Chapter 158: Twisted Teeth, Trembling Bonds

The wolves moved quickly, their enhanced forms flowing into an assault formation.

Two flanked left, two right, while the remaining pair held center.

Cyrus met the first wolf head-on, catching razor claws inches from his throat.

The impact ruptured his arms. This creature’s strength rivaled his own draconic power, synthetic enhancements pushing wolf biology far beyond natural limits.

Blue veins pulsed brighter as the wolf pressed forward, his modified muscles straining against Cyrus’s grip.

"Impossible," Cyrus snarled.

Ginsei’s serpent mist lashed out, coiling around another wolf’s throat like a living noose.

The wolf should have collapsed, hypnotic vapors overwhelming his nervous system.

Instead, electric blue energy crackled along the enhanced veins, disrupting Ginsei’s control.

The wolf’s eyes flickered between natural amber and artificial blue as he fought through the mental assault.

"My hypnosis isn’t working!"

Mochi darted between the combatants, his cat spirit agility keeping him barely ahead of grasping claws.

Smoke talismans exploded from his hands, filling the air with choking purple clouds.

Distraction charms sparked and popped, their chaotic light disrupting the wolves’ coordination.

But even through the interference, the enhanced predators tracked movement with unnatural precision.

One wolf’s modified claws swept through empty air where Mochi had been milliseconds before.

"They’re designed for this," Ginsei gasped, dodging another swipe. "Every enhancement counters spirit abilities."

Dragon strength met synthetic muscle.

Serpent hypnosis shattered against chemical resistance.

Cat agility barely outpaced engineered reflexes.

Cyrus twisted away from his opponent’s renewed assault; crimson energy seared around his fists.

"Then we adapt."

Crimson fire erupted from Cyrus’s fists in controlled bursts.

Two wolves circled him, their enhanced reflexes allowing them to dodge the initial strikes.

But Cyrus had fought for centuries—he adapted his rhythm, feinting left before unleashing a concentrated flame burst that caught the first wolf across the chest.

The synthetic enhancements sizzled against dragon fire, blue veins flickering as the wolf staggered backward.

Ginsei abandoned direct confrontation, his form dissolving into serpentine mist that flowed between the wolves’ legs.

One enhanced wolf swiped through empty vapor, confusion flickering across his modified features.

Ginsei ducked behind it, his fingers finding pressure points on the wolf’s arm.

His strike paralyzed the wolf’s left arm, freezing coils of mist wrapping around the creature’s throat like arctic chains.

"Nerve clusters still work the same," Ginsei muttered.

Mochi cackled as he darted past a lunging wolf, pulling a crystalline talisman from his jacket.

The flash burst illuminated the entire lab in blinding white light, sending the nearest wolf stumbling into a bank of computers.

"Oops, sorry about the expensive equipment!"

He produced a volatile bottle that pulsed with unstable energy, its surface crackling with rainbow sparks.

The enhanced wolf recovered from the flash, charging with claws extended.

"Kaboom therapy incoming!"

Mochi hurled the crystal with perfect timing.

The explosion sent the wolf crashing through a reinforced glass wall, synthetic enhancements sparking as he hit the far corridor.

Cyrus noticed that the chemical cocktails flooding their systems enhanced individual strength but shattered the pack mentality that made wolves deadly.

As the lead wolf overextended during a failed coordinated strike, Cyrus lunged forward.

Obsidian claws erupted from his fingertips, longer and sharper than human nails, pinning the enhanced creature against the laboratory wall.

The wolf’s throat pressed against Cyrus’s claws, synthetic veins pulsing frantically beneath gray fur.

Ginsei seized another wolf’s moment of confusion, his serpentine mist condensing into arctic streams.

Ice crystals formed along the wolf’s enhanced veins, the freezing temperature disrupting the synthetic compounds flowing through his bloodstream.

The wolf’s legs buckled as hypothermia overwhelmed his modified physiology, consciousness fading as Ginsei’s icy assault shut down his nervous system.

"Sleep tight."

Mochi bounced off a fallen chair, diving toward the largest remaining wolf with manic glee.

His fingers worked frantically as he strapped a resonance grenade to the creature’s chest, the device humming with unstable energy.

"Fetch!"

He threw himself sideways, rolling behind an overturned desk as the wolf clawed desperately at the attached explosive.

The detonation shattered reinforced containment glass, sending the enhanced wolf crashing through the barrier into unconsciousness.

Sparks flew from damaged equipment as alarms shrieked louder.

Only the leader remained, still pinned beneath Cyrus’s claws.

The lead wolf’s eyes widened as crimson flames erupted around Cyrus’s fingers.

The wolf snarled, synthetic veins pulsing one final time.

Dragonfire consumed him instantly; controlled heat reduced enhanced flesh and bone to smoldering ash in seconds.

The scent of burnt chemicals and charred fur filled the air as the remains scattered across scorched laboratory tiles.

Mochi wiped soot from his whiskers, glancing nervously at the ash pile.

"Ginsei, remind me never to get on Scaley Daddy’s bad side. That was terrifying and slightly arousing."

"You’re disturbed," Ginsei muttered, though his lips twitched upward.

The trio stood among the wreckage, breathing heavily.

Broken glass crunched underfoot, and sparking equipment cast eerie shadows across damaged walls.

Mochi’s manic energy finally crashed, leaving him swaying on unsteady legs.

"Well, I’d say that went pawsitively well, all things considered."

"Your puns are terrible," Ginsei said, ice crystals still clinging to his hair. "And your recklessness nearly got us killed."

Despite his scolding, a rare smirk crossed the serpent’s face.

Cyrus stood among the carnage, ash swirling around his boots.

His crimson eyes surveyed the destruction with cold satisfaction. He said nothing, but the message was clear.

Suddenly, Cyrus staggered backward, his hand flying to his ribs as crimson energy erupted around him in violent, uncontrolled bursts.

His vision blurred, silver pain bleeding through the edges as something foreign and agonizing tore through his heart.

Kane’s torment echoed in his skull—raw, desperate sounds that made Cyrus’s dragon instincts howl in response.

He collapsed to his knees among the ash of the fallen wolves, teeth bared in a snarl of pure agony.

"Cyrus!" Ginsei dropped beside him, mist forming around his hands as he tried to stabilize the chaotic energy.

Mochi’s usual levity vanished, replaced by sharp concern.

"What’s happening?"

Through gritted teeth, Cyrus forced out the words that tasted like blood and desperation.

"They’re... hurting him."