Fighting a "Zombie"

Zed, a Senior Deacon of the Machinery Hivemind, led his men in pursuit of the Devil.

Just after they had moved some distance from cover, a chill wind suddenly rose, and a shadow swept toward Boruk, a Machinery Hivemind member accompanying them.

Zed hurriedly took out a Gold Medal and infused the Sealed Artifact with spirituality. Warm sunlight immediately rippled outward in concentric circles.

The sunlight revealed a ghostlike black figure, halting his attempt at possession.

This was the Wraith sent by the Indulgence Faction to hunt down the Jonathan Siblings. He had discovered the Machinery Hivemind's trap long ago, but had held off because he had never found an opening.

Having devoured several human souls earlier, the Wraith was now only slightly weaker than usual, but far more frenzied.

So, when he saw Zed come out in pursuit, he immediately forgot his mission and prepared to possess a member of the Machinery Hivemind.

However, the Machinery Hivemind was renowned for fighting with all manner of Sealed Artifacts, and its members carried ones that countered evil spirits.

In theory, Zed would have no trouble dealing with this Wraith, but he noticed that the Devil had no intention of continuing the fight and had actually gone after the fleeing Werewolf again.

After a moment's thought, Zed decided they could leave the Werewolf alone for now and prioritize dealing with the Devil.

After all, Devils always posed a grave threat to society, while Werewolves were generally less cunning.

Thus, when Ikanser, who had been about to pursue the Werewolf, heard Zed's signal for assistance, he briefly surveyed the battlefield over there and immediately understood his intention.

He reached the same conclusion and raised the Flintlock once more.

Bang!

The Devil immediately sensed tremendous danger and raised his Greatsword to block. The bullet actually shattered the Greatsword!

The Devil did not know the Nine Wolf Shadow Steps, and the bullet struck him square in the chest!

Fortunately, they were quite far apart, and the Greatsword had reduced the bullet's power considerably. It only blasted a thumb-sized hole in the Devil's chest.

The shot forced the Devil back a step. In that brief delay, the Werewolf had already run far away, while the tall Machinery Hivemind member pursuing him alongside Ikanser aimed his Beyonder Submachine Gun at the Devil.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Whether its suppressor had been removed or its firepower had exceeded the suppressor's capacity, the Submachine Gun's imposing gunfire rang out once more.

The Devil glanced at the Werewolf running at full speed, a cold gleam flashing through his eyes. Then he quickly summoned a dozen pale blue Fireballs and hurled them toward Ikanser and the others.

He could no longer pursue the Werewolf.

The bleeding from Raphael's shoulder soon stopped on its own, and he fled the battlefield as fast as he could.

Although the agonizing pain of his shoulder wound healing made him bare his teeth, the continual gunfire behind him left him in a fairly cheerful mood overall.

Whoever got hurt or killed in this chaotic battle, it was good news as far as he was concerned.

After fleeing some distance, Raphael decided to head deep into the mountains and avoid the enemies behind him.

While transformed, one night would be enough for him to find a railway leading into Backlund.

Then he could simply jump onto a train and return to Backlund without attracting anyone's attention.

Just as he thought this, Raphael's spirituality sensed something, and he immediately leaped into a tree.

At that moment, a tall figure burst out of the woods ahead. He was moving fast, but Raphael saw him clearly: a Werewolf, and an injured one at that.

Then Raphael noticed a silver necklace hanging around his neck.

It was Jonathan!

Raphael scratched his head. He had not been particularly invested in his deal with the Sickly Lady, but he had never expected the Werewolf named Jonathan to come straight to him.

However, Raphael did not attack immediately, because another figure was pursuing Jonathan.

That pursuer was moving very fast as well.

Raphael also noticed his long, white nails. He was a Zombie!

Judging by the fact that he did not look particularly weakened and his face was filled with frenzy, it was easy to guess that this Zombie belonged to the Indulgence Faction!

Raphael felt his now-healed shoulder. This was a perfect opportunity to test the power of the Wolf Fang Art!

The Indulgence Faction's Wraith would not be able to break away from his fight with the Machinery Hivemind anytime soon, and he and Jonathan were essentially the only Werewolves left in the forest. This Zombie probably would not receive any support...

Raphael gave a cold chuckle and said, his speech still slightly slurred, "Why think so much? You've already decided to act, so stop making excuses to reassure yourself!"

His tongue had almost completely healed as well.

Raphael abruptly leaped down from the tree and pounced on the Zombie.

The Zombie had not expected another Werewolf to come courting death. Although indulging himself on a Full Moon Night would ease his suffering somewhat, his earlier indulgence in fresh flesh and blood had also left him in a frenzied state. He actually abandoned Jonathan, who was already wounded and was his primary target, to charge at Raphael.

Raphael let out a roar, looking as though he intended to fight the Zombie head-on.

But when they drew close, Raphael suddenly tilted sideways. With bizarre footwork, he brought his body almost flush with the ground and slid past the Zombie.

The Zombie reacted quickly too, swiftly adjusting his attack, but he still failed to catch Raphael.

Now the Zombie's entire back lay exposed before Raphael.

But a Zombie was not a Werewolf. Wolf claws could not inflict any real damage on him.

Yet Raphael still extended his index finger and stabbed at the Zombie's back, directly behind his heart.

There was a muffled thud.

To the surprise of both Raphael and the Zombie, the strike actually pierced the Zombie's steel-like skin!

This was the most powerful attack in the Wolf Fang Claw, reputed to possess the strength to pierce steel. Raphael had originally assumed that was merely a description of the technique's power and had only meant to test it today.

Now it seemed that the technique's description had been quite literal.

Unfortunately, the strongest strike in the Wolf Fang Claw required a foundation in the Demon Source Scripture. Raphael had practiced the Demon Source Scripture for too short a time, so he had only pierced the Zombie's skin and flesh without damaging his internal organs.

Even so, it was enough to astonish the Zombie. With his flesh as tough as it currently was, even machine-gun bullets could scarcely hurt him.

But the Zombie's surprise passed in an instant. A storm of madness was constantly sweeping through his mind, leaving him no room to think it over before attacking Raphael again.

Raphael began fighting the Zombie on the move. The bizarre footwork of the Nine Wolf Shadow Steps kept the Zombie from catching even the hem of his clothes.