Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

Flickering tunnel lights cast eerie reflections in its greenish eyes.

Axel.

His escape had been simple.

First: Berserk Beast and Group Silence.

Second: months of routine had carved blind spots into Butcher’s instincts.

The truck burst out of the tunnel.

The direwolf was already on the trailer roof.

Snow-white fur rippled in the wind as it gazed northwest—then its body twisted, reshaping into a lean human figure clad in black.

The moon hung high. The night wind howled.

Axel stood there, cloak snapping behind him, fire burning in his eyes.

“I’m here,” he whispered into the wind.

“Do you dare come?”

On the highway from Everton to Dune, every freight truck leaving the North Canal processing plant was being stopped and inspected.

But Axel had already changed positions countless times.

He was long gone.

......

Meanwhile, inside a nightclub in one of Krythos’s cities, a young woman wearing a skimpy, cat-eared cartoon costume suddenly froze mid-laugh.

Moments earlier, she’d been teasing customers, joking and flirting without restraint. Now, she smiled sweetly at the group of young men in front of her.

“Excuse me for a moment~”

Her fluffy tail swayed as she turned, hips rolling deliberately as she slipped into a quieter corner of the club. There, she pulled out her phone, removed the SIM card, replaced it with another, and typed in a string of numbers.

Beneath the heavy makeup, her face was strikingly beautiful. The playful innocence was gone—her eyes gleamed with naked excitement and greed.

After a long wait, the call connected.

“You know you’re not supposed to contact us like this unless it’s serious,” a rough, low voice said. “If Mr. Scott finds out, do you know how badly you’ll be punished?”

Savannah’s expression hardened instantly. “Lorenzo,” she said softly, feverishly, “he’s out.”

“…Who?”

“Axel. He’s left Everton.”

Even whispering, she couldn’t hide her thrill.

“How do you know?”

“The spacetime nematode released energy just now,” Savannah replied. “He’s no longer in Everton. The signal vanished quickly, though—I couldn’t lock onto his exact location.”

There was a brief silence.

“Without Mr. Scott, our intel is incomplete,” Lorenzo said slowly. “This could be a trap.”

Savannah licked her crimson lips. “Then gather everyone. Once we confirm his position, we’ll have time to verify.”

Another pause.

“…I’ll assemble the others,” Lorenzo finally said. “You dig into Everton. Find out how he slipped out.”

“Got it.”

Savannah ended the call, slipped her phone away, and exited the nightclub.

Her body moved like a real cat—light, agile. In just a few steps, she leapt across the street, landing silently.

“You’ve grown quite nicely,” she murmured to herself, licking her lips again.

.......

At the same time, on a sand dune at the southern edge of the Abyss, Nigel was lying back and playing a game on his tablet.

“Sergio,” he groaned, “it’s been seven days. Are we still waiting? I’m bored out of my mind.”

“Wait a little longer,” Sergio replied, opening his eyes as he emerged from meditation. “Axel should be out by now. He’s definitely ditched all his communication devices.”

He glanced at the others. “Look at Terrence and Kenneth. You’re the only one whining.”

Terrence was shirtless, throwing punches into the sandstorm, his movements sharp and relentless. Kenneth was surrounded by dark mechanical devices, adjusting components as they twitched and emitted faint, unsettling sounds.

Only Lilith lay lazily near the shore, basking as if sunbathing.

“Miss Lilith,” Nigel said eagerly, approaching her with drinks and snacks. “Want some?”

She covered her mouth and laughed softly, her voice slow and deliberate. “Little brother, I’d advise you to stay away from me. Otherwise, you might get hurt later.”

Nigel’s eyes sparkled. “Oh? Emotional damage?”

Lilith smiled—polite, distant.

Seeing her lack of interest, Nigel grew even more annoyed. “Why are we even waiting for Axel?”

He moved closer to Sergio.

Sergio sighed. Lilith and Kenneth also looked over.

Everyone except Nigel knew why they were here. Only he still thought this trip was about nurturing a Natal Treasure.

Sergio finally said it plainly.

“We’re here to kill the Saints—with Axel.”

“…Kill them?” Nigel froze. “Wait—what the hell are you talking about?! Are you insane?!”

Terrence stopped training, eyes burning. “You’re a coward. The Saints are supposedly the strongest at Level Five. Don’t you want to test yourself?”

Nigel looked around. No one was joking.

His face went pale. “You—you’re serious. I…”

“Nigel,” Sergio said gently, “we didn’t force you to come.”

Lilith stood and spoke flatly. “He can’t handle it.”

She draped an arm casually over Kenneth’s shoulder.

Nigel clenched his teeth. What enraged him wasn’t just being excluded—it was Lilith’s indifference, as if she’d already written him off.

“I’m not scared,” he snapped. “I’ll do it!”

Sergio frowned, glancing at Lilith. “Nigel, don’t push yourself. This operation is actually—”

Before he could finish, Lilith’s eyes lit up. She released Kenneth and walked toward Nigel.

“Oh?” she said softly. “Still got some backbone? I’m impressed.”

Her voice was smooth, seductive. Nigel felt his knees go weak.

“Of course,” he said quickly. “I won’t be left out! Sergio, don’t try to talk me out of it—I’ve decided!”

Sergio fell silent. Then he turned to Lilith, exasperated. “Miss Lilith… Nigel is only a few years younger than you. Isn’t it a bit much to provoke him like that? They are still Saints.”

Lilith shrugged, lit a thin cigarette, and exhaled slowly.

“We’re going to kill Saints,” she said calmly. “Not go to an amusement park. Why should I care if he lives or dies?”

Sergio stared at her, stunned.

She leaned close and whispered in his ear, her laughter like silver bells.

“Little brother, I’m just cooperating with you. Don’t mistake me for a good person.”

She turned away, rejoining Terrence and the others.

Sergio stood there, unsettled.

Lilith and Axel spoke differently, acted differently—but at their core, he sensed the same thing.

An icy, merciless rationality.

The difference was that Axel still carried a trace of sincerity.

And that was why Sergio chose to stand beside him.

.......

As dusk settled over the desert, a lone figure wrapped in a black cloak emerged from the horizon.

The murmurs among the group fell silent.

After a moment, Lilith crushed her cigarette beneath her heel and smiled faintly.

“So he really did make it out.”

A minute later, Axel arrived, a long sword slung over his back, sand still clinging to his boots.

Sergio let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He looked at Axel, relief and concern tangled together.

“I followed your plan. Nigel agreed to join us as well. Now it’s your turn—tell them how we’re meeting up inside the Abyss.”

Everyone knew the problem.

The Abyss warped spacetime itself. Even if they entered at the same time, from the same place, they would be scattered randomly.

Against the Saints, numbers mattered.

Axel spoke calmly.

“Before we go in, each of you just needs to take one punch from me.”

Terrence snorted. “A fire spirit?”

Sergio nodded. The three words Axel had written on his palm earlier were exactly that—a fire spirit.

What they hadn’t known was the second effect.

A fire spirit could leave a lingering mark inside the body, lasting up to six hours. During that time, Axel could sense the marked person’s location.

“…You can use it like that?” Nigel scratched his head in disbelief.

“Nigel,” Axel said, clapping him on the shoulder, “I’m honestly surprised you decided to come. But trust me—going through something like this will boost your combat instincts fast. We’re not throwing our lives away. Even if we can’t win, we can survive.”

His voice was steady, resolute.

Nigel nearly teared up. Axel’s words struck straight at his deepest fear.

“I… yeah. I get it.”

Lilith watched Axel a moment longer than the others. Their eyes met briefly, then both looked away, unspoken understanding passing between them.

Sergio frowned. “There’s still something I don’t understand. The authorities couldn’t track you—how can you be sure the Saints will?”