Boom!!!
Dawolf smashed his fist into the side of a building.
A massive amount of rubble was blasted into the air.
Lucian, meanwhile, slid at high speed between the flying chunks of stone.
Azure light continuously flickered beneath his feet.
His entire body moved like a blue afterimage skimming across the ground.
Lighter.
Faster.
Whoosh.
The short blade swept across once again.
Another wound appeared across Dawolf's chest.
Blood slowly flowed down.
But this time,
the wound was no longer just a shallow line.
Structural Lock was being continuously weakened.
Lucian was gradually taking control of the rhythm.
Azure spheres repeatedly attached themselves to Dawolf's body.
Delay.
Weaken.
Cut.
With every cycle,
the cracks in Dawolf's supposedly indestructible defense grew larger.
But even so,
Dawolf still did not retreat.
Boom!!!
His massive body charged forward head-on once again.
His fist came crashing down.
Lucian slid sideways and avoided it.
The building behind him was shattered instantly.
Cracks spread wildly across the walls.
And in the next second,
Lucian had already circled around to the side.
Smack.
Another azure sphere attached itself to Dawolf's waist.
Structural Lock immediately fell into a state of delay.
Slash.
The short blade cut open another wound.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Dawolf's body finally staggered for a brief moment.
But he forcibly steadied himself.
And continued forward.
Like some kind of heavy machine that could never stop.
Scope stood in the rear,
watching the entire battle in silence.
But at this moment,
even he gradually fell silent.
Because he could already see it.
What was supporting Dawolf's battle now
was no longer just sheer willpower.
It was something more like—
an obsession with not being allowed to fall.
Otherwise,
a normal person would have retreated long ago.
But Dawolf continued.
And was even fighting more desperately than before.
Boom!!!
The ground exploded again.
Dawolf directly grabbed half of a concrete structure and swung it horizontally.
The air let out a heavy tearing sound.
Lucian, meanwhile, slid rapidly along the sloping ground.
His entire body skimmed almost against the edge of the ruins.
His movements were unnaturally smooth.
The next second,
the short blade cut into Dawolf's shoulder again.
Blood slowly flowed down.
Dawolf's breathing finally began to grow noticeably heavier.
Structural Lock was still being maintained.
But the speed at which it could be maintained
was beginning to fall behind.
Because Lucian was constantly disrupting the stability of the structure.
And he was becoming more and more skilled at it.
Smack.
Another azure sphere attached itself to Dawolf's chest.
Dawolf's body paused slightly.
And at that exact moment,
Lucian suddenly stopped attacking.
He simply stood several meters away.
The azure short blade in his hand continued to emit a quiet glow.
The azure light in his eyes had not faded either.
The wind slowly swept through the ruins.
Only the sound of burning flames remained across the battlefield.
Dawolf breathed heavily.
Blood continued dripping from his body.
Yet he still stood there.
His fists remained raised.
Lucian quietly looked at him.
Then,
for the first time,
he truly spoke.
"Why don't you retreat?"
Dawolf did not answer.
He simply lowered his body again.
Structural Lock stabilized once more.
He was preparing to continue the battle.
But Lucian did not immediately charge forward.
He simply continued watching him.
"You're not fighting for the organization."
His voice was calm.
There was no mockery.
Nor was there any sense of superiority.
It sounded like a simple statement of fact.
Dawolf's eyes finally changed slightly.
The next second—
Boom!!!
He charged forward again.
His massive body closed the distance in an instant.
His fist came straight toward Lucian.
But Lucian did not retreat.
Azure light flickered beneath his feet.
He slid sideways and avoided the attack.
Then the short blade swept across Dawolf's arm.
Blood sprayed into the air.
But this time,
Lucian still did not pursue.
Instead,
he pulled away once again.
"You don't want to kill me."
Dawolf's movements finally paused for a moment.
Because from the very beginning of the battle,
Lucian's attacks had always been focused on:
Weakening.
Suppressing.
Restricting.
Yet he had never truly aimed for a lethal position.
And on the other side,
Lucian calmly continued.
"A real criminal."
"Wouldn't fight like this."
The wind slowly passed through the ruins.
In the distance,
a burning vehicle gave off a faint explosion.
Dawolf slowly straightened his body.
His chest rose and fell heavily.
Blood slid down his muscles.
That face,
which had always remained hard and unyielding,
finally darkened for the first time.
Lucian continued.
"You used to be a soldier?"
Dawolf did not answer.
"A police officer?"
This time,
Dawolf's gaze finally changed noticeably.
Although it lasted only an instant,
it was enough.
Scope stood in the rear.
His eyes slowly narrowed.
Because for the first time,
he had seen this man who was like steel
show hesitation.
Lucian, meanwhile,
seemed to have already confirmed something.
"Your movements don't look like those of a gangster."
"Nor do they look like those of a mercenary."
"They look more like someone who received formal training."
Dawolf remained silent for several seconds.
Then he slowly spoke.
His voice was low.
"You observe a lot."
Lucian did not deny it.
He simply continued looking at him calmly.
The wind continued to blow through the ruins.
The battlefield actually fell silent for a brief moment.
Dawolf slowly lowered his head.
He looked at the wounds covering his body.
Blood.
More and more of it.
Structural Lock was still being maintained.
But he knew.
If he continued,
he would lose.
For the first time,
he might truly lose.
What surfaced in his mind
was not death.
Nor was it the battle.
It was something he had been hiding.
Dawolf slowly clenched his fists.
Structural Lock began stabilizing his body once again.
But the heaviness on his face
could no longer be hidden for the first time.
Lucian slowly spoke.
"You have someone you must protect."
It was not a question.
It was a confirmation.
Dawolf's pupils finally contracted slightly.
The entire atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Several seconds later,
he slowly spoke.
For the first time,
his voice no longer carried that oppressive force.
Instead,
it was unusually low.
"...You're annoying."
Lucian said nothing.
He simply stood there quietly.
The azure short blade continued to emit a faint glow.
Dawolf slowly raised his head.
He looked toward the sky.
The morning light
had already begun to slowly enter the ruins.
The wind continued to flutter the torn flags.
Distant gunfire could still be heard intermittently.
But here,
it felt as though this place had been separated from the entire battlefield.
Then,
Dawolf finally spoke in a low voice.
"Back then."
"I really was a police officer."
Scope's eyes changed slightly.
Lucian remained silent,
quietly listening.
Dawolf slowly closed his eyes.
As if something he had kept buried for a very long time
was finally beginning to loosen.
"I thought..."
"As long as I caught the bad guys..."
"everything would come to an end."
The wind slowly passed through the ruins.
And his voice
gradually grew quieter.
As if he was finally beginning
to return to the past.