In the streets of the ruined city, a tall figure clad in black walked silently.
His face remained hidden beneath the darkness of his hood.
This was the leader of the Khyphon Clan.
As he walked, werewolves appeared from time to time, emerging from alleys, rooftops, and broken buildings.
However, they only took a single glance at the man before looking away.
None of the werewolves attacked him.
Some even ran right beside him, close enough to strike with a single swipe.
Yet none of them did.
They simply rushed past him and headed elsewhere, as though the person standing there did not exist at all.
'The divine beings?' the Khyphon Clan Leader thought as he watched the creatures moving through the ruined streets.
'The divine beings... why werewolves?'
His gaze followed a pack as they disappeared into the distance.
'What are you even thinking? Are you planning to start an inter-race war?'
He walked past another werewolf without slowing down.
The creature ignored him completely.
'I am sure all of this is being done in secret, but secrets do not stay hidden forever.'
His footsteps echoed softly against the cracked pavement.
'Werewolves might seem mindless at first glance, but they are not.'
'When they gather into packs, they have structure.'
'When the other packs hear about this, they will demand answers.'
His eyes narrowed beneath the hood.
'And something like this...'
'Might lead to a full-blown war.'
'The divine beings... they are really getting arrogant because of their power. They really need to be reminded that not all power resides with them,' the Khyphon Clan Leader thought.
'Well... I am at least pleased to be here and be part of the first strike against them,' he thought.
A smile formed beneath his hood, hidden from any outsider who might have been watching.
However, as he continued walking, he suddenly looked up into the sky.
The entire ruined city was covered in fog, but there was something unique about what he had just noticed.
'Is that a cloud?' he thought.
His steps slowed slightly.
'It's moving... and there are lightning sounds coming from it.'
The distant rumbling grew clearer with every passing second.
'I guess I found my first target.'
The cloud had nearly passed above him.
Lightning flashed repeatedly within it as it drifted through the fog like a moving storm.
The Khyphon Clan Leader slowly raised a hand and pointed it toward the cloud.
His body tensed.
Though his entire figure remained hidden beneath black clothing, the strain on his outstretched arm was obvious.
His hand trembled.
Not from fear.
From pressure.
An enormous amount of pressure.
The cloud slowed.
Its movement gradually weakened until it eventually came to a complete stop in the air.
The lightning flashes inside it became even more violent.
Crack!
Boom!
The cloud suddenly exploded apart.
It split into four different balls of lightning that shot away in separate directions.
Each one moved like a streak of living thunder.
One of those lightning spheres was heading directly toward the Khyphon Clan Leader.
---
The Wyndhams had been surrounded by even more werewolves.
The three mutated werewolves stood at the front. They took slow, careful steps forward as low growls rumbled from their throats.
Behind them stood the normal-looking werewolves.
They looked eager to jump in.
Eager to tear something apart.
"Groahhh!"
Saliva dripped from their mouths and splashed onto the ground as their eyes remained fixed on the Wyndhams.
'At this point, I can't afford to hold back,' Alex thought.
His gaze swept across the growing pack.
'The others can disappear from the tournament at any moment.'
'But I can't.'
'I need to make it out of here on my own.'
'I have to fight with everything I've got.'
Alex was already navigating through the Pendragon System.
His axe was still undergoing its healing process. Even so, he could feel that it might become usable again at any moment.
However, Alex was not searching through his inventory.
This time, he was going through the Pendragon General System.
He searched through every section he could access.
He was looking for any kind of weapon he could use.
Anything.
A blade.
A spear.
Even a broken weapon would do.
'What the heck? Where did all the weapons go?' Alex panicked.
He continued searching through the system storage.
Again.
And again.
And again.
But the result remained the same.
No matter where he looked, he could not find a single weapon stashed inside the storage.
'How is this even possible? There is always a weapon left in the storage, but suddenly they are no longer there,' Alex thought.
Still, he managed to find two qi handguns.
The same ones he had used earlier.
Even then, Alex wished for something bigger. Something with more power than what he currently had.
Alex did not summon the weapons.
Not yet.
They were ready to be called out at any moment, but he held back.
He waited.
"What should we do?" Gavalich asked.
He looked like he was already at the edge of his limit. Like he was ready to exit the tournament at any moment.
Zephyr did not answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on the werewolves surrounding them.
"How much can you take, Clifford?" Zephyr asked without looking away from the beasts.
Clifford stood near the back of the group.
It was not because he was weak.
Far from it.
His role simply required more focus than the others. While he concentrated on his ability, the rest had to make sure nothing reached him.
"It might be hard for me to drain the big werewolves all at once," Clifford responded.
"But it is much easier for me against the regular werewolves."
Zephyr nodded.
"Henry, keep the three werewolves busy."
"Jimmy, create a path through the smaller wolves."
The moment the orders were given, everyone moved.
No hesitation.
No arguments.
The werewolves were already closing in.
The Wyndhams had no time to waste.
Condensed air shot out from Henry's hand and raced toward the werewolves.
Two of the werewolves managed to leap out of the path of the attack.
One wasn't fast enough.
Boom!
The compressed air slammed into it and sent it tumbling across the floor.
Meanwhile, Jimmy saw the opening and immediately charged forward.
His body crashed into multiple werewolves.
Bang!
Bang!
The beasts were thrown aside by the impact.
Using his charging force, he created a path through the pack.
The Wyndhams moved forward at once.
However, just as quickly as the path was created, more werewolves jumped in to close it.
Lennox and Isla were ready.
Each punch they threw sent a werewolf flying across the warehouse.
"Should I transform now?" Gavalich asked.
The question was directed at Zephyr.
"No, not yet," Zephyr replied after a brief moment.
Meanwhile, the two mutated werewolves were still being chased around by Henry's condensed air attacks.
None had managed to hit them yet, but that wasn't the point.
The attacks were serving the purpose Henry wanted.
They were keeping the stronger werewolves busy.
Unfortunately, that didn't last forever.
One of the mutated werewolves suddenly swung an extra arm in a wide circle.
The long limb whipped through the air.
Henry reacted instantly.
He aimed an air ball at the arm and blasted it away.
However, the werewolf had already landed in front of him.
Henry's eyes widened.
The beast had crossed the distance far faster than expected.
Without hesitation, Henry fired another air ball.
The werewolf simply opened its mouth and swallowed the entire attack.
'Heck... I forgot it can do that,' Henry panicked.
The werewolf was now dangerously close.
Its jaws opened wide.
Its fangs glistened as it lunged forward, ready to bite down.
But before it could—
Bang!
A powerful fist smashed into the side of its face.
The blow came out of nowhere.
The werewolf's head snapped sideways as its entire body was shoved away.
Henry fell back onto his butt, startled.
'How did he get here? He was at the front, wasn't he?' Henry thought.
His body trembled from the strange fear he felt toward the person standing in front of him.
Alex didn't stay around to talk.
The moment he forced the werewolf away, he moved again.
Using his Buster Technique, he shot forward.
His target was the other mutated werewolf.
He wanted to close the distance and launch an attack.
However, just as he dashed forward, a powerful bolt of lightning struck inside the warehouse.
Crack!!!
The lightning was so bright and violent that everyone froze.
Their bodies lit up under the flash.
For a brief moment, the entire warehouse turned white.
Boom!
The lightning exploded outward with even greater force.