“Am I dreaming right now?”
The man’s expression twisted in disbelief as he looked out at the wolf spirits spread across the field.
Was he really dreaming?
He pinched his cheek, and the pain was vivid. That meant what he was seeing was real.
“Why are there... so many of them...?”
Just by sight alone, there were over thirty wolf spirits.
It made no sense. It was already hard to believe that a spirit beast—a creature rarely seen even across the continent—had appeared in Isla Machia, but over thirty of them?
While the men stood frozen in confusion, the pack of wolf spirits moved in perfect unison and began storming the building.
One leapt through a shattered window on the second floor, and another appeared from the opposite side.
A wolf spirit that entered through the open door on the first floor bit into the personnel waiting inside.
Blood and screams filled the air.
Artifacts, advanced weapons, and modified automatons all resisted, but it was useless.
The wolves that rushed in from all directions were like a howling gale.
It was hard enough to handle a single one, but when dozens came crashing in from every side, there was no way to fight back.
“Damn it! What the hell is this!”
Nikolai’s subordinates, completely surrounded by wolves, shouted in terror.
Tatatata!
Misdirected gunfire flashed, magic grenades exploded, and defensive artifacts flared with power.
They somehow held out through desperate resistance, but the wolves were relentless.
As their prey struggled, the wolves stopped charging recklessly. Instead, they kept their distance, shifting into wind and circling at high speed.
Anyone could see—they meant to wear them down.
“D-Damn it.”
No matter how alert they were, openings would appear in a fleeting moment.
In that instant, a wolf spirit running along the ceiling in the form of wind transformed back into its massive body and crashed down from above.
“Aaagh! Get it off!”
“My arm! Someone help me!”
Once their formation broke, the rest followed like clockwork.
Hearing the screams echoing from inside the building, Freuden—watching the scene from afar—could only admire it with genuine awe.
‘So this is the spirit beast that has protected our family.’
Its endurance alone—running for days without rest—was one thing, and its ability to step on the wind and cross the sea was another.
But what was truly terrifying was the way it fought.
‘The ability to command the wind itself, even becoming the wind for a brief moment.’
That was why the wolf spirit could slip in and out anywhere through even the narrowest holes, like a cat.
Its body itself transformed into wind, allowing it to pass through any place where air could flow—even something as small as a needle’s eye.
No matter how one blocked the path or erected barriers, it was impossible to completely seal off air.
To restrain a spirit beast like that, a wind-element mage would need to create a vacuum wall, or a fire-element mage would have to burn all the air around it.
It was a terrifying ability—one that forced the opponent into extreme choices.
‘But even more impressive is its sheer quantity.’
Another unique trait of the wolf spirit—
[Division].
The thirty-some wolf spirits surrounding them were, astonishingly, all one.
‘It’s a single entity—but also a pack at the same time.’
Freuden recalled a paper he had once read about how spirit beasts were born.
They were said to arise when an old beast underwent a special evolution.
So, does longevity alone cause that transformation?
Of course not.
It differed for every creature, depending on its environment and the struggles it endured in the wild.
Some were born destined to become spirit beasts, while others achieved it only after endless battles for survival.
Sometimes, a beast born and raised in a mana-rich environment could also become one.
The wolf spirit that guarded the Ulburk family had both the benefit of its environment and the crucible of struggle.
‘And what evolved into a spirit beast wasn’t a single wolf—it was the entire pack.’
Wolves live in packs.
That wolf spirit was not just a leader who ascended alone.
The entire pack had transformed together, fusing into one.
In other words, that spirit beast was both one creature and a pack.
Similar to—but distinct from—the Beast of Jévaudan.
The infamous Beast of Jévaudan was one entity and also a legion, but that was because it could create cryptids on its own.
Strictly speaking, the Beast of Jévaudan was still a single being.
Freuden truly grasped then just how extraordinary spirit beasts were—and how many mysteries humanity had yet to uncover.
‘So that’s why the wolf is our family’s symbol.’
The battle ended quickly.
The thugs who had targeted Rine left not even their corpses behind.
Aside from the heavy scent of gunpowder and scattered magical tools, every trace of them was devoured—bones and all—by the spirit beasts.
Freuden vaulted over the wreckage of a broken automaton and hurried up to the third floor, where Rine was staying.
“Rine!”
The moment he slammed the door open, a dagger wreathed in black aura shot up beneath his chin.
“Who are you?”
Seeing Cravat staring coldly at him, Freuden swallowed hard.
‘He’s no ordinary man.’
Though Cravat looked younger, there was an aura about him that defied words.
A gust of wind blew past, and beside Cravat, a wolf spirit materialized, baring its fangs.
Grrrrr.
“...A spirit beast? So it was you who cleaned up those outside?”
“And who might you be?”
“...Tch. You know that girl lying over there—Rine, right?”
Freuden’s eyes darted toward the bed, where Rine lay quietly.
His pupils contracted.
“What happened to Rine? Is she all right? Is she hurt anywhere?”
At Freuden’s rapid questioning, Cravat widened his eyes.
“Huh. Didn’t expect that—you like her, don’t you?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Tell me what happened.”
“Hah. What a cheeky kid. Don’t worry. Thanks to someone lending a hand at the last moment, her condition’s stabilized quite a bit.”
“Her condition? Don’t tell me—you cured her constitution?”
“Constitution? So you knew about that too?”
“Not in detail. Only that Rine was... terminally ill.”
“In that case, the talk’ll be easier.”
Cravat lowered the dagger he’d been pointing at Freuden.
As the chilling black energy around it faded, Freuden finally exhaled in relief.
The wolf spirit that had been watching also relaxed and rested its head calmly beside him.
“Damn. A spirit beast in this filthy, polluted city—what a world we live in.”
“How is Rine’s condition?”
“For now, it’s a success. Only halfway, though.”
“Halfway? You mean it’s not over yet?”
“Let me start from the beginning. Inside that girl’s body was divine power—well, was.”
“But Rine’s a mage...”
“That’s what’s strange. Divine power inside a mage—it shouldn’t happen. But it did, and we can’t call it impossible either. That divine power wasn’t ordinary. It was so powerful it was barely distinguishable from mana. That’s why no one noticed it, no matter how hard they looked.”
Even Cravat could only barely distinguish the divine power within her, seeing it clash violently with her mana.
“The real problem was Rine’s own mana. It was so dense and powerful that even while clashing with that divine power, it never gave ground. Because of that, her body was collapsing under the strain of both forces.”
“How did you fix something like that?”
“What I did was simple. I erased the rampaging divine power in her body using the power of a curse. The direct counterforce of divine power is black magic—and I used an ancient curse, no less.”
An ancient curse.
Realizing that the chilling black aura he’d felt was exactly that, Freuden’s skin prickled with goosebumps.
To think that someone who looked so young was actually a black mage capable of wielding ancient curses.
“It was an excruciating process. I had to squeeze out nearly all of my power and rely on every kind of mana potion, reagent, and material I could get my hands on.”
“Then... is she all right now?”
“I wish that were the case. I did completely remove the divine power. The problem lies in that girl’s inherent mana.”
“Rine’s mana? What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s too strong.”
The answer was painfully simple, but Cravat couldn’t find any other words that fit.
“The divine power I barely managed to erase, after endless struggle—that mana of hers fought against it the entire time. The density, the purity, the sheer output and strength of it... I can’t even imagine how far it could go.”
“To think Rine possessed such mana...”
Freuden said that, but deep down, he had suspected it already.
From the first time he saw her magic formulae, her potential and hidden power had been clear in countless small signs.
“But it’s still her own mana, isn’t it? Why would that be a problem?”
“Even mana needs to be handled properly. No matter how strong the power, if you can’t release it outward, it just stagnates inside you. Maybe if her vessel grew stronger to match, it would be fine—but that girl never had the chance or guidance for that.”
He had thought the danger was finally over, but in truth, they had only just crossed one deadly threshold.
Realizing that, Freuden clenched his fists tightly.
“Kid, don’t panic. There’s still a way.”
“There’s another solution?”
“Now that I’ve succeeded in suppressing the divine power, we have to calm the remaining non-attributed mana. That’s why the professor is running around right now.”
“The professor?”
Freuden’s eyes widened.
“Don’t tell me—Ludger Cherish, he’s here too?”
“Yeah.”
“What is he doing?”
“He went out to secure a new ingredient for the reagent.”
Cravat muttered, narrowing his eyes as a distant vibration shook the ground. A strange pulse of power rippled through the air.
“Looks like things aren’t going smoothly.”
“That just now...”
Freuden had sensed it too—his gaze fixed on the window.
The wolf spirit bristled, fur standing on end, baring its fangs toward the same direction.
“...What was that?”
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
“The only thing I do know is that something enormous just started rampaging beyond that area. And it’s not just strong—it’s abnormal. What is this alien power...?”
Cravat noticed his own hand trembling and clicked his tongue.
He was the type whose curiosity usually outweighed fear, but even sensing a mere fraction of that power made his body shake.
That meant it wasn’t curiosity—it was instinctive fear.
“Fear, huh. Can’t remember the last time I felt something like this. This won’t do—I have to go see for myself.”
“Wait. I’ll come with you.”
“Kid, you’ll just get in the way. And who’s going to protect that °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° girl then? You want to come back to find a corpse?”
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
Freuden turned to the spirit beast.
“Please.”
Grrr.
The wolf spirit nodded as if it understood, then exhaled a gentle gust of wind.
The pale-blue breeze condensed into another wolf, which stood guard beside Rine’s bed.
“It’ll protect her until we return.”
“...Huh. Fine. There’s no stopping you anyway, is there? Just don’t regret it later. What we’re about to face won’t even be recorded in history—it’s going to be that kind of battle.”
“I didn’t come here with half-hearted resolve.”
Cravat stood by the window and began casting a curse.
His body twisted slightly, shrinking and reshaping until a black crow spread its wings.
It was the Curse of Crow Transformation.
“So that’s... an ancient curse...”
Freuden didn’t have time to be astonished.
He had to follow.
“Please.”
He mounted the spirit beast’s back and patted its neck.
The wolf immediately became wind and surged forward toward the source of the disturbance.
* * *
The God of Machinery moved as if to destroy the world itself.
With a single gesture, an entire sector was swept away.
Everything around was made of sturdy metal—yet even that meant nothing before the God of Machinery.
Buildings crumbled mercilessly.
People screamed and ran for their lives.
Explosions, destruction, death, screams, chaos, despair—all erupted everywhere.
And in the midst of that apocalypse, there were those still fighting desperately against the God of Machinery.
“Damn it! This thing’s absurdly tough!”
Verom cursed as his sword was caught effortlessly by a mechanical arm.
His crimson slash could cleave through almost anything, yet it barely scratched the metallic limb.
And when it did leave a mark, the wound healed instantly.
It wasn’t even alive, yet it could regenerate.
“I must be insane... Why did I jump into this hell?”
Despite his words, Verom did not stop fighting.
Because he believed in Ludger.
That man would find a way—he always did.
“Hey! John Doe! How long are you going to make me wait?!”
It was a shout thrown into chaos, but unexpectedly, a reply came.
“You’ve done well.”
Brilliant light gathered in the sky.
Verom instinctively braced himself.
Even through his full-body armor, the radiance was so intense that it felt blinding.
“...Hah. I was ready to give you an earful if you didn’t make it worth all that preparation.”
Before the God of Machinery stood a colossal golden statue of Buddha.
The blazing golden flames radiated like a second sun descending upon the earth.
Even the God of Machinery halted its natural rhythm of destruction and faced the statue.
At its heart stood Ludger.
His eyes no longer glowed blue—they shimmered with a deep crimson light.
“Seal Release—Stage One.”
