Chapter 611: Inward Tension

Chapter 609

"....."

Ray was left alone in the throne room.

He didn’t know how long he had remained in that position or how many hours had passed.

The Tribrid simply sat there, brooding with his hands clasped in front of him, maintaining his posture on the throne while keeping his eyes fixed on the ground.

He didn’t know whether he had arrived too early to save Felix from execution or whether he was already too late.

All he knew was that he was in the Werewolf World.

He remained in that position for hours until, through one of the dusty windows, the sun could be seen rising into the sky.

Sunlight filtered into the room, landing on Ray and jolting him out of his thoughts.

After everything he had experienced, he hadn’t even realised that he had arrived in the Werewolf World at night.

Since he could see perfectly well in the dark, he hadn’t paid any attention to it.

The sudden appearance of sunlight seemed to startle him, drawing his gaze towards the window with a blank expression.

"It’s morning, huh?"

«Ray, we’ve been silent all night, but we need to know. What next?» Elyon inquired.

"...."

«You better answer before I come bash your head in. According to what Elyon told me, you didn’t get any closer to figuring out what happened to us or why we’re stuck with you.

"Instead, you foolishly pissed off those First Ones. Now that we’re in the Werewolf World, you better find out who we are and what this castle is all abou—»

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP?!" Ray thundered, his voice filled with immense fury as he turned his attention inward.

His grey eyes met Bruce’s yellow ones.

"I just got crippled badly here! I don’t know what else to do. I’m being called a Successor by some stupid castle I know nothing about, my friend is facing possible execution, and I don’t even know where to begin with my own problems. And you’re here berating me?!"

"Do you think I give a fuck about what goes on in your life? We had a deal that whenever you eventually travelled to either the Celestial Realm or the Werewolf World, our lives would take priority.

"You promised to help us figure out who we are and maybe recover our memories."

"And am I just sitting idle?!"

Bruce blinked and tilted his head.

"I can see you sitting on a throne right now, so yeah, you’re idle and not doing a damn thing!"

Ray’s teeth ground against each other, and his eyes began to crackle with lightning as he stared at the Werewolf.

He raised a finger and pointed it at Bruce, glaring at him.

"One more word from you, Bruce, and I’ll make sure you regret it. My friend is facing—"

"Oh, please! Don’t you dare try to threaten me. If you don’t know your damn job, move out of that chair and let someone else do something!"

"...."

Elyon looked between the Tribrid and Bruce, his heart thumping loudly in his chest as he could practically feel the electrifying tension hanging in the air.

In an attempt to diffuse the tension, the Celestial turned towards the Werewolf.

"Calm down, Bruce. Ray is trying his best, and you don’t need to put more pressure on him. It’s not his fault he was imprisoned—"

"Trying his best? Oh, please! We’ve been stuck with him for an entire year. What has he done to help us? Huh? Answer me!

"He’s selfish and only cares about himself and his stupid friends!"

Turning his head towards the Tribrid, Bruce’s eyes glowed brighter.

"You’re nothing but a self-centred, spoiled brat! Your friends are what’s holding you back and preventing you from unleashing your full potential."

"O-One..." Ray’s voice grew hoarse, his grip tightening around the armrest of the throne so fiercely that the stone began to crack beneath his fingers.

"...One more word against my friends, Bruce, and I will become your worst nightmare."

"....."

The corner of the Werewolf’s lips curled into a knowing grin.

"To hell with you and your friends. They can all go to hell for all I care! In fact, the day I gain control of this body, I will kill—"

BANG!

The Mindspace thundered and shook as though an earthquake had ripped through it.

Elyon merely blinked, and Ray was no longer seated on the throne.

He crossed several metres in a flash, his fist descending towards Bruce.

The Werewolf wasn’t fazed by the sudden display of speed.

In one swift counter, he tilted his head to the side, caught Ray’s arm in a lock, and twisted his body with a firm movement, slamming the Tribrid into the ground with all his might.

The ground trembled beneath the impact.

Bruce immediately lifted his foot and sent it hurtling towards the Tribrid’s head.

Ray twisted on the ground, caught Bruce’s ankle, and yanked him down.

However, before his back could hit the ground, the Werewolf slammed his palm against the floor, using the momentum to spin around before launching himself backwards and landing smoothly.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Ray appeared before him, a roundhouse kick rocketing towards his neck.

Bruce ducked and prepared to counter, but the Tribrid pushed off the ground with his other leg and drove his knee into the Werewolf’s face with all his might.

Bruce’s head snapped backwards. Before he could recover, he felt something grab his neck and yank him forward.

BAM!

Ray slammed his forehead into the Werewolf’s in a brutal headbutt, sending Bruce’s head snapping backwards once more.

Lightning crawled around the Tribrid’s arm as he prepared to drive his fist into the Werewolf’s head.

But he suddenly froze.

’Huh?’

Bruce grinned at his hesitation and didn’t waste a second. He swung his bulging fist into Ray’s chest with enough force to crack a wall.

The Tribrid was sent flying backwards, crashing into the throne with enough force to push it several inches across the ground.

Saliva sprayed from his mouth as the impact nearly knocked the air out of his lungs.

"Know your place, brat. No matter how strong you become, you’ll always remain a brat with no real combat skills. You’re nothing without your System and Tribrid powers.

"You’ve only survived this world’s challenges because of them. Without those powers, you’re nothing but a pebble on the sidewalk. Useless."