The distance collapsed instantly.
The Awakened Wolf twisted midair, jaws snapping toward his throat. Its yellow eyes burned with focus—
Locked.
Certain.
It had already calculated the kill.
Ryan moved first.
The spear snapped upward.
CLANG.
Claw met tusk blade.
The impact rang out sharp against the empty highway.
Force surged down Ryan's arms.
Heavy.
Fast.
Controlled.
His boots slid half a step across the asphalt—
Then stopped.
The wolf landed.
Light.
Silent.
Too clean.
Its claws scraped softly against the cracked pavement as it pivoted.
Not rushing.
Not committing.
Testing.
Ryan adjusted his grip.
Behind him—
Marcus laughed.
Loud.
"Alright! My turn!"
He moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Mana erupted around his fists as he charged.
Wild.
Uncontrolled.
Ryan's voice cut through the air.
"Don't—"
Too late.
Marcus swung.
A full-force punch aimed at the wolf's skull—
The wolf disappeared.
Not back.
Not away.
Sideways.
A blur of gray.
Marcus hit nothing.
"Oh—"
The wolf reappeared beside him.
Close.
Too close.
Its jaws opened.
Ryan moved.
The spear shot forward.
Thud.
The tusk blade drove into the wolf's shoulder just as its jaws snapped shut—
Inches from Marcus's neck.
The impact knocked the beast sideways.
Marcus staggered back.
Breathing hard.
Eyes wide.
"Okay—!" he barked. "That thing's quick!"
The wolf landed smoothly.
Muscles rippling beneath its fur.
Dark blood seeped from the wound—
But it didn't slow.
Didn't flinch.
Instead—
Its lips curled.
Not quite a grin.
But close enough.
Ryan saw it.
Immediately.
It had learned.
The wolf shifted its stance.
Now its gaze flicked—
Ryan.
Marcus.
Ryan.
Marcus.
Comparing.
Evaluating.
Marcus rolled his shoulders.
"You stab it, I punch it. Easy."
Ryan didn't look at him.
"You're wasting mana."
Marcus blinked.
"…What?"
The wolf began to circle.
Slow.
Measured.
Ryan matched it.
Step for step.
"Stop flooding your arms," Ryan said calmly.
Marcus frowned.
"Then what?"
"Compress it."
The word hung for a second.
Marcus scoffed lightly.
"You say that like it makes sense."
"Focus it," Ryan said.
"At the moment you hit."
The wolf's pace shifted.
Faster now.
Testing angles.
Looking for an opening.
Marcus inhaled.
Adjusted his stance.
"…Alright."
The wolf lunged.
Marcus moved.
This time—
He didn't let the mana explode outward.
He forced it inward.
Compressed.
Tight.
The energy flickered—
Collapsed—
Then—
His fist connected.
CRACK.
The impact echoed.
The wolf's body twisted sideways, skidding across the asphalt.
Marcus froze.
"…Oh."
Ryan's voice came immediately.
"Again."
The wolf recovered.
Faster than before.
Its eyes burned brighter now.
Focused.
Sharper.
It had felt that.
Now—
It understood.
Its body lowered.
Muscles tightening like coiled wire.
Then—
It launched.
Ryan moved.
The spear spun.
A sweeping arc cut through the air—
The wolf ducked beneath it.
Too clean.
Too precise.
Its claws slashed toward Ryan's legs—
Ryan stepped back.
Barely.
The claws scraped sparks across the ground.
Marcus came in from the side.
Faster.
More controlled.
His fist drove forward—
The wolf twisted away—
But Marcus followed.
Second strike—
Already coming.
Boom.
The hit landed.
The beast slid again.
Further this time.
Marcus laughed.
Short.
Sharp.
"I like this."
Behind them—
Elena watched.
Still.
Focused.
Her eyes tracked every movement.
Not just the wolf.
Ryan.
The spacing.
The timing.
The positioning.
"…He's guiding it," she murmured.
Alice glanced at her.
"What?"
Elena didn't look away.
"He's not reacting."
A pause.
"…He's controlling the fight."
Alice's fingers tightened slightly, faint strands of green mana flickering between them.
"I know."
The wolf rose slowly.
Breathing heavier now.
Blood marked its fur.
But its eyes—
Still sharp.
Still thinking.
Ryan stepped forward.
Just one step.
The spear lowered slightly.
The wolf's ears flattened.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
Ryan spoke quietly.
"You're not the only one hunting."
The wolf growled.
Low.
Deep.
Then it moved—
Not forward.
Sideways.
Fast.
Marcus blinked.
"…It's backing off?"
Ryan's eyes sharpened.
"No."
The wolf leapt.
Up—
Onto the hood of a rusted pickup.
Metal dented beneath its weight.
Its body coiled again—
Then it launched.
Past them.
Over them.
Toward—
The survivors.
Alice's eyes widened.
"Ryan—!"
Marcus turned.
"SHIT!"
The wolf had chosen.
Not the strongest.
Not the threat.
The weakest.
Ryan moved.
Mana surged through his body.
His foot struck the pavement—
And he exploded forward.
Faster than before.
The world narrowed.
The wolf midair.
Jaws open.
Target locked.
Distance closing.
Ryan's spear thrust forward.
Clean.
Precise.
Time slowed—
For just a fraction—
Then—
CRUNCH.
The tusk blade drove through the wolf's open mouth.
Bone shattered.
The tip burst from the back of its skull.
The body went limp instantly.
Momentum carried it forward—
Until—
Ryan drove the spear down.
The shaft struck the asphalt.
Hard.
The corpse slammed into the ground.
Still.
Silent.
The world stopped.
No movement.
No sound.
Marcus stared.
"…Holy hell."
Ryan pulled the spear free.
Blood followed.
Dark.
Thick.
The wolf twitched once.
Then—
Nothing.
Behind him—
Weapons lowered.
Slowly.
Marcus walked forward.
Looked down.
Nudged the corpse with his boot.
"…Yeah."
He exhaled.
"That thing was not playing around."
Ryan wiped the blade clean against the wolf's fur.
"It was."
Marcus glanced at him.
Then grinned.
"You're insane."
Ryan shrugged slightly.
"Experience."
Elena approached.
Careful.
Measured.
Her eyes lingered on the wolf.
Then shifted to Ryan.
"You knew it would target them."
Ryan nodded once.
"Predators don't waste effort."
Elena studied him.
Longer this time.
"You fight like you've done this your whole life."
Ryan met her gaze.
Calm.
"For longer than that."
Marcus clapped him on the shoulder.
"Well, whatever your deal is—"
He gestured at the corpse.
"I'm glad it's on our side."
Ryan's gaze drifted back toward the forest.
Blackwood stood still.
Silent.
But the air—
Heavy.
Too heavy.
More things were out there.
Watching.
Waiting.
He turned back.
"We leave."
Marcus frowned.
"…Now?"
Ryan tapped the corpse lightly with the spear.
"This wasn't alone."
A pause.
The group shifted.
Uneasy.
Marcus sighed.
"…You really don't let people enjoy wins, do you?"
Ryan allowed the faintest hint of a smile.
"You'll adjust."