Chapter 1409: The First Wave When Ghost laid eyes on the group in front of him, he instantly recognized their uniforms, the unmistakable black and gold of the Howlers. He had done his research before coming here, gathered intel, but even with that, some of the faces were unfamiliar. Still, one stood out. The woman with short grey hair, that had to be Xin. Once an Altered fighter for the AFC, now standing proudly as a member of the Howlers. That alone was enough to catch him off guard. She had left the prestigious fighting organization and aligned herself with a gang? The Howlers’ roster was more interesting than he expected. The others… he only knew by vague descriptions passed around in reports or rumors. But that didn’t matter. Because there was one face among them that confirmed everything. Midwak. The moment Ghost laid eyes on him, he knew, this was the right place. One of the targets was here. And if one had come, the rest likely weren’t far behind. “It looks like you were right,” Kevin muttered, his eyes fixed on the carnage left behind. “If we’d arrived even a few minutes later, there would’ve been a massacre. How many people would he have killed just to get our attention?” “Yeah… but now that we’re here,” Park added, “I don’t know if that’s really a good thing. I mean… is there even anything we can do?” His nerves were obvious, but of the entire group, Park was perhaps the most fortunate. His special Werewolf class granted him powers in both human and transformed forms. The others, on the other hand, relied heavily on their full transformations to access the majority of their strength. That power was still out of reach, for now. Ghost suddenly shifted his stance. With a burst of energy, he kicked off the ground and shot forward like a bullet. The group braced themselves, expecting a head-on assault, but he stopped short, only ten meters away. A smirk stretched under his mask. The sudden shift in his attention gave the public their opening. Residents, sensing the moment, scrambled out of their homes and shops, fleeing in every direction. Ghost wasn’t focused on them anymore, he was focused on the Howlers. “What’s this?” Ghost asked, lowering his mask slightly. “Midwak… I can tell you’re still a Werewolf, and yet you’ve managed to cover your scent.” He inhaled deeply, his nose twitching. “Now that I’m closer, I can smell it, you’re all the same. You’re masking your scent artificially.” He chuckled darkly. “That can only mean one thing. You’re all Werewolves… and yet you’re unable to transform. Still, you came here to fight me like you actually stand a chance?” “Hurting the general public?” Xin shouted back. Her voice was sharp with anger. “I thought your mission was to eliminate the other Alphas. So why are you attacking innocent people? Even if this was just to draw us out, you know we’re not at full power right now. Was it really worth it?” The more time they could buy, the more their powers would return. That was the Howlers’ only strategy right now, endure, delay, and wait until the transformation became possible again. And Ghost knew it. “I’m just following orders,” he replied with a shrug. “Lupus has a vision, and he doesn’t want to lose the members of his family. Not the ones who’ve stood by him through everything.” His tone was colder now. “There’s a reason I was sent here specifically. I’m just here to finish this quickly… and then go help the others.” Ghost was well aware of the Luna’s powers. If the battle dragged on until sunrise, the tides could turn. The Howlers had likely delayed things before. That meant they couldn’t be allowed to do it again. They had to be eliminated now. “It’s a shame, though,” Ghost added, turning toward Midwak. “I heard Broodie wanted to take you down himself.” Midwak’s brow furrowed at the name. Broodie, an Ironfang warrior who had fought him before. A shield-user who had survived their last encounter. “Heard he got chewed out for losing to you,” Ghost said with a grin. “Demoted, no longer an Ironfang. Then again, it might have had more to do with the fact that all of his followers died in that battle… still, if I get rid of you now, you won’t be around to see him try again.” Midwak narrowed his eyes. “What are you saying?” Ghost pulled the mask down fully, revealing a wicked smile. “You think we don’t know what you’re doing? Splitting up the fights, scattering your forces, hiding out and trying to stall for time… It’s obvious.” He stepped forward. “But the thing is, we’re doing the exact same thing.” Ghost’s grin widened. “You wanted to keep your aces hidden. We wanted to see all of them. Because for us? This is just the first wave.” The air around him grew heavy. “The second wave is coming. And it’ll be worse. Much worse.” Behind Ghost, a hundred more Werewolves waited. They had been supplied with specialized gear, crafted by the Dark Guild. Gear originally designed to fight vampires, now repurposed for the Howlers. Broodie would be among them. And this time, he wouldn’t be fighting with basic weapons. This time, he’d be fighting with everything Alter could offer. Ghost’s mission was simple: eliminate the weakened Werewolves here and now, before they had a chance to recover. Then, when the Howlers had used up all their strength, the second wave would hit. A perfect strategy. A clean victory. Lupus would reign. “This war was over,” Ghost said, his voice low and cruel, “before it even began.” “You just didn’t know it yet.” **** *** For updates for MWS and future works, please follow me on my social media below. Instagram: Jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n: jksmanga When news of MVS, MWS or any other series comes out, you will be able to see it there first, and you can reach out to me. If I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.