Chapter 480: 480

That’s right. Focus on Krogan, not me.

Zirikon watched as Wulv ran the name through his mind, his calculating nature evident. He was already piecing things together, trying to recall everything he knew of this ’Krogan.’

Perfect. Let him sink deeper into his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Yuki, who had been silent up until now, shifted her gaze between the two men. Unlike Wulv, her sharp eyes weren’t entirely on Zirikon’s words—they were on his movements.

She had caught that faint hesitation before he answered.

Something about this still didn’t sit right with her.

“Lord Krogan,” Yuki repeated, her voice smooth yet questioning. “And where, exactly, does this ’lord’ of yours stand?”

Zirikon chuckled, taking another slow drag of his cigar. The ember flared, casting a brief glow over his golden fur.

“Where he has always stood,” he said smoothly. “Watching. Waiting. Calculating.”

That answer didn’t satisfy her, but before she could press further, Wulv chuckled.

“I see,” he mused. “So, we have a hidden hand moving pieces from the shadows. How very… fascinating.”

The werewolf’s tone was light, almost amused, but his eyes told a different story.

He was not pleased, more importantly, he was not fooled.

He knew there was more to this but there was nothing he could do. Wulv’s fingers tapped lightly against his forearm as he studied the situation. His mind worked quickly, piecing together the fragments of information laid before him.

The mammoth beast king.

A creature that had stumbled into this mess, meant to be eliminated, yet now it had become something more—a vital chess piece in a game that had been unfolding long before his arrival.

Wulv’s gaze flickered back to Zirikon. The golden-furred figure stood with the ease of a man who believed he had already won. The mere mention of Krogan was a move meant to end this game prematurely. A warning.

We’ve shown you our hand. You know our name. Walk away.

But Wulv wasn’t the type to back down just because someone wanted him to.

His smile widened, but his sharp, predatory eyes betrayed the amusement he projected.

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” he said, his voice calm but carrying a distinct edge.

Zirikon merely raised a brow, waiting.

“A moment ago, this beast was nothing more than an obstacle.” Wulv gestured toward the mammoth. “Yet now, I find myself wondering… why do you want him so badly?”

The Mammoth King, still silent, shifted slightly. His massive frame remained tense, his tusks glinting under the dimming light. He was no fool, either. He had been thrown into something far bigger than a mere territorial dispute, and now even the godlings were playing games around him.

Zirikon exhaled a slow breath, the ember of his cigar glowing faintly. Wulv was pushing.

A dangerous game.

But Zirikon was prepared. He had been preped for this role before.

“Want?” Zirikon chuckled, shaking his head. “I believe you misunderstand, Wulv. My concern lies in ensuring that unnecessary bloodshed is avoided.”

A blatant lie, and Wulv knew it.

His smile didn’t waver. “Is that so?”

His men, the ones who had surrounded the Mammoth King mere moments ago, still held their positions. Their weapons were lowered, but the tension remained. They were waiting. Watching.

Wulv had a choice to make.

Let the mammoth go and risk Krogan’s influence spreading unchecked.

Or—

Make a move of his own.

His eyes gleamed with an idea.

“You’re right, Zirikon.” Wulv sighed dramatically, stretching his arms. “Unnecessary bloodshed should be avoided.”

Zirikon narrowed his eyes. Something was coming.

Wulv’s grin returned.

“Which is why I think it’s best… if the Mammoth King remains under my protection.”

The air grew still. Zirikon’s cigar paused midway to his lips.

The Mammoth King, who had been keeping his silence, now turned his head slightly, his massive eyes focusing entirely on Wulv.

Protection? Even Yuki’s brows lifted ever so slightly in surprise.

Zirikon recovered quickly, but Wulv had already seen it. That slight hesitation.

Good. Now the board had changed.

Wulv didn’t know what Krogan and his men truly wanted with the Mammoth King, but one thing was clear—they wanted him alive.

And now, he was making sure they wouldn’t get their hands on him so easily.

“Under your protection?” Zirikon repeated, voice measured.

Wulv shrugged. “You came here to save him, did you not? Well, consider your mission complete. He lives. But he’ll do so under my watch.”

A dangerous gamble.

The Mammoth King had no reason to trust him, and Zirikon had every reason to retaliate.

But Wulv thrived in these situations. He knew how to make himself the bigger threat.

Now, Krogan’s men had to decide.

Risk a confrontation with the godlings to take the Mammoth King.

Or accept the loss and retreat.

Zirikon exhaled through his nose, his easy demeanor returning, though Wulv could see the calculations behind his gaze.

“A generous offer,” Zirikon mused. “But is the Mammoth King willing to accept it?”

Wulv’s grin widened. He turned his gaze toward the massive beast.

“Well then, King of Beasts, what will it be?”

The Mammoth King’s massive frame remained still, his breath slow and steady, but inside, his mind was a storm.

Lunara and Leiko.

Their apperance were carved into his soul, burned into his memory with the blood of his children. A crime that could not be forgiven.

To bow his head to Wulv now, to remain under his so-called “protection”—it was unthinkable. A disgrace.

He would sooner walk into the depths of the cursed land itself than allow those who had taken his young to call themselves his saviors.

His gaze, cold and determined, shifted to Zirikon.

This one was different. He did not trust him. But he did not hate him either.

Zirikon had come with purpose, and though his true intent was unclear, the Mammoth King could feel it—this man did not see him as something to be owned.

Wulv, despite his honeyed words, did.

The godling leader saw the Mammoth King as a chess piece, a symbol to wield against his unseen enemies. A tool.

And the Mammoth King… was no one’s tool.

A deep, rumbling exhale escaped him, like the shifting of mountains before a storm.

Then, he moved. Massive legs carried him forward, the ground trembling beneath each step as he walked toward Zirikon.

The choice was made.

Silence stretched over the battlefield.

Zirikon did not react immediately, merely tilting his head slightly as if in mild surprise. Then, with a knowing smirk, he exhaled a slow breath, the ember of his cigar flickering in the dim light.

“It seems I have earned a companion for the road.”

Wulv’s expression didn’t change. But his eyes darkened.

The Mammoth King had just made a very dangerous decision.

Yuki’s lips pressed into a thin line, her gaze flickering between Wulv and Zirikon. She understood the weight of this moment.

A powerful beast, a king among its kind, had rejected the godlings, sided with an unknown force, the implications were monumental.

Wulv exhaled through his nose, forcing a chuckle. He knew how to lose gracefully, but deep inside, he was not pleased.

“Seems I was mistaken,” he said lightly, though the sharpness in his voice remained. “You are free to make your own choices, Mammoth King. But remember—alliances shape the future. And some choices cannot be undone.”

The warning hung in the air like a blade.

Zirikon gave Wulv a long look before smirking, turning on his heel as he motioned for the Mammoth King to follow.

The deal was set.

As they stepped toward the portal, leaving Wulv and his men behind, Zirikon sent a quiet thought to Krogan.

“We have him.” Krogan’s response came almost instantly “Now we wait to see how the godlings respond.”

Nothing happened at first as Zirikon and the Mammoth Beast King—whose massive frame had significantly shrunk after Zirikon tossed a peculiar ring toward him—stepped through the shimmering portal. Then, with a faint hum, the portal collapsed in on itself, vanishing into nothingness, leaving behind only a brief gust of displaced air.

Wulv turned to Yuki, his ever-present grin still tugging at his lips. Though his posture remained relaxed, there was an unmistakable sharpness in his golden eyes.

“I have made a fool of myself,” he admitted lightly, though whether he truly believed it was another matter entirely. “I shall take my leave first, Lady Yuki, if you don’t mind.”

Yuki simply nodded, her expression unreadable.

With that, Wulv’s phantom shimmered and vanished. The intricate device that had projected his phantom form shot through the air, returning to the hand of the werewolf captain guard. He caught it effortlessly, inclining his head toward Yuki and her warriors in a silent gesture of respect before stepping back.

The werewolves moved in unison, each taking a precise step that traced the shape of a constellation in the air beneath them. As the pattern aligned perfectly, a glow of celestial light enveloped them, and in an instant, they were gone—transported back to their homeland.

Yuki’s phantom faded soon after, her presence dissipating like mist in the cold night air. Her men followed, one by one, each disappearing into nothingness.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep