A Familiar Face and a Looming Battle

“Careful! She is…”

At this crucial juncture, Chongyun once again demonstrated his exceptional reaction speed. Just as the sword tip was poised to meet flesh, Fafnir, who had been on high alert, swung his tail with unimaginable swiftness.

“Boom!”

The colossal tail whistled through the air, sweeping everything in its path. It struck the girl with the ease of swatting a fly. In the blink of an eye, the assailant was hurled into the floor below by the tail, vanishing without a trace.

Only a gaping circular hole in the floor remained, a silent testament to a failed ambush.

“Who did you say it was?”

“It was Vang…”guard,” Titan stammered, swallowing the rest of his words in embarrassment.

The girl’s utterly pathetic performance made him question if his eyes had deceived him.

‘Remember, Vanguard should have silver hair… The girl I just glimpsed had dark grey hair. Thinking about it, it might just be someone who looks very similar, or perhaps a relative…’

“It’s time to go. Next, I’ll take you to rendezvous with my teammates, and then we’ll leave this city together for our base.”

Uninterrupted by the recent ‘minor incident,’ Chongyun methodically outlined his next steps:

“There, you will learn a portion of our objectives and the truth about [this world]. If you’re willing, joining us isn’t out of the question.”

‘Do I have the right to refuse?’ Titan grumbled inwardly. He felt like a toy, firmly clutched and swung about by Chongyun. It was only thanks to the robust physique of a [Bloodkin] that he could endure such rough treatment.

Any ordinary human would have likely perished on the way.

‘But what did Chongyun mean by ‘this world’? Could it be… he’s guessed something?’ Titan’s mind was rife with doubts. He was tempted to probe for information, but considering it might be a bluff, he suppressed his curiosity and obediently kept his mouth shut.

They continued their descent. The building, once a prominent structure in the heart of the commercial district, was now a desolate ruin, riddled with rubble and crumbling walls, teetering precariously from the ceaseless battles.

Yet, the two primary culprits showed no remorse, instead engaging in sporadic conversation. From [Black-blooded] to The Supervisory Bureau and then to The Association’s [Heroes], Titan gleaned a wealth of information from Chongyun.

However, whenever the topic of the [Monarch] arose, Chongyun would fall silent, deflecting the conversation. He clearly had no intention of revealing more details to Titan before they reached their ‘base.’

‘If not for their rivalry over the [Fallen God’s Blood], perhaps they could have become close friends.’

‘Alas, there are no ‘ifs’ in this world.’

‘Even as a prisoner, Titan hadn’t given up hope of escape. That “Vanguard” lady might have lost quickly, but it proved one thing: —A force had already begun to act. It could be The Supervisory Bureau, or some other hidden entity. Now, it was up to him to seize this opportunity and make his escape.’

“Thump-thump-thump.”

Chongyun’s footsteps ceased. In the dimly lit corridor, a small figure lay propped against a still-intact wall. The light from her phone screen illuminated her face, revealing stunning beauty and a familiar countenance.

“You are…”

He would never forget that face. Never!

Chongyun let out a low, guttural roar. His three pairs of eyes gleamed with different lights, twisting his inhuman features into an even more monstrous visage.

‘A chance!’ Titan’s heart pounded with excitement. The one blocking their path was indeed the fake “Vanguard” lady who had failed in her sneak attack. To survive Fafnir’s powerful strike was proof that her strength was far from simple. He didn’t need her to defeat Chongyun, just to tie him down for a moment. He weighed his words, ready to fan the flames between them, to make their fight more intense. But before he could speak, the words caught in his throat, stifled by a heavy atmosphere.

‘Looks like I don’t need to sow discord.’

The enmity between Chongyun’s faction and The Association’s [Heroes] was an undeniable truth, a fact Chongyun had tirelessly conveyed to Titan. But the current situation suggested it was far more than just a simple ‘enemy’ relationship. If one were to describe the atmosphere, it was akin to a blood feud, a battle to the death.

‘It seems the time to escape has come. I hope this “Vanguard”-like girl… can hold on for a while.’

“What is your purpose here, Vanguard!?”

As expected, Chongyun had also mistaken this girl for the Heroine. After all, aside from her hair color, her nearly identical appearance could indeed make it difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake.

But no matter how similar their appearances, one thing could never be faked: their strength.

Titan had once been attacked by a [Black-blooded] creature — or rather, he had simply stumbled into the monster’s path. Though he had miraculously survived, the terrifying power of his assailant was etched deeply into his mind. To this day, the memory still made his palms sweat and his body tremble.

Later, through special channels, he learned that it was one of the [Black-blooded], an anomalous entity named [Silent Moon]. Since then, a question had persistently lingered in his mind: How had humanity survived? Or rather, how had human civilization in this world managed to endure amidst such a pack of wolves?

It was a known fact that [Black-blooded] like [Silent Moon] were not rare. They were ultimate beings, transcendent over all creation, unique pinnacles of existence. Each represented an insurmountable peak. Their mere movement could devastate the ecological environment humanity relied upon for survival. Such actions were as simple as drinking water or eating for them.

And yet, under the constant threat of these mobile cataclysms, humanity still managed to maintain stable social relations? This had puzzled Titan since he first arrived in this outer realm. After much deliberation, he could only conclude that humanity possessed the ability to contend with some [Black-blooded], or rather, that the [Heroes] — those legendary figures he had only heard about but never met — possessed the power to preserve the embers of civilization in this cruel era. It was they who delineated safe zones, separated conflicts, thereby minimizing disaster and granting humanity a chance to continue living. Such strength might indeed reach the level of the dreaded [High-level Species].

However, the girl now blocking their path clearly did not possess that level of strength; otherwise, she would not have been so easily repelled by Chongyun. While Chongyun’s current state was stronger than Titan’s, the gap between him and those [Black-blooded] creatures was a chasm of difference.

“Answer me, Vanguard!” Fafnir roared. He leaned forward, adopting a combat stance, his three pairs of eyes fixed intently on the girl, unblinking. The intense apprehension was clearly felt even by Titan in his grasp. He was enraged, yet also fearful.

“My purpose…”

Facing the aggressive interrogation, the girl showed no sign of displeasure. She merely put away her phone, her eyes irresistibly drawn to Fafnir’s hand.

“…You are my purpose.”

The cold reply was like a gust of icy wind, causing the temperature in the corridor to drop several degrees. Immediately, the boiling killing intent materialized, and Fafnir’s already towering body swelled even further.

Battle was imminent.

‘This was the worst possible outcome…’