Chapter 1509: Nocturne Apex Often, when Gary fought, his instinct was to preserve as much energy as possible. His fighting style had always reflected that philosophy. He would start small, easing into a battle with partial transformations, relying on speed, tactics, and his instincts. Only when absolutely necessary would he tap into the full ferocity of his body, when the moment came that demanded everything from him. From there, his path of growth had expanded. He had gone beyond his regular transformations and reached into something far darker, something that had become his true weapon. The Ash Lycan form. This form was a monster in itself. A weapon of destruction that could burn through entire battlefields, black mist spreading like an infection across the ground. But it wasn’t free. The cost was high, almost unbearable. The Ash Lycan drained his body, its side effects gnawed at him with every second it lingered. Even when he wasn’t tearing himself apart like he had when forcing the transformation thanks from help or the Bree family, there was always a gradual toll, an erosion of his HP. The cost was inevitable. And then there was his newest form, his Nocturne Apex Transformation. A form not born from his own body alone, but from the bond with Xin. It was the ultimate synchronization, the merging of his existence with hers, and only she could awaken it in him. He still carried another weapon, his Dragon Ash Form, but Gary knew the risks. The side effects of the golden power were catastrophic, far worse than anything the Ash Lycan inflicted. It left him in an incredibly vulnerable state. He could not risk that now. Not here. No, this moment demanded the best balance of raw strength and endurance. To face Lupus, who had already consumed Don and grown beyond reason, Gary needed the most reliable form he possessed. He needed the Nocturne Apex, and then, when the time was right, if Lupus still stood, he could deliver the finishing blow with his Dragon Ash Lycan form. Gary’s mind spun in panic. After consuming Don, there was every chance Lupus had also unlocked a special transformation. Maybe he had no idea how to use it yet, maybe it was dormant, or maybe it was already bubbling within him, ready to erupt. Gary had no way to know. But he did know one thing, this was his advantage. Gary had the system. He had the experience of switching forms, of mastering them with unnatural speed. Lupus had none of that. If Lupus had truly unlocked something new, it would take him time to control it, time Gary couldn’t afford to give. That was the edge. That was the only edge he had left. The energy between Gary and Xin flared as the transformation began. Xin’s body was the first to change, her form crackled and pulsed with power as the moonlight itself seemed to pour into her flesh. Runes carved themselves across her glowing skin, etching symbols of light that burned brighter with every heartbeat. Her outline shimmered like ethereal armor, a radiant wolf-goddess formed under the full moon’s gaze. She was a mirror to Marie’s Luna state, but still uniquely her own. Her power flowed like liquid silver, her presence a constant anchor. And then Gary changed. The shift was violent, almost terrifying. His body swelled, fur blackening until it seemed to drink in the very light around him. A thick mist coiled and wrapped around him like a cloak, growing denser with each pulse. Through the darkness, streaks of molten orange bled across his form, glowing cracks that throbbed like veins of lava. They pulsed, alive, burning across his chest, his arms, his legs, converging in a central core that glowed like a furnace inside his chest. The mark spread out from there like fiery claw marks, branding him as something unnatural, something born of both nightmare and flame. His eyes burned red, but in the center, golden light flickered, shimmering like fire behind the red glow. The fusion of the two colors gave his gaze an inhuman intensity, like staring into a predator that had no concept of mercy. His back hunched slightly, his limbs elongated, claws glowing orange at the tips. Where his Shadow Ash Lycan form had made him look like a beast from the abyss, this new form looked like something torn from the deepest nightmares, a horror that stalked the edges of reality, burning as it breathed. Gary’s mind was pulled deep into the instincts of the Apex state. He no longer thought, he acted. His body launched forward, his feet exploding against the ground with such force that embers streaked in his wake. The battlefield shook as he blurred forward, nothing more than a trail of fire and smoke. “Gary!” Xin’s voice cut through, sharp and desperate. She couldn’t keep up with his speed. Her body, even empowered by her Luna form, wasn’t fast enough. But she had no choice, she had to stay close. She was his anchor, his balance, the one tether that could call him back before the Apex consumed him completely. If he lost himself, if he turned on their allies, she would have to step in, even if it meant sacrificing her life. Up ahead, Lupus had Kai’s body in his grasp. The Alpha wolf’s obsidian claws dug into Kai’s flesh, holding him like a broken toy. But Lupus’s instincts screamed at him, danger. His eyes snapped up, his nostrils flared, and in that instant he dropped Kai’s limp body to the ground. The battlefield shifted. The ice that had spread across the ground from Kai’s earlier attacks began to melt away, hissing into vapor. Heat rolled across the field, a suffocating wave that made even Lupus’s fur bristle. Then Gary came. He erupted, a black inferno crashing through the air. His form slammed into Lupus like a flaming comet, breaking the ground beneath them in a thunderous shockwave. But Lupus had not been caught off guard. His instincts had saved him. At the last moment, his claws dug deep, grabbing hold of Gary’s shoulder. His obsidian nails seared against Gary’s molten skin, the heat burning into his fingertips. The mist writhed, obscuring Gary’s full form, but Lupus could feel the creature in front of him, could feel the molten heat spilling from Gary’s chest. He saw the maw open wide, embers spilling from between the fangs, and instinctively he dug in harder, flinging Gary across the battlefield. Gary’s body skidded across the ground, gouging trenches into the stone as he bounced, finally slamming into a broken patch of earth. He rose almost instantly, embers cracking off his fur, his glowing eyes locked once more on Lupus. But before he could lunge again, a torrent of ice roared across the field. Kai, still alive, still fighting despite his battered body, had forced himself to his feet. His wolf form crouched low, maw wide, and a stream of pure ice erupted not toward Lupus, but toward Gary. Gary didn’t hesitate. He opened his mouth and unleashed fire. The clash of their combined power erupted in the air, ice and fire colliding, hissing into a colossal cloud of steam that blanketed the battlefield in white mist. The heat, the cold, the clash of elements, it drowned out everything. Through that storm, Lupus descended from above, eyes blazing, claws extended, ready to tear both of them apart. ***** For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below. Instagram: jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n: jksmanga When news drops about My Vampire System, My Werewolf System, or any other series, you’ll hear it there first. Feel free to reach out, if I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.