The golden aura was as fast as a streak of light.
The golden glow surrounding the body resembled the tail of a comet, reaching Eiji's front in the blink of an eye.
So fast!
Not only that.
As the golden wolf advanced, its body expanded at an incredible speed, transforming from a normal wolf-like creature into a humanoid wolf, with muscles bulging out and growing into a towering figure nearly two meters tall!
Boom!
The werewolf swung its massive claws, breaking the air in front of it, and forcefully slashed at Eiji's chest and abdomen.
Despite the strike capable of piercing steel, Eiji's face remained calm. His eyes, however, followed the wolf's movements like lightning, radiating a cold chill.
Clang—
A silver-glowing longsword appeared in his hand, slicing upward from below.
With a deafening clang, the silver sword and the golden claws collided, sending a shockwave through the air.
Such strength!
A terrifying force emanated from the sword.
Eiji's posture remained upright, but under the force of the werewolf's attack, his body was still pushed back. His feet left two noticeable furrows in the dirt.
Crash!
He stomped the ground hard, channelling all his strength into a single motion, managing to stop his backwards slide.
Then, with all his might, he twisted his waist, and the sword traced a half-circle in the air, redirecting the golden claws—like massive pillars—toward the ground, neutralizing all the force.
Clang—
At the same time.
A series of rapid slashes, like crashing waves, came from the front, continuously striking at the golden wolf's face.
"What?"
The golden wolf didn't expect this, completely caught off guard.
He had never imagined that anyone could withstand his attack from the front.
In his mind, his claws should have effortlessly torn through the opponent, crushing bones, rupturing organs, and spilling blood.
The fact that it didn't happen was already shocking enough, but the subsequent neutralization left him completely stunned. He couldn't figure out why his claws were now striking the ground.
The subsequent wave of slashes left him dazed.
With thoughts of "How is this possible?", he was enveloped in a storm of blades like a deluge of water.
"Ugh!"
He let out a brief cry of pain, instinctively stepping backwards.
When he realized what had happened, there was already a distance of more than ten meters between him and the boy, with distinctive marks left by his feet on the ground.
"I… retreated?"
The golden wolf's face was filled with confusion.
"It hurts…?"
A sharp pain spread across his face, causing him to instinctively cover it.
Then it dawned on him.
Pain?
Why do I feel pain?
What in this world could make me feel pain?
The golden wolf lowered his hand, and in his palm, the grid-like bloodstains were reflected.
Looking at the crimson marks, the golden wolf's pupils contracted sharply.
I'm bleeding?
How could this be possible?
The golden wolf was plunged into deep confusion by the extremely unbelievable scene.
Meanwhile, Eiji frowned slightly.
His terrifying series of slashes had indeed left several deep gashes on the golden wolf's face. Not only were there marks, but even his ears and nose were damaged.
However, in just about a second, the wounds on his face healed completely, leaving only faint bloodstains.
Regenerative ability at high speed?
Eiji had a guess in his mind.
Boom!
He pushed off the ground, and with a burst of speed, he darted forward.
The golden wolf was startled and instinctively stepped backwards with his left foot.
But then, a deeper fury appeared in his eyes.
As a noble fantasy species, the golden werewolf, long unseen for a thousand years, his bloodline was so noble that it could not be described as a return to ancestry, but rather as a flash of revival.
Even his own kind treated him with utmost respect. He was born with unparalleled power, and every creature that saw him looked up to him with reverence. To him, all beings were as insignificant as ants.
But now, someone had actually made him bleed!
And even caused him to retreat a step!
This was absolutely intolerable!
"Die!"
All the admiration he had for beautiful things vanished.
Beo now saw the boy before him as the black mark of his century-long existence and swore to kill him as soon as possible!
The golden werewolf let out a deafening roar, his body expanding horizontally, and his facial bones retracted. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a golden werewolf into a golden-furred bear!
He could freely change his form.
As long as the target's height was within two meters, he could completely mimic their shape, not only copying their appearance but also gaining their traits!
Thud!
He took a step forward, causing the ground to tremble beneath him.
With several times the strength he had before, his confidence was restored. Facing the lightning-fast oncoming boy, he clenched his fist and launched massive punches the size of bowls with brute force.
Eiji's assessment of that punch was simple: no skill, just pure emotion.
The technique was chaotic, relying solely on anger to swing his fists wildly.
But being hit directly by such a thing was no joke.
Instinctively feeling that he couldn't take it head-on, Eiji lowered his body, evading the series of wild punches, and with a swift motion, his sword struck the golden bear's waist.
Clang!
Sparks flew in every direction.
As they passed each other, Eiji shook his trembling wrist and turned to look back.
"Hahaha! In the end, you're just a weak human. How could a mere sword ever hurt me!"
The golden bear looked down at his waist muscles, seeing no injuries and feeling no pain. He sighed with relief and laughed confidently.
After transforming into the bear, his strength and defense had increased several times.
That's right, he had just been careless before!
As long as he was serious, he was still invincible!
He inflated again!
Beo swelled with arrogance once more!
"A weak human? A mere sword?"
Eiji raised his brow, and for the first time, a murderous aura appeared on his face.
"Interesting. Let's see if this sword of the so-called weak human can cut through you!"
He took a deep breath, his gaze becoming resolute.
With both calmness and passion, two contrasting emotions fused perfectly within him.
Swish!
In an instant, his figure disappeared from sight.
So fast!
The golden wolf was immediately shocked.
He could still accelerate?
Wasn't that just now his speed limit?
But speed alone wouldn't break his defense, so what use was it?
Thinking this, Beo regained his confidence, standing still, intending to face the weak blade with his body.
This thought persisted until that flash of blade light came rushing toward him once again—
***
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