1.
The Empress of the Empire, Reina, thought as she looked at the suddenly appearing Black Wolf.
‘…No wonder I felt lucky today.’
A refreshing morning despite oversleeping.
A meal full of her favorite dishes.
Growth achieved after repeated training.
It had been a peaceful day, the first in a while since handing over the assassination list to Black Wolf, but—
“[I’ll kill you.]”
“I don’t know what you mean, but I agree.”
Because of Han-Ryang and Luna.
“Step aside, Ruby.”
“No. I’m the one who’s going to kill her.”
Because of Dalan and Ruby Red.
“Look at that idiotic face.”
Because of Lactea.
“H-Hic…”
She began to think that her peaceful day was actually a final gift before death.
‘Weren’t they supposed to help me? Well, expecting help from criminals is laughable in itself. Could I escape? No. Absolutely impossible. They said they were here to punish the wicked. Did they come to kill me because they believed the false accusations? Then is it the nobles who put the false charges on me that are at fault—or is it my own incompetence for being unable to clear them…’
As trivial thoughts rushed in, so did a perfectly ordinary regret.
If I had known this would happen—
“The sausages I saved for diet reasons… I should’ve just eaten them.”
And with that as her last words—
“S-Senior Punisher!!”
“Kassler?”
The reinforced hand blades of Peter and Kassler flew toward Reina’s heart and neck.
──!!
Blades flying silently through the air.
No matter how much stronger Reina had become, it was still only within the limits of humanity.
【No. 1 – <Peter (SS+)> releases the Restriction of Black Wolf.】
【<Peter (SS+)> → <Peter (SSS+)>】
【No. 2 – <Kassler (SS)> releases the Restriction of Black Wolf.】
【<Kassler (SS)> → <Kassler (SSS)>】
For beings born overwhelmingly powerful,
Who were not human, such things were meaningless.
““Die.””
Their usual selves nowhere in sight.
The two beings, filled only with chilling rage, were about to kill Reina—
Step.
Someone suddenly appeared and lightly grasped their fingertips.
In this place—no, in this entire world—there was only one person capable of such a feat.
The Captain of Black Wolf.
Nahan.
Now standing protectively in front of Reina, Nahan calmly asked as he held the two back.
“Did I ever give such an order?”
Unlike the two who had shown their full power, he subdued them using only physical strength.
After a brief silence, Kassler withdrew his hand and asked.
“You did not?”
It was Lactea who used teleportation, but the coordinates had been set by Nahan.
“You knew what we had gone through, and yet you led us here.”
“…And?”
“So we thought bringing us here meant you were giving us permission to do as we pleased.”
He spoke calmly, yet his terrifying gaze remained fixed on Reina.
Even though their Captain was blocking the way.
The members who had always shown blind loyalty were still trying to kill Reina.
‘…It’s understandable.’
Nahan knew.
He knew the details of the tragedies the members had suffered.
And that all those tragedies bore the crest of the Imperial Family.
‘But the one who orchestrated those tragedies wasn’t Empress Reina—it was <Eclipse>.’
He didn’t know why someone carrying the Imperial emblem would commit such atrocities,
But all the events the members had experienced were clearly the work of <Eclipse>.
He desperately wanted to clear their misunderstanding, but he had no solid proof,
And—
“Captain. Please give the order.”
—In the current situation, even if he said it, they wouldn’t believe him.
After a brief pause, Nahan turned his gaze toward Lactea and ordered.
“Take everyone out. Find a new hideout before midnight. Once it’s secured, send Luna to the Church.”
“…Yes, Captain.”
Even Lactea hesitated as she replied, but that ended the matter.
“We’re heading back.”
As Lactea issued the command, all members turned toward the window.
All except Peter.
Even Kassler stepped back and turned away, but Peter remained before Nahan and asked.
“…Why?”
“I’ll explain later. Just go.”
“O, God!!”
Snap!
Peter, pulling his hand free, pointed at Reina and shouted,
“You know everything!! Even what that distorted sun standing there stole from me!!”
Peter.
The No. 1 of Black Wolf.
A man who worshipped Captain Nahan like a god.
Always wearing a faint smile as he executed wicked villains, he—
“Because of that monster, Ria…!!”
—Had lost the nun who raised him like family after taking him in as an orphan.
“…Ria?”
At Peter’s anguished cry, Reina involuntarily muttered.
Crack!
Peter, breaking the arm that had been held, took another step forward and warned.
“Do not dare utter Ria’s pure name with that filthy mouth.”
As he gave his warning, magic began to manifest.
【No. 1 – <Peter (SSS+)> Ultimate Skill – <Dirge (SSS+)> activated.】
Fwoooosh!
From the footstep Peter took, a wicked black magic circle unfurled.
♩ ♬ ♪.
Right after the heavy organ intro, a new system window appeared in front of Nahan’s eyes.
【<Final Song> begins.】
Peter’s Ultimate Skill – Dirge.
If one hears even a single note of the song, they are designated as a <Target> of the skill. When the approximately five-minute song ends—
【When the song ends, <All> targets will die.】
This was not a skill learned later in life, but an innate Unique Skill he was born with.
‘If the caster dies, the skill is nullified.’
Knowing this, Lactea began to draw her longsword halfway to kill Peter.
Slice.
Peter, sitting on the windowsill, sliced off his own arm with a dagger from his coat and spoke.
“I’m sorry, my God. I tried to endure it, but now that I’m facing her, I can’t. I… must kill her.”
The moment he finished speaking, his body fell.
“S-Senior Punisher!!”
By the time a shocked Yuria ran over to check, Peter had already vanished without a trace.
“Captain, what should we…!!”
As her golden cross-shaped eyes quickly turned back and met the rest of the members’, Yuria collapsed on the spot without even realizing it.
“Wha…?”
Her gaze fell on the members who were following Nahan’s order and had been about to leave.
Those who had been looking at Peter now stood with the moonlight casting shadows behind them—
Unleashing a killing intent powerful enough to blanket the entire Imperial Palace.
“Peter has turned away.”
Immediately after Lactea muttered this, the rest of the members dropped to one knee.
In perfect unison, they spoke and bowed their heads toward Nahan—
They were no longer the usual, casually chaotic <Black Wolf> Mercenary Corps.
Captain, give us the order.
After surveying the members—
“…Captain, give us the order.”
—Yuria quickly realized, seeing Lactea also kneeling down.
What the current Black Wolf wanted from their leader Nahan was only one thing.
“Death to the one who turned their back on the Captain.”
The death of Peter.
2.
Black Wolf.
Anyone could tell with a quick look—the members were all uniquely distinct and utterly uncontrollable, running wild as they pleased.
Even after Dalan and Ruby Red were the last to join and they had become a full unit, it was still normal for them to clash violently nearly every day.
Each with their own sorrow.
Each with their own beliefs.
Each with their own way.
They were wild because they were strong.
And because they were equally strong, they always clashed.
The only one capable of controlling them was their Captain—Nahan.
And so, Lactea agonized over it.
How could she bind those stray blades together and place them in Nahan’s hands?
That’s when she remembered—
All members of Black Wolf had been saved by Nahan.
Thus, Lactea proposed the idea.
– As all of our wishes align with the Captain’s will, we shall follow him unconditionally.
From handling matters to who takes the lead—
No one would volunteer.
They would ask the Captain first in all things and act accordingly.
The result: unanimous agreement.
They relinquished all decision-making authority to Nahan, and no longer fought among themselves.
But having subdued countless fights already, Lactea, who still doubted them, proposed one more rule—
That rule became.
– Defiance means death.
Those who go against the Captain’s will—
All members would rise and put their lives on the line to kill them.
You might think it extreme.
But in the battlefield, defiance is often met with immediate execution.
They were already living on the battlefield, aiming for an ideal.
So for them, it was a perfectly reasonable rule.
“Death to the one who turned their back on the Captain.”
The killing intent aimed at Peter was perfectly justified.
3.
Meanwhile, Nahan…
Looking down at the suddenly murderous members, he thought.
‘…? What the hell’s wrong with them all of a sudden?’
Did I… do something wrong?
