The howl was powerful.
It echoed throughout the warehouse and beyond, spreading across the surrounding area.
And it didn't stop.
The sound continued ringing through the air.
Meanwhile, the Wyndhams were suddenly placed under immense pressure.
Zephyr dropped to one knee.
Gavalich collapsed to the floor.
Henry and Jimmy weren't any better.
All four of them clutched their ears as they struggled against the painful sound reverberating around them.
The howl felt like a drill boring into their heads.
Their faces twisted in pain.
Meanwhile, Isla and Lennox remained standing.
Unlike the others, they were mostly unaffected.
Their Pain Rings dulled the agony and allowed them to endure the howl.
"Someone... shut it up!" Zephyr shouted through gritted teeth.
Isla and Lennox reacted immediately.
The two dashed toward the werewolf.
Their feet pounded against the floor as they closed the distance.
However, before either of them could reach it, a fast-moving projectile struck first.
Bang!
A chunk of broken concrete smashed into the werewolf's leg with tremendous force.
The impact was strong enough to shift the beast's footing.
Its leg buckled.
The werewolf stumbled forward.
"Aaargh!"
A painful cry escaped its mouth.
At the same time, the howl abruptly ended.
Everyone immediately felt the pressure lessen.
Alex was already moving.
He bent down and grabbed another broken piece of concrete from the floor.
Without hesitation, he focused the Buster Technique into it.
The concrete fragment trembled slightly in his hand.
Then he hurled it.
The projectile shot toward the werewolf's eye at high speed.
'If my suspicion is right, then that werewolf is trying to call its pack,' Alex thought.
His eyes never left the target.
'This is bad.'
The concrete left his hand.
'I have to end this and get out of here.'
The projectile tore through the air as Alex reached that conclusion.
The stone shot out like a bullet.
With deadly accuracy, it struck one of the werewolf's eyes.
Splat!
Blood burst out instantly.
"ARRRGHHH!"
The werewolf let out a painful roar as its head jerked to the side.
That opening was all Lennox and Isla needed.
Bang!
The two crashed into the werewolf and drove it back to the ground.
Lennox immediately climbed onto its body. He pressed the werewolf down with all his weight and forced its head against the concrete floor.
Cracks spread across the surface beneath the pressure.
Meanwhile, Isla moved behind it and grabbed hold of the two extra arms.
The werewolf struggled violently.
Its muscles bulged.
Its claws scraped against the concrete.
Even with one eye ruined, it fought like a beast possessed.
"ARHHH!"
The creature twisted and thrashed, trying to break free.
But Isla refused to let go.
His feet dug deep into the ground as he pulled the extra arms backward with everything he had.
The strain showed clearly on his face.
Still, he held on.
Lennox tightened his grip as well, pressing the werewolf's head harder against the concrete.
"Come on, Clifford! Finish it already!" Lennox yelled.
Meanwhile, Clifford's hands were glowing brighter than before.
Thin, invisible threads remained connected to the werewolf's body.
More and more energy flowed through them.
The drain had become stronger.
Much stronger.
The energy gathering around Clifford continued to pile up.
At the same time, the werewolf's struggles gradually weakened.
Its movements became slower.
Its strength was fading.
Its roars were no longer as fierce as before.
'I should end this now,' Lennox thought.
Seeing the werewolf weaken, he finally released its head for a brief moment.
Then he raised both hands high above him.
His fingers tightened into fists.
Ready to bring them crashing down.
He clapped both hands together and brought them crashing down toward the werewolf's head.
However, just before his fists could connect, just before the blow could land, two hands suddenly grabbed him.
They weren't human hands.
They were frail and thin, yet strangely flexible.
Despite their appearance, they were powerful.
The hands locked onto Lennox's wrists and stopped his attack dead in its tracks.
For a brief second, Lennox froze.
Before he could understand what was happening, he was violently pulled away from the werewolf.
A second werewolf had appeared.
It was just as large as the one they had pinned down, its body twisted and mutated in the same monstrous way.
As Lennox was dragged closer, the werewolf didn't hesitate.
Slash!
Its normal claws swept forward.
The attack was fast.
Far too fast.
The claws tore through Lennox's flesh like scissors cutting through paper.
Blood sprayed into the air.
His ribs were ripped open at that very moment.
"UGH!"
Lennox's eyes widened.
The force of the strike sent him flying.
He hit the ground and rolled several times before finally skidding to a stop.
Meanwhile, Isla was still holding onto the extra arms of the first werewolf.
Then everything changed.
Bang!
A sudden impact struck him from the side and knocked him to the ground.
Before he could understand what was happening, another werewolf lunged forward.
Its jaws snapped shut around his shoulder.
Crunch!
The sound echoed through the warehouse.
The beast shook its head violently.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Flesh tore apart under its teeth.
Slowly, Isla's shoulder and arm were being ripped to shreds.
Even though the Pain Ring helped him ignore the pain itself, the sight was another matter entirely.
Seeing his own flesh being torn apart right in front of him was enough to send horror racing through his mind.
"ARHH...!"
He screamed in pure horror.
The rest of the Wyndhams were already moving.
Alex had fired a stone at the werewolf on top of Isla. The stone struck its head with force.
Bang!
The werewolf flinched from the impact.
Its jaws loosened immediately.
Isla was released.
"ARHH!"
A roar echoed through the warehouse.
Jimmy charged forward without hesitation.
He rushed straight at the werewolf that had attacked Lennox.
The werewolf reacted just as quickly.
It lunged forward as well, opening its mouth wide, ready to bite into him.
However, before it could reach him, Alex flicked another stone.
Crack!
The projectile smashed into the werewolf's jaw.
Its mouth snapped shut awkwardly as the blow knocked its jaw out of place.
A moment later, Jimmy arrived.
Bang!
His body slammed directly into the werewolf.
The force from both sides collided head-on.
For a brief moment, neither side gave way.
Then the werewolf was pushed back.
Even though the impact force had mostly canceled out, the beast clearly took the worse end of the exchange.
Still, it wasn't enough.
Far from it.
The werewolf dug its claws into the ground and leaped backward.
At the same time, the other werewolf also retreated.
The two quickly regrouped.
They gathered around the first werewolf, the one whose energy had been heavily drained by Clifford.
The three beasts stood together now.
Watching.
Waiting.
Alex narrowed his eyes.
'I knew it. That howl was a call.'
His grip tightened around another stone.
'And something tells me more are coming.'
"Quick, we have to get out of here!" Alex shouted.
"More will come!"
This time, no one argued.
No one questioned him.
After seeing what had just happened, nobody tried to stop him.
Lennox and Isla were injured, but thanks to their rings, they were able to ignore the pain.
Lennox's clothes had been torn to shreds. Blood was still pouring from the deep claw wound that had nearly ripped through his stomach.
Meanwhile, Isla's right arm dangled at his side as if it could fall off at any moment.
His shoulder joint was barely holding it in place.
He even had to use his other hand to stop the arm from swinging too much whenever he moved.
Regardless, both of them were still capable of fighting.
At least for now.
Fortunately, they didn't have to remain in that condition for long.
Right before everyone's eyes, their injuries began to heal.
The torn flesh knitted together.
The bleeding stopped.
Muscles reconnected.
Skin closed over the wounds as if they had never existed.
Within moments, the injuries had completely sealed.
However, the two shared the same thought.
'The ring's healing ability is on cooldown now. If I get injured like that again, I won't recover so easily,' Isla thought.
The Wyndhams quickly regrouped.
Everyone gathered together and prepared to leave the warehouse before the situation became worse.
However, they soon realized something.
It was already too late.
The three mutated werewolves still stood in front of them.
And now, more werewolves had begun appearing at the warehouse entrance.
They were normal compared to the mutated ones, but they looked no less deadly.
One after another, they emerged from the darkness.
Some climbed through the broken roof.
Others clung to the damaged walls, their claws digging into the concrete as they crawled into position.
More kept appearing.
More kept coming.
At that moment, the Wyndhams found themselves completely surrounded.
There was no clear path left.
No obvious escape route.
Only werewolves.
Everywhere.
'Shit... shit... shit!' Alex screamed inwardly.
His heart pounded against his chest.
Unlike the others, he knew exactly how bad this situation was for him.
At any moment, the rest of the Wyndhams could choose to quit the tournament using their wristbands.
They still had that option.
He didn't.
Alex clenched his fists.
If things truly went wrong here, then he might end up being the only one left behind.
And if that happened...
He would likely have to face every one of these werewolves by himself.