Though the sickly woman was nearby, Raphael had no intention of backing down from another Werewolf.
On the night of the full moon, he still had ample reason, but the thrill of combat and slaughter made him heed the call of his desires and charge at the Werewolf!
At that moment, the sickly woman sitting in the tree shook her head. "That one isn't Jonathan either."
By then, the battle between the two Werewolves had already begun.
Raphael seemed to be charging straight at his opponent, but as soon as they drew close, he used Nine Wolf Shadow Steps to dart sharply to one side, evading the Werewolf's attack.
The Werewolf's claws struck a tree, leaving his entire back exposed to Raphael.
Using the footwork of Nine Wolf Shadow Steps, Raphael spun around sharply and straightened his fingers. His claws plunged toward his opponent's heart from behind like five narrow, short, razor-sharp daggers.
The Werewolf let out an agonized howl and lunged forward, escaping Raphael's grasp.
Raphael had only pierced the surface of his opponent's heart. He hadn't had time to drive his claws through it and inflict a fatal wound.
Rather than making him flee, the injury to the Werewolf's back enraged him, and he lunged at Raphael again.
This time, however, he was prepared. When they drew close and Raphael darted to one side again, he immediately swung his claws, changing the direction of his attack.
But this time Raphael didn't dodge. Instead, he straightened the fingers of both hands and thrust his claws at his opponent's chest.
They were so close that the Werewolf had no time to dodge or block properly. He could only barely raise one arm to defend himself.
Squ elch! Squelch!
One of Raphael's clawed hands pierced his opponent's arm, while the other plunged into his chest.
After landing the blows, Raphael didn't linger. He immediately leaped backward, putting as much distance between them as possible.
It was the right move. In the very next instant, the Werewolf thrust his head forward to bite him. Because Raphael had retreated in time, his opponent bit nothing but air.
Then, in the instant before his opponent could pull his head back, Raphael raked his claws across his face, rupturing one of his eyes.
The Werewolf immediately let out a howl and began to flee. Even though the Full Moon Night had left him bloodthirsty, murderous, and barely rational, he still knew to run when his life was in danger.
But how could Raphael possibly let him escape now?
He pursued him closely, first clawing the back of his neck, then striking his lower back.
Yet when the Werewolf turned around to fight for his life, Raphael evaded him again with nimble footwork.
Soon, Raphael found an opening for a killing blow. He first slashed his opponent's throat with his claws, then seized his head and wrenched it backward with all his strength. The sound of breaking bones rang out.
Amid the Werewolf's whimpering howls, Raphael cleanly twisted his head off with both hands.
The blood gushing from his opponent's neck filled Raphael with excitement and delight. The power of the Wolf Fang Art far exceeded his expectations.
The difference was like taking an exam: the dead Werewolf had needed to solve the questions himself, while Raphael had the answers and could simply copy them.
However, this was Raphael's first time using the Wolf Fang Art against an opponent, and he wasn't proficient enough yet. Killing that Unwinged Angel earlier had hardly counted as a fight.
Had he been sufficiently practiced, Raphael's first strike could have caught the Werewolf off guard, pierced his heart, and seriously wounded him.
At that thought, Raphael's gaze suddenly grew grave, and he looked to one side. The somewhat sickly-looking woman had lightly leaped from the tree where she'd been sitting to a tree beside him.
The Werewolf Beyonder Characteristic had already begun to separate from the corpse. Raphael watched her coldly, with no intention of giving up his spoils.
The woman gave a rather weak smile. "How about we make a deal?"
"Awooo!" Raphael let out a wolf's howl at her.
"All right, stop pretending," the woman said. "I don't know how you're managing to stay calm on Full Moon Night."
"I just want you to save my younger brother, Jonathan. He's a Werewolf too, and the wolf howls lured him away just now.
"If you agree to help, I can offer you a reward. How about the Zombie potion formula?"
Raphael had already noticed that she showed no signs of being alive. Now, she was also extremely weak, with restraint lurking in her eyes.
He guessed that she was a Zombie. On Full Moon Night, the curse of a Zombie made them crave warm human blood and fresh flesh. If that desire went unsatisfied, they became extremely weak.
But if she indulged herself and slaughtered humans, she would hover on the brink of losing control.
Since she had chosen restraint on Full Moon Night, she was almost certainly a member of the Temperance Faction.
To Raphael, it made no difference whether she belonged to the Temperance Faction or the Indulgence Faction. At that moment, he was repeatedly weighing whether he could kill this weakened Zombie and obtain her characteristic.
After considering it for a second or two, Raphael said in a hoarse voice, "I already have the potion formula."
In the end, he decided not to attack. He wasn't confident, and if he attacked but failed to kill her, he would have made an enemy.
Although Raphael wasn't afraid of a Zombie, the elusive Miss Sharron and Mr. Maric had left a deep impression on him.
Even if they couldn't establish that Raphael was the attacker, the battle itself would clearly still pose some danger. He had noticed that this woman remained perfectly calm even after watching him kill the other Werewolf. Perhaps she had a powerful Mystical Item on her.
Raphael's answer briefly startled the woman, but she continued, "Then how about a Mystical Item?
"It corresponds to Sequence 8 of the Planter Pathway and can give you the abilities of an experienced surgeon. It's very useful for Werewolves, who are prone to injury."
Raphael was tempted. "All right."
Then he asked, "How should I help you?"
"My younger brother wears a silver necklace," the woman said immediately. "Help me find him and drive him back to me."
Then she added, "I must warn you, someone has set a trap here. They were the ones who used wolf howls to lure Jonathan away just now.
"In this dark forest, there's at least one Sequence 5 and one Sequence 6, along with several Werewolves. They're all looking for Jonathan and me."
Raphael paused in surprise. "The Indulgence Faction?"
A flicker of surprise passed through the sickly woman's eyes. "Yes."
She and her younger brother, Jonathan, had been betrayed. By the time they learned that the Indulgence Faction had set a trap here, the crimson full moon had already risen, leaving them no time to escape.
Raphael picked up the Werewolf Beyonder Characteristic that had separated from the corpse at his feet. "I'll do my best to find the man... the wolf."
With that, he swiftly left.
Raphael wasn't particularly invested in this deal. He still intended to hunt one more Werewolf, then quickly return to the valley and hide.
After running for another ten minutes or so, Raphael suddenly heard a howl of agony.
He immediately slowed down, leaped into a tree, and approached the source of the howl.
Under the crimson moonlight, he saw a tall figure with a pair of Goat Horns on his head and enormous Bat Wings on his back.
A Devil!
Raphael thought, This forest really is lively tonight!
Before you continue