At the cost of taking hits from two Fire Crows, Raphael finally reached the Conspirer, Petrov.
Besides spreading flames around them, the Fire Crows could also produce small explosions.
The two spots where Raphael had been hit, along with the surrounding areas, were severely burned. Searing pain assailed his nerves, and his eyes gradually grew wild.
This only made Raphael a little faster. With uncanny footwork, he lunged at Petrov with his claws.
Petrov gave another contemptuous smile. He suddenly turned into flames and reappeared two or three meters away with a whoosh.
To him, no matter how fast a Werewolf was, he could never be faster than his flames.
Regardless of the Pathway, a Sequence 6 had a considerable advantage over a Sequence 7.
But for Raphael, who had practiced the Wolf Fang Art, the gap between them was smaller.
Petrov naturally knew nothing about the Wolf Fang Art. Although the footwork Raphael had just displayed was quite uncanny, it still fell within his understanding of Werewolves.
That was because Raphael had never used his full strength from the start!
He might have looked crazed, but when it truly came down to a fight for his life, he still used his head.
When they first clashed, Raphael had noticed that his opponent was underestimating him. At first, Petrov had not even intended to get up to fight.
Raphael realized this was an opportunity. Only now did he unleash the true power of the Nine Wolf Shadow Steps, crossing the two or three meters in a single stride.
Having just emerged from the flames, Petrov was startled to see the Werewolf right in front of him. He immediately condensed a Blazing White Spear in his hand and thrust it at him.
Of course, that thrust could not stop Raphael. With the same uncanny footwork, he dodged the spear and drove his claws toward Petrov's liver.
Shocked and furious, Petrov hurriedly dodged, but he was still a moment too late. Seeing that his thrust would miss, Raphael changed it into a slash, tearing a long gash across his opponent's chest and abdomen.
That was only the beginning. Raphael seized this opportunity to fight at close range, his attacks coming in wave after wave like a violent storm. He soon left three deep wounds on Petrov's body and successfully injected Wolf Poison into him.
Unfortunately, Beyonders of the Hunter Pathway were also highly skilled at fighting, especially against beasts!
Raphael never managed to find an opening to deliver a fatal blow.
Whoosh!
By then, Petrov had also reacted. He covered himself in flames, then turned into a huge fireball that exploded outward.
The flames forced Raphael to retreat repeatedly, depriving him of his chance to fight at close range for the moment.
After being seared by the flames, Petrov's wounds immediately dried up and stopped bleeding. But the flesh around them had turned black; he had already been poisoned.
As a Sequence 6 of the Hunter Pathway, even if Petrov could not neutralize the poison, he could still slow its spread.
Raphael attempted another attack, but Petrov gave him no opening, summoning a Fire Wall to keep him out.
After a moment's thought, Raphael immediately changed tactics. Pretending he could no longer withstand his opponent's attacks, he swiftly fled the alley.
Petrov hesitated briefly, then immediately gave chase. By his assessment, this Werewolf would not survive another round of his attacks.
Moreover, the words the Werewolf had shouted earlier to draw him out made Petrov realize that he had recognized him.
Under these circumstances, Petrov would only feel at ease once he had burned the Werewolf to death. Otherwise, his current plan to digest his potion would certainly be impossible to carry out, and he would have to leave Backlund that very night.
Outside the alley was a broad street, with several carriages traveling along it.
Raphael was already standing in the street, waiting for Petrov. This gave Petrov a moment's pause, but he immediately released more than a dozen Fire Crows, sending them hurtling toward the Werewolf.
One corner of Raphael's mouth curled into a savage grin as he continued using his uncanny footwork to dodge the Fire Crows.
With the Nine Wolf Shadow Steps unleashed at full power, not one of the dozen or so Fire Crows could hit him.
When he was neither too close to nor too far from Petrov, Raphael suddenly paused and snapped his hand outward. The dagger-like claw on his little finger actually flew free!
Thud.
A cold glint flashed past, and the claw pierced Petrov's chest over his heart.
Only after he was struck did Petrov look down at his chest in disbelief. This was the first time he had ever seen a Werewolf use his own claw as a throwing dart.
This was, of course, a move from the Wolf Fang Art. The predecessors of the Dark Hut had actually devised a ranged attack for Werewolves.
However, a claw thrown this way took three or four days to grow back, so it was not something to use lightly.
But at the same time Raphael struck Petrov, he also took a direct hit from a Fire Crow on his back.
Raphael was in bad shape as well. Large areas of his body were severely burned. Even with his exceptional regenerative ability, he felt that he could not keep fighting much longer.
After landing the hit, he immediately unleashed the Nine Wolf Shadow Steps at full power again, dodging the Fire Crows while seeking another opportunity to attack.
But after being badly wounded, Petrov had become extremely cautious. He watched Raphael's claws closely, ready to block a claw with a Blazing White Spear if his opponent used that same attack again.
For a time, the battle fell into another stalemate.
Just then, while dodging the Fire Crows, Raphael abruptly looked ahead. An omnibus on the road had moved right into the spot where his next step of the Nine Wolf Shadow Steps would land.
Without hesitation, he immediately barreled toward it. The omnibus would also provide some cover.
But at that very moment, an arm reached out of the carriage window, and a solemn voice addressed Raphael in Ancient Hermes: "Imprisonment!"
The air around Raphael immediately thickened, enclosing him.
Fortunately, while Imprisonment restricted Raphael's movements, several Fire Crows struck the viscous barrier and exploded without hurting him.
The horses pulling the carriage were frightened by the Werewolf and the Fire Crows, and they raced away with the carriage in tow.
As the driver struggled to soothe the horses, which kept jolting in fright and rocking the carriage from side to side, the door suddenly opened, and a figure jumped out.
Raphael froze for a moment. The figure was only about a meter and a half tall, with a slightly baby-faced appearance. He had never expected someone who looked like a teenage boy to be at a higher Sequence than him!
And this "boy" was none other than Xio Derecha, who had been taking the carriage home.
Before you continue