Crucial fights had been taking place in the main parts of Slough, with the Phoenix Gang almost in full force attacking the Howlers. They had used everything at their disposal.
They used politics to try and shut down the business avenues of the Howlers, what held up their business and the gang together, yet that didn’t seem to work, as Kai resisted using everything he could.
After that, they had directly attacked the Howlers in a small burst from within Slough, trying to strike fear within the group, but instead, Gary had decided to lead the group on a counter-attack, heading straight to the Phoenix Gang’s city.
However, they had been stopped in the process and the leader of the Howlers was taken away. Still, the attack from the Phoenix Gang didn’t stop there as a bounty had been placed on every individual member of the Howlers.
Nonstop attacks occurred as gangs in the surrounding area had decided to come from all over to get the bounty. Yet that still didn’t stop the Howlers. Using this to their advantage the Phoenix Gang themselves had attacked and with them, the core group members had appeared as well.
Somehow though, the Howlers held on as they decided to focus on only saving a few areas. In turn, unexpected help had occurred in Gary’s father, Dean Dem. Creating multiple loyal members of the Howlers into a pack of Werewolves in order to attack.
Everything was turning out to be a lot more difficult for the Phoenix Gang, but it felt like for both the Phoenix Gang and the Howlers that they were just hanging on by a thread.
Kai, fighting with the Werewolves by his side was still struggling, Crowley was badly hurt and perhaps dead. Many of the Werewolves that had come to support them had perished as well, and Kai wasn’t winning his fight.
Finally, though, at the last moment, two figures with hardened black masks on their faces arrived, with strange armor on their bodies. These two were Altered Hunters, the final ace up Kai’s sleeve.
He had called every ally he knew to try and get help, and there was one person who would return to help the city when in need, and that was Innu. What Kai was hoping was that he wouldn’t arrive alone and he hadn’t, bringing along Blake with him.
Unfortunately, though, it was only them two, and no others. Still, Kai would take any help he could get.
Now, the whole event was being relayed from above. The helicopter had landed on one of the buildings at the top and was filming everything to the world, the stage was set.
On the ground fighting in front of the barrier of cars, Blake was standing by Kai’s side, the two of them going head to head against Garbo.
Then there was Innu, still wearing his mask, having come to help out Kevin. He had his mask on his face that Altered Hunters had, but from his shape, the bandaged wrap around his arms, of course, Kevin recognized who he was.
“I’m sorry I was late, I’m sorry that you had to resort to doing that to your body,” Innu said, holding two red axes in his hands.
“Innu! No, don’t blame yourself, I did this because I wanted to protect Slough, with this I have the strength to help, don’t blame the Howlers!” Kevin shouted back.
“I wasn’t blaming them,” Innu replied. “Remember, I’m part of the Howlers myself as well. I’m just sorry, that we couldn’t protect the city so those like yourself could carry on living the lives you wanted.”
“Haha!” Greed laughed and a mass amount of heat was lifted above his head from his position. Turning around he was facing Innu. His body fully transformed with spikes sticking out of his back, a large tail with a sharp end that heated up, and the two large cleaver-like swords in his hands.
“So what if the Altered Hunters are here to help you, do you think that would make a difference. Altered Hunters are weaker than us, they are just humans!” Greed shouted. “The Altered are an advanced set of humans, a new era, we are stronger, we live longer, our bodies don't succumb to the diseases of the rest of you, and I’m not just any Altered!”
Shouting these words, Greed dived straight ahead. As he did, his weapon's edge was glowing from the large amount of heat that was being transferred. Meeting him straight ahead though was Innu.
He swung his axe out, which glowed with strength, and both of them clashed together. Not one attack pushing back the other, they were equal in strength.
“What the!” Greed was stunned, but still swung his other blade heading straight for Innu, and at that point, Innu swung his other Axe, matching it and hitting the strength.
Greed still didn’t understand what was going on. How was the weapon getting hurt from his attacks, and how could a mere human match his strength.
“You have no idea what I’ve been through,” Innu said. “In this last year, the Altered Hunters have been training hard, making an elite force. They had to be different compared to the others, and I have something that they don’t have!”
Firstly, Innu could now draw the strength of his special weapons that were made from the Ancient Beasts. Their power would transfer to him giving him more strength compared to before.
Higher tier weapons available to high star Altered Hunters all had this trait and nearly all of them were able to do this. Still, this might allow Innu to face against other Altered but not enough to face against an Altered of Greed’s caliber.
The second reason why he was able to do this was because he now knew how to use Qi, and he was reinforcing his body, changing all of his cells and strengthening it.
In a desperate attempt, using his tail, Greed then went to strike him again. Reinforcing his arms, Innu deflected the blades and overpowered Greed for a moment, he flung the Axes out of his hand, and grabbed onto the tail with his bare hands.
The end of the tail was sizzling but Innu’s skin wasn’t getting burned at all.
“The second stage of Qi, referencing the outside of one’s body, will protect me from things like this!” Innu grunted as he held on. “And that wasn’t the only thing I learned.”
Greed was wondering what the sound was that he could hear, and before he knew it, there were two red axes going through the air that sliced, hitting him right in the side of both sides of his lower neck.
“I’ve trained harder than anyone else in my time away, because just like you Kevin, I will not be a burden to the Howlers Gang anymore!” Innu shouted.
The axes didn’t pierce Greed far enough in the neck to cause great damage, but they started to move, shaking slightly. Before that, they ejected themselves from his neck and were flying back in the air, until they had both returned right in Innu’s hands.
“All of you will regret harming the Howlers, now that I’m back!” Innu said.
Watching everything, Kevin’s eyes were sparkling with happiness.
“So cool!”