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“……!”

Despite dodging the monstrosity’s attack somehow, I still ended up rolling a few times and crashing into a tree. What Euna finally thought of was that this wasn’t a power granted to humanity—or any living organism, for that matter.

“Whoa-ooo—!”

Was the creature’s bellowing a result of being pumped up from the heat of battle? The hulking mass twisted its head back and let out a roar. Euna, barely managing to get back on her feet, realized her own hand was torn and bit her sleeve to tie her spear and hand together.

“…….”

The spear was bending as if it would snap at any moment. If it wasn’t an alloy with excellent ductility, it would have shattered into two pieces. Euna glanced away from the spear and, looking up at the cliff, furrowed her brow.

‘Alpha?’

There were black flames, a symbol of the wolf. It seemed like a mage was in combat with them. So, does that mean these guys are the wayward sons? While I was watching, the monster’s howling subsided. With a daunting speed, the ground shook with each of its steps.

“……!”

No matter how skilled the ductility was, it’s hard to deflect a spear that’s already bent. In the next moment, Euna’s wrist twisted grotesquely. While deflecting the creature’s attack, she was gradually becoming a mess. Raw power. The thought of running away made her feel trapped, knowing they would chase after the rear guard.

Just as I slightly recoiled, the beast charged toward me.

‘It’s faster…!’

Bam—! Struck by such overwhelming violence and unstoppable force, Euna felt her ribs shatter and her insides swirl.

“Cough…!”

As blood spewed from her mouth, her vision blurred. Euna squeezed out what little breath remained in her lungs. With her body immobilized, she forced her spear to move with her magic, shoving herself away. Just then, the beast’s fist slammed down, and she rolled for a few more spins in the ensuing gust. While she barely clung to life, she knew this was it—there would be no next time.

‘……!’

The creature lumbered closer. Yet, she was reluctant to give in. Until the very end, she refused to close her eyes, proving her determination. However, what filled her sight wasn’t the monster’s fist, but—

“Fire at will!”

—an onslaught of arrows raining down in the thicket.

“Archers! Reload!”

At the command, the archers strung their arrows once more. Dozens of arrows pierced the beast, and amidst that confusion, a hunter dashed in to secure Euna. Upon seeing him nod, Gu Jin-ha turned his gaze away.

‘Starting to run low…’

There weren’t many arrows left. Though they regrouped after joining the fleeing rear guard, they could only shoot two or three more times at best.

“Are you okay?”

At the concern, Euna forced a bitter smile. She was too exhausted to even say what was wrong. After squeezing out her last bit of strength, she muttered softly.

“Undying… executioner.”

That voice was clearly heard by the hunter. Undying. Executioner. It was immediately clear they shared the same skill.

Most importantly, the way arrows dropped with a light flick of his hand confirmed—

‘…He was truly confident.’

He seemed to be genuinely intent on wiping out the Neverland raid team. The armored swordsman. The hulking monstrosity. And perhaps the Silent Mouth up on the cliff…

‘…Alpha.’

The black flames. Surely, Alpha must be up there. Realizing that it was Alpha who dispelled the ominous cloud, Gu Jin-ha couldn’t help but recall a thought from earlier when he had tidied up the island.

‘What you said about stopping the end.’

If he genuinely shares our sentiment… Gu Jin-ha shook his head to clear the thoughts. There were more urgent matters than pondering.

The Team Leader tightened his grip on his sword.

***

In the flaming blaze, the gazes of the two intersected.

The swirling black magic was unlike anything before. A combination of two skills—the wolf stirred the black magic with a gust. The night had fallen. Silent Mouth strained to channel magic to its limit. The mage’s immense power surged within, and through a chant, he manifested that force into magic.

[Fulger mare, îmi vei distruge dușmanii―!]

The lightning shot from the fingertips collided with the mist. The black fog gnawed at the spell, but the magic persistently pierced through the haze. High-speed chanting and spell interruption—more than mere spell suspension, it was the mage’s secret technique. Though the power was diminished, the three-part spell managed to fly towards the wolf.

‘……!’

The wolf saw the bolt. The non-corporeal magic surged toward him at speeds that easily surpassed the speed of sound, with no air resistance to slow it down. It wasn’t something that could be perceived with the naked eye, but had he foreseen it, it would have been a different story. As instinctually and intuitively predicted, it veered off course and pierced through the barrier of transformation to fly beyond.

Even if it was fast, if the movements were predictable, it wouldn’t hit the wolf. In the midst of battle, the mage realized this profoundly.

[―inversare]

The reversal spell. The lightning that had passed through the flames came rushing back. The wolf, sensing the incoming bolt as it charged towards the mage, sprang back. The bolt barely lodged in the ground, smoldering the grass before seeping underground and vanishing.

‘Hard to get closer.’

Even with one arm lost and no head, this was the situation. The black magic burrowed into him, yet he found no further progress, as though obstructed by a wall. No, it was truly blocked. The more black magic devoured, the more it continued to unleash power. A smirk escaped as I considered such a foolish notion, uncharacteristic of a true mage.

‘An ancient mage.’

The Master of Yellow Square, master of thunder and lightning. To be more precise, a former Master of Yellow Square. That was his identity. How much magic power had he accumulated over such a long time? It was impossible to even compare to him.

—But still, I have the upper hand now. His magic isn’t infinite. However, there was one worry.

‘…It really existed.’

In the distance, it was hard to see anything, yet with every clash, loud noises erupted. Given that they had come to strike the Neverland raiding team, I expected as much.

Surely, he couldn’t have come here with just the Juggernaut and Silent Mouth.

If it were Kang Hoon, one of the Seven Heroes and a sword master, there’d be no one more fitting to strike the Neverland raiding team.

‘Kang Tae-ho is holding him off, it seems…’

But that balance won’t last long. The Kang Tae-ho I saw in the forest dungeon was certainly strong, but he wasn’t on Kang Hoon’s level now.

…At the end of my thoughts, I slipped into the shadows and approached him. In the standoff between mist and magic, I launched spines several times but they fell to the ground without piercing through.

Even the spines encircled in black flames easily extinguished themselves.

‘In the end, it’s just black magic.’

Yet, the emitted magic power surrounded him like a wall. The standoff between the mist and magic. It’s only a matter of time until the black magic pierces through him, but the real problem was that time. I could hear the Silent Mouth mumbling, ensnared by the magic.

[Dumnezeul tunetului și al fulgerelor, coboară]

A massive surge of magic. In this situation, he was preparing another spell. While gnawed at by black magic, he still had time to chant.

‘…Damn it.’

Once the incantation concludes, if his magic is unleashed, the situation will reverse again.

—Once more, the time for choice had arrived.

[Whether to advance or to stand still.]

The voice that sounded like an echo made me grit my teeth.

In that moment, a vision I shouldn’t have seen crossed my mind once again. The young wolf exhaled softly, red light glimmering in its eyes.

‘……I understand.’

—Who you are, I now know. This is the scene you witnessed, not mine. Once this fight ends as you wish, I shall seek you out.

But for now, defeating him takes priority.

Leaving all truths behind, the wolf made the same choice again.

As determination solidified, the black magic, which was gnawing at Silent Mouth’s magic, responded and returned to the wolf.

As the mist lifted, the chanting quickened. The mage’s inner turmoil became distorted infinitely.

‘……!’

When the fog-covered sight returned, the Silent Mouth swallowed an unswallowable lump in its throat.

Quivering shadows. Rising magic. Blazing black flames. Raging wind and dark mist. Enveloped by all of these, the wolf lowered its posture, ready to charge.

—No time should be given. But if that cannot be pierced…

‘I must advance.’

—It’s a leap of faith, risking life.

Thus, the mage and the wolf prepared for their ends. Toward that ultimate conclusion, the wolf ran without stopping.

***

“Yip…!”

The young dragon, positioned far away before, cried out anxiously. Amidst the endless menacing magic, the young dragon had spotted the source of that power.

Originally, fairy-types grew by consuming corrupted things. More sensitive to it than anyone else. But it couldn’t be helped. The dragon was still young and inexperienced.

—In the end, there was no choice but to believe and wait. All I can do is pray for the wolf to win the fight and return.

However, all the young dragon could do was ensure that arrows targeting the wolf wouldn’t reach their mark when this battle was over.

The expression of the young dragon, watching the archer drawing back his bow, froze cold.

***

“……As you said, he definitely is dead.”

There was no doubt about this fact. 2055—there was no way Kang Hoon could survive after being left alone in the dungeon. The worst dungeon that remained unsolved until now. Just how much worse was it back when they had no information at all?

Kang Hoon, left alone, was presumed dead; everyone thought so. Thus, the two sons who were left behind, Kang Tae-jun and Kang Tae-ho, conducted his funeral without his body.

Both of them, who were exceptional hunters at the time, had no choice but to exit the dungeon while leaving their father, who was alone in the ‘Madness of Neverland’.

—Without a doubt. And so, the two didn’t believe the wolf’s words.

“…But he has returned.”

Chang-seon spoke in a serious tone.

“I felt no life. The one who returned from the dungeon had become a monster.”

He was no longer human. Kang Hoon quietly asked Chang-seon for a favor. To assist him in becoming human again, alongside some organization.

Kang Hoon was an old friend and a pillar of humanity. His return would surely become an unmatched light for humankind. There was no reason to refuse.

“…Was this organization the [Sons of the Heretics]?”

“Indeed. Their goal was to create the god’s blood, the elixir. If that were possible, they believed they could manifest the miracle of resurrection, divine miracles… and thought they could bring Kang Hoon back.”

Thus, Chang-seon and Kwang-hwi assisted them in every way possible. However, soon they realized it was a mistake they should not have made. They helped the wayward sons, having no clue about ‘how’ they were creating the elixir in their single-minded belief that they must help Kang Hoon.

“I don’t know who the leader of that organization is, or why they desire the elixir. However, the one fact I couldn’t share with anyone was that Kang Hoon is with them.”

“…The Seven Heroes.”

The Seven Heroes, the spiritual pillars of humanity. If it became known that Kang Hoon, a member of that group, had allied himself with the traitors, it would induce immense chaos among humanity and society.

“Right. That was the reason.”

Without being able to tell even his fellow clan members, without revealing it to anyone. Yet, there were results. None other than Chang-seon and his son, the world’s best archer Kwang-hwi. They succeeded in taking down two executives of the wayward sons.

—But that was as far as it went.

“…Ultimately, just a while ago, when he assaulted the Academy, he killed Mun-ho.”

When Kang Tae-jun heard this, he clenched his fists until they were about to break. His trembling hands represented his feelings.

The horrific truth that the father he had lived as a hero and died a hero had betrayed humanity and killed comrades.

“……And he came looking for me. He was strong. No, he had become even stronger as a monster. If there had been more time, I too would have ended up like Mun-ho.”

—The moment doubt turned into certainty, the blade master’s silver eyeglasses erupted with a fierce light, confirming the truth that he had become a traitor.

“…Why, father!”

In that instant, the door to Chang-seon’s room burst open, interrupting their conversation.

“Bad news! Clan Lord! Right now, the Neverland blockade squad has been hit! Perhaps…!”

The expression of the clan member from the Woon clan changed strangely as he spotted Kang Tae-jun’s face.

“…Why is the Swordsman here?”

—There was no mood or situation to continue the conversation.

“Are you leaving?”

Kang Tae-jun nodded as he stood up from his seat.

“I’ll visit you next time, Chang-seon.”

As he stepped out, Chang-seon let out a brief sigh, watching Kang Tae-jun’s back.

“Please, be careful.”

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