Chapter 1418: The Relentless Axe

Countless thoughts spun through Innu’s mind as he stood in the middle of the street, staring down the opponent before him. The road was flat and abandoned, cleared of any bystanders, a small mercy. That meant he wouldn’t have to worry about civilians getting hurt.

But other, heavier thoughts crept into the back of his mind.

I don’t have time to drag this fight out… he told himself. With Gary and the others in the state they’re in, the Howlers need me now more than ever. I need to end this, fast.

Innu knew his usual method, throwing his axes, wasn’t going to cut it this time. Not against someone like Luzen. This would have to be up close, brutal, and personal. Which was just fine. Hand-to-hand was his specialty, even before he’d been entrusted with his signature twin axes.

If anything, he’d molded the weapons into extensions of himself. There was no separation between his thoughts and their swings anymore.

With that, Innu charged forward, feet pounding against the pavement.

Luzen, still in his human form, jumped into the air, his leap light, effortless. It was almost like he was gliding. But he didn’t leap at Innu.

Instead, he jumped to the side and pulled a handful of his signature silent arrows, letting them fly mid-motion.

Innu had anticipated that.

He’d guessed the arrows would come fast, unseen, untraceable. So he kept his eyes locked ahead, scanning Luzen’s line of sight, trying to imagine exactly when and where the arrows would appear.

Kicking off with explosive Qi every time his feet touched the ground, Innu zigzagged side to side, his body weaving a tight pattern of movement. Arrows slammed into the street behind him, sending cracks through the concrete with sharp metallic clangs and scattering chips of asphalt.

But none of them hit.

And then, Luzen transformed.

Just as Innu closed the distance between them, spiritual wolves burst forth from the arrows, snarling with phantom fangs and glowing eyes. They swarmed him from all directions.

Without breaking stride, Innu spun mid-sprint and brought his axe down through the nearest wolf, slicing cleanly through its spectral body. It exploded into nothing but glittering energy particles.

There were more. Several of them.

But Innu didn’t falter. Barely pausing for breath, he twisted and turned, slashing through each summoned beast with a flurry of movements. His twin axes danced in a deadly rhythm, carving through energy until the street was clear again.

Finally, he reached Luzen.

In a flash, Innu lunged, bringing both axes down in a devastating X-shaped strike, the same move he’d once used on top of a speeding car.

Only this time, with solid footing and momentum behind him, the strike was ten times more powerful.

Luzen raised his bow to block, but the impact knocked his arm wide open. It was the kind of strength that didn’t just come from raw power. It came from training. From hardship.

Innu’s mind flashed back.

To the sessions with Edvard. The relentless days with Blake and the others. They’d been chosen, selected for a reason. Back then, he hadn’t understood. He hadn’t realized why they were being pushed so hard, made to fight opponents who wielded powerful Qi.

But now, it all made sense.

That training hadn’t been to fight Altered. It had been to prepare them… for this.

To create humans capable of going toe-to-toe with werewolves.

And Innu had taken it to heart. Every day, every bruise, every loss, it had shaped him into this moment.

Relentlessly, he continued his assault, swinging his axes with precision. He was close. The edge of the blade skimmed Luzen’s fur more than once.

But Luzen was faster than he looked.

Just as one axe neared his side, Luzen caught the handle with a firm grip. The second axe came crashing down, but Luzen knocked it aside with his free hand.

Now, the two were locked in place, clashing at close range, muscles tight, weapons grinding together. Neither gave an inch.

They were locked in a deadly stalemate.

Innu shifted his footing, pivoting left, then right, unleashing attacks from different angles. But Luzen was keeping up. Every movement, every swing was matched. His arms swept in wide arcs, parrying blows with his bow, meeting the rhythm of Innu’s strikes step for step.

But Luzen wasn’t in his human form anymore, he was fully transformed, fur and all.

Eventually, Luzen lifted his leg and launched a brutal kick.

Innu raised both axes just in time, blocking the blow, but the impact still sent him skidding backward across the ground. The sheer force was overwhelming.

Before Innu could recover, Luzen leapt backward, clearing the distance between them in a single bound. Mid-air, he reverted back into his human form, his bow already loaded.

A flurry of silent arrows rained toward Innu.

He brought his axes up again, shielding himself. The arrows slammed into the same spot, again and again, each hit pushing him further back. He gritted his teeth as his boots scraped across the pavement.

Finally, his back crashed into the frame of a parked car with a deafening clang.

But Luzen wasn’t done.

Several more arrows whizzed through the air, and this time, a few pierced into Innu’s shoulder. They tore through his armor like it was paper, sending bolts of pain radiating through his body.

With a gasp, Innu’s arms dropped to his sides. He stumbled and quickly dove behind the nearest car for cover, just managing to escape another volley.

His breath was ragged. His body was strained. He had pushed too much Qi through himself, and now his arms were barely responding. They ached. They trembled. They didn’t move like they had at the start.

He still had Qi left. If he circulated it precisely, he could get his arms moving again. But that meant he’d be burning through it faster. A dangerous gamble.

A gamble he might have no choice but to take.

“Did you really think it would be easy to beat me?” Luzen called out, his voice calm, yet filled with venom.

Another arrow flew and struck the car Innu hid behind, sending a shudder through the metal.

“You’re probably the strongest human I’ve ever seen,” Luzen admitted. “You’re fast, your body’s built for combat, and you’ve got strange powers and beast weapons you wield like a natural.”

He drew another arrow.

“But I’ve fought vampires before. Fast fighters. Tricksters with strange powers. I’ve seen all kinds of styles. If this is all you’ve got to show me… then this fight is already over.”

****

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