I breathed hard as I stared into the alpha's piercing green eyes.
He stepped out of the bushes without urgency, moving with an easy, confident swagger—
like the outcome had already been decided.
No posturing.
No warning.
He took a single step toward me—
—and vanished.
My eyes widened.
What—?
An ability?
If it is…
That makes him fast.
Terrifyingly fast.
I spun, scanning the clearing, but saw nothing except the dim wash of early sunlight filtering through the canopy.
Then I turned back—
—and he was standing right in front of me again.
My thoughts tangled.
Where did he go?
And why is he already back here?
I locked eyes with him.
And within a heartbeat—
They weren't green anymore.
The color drained away, swallowed whole as the wolf's eyes turned pitch black.
A pulse rushed past me.
I flinched as it brushed my body—
—but it went straight through.
No pain.
No impact.
Nothing.
Confusion hit me again.
Then I noticed something worse.
The light felt… thinner.
Weaker.
As if it were being pulled away.
As if night were bleeding back into the world.
That was when I saw it.
A barrier.
Black.
Empty.
Void-like.
It enclosed both of us completely.
My throat tightened.
This is nothing like anything I've seen before.
The wolf took a step backward—
—and walked straight into the darkness.
The black swallowed him.
Then he was gone.
I listened.
Nothing.
Not even my own movement.
Normally, my sticky body made a faint, wet sound against the ground.
Now—
Silence.
Seconds stretched.
Then I saw it.
Shadows sliding along the inside of the barrier.
Circling.
I forced myself to breathe.
Stay calm.
Stay focused.
I glanced over my right shoulder—
—and barely dodged a slash.
It dissolved before touching the barrier behind me.
No sound.
Another slash.
I dodged again.
But it felt closer.
Too close.
I should've avoided that easily—
—but I barely made it.
Then one came straight from the front.
I dodged cleanly—
—but another followed immediately from the left.
This one clipped me.
HP: 29 / 45
I grit my teeth.
I should've dodged that.
Am I slower…
—or are the slashes faster?
Then something far worse clicked into place.
The last time I'd been cut—
I'd been tagged.
The air detonated.
Slashes erupted from every direction.
Too many.
I twisted, ducked, weaved—
but the ones I avoided curved back toward me,
tracking every movement.
My stomach dropped.
I've been tagged again.
I glanced at the wound.
This time, the flesh wasn't dangling loose.
The mark was buried deep.
Something I couldn't tear away.
I pushed on as more slashes ripped through the void.
Some I avoided.
Some clipped me.
None were fatal—
—but every hit burned.
HP: 24 / 45
Damn it.
I can't survive this much longer.
I needed an opening.
A way out.
But there was no out.
Only the barrier.
Only the void.
Only endless attacks.
There has to be something.
A flaw.
A limit.
Anything.
As I dodged again, a thought sharpened.
Outside the barrier, his slashes destroyed everything.
Trees.
Ground.
Entire hillsides.
But inside—
They vanished before ever touching the barrier.
All I've been doing is dodging near the center.
What if I force him to risk hitting the barrier to reach me?
I ran.
Harder than before.
I could feel it now—
I was slower.
But with the tracking active, it didn't matter where I went.
So I aimed straight for the barrier.
Stopped.
Stood still.
Waited.
The slashes converged.
I waited until the very last moment—
—then moved.
They slammed into the barrier all at once.
Power surged.
And—
I saw it.
A crack.
Daylight.
No hesitation.
Claw Slash.
I fired straight into the fracture.
The barrier shattered just enough—
—and I threw myself through as slashes chased me from behind.
I barely made it.
The void collapsed.
Shattered like glass.
Its fragments dissolved before they hit the ground.
I met the wolf's gaze.
Shock was written across his face.
More importantly—
He looked tired.
Like that ability had taken a heavy toll.
I checked myself.
HP: 18 / 45
MP: 12 / 18
Full daylight had returned,
illuminating both of us.
Showing how long we'd been fighting.
And how neither of us had won.
He's done all this damage to me…
And I haven't left a single scratch.
I couldn't recklessly throw slashes.
One mistake would end me.
He was too fast.
And I was still marked.
This isn't looking good.
If only—
If only I could use my abilities without backlash.
I let out a slow breath.
That would be nice.
My gaze drifted to my ability list.
Blood Frenzy pulsed red.
My chest tightened.
Is that really my only option?
I looked back at the wolf as it inhaled and reset its stance.
I didn't get this ability by accident.
And I don't think I can beat him like this.
I'd rather die using everything I have—
—then die because I was too afraid to take the risk.
…Fine.
Blood Frenzy.
Activate.