The wolves were the first to launch the assault, bursting out of the forest and charging at the soldiers. The commander had not finished his speech; seeing the wolves approaching, the soldiers went berserk, firing and shouting at the oncoming wolves. Jack waited a few moments, analyzing the commander a bit more.
With every second the battle dragged on, it seemed more and more lost in advance. The soldiers were far more formidable than the previous ones, all of them using that same bluish energy. The commander stayed in the rear, occasionally shouting in Chinese, giving orders.
No matter how one looked at it, the fight was lost before it even began. And that was exactly what Jack loved most—things that were lost in advance. Alan was also watching the scene, analyzing the situation before sharing his thoughts with Jack.
« The battle seems lost, but fortunately we can count on you and Yumiel. Night has fallen, so she shouldn't be long. »
« Ahahah, I wouldn't count on that if I were you. That woman has always done whatever she wanted, wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted. That's not about to change now. »
Barely had the words left his mouth when he charged into the battle like a tank. Seeing this, Alan couldn't help but speak out loud.
« Throwing yourself like that into a battle lost in advance—only a madman would do that. And yet, it reminds me of certain war heroes. »
Alan didn't linger either. Feeling motivated, he ran across the old corpses, picked up a sniper rifle lying on the ground beside a soldier, grabbed some ammunition, and positioned himself beneath a buried pile of bodies, leaving only the barrel exposed.
Jack's explosiveness was immediately felt on the battlefield. Charging in like a tank, he trampled men with his four legs or grabbed them with his six arms, crushing their bones or ripping out their spines. On the battlefield, he clearly did not go unnoticed.
The commander shouted orders in Chinese, and five soldiers positioned themselves around him. They attacked Jack with the same bluish energy, striking his body, his back, his legs. He could only defend and dodge as best he could—until he had had enough.
Running in a straight line and shoving everyone aside, ally or enemy alike, crushing bodies on the ground beneath his powerful feet, he grabbed six rifles taken from soldiers killed by the wolves, then turned around and fired at his pursuers.
Jack emptied the magazines completely, forcing them to leap into the air to dodge. At that moment, he broke the limits of his rear left leg, lunged forward, and grabbed the legs of two soldiers—one in each hand. With strength far superior to theirs, he smashed them into the ground, killing them instantly before throwing their bodies at their comrade.
Two of the soldiers were struck by the body of their dead ally, ending up on the ground where they were devoured by wolves tearing them apart.
The last soldier attacked Jack from behind. Jack didn't even try to dodge, taking the bluish energy attack head-on with his body. The shockwave generated by the impact and the power of the blow pushed Jack back—but only slightly.
Turning around, the soldier tried to flee, though it was already too late. By the time the energy traveled from his abdomen to his legs, one of Jack's hands was already on his head, lifting him up, while another grabbed his leg and pulled in opposite directions. Describing what came next would be horrific for that soldier.
On the battlefield, a monster inspires fear in both enemies and allies alike. His cruelty and monstrous form terrify both sides.
Changing his rear left leg as if changing a tire—only extremely fast. Since being with Yumiel, his strength had increased as well, though it was less visible than hers. Still, he could feel it: it took him far less time to change limbs, and he felt stronger. Maybe soon he would even be able to control more than ten limbs.
Jack continued to sow chaos across the battlefield until the commander stepped forward to face him. At that moment, all the soldiers present backed away; the wolves did the same, leaving something like a ring between them. Neither side wanted to face either of the two.
The commander spoke to Jack with a Chinese accent but fluent English.
« What exactly are you? A disgusting mass of flesh? Either way, everything will soon be over. The war against these filthy wolves ends today. »
« It's funny you say that, because I think the same—but for you. Crying victory too early is a bad idea. You'll need more than that to wipe out all these wolves. »
« Oh, don't worry. I'm not the only seraph who has been deployed. »
After a long stare, the commander suddenly released an energy very similar to that of the soldiers—but instead of bluish, it was purple. A pure purple, almost like amethyst.
« The same power as your little soldiers. I'm disappointed. »
« It's called Ch'i. And you'll see that I have nothing in common with those weaklings. »
The Ch'i energy spread from his abdomen throughout his entire body, far denser than the others. Without warning, he charged at Jack. The distance between them was about fifteen meters, but he covered it in only two seconds.
With his many arms, Jack tried to grab him, but the commander dodged with great ease, playing with him, simply evading his blows before striking him in the abdomen and sending him flying backward. Jack ended his slide on the ground, slowly getting back up thanks to his four legs.
The commander watched him rise, wearing a superior expression. Jack couldn't stand it and charged at him. Wanting to ram him, Jack saw the commander leap into the air. Jack extended one of his many arms, trying to grab his foot, but the commander jumped again, passing behind him.
Turning around, Jack saw the man extend his arm, which elongated into a Ch'i sword that pierced Jack's abdomen. Feeling no pain, Jack advanced through the blade as it sank into his flesh and emerged out the other side. Surprised, the commander tried to pull free, but Jack grabbed his arm with two of his own and crushed it.
Forming a second sword with his other hand, the commander aimed for Jack's head to cut it off. In that instant, the giant wolf leapt in, entering the battlefield with jaws wide open, trying to seize the commander's remaining arm.
He retracted both swords and circulated his Ch'i through his body, channeling it into his foot before slamming it into the ground. A violet Ch'i shockwave erupted, blasting both Jack and the wolf backward.
As he was pushed back, Jack saw the arm he had just crushed regenerating—no doubt the commander was circulating his Ch'i from his abdomen to his arm to heal it. The wolf charged at him, not giving him a second to react.
Jack followed, attacking together with the wolf. Jack's wound meant nothing to him. The commander gathered his Ch'i into his legs, rising several meters into the air, then dove toward the giant wolf with a Ch'i sword formed from his still-functional arm.
The wolf spun to dodge, but the war was still raging. Bullets struck his hips; he yelped, unable to dodge the commander's attack.
The scene unfolded quickly, but Jack reacted instantly—breaking the limits of two of his legs and charging the commander. Positioning himself in front of the wolf, he then broke the limits of his two upper arms and struck the commander's Ch'i sword, sending it flying before it crashed to the ground. Jack ended up with a slashed shoulder and a badly damaged torso.
The wolf slowly got back up, regenerating as well, then moved in front of Jack and ran toward the wounded commander. On the ground, the commander rose, circulated his Ch'i through his body, and charged the wolf in turn. A brutally bloody clash of fist and fang followed.
Biting into the injured arm Jack had crushed, the commander screamed in rage before punching the wolf in the face, forcing him to release his grip. At the same time, the wolf slashed the commander's abdomen, only to be struck by another punch—this time with an enormous concentration of Ch'i. The violet energy condensed before smashing into the wolf, sending him flying so far it became difficult to locate him on the battlefield.
Jack charged again, swinging his four arms with force, landing a few hits. He could feel the commander beginning to tire. Gathering his Ch'i once more, the commander punched Jack, dodging at the last moment and releasing the energy, creating a violent gust and a surge of power that still struck Jack, as if the attack had propagated in waves.
Jack didn't care. He broke the limits of his two lower arms, keeping the skinny man's two arms occupied if needed. He counterattacked by slamming his two arms into the commander's torso. The commander brought his hands together and rotated his Ch'i, absorbing Jack's attack before sending it back in a torrent of energy.
Jack broke the limits of one of his legs as he jumped over the commander, then broke the limits of his last leg as he landed on him, pinning him to the ground. The commander spat blood and remained trapped beneath Jack's leg, creating a Ch'i sword to cut it off—before a sniper bullet pierced his head, killing him instantly.
Surprised, Jack looked around and spotted, far away beneath a pile of corpses, a protruding barrel. He guessed it was Alan, who raised his thumb into the air. Jack then removed the extra limbs he had grown and ate the commander's brain while swapping his legs with his.
Just as the war might have ended, helicopters appeared again in the distance, and more soldiers emerged from the forest to reinforce the others. Everything seemed lost—but on the other side of the city, coming across the bridge, an army of wolves was advancing, apparently led by another giant wolf.
The giant wolf who had been thrown far away returned to Jack, badly injured and limping.
« Family of yours? »
« Family, yes. »
Looking at all these reinforcements on both sides and watching the war evolve by the second, Jack couldn't help but smile.
« Come on, let's go back in. »
After healing and replacing his limbs and wounds, Jack charged back into the heart of the battle, beneath the gaze of the moon.