Chapter 1584: Lightning Strikes the Beast Marcus knew Werewolves. His close, often complicated relationship with Lupus and his group meant he’d seen them transform, studied their power, and understood their biology. But the horror lumbering in front of him right now was a grotesque mockery of everything he knew. Its eyes were terrifying, enlarged and practically bulging out of the sides of its head. Even worse was the fur. It was patchy and sparse in areas, and where the fur was missing, it wasn’t just skin. It was bare, raw flesh, exposed muscle fiber twitching beneath the surface. A truly foul, putrid odor, not from the dead body it was devouring, emanated from the creature itself, making Marcus recoil. “What in the hell are you?” Marcus demanded, his voice tight. “You’re not part of Lupus’s pack, that’s for sure. Are you a Howler?” He quickly glanced left and right. It wasn’t just a single corpse. There were several bodies scattered throughout the filthy alleyway. He couldn’t imagine the Howlers, for all he knew about them, leaving such a mess. Gary and the rest of them seemed like the type to never sacrifice people for power, and seeing one Werewolf alone like this made him instinctively classify it as an Omega Wolf, a desperate outcast. Although it was hard to tell even what the colour of the pupil was for the Werewolf, the eyes were incredibly blood shot, almost covering the color of the iris. “I’m not a White Rose agent or any kind of hero,” Marcus stated, dropping into a fighting stance. “But with you standing right in front of me, I guess I have a certain level of duty to take you out, and besides I’m sure I can find some money here.” He didn’t get a chance to finish his thought. The Werewolf launched itself forward with blinding speed. It was so fast that all Marcus could do was throw his arms up in a desperate attempt to protect his head and chest, and on instinct he had activated another power through his body. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 A claw tore through the flesh on his arm, and then his entire body was flung backward, slamming violently into the cold, unforgiving brick wall. A strangled yelp of pain escaped him. If he hadn’t constantly reinforced his body with Qi, strengthening his bone and muscle far beyond a normal human’s, that single hit would have killed him instantly. He didn’t have a second to recover. The Werewolf was already on him, its hands stretching out and gripping his shoulders. The exposed, fleshy part of the monster, the strange, expanded muscle fiber, allowed its arms to grow unbelievably large and powerful, but the crushing strength in its claws remained. Its nails dug in, pinning him against the wall, making it impossible to move, while the creature pulled its snout-like head forward, its mouth gaping wide. In that suffocating grip, even using all his available Qi, Marcus couldn’t push off the wall or break free. He had only one option left. I never thought I’d be forced to use this power so much, he thought, adrenaline surging. It’s a good thing I’ve been training it as relentlessly as I have! Marcus lifted his right foot. Immediately, vivid blue sparks of electricity began to flow and coil around it. The sparks condensed rapidly, the light becoming a solid, searing glow until his entire foot, up to his knee, was radiating a brilliant light blue. The instant the Werewolf lunged close enough, Marcus shot his foot forward. The lightning-charged attack struck deep into the pit of the Werewolf’s stomach. The impact was like a direct, focused bolt of electricity. The beast’s claws immediately lost their grip. Now, it was the Werewolf’s turn to be sent flying. Its body soared across the alley, crashing into the opposite wall with a heavy thud. It slumped to the ground, its body spasming slightly as residual electrical sparks fizzed and died across its thick hide. “Bet you never expected that,” Marcus gasped, wincing as he looked at the fresh wounds ripping across his arm and shoulder. He had only just been patched up, and already, he was a bloody mess again. He was grateful for one thing: his training in the lightning powers passed down through his family. The ability had always been a family secret, something only to be shared with his own bloodline. He had practiced it for years, sparring with certain Dark Guild members who used weapons to simulate real combat, though he could never truly trust anyone enough to unleash its full potential. Recently, though, the power had become far stronger. As he developed and learned to seamlessly weave it with his vast reserves of Qi, he realized he had an incredibly impressive weapon at his disposal. “It’s a shame I don’t have any weapons on me,” Marcus muttered, watching the Werewolf stir, slowly getting back up despite the devastating blow. “Otherwise, this would be an easy match.” He straightened up, stretching his arm out. Lightning crackled around it, swirling and building up. Then, just as before, the energy slowly began to settle and condense, wrapping around his entire forearm. Instead of using the lightning as a ranged attack, he had mastered combining it with his physical body. He would continue to fight using his legs, arms, and Qi, but now, his hands and feet were coated in a weapon of pure electrical energy, giving him an immensely powerful, electrified advantage in hand-to-hand combat. “That last guy I fought, he had some strange powers. I wasn’t really sure if my lightning was truly effective,” Marcus said, a predatory glint in his eye as the beast started to move. “But I guess you, monster, are the perfect person to test its full limits on.” **** (Second Chapter is on the way!) Follow Jksmanga on social media for updates! 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.