Chapter 36: The Wolf King's Declaration
Smoke poured through the shattered National Assembly Hall.
The elegant debate stage had become a battlefield in seconds.
Broken glass covered the marble floor.
Emergency alarms echoed through the building.
Panic spread through the audience as security officers rushed civilians toward emergency exits.
Kang Tae-hyun's first instinct wasn't to attack.
It was to protect.
"Eun-woo!"
"Get the civilians out!"
Kim Eun-woo nodded immediately.
"Min-jae, with me!"
Without hesitation, both men moved through the smoke, shielding frightened families and guiding them toward safety.
The Wolf King watched with amusement.
"You really are different from the others."
---
Viktor Volkov slowly walked onto the damaged stage.
His black combat coat swayed with each step.
The crimson wolf emblem on his shoulder caught the flashing emergency lights.
Behind him stood nearly forty elite mercenaries.
Every movement was disciplined.
Professional.
They weren't gangsters.
They were soldiers.
Han Soo-jin studied their formation.
"They're former special forces..."
The Hidden King glanced toward her.
"You recognize them?"
"I've seen this formation before."
"In Eastern Europe."
"They don't lose contracts."
"They erase them."
---
The Wolf King smiled.
"So..."
"The famous White Fox."
"I've heard stories."
Han answered coldly.
"I wish I could say the same."
He laughed.
"I like you already."
---
Kang Tang stepped forward.
"You attacked civilians."
"No."
Volkov corrected him.
"I attacked symbols."
He pointed toward the damaged Assembly Hall.
"Governments."
"Councils."
"Organizations."
"They all become weak."
"They all become corrupt."
He spread his arms.
"So I replace them."
The Hidden King spoke for the first time.
"You replace them with yourself."
"Exactly."
Volkov grinned.
"At least I don't pretend otherwise."
---
The Raven quietly moved beside Kang Tang.
"You've heard of him?"
Kang Tang asked.
The Raven nodded once.
"Only rumors."
"They called him impossible to capture."
"Former military?"
"No."
"Worse."
"He created armies for whoever paid the highest price."
---
Outside the Assembly Hall...
Television cameras continued broadcasting live.
Millions across South Korea watched in horror.
The debate had become an international hostage crisis.
News channels switched from political analysis to breaking emergency coverage.
Within minutes...
The President ordered the military onto high alert.
---
Inside...
Volkov clapped slowly.
"Interesting."
"The Dragon."
"The Hidden King."
"The White Fox."
"And the Raven."
"The four greatest strategists in Korea."
He smiled wider.
"I've saved years of hunting."
Han narrowed her eyes.
"What do you want?"
"The Second Ledger."
Silence.
Then he continued.
"And the Council's financial network."
The Hidden King folded his arms.
"You've been watching us."
"For years."
Volkov answered.
"While you fought each other..."
"I bought your enemies."
---
Director Kwon whispered,
"This isn't a coincidence."
Kang Tang nodded.
"No."
"Someone hired him."
Volkov overheard.
"Incorrect."
"No one hires me."
"I bought the contract."
The room fell silent.
"You... bought your own mission?"
Volkov laughed.
"When the prize is an entire country..."
"...why work for someone else?"
---
Without warning...
A loud explosion echoed beneath the building.
The floor trembled violently.
One of Volkov's soldiers reported through an earpiece.
"The underground vault is open."
Volkov smiled.
"Excellent."
Kang Tang immediately understood.
"The debate..."
"...was never your target."
"It was the distraction."
Volkov bowed politely.
"Congratulations."
"You solved it."
---
The Hidden King's expression hardened.
"There are archives beneath this building."
Volkov nodded.
"The original Council records."
"The only remaining list of every international partner."
"If I own those records..."
"I own every politician who fears exposure."
---
Kang Tang looked toward the Hidden King.
"For once..."
"We have the same enemy."
The Hidden King didn't answer immediately.
Finally...
He nodded.
"Temporary."
"Temporary."
Kang Tang agreed.
Han Soo-jin almost laughed.
"The Dragon and the King."
"Working together."
"The world truly is ending."
Even the Raven allowed himself the faintest smile.
---
Volkov sighed dramatically.
"Humans are fascinating."
"You finally unite..."
"...only because someone worse arrives."
He snapped his fingers.
His mercenaries opened fire.
The hall exploded into chaos.
Kang Tang tackled Seo-ah behind a collapsed marble pillar.
The Hidden King disarmed two mercenaries with astonishing speed.
Han Soo-jin's steel fans flashed through the air, knocking rifles from enemy hands.
The Raven moved like flowing water.
Every strike ended a fight before it truly began.
Yet...
More mercenaries kept entering.
Wave after wave.
---
Outside...
Black Dragon reinforcements finally reached the Assembly.
Police special units arrived from the opposite direction.
Military helicopters circled overhead.
The battle had grown too large to hide.
The whole nation was watching.
---
During the confusion...
Volkov calmly walked toward a damaged elevator leading underground.
No one noticed.
Except Kang Tang.
"He's escaping!"
Volkov looked back and smiled.
"No."
"I'm collecting."
The elevator doors closed.
Seconds later...
The power throughout the building failed.
Darkness swallowed the Assembly Hall once again.
Emergency lights flickered to life.
The elevator indicator showed only one direction.
Down.
Toward the secret archives.
Kang Tang looked at the Hidden King.
"You know the tunnels."
The Hidden King met his gaze.
"You know how he thinks."
Neither man trusted the other.
But neither could stop Volkov alone.
The Raven stepped between them.
"This alliance ends the moment the Wolf falls."
Kang Tang nodded.
"Agreed."
The Hidden King extended his hand.
A gesture that would have been unthinkable only hours earlier.
After a brief pause...
Kang Tang shook it.
Not as friends.
Not as allies.
But as two kings forced onto the same side of the board.
Far below them...
Deep beneath the National Assembly...
Viktor Volkov opened the first steel archive door.
Rows of classified files stretched into darkness.
He smiled to himself.
"South Korea..."
"...is about to become my greatest investment."
The hunt for the Second Ledger had become something far larger.
The board now held five players.
The Dragon.
The Hidden King.
The White Fox.
The Raven.
And the Wolf King.
Only one of them would shape the future of the nation.
End of Chapter 36
