*
A wolf that bites the sun and devours the moon.
It’s the nickname given to Rock Grancia by those who witnessed him slaying the Demon Kings during the Demonic War.
As he swung his axe relentlessly until the sun rose over the hills and transformed into the moon,
he was said to resemble a mythical wolf that bites the sun and swallows the moon.
‘What on earth… am I the Wolf King?’
The reflection of a black-clad mage gleams on the blood-red axe blade.
Now, he bears the form of a Demon God with white hair, wolf ears, and a tail, as if he were his own daughter.
‘What a shameful name that is.’
The Black Knight, who had just been embroiled in a fierce battle with the Magic Hat, gazes upon Rock as he reflects between many emotions while seeing the hero from another world.
Before this battle, he had directly stated with his own mouth:
He had come to this world to save the unfortunate future Pina Grancia.
‘The Nameless Saintess.’
Pina, who was robbed of everything by the Demon Kings of Hero Church.
What Lee Soo-hyun said was shockingly hard to believe.
But they say a bad premonition is always right.
“Nameless Saintess, do you know how hilarious it is to see you die?”
Rock caught the Magic Hat sneering while mentioning the Nameless Saintess. The Demon King turned Demon God was babbling in a fit of ecstasy.
“The way you get buried under the rubble of a collapsing building is—”
It was exactly what Lee Soo-hyun had said.
No matter how hard he tried to change the future, it matched precisely with the fate of dying under the rubble of buildings.
When he asked the Sage just in case, the response revealed he had seen such a future before.
‘The reason they wanted to harm our daughter… was not for the empire.’
He thought it was a plan to resurrect the Demon God and consume the empire, but the Hero Church’s intentions lay elsewhere.
‘Because our daughter was the hero said in the prophecy, they intended to eliminate her.’
If they had killed her, then a new hero could have emerged.
They had taken away her name, memories, strength, and talent, yet they didn’t expect her to claim the title of Saintess.
He felt as if the sky were crashing down.
If a god told him he had to exchange his life for his daughter, he would willingly provide it.
However, this was not that kind of issue.
‘Everything was my oversight.’
Rock sighed long while watching the fight from afar, regretting he hadn’t recognized him properly at first.
‘To pass down a fight I couldn’t finish to my son-in-law.’
The power to manipulate the world as they desired. He had been fighting the Demon Kings of the Hero Church for decades, and it had worn him to the bone.
Because he was an ordinary person and not a hero, he had to witness those precious to him getting hurt all around him.
The heroic beings from another world had led him to believe they could take down such Demon Kings.
‘Heroes from another world are all just weirdos.’
A hero who treated women like prizes came seeking Pina’s beauty after hearing the rumors,
or a hero who boasted he could catch the Demon King but fled, leaving all his allies behind the moment a fight broke out.
Worn down by such experiences, Rock began gathering strong individuals not as heroes but people he could rely on.
Thus, the Ten Heroes were formed. Strong ordinary people capable of slaying Demon Kings.
‘..There was a truly strange guy, after all.’
Rock raised the corners of his mouth while watching Lee Soo-hyun fight.
A young man pondering how to defeat the Demon God Magic Hat without being intimidated.
He announced that only after they had defeated all the Demon Kings of the Hero Church, would he allow the marriage. A condition that sounded ridiculous to anyone.
‘He pleases me even more.’
Yet Lee Soo-hyun did not give up and continued to challenge until even the Demon King of Might was defeated.
Currently, Rock was keeping an eye on the battle according to his plan, asking to protect Pina should anything dangerous arise.
Prioritizing Pina’s safety above all else, that aspect bore a striking resemblance to himself.
‘Bellin surely would have liked our son-in-law.’
Rock thought of his partner, Queen Bellin, and nodded.
Unlike Rock, who was overly protective of Pina, she had even saved up money in preparation for their daughter’s future marriage.
‘You always said Pina would find love someday.’
The Inrang Tribe is a race that lives and dies for love.
It was all thanks to Bellin that Rock had become as strong as he was.
A mage with magical powers considered to be born once in a thousand years.
If Rock excelled in might, Bellin was adept in magic.
‘It was my foolishness.. I’m sorry, Bellin.’
But now she was captured, her soul taken by the power of the Magic Hat.
A tragedy that occurred just when he ascended as Emperor.
Even after unifying four kingdoms and severing the Demon God’s lifeline, the war was far from over.
Because of that, Rock set out to eliminate the remnants of the Hero Church, leaving an opening for the Magic Hat to invade the Imperial Palace.
The most vicious Demon King even during the Demonic War. A mage who targeted only the weak.
‘What face would a man have who couldn’t protect his most precious family?’
Rock grimaced while holding onto the wound at his side.
He had assigned Dijur for safety just in case, but due to the power of deceit, he wasn’t there when the chaos erupted.
Due to Bellin’s sacrifice, ultimately, only Pina, who was a young girl then, survived.
Since then, Pina Grancia, who had lost all of her closely connected servants, began to lose her emotional expression and fixated on power.
The masterpiece glass armor that Pina wore was something she had crafted herself when she was younger, asking him to make it for her.
She had said she needed to become strong.
He had watched as his once-cute daughter, who loved dolls, now wielded a glass sword.
What if he hadn’t sent Pina to the Academy? Would events like this have transpired?
“……”
It was probably impossible.
After ten years, the princess regained her smile and created invaluable relationships.
A person who would gladly sacrifice their life for a friend.
And a lover whom she cherished enough to call a partner.
Emperor Rock smiled contentedly at the people surrounding Pina.
“Thank you for saving our daughter.”
Rock expressed his gratitude aloud.
His grip tightened around the axe handle, trembling with strength. He was still recovering from injuries sustained during a past battle with the Demon King of Might.
The perpetrator of all these events.
The enemy of his wife and the one who tried to harm his precious daughter stood before him.
It seemed that unless you were truly a hero, there was a limit to slaying Demon Kings.
“Please continue to take good care of our Pina. Son-in-law.”
Rock resolved, even if it meant losing his life here, to slay the Demon God before him.
*
It was raining in the Academy’s athletic field.
A black-haired man with a scar over his left eye burst forth, wielding an axe.
“Emperor Rock?! No way! Surely he is not—”
The emperor chopped the Magic Hat’s body in half like firewood with a single stroke. The Demon God, now split in two, screamed with a shocked expression.
Honestly, I was surprised too.
Whether friend or foe, he swung that axe with an unmatchable speed.
Around Rock Grancia, the same black aura as before was visible.
‘It’s indeed a state of rage.’
Covered in darkness with fierce red eyes.
He was exuding a more heinous bloodthirst than during the last sports event.
It seemed that the Magic Hat, insulting Pina, had gravely angered him.
I had worried that his unexpected behavior might lead to him bursting out uncontrollably, but—
“Thank you for saving our daughter.”
“…You flatter me, Father.”
Thankfully, he seemed to be barely holding onto his sanity.
Whether he was thanking me for holding out till now or for letting him meet Pina at the Academy.
BANG—!!
He continued to swing his axe towards the Magic Hat. Pushing against the endlessly regenerating Magic Hat with brute force.
The power of deceit, which turns everything into a lie.
“This… is a bit dangerous!”
However, that power wasn’t invincible. The Demon God began to bleed as if wounded by the Holy Sword.
A red thread-like scar sliced across his cheek.
He had previously held back when facing me, but if he were commanded to fight Rock again now, he wouldn’t be able to put up much of a defense.
‘Indeed, the number one among the Ten Heroes.’
Even without the Holy Sword, he was among those capable of overpowering a Demon King.
Having suffered greatly battling the Demon King of Might, he was still a fearsome figure.
Massive pressure propelled the Magic Hat backward.
“Dad… you’re mad..”
“If you create an opening, I will proceed as planned.”
With the risk of getting caught in the attack, I was on guard, protecting the people,
and perhaps finding that to be commendable, the emperor momentarily looked my way and spoke.
“Please continue to take good care of our Pina. Son-in-law.”
The recognition of the noble Wolf King. Instantly, I began to doubt my own ears.
At first, he was disapproving of the connection between me and Pina.
‘Does that mean, perhaps…’
If I could defeat the Demon God Magic Hat, then I could have a wedding with Pina.
“The Wolf King visiting the Academy, this must be the influence of the Grand Route!”
In that moment, something massive began to appear before us.
A black Cyclops emerging to barely block Rock’s attack.
Seeing how that guy mentioned the Grand Route sent chills down my spine. How could he know about that?
“How do you know about the Grand Route?”
“Of course I know! It’s a sacred thing that only heirs like me and my lord can obtain!”
Even as its shape began to fade, this guy didn’t stop running his mouth.
Realizing he had no more good moves left, he would attempt to deceive me.
“My lord! Thank you for showing me such a wonderful scene! You are truly the best!!”
Bleeding profusely, yet he was happy. Looking at the Demon God reaching out toward me.
“…You’re still not done showing everything yet?”
I scoffed internally. Though I wished to offer the middle finger,
SWISH!
It would certainly complicate the signal.
At last, I whistled, summoning the Pillar Master and the Northern Duchy Lady.
Rock Grancia was merely the signal to begin the operation.
