Gallo was dead.
A subtle tension hung over the streets of Wembuni. There were no celebrations, no dirges—just silence.
High above in the Extreme North Mountain Range, a portion of the werewolves clung to desperate resistance while others scattered in flight. The humans had already pulled back at the first opportunity to minimize their losses. Meanwhile, the Blood Knights reveled in their victory even as they pursued the fleeing werewolves.
Snow Hill cradled Sang in her arms like a princess carrying her beloved, her gaze fixed on Gallo’s corpse. Her emotions churned in a complicated swirl.
Sang’s feelings were equally tangled. Many things still eluded him—events surrounding Inu, the Wolf King, even the True Ancestor. But one truth stood out clearer to him than to anyone else, as his former adversary: the Wolf King’s unyielding obsession.
This man had a place he longed to return to, people he yearned to see once more.
In his final moments, a king who had lived for thousands of years met his end like any ordinary mortal.
He had fallen into the oldest cliché, departing with regrets.
And it was precisely that cliché which made it all the more heartbreaking.
Just as everyone assumed the war would draw to a close on this somber note, an unfamiliar youthful voice echoed from the distance.
“How pitiful… To think the first king to unite the werewolf clan thousands of years ago would meet such an end…”
At almost the same instant, Sang and Snow Hill both raised their heads and traced the voice to its source. There stood an unexpected figure.
It was the boy with the two-colored pupils from not long ago.
He still wore a white cloak topped with a hood and a black veil across his face. Even through the veil, those striking black-and-white eyes drew immediate attention. He approached nearby, bending down to pick up the lusterless 【Philosopher’s Stone】 from the ground. In his other hand gleamed an ice-blue knight’s sword—upon closer inspection, it was a soul weapon: Sekarona.
To think the soul weapon Sekarona was in this person’s possession.
“He’s… another 【Abandoned Child】!”
Only then did Sang realize his oversight. Caught up in Gallo’s ferocious assault, he had completely forgotten about this individual. Not only was he a 【Abandoned Child】, but he also possessed some bizarre ability.
Snow gasped in surprise. “Abandoned Child? Really?”
“Yes! Because he’s a 【Abandoned Child】, he can wield a soul weapon!”
In that moment, Snow Hill barely had time to process that he was a 【Abandoned Child】. Her attention locked onto the ice-blue knight’s sword in his hand.
That was a soul weapon!
Sang hurriedly warned her. “Snow, be careful. I’ve clashed with him before. He has some strange ability—very tricky to deal with.”
“Uh… I can see that,” Snow Hill replied gravely, her expression turning solemn.
But then, against all expectation…
As the two braced themselves for battle, the Two-Colored Pupil Boy paid them no mind. Instead, he slowly approached Gallo’s side. He pressed his hands together in a prayer gesture, clearly showing a measure of respect for the fallen king.
A solemn farewell to the Wolf King’s demise.
Next, he spoke. “Though you failed, you have earned my respect. I may not know your reasons for wanting to revive the Ancient Titan, but I am willing to help you fulfill that long-held wish. Rest in peace…”
With those words, the Two-Colored Pupil Boy turned and headed toward the cave.
Sang and Snow Hill felt a chill at the peril in his declaration. Yes—this person truly intended to revive the Ancient Titan. He wasn’t bluffing or exaggerating. The soul weapon Sekarona in his grasp proved he had the means to do it.
The two exchanged a glance. Sang had no strength left to fight. With the shared 【Channel】 ability severed, the ice crystals had vanished, his wounds had reopened, and even walking was a struggle.
“Go, Snow—don’t worry about me. Stop him!” he urged.
Snow Hill spared no further thought for the boy. She nodded, drew her knight’s sword, and charged ahead. Her power was nearly spent, but she had to try. Though she sensed no overwhelming strength from the Two-Colored Pupil Boy, an ominous premonition gnawed at her.
The Two-Colored Pupil Boy glanced back at Snow Hill. His white eye gleamed with white light as he murmured, “Ice Princess… What a terrifying existence. Sinless, no less. And after battling Gallo, you still have such power left… But could you please not interfere?”
With that, he drew the now-dull 【Philosopher’s Stone】 and hurled it backward. The stone still harbored a sliver of residual power. Yes, just a sliver—but as a legendary artifact, even that was horrifyingly potent.
As the 【Philosopher’s Stone】 appeared before Snow Hill, it erupted in a blinding red glow.
Snow Hill realized what was happening, her face twisting in horror. “Oh no!”
In an instant, the nearly depleted 【Philosopher’s Stone】 detonated without warning. The blast rivaled a small nuclear bomb, engulfing a radius of at least a hundred meters. A massive mushroom cloud rose, the skies roiled, and countless werewolves and knights in the vicinity vaporized on the spot. A colossal crater scarred the earth.
Witnessing the catastrophe, Sang let out a raw shout. “Snow!”
He wanted to rush forward heedless of the danger, to check if Snow Hill had survived.
Yet after that grueling battle, he was utterly spent—his body covered in wounds. Even the initial pulverized fracture in his right hand had only been temporarily mended. In truth, his injuries had never fully healed. The ice power within him, channeled through the link with Snow Hill, had merely held his shattered bones together. Now that the 【Channel】 was broken and the ice power gone, all the pain flooded back.
The Two-Colored Pupil Boy displayed utter indifference to the devastation behind him, ignoring the loss of life entirely. He had the air of a true action hero who never glances back at an explosion. Clutching the soul weapon Sekarona, he pressed on toward the cave.
“The war has worn everyone down to nothing. No one can stop me now…”
Several minutes passed.
Once the blast’s aftershocks faded, visibility returned to the explosion site. A badly damaged prismatic ice spike stood defiant amid the ruin, a graceful silhouette visible within: Snow Hill. She had deployed a defense just in time, sparing herself from the heart of the blast.
However…
She had only avoided instant death. Her right hand and left leg were a mangled mess of blood and flesh. In a flash, she dispelled her barrier and collapsed to the ground, gasping weakly, “It was supposed to be all but spent… and it still packed that much punch. I got careless.”
The sudden explosion had two effects: many knights suffered varying injuries, while the Werewolf Clan’s morale surged. At the very least, they would fulfill their long-cherished wish right here—to halt every last knight and allow the Two-Colored Pupil Boy to complete the revival ritual for the Ancient Titan.
“Werewolves! Charge! Honor the king’s dying will! Fulfill the werewolf clan’s destiny!”
The tide turned in an instant, events spiraling toward the worst possible outcome.
Though she could barely move, Snow Hill forced herself upright. Hopping on one foot, she lurched toward the cave.
At that moment, a werewolf warrior spotted the solitary Snow Hill and moved to ambush her from the side.
Snow Hill’s senses were dulled; even her basic hearing and vision blurred. She couldn’t detect the approaching threat.
Only when the werewolf loomed before her did she react—but it was too late.
Unexpectedly, a black-haired youth burst from behind Snow Hill. He slammed into the werewolf, sending it flying, then used his own body to prop her up.
It was Sang. He’d finally gotten his heroic moment, and he wasn’t about to let it slip away at the last second.
The severing of the 【Channel】 hadn’t just removed the ice crystals—it had washed out his hair dye as well. Now sporting a head of black hair, he said weakly, “Perfect timing. I’ve got one busted hand and one leg out too. Together, we’re whole—should be able to hobble into that cave…”
Both of them looked half-dead, yet his words carried a spark of humor.
A bit of cheeky banter wasn’t all bad. At crucial moments, it could soothe the soul.
Snow Hill caught his words, the faintest curve touching the corner of her mouth. She nodded. “Let’s go together.”
