Chapter 225

Delving into his mind space, Ray stared at Bruce in shock.

He wasn’t the only one stunned; even Elyon shared that disbelief.

They both stared at the werewolf as if they were trapped in a dream.

Never in a decade would Ray have imagined hearing Bruce volunteer to help.

Though the beast had taken over once before, it had required a significant amount of convincing, and afterward, he had sworn not to take control again until the boy grew stronger.

So, why now?

"Wh-Why?" Ray asked, his voice thick with confusion.

Bruce stared at him as if he had just asked an incredibly stupid question. "Do you want to die?"

Ray blinked, then quickly stood up from the seat, allowing the werewolf to approach and take command over the physical body. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

’I wonder what he plans on doing. The body is far too weak for a full transformation, and a single hit would be the end of us.’

Tilting his head to stare at Ray for a final moment within the void, Bruce uttered:

"Unfortunately, I’m not here to help." The werewolf spoke with a wide, unsettling grin stretching across his face.

∆∆∆

Outwardly, the battle was entering its most brutal phase.

Trish, Caster, and his wolf—assisted by the occasional arrow from Chloe—were barely scraping through.

They were clinging to survival by a thread.

Felix was still largely out of the fray due to the devastating hit he had suffered; his hands appeared broken, though he remained conscious and gritting through the agony.

Van stared down at Ray, who remained motionless near his feet. "Ar-Are you alright, Ray?"

The boy didn’t reply for several moments, causing Van’s worry to spike.

He crouched down, intending to help his friend to his feet, but a strange, suffocating pressure suddenly exuded from the boy.

The aura was so heavy that Van took several cautious steps backward.

Ray’s eyeballs shifted color, transitioning from grey to an abyssal black as he rose to his full height.

He scanned the cavern with a predatory gaze.

Kai, who was still too weak to assist with no Meta-Force left in his system, was nonetheless able to catch sight of the strange aura radiating from Ray.

"Tsk. Weaklings," Bruce snarled, his voice loud enough to carry as his eyes settled on Felix.

Felix was back on his feet, but his mangled hands weren’t healing nearly as fast as they should have been.

"Ra-Ray?" Van uttered, his confusion turning into genuine dread.

Turning to stare at Van, the werewolf narrowed his eyes and then smiled, putting his sharp teeth on full display. "Oh? Ray isn’t home right now."

Van shivered.

He had heard these exact words during the gate incident, but back then, the tone had been calmer, almost friendly.

This, however, sounded like a devil had finally been awakened.

"Wh-What is—is going on?" Van stuttered, his feet unconsciously moving him away from the person who looked like his friend.

Kai rushed forward to stand beside Van, sensing the shift even from a distance.

This wasn’t Ray anymore; something else had seized the reins.

However, Bruce wasn’t interested in them.

He turned his gaze upward, inspecting the several tunnels embedded in the walls that led to various unknown locations.

He seemed to be in deep thought for a moment.

Closing his eyes, Bruce tensed his muscles.

His calves bulged incredulously as he locked his sights on one specific tunnel.

"Bye," he uttered.

And then—

BANG—!

The werewolf dashed away.

... Away from Van and Kai. Away from the battle and everything else.

The thunderous sound drew the attention of everyone, including the Minotaur, as they turned to stare at Ray’s retreating form.

.... Wait, was he... was he escaping?

The Minotaur flared its nostrils angrily at the sight.

Lightning crackled around its hooves and, with an explosive bang, it gave chase.

Bruce tilted his head back to catch sight of the pursuing monster, his dark eyes narrowing for a brief moment.

Lifting its mace, the beast began shooting bolts of lightning toward the fleeing werewolf.

Bruce snarled, his body moving with a feral grace as he began nimbly dodging the incoming strikes.

Weaving, ducking, and leaping from side to side, he evaded each lethal bolt while rushing headlong toward the specific tunnel he had chosen.

Chloe scowled at the display, her face twisted in frustration.

"What’s wrong with your friend? Why is he running away?!" she shouted, directing her question at the two boys.

Kai and Van!

But unfortunately, they had no answer to give her.

The only thing they knew for certain was what Van finally managed to whisper.

"Th-That’s not Ray," Van uttered, still visibly shaken.

Caster raised a brow in confusion, his eyes still on the tunnel. "Are you blind? That’s Ray running away!"

Van shook his head vehemently and glared at the Aspirant.

"That’s not Ray! Because Ray would never leave me and run away! Something else has taken over his body!"

BOOOM—!

Everybody turned just in time to see Ray leap upward with tremendous power, landing squarely in the mouth of his chosen tunnel.

With explosive grace, he vanished into the darkness, escaping from the cavern entirely.

The Minotaur skidded to a halt, pausing at the base of the wall.

For some reason best known to itself, it refused to give chase any further.

Stupefied would be an understatement for how the others felt at that moment as the beast turned its gaze back to them.

They felt betrayed. Abandoned. Left to die.

But one other being was beyond furious.

The Minotaur.

Van quickly snapped out of his daze the moment he saw the beast’s body twitch with predatory intent.

He swiftly pointed his arm cannon forward and then—

Bang—!

A ball of energy shot out with blazing speed toward the beast.

Simultaneously, Felix darted forward with all the speed he could muster.

He was the only one left with the raw physical power capable of doing anything to the creature.

The energy projectile was rapidly approaching while Felix was already closing the distance, his fist cocked behind his back for a devastating blow.

However, the Minotaur moved with lightning speed, grabbing Felix by the neck and hurling him directly into the path of the incoming blast.

The Minotaur could have avoided the energy ball easily, but it wanted to take down its most persistent problem.

Felix was just an inch away from being obliterated by the friendly fire when he suddenly smirked, his teeth and fangs on full display.

Lifting his hands, he brought them together in a resounding—

Clap—!

In a flash of light, the beast found itself standing in Felix’s exact position.

BOOOM—!

The ball of energy connected dead-on, blasting the beast away with immense force.