Chapter 56: The Alpha’s Demise

"It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up." — Vince Lombardi.

– – –

The Alpha stood over him. Both heads lowered until the golden eyes were inches from his face.

The creature’s breath was hot and foul, and it was the same pose it had used on Patrol Squad 4.

The same killing position. The same final moment before the jaws closed and everything ended.

[Ding!]

[Physical injury detected. Source: Twin-Headed Dire Wolf Alpha, 65% Flux Equivalent.]

[Injury severity: CRITICAL. Left shoulder muscle fully severed. Deep puncture wounds. Heavy blood loss. Shoulder joint compromised.]

[CRITICAL-TIER GACHA PULL GRANTED.]

The notification broke through the haze of pain.

Micah’s brain, already drowning in agony, latched onto it like a drowning man grabbing a rope.

He pulled the wheel.

The golden roulette materialized in his mind and spun so fast that the colors separated into individual streaks of light.

Gold, blue, green, purple, and white each flashed past his consciousness in rapid cycles that made his head pound.

The wheel clicked through tier after tier. Low-tier passed in a blur, and mid-tier flashed and was gone.

High-tier slowed for a fraction of a second before the wheel moved past it.

It locked.

A brilliantly glowing purple orb sat in the center of the wheel. It pulsed with a violent light that matched his own heartbeat, and the orb was heavy.

It radiated a power that he could feel inside his own skull.

The orb shattered.

[Talent Acquired: Critical Strike (Active, High-Tier)]

[Critical Strike: Exponentially magnifies physical output for a single, devastating blow. Channels all available Flux Energy into one concentrated attack. Effect scales with user’s base strength and current Flux output.]

The knowledge hit his brain at once. He understood the talent instantly.

Every scrap of Flux in his body could be channeled into a single strike. One blow. One attack. One hit that would carry the combined force of his entire Awakened Soldier capacity behind it.

The Alpha’s right head opened its jaws and went for his throat. It was the end.

He still had his Widow’s wail in his right arm.

He channeled everything into his right arm. Every scrap of Flux, every ounce of Awakened Soldier energy, and every last drop of power his battered body could produce.

It all flooded into his right arm. The muscles bulged and the tendons stood out like cables as the veins swelled with dense, compressed Flux that made his skin glow with a deep purple light.

The Alpha’s jaws descended toward his throat.

BAAAAM!!!

Micah swung.

The Widow’s Wail moved in a horizontal arc that started at his right hip and ended above his left shoulder.

The micro-vibration edge hummed as the Critical Strike talent amplified its frequency tenfold.

The pitch-black steel blazed with purple light as the concentrated Flux Energy turned the weapon into something that was no longer just a sword.

The blade hit the Alpha’s both necks. The heavily armored spinal column that connected the two heads.

The same column that Beast Analysis had identified as the primary structural weakness.

The Critical Strike cut through it like it wasn’t there.

The bone armor that had stopped the Widow’s Wail in every previous strike offered no resistance.

The micro-vibrating, Flux-charged blade passed through the dense tissue without slowing.

It severed the spinal column completely, and both necks opened in a single, clean cut.

Both heads hit the pavement simultaneously.

The sound was deafening.

The headless body swayed for a moment. Blood poured from the two neck stumps, spraying across the street. Its legs gave way, and the massive body fell forward.

The impact shook the ground, and just like that, the Alpha was dead.

The street went silent.

Every surviving wolf in the pack turned to look at the headless body of their leader, and the panic was instant.

The wolves broke formation and scrambled over the rubble and each other.

They fled back into the deeply shadowed ruins with their tails tucked between their legs.

The coordinated, intelligent pack that had ambushed the squad was gone, and they were just scared animals running from something bigger and scarier than them.

Micah lay on the concrete in a pool of his own blood and the Alpha’s.

His left arm was completely useless and his shoulder was a wreck of torn muscle and shredded fabric.

His right arm was still raised, and the Widow’s Wail was extended in the follow-through of the swing that had killed the beast.

He slowly lowered the blade. The purple glow faded as the Critical Strike talent spent itself. The energy left his arm like water draining from a pipe, and his muscles went slack.

The strength that had carried the blow was gone.

He sat up slowly, and every movement sent fresh waves of agony through his shoulder. He grabbed the dead Alpha’s jaw with his right hand.

The fangs that had been embedded in his shoulder were loosening as the creature’s muscles went slack.

He pulled himself free, and the sensation was like pulling a nail out of wood. The fangs slid out of the torn muscle with a wet sound.

He stood up. His legs barely held him, and his left arm hung at his side. He sheathed it slowly, and the blade slid into the scabbard without a sound.

He was drenched from head to toe. His own blood, the Alpha’s blood, and the wolves’ blood covered him completely.

His uniform was shredded, and the Phantom Carapace was visible through the tears. His face was painted red.

[Ding!]

[Twin-Headed Dire Wolf Alpha eliminated.]

[EXP gained: 800 EXP.]

[Flux Unlock: 14% (Awakened Soldier Level 1)]

[Progress: 900/1000 EXP to Awakened Soldier Level 2]

He turned to face his squad.

They were standing in a loose group ten meters away. Dexter’s broadsword was at his side, and Myra’s blades were sheathed. Thomas was holding his iron blade like he’d forgotten he was still carrying it, and Tasha’s twin daggers were lowered.

Nobody spoke.

Micah looked at them with a calm face and a flat expression.

Just the cold mask of a man who had almost died and was choosing not to think about it.

"Check the bodies," he said. His voice was hoarse and flat. "See if you can find anything useful."

The squad moved.