Somewhere deep in the wilderness, where the sun barely touched the ground and thick fog clung to the roots like whispers of something ancient, a lone figure staggered through the trees.
Lagos collapsed to his knees, panting. Sweat dripped from his brow. His cloak was torn, and his skin bore the marks of magical strain. He clenched his fists into the soil beneath him, trembling not from fear, but from sheer exhaustion.
He had escaped.
Barely.
"Damn it…" he muttered, eyes burning with frustration. "If only I had more energy—more essence—I could've crushed him… I could've crushed anyone. Even Canis Majoris."
He looked up, as if the canopy above might somehow answer him. But only silence replied.
Until footsteps echoed.
Slow. Deliberate.
Lagos turned quickly, instincts flaring. From between the trees, a figure emerged—tall, cloaked in gray, and motionless like a statue carved from disdain.
"Satgas," Lagos exhaled, half in relief, half in annoyance.
Satgas did not speak. He stood, arms crossed, gaze fixed upon the weary golemancer.
Lagos groaned and sat back against a thick root. "You could've helped me, you know. That bastard nearly killed me."
Satgas's voice was low, cold. "That wasn't my mission."
"Oh?" Lagos narrowed his eyes. "Then tell me—what was your mission while I fought for my damn life?"
Satgas finally moved, taking a slow step forward. "Gultor and I went to intercept Shina Mariposa's battle with Cerberus."
Lagos raised an eyebrow. "That thing was still active?"
Satgas continued. "Gultor was tasked with capturing Lucy Mariposa. The plan was to weaken the younger sister's spirit. But…"
"But?"
"Gultor failed," Satgas said bluntly. "Easton appeared."
"Easton?" Lagos sat up straighter. "The Easton from Black Death?"
Satgas nodded once. "He interfered. He was supposed to be gone. Dead or forgotten. But he's alive—and stronger than expected. He defeated Gultor."
Lagos cursed under his breath. "And Cerberus?"
"I managed to force Cerberus to wound Shina Mariposa before the operation collapsed," Satgas replied without emotion. "But then a high-ranking military officer arrived—Lieutenant General Guntur. He ended it."
Lagos let out a bitter laugh. "What a mess."
"You underestimated the capital's defenses," Satgas said.
Lagos scowled. "The Cerberus I summoned—" he raised a shaky hand "—wasn't complete. It was just a fragment. A sliver of power gifted by that person. The real Cerberus would've torn the city apart."
"And yet," Satgas replied flatly, "you claimed it would be enough."
Lagos didn't answer. He looked away, shame and defiance battling in his expression.
After a long silence, Satgas asked, "What's our next move?"
The air felt colder suddenly. Lagos didn't respond.
He closed his eyes.
He was tired. Not just physically. But deeper. He was beginning to realize how far the others were ahead of him—Canis, Easton, even Shina.
"Let me think," he finally whispered. "Just… give me a moment."
Satgas didn't press. He simply turned and walked away, vanishing between the trees like a ghost with no shadow.
The wind shifted.
The scene changed.
Far from the wilderness, in the fortified corridors of the Third Division Headquarters—a military bastion at the edge of the inner capital district—a new chapter was about to begin.
{Chapter 36 end}