Chapter 1419: Retreat of the Axe
Having once lived among a pack of werewolves himself, Innu knew at least one thing for sure, they possessed an absurdly large pool of stamina.
Because of that, even though he had been fighting Luzen for a good while now, there was no doubt in his mind: the werewolf likely still had a reservoir of energy to burn through.
Innu, on the other hand, wasnāt so lucky.
Qi was different. It was a finite source of energy. Yes, he had gotten better at controlling it, had increased the overall amount he could summon thanks to his training with Gary, but even now, there were limits. He still had plenty left in the tank, sure, but not enough for a drawn-out war of attrition.
I thought Iād be able to finish this quicklyā¦ and here I am, hiding, Innu thought bitterly to himself from behind the dented, arrow-scarred car. The axe helps me restore Qiā¦ but only if I land a hit. And thatās been easier said than done.
He clenched his teeth. If this were a larger battle, if there were other werewolves aroundā¦ maybe then I could use them to recharge. But this one-on-one fight? Itās draining me faster than Iād planned.
More arrows whistled through the air, thudding into the vehicleās metal frame. The car was quickly turning into Swiss cheese. It was only a matter of time before one of those arrows found its mark.
Without wasting another second, Innu grabbed one of his axes and hurled it from behind cover.
The weapon spun through the air like a deadly boomerang. Luzen reacted quickly, jumping gracefully over it and landing smoothly on the pavement, completely untouched.
But when he looked ahead, he saw Innu standing tall, arm stretched forward, eyes focused.
āI wasnāt aiming for you!ā Innu shouted.
Above them, a street sign groaned as the bolt holding it in place broke. The axe had hit its base, causing it to drop fast. But with a surge of telekinetic force, Innu accelerated the falling sign and slammed it directly down onto Luzenās head.
The crash echoed through the street, the metal crumpling around Luzenās figure.
Seconds later, the axe zipped back into Innuās hand with a metallic snap.
But Luzen wasnāt down. Not even close.
With a roar, the werewolf burst through the wreckage, tearing the bent sign apart like wet paper. He leapt back into the air, clearly unharmed.
Innu didnāt wait.
He started running, fast.
Slipping one of the axes onto his back, he kept the other in hand and began slicing through nearby street signs, lampposts, and poles. Using his telekinesis, he launched the broken metal at Luzen like a barrage of missiles.
He even smashed a nearby shop window and reached inside, flinging shelves, boxes, and any object he could get his power around at his opponent.
But none of it was working.
The thrown objects bounced off Luzen like toys, and anything larger, he simply batted aside with a swipe of his claws or a twist of his body.
Yet hidden among the chaos, Innu had tossed another axe.
Luzen didnāt notice until it was too late.
He tried to knock it away with his hand, just as he had the other debris, but the axe cut straight through part of his forearm. A line of red opened up, and blood splattered to the ground.
The blade returned to Innuās hand, and with it came a subtle pulse of energy.
Qi.
Damn it, Innu thought, feeling the rush. That trickās only going to work once. I was hoping it would do more damageā¦ but at least I got some energy back.
Still, it wouldnāt be enough.
Which meant Innu had to do the one thing he hadnāt wanted to consider.
Run.
Without hesitation, he jumped into the shop he had broken open, sprinting deeper inside. As he ran, he used his telekinesis to pull down shelves behind him, collapsing them in a line, one after another. Within seconds, he had created a narrow, chaotic path, one that would block sightlines and make any chase more difficult.
From outside, Luzen burst into laughter.
āHAH! I never expected this! You, running away to save your life? What happened to the brave Howlers? What happened to your pride, your fight?ā
But as the taunt left his lips, Luzen suddenly realized, Innu was already gone. He hadnāt listened to a word. Heād vanished into the shadows with a head start.
Frowning, Luzen transformed again. His bow shimmered with spectral energy as he fired an arrow into the shop. From the impact, glowing wolves emerged and began sniffing, padding across the floor toward the rear exit.
Luzen followed them, vaulting into the store after them.
The back door was wide open.
Innu had fled into the alleyways.
āOf all things,ā Luzen growled, his voice deep and snarling, āhe decides to run from a werewolf.ā
He stepped out into the alley, staring into the dark maze of paths.
āIām a hunter-class werewolf,ā he said, his eyes glowing with fury. āI can track down any prey. I will find you. Iāll tear you apart piece by piece. You wonāt escape me.ā
But for Innu, this wasnāt shameful. It was strategy.
He remembered his training, what Edvard, Gary, and the Altered Hunters had taught them. There was no dishonor in retreat. No disgrace in surviving.
Living to fight another dayā¦ was sometimes the only way to win.
Especially when the enemy outclassed you.
There would always be stronger enemies out there. Vampires, Altered, Werewolves. Thatās why they trained relentlessly. Thatās why they studied every battle.
Because next time, theyād return smarter, stronger, and prepared.
Innu sprinted through the narrow alleyways, his lungs burning, blood still seeping from his shoulder. Using the remaining Qi in his legs, he kicked off the walls, bounding between the tight gaps of the buildings.
Then, with a powerful push, he broke through a second-story window, rolled across the floor, and came to a stop inside a darkened office space.
Panting, Innu looked around at the empty desks, flickering monitors, and filing cabinets.
Office buildingsā¦ he thought. Heāll be able to track my scent. Heāll find me eventually. I need to make my way back to the others. I need to regroupā¦
He tightened his grip on his axe.
And when I fight him againā¦ Iāll finish what I started. Iāll take him down, for good.
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