Enid, in a daze, threw the grenade.
BOOM—!!!
A massive column of water erupted violently just behind the side of the nearest canoe. Muddy lake water drenched the crew like a rainstorm!
The contestants, who had just thought they were in the clear, froze for half a second before erupting into screams even more shrill than before:
"Why do these guys still have grenades?! Didn't they say they were out?!"
Amidst desperate wails, everyone rowed for their lives, practically using every ounce of strength they had since birth.
Enid stared blankly at the scene she had created—the explosion, the towering water column, the screams and terror of her opponents...
Her heart pounded violently in her chest, but no longer because of Victor's bewitching "Baby."
It was something else... something deeper, something from the depths of her bloodline, barbaric and primal, that had been ignited.
"Can I... have another one?" Enid lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly, her expression hidden.
"Of course. Why not, baby?" Victor's eyes flashed with a hint of understanding amusement as he unhesitatingly handed over several more grenades.
Enid took them and almost violently pulled all the pins, as if venting some long-suppressed emotion. With all her strength, she threw them all out in one go!
Bang! Bang! Bang! BOOM!!!
Explosions rang out one after another. Columns of water bloomed on the lake like deadly fireworks, making the frantically fleeing boats look even smaller and more pathetic.
Listening to the amplified, twisted screams of fear, watching the figures fleeing in panic like startled prey, Enid felt as if she had instantly been thrown back into the vast, primeval forest.
And she was no longer the little werewolf who needed to try hard to fit in, worrying about being unable to transform.
She was the Alpha! Leading her pack, circling and hunting!
Enid suddenly remembered the ancient legends she heard as a child—those Alpha wolves who led the pack to tear apart prey under the moonlight never needed perfect transformation, only the purest wild instinct.
"Ha... ha..." Enid gasped for air, her chest feeling tight. A scorching power surged through her limbs, desperate to find an outlet, desperate to do something to vent this unprecedented, surging impulse!
She stumbled back a few steps, nearly losing her balance.
A warm, steady hand caught her lower back just in time.
"Enid," Victor's voice rang in her ear, carrying an encouraging, almost inciting smile. "Do what you want to do most. Right now, immediately!"
Enid jerked her head up, staring fixedly at Victor. In those eyes that usually shone with friendly light, a wild, almost crazy brilliance now burned.
Suddenly, she let out a string of bell-like yet utterly aggressive laughter!
Her hand shot out, grabbing precisely onto the jingling bell collar around Victor's neck, and yanked him toward her with force!
Then, under Victor's slightly surprised gaze, her pink lips, carrying undeniable power, planted a fierce kiss on his cheek!
A touch, then separation.
Immediately after, like a scumbag girl who feels no attachment after playing with someone's heart, she casually pushed Victor back with one hand while her other hand deftly swiped all the remaining grenades from Victor's grasp.
Victor was completely stunned. He even subconsciously touched the cheek that had just been "attacked." For the first time, a genuine, caught-off-guard blankness appeared in his eyes where manic light usually danced.
Wednesday, who had been watching coldly from the side the entire time, frowned almost imperceptibly. Emotions were indiscernible in her dark pupils, and no one knew what she was thinking at that moment.
Enid, however, seemed to have completed some important ritual. She turned around and, like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, threw every grenade in her hand toward the distance with all her might!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!
A series of denser, more violent explosions rang out. Massive water columns shot into the sky, finally turning into a sky full of water splashing down, as if a brief rainstorm had started over the lake.
In this chaotic, spectacular "rain curtain" she created, Enid stepped onto the bow of the Black Cat with one foot, her posture upright and filled with wild power.
She raised the black flag painted with the hideous cat claw high, tilted her head back, and let out a loud, long—
"AWOOOO—!!!"
This wasn't the shy, uncertain howl she usually forced out to fit in.
This was a louder, purer howl, full of primal power and vigorous vitality! As if erupting from the deepest part of her soul!
In the spectator stands, some werewolf students seemed hit in the soul by this howl. Their bodies reacted before their minds, and one after another, they erupted with responding howls!
Immediately after, even the werewolf students among the contestants frantically rowing away on the lake seemed infected by some powerful bloodline resonance. They involuntarily tilted their heads back and let out the same howl!
For a moment, wolf howls rose and fell over the Black Lake, weaving into a wild, shocking chorus!
On the viewing platform, Principal Larissa Weems watched this unexpected scene, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly into a meaningful smile.
"It seems," she murmured to herself, a gleam of satisfaction flashing in her silver-grey eyes, "that Miss Sinclair will be able to successfully wolf-out when the next full moon arrives."
---
On the lake, some contestants finally broke completely.
"Damn it! I'm not playing anymore! I surrender!" A contestant slammed his paddle into the water, shouted in despair while clutching his head, and then jumped into the lake with a splash.
This was the default method of surrendering in Nevermore's "no rules" competitions.
His breakdown was like pushing over the first domino.
If facing Victor and Wednesday's surgical precision throws brought fear but still a lingering thought of "they can control it, no one will actually die," then facing Enid... they were utterly hopeless.
The werewolf girl's throwing had no method at all; it was all based on wild intuition!
The last grenade might have been fifty feet away, letting you catch your breath, but the next one might explode practically against your hull. The overwhelming scent of death and the deafening roar were enough to spike anyone's adrenaline to critical levels instantly!
This extreme experience of oscillating between "getting lucky" and "sudden death" was enough to drive the strongest nerves insane.
With the first, came the second, the third...
"I'm out too!"
"I surrender! Surrender!"
"Help!"
Sounds of splashing water rang out one after another. Contestants scrambled to jump ship and escape, as if the Black Cat were a source releasing a plague.
Even the proud Bianca, looking at the suddenly empty lake around her, then at the black boat approaching like a carnival float and the three distinct yet equally dangerous lunatics on board...
She bit her lip until it nearly bled, but finally, she dejectedly let go of her paddle and slowly raised her hands in humiliation and stiffness.
She saw no hope of winning. Not a single shred.
"Looks like we've locked in the victory early."
Victor looked around and realized that on the vast Black Lake, theirs was the only canoe still sailing. He couldn't help but sigh in triumph.
He looked at Enid at the bow, who was still in a state of extreme excitement, seemingly leading an invisible wolf pack forward, and a playful smile curled his lips.
He reached up to straighten the bell collar Enid had yanked askew, and then—under the gaze of everyone—he reached into Venom's body, rummaged around, and pulled out an extremely well-maintained, dark brown violin and bow!
He placed the violin elegantly on his shoulder, his chin resting lightly on the chin rest, and tested a few notes.
Then, he looked at the expressionless Wednesday beside him and issued a crazy invitation: "Hey, Captain, how about some victory BGM? Venom has a cello in his belly, the tone is quite good."
Wednesday raised an eyebrow. A very subtle hint of interest, stirred by this absurd proposal, seemed to flash in her dark pupils.
This kind of public madness lacks elegance... but, once in a while, the feeling isn't bad.
She didn't speak, but she extended her hand toward Venom.
Venom squirmed cooperatively, and a larger, elegantly lined cello was "spat" out, delivered steadily into Wednesday's hands.
Wednesday adjusted her sitting position, placed the cello in front of her, and gripped the bow.
The next moment, a surging, passionate melody, familiar enough to make one's scalp tingle—the Pirates of the Caribbean theme, He's a Pirate—resounded abruptly over the entire Black Lake through the duet of violin and cello!
Victor's violin handled the main melody—wild and uninhibited, full of the passion of adventure and conquest.
Wednesday's cello played the deep, rhythmic bass line, like a turbulent sea, steady and dangerous.
The two timbres wove together perfectly, interpreting this classic piece with a unique charm that belonged to Nevermore—a coexistence of darkness and madness.
And just as the music pushed toward its climax, Enid at the bow seemed to understand perfectly. She whipped out the pink, rhinestone-covered Desert Eagle Victor gave her, aimed at the sky—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The crisp, loud gunshots interspersed rhythmically into the impassioned music, becoming the most shocking percussion section!
All the spectators in the stands, including the teachers and the Principal, watched this surreal scene on the lake:
A pitch-black, ghost-ship-like canoe carrying a cello-playing goth girl, a violin-playing manic boy, a flag-waving, gun-firing werewolf girl, and a black symbiote occasionally gyrating to the music, sailing over the empty lake like rulers of the world accompanied by the classic Pirates of the Caribbean BGM...
They froze collectively, falling into a deeply shocked silence that lasted several seconds.
Then, wild cheers and whistles, louder than all the previous explosions combined, erupted from the stands like a tsunami, threatening to overturn the entire Black Lake!
"Black Cat! Black Cat! Black Cat!"
Unsure who started it, the uniform shouts filled with fanatical adoration resonated through the clouds.
In this moment, the winner was decided.
But more importantly, a legend was born.