The explosion behind them nearly threw Ethan off his feet.“KEEP MOVING!” Mira shouted.The underground passage trembled violently. Cracks spread across the walls, and chunks of stone fell from the ceiling. Somewhere behind them, the ancient research facility was collapsing, swallowing the secrets it had guarded for seventeen years.Ethan gritted his teeth and supported Ash as they ran.His wolf could barely walk.The golden markings across Ash's body had faded, and his breathing had become painfully shallow. Every few steps, his legs trembled as if they might give way beneath him.Ethan glanced at the system.[Ash — Condition: 21%.][Ancient Wolf King Bloodline Awakening: 12%.][Warning: Severe physical exhaustion detected.][Recommendation: Immediate recovery required.]“Just hold on, Ash,” Ethan whispered. “We're almost out.”Ash's golden eyes turned toward him.Despite his condition, the wolf gave a weak growl and continued moving.Behind them, something roared.The sound was so p

“You will not touch my master.”The words echoed through the chamber.Ethan stopped breathing.Mira froze with her weapon halfway raised.Even the masked commander looked as though someone had struck him across the face.Nobody moved.Nobody spoke.Then Ethan slowly turned toward Ash.“Ash?”The dark wolf stood between him and the armed soldiers. Golden markings covered his body, forming a crown-like pattern across his forehead. His eyes burned with an intelligence Ethan had never seen before.But the strangest thing was his mouth.It had moved.Ash had spoken.Not through a system notification. Not through some strange mental connection.He had spoken aloud.Ethan stared at him.“You… you can talk?”Ash glanced over his shoulder.“Apparently.”Ethan's mouth fell open.Mira blinked several times.One of her teammates whispered, “I'm definitely not getting paid enough for this.”Under different circumstances, Ethan might have laughed.Right now, he could barely process what had happene

The tunnel seemed endless.Ethan walked at the front, one hand pressed against his injured shoulder while Mira supported him from the side. Behind them, the Bloodmoon Wolf carried Ash on its back.Nobody spoke for several minutes.They had survived General Kael Voss.But Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that the real danger had only begun.Finally, Mira broke the silence.“Ethan, what exactly did that message mean?”He glanced at her. “Which one?”“The succession trial. And that message about the system choosing a new master.”Ethan hesitated.“I don't know.”It was the truth.He barely understood his own system, and now powerful people seemed to know more about it than he did.Mira studied him.“You're hiding something.”“I'm hiding several things. Most of them, I don't understand myself.”“That isn't reassuring.”“I'm not trying to reassure you.”She gave him an annoyed look.Even in their current situation, Ethan almost smiled.Then Ash groaned behind them.Ethan immediately turned

"ASH!”Ethan's scream echoed through the chamber.Golden light swallowed the wolf completely. The markings on Ash's body spread like burning veins, while the floor beneath his paws fractured under the pressure of his awakening.The system's warning continued flashing.[Critical Warning!][Contracted Beast: Ash.][Evolution Status: Forced Completion.][Required Sacrifice: The Beast's Life Force.][Estimated Survival Probability: 3%.]Ethan's blood ran cold.Three percent.That wasn't evolution.It was a death sentence.“Cancel it!” Ethan shouted. “System, cancel the evolution!”[Unable to cancel.][The beast has initiated the process willingly.]“Then override it!”[Authority insufficient.]Ethan slammed his fist against the floor.“YOU'RE MY SYSTEM! FIND A WAY!”For the first time since its restoration, the system remained silent.Across the chamber, Lord Veyron watched the golden light with growing alarm.“So the Ancient Wolf King bloodline has finally reached twenty percent.”His ex

Darkness.Complete, suffocating darkness.Ethan couldn't see his hands. He couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet. Even the sound of his own breathing had disappeared.“Ash?”No answer.“Mira?”Silence.He tried to move, but his body seemed to have vanished.Then a familiar notification appeared in the darkness.[System Reboot Complete.][Host: Ethan Vale.][Current Location: Unknown.][Contracted Beast: Ash.][Connection Status: Severely Weakened.]Ethan's heart tightened.“Where is Ash? What happened to everyone?”[Unable to determine.]“Then find out!”[Insufficient authority.]Ethan clenched his fists.“I'm tired of hearing that!”A faint golden light appeared in the distance.He ran toward it.With every step, the darkness grew thinner until he found himself standing in a vast field beneath a blood-red sky.The battlefield from his inheritance trial was gone.In its place stood an endless ocean of black water.At the center of the ocean floated a golden throne.And beside it l