Chapter 1427: A Single Breath Ylva wasn’t giving Gary a single breath of relief. Compared to their last two encounters, she was far more aggressive, relentless in both speed and strength. Her strikes came fast and hard, and Gary found himself forced onto the defensive, constantly blocking and weaving just to keep up. Every time he tried to summon his Warhammer, she closed the distance before he could fully grip it. She was staying close, deliberately shutting down his weapon advantage. It reminded Gary of his training sessions with Kanu, where being under pressure was the entire point. Only this wasn’t training. This was life or death. Eventually, Gary saw his opening. Just like he had done in the past, he jumped up high into the air, summoning his Warhammer and slamming it toward the ground. Boom! The weapon hit the earth, sending a powerful shockwave rippling through the area, but Ylva wasn’t there. She’d dodged it entirely. That was what worried him. The hammer took up a good deal of Qi and energy. To miss like that? It wasn’t just wasteful, it was dangerous. What’s going on? She’s avoiding everything. Wait… wait… His mind raced. Midwak… he told me something about the Luna. About how I struggled against her before… And then it hit him. The Luna could see things before they happened. Ylva had used this ability during their past battles, and she was using it now. Unlike the other Werewolves who had trouble reacting to his speed or the weight of his strikes, Ylva was different. She knew when the attack was coming. She could see it. The moment Gary thought about lifting his hammer, she already knew, and avoided it before it ever hit. The moment I saw Gary, Ylva thought, I made the call. I told Lupus where he was. I never expected him to be this strong though. To take down our pack members the way he did… Now, here she was, locked in a direct fight with him. She hadn’t expected it to come to this. And yet… there was something that unsettled her. Where’s Slit? I don’t see his body anywhere. If he had survived, then maybe he’d escaped the battlefield to do what she could no longer do. I’ll have to rely on him now… She was right. Slit had pulled away from the chaos and was moving as fast as his battered body would allow, in search of Lupus. Compared to other pack members, the Alpha was easier to locate, his scent was strong, potent, almost overwhelming. But Slit’s steps were shaky, and each one came with sharp pain. At one point, he doubled over and coughed, blood splattering the ground below. Those hits… they really hurt, Slit thought. That damned hammer… it’s strong. And I’ve got a feeling Gary wasn’t even using its full power. He clutched his side as he moved. I have to find Lupus. Even if we regroup, even if reinforcements come… I don’t know if it’ll be enough to stop him. Slit began to consider something that hadn’t crossed the minds of the Lupus members earlier. Maybe, just maybe, they’d made a mistake. The Howlers weren’t just some newly formed pack. They were a force. They had risen quickly, yes, but they had risen to the level of Kings. In influence, in territory, in wealth. Even the regular humans under them had access to tech and equipment most packs couldn’t dream of. And then there were the Altered… They weren’t average. Every Altered under the Howlers’ banner was trained and highly skilled. Even the ones Slit had fought before facing Gary had been more capable than what he was used to. We didn’t respect them. Not enough. Not after everything they did. They took on the One Gang. The Phoenix Gang. That wasn’t luck. It wasn’t a fluke. And a chilling thought crossed his mind. What would’ve happened… if we had faced them on the night of the full moon? Even with all their Ironfang warriors, advanced armor, and Lupus himself… Would we have lost? Maybe that’s why Lupus had proposed an alliance in the first place. Maybe he had seen what others hadn’t. Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Gary was getting frustrated. He had started abandoning the Warhammer, deciding instead to go in bare-handed. But even then, Ylva was blocking his strikes with ease. She countered quickly, landing a brutal punch to his chest that sent him skidding backward. And she didn’t stop. She dashed forward, throwing multiple strikes, claws extended. She swiped again and again, carving deep wounds across his chest. Gary gritted his teeth as the pain surged through him. The Warhammer gives me strength. Speed. Power. I need it to stand against her. But I still don’t know how to use it properly. I can’t draw out its full power yet… Is there a way… to keep it on me? To use the Warhammer’s strength without having to summon the full weapon? If I could just figure that out, maybe I’d have a chance… But that kind of control required time, and training. Right now, all he had was instinct. Ylva struck again. Gary barely managed to knock her hand aside, but she followed up with a kick to his chest that knocked the air out of him. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚 She smiled. Wide. Confident. Dangerous. Claws extended, she lunged at him, this time, aiming for his throat. She was going to finish it. Maybe Lupus wouldn’t even need to step in. Maybe she would end the opposing Alpha right here, right now. Her claws came swinging down. But then, Clang! A metallic blade intercepted the strike, clashing against her claws and deflecting the blow. Ylva’s eyes widened as her hand was knocked back. “You can leave this one to me, Gary,” a voice said, stepping in front of him. “I’ve been waiting for this moment…” It was Blake. His eyes burned with purpose, and his stance was unshaken. “Whether I die here today or not… I’m taking her down.” *** For updates on My Werewolf System and future works, follow me on my social media below: *Instagram: @jksmanga *Patreon: 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 usually reply.