White Wolf

"Ah! This is bad!"

Ulti, who had once again successfully snuck up on and taken revenge against one of the pirates who had bullied them yesterday, watched Yamato fly toward the high platform and cried out anxiously. Panic was plainly visible on her face.

"It's too late!"

Everyone knew that it was already too late.

Lady Oni-Hime was flying straight toward that platform. No one could stop her now.

Jack and Maria, who were beating up the nearby pirates, smiled at the same time. Their objective had been achieved.

Everyone already knew what the outcome would be, but that did not mean the battle was over.

The four Numbers surrounding Sirius had no intention of letting things go.

"Sirius! You little bastard!"

Nangi, whose hair had been half-burned away by Sirius's flames, raised his weapon and roared, "I won't forgive you!"

Without holding back, Nangi's Spiked Club came crashing down, carrying howling winds with it.

Why did all of you use Spiked Clubs anyway? Was that some kind of team tradition?

Sirius casually leaped to the side.

Boom!

The Spiked Club slammed heavily into the ground. The earth rippled like the surface of the sea, then those undulating folds split apart into countless dense cracks.

Rocks and dirt exploded into the air, and a massive crater formed in an instant.

The tremor from that strike left even the pirates in the plaza unsteady on their feet.

The Numbers possessed astonishing size and strength, but in exchange, their reaction speed was much weaker.

For Sirius, dodging their attacks was no difficult task at all.

The only troublesome part was that he was facing four Numbers at once.

The moment Sirius landed, Jaki's club was already smashing toward him again.

But Sirius did not panic. His body suddenly shrank, transforming directly into his Werewolf form.

Then he abruptly breathed fire downward.

A blazing Fire Pillar erupted, and the recoil launched Sirius skyward like a rocket.

He even leisurely changed the direction of his flames, steering himself toward the head of the drunken Juki.

Come to think of it, Juki's appearance was somewhat wolf-like, quite far removed from that of a human.

Sirius landed on his forehead and suddenly shouted, "Hey, Nangi, I'm over here!"

Besides being somewhat slow in their movements, the Numbers had another obvious weakness: most of them were not particularly bright.

After hearing Sirius's voice, Nangi, who had just been turned into a flaming-headed captain by Sirius's fire, did not hesitate in the slightest. He swung his club straight at Sirius.

This was exactly what Sirius had been waiting for. He nimbly leaped again, soaring dozens of meters into the air and easily escaping Nangi's attack range.

But Juki, still drunk from his heavy drinking, was out of luck. He had no idea what was happening before the hard black club was already in front of him.

Boom!

A thunderous crash rang out.

Juki's head was sent flying from the blow, dragging his entire body backward with it.

Then his huge body crashed to the ground, making the pirates, who had only just calmed down somewhat, shudder in alarm once more.

"Huh? Juki!"

Goki's face instantly changed.

"You idiot, look what you've done!" Jaki said furiously as well.

"Huh?"

Nangi belatedly scratched his head, then flew into a rage. "Sirius! You little brat! I'll smash you flat!"

But he no longer had that chance. Sirius fell from above, and in the blink of an eye, his body expanded as he transformed back into a massive Black Wolf.

Using the momentum of his descent, Sirius planted both front paws on Nangi's shoulders and forced him to the ground.

Then Sirius opened his jaws wide, aimed at Nangi's head, and unleashed a merciless point-blank blast of fire.

Kuma!

Scorching flames engulfed Nangi's head, just as they had Hatcha's before.

When the flames struck the ground, they spread outward in all directions, forming surging waves of fire.

"Nangi!!"

Only after the flames had burned Nangi until he howled did Jaki and Goki react. Roaring in fury, they swung their weapons at Sirius at the same time.

Sirius smiled slightly. He had been worried that simple fire breath would have trouble taking down the thick-skinned, tough-fleshed Nangi.

Transforming into his smaller Werewolf form once more, Sirius stepped on Nangi's stomach and sprang away, instantly leaping off him.

Almost at the same moment, two iron clubs smashed into Nangi's stomach.

"Waaah!"

Even with the fat on his body serving as a cushion, Nangi only had time for one scream before the two iron clubs wielded by his comrades knocked him unconscious.

"That's incredible! That guy!"

Since a victor had already been decided, the pirates had stopped fighting as well. Ulti watched Sirius battle with a stunned expression and could not stop crying out in amazement.

Maria said with a smile, "Just like Sirius said yesterday—the Numbers' strength is actually their weakness!"

"Yeah."

Jack nodded deeply in agreement.

That meant there were only two left.

Sirius stood on the ground and looked up at the two bewildered Numbers.

At that moment, Yamato's shout suddenly rang out from the sky. "Sirius!! Catch me!"

Sirius looked up and saw Yamato jumping straight down from the platform above, already plummeting rapidly toward the ground.

What was that idiot thinking?!

Sirius's eye twitched. That was hundreds of meters in the air!

There was no time to think further. He leaped up, landed on Nangi's stomach, and used it as a springboard to jump again.

This time, he landed on Goki's horn.

Then he exerted all his strength, launching himself rapidly upward.

"Hahaha! Sirius!"

Above him, Yamato eagerly waved at Sirius as she fell.

Sirius opened his mouth and breathed fire downward.

With the burst of flames, his upward speed surged once more.

He was already very close to Yamato.

Sirius's body suddenly expanded, and he used his soft belly to catch Yamato.

The next instant, Yamato crashed into Sirius's stomach. A sharp pain shot through his abdomen, as though someone had punched him right in the guts.

Sirius immediately returned to his Werewolf form and grabbed Yamato by the shoulders. "What were you thinking, you idiot?! Jumping from that high up!"

Yamato grinned. "Because I couldn't wait to share it with you, Sirius! The ability I got! This time, we can fight side by side!"

"You still didn't have to be in such a rush. Remember this, idiot—safety comes first!"

"But I knew Sirius would catch me!"

"You..."

The two of them were already descending.

Before their falling speed became too great, Sirius breathed fire downward, using the recoil to slow their descent.

The ground drew closer and closer. Less than a hundred meters remained.

Jaki and Goki had already recovered their senses.

They raised their Spiked Clubs and aimed at the falling Sirius and Yamato. Jaki roared, "You two little bastards! Watch me smash you flat!"

Sirius suddenly stopped breathing fire and looked at Yamato. "Yamato, can you use your ability?"

"Of course!"

Yamato answered loudly.

"Then take them down! Jaki is mine, and you handle Goki," Sirius said.

"Sure!"

Yamato raised her brows excitedly. "Let Sirius see my ability!"

White fur began growing across her body. Much like Sirius, her nose and mouth pushed forward, though not by much. Her nails turned into claws, her legs bent backward at the joints, and she transformed into a wolfman.

Unlike Sirius, she was a White Wolf.

White mist gathered behind her, forming streamers that fluttered in the wind, complementing the black aura swirling around Sirius.

Black and white—Sirius and Yamato, two wolves falling from the sky.

"Here we go, Yamato!"

Sirius opened his jaws wide.

"I won't lose to you!"

Yamato took a deep breath as well.

Hellfire Annihilation!

Namuji Hyoga!