Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

“I visited Reginald once,” Soren said quietly. “He may never recover. In fact… he could die at any time.”

He looked toward the distant direction of Everton City.

“Go back and inform the younger generation,” Soren continued. “We’re leaving. Don’t let Krythos fall into chaos.”

After flying a short distance, he added softly,

“And what do you all think… about the Infected?”

Infected…

“Then it’s time to revise some of the regulations,” Tadeo said calmly. “The harm they’re causing has long since exceeded their original purpose.”

Soren nodded. “In the end, we still have to fight her.”

“In the past, we old men kept our hands off the reins,” another elder added quietly. “And some people below took that as permission to cross lines they never should have touched.”

No one spoke further. The four exchanged brief looks, then departed without another word.

......

At first, most people believed the blizzard was nothing more than a rare but natural extreme weather event—something that would pass in a few days.

On the third day of nonstop snowfall, the authorities released an announcement that sent shockwaves through Krythos.

> “Following long-term monitoring, containment efforts, and sustained crackdowns on the Holy Light Organization, the infection situation within Krythos has shown significant improvement.”

>

> “The updated infection regulations are as follows…”

......

Deep within the grasslands beyond Ebonveil, a city welcomed an unusual guest.

Before receiving official status in the City of Sin, all Awakened entering its territory were subject to strict interrogation.

But today, when a man in a military uniform—with an ancient book hanging at his waist—arrived at the city gates, City Lord Morris personally dispatched six bodyguards to greet him.

Caroline, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, now a Level Six Awakened and ranked among the top three of Morris’s guards, stepped forward.

“General Jerome. Lord Morris is waiting for you at the City Lord’s mansion. Please follow me.”

“Thank you,” Jerome replied, removing his military cap. His smile was gentle—almost scholarly.

They entered the mansion together. Several strange eyes on Morris’s face narrowed at once, forcing what might generously be called a welcoming expression.

“General Jerome,” Morris said, voice cautious. “It’s been a long time. What brings you here today?”

Jerome took a seat beside him, glanced at the sky beyond the window, and spoke softly.

“The world has changed. You’ve felt it too, haven’t you?”

Morris shrank back slightly, then laughed nervously.

“When the sky falls, there are always tall figures to hold it up. You agree, don’t you, General?”

Jerome smiled faintly. His spiritual power expanded, sweeping across the entire city like an invisible tide.

“Indeed,” he said. “The City of Sin alone has three Level Seven experts in the Divine Might Realm. To ordinary citizens of Krythos, you are the tall ones.”

Morris inhaled sharply.

“General Jerome… you’re not here to ask me to join you against that being, are you?” His voice lowered. “We agreed before—I would remain neutral. At most, I’d pass along information. You’re not planning to break that agreement, are you?”

Jerome replied calmly, “Agreements exist to be broken. Morris, if she awakens, who she kills will depend entirely on her mood. I’m not here to argue philosophy with you.”

He leaned forward slightly.

“I’m here to borrow your eyes. And then—you’re coming with me.”

The room fell dead silent. Morris’s subordinates trembled, not daring to breathe too loudly.

“Get out,” Morris snapped, waving his hand.

Caroline and the others withdrew at once. They didn’t stop walking until they were several hundred meters away from the mansion.

“Captain,” someone whispered nervously, “will Lord Morris really fight General Jerome?”

Caroline shook her head, her expression conflicted.

“I hope not. But Lord Morris has never been easy to convince.”

Inside the mansion, with no witnesses left, the terrifying city lord suddenly slumped, his face twisting into something pitiful.

“General Jerome—brother—I’m begging you,” Morris pleaded. “Let me live a few more years. Killing her would be a feat written into history forever. Dragging me along will only stain your reputation. Let me stay here, outside Krythos’s walls, being a loyal dog. Please?”

Jerome couldn’t help but laugh.

“No.”

Morris collapsed back into his chair, sighing deeply.

“I knew you wouldn’t forget me. Fine… maybe if we actually kill her, I can finally go home.”

Jerome nodded. “That’s one way to look at it. Pack your things. I’ll borrow your eyes for a while.”

Morris raised a hand in resignation. The sky above the City Lord’s mansion suddenly split open. A massive, pale eye appeared, gazing down with an oppressive presence. Slowly, it shrank, condensing until it was no larger than a human eye, then fell into Morris’s palm.

“I won’t damage it,” Jerome said, patting Morris’s shoulder.

Morris hummed quietly.

“I don’t have a choice anyway. Since I’m going with you, no one else gets to hide. Use it—find them all.”

Jerome departed without another word.

In a bar within the City of Sin, a woman in black stockings—curves striking, features stunning—set down her glass and pressed a hand to her chest.

“Scared the hell out of me,” she muttered softly. “I thought he was coming to arrest me.”

“What would they want you for?” a few patrons asked, eyes glued to the bar’s alluring proprietress.

“Oh, nothing,” she said with a sweet smile, as though nothing extraordinary had just occurred.

......

> “Affected by a powerful cold front moving down from the north, this blizzard is expected to persist for more than a week…”

By now, the novelty of the heavy snowfall had long since worn off. People were no longer marveling at it—only wondering how much longer this damned weather would last.

From time to time, someone would glance up at the sky, awed by the dense, oppressive clouds churning overhead. Yet no one noticed that, hidden far above those clouds, a pale white eyeball hovered silently.

It expanded—slowly, inexorably—until it reached a terrifying size.

Then it released an overwhelming surge of spiritual power.

The force pierced through the clouds like a colossal scanner, sweeping across entire regions at once.

Starting from Shiverstone, far in the frozen north of Krythos, it expanded southward—past Kensington, and onward through city after city, its reach unbroken.

At Bloodstone Warfare School, Tristan set down his pen mid-stroke. He rose from his desk and walked to the window, his expression darkening.

“…That presence,” he murmured. “City of Sin?”

The spiritual scan brushed past him with surgical precision, leaving behind a faint, unmistakable message.

Tristan pondered for only a second before his phone rang.

“You felt it too?” he asked quietly.

Soon, information began circulating within his circle.

Everyone received the same signal.

What kind of operation requires this scale?

Tristan summoned his assistant, issued a few brief instructions, then left the academy without another word.

He wasn’t the only one.

Atop a snowbound mountain peak, a shirtless man with waist-length hair—wild, feral—rose slowly from an icy mountain lake. Water steamed off his body as he lifted his head, eyes locking onto the distant north.

On the streets of Ebonveil, an old beggar had been laughing loudly, boasting about the day’s earnings. Suddenly, his smile vanished.

In the next instant, so did he.

Across Krythos, people like them—hidden monsters, forgotten legends—changed direction as if summoned by an invisible command, all moving toward the northern city walls.

The giant eyeball swept over the land twice.

Its surface was now riddled with bloodshot veins, exhaustion visible even in something so inhuman.

Jerome stood against the howling northern wind, his military coat snapping sharply. He adjusted the brim of his cap, eyes calm—yet burning with restrained power.

“So,” he said quietly, “Krythos is stronger than I imagined.”

He raised a hand.

“Let’s move.”

The colossal eye shrank rapidly, condensing until it fit neatly into a metal case.