64 – 13 – Master of the Ruins – 4

Gin groaned, unable to understand what was unfolding before his eyes.

The barrier that had protected the village for a long time was being deactivated.

As the traps lining the surroundings of the village went off all at once, not only the buildings the villagers had built together with great effort, but the ground itself was being turned completely upside down.

The fog that had shrouded the village.

Was vanishing.

“Why…….”

The howls of werewolves echoing from afar, and the massive killing intent slowly encroaching upon the entire village.

Before the eyes of Gin, who was blankly letting out such a voice at the utterly unbelievable sight, a sharply glinting axe blade suddenly appeared.

The one holding it was his mother.

“Hold the weapon, Gin.”

“Mom?”

Gin stared with trembling eyes at his mother, who held out the handle as if telling him to grab it.

“What about you, Mom?”

“Mom knows how to use magic, you know. Although it became a bit different after I turned into a werewolf…… it is still usable.”

Conjuring a dark blue, corrupted flame at her fingertips, she smiled softly and half-forced the axe into Gin’s hand.

“Dad is fighting alone. Mom needs to go out right away too.”

“M-Mom, I……”

—Boom!

Gin flinched at the sound of gunfire from outside just then.

It was the sound of Gin’s father, who had gone outside the house with all the guns and bullets, firing his triple-barrel shotgun.

Because he had loaded scattershot that spread in all directions instead of slugs to stop the enemies from approaching, even though he had only fired one shot, the sound of the werewolves howling in pain was heard along with a roar as if a bomb had exploded.

The reliable weapon that had saved the family’s lives time and time again.

However, once that sound rang out two more times, his father would have a fatal opening while reloading.

—Boom!

And now, only one shot remained.

“Gin.”

Unable to hide her impatient expression, his mother whispered to him as she tried her best to smile.

“If you just hide and hold out for a little bit, they will come and help us. So just stay hidden until then. Okay?”

“Mom……!”

“Now, go inside.”

Pushing her son’s body into the tunnel dug in advance under the living room floor, she bit her lip.

The regret that she should have hidden the child more thoroughly was meaningless now.

She should have realized sooner that there was a traitor.

She should have noticed earlier why Quinodon was able to focus on Gin’s existence so quickly…….

‘Maybe I wanted to believe that they were all like family, and that they were only acting close because we were family…….’

Recalling the questions and answers she had shared with Gi-jun, she bit her lip hard, set aside her thoughts, and struck the entrance of the tunnel, collapsing it.

At the same time, she activated the magic circle she had prepared, physically and magically erasing her son’s traces, and pleaded earnestly.

“No matter what happens, do not come out. Okay?”

“But Mom……!”

“No matter what happens, no matter what you hear, absolutely not! Please, you will listen to your mother, right?”

“……I under-stand.”

—Boom!

The third gunshot rang out.

Having no time to delay any longer, she rushed straight outside and threw the dark blue flames she had conjured in both hands.

Even as the pile of dirt at the entrance collapsed and his vision gradually turned black, Gin reached out toward his mother, but in the end, he failed to grasp anything, and his view was blocked.

—Honey!

—Where is Gin?

—I hid him. If we can just hold out somehow until they arrive…… Get lost, you bastards!

The urgent voices of his mother and father were heard from outside.

His father, who had successfully finished reloading with his mother’s help, fired the shotgun once again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gin decided to take that sound as a signal that his parents were still alive and safe.

As long as that sound was heard, his parents were holding out well.

So please, let Lord Jun’s party arrive before the gunshots stop……!

—Over here!

It was at that moment that a familiar voice was heard through the gunshots.

The voice of the middle-aged woman who had always taken care of Gin and worried about him no less than his mother did.

Had she perhaps brought Lord Jun?

Just as he was about to step out of the barrier in his joy and relief—the rough breathing sound unique to wolves was heard, stopping his movements.

—Black magician Yuri, marksman Kay…… correct. Where is their child, the wolf pup?

—He must be inside the house. I didn’t see him come out!

She was indeed a guide.

Except she was a guide for the werewolves targeting Gin, not Gi-jun.

—Tolomea…… indeed, it was you.

—Tolomea? Why?

The voice of his mother Yuri, sounding resigned, and the voice of his father Kay, sounding genuinely puzzled.

Gin felt that he should not listen to the words that followed.

As if cold ice had been poured down his spine, the chills would not go away.

—What do you mean why? Because I want to get out of this dreadful place. Quinodon promised me that.

—What…… what do you mean by that?

—And to be honest, I hated that kid. He’s Yuri’s son, isn’t he? Ah, don’t make that face, Kay. This is why it would have been clean and nice if he had just died last time, but it ended up like this.

—Last time……?

He had to cover his ears.

He had to cover his ears.

Pretending he hadn’t heard anything.

Only then could he remain quietly hidden here.

—Yes, last time. But humans from the outside meddled unnecessarily, so things got messy.

—Didn’t you care for Gin?

—Well, of course, at first, I tried to endure it somehow, thinking he was your son, Kay. But Yuri’s blood doesn’t just disappear, does it? ——He isn’t my son, after all.

—I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, Tolomea…….

—How long are you going to play out this melodrama?

Cover your ears.

I said, cover your ears.

Right now!

—Since you guys have practically won anyway, you can listen to a little bit.

—We must find the wolf pup. That is the boss’s order.

—Sigh, alright. Then kill that woman right away. I don’t want to see her anymore.

—Who said you could—!

—Kay, no. They promised to spare you. Just hold on a little bit. Okay?

—I’m sorry, honey. ……Please, protect Gin.

—Wait, Yuri…… Yuri!

Cover your ears.

Cover your ears. Cover your ears. Cover your ears. Cover your ears. Cover your ears. Cover your ears. Cover your ears. Cover your ears. Cover your ears. Cover your ears. Cover your ears. Cover your ears. Cover your ears.

Cover your ears!

—Wait——why! We signed a magic contract!

—Ah, I forgot to tell you in advance. I am not under the boss’s command right now. Can you see that the brand of the Vrykolakas has been erased? I became a free man today, so I no longer listen to his orders.

—Oh my God——Kay! Kay——*ack*!

—So I can kill you too.

—How, the contract, so easily…….

—Do you think it makes sense to leave a traitor alive? Besides, there is no way we would tolerate such a presumptuous act as daring to bind us with a contract.

—You will…… pay the price…….

Since the voices could no longer be heard soon after, Gin did not need to cover his ears anymore either.

The werewolf left alone began to search for Gin by violently smashing the surroundings, but soon, the sound of something flying in echoed.

—Ugh?!

—……I was a bit late.

The voice of a young man.

It was the voice of the man who had pointed an arrowhead at him when they first met.

How could he have ever known that he would come to save him?

However, even as Gin heard that voice, strangely enough, he did not feel at all that he was saved or relieved.

He only felt empty and futile.

All the relationships that kept him human, the solid framework had been shattered.

And had vanished as if they had never existed in the first place.

—You bastard……!

—So it ended up like this. Annoyingly enough, history repeats itself.

—I will kill you!

—Tsk, how foolish.

A fierce battle broke out and noise filled the surroundings once again, but to Gin’s ears, it felt faint as if it were coming from very far away.

He was focusing on his inner self.

He felt an emotion he had never felt before in his life rising from within his chest, which he had thought was empty.

An emotion that swelled so gigantically in an instant that it seemed it would completely dye even his mind if he let his guard down for a moment.

It was so hot that he opened his mouth to spit it out, but the moment he took a rough breath, the heat exploded all at once, dyeing his vision pitch black.

‘Ah.’

He realized.

That this was the instinct of a werewolf.

The instinct he had desperately suppressed since the moment of his birth had finally sprouted.

Hatred, anger, the desire to destroy, and killing intent.

It was an emotion he was experiencing for the first time in his life, yet it was incredibly familiar.

If suppressing these was the only way to become human, he no longer—wanted to be human.

If he could rather become a wolf, forget everything, and bite to death all the hateful things.

Wouldn’t that be far more refreshing than degrading into something like a human?

“Ah.”

He tightly gripped the silver axe in his hand.

The weapon his mother had handed him, which would harm an ordinary werewolf just by touching it.

Only now did he realize why his mother had entrusted him with this.

His obtaining the power to overcome silver had not been some process of returning to a human.

‘I am a beast. I can never become human.’

However, if there was one thing that made him different from other beasts, it was that he hated those disgusting kindred of his—and that he possessed sharp claws made of silver.

If so, wasn’t what he had to do clear?

If only he had realized a little sooner.

If only he hadn’t run away like a coward, if only he hadn’t been foolishly mistaken.

Perhaps his parents wouldn’t have died——.

—Are you listening?

The man’s voice was heard.

The surroundings had become quiet, indicating that the battle had ended.

—If you want to survive, you’d better stay hidden.

As if he knew Gin was hiding, he continued.

—But if you must have revenge even at the cost of your life…… as a senior, I will give you what little help I can.

It could have been a simple tease, or a trap, but.

The moment he heard those words, Gin impulsively broke the barrier and rushed outside on his own.

However, there was already no one there.

Except for a black book placed on the blood-soaked wooden floor—the skill book of ‘Shadow Tracking’.

“……Why.”

Even Gin could tell that it was something absurdly precious.

A strong doubt arose, but now he did not even feel like questioning it.

He learned it immediately.

And soon, he began hunting his kindred.

* * *

—Awooooooo!

At the eerie roar that froze even the soul, everything on the battlefield stopped moving in an instant.

As Gi-jun instinctively raised his head, he saw the moon in the sky disappearing.

To be more precise, it was being swallowed by a massive shadow.

The ruins turned dark in an instant, and the surrounding werewolves, deprived of the moon’s blessing, were heavily weakened, with some even having their transformation undone.

“What…… is that?”

—It’s a legendary-grade enemy.

Lucy said in a calm voice.

—But you see, Contractor. Rather than a werewolf, that is just…….

“Yeah, it just looks like a wolf——a giant wolf.”

It could be inferred from the fact that the werewolves overflowing in all directions were also looking up at the sky with blank expressions.

That shadow was by no means the leader of the werewolves who had invaded the village.

Nor was it the opposite——yes.

Only now did he realize.

“They said the werewolves only found and entered the ruins that had existed from the beginning, right?”

Gi-jun only now realized that he had made an absurd mistake.

Perhaps because the werewolves he had defeated earlier were treated as boss-class, he had been even less able to think of other possibilities, but they were merely boss-class after all.

The thieves who had occupied the ruins until now could never become the true masters of the ruins.

“T-This can’t be.”

One guy, who had become weak as his transformation was undone, trembled as he stared at the shadow landing on the hill where the village used to be.

“Could this village have been the sealing site of the master of the ruins——did the boss know this too?”

“T-There’s no way. If something like that appears, we are all dead. He couldn’t have driven us to our deaths, no way.”

Unrest spread in an instant.

Gi-jun also understood why the boss of the ruins had revealed itself at this timing.

Come to think of it, hadn’t the location of this village been excessively exquisite from the beginning?

An area shrouded in fog, and surroundings filled with traps.

Isn’t it the optimal space to hide and seal something——!

—The master of the ruins, the Moon-Swallowing Wolf Hati (Legendary), reveals itself!

—You are facing a boss monster of the dark/evil attribute. The effect of the title [The Last Hero (L)] is activated, strengthening all abilities by 30%.

—You are facing an enemy of a higher grade than yourself. The effect of the title [Limit Transcender (L)] is activated, yielding a dramatically positive modifier.

—The master of the ruins, the Moon-Swallowing Wolf Hati (Legendary), reveals itself!

—You are facing a boss monster of the dark/evil attribute. The effect of the title [The Last Hero (L)] is activated, strengthening all abilities by 30%.

—You are facing an enemy of a higher grade than yourself. The effect of the title [Limit Transcender (L)] is activated, yielding a dramatically positive modifier.

—Contractor!

“Ur, hurry——!”

—Keeeeeek!

If there was a silver lining, it was the fact that all the title effects were activated the moment he laid eyes on the creature.

If there was an unfortunate part, it was the fact that the creature’s combat capability was absurdly strong, enough for the ‘combat state’ to apply even from this far distance——!

—Awooooooooooooo!

Hati, the giant wolf, howled, raised its forepaw, and swung it in the air.

A blue energy rose like a tsunami and swept across the area, and all of the hundreds of werewolves caught in its trajectory were swept away and vanished without even a chance to resist.

An absurd destructive power that only brought out laughter.

If the werewolves numbering over thousands were an army, that wolf was a disaster itself, crushing that army with a single foot.

—It’s a strong enemy.

“Yeah. I had prepared myself for a Legendary grade, but——it’s definitely beyond my imagination.”

On top of that, the team members were scattered, the NPCs were entangled, and even the volatile factor of Quinodon remained, making it a situation that couldn’t possibly get any worse.

However, Gi-jun naturally did not back down.

Since there were still things he had to protect over there.

There was no way he could retreat.

—A Legendary grade is below that demon anyway, so it’ll be worth fighting.

“I’m counting on you again this time, Lucy. Of course, you too, Ur.”

—Kee.

Ur, who had read Gi-jun’s resolve, answered energetically and kicked off the ground.

Of course, Hati also spotted Ur leaping high into the sky and Gi-jun riding on top of him.

And Hati was not the only one; the werewolves prostrating themselves with their tails tucked in before the master of the battlefield who had finally revealed himself, and even his party members struggling in various parts of the battlefield, were all focusing their attention on him.

When receiving everyone’s attention, what was it that he had to do?

Naturally, there was only one thing.

“Come at me——!”

It was none other than Luminescent Provocation.

“You dog-headed bastard, don’t back out and bring it on!”

Emitting a dazzling light from his entire body.

Gi-jun shouted in a voice that rang clearly through the entire ruins.

—Awooooooo——!

Of course, the master of the ruins willingly responded to that provocation.