Chapter 3 – The Rumors of the Black Wolf

The sky over Trigia that afternoon was red, as if set ablaze by the unending embers of war.

In one of the frontline bases, Kiki was banging her fist on a table, her face flushed red.

“It doesn’t make sense! That was clearly the Grim Reaper! He appeared right in front of Lady Emmy, then just vanished!”

Andou gulped, his body trembling.

“I… I can still hear the sound of his Gatling Gun in my ears… ‘BRRRRTTT!’ and the Kaijuu's head just exploded like a watermelon hit with a hammer!”

Kiki waved her hand, glaring at him.

“Idiot! If he wanted us dead, we would have all been reduced to ashes! Why would he... help instead?”

Andou leaned in, whispering with a tone of horror.

“Because… maybe he sees us as toys. Who knows, maybe he just wants to prolong our fear. He’s a black wolf roaming without a master!”

Kiki scoffed.

“What a coward. If that's really the case… then we’ll meet him again.”

Meanwhile, in a small meeting room at the base, Commander Nishimura Naruhito sat with a somber face. He was young, but his eyes held the scars of a painful past.

He stood, looking at the digital map in front of him.

“Seven years ago… Fukuma was destroyed. My hometown vanished in just one night. All my family, all my friends, were devoured by a Goliath Kaijuu…”

The officers present were silent, listening. Nishimura’s voice trembled, but was full of conviction.

“However, there is one thing I will never forget. As the Goliath roared over the ruins, suddenly, a red light struck it. BOOOM! Its body was torn apart, its head pierced by some kind of weapon. It wasn’t a Trigia force, nor were they Tregear reinforcements. It was… something else.”

He clenched his fist, vividly remembering the scent of blood and dust in the air.

“They called it a coincidence. They said it was a secret operation. But I knew… from that day on, I knew there was a figure out there.”

The officers held their breath as Nishimura's gaze swept the room.

“Today, on the frontline, he appeared again. A mech with the silhouette of a black wolf. Its movements were fast, like a shadow. Do you know who he is?”

The room instantly became tense.

Nishimura looked at his subordinates one by one, then whispered softly, yet with great pressure.

“The Grim Reaper. The same as seven years ago in Fukuma. He was the one who killed the Goliath.”

In another room, Emmy sat alone in the pilot's seat of her partially repaired mech. Her gaze was empty, remembering the moment the energy cable was attached to her mech’s body.

The HUD lit up in her mind: BATTERY RECHARGING… 80%.

Emmy’s soft voice trembled.

“He… helped me. But why? Grim Reaper, Lone Wolf… whoever you are, what is your purpose?”

Emmy closed her eyes, then gripped the small necklace on her neck—the only heirloom from her family.

“If you really are the grim reaper, then I will hunt you down. Until I know your reason.”

Later that night, the base was quieter than usual.

A few soldiers whispered in the corner of a tent, their voices low but full of fear.

“Hey, did you hear the news? They say the Grim Reaper isn’t from Trigia, nor from Tregear. He fights alone, without a flag.”

“Yeah, I heard that too. He appears suddenly, then vanishes. Even a superior radar can’t detect him.”

“Do you know the other nickname he got?”

“What?”

“The Lone Wolf.”

The atmosphere immediately became tense. Several soldiers gulped, as if the name itself was a curse.

On the other side, far from the base—on a cliff illuminated by the full moon—the Mecha-Wolf stood silently, its eyes glowing red.

Inside the cockpit, Kyle leaned back, his face serene but cold. The AI Nexus spoke in a neutral voice, filling the quiet space.

Nexus: “Mech energy is stable. The Trigia target was successfully saved. However, excessive interaction could arouse suspicion.”

Kyle: “I know. I don’t care about Trigia, Tregear, or anyone else. They’re all the same… just tools in this war.”

Kyle closed his eyes, vaguely remembering his frail body in the old world—Wataru, the Japanese boy who could only dream.

Now, everyone called him by different names. The Grim Reaper. The Lone Wolf.

Kyle smiled faintly, full of irony.

“If that’s the name they’ve given me… then I’ll carry it. I’m not a hero. I’m just a shadow on the frontline.”

Outside, the night wind blew, carrying the sound of a wolf howling.

As if the world itself acknowledged the presence of the black wolf.