Chapter 22
The spoils from the slaughtered Frost Sabertooths were enough to replace the lesser undead consumed by the three Hero Units' Sacrifice ability.
Morwen took charge of the aftermath.
"I'll report everything to our Lord. Eldran, Varkhul, please remain here in case the enemy returns."
Both nodded.
Morwen departed for the Territory at once.
...
Simon did not seek out the werewolf commander after fleeing Frostbound Bastion.
He ran for Giles's Territory instead.
If he had killed Lilith, he might have been able to talk his way out of everything.
But he had failed.
The Frost Sabertooths under his command were gone, and he had personally murdered seven native werewolves.
No explanation would save him.
Simon knew werewolves well enough to know the commander would have him executed.
His only option was to disappear.
With nowhere else to go, he returned to Giles's Territory to lick his wounds.
He would stay hidden until the conflict in the Frostlands burned out, then resurface once he figured out why he couldn't advance to Elite Rank.
Once I break through, every last one of you dies!
A violent cough cut his roar short.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
Then pain split his skull.
"Argh!"
Simon staggered, his consciousness suddenly swimming.
One eye changed.
A different awareness surfaced behind it, and half his body stopped answering him.
Simon understood immediately.
"Giles! Don't you dare!"
His injuries and depleted bloodline had given Giles's buried consciousness an opening to fight back.
Two minds tore at each other inside the same body.
Simon still controlled enough of it to threaten suicide, but Giles ignored the threat.
He knew Simon had fought too hard to reclaim his life. Simon would never willingly destroy the body they shared.
Giles was right.
Simon couldn't bring himself to do it.
His grip weakened until Giles finally gained the upper hand.
The body was Giles's, after all.
But reclaiming it came at a terrible price.
Giles was barely conscious, and both his bloodline and his Rank remained far weaker than Simon's.
His victory was temporary.
He couldn't drive Simon out of his body.
He didn't even know how long he'd stay in control.
A day.
Two hours.
Maybe only another second.
Simon could return at any moment.
"I don't... have much time."
Giles fought for breath.
He searched desperately for a way out, but the System offered nothing.
Could he go to the native werewolves for help?
No.
After Simon's crimes, they would likely kill him on sight.
And even if they spared the body, they would strengthen the superior werewolf bloodline—Simon's bloodline—and hand Simon back control.
After this rebellion, they might even find a way to seal Giles's consciousness for good.
Giles ran through every possibility he could think of.
None offered hope.
Damn it. Am I supposed to just let Simon keep my body?
Rage boiled up in him.
He regretted absorbing Simon's blood more than anything he had done since arriving in this world.
Unlike Simon, though, Giles was the body's true owner.
Fragments of memory lingered from everything Simon had done at the helm.
As Giles settled back into the body, those memories returned.
He saw Simon marching on Frostbound Bastion under his name.
He heard Simon threaten Lilith.
He remembered the battle.
Fury burned through his exhaustion.
At least Lilith had been strong enough to stop him before the damage became irreversible.
Giles couldn't let her go on believing he had betrayed her.
While his hands were still his own, he sent her a full account of what had happened.
He apologized without excuses and swore that nothing like it would ever happen again.
But how could he make that promise?
After exhausting every other option, Giles had reached a decision.
He would never take werewolf form again. The transformation might hand Simon control on the spot.
Moving unsteadily, Giles entered the Warehouse and retrieved a wooden spear.
It was the first weapon he had crafted after arriving in this world.
The crude point couldn't punch through heavy bone, but it was sharp enough to pierce a throat.
Giles reversed his grip and set the tip beneath his jaw.
As long as he stayed human, a wound like that would kill him.
It was the only guarantee he could offer Lilith.
It was also the only way he could think of to end Simon permanently.
Giles drew a slow breath.
Then he drove the spear toward his throat.
The point never reached him.
Simon's survival instinct surged through the body, igniting another struggle for control.
"Giles, don't you dare!"
"You're already dead, Simon!"
The shared body crashed to the ground.
One arm wrestled the other. Legs kicked against the floor as the two minds ripped at each other from within.
To anyone watching, Giles would have looked utterly insane.
By the time the struggle ended, the body was covered in wounds.
The damage had weakened Giles's soul along with it.
Simon overwhelmed him and forced his consciousness back down into darkness.
Even without Simon's interference, Giles could never have finished the act.
This was still his body. Every injury weakened him first, giving Simon more room to seize control.
Unless Giles could kill himself in a single instant, any attempt at self-harm would only hand the body back to Simon.
His plan had never stood a chance.
Once Simon regained full control, laughter filled the room.
"You thought you could beat me?"
He rose unsteadily.
"That bloodline inside you came from me."
Simon shifted into his werewolf form.
The body's ordinary injuries healed almost at once.
The wounds carved by undead power remained, though, and he was still badly weakened.
Yet Giles's attempt had given him an idea.
A way to lure Lilith out again.
"So you got close to Lilith while I was gone."
His smile stretched wider.
"I can use that."
Simon opened the System interface and sent her another message.
[Runeforge: I've tried everything I can think of, but I can't stop Simon from taking control. I have nowhere else to turn. Please help me.]
[Runeforge: I can't even kill myself. The moment I try, Simon seizes my body again. If there truly is no way to save me, then I want you to kill me yourself—end this before I hurt anyone else.]
Simon mimicked Giles's manner perfectly.
Then he sat on the floor and laughed.
He spoke aloud, knowing Giles could still hear him.
"I understand Lilith better than you do. You helped her once, and she's stupid enough to repay every debt."
"Whether she thinks she can save you or not, she'll come in person to see for herself."
"All I have to do is keep playing you."
"When she lowers her guard, I'll kill her."
Giles thrashed beneath the surface, but Simon crushed his consciousness back down.
"Don't worry."
"You'll never control this body again."
Simon's laughter echoed through the empty Territory.
"My revenge is finally within reach."