The five of them—Zephyr, Lennox, Isla, Henry, and Jimmy—could only stand and watch the chaotic scene unfolding right in front of them. A strange new creature had completely hijacked their life-or-death battle, tackling the mutated werewolf and inadvertently saving their lives.
This newcomer was massive, covered in thick, snow-white fur that was heavily stained with fresh patches of blood. Its heavy build looked similar to a bear, but its physical anatomy was distinctly different in several noticeable ways.
The werewolf wasn't dead yet. It snarled fiercely as it wrestled with the white beast, both apex predators rolling violently across the torn asphalt. Mid-roll, the werewolf suddenly planted its powerful hind legs against the pavement and kicked off hard, forcing itself loose from the grapple.
The bear-like creature immediately tried to lung forward to maintain its advantage, but the werewolf's thin extra limbs whipped out with terrifying speed. The skeletal hands slammed hard into the white beast's chest. Using that exact momentum, the werewolf pushed itself further away through the air, while the heavy impact sent the bear-like monster stumbling backward several steps.
The werewolf touched down on all fours, its sharp claws scraping the ground as it prepared to launch a counterattack. But the white beast didn't give it the chance to breathe.
Driven by pure fury, the bear-like creature was already charging back at a terrifying speed. It slammed its massive body directly into the werewolf with a deafening thud. The sheer force lifted the mutated wolf completely off its feet before the white beast violently threw it down.
Crash!
The impact was heavy, but the werewolf reacted instantly. Before its main torso could smash flat against the hard pavement, its extra skeletal limbs shot out, digging their sharp claws deep into the dirt to brace its weight, barely stopping its body from collapsing completely under the pressure.
The werewolf suddenly threw both of its rear legs upward, striking the white, bear-like beast squarely in the face with a dull thud. Using its thin extra limbs that were still firmly dug into the asphalt, the monster coiled and launched itself backward like a tight metal spring.
The leap was incredibly high. The werewolf spun cleanly multiple times in mid-air, completely breaking away from the grapple before landing heavily on the pavement a far distance away.
Nearby, the brutal exchange between the two apex predators played out right in front of the five cultivators. They watched the terrifying display with wide eyes.
"Is that something you guys came with?" Jimmy asked, lifting a shaky finger to point toward the newly arrived white beast.
"We have never seen a creature like that in our lives," Isla replied, his voice tense as he kept his guard up.
Lennox tightened his posture, looking around desperately. "We should probably get out of here right now while those two beasts are busy tearing each other apart."
But before they could take a single step backward, Zephyr suddenly pulled away from Lennox's supporting grip. He stepped forward with steady, deliberate strides, acting as though the intense dizziness and exhaustion he had been suffering from just a moment ago was nothing but a myth.
"Something is happening," Zephyr whispered, his eyes scanning the surrounding fog.
He stopped moving, his voice turning dead serious. "Someone is here."
Right at that moment, the white bear beast and the mutated werewolf roared, charging forward to clash violently once again. But the group's attention was completely pulled away from the monster fight. The deafening sounds of heavy bodies crashing into concrete and the sharp, echoing slashes of tearing claws quickly became nothing but background noise.
Every single one of them completely froze. Their eyes slowly locked onto a spot right in the center of their own formation.
Standing right there, perfectly blending into the space between them, was a person. A figure who had been standing among them the entire time, completely unnoticed until now.
Every single head snapped around. All eyes locked directly onto Clifford, who was standing quietly just a few paces behind their formation as if he had been there the entire time.
"How the hell did you get here?!" Jimmy yelled, his voice rising to an outright scream from the sheer shock.
"What?" Clifford asked, casually shifting his gaze toward the raging monster battle in the mist. "That hot-headed guy already stole the show by jumping into the fight first."
He gestured vaguely toward the dust cloud before looking back at the group.
"Unlike you three, I didn't see any real reason to make a dramatic entrance."
"Wait... you've been standing here this entire time?!" Henry was the one screaming now, his jaw practically dropping to the floor.
Clifford completely ignored the hysterical tone. He calmly turned around, looking totally unbothered by the chaos surrounding them.
"We were trailing just a little bit behind them," he said, his voice flat and even.
Crash!
Before anyone could ask another question, a heavy, white-furred mass violently plowed directly into the asphalt right between them, completely shattering their conversation. It was the bear-like beast. The massive creature skidded hard across the broken street, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. It was clearly hurting, having just taken a brutal, bone-shattering hit from the werewolf.
"I am going to assume this is Gavalich," Zephyr said, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at the groaning white giant.
Clifford didn't say a word, and the beast was too busy recovering to reply. Instead, a terrifying sound from a distance instantly ripped everyone's attention away.
The mutated werewolf was already coming back for more. It tore through the heavy mist in a frantic, bloodthirsty dash, heading straight toward their position. Kicking off a pile of rubble, the werewolf launched its massive body high into the air, its sharp claws extended and ready to pounce on the first target it could reach.
'Not happening,' Henry thought.
His freshly restored mana surged down his arm. Moving on pure instinct, a highly compressed ball of air violently gathered in his open palm. He thrust his hand forward, unleashing the attack straight at the airborne monster.
Boom!
The condensed ball of air struck the werewolf squarely on its muscular chest.
Boom!
The air ball exploded violently upon impact, the sheer concussive force sending the heavy creature flying backward. It crashed hard against the ruined street, tumbling across the asphalt before vanishing completely into the thick white fog.
Henry exhaled, a sharp grin cutting through his exhaustion. His theory was right. As long as his attacks hit any other part of the beast's body instead of that bottomless mouth, the air balls would detonate exactly like they were supposed to.
"Alright, everyone!" Clifford said, raising his hand to gather the group together.
As he spoke, a sudden wave of warmth flooded their internal pathways.
"Before I made it over here, I managed to gather a massive amount of raw energy," Clifford explained, his expression calm. "Right now, I have completely restored your reserves and even given your bodies enough vitality to kickstart your healing."
He lowered his hand, his eyes locking onto the misty road ahead.
"Now don't go holding back on this energy. Spend it, use it, and let's kill this beast once and for all."
Nearby, the giant white-furred monster groaned as it dragged itself back up. This was Gavalich. By utilizing his unique shape-shifting ring, he had taken on the massive, brute form of a werebear to match the mutated wolves. Now fully recharged by Clifford's energy wave, the white giant shook the dust from its coat and bared its fangs.
They didn't have a single second to waste. With a bloodthirsty howl, the mutated werewolf came rushing right back out of the dense fog, its heavy claws ripping up chunks of concrete as it charged.
Seeing the monster approach, Henry instantly pressed his palms together. Thanks to Clifford's refill, a fresh, highly compressed sphere of wind rapidly began to churn between his hands.
"Zephyr, your Qi!" Henry shouted.
Zephyr didn't hesitate. He thrust his hand forward, and a bright spark of raw energy cracked violently from his fingertips. The energy projectile shot straight toward Henry, sinking directly into the swirling vortex of the air ball.
The air ball expanded instantly. Zephyr's spark became firmly trapped inside the pressurized wind, glowing wider and brighter until the entire sphere hummed with highly volatile power.
Knowing the spell was ready, Lennox and Isla instantly dashed forward, sprinting directly into the path of the oncoming werewolf to buy Henry his shot.
Seeing Lennox and Isla rushing close, the werewolf swung its massive hand. Its razor-sharp claws cut a deadly arc through the air, but Lennox and Isla dropped simultaneously, sliding flat against the asphalt right underneath the heavy swing.
As soon as they cleared the claws, they popped back up on either side of the beast. They didn't target its torso. Instead, they went straight for the thin extra arms growing out of its back.
Leaping onto the werewolf's hunched spine, Lennox and Isla tightly grabbed the skeletal limbs. They anchored their boots and pulled backward with all their strength. The sudden leverage forced the werewolf's upper body to bend, violently thrusting its chest forward and locking it in place.
Henry saw his opening. Holding the condensed air ball, he gritted his teeth and pressed his palms closer together with all his might. He compressed the energy further, forcing the ball to shrink until it was small, tight, and humming with highly concentrated wind and Zephyr's volatile Qi.
The sphere became a tiny, glowing marble in his palm before he thrust his hand forward, shooting it directly at the target. Henry kept his focus entirely locked onto the projectile, mentally guiding its path through the air to ensure it wouldn't miss.
The werewolf saw the incoming attack. With its chest forced out and unable to move, it unhinged its jaw and let out a furious roar.
"Howlll!!!"
The sound was deep and heavy, vibrating with a strange, magical frequency that rippled across the pavement.
But it was too late. Before the sonic wave could do whatever it was meant to do, the highly compressed sphere slammed directly into the werewolf's cheek.
A blinding white light instantly erupted from the impact. The sudden burst of raw energy was so intense that the surrounding sound seemed to drop into an eerie, muted silence. Realizing the scale of the blast, Lennox and Isla immediately let go and kicked off the monster's back, throwing themselves through the air to get as far away from the light as possible.
Then came the detonation.
Boom!
The bright light completely swallowed the werewolf's massive frame. From the center of the flash, violent sparks of lightning started shooting upward into the sky.
The raw kinetic force of the expanding wind blasted outward like a tidal wave. The shockwave tore down the street, aggressively clearing anything in its path. Abandoned cars groaned as they were shoved back across the asphalt, and loose junk and dirt were instantly swept away.
Even Clifford and the rest had to cross their arms to shield their eyes as the violent wind pushed a thick wall of dust directly toward them.
Soon, the rushing wind died down. The blinding light faded, and the crackling lightning fell silent.
At the spot where the mutated werewolf had just stood, nothing was left intact. There was only a few scattered pieces of shredded flesh and a wide patch of dark, scorched ground smoking in the mist.