My Werewolf System

Chapter 1812  The Breaking of the First

Lupus stomped his foot heavily against the cracked ground, and the earth responded with a violent, freezing groan. Giant pillars of ice erupted from the debris, surging upward exactly where Unzoku was standing.

The jagged frozen bars formed a cage, trapping Unzoku in place. Lupus had noticed a shift in his power since he had consumed Don Tinge; although the element wasnʼt exactly the same, since Don’s power was focused on the fluidity of water rather than the rigid bite of ice, it had significantly increased his elemental output. His overall strength felt denser, more grounded.

However, the ice pillars were merely a distraction. Lupus had no intention of letting a few blocks of ice finish this fight. He lifted his shield high into the air, the beast crystals embedded in the metal beginning to pulse. He activated the third active skill the shield obtained.

These were special techniques that Lupus had learned from the Werewolves of the past, armors and weapons that were forged specifically for the biology of a Werewolf. One of the skills the shield contained was the ability to share his anchoring with other nearby pack members, but that was a skill he could ignore and forget about now. He was alone here.

The version of the skill he was using now changed the very design of his shield. Right at the bottom point, it started to glow with a slight yellow light, and the edge looked more refined, sharper than it had ever been before.

The shield was already as large as Lupus’s own body, ending in a sharpened point, but now the entire edge was like that of a blade. It was humming, the metal vibrating so fast it created a blur. It was vibrating with pure, stored energy.

This third active skill could only be used after Lupus had successfully blocked several of the enemyʼs attacks. Each time Unzoku had struck the shield earlier, the metal had absorbed part of that energy. Now, using the third skill, Lupus was funneling all that absorbed power into the edge.

Lupus held the shield up on his forearm. Because of the sharpened point at the bottom, it looked almost as if he were holding a giant, metallic arrow. He bent his knees, centering his weight as he waited for the perfect moment. Then, he saw it. Unzoku smashed right through the ice pillars, the frozen shards flying everywhere as he broke out. He was heading straight for Lupus, driven by rage.

“So simple-minded!” Lupus claimed.

He kicked off from his feet with full force, heading in only one direction: straight ahead. He thrusted his forearm forward in a powerful lunge and stabbed Unzoku right in the chest. The shield’s sharpened end cut through the flesh of Unzoku’s body as if it were parchment, the point going right through him and emerging from the other side.

The force of Lupusʼs jump was so immense that it sent them both crashing back into the area of the ice pillars. Unzoku’s body smashed right through another pillar of ice as they went down, until the two of them went tumbling to the ground together in a heap of fur and armor.

Now, Lupus was on top of Unzoku’s body, his shield still piercing through the center of the man.

“You talked about you being the original Werewolf?” Lupus asked, his voice a low growl. “Who gives a fuck about that? At some point the student surpasses the teacher. That’s natural.”

Lupus could see that although the shield had pierced Unzoku through the torso, it hadn’t killed him yet. He knew what he could do now. Just as if a blade were stuck in an enemyʼs body, he tried to pull up on the shield, intending to split right through the middle of Unzoku’s head and end it.

As Lupus tried to move the shield upward, the muscles inside Unzokuʼs body were hardening, clamping down on the metal to keep it in place. Right after, both of Unzoku’s hands reached up to the top of the shield. He began pushing down with desperate strength, stopping the edge from ripping him apart any further.

It was a raw match of strength as the two of them struggled on the ground.

“You think I havenʼt been through that before?” Unzoku said, his eyes locking onto Lupus. “This world of yours is small... incredibly small. And if you live to survive, you’ll realize that. But if there is one thing about our kind, about our race, that is better than anyone else, it’s our limitless potential to keep on growing. No matter what, we have no cap! So as long as we live, we can grow stronger!”

Unzoku managed to lift up a knee, wedging it in between the two of them. With a sudden burst of power, he used his leg to kick Lupus’s body away. The force was enough to send Lupus flying back, and the shield came sliding right out of Unzokuʼs chest.

Lupus landed back on the ground, skidding a few meters. The edge of his shield was no longer glowing yellow; the stored energy had been spent. He looked up to see Unzoku standing back up on his feet.

“You have no idea what I’ve been through,” Unzoku said, his voice echoing through the ruins. “No idea how long I have survived. I will survive this, just as I survive everything there is out there!”

Red mist started to ooze out of Unzoku’s body, swirling around him like a storm. The wind and the entire area around Unzoku started to feel cooler, the temperature dropping as the mist spread. Lupus knew this was it. Now, Unzoku was going to use everything he had to win this fight.

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