"It's time to make a choice."
Lucian spoke calmly.
"There are only three choices now."
The wind swept through the ruins.
Smoke continued to rise in the distance.
The cries for help over the communication channel came intermittently.
Dawolf said nothing.
"Be used by Cobra until you die."
"Stand against me, and be killed by me."
There was not the slightest fluctuation in Lucian's tone.
As if he were merely stating a fact.
And in truth—
that was exactly what it was.
From the moment preparations for the second wave of deployment had begun,
Dawolf had already been left with no way out.
Escape?
Impossible.
Since Lucian had said, "Stand against me, and be killed by me,"
that possibility had already been ruled out.
"Or…"
Lucian paused.
"Choose the only path that will let you live."
"Do you want to live?"
Lucian's tone was so calm that it hardly sounded like he was asking about life and death.
Dawolf's throat was filled with the taste of blood.
But he still raised his head and answered with what little strength he had left.
"Yes!"
It was almost a roar.
"Of course I want to live! I can't die—not now! My daughter is still young… I haven't even seen her grow up!"
His voice was hoarse.
There was no hesitation.
Those were not carefully prepared words.
They were the truth squeezed out from the depths of his instincts after being pushed to the limit.
Lucian was slightly taken aback.
As if he had not expected such an answer.
Then he let out a quiet laugh.
"You're not quite what you look like."
The laugh was soft, yet strangely clear amid the chaotic battlefield.
"You're quite… good with words."
He paused.
His gaze passed over Dawolf and swept toward the battlefield still burning in the distance.
The flames reflected in his eyes, but left no trace of emotion behind.
"However, this world gives nothing for free."
His voice was not loud, yet every word was painfully clear.
"Power requires a price."
"So does survival."
His gaze returned to Dawolf.
"What can you give me?"
In that instant,
Dawolf did not hesitate.
Because he knew very well that this was his only chance.
"Everything I have."
He said it.
"My flesh, my heart, my life, my dignity."
His voice was already breaking apart, yet remained firm.
"As long as I can live… as long as my daughter can live in a world where she never has to go to war—"
"I'll give it all to you."
The air fell silent for a moment.
Even the explosions seemed to have been pulled far into the distance.
The young man stared at him for a long time.
So long that Dawolf began to wonder whether he had said something wrong.
Then—
Lucian smiled.
It was not mockery.
Nor was it joy.
It was simply—
the calmness of someone confirming that a deal had been made.
"Then, warrior Dawolf."
He said,
"I grant you permission to follow behind me."
"Under my protection—"
"you will enjoy eternal peace."
At that moment,
Dawolf felt as though he had heard the hammer of fate fall.
From the moment Viper had launched an attack on his own troops,
from the moment those cries for help had begun pouring into his ears,
many things had already come to an end.
Dawolf slowly closed his eyes.
Countless images flashed through his mind.
The soldiers who followed him.
His wounded comrades.
Those still waiting to be rescued.
And the little girl who had been protected.
Alma.
Just then—
the sound of vehicle engines suddenly came from the distance.
Everyone instinctively turned their heads.
The third squad was rapidly returning.
An escort vehicle passed through the ruins,
drawing closer and closer.
The door opened.
An escort team member jumped out first.
Then—
a small figure rushed out of the vehicle.
"Dad!"
Her voice was choked with tears.
Filled with fear that had been suppressed for far too long.
Filled with the collapse that came after finally finding someone to rely on.
Dawolf's body jolted violently.
The next second,
Alma had already thrown herself into his arms.
"Dad!"
"Dad!"
"Dad!"
The girl clung tightly to him.
Tears streamed down her face.
Her shoulders trembled nonstop.
She had been holding everything in.
Constantly telling herself that she could not cry.
That she could not cause trouble for anyone else.
But now that she had finally found her father,
all of her emotions instantly broke loose.
Dawolf slowly lowered his head.
He looked at his daughter in his arms.
His palm trembled slightly.
Then he slowly placed it on her head.
He said nothing.
He simply held her tighter.
As if she would disappear again the moment he loosened his arms even slightly.
The surroundings fell silent.
The escort team members quietly stepped back.
No one disturbed them.
Several seconds later,
Alma finally raised her head.
Her eyes were red.
"Dad."
"I thought I'd never see you again."
Dawolf's throat tightened slightly.
After a long silence,
he finally spoke in a low voice.
"It's okay now."
"It's all over."
Alma nodded hard.
Then hugged him even tighter.
And just then—
the communication channel suddenly crackled with an urgent voice.
"Second-wave targets confirmed!"
"Estimated deployment within several dozen seconds!"
"Repeat!"
"Estimated deployment within several dozen seconds!"
Everyone looked up simultaneously.
High above in the sky,
new black dots had appeared.
Their numbers far exceeded those of the first wave.
They were rapidly approaching.
The escort team member responsible for observation changed expression.
"Too fast!"
"We won't have time to evacuate everyone!"
Elsewhere,
within the ruins,
large numbers of wounded personnel had still not been evacuated.
Many were even trapped beneath collapsed vehicles.
If the second wave landed,
the consequences would be unimaginable.
The air tightened once again.
Lucian slowly raised his head.
His gaze turned toward the distant sky.
The black dots were rapidly growing larger.
They had already entered visible range.
The automatic navigation systems were correcting their coordinates.
Targets locked.
The wounded area.
The transport area.
The temporary medical station.
Every vulnerable position
was within the coverage zone.
The wind swept through the ruins,
lifting dust from the ground.
Lucian suddenly stepped forward.
"Young Master."
An escort team member instinctively called out.
Lucian did not stop.
"Keep saving people."
His voice was calm.
As if he were simply giving an ordinary order.
The next second—
Boom.
A ring of air suddenly exploded from the ground.
Broken stones flew in every direction.
His figure had already disappeared.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
A continuous series of explosions rang out in the distance.
Lucian's figure kept leaping forward.
Every time he appeared,
he crossed dozens of meters.
As if space itself were being compressed.
In just a few seconds,
he had already reached the area ahead of the incoming deployment zone.
He stopped.
Alone in the center of the ruins.
There was no cover around him.
No escort.
No support.
Only him.
Facing the entire sky.
The next second,
a faint azure light spread outward from beneath his feet.
Like ripples spreading across a calm lake,
it slowly expanded in every direction.
The air seemed to grow quiet.
The wind began to weaken.
Even the floating dust gradually slowed.
Then—
azure light ignited within his eyes.
Cold.
Steady.
As if an eternal flame burned within them.
Immediately afterward,
countless tiny points of light began gathering toward his right hand.
One.
Two.
Ten.
A hundred.
More and more azure particles emerged from the air,
continuously condensing.
Finally,
a longbow formed entirely from azure energy appeared in his hand.
The bow was slender and elongated.
Faint patterns of light flowed across its surface,
as though it were alive.
Lucian slowly raised his head.
He looked toward the sky.
His gaze swept across the incoming deployment drones.
He did not attack immediately.
Instead, he observed.
Their trajectories.
Their speed.
Their altitude.
Their landing zones.
One.
Two.
Three.
Data from dozens of drones continuously entered his calculations.
Very soon,
the result appeared.
Not every drone posed a threat to personnel.
Some would land in open areas.
Some would land in already abandoned zones.
Only a portion of them truly needed to be dealt with.
Lucian slowly drew the bowstring.
Vmmm—
The air emitted a deep vibration.
An azure arrow began to condense.
Its light grew brighter and brighter.
Then—
he released the string.
Boom!
The arrow vanished instantly.
Almost at the exact same moment,
a drone high in the sky suddenly exploded.
Flames spread.
Metal fragments scattered in every direction.
Before anyone could react,
the second arrow had already appeared.
Boom!
Another drone broke apart in midair.
Third arrow.
Fourth arrow.
Fifth arrow.
Lucian's movements grew faster and faster as he drew the bow.
Streams of azure light shot into the sky.
Like meteors flying in reverse.
Each one struck its target with absolute precision.
High above,
explosions continued to bloom.
Flames lit up one after another.
The team members responsible for security were completely stunned.
"What is that…?"
No one answered.
Because everyone was watching.
Watching the young man standing alone in the center of the ruins.
Watching the deaths that should have fallen from the sky
being destroyed one arrow after another.
And what was even more astonishing was—
not every drone was attacked.
Those that posed no threat to personnel
were not even given a second glance by Lucian.
As if he had already completed every calculation inside his mind.
Leaving only the truly dangerous targets.
Then eliminating them one by one.
The precision was almost terrifying.
Several seconds later,
a drone suddenly changed its trajectory.
It began falling toward the temporary medical area.
Lucian's gaze shifted slightly.
The next instant—
an arrow left the bowstring.
Boom!
The drone exploded several hundred meters above the ground.
Burning fragments fell toward an unoccupied area in the distance.
Not a single person was injured.
Then the second.
The third.
The fourth.
One drone after another.
The sky seemed to have become a hunting ground.
And every dangerous target
was unable to escape those azure eyes.
Several dozen seconds later,
the final deployment drone locked onto the wounded area was struck.
It exploded with a deafening roar.
The sky fell silent once again.
Only a few burning fragments remained,
trailing flames as they fell into the distance.
And the wounded area—
remained completely unharmed.
The wind slowly swept through.
Lucian lowered the longbow.
The azure weapon in his hand began transforming into countless points of light,
gradually dispersing.
The glow in his eyes slowly faded as well.
As if nothing had happened.
In the distance,
the communication channel remained silent for several seconds.
Then—
voices filled with disbelief suddenly erupted.
"We stopped them!"
"We stopped every single one!"
"The wounded area is safe!"
"Repeat!"
"The wounded area is safe!"
The voices that had once been filled with despair
now became powerful once again.
The medical personnel continued their rescue efforts.
Transport vehicles started moving again.
Those trapped beneath the ruins were gradually pulled free.
The entire evacuation zone began operating once again.
And in the distance,
Dawolf held Alma in his arms,
quietly watching in that direction.
The girl in his arms had stopped crying.
She was simply staring at the distant figure in a daze as well.
After a long while,
Alma spoke softly.
"Dad."
"Hmm?"
"That person is amazing."
Dawolf remained silent for a moment.
Then slowly nodded.
"Yeah."
His gaze never left that figure.
Because just moments ago,
he had witnessed with his own eyes—
what it meant to provide protection.
What it meant to make a promise.
And what it meant to keep that promise.