"Werebeasts," Riku muttered, narrowing his eyes as he looked at a red marker on the map. In terms of raw power, they weren't that strong.
Sure, an average werebeast could easily slaughter humans, leaving people with no chance to fight back, but compared to Riku now, they didn't seem that tough.
Some werebeasts could use "Blood Destruction," a special move that let them break the limits of their bodies and fight way above their level, but those were rare. Most weren't nearly that powerful.
Plus, with the Divine Escape Talisman's ability to completely mask his presence, Riku was basically their worst nightmare. Even if they somehow did notice him, he could just use Shambhala to teleport away, leaving them in the dust.
"Alright, guess I've found my next target," Riku said with a faint smirk.
Right then, a sudden commotion made Riku's eyes narrow. He looked over, senses sharper than ever thanks to the gene enhancement serum.
He spotted a group of werebeasts climbing up the cliffs—a dozen or so, moving carefully.
'What are the werebeasts doing here?' Riku thought, raising an eyebrow. Curious, he quickly hid himself.
From his angle, he could see the werebeasts, but they hadn't spotted him. If they had, they'd already be charging over, full of hostility.
The only problem was the scent. Werebeasts had sharper senses than just about any other race.
Thinking fast, Riku grabbed an item from his storage space to mask his smell.
He could take these werebeasts in a fight, but he was way more interested in what they were up to. After all, who'd risk their lives coming out to a place like this for no reason?
"Captain Dora, I smell something weird," one of the werebeasts said as they reached the top, wrinkling his nose and glancing at the large, burly tiger-man in front.
"Don't make a big deal out of it. Just hurry up and find that thing," the one called Dora said in a gruff voice.
"Understood," the rest replied, their expressions going serious as they started searching the mountain.
'That thing?' Riku's curiosity was piqued. It was obvious these werebeasts had a purpose—and whatever they were looking for must be important.
As he pondered, one of the werebeasts wandered dangerously close.
Sensing this, Riku's golden eyes grew cold. He was ready to strike if needed.
"Captain Dora, I found it! Over here!" one werebeast suddenly shouted in delight.
"That was quick! Looks like we're in luck this time!" Dora said, visibly pleased.
The werebeast near Riku forgot all about him, rushing over to join his excited comrades.
'What did they find?' Riku wondered, peeking over the rock to get a better look.
He saw Dora holding a blood-red fruit, dirt still clinging to it—it had clearly just been dug up.
"Hahaha! With this fruit, the princess will become even stronger. She'll be able to use Blood Destruction with no side effects, and the boost will be even greater," Dora said gleefully.
"This is the eighth one. If we find the ninth next year, the princess will be able to rival the top-tier races!" another werebeast added, just as excited.
'Use Blood Destruction with no side effects? Rival the top races?' Riku's eyes narrowed further. Every race had its secrets, but he'd never imagined he'd stumble on the werebeasts' by pure luck.
Blood Destruction was powerful, but it still couldn't compare to the Flugel. The top six races were basically embodiments of pure concepts. Other than a few special Ex-Machina, nothing below the top six could really stand against them—they weren't even close.
Just look at Jibril—she wiped out the Elves' capital with a single strike and hunted the rest down.
Compared to the Elves, the werebeasts were even further behind. The gap was enormous. But with this fruit, they might actually stand a chance against the Flugel. That was a scary thought.
"Who's there?!" Suddenly, Dora turned, sharp beast eyes locking onto Riku's hiding spot.
Even though Riku was pretty well hidden, the werebeasts' senses picked up on him.
"If I say I'm just passing by, will you believe me?" Since he'd already been spotted, Riku didn't bother hiding anymore. He stood up with a shrug, totally calm.
"A human?" The werebeasts, who'd been tense and ready for a fight, all froze, exchanging confused looks.
They were all familiar with humans—they'd killed plenty, maybe even eaten a few.
"Heh. Who'd have thought a human would come out here, and now you've learned our secret. That means we can't let you go," Dora said, baring his fangs with a savage grin.
"Get him! Looks like we're having fresh meat tonight!" With that, he gave the order to attack.
"Die, human!" At Captain Dora's command, one of the werebeasts leapt at Riku with frightening speed.
His face was twisted with rage, claws bared, fist clenched tight as he aimed to smash the "weak human's" head in a single blow.
But the werebeast was doomed to disappointment. The moment he lunged, Riku's speed outclassed him completely. In a blur, Riku appeared right in front of him and coolly delivered a single punch.
Bam!
Crack!
In an instant, the werebeast was sent flying, a sharp crack echoing through the air. He crashed to the ground, writhing and clutching his throat, coughing up blood, his eyes wide in disbelief. Even though werebeasts are much tougher than humans, with his throat crushed, death was only a matter of time. His strong vitality just meant he had to suffer longer, watching the end come.
"Damn it!" Seeing his comrade instantly killed, Captain Dora erupted in fury, his savage gaze locked on Riku.
"You... are you really human?!" Dora snarled, murder in his voice.
Humans were considered the weakest of the weak—a universal truth in this world. The idea that one of them could kill a werebeast in one hit was unthinkable!
"Afraid so," Riku replied coldly, energy swirling in his hands as he materialized a pair of short swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, Archer's favourites.
"A human? Using spirit energy? Your physical strength isn't much less than ours..." Dora's eyes narrowed, his worldview cracking.
The other werebeasts, while glaring at Riku with hatred, were clearly shocked as well.
This was exactly the reaction Riku wanted. He activated Skywalk, turning into a blur as he launched himself into the midst of the werebeasts.
"Kill him! Tear him apart!" roared one, their sharp senses finally catching up to his speed.
Slash—! But before they could react, Riku's blade flashed, decapitating another werebeast in a spray of blood.
Fast, precise, ruthless—nothing like the wild, unskilled attacks of the day before. Riku was now a master swordsman, thanks to his new skill.
"Bastard!" Dora's rage exploded as yet another of his comrades fell. He hurled himself at Riku like a cannonball, far faster and stronger than any of the others—a true werebeast elite.
But even he couldn't lay a finger on Riku.
Slash—!
The scene turned into a massacre. Every few seconds, another werebeast fell under Riku's blade.
In no time, the group of more than a dozen had been reduced to just five.
"You leave me no choice, human!" Dora snarled, bloodlust practically tangible.
Suddenly, a powerful blood-red aura exploded from Dora's huge frame.
"Blood Destruction!" Dora roared.
Red lines appeared all over his body, his veins bulged, his claws grew, and his presence surged to monstrous levels.
"The werebeast secret art... Blood Destruction," Riku muttered, narrowing his eyes and backing off a little.
He knew exactly what this meant: Dora was going berserk. Even if activating Blood Destruction might attract other powerful races, he clearly didn't care anymore.
ROOOAR! As the power surged, Dora let out a howl so loud it hurt Riku's ears.
The ground shattered beneath his feet as Dora vanished and reappeared right in front of Riku, claws gleaming with killing intent.
His speed was now even greater than Riku's, pushing past all limits!
—! Riku's eyes widened. At the last second, he raised Kanshou and Bakuya to block, coating them in energy.
Clang!
Crack!
A powerful clash sent Riku flying back, pain stabbing through him as his swords were smashed to pieces.
He quickly activated Skywalk to steady himself in the air, but his whole body felt battered, blood surging in his veins.
"Blood Destruction really is insane. This kind of speed and power... Even the Flügel can't match a werebeast in pure physical stats when they're using it. The Flügel only reach the peak of the physical limit—but werebeasts break it."
"Don't think flying will let you escape!" Dora snarled, glaring up at Riku in the sky.
The next instant, he kicked off the ground so hard he left a crater, launching himself into the air like a missile, going all out for the kill.