Point of View: Rangar
The alpha did not respond to my words. When I tried to address him, expecting some sign of understanding, all I received was a low, deep growl—one filled with warning rather than any intent to communicate. It made one thing clear: there was no language in him… at least not like ours.
But neither was he a simple beast.
His eyes remained fixed on me, evaluating me with a level of focus I had never seen in any other of his kind. There was no confusion, no uncontrolled rage—only an instinct sharpened by experience. An incomplete, yet dangerous intelligence that placed him far above the rest.
It was the first time he had ever seen something like me.
And I understood him in that instant as well. He wasn't intelligent like us, but neither was he foolish. He was a beast… far more dangerous than any I had ever faced.
The pressure he emitted grew heavier with every passing second, constant and suffocating, forcing my body to tense instinctively. Even though he hadn't activated any Art or revealed his full power yet, I knew it with absolute clarity.
I could not defeat him.
Not like this.
Not right now.
And yet, a part of me stirred—not with fear, but with anticipation. I wanted to know how far I could truly go.
I glanced briefly across the battlefield, confirming what was already evident. The encirclement remained intact. The lycanthropes had completely surrounded my subordinates, sealing every possible escape route with a precision that left no room for doubt.
There was no way out.
It was a perfect trap.
My gaze swept over my forces—wounded, exhausted, yet still standing. Still waiting. Still believing that my presence would change the outcome. It made my jaw tighten before I let out a powerful roar, my voice cutting through the storm.
—Prepare yourselves. We will not escape.
The silence that followed was brief, but absolute, as they grasped the meaning of my words.
—Then we will fight… and kill as many as possible. Because unlike them… we will return.
My voice carried intent—not desperation, but cold, calculated strategy.
—Every one of them that falls today is one less enemy tomorrow. And I will deal with the alpha.
My eyes locked onto him once more as I made it clear.
—While I hold him back… kill everything you can.
They understood.
When I fell… they would fall after.
And yet, they nodded without hesitation. Without doubt. In the next instant, they moved with perfect coordination—forming groups of three and launching themselves against the encirclement with absolute ferocity. No restraint. No defense. Ignoring pain, ignoring wounds—every movement driven solely by the intent to kill before they fell.
This was a battle with no return.
A calculated massacre.
But while the battlefield erupted around us… we did not move.
We remained still, watching each other, measuring in silence.
The wind howled. Snow lashed against us. Blood stained the ice…
None of it mattered.
Only he and I existed.
I did not wait.
I moved first.
The distance vanished in an instant, and our claws collided with brutal force. The impact echoed like a dull explosion across the frozen ground, raw and unrestrained—no hesitation, no holding back.
And then I understood.
He was equal.
No…
Worse.
Even giving everything from the very start, I could barely match him. Every clash, every exchange ended in a deadlock where neither of us gave ground… and that only made the unease inside me grow.
Because he wasn't giving everything.
I could feel it.
I could see it.
His movements were measured, controlled—as if he were testing me. Evaluating every reaction, every attempt, every mistake. He wasn't treating me as a true enemy… but as something to understand before destroying.
I didn't like that.
I roared and pushed harder, making my attacks faster, heavier, more direct—trying to break that artificial balance.
Nothing changed.
We remained equal.
And that was the worst part.
Then it happened.
The alpha briefly shifted his gaze to the sides, watching as his subordinates fell while mine dragged them down in mutual slaughter.
And in that exact moment…
He activated his Art.
The change was immediate.
His presence grew heavier. More oppressive. The difference between us was no longer subtle—it became overwhelming, forcing me back for the first time as his blows began to surpass mine with clear dominance.
Every impact hurt more.
Every exchange drained me further.
I had fallen into a disadvantage.
I knew what it meant.
It was only a matter of time.
But I did not stop.
Every time I fell, I rose again. Every time my body failed, I roared and charged forward once more—ignoring pain, ignoring wounds, refusing to fall without giving everything.
My attacks began to leave marks.
Real wounds.
Deep ones.
Enough to provoke a change in him.
He grew enraged.
A being he considered inferior was injuring him.
And that was unacceptable.
His style shifted—becoming more aggressive, more violent, more lethal. His blows no longer sought to evaluate…
They sought to kill.
And still… I endured.
The battle became brutal. Savage. Both of us drenched in blood, driven by absolute killing intent, clashing again and again without pause—until slowly, inevitably, I began to lose.
Not all at once.
But little by little.
He was stronger.
And I knew it.
But that wasn't the worst part.
The worst part was that he was still holding back.
Even enraged. Even trying to kill me. A part of him remained reserved—ready to react to the unknown. Proof that he wasn't just strength…
But instinct pushed to its absolute limit.
Around me, my forces began to fall one by one. Their bodies dissolving into particles of light that vanished into the storm… until, in the end—
Only I remained.
My breathing was heavy.
My body was shattered.
One of my eyes no longer saw.
But I was still standing.
The alpha looked at me again.
This time, there was something different in his gaze. Not full respect… but not contempt either.
Something in between.
Something closer to acknowledgment.
And then he moved.
Faster than before.
His claw pierced through my chest in an instant.
Direct.
Lethal.
But I had already expected it.
With the last of my strength, I focused everything into a single strike—launching my claw straight toward his face with absolute force.
I felt the resistance.
And then…
It gave way.
The alpha roared and stepped back—his eye destroyed, not regenerating.
He had lost it.
A low laugh escaped me as my body began to break apart into particles of light.
—You won this fight… but there will be more.
The alpha growled in fury.
—Maybe today you walk away victorious… but that only happened because I underestimated you.
I fixed him with my remaining eye.
—It won't happen again.
My intent did not fade.
—Just wait.
The alpha roared violently and lunged again, tearing through what remained of my body in one final strike.
But it was already too late.
I smiled.
And disappeared.
Particles of light scattered into the storm, while the alpha remained still—breathing heavily, with only one eye left… and a fury that would not fade.
He had won.
But it wasn't over.
And we both knew it.