“Arrrhh!!” Aria groaned in agony as the thick, pulsating tendrils coiled around her body, constricting her with crushing force. She struggled, trying to pry them off, but the sheer strength they exerted made it impossible to even budge.
It felt as if her ribs would snap at any moment under the relentless pressure.
“Haha… How does it feel, slut?” Alaric’s voice echoed, dripping with sadistic pleasure as he watched her struggle. His grin widened, his eyes gleaming with amusement at her suffering. “Being squeezed like an insect, crushed into nothing… Tell me, does it hurt? Do you feel powerless?”
His words made her skin crawl, but what made it worse was the way his tendrils tightened even more as if they were responding to his twisted amusement. The immense force made it hard for her to breathe, her lungs barely able to expand.
Her trembling fingers struggled to hold onto her bow. “I-I need to…” she gasped, her voice strained as her entire body burned from the pressure. “Arrhh!” A sharp groan escaped her lips as her face turned crimson, blood seemingly rushing to her head from the overwhelming force.
“Pathetic,” Alaric sneered, his voice laced with mockery. “You can’t even move, can you? I expected more from you, but look at you now—completely helpless!” He let out a cold laugh, raising his hand slightly. “Fuck it, slut! Just break already!”
The tendrils responded instantly, tightening further around her fragile body.
Grip!!
SHUTTT!!!
Alaric expected to hear the sound of her bones snapping, her body finally giving in to the unbearable pressure. But instead—
Something snapped.
Not Aria.
His tendrils.
His grin faltered as his eyes darted to where his once-unbreakable tendrils had been wrapped around her. His pupils shrank in shock. “What the…” he muttered, his expression twisting in confusion. His eyes frantically scanned the area, searching for her.
And then he saw it.
Atop one of the broken buildings stood a massive, ebony-haired wolf, its yellow-slitted eyes glowing with raw, unfiltered killing intent. And within its powerful jaws—Aria.
Alaric’s stomach twisted with irritation, “Tsk, that stupid dog,” he groaned, his hands clenching into fists.
Kaelen… That damn mutt just refused to die!!
He was nothing but an annoying pest, a relentless bug that kept coming back no matter how many times he was crushed.
“Enough of this nonsense!” Alaric’s patience snapped as he lifted both hands. His arms, covered in thick wooden armour, crackled as the tendrils extended once more, slithering through the air before shooting toward Kaelen like whips. “Just die already, you mangy mutt!”
The tendrils lunged toward Kaelen with terrifying speed, aiming to rip him apart—
Slash.
Slashh.
The sound of something being torn apart echoed.
Alaric’s breath hitched. His tendrils, which had torn through steel and flesh with ease before, were now falling to the ground in severed pieces.
His gaze snapped back to Kaelen.
Something was different.
Kaelen’s wolf form had changed, No! it was the same but… it felt different unlike before… His claws, once sharp, had transformed into deadly, elongated blades capable of slicing through anything.
His fangs—now larger, resembling a sabre-toothed tiger’s—dripped with a viscous, purplish-black liquid. And when those drops fell onto the remaining tendrils wrapped around Aria, they sizzled.
The tendrils burned away, corroded by whatever toxin leaked from his fangs.
“Grrrllllll” Kaelen let out a low, guttural growl, his yellow eyes locked onto Alaric with hunger—no, with bloodlust.
From a distance, Liora felt it.
Something inside her stirred, a primal instinct recognizing what had just awakened. Her sharp eyes narrowed as she took in Kaelen’s form, and a knowing grin tugged at her lips.
“So, the beast finally wakes up?” she mused, tilting her head slightly.
Until now, Kaelen had always been holding himself back, suppressing the very instincts that made him a true predator. Unlike the rest of their kind, he never let himself fully embrace his nature, never allowed himself to become the monster he was meant to be.
That was why she had pushed him so hard, trained him to his breaking point—because no matter how much she tried, his instincts remained dormant.
In layman’s term… A child in Man’s body!
Until now.
Liora clenched her fingers, her excitement barely contained. “Looks like he’s about to go on a little rampage,” she murmured. She turned her gaze toward the professors standing nearby. “You lot can handle things here for a while, right?” she asked, not really expecting an answer before she started moving.
Back to Kaelen.
His breath came out in short, heated puffs, his nose flaring as he assessed the situation. Without hesitation, he spat Aria out, her body rolling to the side as he redirected his full attention to Alaric.
Then he lunged.
“Cough… cough…” Aria gasped violently, her body shuddering from exhaustion as she ripped off the remaining tendrils still clinging to her. She sucked in a sharp breath before looking down—
And what she saw made her eyes widen.
Kaelen was moving faster than she had ever seen before. His speed was unreal, his movements nothing but a blur, zigzagging across the battlefield. The tendrils desperately lashed out at him, but they couldn’t keep up.
Stab!
Stab!
Stab!
Each time his sharp claws struck the ground, he propelled himself forward with terrifying force, evading every attack as if it were second nature.
“Stay still, you useless mutt!” Alaric roared in frustration, raising his arms once more. His feet slammed into the ground, and instantly, dozens of thick tendrils erupted from beneath the earth, splitting the battlefield apart as they shot toward Kaelen like spears.
Kaelen didn’t slow down.
Grrrrrlllllll!
A feral growl rumbled deep in his throat. His claws extended even further, becoming razor-sharp weapons of destruction. With a single, earth-shaking stomp—
BOOOMM!
He launched himself straight at Alaric, completely ignoring the deadly tendrils rushing toward him.
Alaric scoffed. “As brainless as ever,” he sneered. “You never learn, do you? Jumping right into your death—how predictable.”
But then—
Sssshhhh!
Kaelen exhaled, his breath deep and controlled.
And then—
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
In mere seconds, his body twisted and spun in midair, his claws cutting through everything in his path like a storm of blades. The tendrils that had once seemed impenetrable were reduced to nothing but shredded remains.
By the time Alaric realized what had happened, Kaelen’s jaws were already inches away from his throat.
“SHI—!”
Crack!
Alaric barely managed to react before Kaelen’s massive, jagged fangs sank into his wooden armor, shattering it like fragile glass. Splinters burst into the air as the beast’s jaws locked onto him, squeezing with bone-crushing force.
The impact sent a violent jolt through Alaric’s body. His ribs creaked under the pressure, a sharp pain ripping through his chest as Kaelen’s monstrous strength pushed him downward. His feet scraped against the ground, struggling to hold firm, but the sheer weight pressing down on him was unbearable.
Just before those fangs could sink deeper, Alaric threw his hands up in desperate defence, catching the beast’s thick inner jaw and pushing back with all the strength he could muster. His fingers dug into the rough flesh, his muscles screamed, and his breath turned ragged—but Kaelen’s bite only tightened.
The more Alaric resisted, the more the beast’s jaws clamped down, inch by inch. The brutal force was enough to shatter bones, to crush a man whole. His arms trembled violently, veins bulging like writhing snakes beneath his skin as he fought to keep those jaws from snapping shut around him.
“Aaarrghhh!!”
A searing pain erupted from his hip, sharp and fiery, like molten iron being poured into his flesh when that purplish-black liquid graced his skin. His body spasmed as agony surged through him, forcing out a ragged scream.
Yet no matter how hard he pushed—no matter how much force he poured into his arms—Kaelen’s strength only grew, pressing him further down.
“Why?! Why is this happening?!” Alaric’s voice cracked with fury, disbelief shaking him to the core.
He knew Kaelen.
He had fought Kaelen.
The wolf was strong—yes—but never stronger than him.
Never like this!
Yet here he was, being overpowered. Being crushed.
It wasn’t right.
It wasn’t fair.
Kaelen’s yellow, slitted eyes glowed with a terrifying, primal rage. There was nothing behind them but hunger—raw, unrelenting hunger.
“Rrrrrrrlllll!!”
Chuckk…
The fangs finally touched his skin.
A deep, guttural sound rumbled in Kaelen’s throat as his bite slowly punctured Alaric’s flesh, crimson beads welling up from the wounds. The sting sent a shockwave of pain through his body, his breath hitching in pure horror.
‘No! No, no, no! THINK! DO SOMETHING!’
Panic exploded inside his head. His thoughts raced, spiralling in desperation. He couldn’t hold on much longer. He needed help—he needed to break free—
“O-ONE! HELP ME!!”
His scream tore through the battlefield, raw and frantic, aimed at the hooded figure standing just ahead.
But One was trapped.
Thalia had him pinned, her raw, brute strength wrapped around him like an unbreakable chain. She wasn’t even fighting—just restraining, just preventing him from moving with sheer, overwhelming force.
Hearing Alaric’s desperate cry, One flinched, his hooded face twisting toward him.
He hesitated.
Then, he moved—
However—
“Not going anywhere, bitch.”
Thalia’s voice was drenched in amusement as she yanked him back, gripping him tighter.
And then—
“Thalia, up!”
Aqualina’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding. She was airborne, her two thin blue swords glinting as she descended from the sky like a vengeful spectre.
Thalia responded instantly.
With a single motion, she drove her knee straight into One’s chin with monstrous force.
BOOM!
One’s head snapped back so violently that his hood flung back slightly, revealing—
Aqualina’s breath hitched.
Two pure-white, pupil-less eyes stared back at her, empty and haunting.
Chuckkk!
Chuuucckkk!
Without hesitation, her twin swords plunged straight into those eerie eyes.
“ARRRRHHHH!!”
One’s body convulsed, his limbs thrashing in blind agony. The force of his scream sent shockwaves through the air, rattling the battlefield.
Aqualina’s lips curled in a sharp grin. “So, your eyes were your weak point all along, huh?” Her voice dripped with satisfaction
Thalia folded her arms, tilting her head as if studying the situation. “Figures. That’s why it always keeps its hood down…” Then, her gaze flicked toward the swords still embedded in One’s skull. “Though… I don’t think they went deep enough.”
Aqualina blinked. “What do you mea—”
Before she could finish, Thalia swung her leg like a hammer.
CHUCKKK!
The force of her kick drove the swords even deeper, sinking them right into the creature’s skull.
One howled, his arms flailing as his body staggered back. He slammed his fists wildly against the ground, his rage shaking the earth beneath them.
Thalia smirked, easily dodging his blind attacks. “Too easy~,” she mused.
Aqualina shook her head, exhaling sharply before summoning even more swords into her grasp. “Alright. Looks like it’s my turn to have some fun.”
Meanwhile, Alaric watched in horror.
Everything around him was chaos… Failed!
Master’s Plan Failed!
His body screamed at him. His arms were shaking violently, his strength fading fast.
He was losing.
His teeth clenched, frustration and desperation intertwining into a single, overwhelming emotion.
He couldn’t rely on anyone.
Not anymore.
His eyes flicked toward his wooden crown—his last resort. It still rested on his head, untouched.
A symbol of his power.
But power meant nothing if he died here.
His breath hitched.
And then—
He shook his head.
The crown slipped off.
The moment it slipped in between the inner jaws and him—
BOOOMMM!!!
A massive explosion of spikes erupted in every direction, blasting both him and Kaelen backwards.
“Grrrlnnnngg!!”
Kaelen let out a strangled groan, yanking at his mouth where jagged wooden spikes had embedded deep into his flesh. Blood dripped freely, staining his fur.
Alaric, too, felt the sharp sting of spikes piercing his body. His own blood trickled down his arms and legs.
But it didn’t matter.
It wasn’t critical.
It wasn’t enough to take him down.
“F… fucking… bastard!!”
Alaric spat, his voice a mix of pain and rage. His gaze burned with pure hatred, a furious, unforgiving fire. He wanted to see Kaelen suffer—to watch that damned wolf writhe in torment.
Yet—
Even through the pain—
Even through the blood dripping from its maw—
That fucking wolf was still staring at him.
Not with fear… Not with weakness.
With hunger?
Pure, unrelenting hunger!!
Alaric’s stomach twisted.
“Fuck it!” he snarled, forcing himself to stand. His body was sluggish, trembling, his vision swimming. But he couldn’t stay down.
Then—
‘H-Huh?’
His heart skipped.
His body—swayed.
His limbs—felt weak.
A deep, creeping sickness spread through him.
“Fuck it!” Alaric shouted as he slowly struggled to stand up when he saw Kaelen running towards him again… he knew lying there would be dangerous.
And then—
“ARRRRHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
A bloodcurdling scream tore from his throat.
He clutched his hip, his fingers digging into the wound where Kaelen’s fangs had punctured.
Purplish-black liquid oozed from the bite mark.
It burned… It corroded… It spread.