West Tivian, Coal Ash District.
In the afternoon, a loud explosion erupted from Steak Mansion in the outskirts of the Coal Ash District, drawing the attention of the few passersby in the area. The Hunters who had been stationed to maintain secrecy and disperse the crowd immediately began evacuating the surrounding civilians. However, the commotion was too loud, and too many people were drawn to the scene. The Hunters were quickly overwhelmed. Seeing this, a few Black Earth Rank Aeromancers among them decided to use their abilities to stir up a dust storm around the mansion, once again obscuring the view of ordinary people.
While the Hunters worked to maintain secrecy, they couldn’t help but glance toward the mansion, puzzled as to why the two captains’ infiltration had been exposed so quickly. After all, both captains were White-rank Shadows.
However, inside the dust-covered mansion, the chaos only intensified. As the noise grew louder, the tightly shut windows and doors of the mansion began to burst open one by one under the force of powerful gusts of wind. Shards of glass and fragments of furniture were blown out of the windows, along with the occasional severed limb or bloodied servant. At least three White-rank combatants were engaged in a fierce battle, causing severe damage to the interior of the mansion.
In the distance, on top of a tall building, Ed and Adèle continued to watch the faint outline of the mansion, now shrouded in dust. Adèle, her face filled with urgency, spoke up.
"They’re fighting inside. This is our chance. Your flesh puppets are already in the mansion, right? Have you found any trace of my teacher?"
"No. My flesh puppets are currently searching the lower levels of the mansion. They’ve discovered a dungeon. It’s a bloody place with many prisoners, ritual tools, and magic circles, but I haven’t seen anyone matching your teacher’s description. The upper levels are too dangerous—the destruction caused by those guys is too intense. I can’t get close."
Speaking in a low voice, Ed explained the situation to Adèle. Adèle had already described her teacher’s appearance to Ed, but Dorothy hadn’t found anyone matching that description. Hearing Ed’s words, Adèle frowned and murmured.
"Maybe... my teacher is locked in some hidden room, inaccessible by ordinary means?"
"That’s possible. But if that’s the case, we’ll need to extract that information from Alex himself. Right now, he’s locked in a fierce battle with the two Hunters. We’ll need to observe the situation further."Ed spoke calmly. After considering his words, Adèle nodded slightly.
"Alright... let’s wait a bit longer."
Dorothy and Adèle decided to continue waiting. Meanwhile, the mansion within the dust storm began to undergo further changes. As the battle inside grew more intense, the noise became louder and louder. The powerful gusts of wind blew open the windows and doors on the lower floors, and the increasing vibrations caused cracks to appear in the mansion’s walls. The roof even began to collapse.
Boom!
Finally, with a deafening explosion, a large section of the mansion’s wall burst open, and a corner of the building collapsed. From within the dust and debris, a blood-curdling howl erupted. A massive figure, nearly two stories tall, emerged from the dust. It had black fur, wolf-like claws and head, and a long tail. This was none other than Alex, transformed into a werewolf.
At this moment, the enormous black werewolf was covered in horrifying wounds. Bloody gashes crisscrossed his entire body. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was twisted in rage. In one claw, he held a cloth-wrapped scepter, and in the other, he gripped a middle-aged man with a mustache—the captain Edmond had called in from headquarters.
"Die, you black dogs!"
Howling, Alex, now in his werewolf form, was about to crush the man in his grip. But at that moment, a powerful gust of wind burst through the large hole in the mansion’s wall. A figure rushed toward Alex at incredible speed, passing by his arm. A thick mist of blood erupted from the arm holding the mustached captain, and the entire limb was nearly severed by the wind. The figure came to a stop, revealing itself to be Edmond.
Screaming in pain, Alex involuntarily loosened his grip. The mustached captain, now free, immediately counterattacked. He raised his cane and fired a point-blank air blast at Alex. Already covered in wounds, Alex was sent flying by the blast, landing heavily on the ground in the mansion’s courtyard. Edmond followed up with a wind blade, slicing a deep, bone-exposing gash into Alex’s body. However, even this was not enough to incapacitate the severely wounded Alex. The extraordinary vitality of a White-rank Chalice Beyonder was not so easily overcome.
Seeing this, Edmond and the mustached captain prepared to press their advantage and continue their assault. But Alex was one step ahead. Staggering to his feet, he opened his massive maw and let out a piercing, ear-splitting howl. This was the Fear Howl of a werewolf, capable of instilling terror in all enemies within range, forcing them to flee.
Of course, knowing they were facing a werewolf, Edmond and the mustached captain had come prepared. They had already used sigils to protect themselves from fear-based effects. While Alex’s howl did instill a momentary sense of dread and the urge to retreat, the effect was minimal and did not hinder their actions.
However, Alex had more tricks up his sleeve. Seeing that his Fear Howl had been resisted, he immediately activated the small scepter in his hand. As the cloth-wrapped tip of the scepter glowed faintly, the slight fear and urge to retreat in Edmond and the mustached captain’s hearts were instantly amplified. The desire to flee surged within them, and under the influence of this overwhelming emotion, they halted their attack and began to retreat in panic, trying to put as much distance between themselves and Alex as possible.
This gave Alex a moment to catch his breath. He let out another howl, but this one was different from the Fear Howl. It was deeper and more resonant, as if calling out to something.
In response to Alex’s second howl, the bloodied servants who had been blown out of the windows but were not yet dead began to stir. They writhed in pain, their muscles bulging unnaturally. Black fur sprouted across their bodies, their hands turned into claws, and their mouths filled with sharp fangs.
Under Alex’s howl, his surviving servants rapidly transformed into bestial forms and lunged at Edmond and the mustached captain, who were still reeling from the amplified fear.
"Alex used his howl to turn his servants into beast-like creatures?"
Dorothy, observing the scene through her corpse marionettes, was inwardly shocked. She then had Ed speak to Adèle beside him. Adèle, unable to see the distant scene clearly, furrowed her brow in thought.
"That... seems to be one of Alex’s abilities as a werewolf—Wild Awakening. Those he awakens aren’t actual Beastmen, but Beastkin, created through mystical mutation."
"Beastkin?"
"Exactly. Beastkin... Ordinary people bitten by a Werewolf Beyonder are infected with Lycanthropy. Those infected may seem normal at first, but once the werewolf who bit them uses Wild Awakening, they are forcibly transformed into Beastkin. These Beastkin are somewhat similar to Black-rank Beastman of the Beast path, but their overall abilities are inferior to Beastman, though they surpass ordinary Apprentice-rank Craver.”
"These Beastkin are not Beyonders but mutated creatures created under the influence of a werewolf’s abilities. They possess only primal instincts and no intelligence. Once someone infected with Lycanthropy is awakened and transformed, they can never return to their human form. The werewolf can control the Beastkin they create. Werewolves often deliberately bite people to infect them with Lycanthropy, then threaten them into cooperation by threatening to transform them into beasts if they refuse."
Adèle explained this to Ed. Hearing her words, Dorothy felt a sense of understanding. She thought to herself that werewolves had such an efficient way of creating subordinates. Ordinary people infected with Lycanthropy could be transformed into combatants stronger than ordinary Cravers with just a single awakening. She wondered how much spirituality it cost to infect someone with Lycanthropy.
While pondering this, Dorothy continued to observe the distant battlefield. There, Edmond and the mustached captain, still affected by the amplified fear, were surrounded by several Beastkin. However, the Beastkin posed little threat to them. Despite their lingering fear, the two easily dispatched the attacking Beastkin with wind blades.
But then, something unexpected happened. From the dungeon exit on the first floor of the mansion, a swarm of black Beastkin surged out, madly lunging at Edmond and the mustached captain. The number of Beastkin they faced suddenly increased to dozens. The captain, still recovering from the fear, was momentarily overwhelmed by the frenzied beasts.
These Beastkin were transformed from the prisoners held in the mansion’s dungeon. Alex had kept these prisoners not only as blood sacrifices but also as a reserve force for emergencies. They were his trump card, accumulated over many years, and now he was using them all to deal with Edmond and the mustached captain.
Seeing Edmond and the mustached captain overwhelmed by his army of Beastkin, Alex did not join the attack. Instead, he took the opportunity to turn and flee in the opposite direction.
Alex wasn’t foolish. He knew that facing two White-rank opponents alone was a losing battle. During the fight inside the mansion, he had already sustained severe injuries and used up most of his sigils and mystical items, yet he still couldn’t turn the tide against the two-on-one disadvantage. Now, by unleashing his trump card, he was buying time to escape.
As Alex fled into the distance, Dorothy, observing the battlefield through her corpse marionettes, immediately had Ed speak to Adèle.
"Alex is escaping. He’s badly injured and heading northwest. The Hunter captain is currently tied up by a large number of Beastkin. By the time they deal with them, it’ll be too late to catch him."
"He’s running? And he’s injured from the fight? I think our chance has come, Mr. Detective."
Hearing Ed’s words, Adèle’s voice carried a clear note of amusement. Ed nodded in agreement.
"Yes, the information about your teacher will likely have to be extracted from Alex himself. Now is the time, Miss Adèle. I’ll guide you. Just pray to that existence in your heart, and I can relay messages to you through Them.”
"I’m afraid my speed won’t be able to keep up with you, so I’ll have to wait here."
Ed explained to Adèle. It was clear that now was the best time for Adèle to pursue Alex.
"Ha... no need to apologize, Mr. Detective. You’ve already been a great help getting us this far. Now it’s my turn to act. Just guide me."
With that, Adèle prepared to leave. But as she was about to go, Ed called out to her.
"Wait, Miss Adèle. Even though Alex is cornered, based on his performance against the Hunters, there are some strange aspects to him. Just in case, I’d like to give you a bit of insurance."
"Insurance?"
Adèle looked puzzled at Ed’s words, but Ed simply smiled mysteriously.
"Don’t worry, it’s just a small measure. It won’t harm you in any way."
Under Dorothy’s control, Ed smiled reassuringly at Adèle, who quickly responded.
"At this point, of course I trust you, Mr. Detective. Whatever it is, do it quickly. We’re running out of time."
Hearing Adèle’s words, Ed immediately stepped forward and performed a quick procedure on her. After finishing, he stepped back, and Adèle curiously rubbed her arm before turning to Ed.
"Alright, I’m off, Mr. Detective. Guide me well~"
With that, Adèle blew a kiss to Ed and leaped off the rooftop, swiftly jumping from building to building as she raced forward.
Watching this scene from her carriage, Dorothy couldn’t help but smile slightly.
"What a charming woman... What a shame..."
Dorothy murmured to herself, feeling a pang of nostalgia for her former male body.
…
West Tivian Outskirts, a small forest.
In the afternoon, the faint sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled light on the forest floor. A massive werewolf staggered into the clearing, covered in wounds. The enormous figure collapsed to its knees.
Before her eyes, the werewolf’s form shrank rapidly, reverting to that of an old man. However, the wounds on his body remained. Clutching a large scepter, Alex knelt on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Why... why did those black dogs suddenly find me... Where did I slip up? How did they locate me..."
Gasping, Alex muttered to himself. But now was not the time to ponder these questions.
"Haah... haah... Never mind. I need to heal my wounds quickly, then find the others... Ugh..."
As he spoke, the numerous wounds on Alex’s body began to heal rapidly. He was consuming the last of his accumulated Chalice spirituality to accelerate his recovery. But just as he focused on healing, a sense of danger struck him from above.
A shadow descended from the treetops, aiming to crush Alex beneath it. Alex barely managed to dodge the attack, but as he prepared to counter, a hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat. He looked up to see the face of his attacker and his eyes widened in shock.
"Ad... Adèle...!?"
"Hello, Alex Crandall. It’s been a while..."
Gripping Alex’s throat, Adèle spoke in a cold, emotionless voice. Without her sunglasses, her eyes burned with a murderous intent Dorothy had never seen before.
"Hah... You never imagined we’d meet like this, did you? I haven’t forgotten the smug look on your face when you stormed into our dance hall..."
"Adèle... you... calm down... we... we can talk... ugh..."
"I don’t want to hear it! Tell me, where is my teacher? If you confess honestly, I’ll make your death quick. Otherwise, I promise you’ll experience what it means to wish for death but be unable to die!"
Gritting her teeth, Adèle spoke with clear hatred in her voice. Alex, held aloft by his throat, his body covered in wounds and his face red, froze for a moment. Then his eyes flicked to the scepter in his hand, and the panic in his expression eased slightly. A hint of cunning appeared in his gaze.