Chapter 193: Chapter 193 - The Packless Alpha
The Leader let out a sharp, cruel laugh. "Surrender?"
He stepped forward, his grin cutting like a blade. "You expect me to kneel before you? Like a dog?"
"We’re giving you a choice," another lord countered, her crimson hair gleaming in the dim light. It was Brigid. "Drop your weapon, stand down, and maybe we’ll spare you."
The Leader’s grin only widened. "Spare me? You must think I’m weak."
His voice dropped lower, sharper. "No... you must think yourselves strong."
A dark aura seeped from his body, thick and suffocating, making the air itself heavy. The ground cracked beneath his feet as his muscles strained, his breathing ragged, every vein along his arms darkening.
"You didn’t actually believe I’d surrender without a fight, did you?" he growled. "You never bothered to understand your enemy... and you underestimated the one standing before you."
And then... a low, guttural growl tore through the chamber.
The cornered Leader Lord showed no trace of fear. Instead, his body began to twist and warp, his flesh contorting in grotesque ways. His muscles swelled, his veins turned black, claws ripped through his fingertips. His eyes blazed molten gold, burning with inhuman fury, while his face stretched and twisted into something monstrous.
Then, he howled.
A bloodcurdling, bone-rattling howl that shook the fortress walls to their foundations.
The transformation... was complete.
Before them stood a towering werewolf, his fur black as the void, his fangs glistening, his rage palpable. His claws flexed, scraping against the shattered stone beneath him.
He locked eyes with the enemy lords, and his lips curled into a terrifying snarl.
"You wanted to kill me?" His voice was no longer fully human. A deep, guttural snarl layered over his speech. "Then step forward... and DIE SCREAMING."
His massive clawed foot slammed into the ground, and in an instant, the werewolf lunged, a monstrous blur of dark fur and flashing claws.
The battle began in an instant.
Brigid met his charge head-on, sword raised, muscles tensed. She swung with brutal precision, her blade clashing against his monstrous claws. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, but the beast was faster.
WHAM!
A massive clawed hand slammed into her sword, sending her skidding backward, boots carving deep grooves into the stone floor.
She grit her teeth. "Damn it, he’s strong!"
Before the werewolf could follow up, a dark mist swirled behind him. Morganna appeared from the shadows, her crimson eyes glowing.
Her blood magic surged, red tendrils snaking toward his limbs. But the werewolf roared, his rage so intense it shattered the spell midair.
In a blink, he spun and swiped at her chest.
Morganna barely phased out in time, her form dispersing into shadows before reappearing a few feet away. Her lips curled. "You’re troublesome."
"Then let me cut him down."
Luna dashed in from the side, twin magic swords glowing with arcane energy. With fluid speed, she unleashed a flurry of slashes, each strike crackling with raw magic.
The werewolf snarled, dodging the first few strikes before finally catching one of the swords between his claws.
"Not bad." Luna grinned. Then twisted the blade, unleashing a surge of magic directly into the beast’s arm.
The werewolf howled in pain, but instead of pulling away, he grabbed Luna by the throat and hurled her across the battlefield!
BANG!
The instant Luna was thrown, a sniper round pierced the air. The bullet, coated in flaming magic, shot straight into the werewolf’s shoulder. Then it exploded.
BOOM!
The werewolf staggered, flesh burning, but his fur rapidly regenerated, the wound closing within seconds. His golden eyes snapped to the sniper’s position.
Ember smirked from a distant vantage point. "Well, that’s annoying." She cocked her rifle. "Guess I’ll just have to shoot faster."
While the werewolf’s attention was on Ember, a blur of lightning shot forward.
Atlas, with his Legendary-Grade Wavebreaker Spear crackling with electric energy, he leaped into the air, spinning the spear before driving it down toward the beast’s heart.
CRACK!
The werewolf caught the spear mid-strike. The ground beneath them split apart from the sheer force of the clash.
The werewolf grinned. "NOT BAD, KID."
Then, with inhuman strength, he yanked Atlas forward and slammed him into the ground.
The battle raged on, with Brigid holding the front line, clashing head-on against the werewolf’s savage strikes. Morganna and Luna weaved in and out, retreating and switching positions, searching for openings to strike. From the back, Ember’s relentless barrage of bullets hammered into the beast, pressing him from every angle.
It was merciless. One against many. A slaughter. There was no chance of victory.
And yet, the werewolf endured. Far longer than any of them expected. His monstrous strength and terrifying resilience had turned the battlefield into a wasteland of ruin. Shattered stone, scorched flames, and pools of blood staining the ground.
But still, he stood.
His towering frame heaved with ragged breaths. His once-pristine black fur was now charred, slashed, and soaked through with blood, yet his eyes still burned with unyielding defiance.
He was slowing. His breath came in uneven gasps. His regeneration faltered, crushed beneath too many wounds and too many enemies.
Atlas wiped the blood from his lips, tightening his grip on the Wavebreaker Spear. At his side, Brigid raised her sword, Morganna’s shadows curled hungrily through the air, Luna’s twin blades gleamed under the firelight, and Ember loaded her final round.
The werewolf snarled, his voice raw and defiant, echoing across the room.
"I AM NOT DONE!!"
Lightning surged. Magic flared. Ember’s bullet screamed through the air.
And then, they struck as one.
Atlas’s spear drove through his chest.
Brigid’s blade carved deep into his ribs.
Morganna’s shadows constricted his limbs like chains of death.
Luna’s twin swords sliced through flesh and bone.
And Ember’s final shot tore straight through his skull.
For a heartbeat, silence.
The werewolf staggered, his massive body trembling. His claws twitched, his fangs bared as if to roar one last defiance.
Then, he went still.
And with a final, shuddering breath, he collapsed.
The ground shook beneath his weight, his massive form crashing down in a cloud of dust and blood. The golden light in his eyes dimmed. Then vanished into nothingness.
It was over.
The beast was dead.