James looked at the blue-black arm thrust through his chest. Blood surged up his throat, and he spat it onto Adam. As he caught the vampire's uniquely foul stench, his stomach lurched.
"Such a wonderful taste! Better than anything I've ever had!" Adam murmured in a daze, licking the fingers he had pulled from James's chest.
At the same time, he stared at James in sudden astonishment. He had punched a hole the size of his fist through the man's chest, yet it was already slowly healing before his eyes.
"You really are the same as me," Adam said, seething with hatred. "A being like you actually turned down the chance to become a god alongside me. How... foolish!"
Elsewhere, Victor looked both relieved and astonished, his expression deeply conflicted. Of course, he knew James was different from ordinary humans. No matter where he had learned those incredible skills, an ordinary human could never have achieved such absurd strength, speed, and physical toughness.
He had never seen James get hurt before. Even when faced with a horde of vampires, James had come away without a scratch.
But watching James heal even faster than he did, Victor couldn't help wondering once more about the connection between them...
In just over ten seconds, James had completely recovered. He couldn't help feeling amazed. Whether in this life or his previous one, that had been the worst injury he had ever suffered. Wolverine's healing factor was truly formidable.
Adam's strength after revealing his true form had also filled him with deep unease. James really hadn't been able to keep up with that instantaneous attack. To defeat Adam, it seemed he could only try the power that came with mastering his fist technique to the point of transformation...
Adam gave the blood on his arm one last lick with his scarlet tongue. Apparently unwilling to give James any chance to catch his breath, he beat his bat wings and dived at him again. The other vampires continued attacking Victor, throwing themselves into the assault with even greater desperation after witnessing their progenitor's terrifying form and strength.
Victor currently had the upper hand, but James was being thoroughly overwhelmed by Adam. Adam no longer needed to rely on his speed to dart around and attack. Even at close quarters, he had a decisive advantage. At this point, he surpassed James by a wide margin in every physical attribute.
Bang! Bang! Splatter! Boom!
James struggled to fend off Adam's straightforward attacks. The force behind his occasional counterattacks could still hurt Adam, but it was far weaker than before.
Adam's body had become significantly tougher after he transformed. James's unusual attacks no longer broke his bones or tore his muscles, and the vampire's healing speed quickly made up for any damage.
Meanwhile, Adam tore James's body apart in a frenzy, punching through his chest, abdomen, shoulders, and back, and repeatedly clawing his face open. Thanks to James's rapid healing, the fight dragged on, becoming unusually "boring."
Boom!
Taking advantage of Adam's claws being stuck in his shoulder bone, James stepped in and crouched, hooked Adam under the arm, and hurled him into the train car with a move like a shoulder throw. The roof of the car caved in completely. The fight had already left the train a wreck.
Whoosh! Adam beat his bat wings and soared into the air, looking down at James with arrogant disdain.
"Howlett, you're out of chances. No matter how quickly you heal, it won't change the gap between us. You're just a punching bag that can take a beating! I'll tear you apart and bite your head off. Let's see if you can grow another one!"
Thud!
Thud! Thud!
A series of muffled thumps sounded faintly in the distance. Their rhythm quickened, and the sound grew clearer.
James paid Adam no mind. He stood atop one of the few intact train cars, his gaze stern and his fists clenched. The muffled thumping, like the booming of a war drum, came from his chest. It was the sound of his heart beating.
When a person's fist technique reached the point of transformation, the body entered a new state. The so-called force circulated continuously within the body, making it easier to drive Anjin. One could form a "fist" anywhere on the body, creating an effect that kept even flies and insects from coming near. Physical stamina also increased tremendously, setting the person apart from ordinary people in a fundamental way.
After James's martial arts reached the pinnacle, his vital energy and force had grown so abundant that even he could hardly believe it. He had never unleashed them at full power before.
The air seemed to ripple as if distorted by intense heat. Under the moonlight, James's figure wavered, as though swaying in blazing flames. Invisible waves of air radiated from every inch of his skin, bursting outward from every pore. His heart beat with such tremendous force and frequency that his immense vital energy surged through every limb and bone. His half-long black hair stirred faintly.
A primal sense of danger rose in Adam as he watched James. He didn't wait any longer. Holding nothing back, he attacked with all his strength.
Rip!
James turned his hand into a blade and shifted slightly, slicing through Adam's bat wing and cleanly severing it.
"Argh!" Adam screamed in pain. Thick black blood gushed from the wound, and the severed half of his wing hit the ground, soon turning into rotting tissue.
"Damn it!"
Adam launched into a frenzied assault. James's current state seemed to have increased his physical abilities, making him faster and stronger, but not enough to match Adam, let alone surpass him. Yet every inch of James's body radiated needle-sharp force, far more powerful than before.
Adam's attacks could still hurt James, but every time they made contact, his claws burned as though he had thrust them into flames. The force enveloping James's body stabbed into every inch of Adam's skin. Even in his true form, Adam could barely withstand it.
And every counterattack from James inflicted explosive damage.
Drill Fist, Beng Fist, swinging hammer blows, whipping kicks—Adam's body was battered into a grotesque mess by one strike after another. He could still heal quickly, but he couldn't regenerate organs and limbs at the same speed. The extensive puncture wounds and damage to his internal organs were especially difficult to heal.
Crack!
James deliberately left an opening and took one of Adam's claws head-on. Then he slammed a fist into Adam's shoulder, smashing the entire shoulder joint. Adam's left arm was severed. Seizing the opportunity, James kicked and swung his elbow, punching through Adam's chest and shattering his right knee. Adam's lower leg twisted away from his body.
At last, Adam was terrified. Since his birth, only his father had ever made him feel this way. In that moment, he realized that he might die—at the hands of this Howlett.
Meanwhile, Victor had gradually killed off the other vampires. Seeing Adam's battered state, the only two left let out a low growl and fled as fast as they could.
Victor strode over, splattered with red and black blood, like a proud, crimson tiger. He had mastered a new kind of power, one that seemed to be an ability James had possessed earlier.
Adam had paid for his brief respite with a large piece of flesh torn from his side. His arms, lower leg, and other damaged parts were still growing back slowly. It might take days for him to fully recover, which meant he had lost the ability to move freely for now.
The sight of Victor approaching made Adam's gaze sharpen.
James decided to finish Adam off and destroy his head and body completely. He would use the simplest method: beat him into pieces. But Vadoma, who had been hiding in the woods, suddenly charged out in a frenzy.
"Go!"
Vadoma screamed and rushed at James in a suicidal charge. James easily blew her brains apart, but her headless corpse still clung tightly to him.
That brief pause was all Adam needed. Planting one hand on the ground and pushing off with one leg, he lunged at Victor.
Some strange force seemed to affect James's will, freezing his movements for a moment.
Roar!
Adam sank his teeth into Victor's shoulder. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt, and even the ferocious Sabretooth could barely endure it. The moment Adam's fangs pierced his body, something like poison seemed to flood into him. The agony spreading through his entire nervous system was more intense than any injury he had ever suffered.
James jerked his shoulder, blasting apart the female vampire's arms where they clutched him. But that single bite had given Adam enough to replenish his strength, and his severed bat wing healed rapidly.
"I can give you power!" Adam snarled into Victor's ear. Beating his wings rapidly, he fled beneath the moonlight, his body still mangled and incomplete.
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