Published at 26th of April 2026 7:51 am

Chapter 1828 Critical Hit

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The rest of the Howlers were pushed to their absolute limits as they continued their desperate battle against the sea of Gluttons. These creatures were a nightmare to contend with in a number of ways.

Their resilience was their most terrifying trait; no matter how many times they were struck down, they seemed to possess a supernatural drive to keep getting back up.

In many ways, their mindless tenacity made them even worse than when the Lupus Pack had been controlled by Ylva’s haunting Wolf’s Song.

Then there were their physical anomalies, their stretching, distorted limbs allowed them to launch attacks from impossible angles. In some horrific instances, the Gluttons would even strike right through their own kind, skewering a fellow werewolf just to land a hit on a Howler.

Despite the gore and the chaos, the Howlers were doing an incredible job of holding the line, ensuring that not a single one of the lesser Gluttons could interfere in the primary struggle taking place at the center of the park.

None of the Howlers complained, despite the harrowing situation and the exhaustion beginning to set into their bones. They knew that as difficult as their fight was, it paled in comparison to the titanic struggle Gary and Kai were currently enduring.

With that realization, they gritted their teeth, tightened their grips on their weapons, and continued to tear through the unending wave of monsters.

At the center of the plaza, Gary had been transformed into his Shadow Ash Lycan form from the very start of the engagement. Seeing how Unzoku had absorbed a large Qi strike from the hammer and armor earlier, Gary knew he couldn't hold anything back. He needed more power, and he needed it now.

Spinning the massive war hammer in the air, tongues of Shadow Ash flames began to erupt across its entire surface. Gary opened his maw, and a jet of fire poured out, intensifying the heat until the head of the hammer glowed with the blinding, incandescent brilliance of a miniature sun.

[Infernal Roar has been activated]

With a primal roar that shook the very air, Gary swung the weapon with both hands, slamming it down toward Unzoku’s skull. He was fast, managing to hoist his hand up just in time to catch the blow. The dense red aura covering Unzoku’s body shifted in an instant; the giant spectral werewolf shape that had been looming behind him condensed entirely into the palm of his hand. The aura met the hammer in a violent collision, halting the strike mid-air.

The ground beneath Unzoku’s feet crunched and cratered under the sheer weight of the impact, but the flames on the hammer were snuffed out by the pressure of the red mist.

Immediately after blocking the hammer, Unzoku exploited the opening. He kicked off the floor, his movement a blur, and planted a heavy, reinforced fist right into Gary’s stomach. The blow triggered a massive shockwave that rippled through Gary’s internal organs, sending a jolt of agony through his transformed body.

Unzoku didn't stop there. He followed up instantly, swinging another fist aimed at the side of Gary’s face. With his aura condensed for maximum impact, it was a strike meant to end the fight then and there.

Gritting his teeth against the pain in his gut, Gary prepared to swing his weapon in defense. From the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blue-white light. Kai had been watching the exchange, and with surgical precision, he fired off several rapid lines of frozen energy from his twin swords. He aimed them all at Unzoku’s back foot, the ice flash-freezing his ankle to the pavement for a split second.

That momentary loss of balance allowed Gary to meet Unzoku’s fist head-on with the hammer. However, because Unzoku had focused his entire protective veil into that one fist, the clash of power was uneven.

The impact vibrated through Gary’s arms so violently that his grip failed for a second, and the war hammer was sent spinning off into the distance.

With Unzoku now chest-to-chest with him and his primary weapon gone, Gary had no choice but to throw his bare fists out in a desperate flurry. Both of his wrists were caught mid-air by Unzoku’s massive hands.

“ARGHH!” Gary shouted, his eyes flashing as he tapped into another reserve of energy.

[Ember Dash has been activated]

Jets of flame erupted from his feet, kicking off the floor with explosive force. The propulsion gave Gary a sudden boost in forward momentum. He pushed back with everything he had, forcing his Qi into a volatile, explosive state to break the hold. Unzoku’s arms were flung back slightly by the sudden surge, and in that heartbeat of space, Gary called out to his weapon.

The war hammer, bound to him by the traits Lupus had instilled, reappeared in his hands in a burst of sparks. Spinning it low, Gary slammed the head of the hammer directly into Unzoku’s stomach. A visible ripple of force traveled through Unzoku’s torso, exiting out of his back and shattering the concrete behind him.

“Hahaha! You really think you can do such damage against me with a mere toy?” Unzoku claimed, even as he coughed up a spray of dark blood.

Gary ignored the taunt and bent his knees, his eyes locked on a glowing sigil on Unzoku’s chest. It was the marking left by the war hammer; he knew that if he could hit that exact same spot a second time, the critical hit effect would trigger a catastrophic release of energy.

‘You’ve been watching us from afar, Unzoku. I’m sure you’re aware of my past accomplishments,’ Gary thought, his heart hammering against his ribs. ‘But you don't have a clue about every little thing I can do now. And even if you did, knowing about my skills and facing them in person are two very different things!’

[Smoke Veil has been activated]

Thick, oily black smoke billowed out from Gary’s fur, darkening the entire plaza in seconds. It was a total sensory blackout. Gary knew Unzoku could likely rely on his other primal senses to track him, but the smoke was just a brief, necessary distraction as Gary leaped high into the air.

[Volcanic Burst has been activated]

Gary’s entire body transformed into a swirling vortex of fire. The flames rushed forward in a twisting column of heat as Gary gripped the war hammer with both hands, using the momentum of his descent to add to the strike.

The hammer crashed into the center of Unzoku’s chest, precisely where the mark was. The sigil lit up with a blinding white light, signaling a successful critical strike. The ground beneath Unzoku’s feet didn't just crack this time, it disintegrated. The sound was like a high-grade bomb going off in an enclosed space.

As the smoke and ash finally began to clear, Gary stood panting on his feet, the hammer resting at his side. He looked through the haze and saw Unzoku still standing. The progenitor's left arm had been completely destroyed, hanging in tatters of scorched meat and shattered bone.

It made no sense to Gary since his attack had hit him in the chest as well as the critical strike.

“I never thought, with the powers that I wield... powers that are meant to be untouched by mere mortals like you... that you would be able to injure me this far!” Unzoku said, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and shock.

He stretched his remaining hand out toward the mangled limb. In a sickening display of regenerative power, the destroyed arm began to knit itself back together. Muscles wove through the air and bone snapped back into place, fully restoring the limb in mere seconds.

“You’ve done well, Gary,” Unzoku claimed, his eyes glowing with a renewed, lethal light. “But you haven't done nearly enough to save everyone.”

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