Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

“Some of my actions may look impulsive. They’re not.” He tilted his head slightly. “Our vice-captain trusts me. Can’t you trust me too?”

Lilith’s brow rose immediately. “Rosaline?” she scoffed. “Can she compare to me? Let’s see when she learns how to be a normal woman first.”

Axel blinked. Then gave her a deliberately innocent look. “Aren’t you a girl too?”

“…What?” For half a second, Lilith froze. Then her killing intent spiked.

Axel disappeared instantly. “Brat,” she muttered through clenched teeth. He actually dared tease her.

After a moment, she exhaled. “There’s no choice. I’ll do what I can to help.” Her gaze turned distant. “If that idiot really dies… she would be heartbroken, wouldn’t she?” Her expression grew complicated.

“Phew…” Axel didn’t stop running until he was several hundred meters away. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. That was a woman even Millers wouldn’t provoke.

If Axel had lingered one second longer after that comment, he might’ve actually died.

And yes. He’d said it on purpose. “…Idiot,” he muttered to himself. He slapped his own cheeks lightly. “Focus.”

He took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, all lingering embarrassment had vanished. His gaze was steady.

“A pure, unkillable meat shield, huh…” He replayed the information Lilith had given him. A slow smile spread across his lips. “If this were before… I might not have been able to do a damn thing to you.”

His fingers flexed slightly. “But now…”

........

“Everyone out.” Inside the encampment tent, Isos’s face was dark as iron as he dismissed his men.

When the last of them left, Valentino stepped forward anxiously. “What do we do now? Those bastards aren’t going to let this go.” His voice trembled slightly. “Isos, I followed your plan. You have to—”

He stopped mid-sentence. Isos had lifted his head.

Their eyes met. Cold. Heavy. Oppressive. Valentino’s throat went dry.

“What?” Isos asked quietly. “Now you’re regretting listening to me?”

“If you hadn’t listened to me, would your subordinate have awakened that rare mutated skill?”

“If you hadn’t listened to me, would you have gotten that Icefield Wolf King cub?” His voice remained calm, but the pressure in the air thickened. “And now that things didn’t go perfectly, you’re holding a grudge?”

Valentino’s legs nearly buckled under the oppressive aura leaking from Isos. He forced a smile. “Brother, I just panicked. That’s why I came to you…”

Isos despised this useless coward. But this wasn’t the time to tear him apart. “What we need to do now,” Isos said slowly, “is wait.”

“Wait?” Valentino blinked. “Wait for what?”

Isos resisted the urge to curse him. “Wait for an opportunity.”

“You think they can just move against us whenever they want? They’re waiting too. Waiting for the right moment.”

“And so are we.” He folded his hands behind his back. “This team is still mainly composed of the City of Sin Legion. We still hold the advantage.”

“When the timing is right… we’ll deal with them.”

Valentino nodded vaguely, not fully understanding. “Oh… alright. I’ll wait for your word.”

Once he left, the warmth drained from Isos’s expression completely. “Opportunity…” he muttered. “Waiting for opportunity is fine. But opportunities don’t appear just because you sit around.”

“Waiting too long only gets you killed.” Valentino was easy to manipulate. Useful. But weak. Short-sighted. Limited.

He’d reached the end of his usefulness. “It’s time,” Isos murmured, “to find a better partner.”

......

“You said… who wants to see me?” In another tent, Saka and Penny both stood up in surprise.

“Commander Isos requests an audience with Lord Saka.”

Penny glanced at Saka, confusion flickering in her eyes. “You’ve been busy today. First Yehuda. Now Isos.”

Saka chuckled, his face glowing with arrogance. “Of course.”

“Penny, your perspective needs to change.”

“I am now the Legion Commander. The current leader of the City of Sin.”

“They’ll come to me for everything.” Penny’s heart skipped. It was true.

Ever since taking command, Saka’s demeanor had completely changed. His confidence—even his presence—had grown. In some ways, he even surpassed Caroline.

On the surface, she snorted. “Temporary commander. Don’t get cocky. Or you’ll fall hard.”

Saka only smiled more charmingly. “Isn’t it because I have your support?” “With you behind me, I have the confidence to sit in that seat.”

Penny straightened unconsciously. “Let him in,” she said. “Hmph. You two were at each other’s throats before. Now he’s coming to bow and beg?”

A moment later, Isos entered. “Saka. Legion Commander.” He gave a slight bow, then glanced at Penny. “Penny is here as well… I wonder if she might excuse us? I’d like to speak with you alone.”

Penny’s expression darkened immediately. He didn’t even bother hiding the fact that he didn’t take her seriously. “Darling.”

Saka gently patted her shoulder. “Let me speak with Isos first. You’ll hear everything afterward.” He leaned closer with a half-smile. “Sometimes, men need private conversations. Don’t they?”

Penny felt a strange chill crawl up her spine. Still, Saka had given her enough face. She shot both men a warning glare and left the tent.

The moment the flap closed, Saka’s smile faded. “Speak.”

“I wanted to discuss something with you.” Isos didn’t waste time. “About… dealing with the Vicious Dogs.”

“Isos, after knowing you this long, I didn’t realize you had such a sense of humor.” Saka burst into laughter. “Everyone knows the Vicious Dog Hunters are under my command now.”

“A story for outsiders, perhaps.” Isos smiled faintly. “But do you think we leaders actually believe that?”

His gaze sharpened. “Let’s not insult each other’s intelligence.”

“Those Vicious Dogs are using you.” He paused deliberately. “With your strength, Saka… can you truly control them?”

“Or is that the real joke?”

Saka narrowed his eyes. “So you want me to join you against them?”

“Not just for that.” Isos spread his hands calmly. “There’s profit to be made.”

He repeated the same reasoning he’d used to entice Valentino—about resources, secrets, the immense wealth and value behind the Vicious Dogs. He was confident. The kind of benefits he was hinting at would tempt any Level Five or Level Six Awakened. But unlike Valentino… Saka was not an idiot.

“If you want to eat fish, you have to stomach the smell first.” Saka smiled like a man who thought he’d seen through everything. “Why would I risk going up against those monsters with you… when I could team up with them and take you down instead?”

He leaned back slightly. “After all… you’ve also got secrets. And resources. Plenty of both.”

Isos didn’t blink. His faint smile never wavered, calm and steady, carrying an almost suffocating confidence.

“Secrets?” he echoed softly. “Mine are nothing compared to yours.” He paused. “…Stormhold Imperium.”

The moment those two words left his mouth, Saka shot to his feet. Killing intent exploded in the tent. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees. “Isos,” Saka said slowly, eyes burning, “sometimes talking shit gets people killed. You understand that, right?”

Isos didn’t even shift in his seat. “Kill me?” he said lightly. “Go ahead.”

“You can even call Penny in. Try together.” Then his voice turned cold. “But if you fail… every commander will know.”

He let that sink in. “In the City of Sin, that might not matter.”

“But we’re heading back to Krythos.” He met Saka’s gaze. “Take a guess what happens to you then.”

Silence.

The two men stared at each other for a long time. Finally, Saka spoke in a low voice. “What… do you want?”

Isos’s smile widened slightly, satisfied. “I’ll tell you when the time is right.” He stood up. “Relax. Ruining you brings me no benefit.”

“On the contrary, once we deal with those people, we divide the spoils fairly.” He tilted his head. “I might even give you the bigger share. Consider it an investment in friendship.”

“A win-win situation.”

“You won’t regret being friends with me.” Without waiting for a response, Isos turned and left.