Chapter 722: A little bit

One question. That was the prize the red haired demon had promised him. There was no guarantee that he would answer it honestly, but it was still the best chance he got since he started coming to the club.

’I’m winning this!’

Tossing the idea of running aside, Wolf stood his ground and faced the Cyberpunk ahead. He usually relies on his claws while transformed, but now, his fists were clenched, clashing with the alloy weapons his opponent aimed to crush him with. Each of their strikes was followed by a loud bang, as if two massive hammers collided, the impact shaking their surroundings.

Wolf was used to punching meal. His transformation greatly enhanced his durability, and its healing factor repaired any injury he received almost instantly. Pain was the only thing that threatened his performance, but right now, it wasn’t a problem. His mind filtered out the signals, allowing him to keep going without faltering even once.

Cyborgs didn’t suffer from the same problem. With no pain to stop them, they could fight unperturbed, but that could also be a detriment. Pain served as a warning, and without it, one wouldn’t know the extent of the damage they receive. Those green bionic arms were sturdy, built for to take and apply brute force, but they weren’t unbreakable.

’I will-’

A faint. Wolf had missed it, and his first went flying right past his opponent who had stepped aside just in time. With the same grin still on his face, he held his right hand out and clenched his fist, his body swaying back before he stumped with his left foot, turning into a whip that snapped with a single motion.

Locked in place, Wolf had no escape. All he could do was brace himself, hardening the muscles around the point of impact. The bionic fist struck his right flank, and though he tried keeping his feet firmly on the arena’s floor, his body was still lifted before being pushed a few steps back. He wasn’t sent flying, but what good was that if every organ in his body had felt the blow?

"What’s wrong!?" His opponent wasn’t about to give him the second he needed to recover. "Don’t tell me the great Werewolf can’t take this much!"

Another fist shot out toward him, the force behind it triggering waves of pain from the injury he had just received. Wolf evaded. Again and again. Chances for a counter were far too short, and most appeared like traps designed to draw him in.

Realizing that the last hit he took had left him traumatized, Wolf gritted his teeth and fought through it. Standing his ground once more, he parried instead of evading, forcing his body to move faster than it has ever done. His massive arms blasted wind with each swing, creating small explosions as they shattered the sound barrier.

"Aren’t you a claws guy?" The red haired demon sneered. "Why the sudden change!!?"

Swiping with his claws and punching with his fists were fundamentally different. Wolf wasn’t as used to the latter, and that’s why he chose it. He was betting on the fact that the Cyberpunk had gotten used to his normal style and hoped the drastic change would grant him some advantage. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be working.

’Faster!’

He couldn’t lose this. He had to win. He had to. Still, no matter how strongly he wished for it, his attacks didn’t reach the red haired demon. It was almost as if he was punching air, his fist going through only to be electrified from time to time. With the way things were going, he couldn’t possible win. He needed to break through, somehow. He had to shatter the alloy barrier standing in his way.

’More...’

Level 4 wasn’t enough. That was the realization Wolf had reached after the many times he sparred with the red haired demon. It was frustrating to admit, but when it came to contest of skill, he wasn’t going to win any time soon. If he’s going to have a chance at winning, he needed something his opponent couldn’t shrug off as easily. He needed more power. So much more. ℯℯ𝑙.

Reaching the peak of his focus, Wolf felt energy course through his veins, reaching every sell in his body. His ability reached for the next stage, climbing toward it at a speed he never experienced during his solitary attempts. As his fists met those of the Cyberpunk, he sensed the threshold approach.

"_____!!!"

In the depths of darkness, a pair of bestial eyes snapped wide open, glowing an ominous crimson as they looked looked straight through him. Rows of massive fangs parted, opening a path for him, a path toward a place he refused to go to no matter what.

Horror crashed into Wolf like a tidal wave swallowing him in an instant. His body came to a sudden halt, and his maw spread wide as he gasped, drawing all the air he could as if he had just swam back to the surface. Before he could feel the slightest bit of relief, pain shot through his body, sharp enough to remind him of what position he was in.

This was a fight they were having, and his opponent wasn’t about to waste what was clearly a massive opening. A three strike combo to the torso, followed by two blows to the shoulders then a kick to the flank. Wolf felt his body bend, then he went flying. The sound of the metallic cage rattling filled his ears, and next thing he knew, his back felt the cold lines it rested on.

Silence filled the underground arena. As his transformation slowly came undone, Wolf remained motionless, staring at the overhead lights casting a bright veil on the arena. He had seen the same sight more than once before, and each time, it had been the sign that informed him that he had lost.

"Well, that sure was something." The easy going voice reached him from the center of the arena. "Guess you did improve a little bit."