The Butcher of Sargon (LoL x Arknight Fanfiction)

"Willy?"

The operative stared at the large eyes, thinking he was dreaming at first. 

But his body's instincts forced him to glance sideways. 

He had just dozed off by accident, fallen asleep unintentionally.

Impossible!

Fresh blood dripped down, outlining a fiery red shape that looked like lips—like a mouth that could swallow a person whole in one bite. 

The operative finally saw it. 

Beside him were the standing legs of another operative, standing straight and tall. 

From the waist up, he had been cleanly bitten off, without making a sound. 

If there weren't two people on watch, no one would even know that the sentinel had died.

But even with two people on guard, they hadn't reacted to the sudden attack. 

Because he had fallen asleep! 

The weight of guilt almost crushed him, but it was quickly replaced by anger—intense, overwhelming anger.

"You! How dare you!"

The operative's roar woke everyone. 

He grabbed the greatsword by the window and swung it with all his might at the creature that had killed his companion. 

As he swung, the creature seemed to swallow something, its pink tongue licking its lips clean of blood.

By the time the greatsword struck, the creature had finished its meal. 

It had planned to eat another person, but its predatory instincts told it to leave. 

It vanished into the night rain as if it were invisible, leaving the operative's greatsword to cut through empty air.

"Gavin, what happened?" Saria arrived first, seeing the Lupus operative's soulless eyes.

"Director, it's my fault Willy died! It's my fault!"

"Calm down. Tell me what happened!"

"There was an invisible creature. It ate Willy!"

Saria's face darkened at Gavin's words. 

She saw the remains of Willy's body—a veteran operative who hadn't had time to react before being killed.

"It's a chameleon. That's what I call it. These creatures should only appear deeper in the forest, but the rainy season must have driven it out to hunt on the periphery."

Garde had awakened at the scent of blood.

"These creatures are intelligent. They know which enemies they can provoke and which they can't."

"Everyone, rest," Saria ordered. "I'll keep watch from now on."

Garde left the sandcastle and climbed onto the roof. 

Watching his silhouette, the Lupus operative wanted to ask why Garde hadn't warned them about such creatures. 

But his lips only quivered; he didn't speak. 

The answer had been on the first page of the handbook given to them.

It was his responsibility. 

He knew that. If he hadn't fallen asleep and had stayed vigilant, this wouldn't have happened.

"Everyone, go back to sleep!"

After Saria finished speaking, she patted the Lupus operative on the shoulder without offering any words of comfort. 

A mistake was a mistake, but it wasn't solely his fault—she was also to blame. 

She hadn't taken into account the physical condition of the other operatives. 

After a day of trekking and fighting, everyone was exhausted. 

Sometimes, it's not about wanting to hold on; it's about whether you physically can.

"Director Saria?"

"Rest," she replied, her mood somber. "Garde will keep watch for us."

For the first time, Saria felt truly exhausted. 

Deep inside, a voice told her not to rely on others. 

Garde wasn't a Rhine Lab operative; he had no reason to constantly protect them. 

Yet another voice argued that she had done her best and that the challenges they faced were beyond what she could handle alone. 

Deaths and injuries are inevitable in any mission, especially in the world's most dangerous places.

If she let Garde handle everything, if she had brought him into the heart of the Hotland from the beginning, he could have brought the medicine out a second time just as he did the first. 

But before such a despicable thought could fully form, Saria quashed it. 

If Garde ever became a Rhine Lab employee and received adequate compensation, then she could reasonably ask him to shoulder these burdens. 

But now, Garde had asked for nothing in return.

The more Garde did, the more uneasy Saria felt. 

She didn't know what Garde truly wanted, and if she let him handle everything, would she be able to compensate him fairly when the time came?

Saria's momentary hesitation and struggle were noticed by Chris. 

It was the first time she had seen Saria show such an expression, not like the omnipotent head of the Defense Department she admired and aspired to become. 

But this vulnerable side of Saria made her seem more relatable and less distant.

"Mr. Gavin, let me help you!" Chris approached as Gavin pulled a body bag from the car. 

Even though everyone had prepared for the possibility of sacrifice, facing it still brought confusion and fear. 

They didn't know if the next one to die would be themselves.

Chris looked at the remains of the fallen operative and wondered if she would end up the same way. 

Despite her usual timid nature, she found unexpected courage in this moment.

"No, it's fine," The Lupus operative shook his head, refusing Chris's help. "This is my responsibility. It's my fault Willy died!" His clenched fists were tight enough to draw blood. 

If not for his sense of duty, he would have chased down the damned chameleon monster.

With Garde on night watch, the rest of the night passed without incident. 

In the morning, Saria announced Willy's death. 

There was no time for sorrow; everyone knew they had to keep moving. 

There was no turning back.

They were deep in the Hotland, with no choice but to forge ahead.

But as they stepped out of the camp, they saw the corpses of numerous beasts, as if someone had slaughtered all the intruders while they slept.

"Awake?" Garde, the crocodile-man on the roof, licked his lips, swung his tail, and grabbed his weapon. 

His immense battle-axe, shaped like a crescent moon, was still dripping with thick blood.

"Let's keep moving," he said.

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