The suggestion given by Midwak left many of their stomachs unsettled. Even the thought of it made the air around them feel heavier. When they had first arrived at the restaurant, they had already seen too much, the bodies of those who had lost their lives. Downstairs, the fallen members of the Howlers were now being carried into the kitchen one by one, their corpses covered with plain sheets to hide the gruesome truth.
For the survivors, the sight was a bitter reminder. If transforming had always been an option, something they could have done from the very beginning, then what did it mean for the dead lying below? They hadn’t broken the vow because they had feared the unknown consequences, afraid that the punishment might end up being worse than death itself.
Because of that hesitation, countless lives had been lost. If they gave in and transformed now, it almost felt like all those deaths would have been for nothing. That was why, in their hearts, they had promised themselves they would only break the vow at the very last hurdle, when there was no other path left.
Yet, as Midwak had said, it truly looked as though that final point of necessity was approaching fast.
On the battlefield, Adam spat out streams of liquid from his mouth, not ink this time, but water. The burst seemed aimed directly at Kai, who twisted his body aside and avoided it with ease. In the spots where the liquid splashed, several shimmering pools began to form across the ground.
‘I can’t create the same amount of water as him,’ Adam thought, his body tightening with strain, ‘but I can still form some of my own!’
Six puddles spread out around Kai, each glistening faintly as Adam’s will seeped into them. Kai had instinctively avoided stepping into any of them, but the danger was already prepared. From each pool, massive tentacles of water erupted upward, towering and writhing with dangerous force.
At the same time, Adam hurled his body forward, his own physical tentacles whipping through the air like enormous fists.
Kai’s lupine body moved with lightning agility. He vaulted over one strike, barely missing the crushing force, then twisted to leap past the next. But Adam’s watery tentacles were just as swift, swinging in from above with equal power, their weight alone enough to crack stone if they landed.
Kai showed no hesitation. The large wolf opened his maw, exhaling an icy breath so pale it almost glowed. The freezing blast struck several of the water tentacles mid-swing, coating them in frost until they froze solid.
Without breaking stride, Kai used one of the frozen limbs as a platform, springing off it with terrifying speed as he lunged straight toward Adam.
‘Damn it!’ Adam screamed in his mind. ‘This really must be the worst matchup in existence for me! Half of my techniques, my liquid and even my physical tentacles, are all countered by his cursed ice element!’
Kai shot forward like a cannonball, his body nothing but raw speed and deadly momentum. Adam could do nothing but brace himself for the collision.
The impact came with a thunderous crack. Kai’s strike smashed into Adam, blasting him across the ground. His legs dug trenches in the earth as he slid, and when he finally came to a stop, a jagged mark of frost had burned its way deep into his chest.
The blow was devastating. Adam’s body screamed with pain, but he wasn’t out yet. As he struggled to push himself back up, he saw Kai charging at him again, unstoppable, merciless.
But before Kai could reach him, Marie stepped forward. Her massive frame planted itself protectively between Adam and the ining wolf, her armor glimmering faintly in the moonlight. She readied herself to absorb the next devastating hit.
Kai, however, changed course instantly. His predatory instincts shifted, and he darted toward Gary instead.
That was Marie’s weakness. Her body was massive, her defense formidable, but her size meant her movement was slower. She couldn’t cover Adam and Gary at the same time. Gary was safer fighting separately, but it also meant he was vulnerable.
Gary, as if he had predicted Kai’s choice, already had both hands raised. He swung his hammer down with every ounce of strength he could muster, Qi flaring wildly from his body. The weapon struck the ground, and the force exploded outward in a circular shockwave.
The blast caught Kai mid-dash, sending the wolf tumbling back. Yet even after being struck, Kai twisted in the air and landed neatly on all fours, unshaken.
“ARGHH!” Gary growled, frustration bursting from his throat. He knew the truth. That strike had never been meant to hit Kai directly. Gary could never dream of landing a clean blow against someone with such speed. All he could rely on was the hammer’s special skill and his own Qi, creating wide-range attacks that could force Kai to back off.
But even using such techniques drained him rapidly. Each swing devoured huge amounts of Qi, and he could feel his energy slipping away. How much longer could he keep doing this? What more could he give?
Then, just as the tension peaked, Gary heard something, a sound that didn’t belong to the battlefield. A car engine roared in the distance, growing louder as it sped closer.
Kai crouched, ready to pounce again, but before he could launch forward, a spiraling trident hurtled into the fight, whistling through the air. Kai jerked back at the last instant, narrowly avoiding the weapon as it stabbed into the ground with enough force to shatter the earth around it.
The car screeched to a halt, its tires screaming against the dirt as it skidded sideways. Doors flew open, and three figures leapt out in unison.
Austin. Chen. And Don Tinge, the fearsome powerhouse of the White Rose.
“You!” Don’s voice boomed across the battlefield, manding attention. “Take your green-haired friend back to the restaurant. Leave the rest to us. We of the White Rose are trained to restrain Crazed Altered. And right here, you’ve got the strongest members of White Rose ready to do it!”
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