Darkness and silence intertwined, pressing down on every inch of space. Will stood in utter blackness, an indescribable dread rising from the depths of his soul. But as Wolf King, he maintained a facade of calm.

"Wolfe!" He called out, receiving no reply.

"Arken!"

"Arli!"

"Ayu!"

His shouts echoed around him, but when the echoes faded, the world returned to a deathly hush. What in the world is happening?

Then a beam of light pierced the darkness. Standing within that mysterious glow was a werewolf. What! Will stepped forward, and his blood ran cold when he saw the wolf's face—it was himself!

"What is this?" Will's heart grew colder.

"Who are you?" The other Will spoke first.

Who am I? Will froze for a moment, then quickly regained his composure. Instead of answering, he countered: "Who are you?"

"I am the ninety-eighth Wolf King of the werewolf clan." The other Will said.

Bullshit! Will was about to curse when another voice rang out from the darkness. "You are not the true king."

Who's that talking? Will grew more confused. Then a figure in a crimson robe stepped out of the shadows. It's him! When he saw the robed man, everything came flooding back to Will.

"Descendants of the Demon Mountain and the Wolf God were meant to be the King of Kings of the Holy Light Continent. But look at you now—huddled in the barren north, calling yourself a king. Even the white wolves refuse to obey you. Your reign is a joke." The robed man's voice was gravelly.

Those words sounded so familiar… Will had heard them before.

"Who are you, to speak to me like this?" The other Will roared.

"I am the Apostle of the Blood Moon, messenger of the Wolf God."

"Lies!" The Will in the light lunged at the robed man, but was knocked to the ground in an instant.

"I could kill you as easily as breathing. There's no need to lie to you." The robed man stepped into the beam of light.

Will stared in shock as the scene unfolded, as if the events of a year ago were replaying before his eyes.

"You have nothing to fear. I bring the Wolf God's guidance. Obey his call, and not only will you be safe—you will become the true king."

"The Wolf God's guidance?"

"The Wolf God has entrusted you with a sacred mission: lead the werewolves south, conquer the entire continent."

"That's impossible!"

"Dare you defy the Wolf God's command?"

"No, I mean the Frost Great Wall…"

"The Frost Great Wall is no obstacle. It has a fatal flaw."

"The Great Wall has a flaw?"

"Shield Fort is its weak point."

"Shield Fort! Isn't that the strongest fortress on the Great Wall?"

"No. The Oracle couldn't cast the ancient curse at the center of the Great Wall, so he built Shield Fort to reinforce it. Humans claim it's impregnable, the strongest part of the wall. But in truth, it's a carefully crafted strategic deception."

"This…"

"Do not question the Wolf God's guidance. The light of the Blood Moon will devour all!"

"Yes…"

The figures of the Wolf King and the Blood Moon Apostle faded into the beam of light. For Will, this conversation was both hauntingly familiar and bitterly ironic.

A year ago, it was under the Wolf God's guidance that Will had begun preparing for war. To take the Great Wall, he'd spent a fortune buying three catapults and a stock of firestones from Beatrice the black market merchant. But the ambitious Wolf King never reached the Great Wall—his black wolf army was ambushed by the Great Wall Legion, suffering devastating losses. The catapults he'd bought never saw use, falling into human hands as spoils of war.

That defeat had been the most painful of Will's life, shattering his faith and confidence. Could the Blood Moon Apostle's words be trusted… Will shook his head with a bitter laugh.

Then, the sounds of battle reached his ears, growing from a distant rumble to a deafening roar. At the same time, the beam of light in the darkness expanded. This is it! Will found himself standing on the cliff outside Wolf Fort.

Thick smoke choked the sky for miles around. The earth was dim, and human warriors poured into Wolf Fort like a tide. Will looked down from the cliff—every inch of the plain was packed with enemies, their killing intent soaring to the heavens. I'm back at the Battle of Wolf Fort?

Sure enough, he saw his own figure again. "He" knelt on the rubble, gasping for air, staring at the wolf guards still fighting beside him with a dazed look. Wolfe the Adamantine Wolf fought bravely, his claws flashing as he cut down several human vanguard soldiers trying to climb the cliff. Thanks to Wolfe's courage, the human advance slowed.

The Wolf King saw a glimmer of hope. He shook off his despair, stood up, and shouted: "Brothers, don't give up! Let these weak human scum see our true strength!"

This Wolf King is so hypocritical… Will knew full well that when he'd shouted those words, his heart had long been drowned in despair and fear. He'd had no faith in escaping the encirclement. The shout had been a reflex, born of his habit of putting on a show—for the Wolf King knew he could never show cowardice or weakness before his men, lest the wolf guards lose all will to fight.

As he'd expected, the remaining werewolves in the snow valley saw their king standing tall on the cliff despite the chaos, and their eyes reignited with fighting spirit. They let out howls of defiance. "Kill! Carve out a path!" The Wolf King shouted.

Will knew how the story ended, but seeing the scene again still stirred something in him. For a long time, he'd believed his escape had been due to his warriors' bravery and his own calm, clever response to the crisis. But only recently had he learned the truth: the White Wolf King had bribed black market contacts to save his life.

How ironic! Will's motives for launching the war had been twofold: to obey the Wolf God's guidance and fulfill the werewolf clan's mission, but also to prove his unchallenged status as the werewolves' sole ruler by taking the Great Wall. Yet in the end, it was the White Wolf King who'd saved him—a humiliation beyond words.

Perhaps I need more guidance… Will let out another bitter laugh.

Then his vision blurred again. A red mist rose like a curtain, swallowing the entire earth, turning everything hazy and unreal. Will found himself wrapped in a new, mysterious space.

"The battle is not over. You have not lost."

Will spun around. The Blood Moon Apostle, in his crimson robe, stood before him once more.