Of course Hugh knew what was going on here.
In truth, it had been perfectly clear from the very start—the Big and Will be Bad Wolf had been lurking within the Saluzzo Family all along.
According to Hugh's guess, the Wolf might have activated some kind of "territorial" mechanism… From the very moment it set foot in Siracusa, it had chosen a family as its territory, and undoubtedly, a brutal conflict ensued.
Hugh didn't know the details, but from the result, it was obvious that the Big and Will be Bad Wolf had won. And now, greedily, it desired even more territory.
Thus, the Saluzzo Family began displaying abnormal hostility. Hugh was almost certain it was due to the Wolf's influence, forcing the Saluzzos to aggressively expand.
And the moment Zaaro appeared, the Big and Will be Bad Wolf sensed another of its kind, instantly triggering its territorial instinct. To the Wolf, having two "wolves" in such a small area was utterly intolerable.
Thus, it took action, bringing along the entire Saluzzo Family into the battlefield—simple as that.
And what would come next… Hugh greatly anticipated.
He knew exactly where Da'at had gone. He understood it clearly. After all, fundamentally, both of them represented the "Will of the City." That night, when Da'at quietly left, she went straight to the Saluzzo Family. With some subtle temporal manipulation from T Corp., Da'at infiltrated the Saluzzos; and now, she was leaving their ranks, heading towards the battlefield—purposefully drawing Kali after her.
From the very beginning, the operation had an extremely obvious target—
—Hugh never once believed Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary could single-handedly defeat the berserk Wolf, plus Zaaro, perhaps even confronting the entirety of the Saluzzo Family as well… But if you added the Red Mist into the equation?
This was Hugh's purpose—and Da'at's as well.
"All right, now let's see the performance of the Red Mist… Oh, right, mustn't forget Little Red Riding Hood… Her task is already complete. It's about time to recover that asset."
A slight smile hanging at the corners of his lips, Hugh murmured softly, then flipped open his communicator.
At the same moment, Texas received a call from Hugh.
"Head toward the battlefield right now—the Wolf has appeared."
From the moment the call connected, Hugh spoke decisively. Texas hadn't even gotten the chance to question him further when Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary next to her suddenly twisted her head sharply, eyes flickering with intense light.
"I smell it… I smell the wolf's scent."
"From this far away?"
Texas turned her head toward the Wolf Hunter in mild astonishment, but before she could fully react, the mercenary had already broken into a rapid dash forward. Texas froze briefly before hearing Hugh's voice, faintly tinged with cruel amusement, coming through the communicator:
"If you want to witness a truly good show… I suggest you hurry over now."
Texas fell silent for a moment, sighed deeply, and ended the call. She put the communicator away, slung her firearm over her shoulder, and began to sprint forward as well.
Then… let's see clearly what kind of grand performance Hugh was talking about.
...
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
Two clouds of mist violently collided, then simultaneously manifested physical forms. The Big and Will be Bad Wolf bit ferociously into Zaaro's body. Zaaro howled in pain, vicious fury lighting up his features…
Bernardo stood far away, watching this scene through binoculars. He exhaled heavily, anxiety clearly visible in his gaze.
Can it really… be killed?
In the next moment, just as Zaaro broke free, landing on all fours to launch a counterattack, everything around him suddenly slowed dramatically… A drone flew overhead, precisely dropping a time-dilation device onto Zaaro's body.
Taking advantage of Zaaro's brief struggle to remove it, the Wolf once again opened its massive jaws, lunging toward Zaaro. But at that very instant, a single shot pierced through the air—Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary had arrived exactly on schedule, a scarlet aura rising fiercely beneath her feet.
"…All Thumb personnel withdraw. Your task is finished… Leave the battlefield to the others from here."
At that very moment, this command clearly echoed through every Thumb soldier's communicator—Texas's voice.
An order from their boss—unquestionable.
Immediately, the Thumb retreated from the scene like a receding tide. The Bellone Family momentarily stood baffled, unable to grasp why this battle had suddenly halted… But in the next instant, forces from the Saluzzo Family surged forth aggressively, launching a sudden ambush upon the Bellone troops.
From further behind, Alberto Saluzzo observed the sudden chaos erupting on the battlefield ahead and furrowed his brow deeply.
Then, turning his head slightly, he glanced at Da'at beside him, and fell into silence.
She was clearly a prisoner… yet why was she smiling so happily?
Looking at Da'at, who wore such a radiant expression beside him, Alberto couldn't help but wonder silently.
Da'at had been captured by the Saluzzo Family midway. During their march, she suddenly appeared amidst the troops, wearing Bellone's insignia, clearly signaling surrender, and was thus taken captive. Afterward, things turned somewhat unclear, but in short, this prisoner ended up being personally guarded by Alberto himself.
In Alberto's view, this person was extremely suspicious… Thus, the entire way, he'd repeatedly questioned Da'at. But no matter how he asked, Da'at only redirected topics casually, always maintaining that carefree smile.
And now, seeing her still smiling… Alberto suddenly felt an ominous premonition creeping through his heart.
Precisely at this moment, another shift erupted upon the battlefield.
As Zaaro, the Wolf Hunter, the Big and Will be Bad Wolf, Saluzzo, and Bellone's troops clashed chaotically—a single scarlet figure slowly stepped onto the battlefield amidst the gently falling rain. She swung her Mimicry E.G.O over her shoulder, calmly gazing at the three monsters before her.
Kali had entered the battlefield.
"…Just what the hell kind of nonsense are you people stirring up here this time?"
Kali let out a long sigh, annoyance clearly glinting in her narrowed eyes. At the same instant, Alberto noticed that Da'at's smile beside him had become more dazzling than ever before. Then, abruptly, she wiped that smile away entirely.
"Hey—! Over here—!"
Suddenly, Alberto heard Da'at shouting at the top of her lungs.
And in the next moment, he saw clearly that the woman who had just stepped onto the battlefield immediately snapped her head around, fiercely locking onto his position.
In that instant, a feeling as though he had been targeted by a hunter—no, by Death itself—spread uncontrollably through the Lupo's heart.