The golden aura moved like streaking light.
The golden radiance surrounding the wolf's entire body resembled a comet's tail, and in the blink of an eye, it had reached right in front of Ryoji.
So fast!
But that wasn't all.
As the golden wolf advanced, its body rapidly expanded. From the size of a normal wolf, it stood upright on its hind legs. Its muscles swelled, transforming into a hulking werewolf roughly two meters tall!
"Boom!"
The werewolf swung its massive claw, tearing through the air, aiming directly at Ryoji's chest and abdomen.
Despite a strike capable of piercing steel, Ryoji's expression didn't change. Only his eyes, sharp as lightning, tracked the movement of his opponent, exuding an icy chill.
Collision
Clang... !
A silver blade appeared in his hand without him even realizing it. From low to high, he slashed upward.
With a deafening screech, silver blade and golden claw collided without reservation, sending a shockwave through the air.
What force! The blade transmitted an overwhelming power through Ryoji's body.
His waist remained straight, but the sheer force of the giant claw pushed him backward, leaving two distinct furrows in the muddy ground from his feet.
Bang!
He stomped hard, twisting his body to condense all his power, finally halting the backward motion.
Then, with an intense twist of his waist and a half-circular arc of his blade, he guided the towering golden claw down to the ground, completely neutralizing its force.
Ching... !
At the same time, a relentless wave of slashes surged forward from the front, cutting continuously toward the golden wolf's face.
"What?"
The golden wolf had not anticipated this and looked caught off guard.
From the start, it hadn't thought anyone could withstand its frontal attacks.
In its expectation, its claws should have shattered the opponent... limbs torn, organs scattered, blood spraying.
The fact that it hadn't worked was already surprising; what followed... the neutralization of its force... left it utterly dumbfounded. It couldn't comprehend why its claw had been guided toward the ground.
The next wave of slashes only deepened its confusion.
Its mind screamed, "How is this possible?" as the torrent of blade strikes enveloped it like a flood.
"Eh ah!"
It let out a brief cry of pain, legs kicking reflexively.
By the time it recovered, over ten meters now separated it from the young man opposite. The muddy ground bore the marks of its paws.
"I… stepped back?"
Shock registered on the golden wolf's face.
"It hurts…?"
A sharp sting coursed across its face, forcing it to cover it instinctively.
Then it realized... Hurt? Why do I feel pain? What in this world could possibly make me feel pain?
The golden wolf lowered its paw, revealing a network of bloodied scratches in its palm.
Seeing the crimson marks, its pupils constricted violently.
I'm bleeding? Impossible!
The sight was so incomprehensible that the golden wolf fell into utter confusion.
Across from it, Ryoji furrowed his brow slightly.
The relentless silver blade strikes had indeed left several deep cuts on the golden wolf's face... not just superficial marks, but even its ears and nose had been damaged.
Yet, in just about a second, the wounds were fully healed, leaving only faint scratches.
"A high-speed regeneration ability?"
Ryoji made a mental note.
Bang!
He pushed off the ground, mud flying, and sprinted forward with incredible dexterity.
Startled, the golden wolf instinctively took a step back.
But shortly after, its eyes burned with even greater fury.
As a noble fantasy-class being, the millennia-rare golden werewolf's bloodline was too exalted to be described as a mere throwback... it was the very essence of a fleeting reflection of ultimate power.
Even his own kind treated him with the utmost respect. Born with unmatched nobility and power, every living creature would cast reverent gazes upon him, and all beings seemed as insignificant as ants in his eyes.
But now… he had been made to bleed!
And worse... he had been scared back a step! Absolutely intolerable!
"Die!"
Any previous fondness for beautiful things had completely vanished.
Beo regarded the boy before him as the sole black mark of his hundred-year life, vowing to kill him swiftly!
The golden werewolf let out an ear-shattering roar. His body expanded laterally, facial bones retracting, and in a mere instant, he transformed from a golden werewolf into a golden bear!
He could freely change his form.
As long as the creature's height was under two meters, he could perfectly replicate its body and posture. But this wasn't mere imitation... he also gained the creature's inherent traits while in that form!
BOOM!
He stomped the ground, making the earth tremble violently.
His monstrous strength, now several times greater than before, restored his confidence. Facing the lightning-fast figure of the boy, he clenched his fists and unleashed massive, bowl-sized punches in rapid succession.
Ryoji's assessment of this fighting style: utterly unskilled, driven entirely by emotion.
The technique was chaotic, relying solely on raw rage, just swinging fists wildly.
But being hit by those blows head-on was no joke.
Sensing that direct confrontation was impossible, Ryoji bent low during the rush, ducking under the flurry of fists. Then, using the momentum, he slashed at the golden bear's waist with his blade.
Clang... !
Sparks flew violently as the blade struck.
After passing through, Ryoji shook his wrist and turned to look.
"Hahaha! After all, just a frail human. A mere sword like that could never harm me!"
The golden bear looked down at his waist... no wound, no pain... he exhaled in relief and laughed confidently.
In bear form, both his strength and defense had increased several times.
Right, he had only been careless before!
As long as he took it seriously, he was still invincible!
He expanded! Beo expanded again!
"A frail human? A mere sword?"
Ryoji raised an eyebrow, his face showing lethal intent for the first time.
"Interesting. Then let's see how your frail human fares against my blade!"
He drew a deep breath, his gaze unwavering.
Cool-headedness and passionate resolve... the two opposite states of mind... perfectly unified in his body.
Swish... !
In an instant, he vanished from sight.
So fast!
The golden wolf froze in shock.
He could still accelerate? Could it be that just now wasn't his top speed?
But even with speed, it meant nothing if the sword couldn't break his defense.
Thinking this, Beo relaxed slightly, his confidence unshaken.
He even stood motionless, intending to meet the frail blade with pure physical might.
This mindset persisted… until that glint of steel struck again... (End of chapter)
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