Hawke rode on the Rock Rhino at noon, standing near the Gloomy Forest.

    This place was secretive because reaching it required passing through Hawke''s "Toll Station" and then traveling another two miles into the forest.

    "Strange!" Hawke frowned, muttering to himself. "Raito promised to bring that bastard here by noon. Why hasn''t he shown up yet?"

    It was already noon, and the sun was directly overhead, but there was still no sign of Raito.

    A sense of unease crept into Hawke''s heart. He wasn''t worried about Noan defeating Raito—that was impossible.

    It was well known that Raito was a Rank E lord who had reached Level 2, whereas Noan was merely a Rank F lord, at most capable of reaching Level 1.

    Moreover, Raito possessed an E+ rank hero. He could easily emerge victorious even if he faced five Rank F lords at once.

    Hawke truly feared that after obtaining Noan''s secret, Raito would keep it to himself and betray him.

    In this barren land, having a food supply was enough to determine the fate of countless lords.

    "Tsk! How long does that bastard plan to keep me waiting?" Hawke muttered impatiently under his breath.

    Rustle! Rustle!

    Suddenly, a sound came from the bushes opposite him as if someone was hiding within.

    Hawke frowned and barked, "Who''s there?!"

    "It''s me!" Raito emerged from the bushes.

    Seeing Raito''s body covered with a few wounds, Hawke frowned and asked, "What happened? Where''s that bastard?"

    Raito snorted in frustration and grumbled, "Damn it! I should be the one asking you that."

    "What do you mean?" Hawke asked, puzzled.

    "You told me he was just a Rank F lord, right?" Raito dusted himself off as he walked closer to Hawke.

    "That''s right," Hawke replied with a frown.

    "Damn it! That information was wrong. He''s a Rank E lord, Level 1."

    "Impossible!" Hawke immediately refuted. "I saw his soldiers myself. Just a few Skeletons—how could he possibly be Rank E?"

    "How the hell should I know?" Raito shouted in frustration. "He suddenly summoned a Rank E hero! I nearly got killed by him!"

    "Luckily, I brought all three of my heroes with me. Otherwise, I would''ve been dead."

    Hawke found it hard to believe, but seeing the fresh wounds on Raito''s body, the lingering traces of blood, and the anger on his face, he began to believe—at least somewhat.

    However, Hawke only trusted Raito to a small extent. He couldn''t completely rule out the possibility that Raito had learned the secret, killed Noan, and was now pretending that Noan had escaped.

    "You didn''t chase after him?" Hawke asked suspiciously.

    "Chase him?!" Raito yelled. "He ran into the Gloomy Forest! Do you think I have a death wish?"

    "You know about that explosion, don''t you? How the hell do you expect me to chase him in there? I''m not an idiot."

    Hawke was still skeptical, but Raito had stopped right before him and spoke impatiently. "Help me out here. Take me into the Gloomy Forest to find that brat."

    He wasn''t worried about Raito ambushing him—after all, Raito only had a single Rank E High Orc with him, which posed no real threat to Hawke.

    As they ventured about two miles into the forest, an unsettling feeling began creeping up on Hawke.

    It wasn''t the gloomy atmosphere of the forest that disturbed him—it was his instincts warning him that something terrible was about to happen.

    Hawke gazed deeper into the woods, where darkness thickened like a black mist, obscuring his vision.

    Frowning, he was about to command his Rock Rhino to turn back when Raito, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.

    "You''re planning to turn back?"

    Hawke frowned. "That''s right. He may have escaped in another direction. There''s no need for us to waste our time here."

    "Hahahahaha..." Raito suddenly burst into laughter—a chilling, eerie sound that only amplified the growing sense of dread within Hawke.

    "What the hell are you laughing at?"

    "Hahahaha..."

    "Shut up! Right now!" Hawke barked.

    Raito looked at Hawke and smirked. "Sorry, but you can''t leave."

    "What do you mean? I—"

    Clang! Clang!

    Before Hawke could finish his sentence, the sharp sound of metal clashing echoed through the air.

    In the next instant, countless chains shot out, binding him and his heroes tightly, suspending them in midair.

    He was startled, his face filled with terror as he frantically looked around. At that moment, he realized that the chains binding him had pierced through the very fabric of space around him.

    Just what kind of monster was powerful enough to do something like this?

    Hawke''s fear deepened when he saw that his other heroes were also tightly bound, completely immobilized.

    Panicked, he shouted, "Raito! What the hell are you doing? Let me go! If you don''t, the Boss won''t spare you!"

    Raito stared at Hawke for a moment. Then, without warning, he closed his eyes and collapsed onto the ground as if he had lost consciousness.

    "Raito! Raito!" Hawke screamed, his voice laced with confusion and fear. The situation was so bizarre that he had no idea what to do next.

    Suddenly, he felt the chains tightening around him.

    "What the hell?! No! I—mmph... umph..."

    Before he could finish his cry, another chain shot forward, piercing straight through his throat.

    His eyes widened in horror as he struggled desperately, but it was all in vain.

    Hawke could feel his life force slipping away, his fear so overwhelming that he wet himself.

    But it didn''t matter. The chains continued their merciless assault, killing him and his heroes alike.

    In the end, he never found out who—or what—had killed him, nor did he understand why he had to die.

    All he could do was carry that confusion into the depths of hell.