CHAPTER 157: Insurrection-26

CHAPTER 157: Insurrection-26

The Über Lycan tensed its muscles and, in a heartbeat, lunged forward like a living missile. Bruno, unfazed, planted his feet in the gravel, pivoted with the agility of a combat cat, and avoided the first charge with cruel elegance. The beast shot past him, gathered momentum to turn, and found him waiting with fists ready.

"Come on, demon," Bruno growled, meeting him with cold speed. "Show me if you're really what they say."

The impact was brutal. Claw against arm, bone against bone. The Über Lycan, with one immense hand, managed to grab him by the torso in an attempt to strangle him; Bruno kicked, bit the air, sought leverage on the nearest headstone. With a savage motion, the creature lifted him and threw him like a doll against a pile of graves. The stone slabs flew, dirt erupted, and Bruno slammed his body against marble and earth with a dry thud that echoed among the cypress trees.

The impact left him staggering, but not defeated. A bitter chuckle escaped his mouth, soon transforming into a growl. His hands clenched, the tendons in his neck tightened, and an internal fever began to course through his body. His skin stretched taut, his jaw cracked, and Bruno's figure began to both elongate and contract: muscles swelled, his back arched, and dark fur sprouted in patches along his arms.

"Another perversion?" Bruno hissed as the transformation twisted his voice. "Very well then!"

Within seconds, what had been human gave way to a gigantic, ferocious-looking canine, a lycan similar in stature to the Über Lycan, but with a different ferocity: more rage, less technique. Now, the fight became an even, inevitable struggle.

Both leapt like crazed shadows. Claws that sliced the air, swipes that severed roots, fangs seeking greater closeness. The difference in strength remained, but Bruno had gained in fury and endurance; he stopped being a target and transformed into a rival who bit at every opportunity.

The combat became a dance and a storm. Each blow opened a crater in the earth; each bite drew a groan; each claw-strike left marks on the headstone rocks that folded again as if the cemetery had been designed for violence. For a moment, the two giants separated, panting, observing each other with the ancient human intelligence still visible within the animal fury.

Bruno spat blood and arched his back; the Über Lycan, its jaw bleeding slightly from previous clashes, stood firm and advanced with a step that made the ground tremble.

Bruno narrowed his eyes, growling. He crouched for an instant, dug his claws into the damp earth, and with a swift movement, threw up a cloud of dust and soil that blinded the Über Lycan for a second. Seizing the distraction, he launched himself with all his force and sank his fangs into the enemy's bicep. The sound was sickening: flesh torn, bone fractured, a roar that cut through the air. Bruno ripped away a huge chunk of muscle, leaving the Über Lycan's arm hanging by mere threads of tissue.

The monster roared, twisted its torso, and before Bruno could pull back, bit him savagely in the trapezius muscle. The pressure was so intense that blood gushed forth like a dark fountain, and both fell apart, panting, staggering on the ground littered with shattered graves.

Bruno looked up, his breathing heavy, his mind consumed by pain and rage.

(Is this what it feels like to be weak…?) he thought, with a thread of broken pride within himself.
(I trained for years to be the strongest… to be the chosen one… and yet, this impure monster surpasses me… its instinct, its strength, its damnable endurance. Helena lied… purity means nothing.)

His claws dug into the earth. His body trembled, but his eyes still burned. Facing him, the Über Lycan raised its head again, blood dripping from its dangling arm, and both, still with open wounds, prepared to lunge once more.
The cemetery filled with growls, savage breaths, and the metallic echo of violence.