The main meeting hall of the Oldenberg Estate had fallen into complete chaos.
Voices overlapped in a storm of anger, shock, and disbelief. Injured wolf soldiers were being dragged through the hallways outside, leaving trails of blood across the marble floors. Servants moved nervously between rooms, carrying medical supplies with trembling hands.
In the center of the massive circular chamber, the remaining core elites of the Oldenberg family sat around the long black table in grim silence.
Jared Oldenberg stood at the head of the table, gripping its edge so tightly that the wood beneath his fingers cracked. His face was twisted with barely contained rage.
"Say it again," he demanded, voice low and dangerous.
One injured messenger lowered his head immediately, still trembling. "L-Lord Malcolm and Lady Charlotte are dead."
Silence.
Pure, suffocating silence.
Leon Oldenberg suddenly slammed both hands onto the table and shot to his feet. "Impossible!" His yellow eyes glowed with violent fury. "There's no way those two died together against one man!"
Cedric Oldenberg growled in agreement. "That bastard should've been torn apart already!"
Helena Oldenberg remained completely calm, arms crossed, her sharp mind already calculating what came next. Unlike the others, she wasn't shocked that Luke had won. She was measuring the consequences.
Victor Oldenberg finally spoke, his voice quiet. "How many soldiers are still combat capable?"
The messenger swallowed nervously. "…Almost none."
Several elites looked up sharply.
The messenger continued shakily, "The entire assault squad has been neutralized. Most are unconscious. Some suffered severe fractures. Lady Charlotte's personal unit was completely destroyed."
The room grew heavier.
Even Magnus Oldenberg slowly frowned. Because now they finally understood something terrifying.
Luke Ross hadn't just survived.
He had dominated them.
Darius Oldenberg leaned back in his chair, expression unusually serious. "…He got stronger."
Nobody argued. They all knew it was true. The Luke they remembered from years ago was dangerous. But this version felt abnormal.
Arthur spoke nervously, "Then what do we do now? If he attacks the estate directly—"
Cedric immediately interrupted. "Then we kill him. Simple."
Helena looked at him with clear irritation. "With what exactly?" She gestured toward the large screen displaying security footage from the battle. Luke's blood-covered, monstrous form was frozen mid-strike. "He's injured. Silver burns. Deep tissue damage. He's exhausted." A vicious smile slowly spread across Cedric's face. "That monster is finally weakened."
Leon grinned as well. "Yeah… One final push and he's finished."
Jared slowly lifted his head. His breathing steadied as cold calculation replaced raw rage. He stared at the frozen image of Luke on the screen for a long moment.
Then he spoke.
"…Call John Lannister."
The room went silent instantly.
Even Helena's eyes narrowed slightly.
Victor frowned. "Are you certain?"
Jared looked toward the massive window overlooking the dark estate grounds, his eyes burning with deep-seated hatred.
"Luke may be stronger than before…" A slow, dangerous smile appeared on his face. "But nobody defeats Jonathan Lannister in direct combat."
He turned back to the table, the decision made.
"And after fighting an entire battalion… putting Luke down now will be a piece of cake."
30 minutes later.
The massive metal gates of the Oldenberg Estate stood like the entrance to a fortress — cold, imposing, and heavily reinforced. Dozens of armed guards waited behind them in formation, silver weapons drawn, automatic rifles ready, their eyes sharp with tension.
And standing just outside those gates was Luke.
Half-naked. Covered in blood. Bruises and silver burns spread across his entire torso and arms like war tattoos. Yet despite looking like he had walked straight out of hell, his eyes still burned with wild excitement.
One of the guards raised his rifle immediately. "STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Luke looked at the enormous gate for one second.
Then he casually bent his knees.
BOOM!
The ground beneath him cracked apart as he launched himself straight upward. The guards' eyes widened in shock. Luke spun once mid-air with effortless grace and cleared the massive steel gates entirely.
THUD!
He landed heavily in the estate courtyard. The marble beneath his bare feet shattered from the impact, sending cracks spiderwebbing outward.
The wolf guards reacted instantly. Dozens surrounded him from every direction, silver blades extended, guns raised and aimed at his head.
Luke slowly rolled his shoulders once, then lowered his stance slightly, ready to fight again.
And honestly — he looked excited about it.
Then suddenly, a tired voice echoed from behind the wall of guards.
"Everyone stand down."
The soldiers froze. Then slowly stepped aside, parting like water.
Walking through the crowd was Jonathan Lannister.
Short blond hair slightly messy, long dark coat draped over his shoulders, and the exhausted expression of a man who absolutely did not want to be awake right now.
John rubbed his forehead before speaking. "Lord Jared called me to handle him." His tired eyes shifted toward the guards. "You guys can leave."
The soldiers hesitated briefly, then slowly backed away, though many kept their weapons trained on Luke.
Meanwhile, Luke's face immediately brightened.
"JOHN!" A huge grin spread across his face. "How are you doing?"
Then he looked John up and down dramatically. "You look… tired." Another pause. "Did they call you while you were sleeping?"
John stared at him blankly, completely unamused. "Yes." He sighed deeply. "In fact, I was having a really good sleep."
Then his eyes narrowed slightly. "But you just had to make a commotion, didn't you?"
Luke immediately raised both hands defensively. "Hey, I didn't even do anything this time. They attacked me and Miss Iris."
John raised one eyebrow. "Really? You didn't make the first move?"
Luke nodded proudly. "Yes. I simply reacted."
John's eyes slowly moved across Luke's battered body — the bruises, the claw marks, the silver burns still smoking faintly. Then he sighed again.
"…Oh. Now I understand why they called me." A small pause. "They lied."
Luke grinned proudly. "Well, it's good you're here."
Then his smile slowly widened, almost feral now. "I'm in the mood for battle." A pause. "Let's fight."
John immediately shook his head. "Hell no."
Luke blinked.
John pointed directly at the injuries covering Luke's body. "You already took too much damage." Then he crossed his arms. "If I beat you now, you'll never shut up about how I only won because you were injured."
Luke immediately burst out laughing. "Like you could beat me at all." His grin sharpened. "I've beaten you in much worse conditions."
John's tired eyes twitched instantly. "…Okay." He slowly removed his coat. "Now I don't care anymore."
Luke laughed loudly. "HAHA! You're still so easy to provoke!"
Both men slowly lowered themselves into fighting stances. The atmosphere instantly became heavier. More dangerous. Even the distant guards watching from the balconies began sweating nervously.
Because these two monsters standing together alone already felt terrifying.
Then suddenly, John spoke again — calmly. Seriously.
"Before we do this…"
Luke frowned slightly.
John looked directly into his eyes. "Tell me something."
A pause.
"Did you master it?"