had been shaken when Axel failed to appear at the agreed time. Just as they were debating whether to send someone back, Axel had rejoined them without explanation. They had rushed back immediately, arriving just before the main force departed. Relief washed through their ranks.

Panic, however, exploded across Isos and Valentino’s faces. “Where are our men?” Valentino demanded.

“They went with you. Where are they?” Isos’ voice sharpened.

Axel stepped forward. His expression was solemn. Almost regretful. “Unfortunately… during the split-force maneuver, the beasts that attacked their unit exceeded our control.”

“They were… tragically killed.” A beat. “Fortunately, I managed to recover their belongings at great personal risk.”

He produced a pile of torn fabric—blood-soaked, clotted with flesh.

Silence fell.

Isos and Valentino nearly laughed from sheer fury. Great personal risk? Not a scratch on him. Not a tear in his clothes. They looked pristine. Did he think they were fucking idiots?

“You killed them!” Isos roared.

At first, he had only suspected. Now he was certain.

These people hadn’t even bothered to fake injuries. No staged wounds. No fabricated battle damage.

“Commander Isos, that’s a serious accusation.” Axel’s expression darkened. “Where’s your proof?”

He didn’t raise his voice—but the chill in it was unmistakable.

“More importantly… for the sake of the entire City of Sin, we volunteered to risk our lives and lure away the mutated beasts. We completed the mission and returned alive. Instead of asking about the outcome, about casualties, about whether we should organize the retreat immediately—you’re obsessing over the fate of your own subordinates.”

Axel’s eyes hardened. “Isn’t that a little confused? Mixing up public duty with private grievance?”

Isos and Valentino’s faces flushed red, then turned pale. For a moment, they had no answer. Worse—

They could feel it. The other commanders. The high-level Awakened. Even some of the legion officers.

The looks they were getting were no longer neutral. They were suspicious. Cold.

“Damn it…” Isos finally realized what had happened. “We walked straight into their trap.”

Yehuda’s words. The dramatic display of blood-soaked clothing. The timing. It was all bait.

There was nothing wrong with questioning casualties. But right now—without evidence—pressing the issue made them look petty. Self-serving. Blind to the bigger picture.

In a single exchange, they had isolated themselves.

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