24 Hearts

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Requiem, the boss of the black wolf

It must be. Judah had never heard of it, but the mighty howl could only be of Requiem’s. As if his torch was soon to die, Judah dashed at the direction from which the sound came, his way lit by the torch. He almost bumped into a tree that came out of the dark and nearly tripped over a tree root, but he didn’t slow down. After a few minutes of running at full speed, sweat began to trace the curves of his face.

Kung!

Feeling the figure chasing after them, the black wolves running ahead deemed to glance back. They saw the light of Judah’s eyes even in the darkness. The moonlight shining faintly through the leaves of the lush trees gave away the wolves turning in his direction.

It didn’t take long to deal with the two wolves before him. He just killed them the same way he had been fighting everything else. However, the feeling of power in the code assigned to his bastard sword was not the same as before. Their battle took place in an instant, and it ended in an instant. Judah looked down at the blood dripping from his blade as he looked behind him. Light from far away was running his way.

“Judah!”

Was it Kain? Their distance grew closer. Embers began to form, and the light turned into a torch that showed him a boy’s figure. His torch was bright enough for him to see who it was, but even with its intensity, the darkness of the forest felt more powerful than it.

“Judah──!”

He heard much clearly. However, Judah took his breath, standing there without a nudge. As he watched Kain, his mind began to wander.

“…”

What was he chasing him for? Was he worried?

Judah wanted to applaud himself for running into the darkness in pursuit of Requiem, but he felt his stomach twist. And the more he thought about the situation, the more his emotions swayed and wavered. He told himself repeatedly that it wasn’t a big deal, but he couldn’t stop himself from caring all of a sudden. Still, he turned his back and ran into the darkness again, trying with all his might to ignore the voice calling after his name.

The wolves running ahead of him did not seem to care about Judah chasing after them and also did what he had to do to stay out of sight. Judah initiated -Shadow Justice-Form 1 Spreading Shadows-. The shadows that fluttered according to the light cast by the torch spread out the ground. Using the skill with a minimal light source was fine. And with the shadows cast by the faint moonlight, he had no problems blending his shadows in the darkness.

His spreading shadows delivered him the information he needed, showing him the black wolves’ traces in the distance. Red dots emerged and disappeared on the -map- repeatedly. Judah had to keep up his pace as the direction of the wolves was continually changing. On their way, he thought he had explored enough of the Eastern Forest, but the wolves he chased after ran toward an area he had never seen before.

Then, numerous red spots began to appear on the map. It was a considerable number. It seemed that all the remaining black wolves had gathered, but it didn’t slow him down. There was one dot at the very end of the forest. Judah felt the black wolves on the plains staring as if they knew Judah was chasing them. And fearlessly, Judah emerged from the woods, whistling at the sea of black wolves.

“How do you guys keep on finding plains like this? I haven’t been able to find anything like it even though I’ve been in the woods for several years.”

Grrrr!

A shiver ran down his spine as he felt the eyes of a hundred wolves bore into his very bones. After his discomfort from seeing Kain, he could also feel the disgust these wolves had for him. And for him, this was much better. It was much better to handle this tension than feel that rollercoaster of emotion he had earlier.

Death was right behind his back. Of course, it was nothing more than a temporary end, and knowing that fact, he was able to do this reckless behavior without hesitation—knowing that even if he died, he would be revived.

The wolves approached Judah one step at a time, and he did the same toward them. Laughter escaped his lips. If someone could see him right now, they would think he was crazy, and they were right. It didn’t matter to him. Because even for him, he was mad now.

The wolves didn’t charge at him. They pranced within his vicinity with their gnarly fangs out in the open as they snarled. But Judah was not interested in them.

The only thing he wanted was Requiem, the biggest wolf among the pack. Judah’s actions aroused his curiosity as Requiem’s ​​gaze shot directly back at him. The intensity between them was stronger than the watchful eyes of the hundred wolves around him.

“…”

Requiem only glanced at him. Two years ago, when he defeated Korkan, Judah felt the same heavy gaze shooting straight through him. He may be nothing more than a monster, but Requiem was one coated in elegance and regality.

“Yes, I came to see you, Requiem.”

Under the moonlight, the scars throughout the Alpha’s body reflected like medals of war. His tight mouth shut heavily, and his eyes fixed with intellect. This was Requiem, the pack leader, who led the black wolves against the southern forest’s white wolves.

Compared to this kingly beast, Judah felt nothing but resentment within himself. Judah was overwhelmed with self-loathing at the sight of Kain, who was different from him on all levels, willing to save others without hesitation. For Judah, it didn’t matter if other people died. The lives he only cared for were Tia’s, who shared a deep relationship with him, and Jeanne, whom he needed for his future journey. When did he start second-guessing himself? Earlier, when he faced a soldier at the brink of death, he didn’t acknowledge it, but he questioned how people would perceive his actions. He wished to gain a little more advantage against Kain, who would one day become an enemy.

But Kain didn’t hide his abilities. He did not hesitate to save others.

The moment witnessed it; he felt guilty. Even if he became an enemy later, why was he afraid of such heroism right now?

He didn’t know why, but anger grew within him. He needed to release it somewhere, and the wolves all around him stood there conveniently for him. He swung his bastard sword to the nearest black wolf and then whipped a dagger to the next beast he saw. Still, the anger within him did not disappear. The vision of Kain flashed before his eyes as he watched the blood of his enemies drip down from his hands.

At that time, he heard the howl of Requiem. It took him a while to process the Alpha’s as he was too deep in his thoughts. But the moment he heard it and saw the other black wolves flee from his vicinity, Judah felt the need to chase after them all.

If he met Requiem, he believed he would ease the discomfort he was feeling inside. With that resolve, Judah dashed through the dark forest. As he ran, a smile unknowingly made its way to his lips. He emerged from the forest and out into the plains, and the moment he saw Requiem in the middle of the pack of black wolves, Judah felt his heart pounding.

This was the answer he was looking for.

Judah gazed at Requiem, and the disgust that fueled unreasonable anger in the corner of his heart began to disappear.

“I wanted to see you again at least once.”

Since defeating Korkan, he never saw the Alpha again. The only trace Requiem left of him was the memory of those intense eyes studying him from above the peak. But here they were today, and Judah couldn’t help but chuckle.

In all honesty, the self-loathing he felt at the sight of Kain wasn’t as intense as he thought it was. To be selfish and to be lost in their thoughts was human nature. But Judah didn’t wish to accept his feelings. He still needed something to replace that feeling of disgrace. He wanted to feel anything at all, even the tension of death.

This was reckless and foolish, but he didn’t regret it. If he were to die there, he would be brought back to life again, and he could come back colder than before. It was okay if these wolves ran and crushed and tore his flesh apart right now. He may be unable to fight Requiem at his very best, but at least he would be able to get rid of the self-loathing gnawing at him, which was what he wanted anyway. He could always think of his next move after all his recklessness.

“…”

Requiem was still unresponsive, his eyes darting to the side. The moonlight shone down at the countless black wolves awaiting their Alpha’s commands. All of them sat on their places even as Judah continued to move further into the plain.

“You must remember me.”

“…”

There was no answer. He didn’t even expect the wolf to reply, but surely he must have understood it.

Black wolves were smart. He didn’t need to speak to display his intellect. After all, this was Requiem, the leader of the black wolves.

“Judah!”

Then Kain, who followed suit, called out Judah’s name. Looking back, he saw Kain as he slumped down, catching his breath roughly. Judah stared at him dumbfoundedly.

Stupid Kain. Foolish Kain.

He ran after him all this time. Why did he go after him? For what? He wasn’t the Wielder of the Sword; what was he planning to do when he got here? Was there even anything he could do now that he was here?

Judah felt a wave of admiration at Kain’s reckless courage. He could die. Judah can be as irresponsible as he wanted because he knew he could be revived, but Kain didn’t know that, nor can he do the same thing. If he died, his time was over. He can’t go back to the past, nor can he come back to life, yet he still came.

Was he not afraid of death?

Judah wanted to curse Kain if the boy came under the faith that King Gabriel and his sword protected him. If he went there with an easy-going thought that things will work out well somehow, he wanted to swear Kain for being an asshole. The longer he stared at Kain; the more his mind ran with unpleasant thoughts. He turned back to Requiem to forget everything running in his mind.

No wolves attacked him nor Kain, still waiting for the command of their Alpha. As he stood among them, Judah spoke up proudly.

“Requiem! I’m asking you for a duel!”

Among his rewards for defeating Korkan was the right to confront Requiem. It didn’t exist as an item, but if it was given as a quest reward, and it was sure to work.

“…”

Requiem, who had his mouth closed the entire time, snarled his snout as he took a deep breath, and then, he howled. The black wolves who heard the sound opened a path for Judah to Requiem, splitting from side to side like the sea separated by Moses. They closed their eyes and bowed as Judah walked down the trail. They were no longer growling nor threatening him when he passed by.

To help Judah, Kain gathered his courage to follow him. He ran after the boy with his sword in his hands, ready to battle at will, calling after Judah through the dark. But the sight before him left him agape. Judah walked down the path opened up by a hundred black wolves.

“What… What is this?”

He knew it was a duel, and all Kain could do was mumble in disbelief. As he stood there in bewilderment, Judah continued his stride, inching ever closer to Requiem.