Chapter 35: Swept Away in a Single Stroke, That's How Smooth It Is

Nick climbed up from the ground and gazed at the towering werewolf before him. Only then did he realize they had fallen into a trap: tonight was the night of the full moon, the time when werewolves were at their strongest. Furthermore, Eddie, in his struggle to suppress his urges, had taken a heavy dose of medication, which significantly weakened his abilities and left him unable to restrain Lucien. That was why they had been defeated so swiftly.

"Reinhardt, aren't you curious why our power has suddenly grown so immense—why we can so easily defeat the two of you?" Lucien, following the villain's principle of excessive monologue, looked down at Nick from above, his tone brimming with pride.

Nick was puzzled. Even under a full moon, Lucien shouldn't be this powerful. After all, Nick himself possessed extraordinary strength; the two had always been evenly matched, never so overwhelmingly outclassed.

"Do you really think we were afraid of you and hid in this remote wasteland? No, no, no—haven’t you noticed? This entire area is saturated with potent dark energy, so dense that we can absorb it freely and unleash all our power without restraint.

This place is paradise for creatures of darkness—and hell for your Green Hunters. You want to kill us here? Impossible. The only ones who will die are you."

Lucien let out a wild laugh, revealing the truth behind their defeat.

Enlightened, Nick sensed the air around him and indeed found it filled with a faint, peculiar energy. It was a supernatural substance infused with dark attributes, explaining why the werewolves’ strength had grown so formidable.

A grave miscalculation—an irredeemable blunder!

On the summit, Lin Xiao carried Lucas, while Number Eleven and Will supported Michael, preparing to retreat down the other side of the slope. Lucien, still laughing, caught sight of their movements. Turning to a werewolf, he commanded, "Ryze, go kill those three brats. Don’t let them escape with the test subject."

The werewolf abandoned his assault on Eddie and sprinted toward the summit, leaping over three meters at a time with astonishing speed.

Though called a mountain, the peak was barely thirty or forty meters high—a mere mound. Ryze, the werewolf, bounded up in a dozen strides, blocking Lin Xiao and the others.

"Excellent, three tender little ones—just the flavor I crave. Stand still and let me end you with a single bite; you won’t feel a thing," Ryze threatened, baring his jaws to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth. His gleaming canines reflected the moonlight like miniature daggers.

As he menaced them, the tall youth suddenly set down the boy he was carrying and, with a swift stride, dashed toward Ryze, so fast it seemed he had teleported.

Ryze wondered what this opponent intended—was he so eager to die? He barely had time to notice the strange battle axe that appeared in Lin Xiao’s hand, its crescent blade shining brilliantly under the moon.

"Showing off a cold weapon before a werewolf? Courting death!"

That thought flashed through Ryze’s mind as he prepared to raise his claws, planning to tear open the youth’s chest and devour his beating heart. But to his horror, a powerful force bound his limbs, rendering him immobile.

The axe blade swept across him like moonlight rippling over water—smooth and unstoppable. A massive wolf’s head soared high into the air, blood spraying and blossoming like cherry flowers—a spectacle of savage beauty.

"What’s happening?"

Even with a werewolf’s formidable vitality, Ryze’s mind managed one last thought before death claimed him, his eyes forever frozen in disbelief.

At the foot of the mountain, Lucien, who had just been mocking Nick, stared blankly at his comrade’s fallen corpse. His wolfish face twisted into a surprisingly human expression of shock, like a confused husky unable to comprehend what had transpired.

From Ryze’s dash to the summit to his decapitation, less than a minute had passed. The outcome was settled—life and death decided. Such terrifying strength; even Nick and Eddie couldn’t match it. Ryze, second only to Lucien in the tribe, a veteran killer of countless Green Hunters and Death Walkers, had died here in utter silence—a ludicrous, dreamlike fate.

Yet his severed head rolled across the ground, and his headless body collapsed heavily. It was all real, without a trace of illusion.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for slaying a Level 4 extraordinary creature: Werewolf. Source Energy +30.]

Lin Xiao’s mood soared at the long-missed system prompt. He flicked the blood from his axe and, waving it provocatively toward the two werewolves below, grinned silently.

That attack was the result of his well-practiced teamwork with Number Eleven: Lin Xiao charged forward with a sprinting strike, while Number Eleven secretly cast an earthen prison to bind the enemy.

Double assault—attack and kill in unison. Not just Level 4 extraordinary creatures; even higher-level foes could fall before them.

After his last upgrade, Lin Xiao had not used his two SP points to unlock new abilities, but instead invested them in his sprinting strike, raising it to Level 2 mastery.

At Level 2, the sprinting strike’s range extended to eight meters, response speed increased, and cooldown was reduced to under two minutes—a trump card of a skill.

Awooo!

Lucien struggled to suppress his bloodthirst, restraining himself from reckless action, but the other werewolf could not contain his murderous frenzy. He let go of Eddie and shot toward the summit like an arrow.

He would tear that man limb from limb, drain his blood, devour his flesh and bone, and make him regret and suffer endlessly before death.

"Hmph, you dare come? Foolhardy."

As the other werewolf charged, Lin Xiao gave a cold snort, signaled Number Eleven, and raised his battle axe in readiness.

The rabid werewolf dropped to all fours, transforming into a true giant wolf. With a sudden lunge, he leapt into the air, descending upon Lin Xiao, his massive form blotting out the moonlight above.

Retreat!

Lin Xiao withdrew at once, moving back seven or eight meters. Number Eleven’s earthen prison had a cooldown of over three minutes, so it could not be used again yet. The priority was to buy her enough time.

At the base of the mountain, Lucien was momentarily distracted. Nick seized the opportunity, pulling out a triangular spike and rolling forward, driving it into Lucien’s thigh. Blood spurted.

"Ah!"

The agony snapped Lucien out of his stupor. He remembered that his adversary was not just prey to be toyed with, but a formidable Green Hunter.

Eddie, too, climbed to his feet, battered but not seriously wounded, and joined the assault on Lucien.

The situation reversed in an instant.

At the summit, Lin Xiao remained calm, rotating through retreat, leap, and sprinting strike, keeping his distance from the werewolf and provoking its rage.

This was the benefit of relentless skill practice: mastering the rhythm and application, forging his own combat style and avoiding panic.

Though endowed with supernatural power and skills, he never relied solely on them.

The ancients said: to do a good job, one must first sharpen his tools. Strength without proper usage is wasted.

Under his taunts, the werewolf lost all reason, pursuing him with a single-minded fury—determined to kill Lin Xiao on the spot, avenge his fallen comrade, and wipe away the humiliation just suffered.

But—time was up!

Lin Xiao silently counted the cooldown. As the werewolf lunged again, he stopped retreating and charged straight toward his foe.

At that moment, Number Eleven behind him raised her staff. An invisible barrier shot out, binding the attacking werewolf.

The Sprout Staff’s special ability: Earthen Prison.