Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

He didn’t glance at the furious Zephyr. Instead, he swept his eyes across the wall.

“So tell me—who’s actually in charge of Northern Spiritual Town? This brainless hothead?” His voice sharpened. “I have intelligence that concerns the survival of the entire northern border. I’m not discussing it with someone who can’t think past his own pride.”

Zephyr’s killing intent surged. Just as he was about to move, a withered hand rested lightly on his shoulder.

“Young man,” came a hoarse, rasping voice, like air escaping a cracked bellows, “no matter what the situation, you should show some respect to your elders. Zephyr is a decorated veteran who has served Krythos for decades. He is not someone you may casually slander.”

Zoltan stepped forward from behind Zephyr. The air itself seemed to grow heavier.

Axel’s heart skipped. Level Seven. He had no confidence against this old monster. Krythos’s hidden blade?

Still, Axel didn’t retreat. “Respect?” he replied calmly. “It’s mutual. When he condemned me based on a single accusation, did he think about respecting me?”

Zephyr laughed harshly. “You want respect?” His voice dripped with contempt. “While I was guarding the border, cutting down mutated beasts, leading the Ministry of Defense through blood and fire, you were hiding inside the inner city under my protection.”

“I spoke harshly. That’s disrespect?” His eyes narrowed. “Tell me, Axel—what have you done that deserves my respect?”

Axel’s gaze went cold. “Have you… killed a Saint?”

Zephyr froze.

“I have,” Axel said evenly. “I’ve guarded Northern Spiritual Town. I’ve defended Shiverstone. But that’s my responsibility. I don’t use it to inflate my ego. I don’t use it to trample others.”

“You accuse me without evidence. You call me a criminal who harmed Krythos. And you want my respect?”

He gave a faint, humorless smile. “Do you deserve it?”

Zephyr’s jaw tightened, fury barely restrained—but he had no immediate rebuttal.

Zoltan waved a hand, cutting through the tension.

“Enough. This bickering is meaningless.” His cloudy eyes fixed on Axel. “You said you have information vital to the northern border. Speak.”

“I will,” Axel replied. “But I need to speak to the one currently in charge of Northern Spiritual Town’s defenses.”

Zoltan glanced at Zephyr. Under normal circumstances, that would be Zephyr. But after a brief exchange of looks with the other elders, Zoltan nodded. “For now, that would be me. Speak.”

Zephyr’s fingers curled into a tight fist behind his back.

Axel sensed something odd in the old man’s gaze—a flicker of expectation, almost anticipation. But there was no time to dwell on it. He pulled out a communication device. “I brought reinforcements,....” he said clearly.

Geoffrey’s eyes widened. “Reinforcements?” He stepped forward urgently. “Axel, do you understand what it takes to break this deadlock? Ordinary combat power won’t cut it.”

“It requires at least a thousand Awakened. Standardized Original Instrument equipment. Mid-level commanders for coordination and control—” His voice grew hoarse. He knew how impossible that was.

Axel smiled faintly. “What about the entire military force of the City of Sin?”

Silence. Then he activated the device. The screen lit up. Battle cries exploded through the speaker—shouting, explosions, the roar of combat.

A woman’s voice came through. “I am Caroline of the City of Sin. You are…?” On the screen, Caroline stood at the northern edge of the canyon.

Behind her, countless Awakened wielding standardized Original Instruments were locked in fierce battle against a tide of mutated beasts.

Axel smiled innocently. “I am Yehuda.” A beat. “Also… Axel.”

Caroline’s expression hardened instantly. “It’s you…” Her voice was squeezed through clenched teeth.

That damned rat. That insignificant ant she’d once dismissed without a second thought. He’d killed Crowe. Her capable subordinate.

And now he stood before her again—not as a nuisance, but as a force she couldn’t ignore. Around Axel, the high-ranking officers on the wall stared at the screen in shock.

Caroline. The First Commander of the City of Sin. And the camera angle made one thing clear— Her forces were already fighting near the northern canyon approaches.

Caroline’s eyes burned. “You played us.” Her tone was ice. “What now? You think you’ve secured victory, so we won’t dare move against them?”

Her first instinct was to halt the offensive—pull back her troops—and detain Sergio and the others as leverage.

Axel shrugged casually. “If you can take them down quickly, feel free to try.” His voice was light, almost teasing. “Friendly reminder—at least four of them are Level Six Awakened from major families. Every single one carries powerful Original Instruments.”

“And now…” Axel’s voice remained calm, almost lazy, “your slaughter might be going smoothly—but the mutated beast tide chasing you is getting closer by the second, isn’t it?”

On the screen, the distant roars and tremors only proved his point.

“Are you really willing to abandon the safer advance plan, endure internal instability, throw away every resource you’ve already invested… and then fight your way out while being flanked from behind?”

Caroline’s face twitched.

The elite guards standing near Axel exchanged grins. They didn’t know every detail, but from the tone alone, it was obvious—the First Commander under Morris had been maneuvered into a corner.

“Caroline, don’t be impulsive.” Saka stepped forward beside Axel, smiling mildly. “It’s true that Yehuda’s identity turned out to be… different. But has that caused any actual harm to our operational plan? Has it changed the current battlefield situation?”

He turned slightly and gave a polite bow to the gathered defenders. “I am Saka. Former commander of the City of Sin. Currently acting commander of the City of Sin Legion.”

As he spoke, a clear fluctuation of Level Six Force rolled off him—controlled, deliberate. The impact was immediate. Another commander. Level Six.

Had Axel truly dragged the entire City of Sin here?

“Saka, you traitorous dog—” Caroline’s voice flared with rage. But before she could finish, a piercing shriek cut through the connection. A woman’s figure burst into view on the screen, energy colliding violently in the background.

“Caroline! Saka is the leader now! How dare you insult him like that?!”

“Penny, you insane bitch—have you lost your fucking mind?!”

The clash was brief and explosive. Energy flared. The screen shook. Penny. Another commander.

At that point, even the most skeptical officers on the wall had no room left for doubt. Axel wasn’t bluffing.

“Haha. I won’t interrupt your internal drama.” Axel waved dismissively. “I’ll just say this: keep advancing. Northern Spiritual Town will provide military support. When this is over, you’ll receive your independent city and formal positions under Krythos.”

His tone sharpened slightly. “If you choose to run… then every consequence, every loss—you’ll bear it yourselves.”

He cast a brief glance toward Zoltan. The old man immediately understood. “I am Zoltan of the Silverwyn family,” he said, voice hoarse yet steady. “I give my word that what Axel promises will be honored by Krythos.”

That name carried weight. On the other side of the screen, Caroline had just blasted Penny backward with a single strike. But when she heard Zoltan’s declaration, her expression changed.

A Silverwyn patriarch’s guarantee meant something. Far more than Axel’s words alone. And more importantly—

They had already committed too much. Retreat now would be suicide.

A shared connection activated among the City of Sin leadership. Rapid exchanges. Cold calculations. The conclusion was unanimous.

“There’s no other option.”

“Agreed.”

Caroline’s jaw tightened. “The City of Sin Legion… advance!”

Then feed cut.

........

Two days later.

Headlines dominated the front page of the Everton Morning Post:

“Great Victory at Northern Spiritual Town!”

“Critical Reinforcements! The Sin People of the City of Sin Redeem Themselves in Krythos’s Most Important Northern Border Battle!”

Morning light filtered softly through tall windows. Riley sat in her office, a porcelain teacup steaming gently in her hand as she read the paper in silence.

The floor trembled faintly. Moments later, Butcher squeezed his massive frame through the doorway, boots leaving faint black prints behind him.

“Well, well,” he said, clicking his tongue. “Keeping up with Northern Spiritual Town’s news too? Hell of a turnaround. I was sure they’d abandon the city this time.”

“City of Rebirth? Krythos Plans to Establish a New City for the Sin People?”