Will rode up a gentle slope. Below, a cacophony of howls filled the air—an arena fight was underway.

White Wolves had circled off a large clearing. At its center, a White Wolf clad in full heavy armor dueled a black-armored warrior with wolf blades. The arena was messy and muddy, littered with broken armor and shattered blades, suggesting the one-on-one battle had raged all day.

Amid the spectators’ cheers, two wolf blades clashed. One snapped in half instantly. The black-armored warrior kicked the White Wolf in the chest, sending him flying, then pressed his advantage, holding his blade to the opponent’s throat.

“Beautiful!” The warrior’s movements were fluid and precise—Will couldn’t help but call out in approval.

The black-armored warrior retracted his blade. The White Wolf climbed to his feet and limped out of the arena.

“Who’s the winner? He’s not a wolf.” Though the warrior’s face was hidden by a helmet, Will could tell from his posture and movements that he wasn’t of the wolf clan.

“He’s the Wraith Knight, Hywood,” Shentu explained.

“It really is him!” Will was stunned.

The last time he’d seen the Wraith Knight was ten years ago. Back then, his father had summoned the knight using ancient dark magic to defeat the human army. The Wraith Knight was no living being—just a battle demon bound by a dark pact. In that war, he’d charged into the fray, slaying countless human mages. But after the war, he’d vanished. Will had assumed he’d been destroyed by human warriors, but here he was, alive after all these years.

We searched for him for ages after that war and found nothing. So old Watt secretly seized the dark pact and took the Wraith Knight into his service. A chill ran down Will’s spine. The White Wolf King had been plotting behind their backs, and neither he nor his father had known. I was far too careless.

“Our master is in the white tent,” Shentu said, pointing to a white tent at the bottom of the slope as Will’s mind raced. “Lord Will, please leave your wolf guards here. I’ll take you to meet our master.”

Will was standing behind the tent, so he couldn’t see who was inside.

“Wolf will come with me. The rest can stay,” Will said.

Shentu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Descending the slope, Will saw more White Wolves—some sitting, some standing on the incline, cheering the fighters below. Shentu wove through the watching wolves, with Will following.

A howl erupted from the crowd. A White Wolf warrior in silver armor stepped into the arena.

“Snow! Snow! Snow!” His appearance sparked a frenzy.

“Blood of the Wolf God! Invincible!”

Amid the wolves’ cheers, Snow waved his wolf blade and stood before the Wraith Knight. He’s quite popular, Will thought.

While all the wolves’ attention was on the fighters, Will studied the spectators. It’s been ten years, and the White Wolves have multiplied so much! The number of White Wolves I can see on this slope alone is more than twice the total number of Black Wolves.

Will remembered when he’d first become Wolf King, the White Wolf Clan had less than a tenth the number of wolves as the Black Wolf Clan. After the two clans split, old Watt had led the White Wolves away. All these years, Will had led the Black Wolves in countless battles against humans, suffering heavy losses. Meanwhile, the White Wolves had found a hidden haven in the Outer Wastes to recover. Over ten years, the scales had tipped—now the White Wolf Clan was strong and well-stocked. What have I been doing all this time? Will felt a twinge of despair at the sight.

He lifted his gaze to the white tent and saw the White Wolf King. Old Watt… he’s gotten younger!

Watt looked almost identical to how he’d been ten years ago: sharp-eyed and vigorous, his fur snowy white, his forehead still creased into a distinct “three” shape when he smiled. He wore a snow-white mink coat, with a bared-fanged white wolf embroidered on the chest in black thread—the crest of the White Wolf Clan.

Watt was ten years older than Will, making him Will’s uncle by wolf clan standards.

Will had imagined their meeting would be by a sickbed, with old Watt surrounded by the stench of medicine, his mind muddled, his words incoherent. But now, Watt looked almost younger than Will himself. Winter Snow Valley really is a perfect place to retire, Will sighed softly.

“Aah!” The crowd erupted in a louder gasp.

Will turned to see the Wraith Knight and the silver-armored Snow locked in combat. Wolf blades sliced through the air, claw shadows darting back and forth. The two fighters twisted together like lovers in a swirling dance—except the loser of this dance would surely be bloodied.

Will knew the weapons had been blunted beforehand, but a solid hit would still inflict terrible damage.

As time passed, the Wraith Knight seemed to gain the upper hand. Snow retreated step by step, desperately dodging the knight’s slashes.

The crowd gasped again. Hywood’s blade struck Snow’s hand, sending his wolf blade flying. The Wraith Knight raised his blade for the final blow.

Truly worthy of being a Wraith Knight! Will thought. He believed no wolf—human or otherwise—could defeat the Wraith Knight in one-on-one combat.

Just as Will thought the fight was over, Snow leaped into the air, his wolf claw striking Hywood’s right hand precisely, making him drop his blade. Then Snow’s wolf head crashed into Hywood’s jaw.

Both warriors fell to the ground. After a dusty scuffle, Snow pinned Hywood beneath him. He used his claw to pry off the knight’s faceplate, hovering over Hywood’s pale blue eyes.

Hywood lost? Will’s eyes widened in disbelief. Impossible! Even Wolf isn’t a match for the Wraith Knight! This can’t be!

The watching wolves’ excitement reached a fever pitch, howling like rutting beasts.

“Snow! Snow!”

“Blood of the Wolf God! Shall never die!”

“He’s blessed by the Blood Moon! The White Wolf Clan will rise!”

Amid the cheers, Snow staggered to his feet, raised his wolf claw, and pointed to the White Wolf King—a winner’s salute to his liege. The crowd roared even louder.

Meanwhile, the Wraith Knight slowly picked up his weapon and walked to a corner of the arena.

“He’s slower,” Wolf said in a low, gruff voice. “Not like ten years ago.”

“What do you mean?” Will asked.

“If I fought Hywood now, I could win.”

“Hm.” Will nodded, agreeing with Wolf’s assessment. He’d noticed Hywood wasn’t as strong as before.

“This isn’t Hywood’s first loss. He’s been defeated several times in the past two years,” Shentu added.

“It means the dark magic binding him is fading. When it’s gone completely, the Wraith Knight will return to the underworld,” Will sighed.

He watched the Wraith Knight’s lonely back, a mix of emotions churning in his chest. Is our era coming to an end?

“No matter how strong a warrior is, they will grow old eventually,” Shentu said. “But new warriors will rise to take their place.”

Will’s gaze shifted to Snow, who stood beside Watt, receiving praise.

“Who is he?”

“His name is Snow, the White Wolf King’s son. He was born on the night of the Blood Moon, and carries the Wolf God’s bloodline,” Shentu explained. “He is our clan’s new strong warrior.”

Will watched Watt pat Snow’s cheek, his face filled with excitement and pride.

I need to rethink everything. Will discarded the carefully planned negotiation strategy he’d been refining along the journey.