Heart Like a Beating Drum

James watched the blue-black arm pierce through his chest, a mouthful of blood surging up his throat to spray onto Adam. At this moment, he caught the unique, foul stench of Adam and felt an immediate wave of nausea.

"It tastes so good! Better than ever before!" Adam murmured in a trance, sucking on the fingers he had just pulled from James's chest.

At the same time, he suddenly looked at James with a hint of shock; the fist-sized hole he had opened in the other man's chest was visibly beginning to heal.

Adam said with extreme resentment, "You really are the same as me. To think a life like yours would give up the chance to become a god alongside me—how truly foolish!"

On the other side, Victor felt both relieved and astonished, his expression complex. He certainly understood that James must be different from ordinary humans; regardless of where he had obtained those miraculous training techniques, it would be impossible for a mere human to achieve such exaggerated strength, speed, and physical resilience.

He had never seen James injured before; even when facing a massive siege of vampires, James had always managed to remain unscathed.

But watching his healing speed, which was clearly even faster than his own, Victor could not help but ponder the connection between the two of them once more...

In just over ten seconds, James had fully recovered. He felt a sense of awe; whether in this life or his previous one, that had been the most severe injury he had ever sustained. The self-healing power of Wolverine was truly formidable.

The strength Adam displayed after revealing his true form also filled him with deep wariness. James truly hadn't been able to keep up with that instantaneous attack. If he wanted to defeat Adam, it seemed he would have to try the power that came with reaching the pinnacle of his martial arts...

Adam's scarlet tongue gave his arm one last lick, seemingly unwilling to give James any more time to catch his breath. He flapped his bat-like wings and dove down once more. The other vampires also continued their assault on Victor, their attacks becoming increasingly desperate as they witnessed the terrifying form and power of their progenitor.

Compared to Victor, who currently held the advantage, James was being completely suppressed by Adam. Adam no longer needed to rely on speed for flanking strikes; even when locked in a brawl, he held the absolute upper hand. At this moment, he far surpassed James in every physical capability.

Bang! Bang! Squish! Boom!

James struggled to fend off Adam's direct, brutal attacks. Although the force behind his occasional counterattacks could still inflict damage on Adam, it was much lighter than before.

After transforming into his original form, Adam's physical toughness had significantly increased. He no longer suffered broken bones from James's peculiar strikes, and thanks to a vampire's self-healing speed, the impact was negligible.

Meanwhile, James's body was being frantically torn apart by Adam. His chest, abdomen, shoulders, and back were repeatedly punctured, and his face was clawed and shredded multiple times. Yet, his rapid healing ability made this battle exceptionally prolonged and "tedious."

Boom!

Seizing the moment Adam's sharp claws were stuck in his shoulder bone, James stepped forward, crouched, hooked his arms under Adam's armpits, and slammed him into the train carriage like a back-throw. The roof of the train was completely smashed open; this battle had already left the train in a state of utter ruin.

Whoosh! Adam flapped his wings and flew into the air, looking down at James with arrogance.

"Howlett, you have no chance left. No matter how fast you heal, it won't change the gap between us. You are nothing but a punching bag now! I will tear you apart and bite off your head to see if you can grow another one!"

Thump!

Thump! Thump!

A series of dull, rhythmic thuds echoed faintly, growing faster and clearer with every beat.

James ignored Adam. He stood on a rare intact section of the carriage roof, his eyes stern and his fists clenched. The thumping, like the beating of a war drum, was coming from his chest—it was the sound of his heart.

After martial arts reach the pinnacle, the human body enters a new state. The so-called internal energy circulates throughout the body, making the activation of Anjin much easier. Not only can one strike with "fists" from any part of the body—reaching a state where even a fly cannot land or get close—but physical stamina also increases significantly, creating a qualitative difference from ordinary people.

With his kung fu reaching this level, James's blood and energy were so abundant that it was hard to believe. He had never pushed himself to his absolute limit before.

The air seemed distorted by high heat; James's figure swayed in the moonlight as if dancing within a scorching flame. Invisible ripples of air constantly emanated from his entire body, surging outward from every inch of his skin and every pore. The exaggerated force and frequency of his heartbeat pumped massive amounts of blood and energy to his limbs and bones, and his shoulder-length black hair began to drift faintly.

Adam felt an instinctive sense of danger from James's current state. He did not wait any longer, attacking with everything he had, leaving no strength in reserve.

Rip!

James formed his hand into a blade, turned slightly, and swept across Adam's bat-like wing, cleanly severing the fleshy appendage.

"Ah!" Adam shrieked in agony. Dark, thick blood sprayed from the severed wound, and the detached half of the wing fell to the ground, quickly turning into rotting tissue.

"Damn you!"

Adam began a frenzied assault. James's state seemed to have boosted his physical capabilities; he was faster and stronger, though still not quite exceeding Adam's level. However, a needle-like, radiating force now emanated from his entire body, and its intensity far surpassed what it had been before.

Adam's attacks could still inflict damage on James, but every time they made contact, his claws felt the pain of plunging into fire. The power enveloping James's body pierced into every inch of Adam's skin, something even his current original form found unbearable.

Every counterattack from James brought explosive damage.

Drill punches, collapse punches, swinging hammers, and whip kicks—Adam's body was gradually being destroyed by various strikes. He could still heal quickly, but he could no longer achieve rapid regeneration of organs, tissues, or limbs. Large-scale puncture wounds and damage to internal organs were particularly difficult to heal.

Bang! Crack!

James feigned a weakness and took a claw strike from Adam head-on, but used the momentum to throw a hammer fist at his shoulder. The entire shoulder joint was pulverized by the blow. Adam's left arm was severed. Seizing the opportunity, James kicked and elbowed, piercing through Adam's chest and shattering his right knee, leaving his lower leg twisted and detached from his body.

Adam finally felt fear. Since his birth, he had never felt such terror, except when facing his father. At this moment, he suddenly realized that he might die—die at the hands of this Howlett.

On the other side, Victor had gradually finished off the remaining vampires. The last two, seeing the mangled state of Adam's body, let out low howls and fled rapidly.

Victor, stained with red and black blood, walked forward like a crimson tiger. He had mastered a new power, one that seemed to be the same skill James had possessed earlier.

Adam paid the price of a large chunk of flesh from his side to desperately force James back, winning a moment of respite. His arms, lower legs, and other missing tissues were growing back slowly; it would likely take days to fully recover, which meant he had lost his ability to act effectively for the moment.

The sight of Victor approaching made his gaze sharpen.

James decided to end Adam, to completely destroy his head and body. He would use the simplest method: to crush him entirely. But Vadoma, who had been hiding in the woods, suddenly lunged out frantically.

"Run!"

Vadoma screamed shrilly. She threw herself at James, charging like a suicide bomber. James easily blew her head apart, but Vadoma's headless corpse still clung to him tightly.

In that momentary hesitation, Adam braced his hand on the ground and pushed off with his single leg, lunging toward Victor.

His body was influenced by some strange will, causing him to freeze for a split second.

Awoo!

Victor was bitten hard on the shoulder by Adam. The unprecedented pain was unbearable even for the fierce Sabretooth. The moment Adam's fangs sank into his flesh, a toxin seemed to be injected into him; the agony spreading through his nerves was more intense than any severe injury he had ever suffered.

James shook his shoulder, shattering the arms of the female vampire that were wrapped around him. But thanks to that mouthful of blood, Adam's severed wing healed rapidly.

"I can give you power!"

Adam hissed into Victor's ear. He flapped his wings rapidly, dragging his broken and mangled body, and sped away under the light of the moon.