"I had hoped this Trial would be free of your kind. Seems like demonic filth has a way of finding every battlefield."
Rhydan spoke as he stepped into the light.
He was in his ordinary human form, but there was nothing ’ordinary’ about him.
He stood close to seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and a powerful body that stretched the dark shirt covering his chest. He had thick arms, hands that looked large enough to crush stone, long grey-brown hair that fell past his shoulders, and a short beard, giving him a rough appearance.
His golden eyes stared at Lucian with open disgust.
And he wasn’t alone.
There were four more werewolves behind him. They were smaller than Rhydan, but Lucian could sense that every single one of them was strong.
None of them were like those half-assed wolves he saw during Vaelrith’s attack. They were strong, they were so strong that they could take on those six transformed wolves without having to transform and that man leading them—
Rhydan Greyfang, he was much, much, much stronger.
’So that’s a Son of an Alpha, huh...’
Lucian thought inwardly as he stared at the man in front of him.
The most monstrous Werewolf Prodigy seen in the last five hundred years.
That was what Rhydan was known as.
Sabine’s book had seven pages’ worth of information regarding him, information that, according to Isolde, was common knowledge throughout the Supernatural World.
Rhydan’s strength alone was frightening, but that was not what made him special.
It was his control.
Most young Werewolves became stronger as they transformed, but the more beast-like they became, the harder it was to control their anger and instincts.
Rhydan did not have that problem.
He could transform only the parts of his body he needed, his eyes, claws, muscles, bones, or senses, without wasting energy on a complete transformation. Even in his full beast form, he remained perfectly calm.
He did not feel the blind rage most young Werewolves did, he did not lose reason, he fought with the same discipline regardless of his form.
Not only that, Rhydan also possessed frightening control over his own body. They said he could slow his heartbeat, control his breathing, tighten his muscles around wounds to stop bleeding, and even delay his regeneration when needed.
There were even reports of him shifting his body at the final moment so attacks aimed at vital organs missed by a few centimetres.
He wasn’t just powerful, he understood every part of his body.
At seventeen, Rhydan held up the collapsing gate of Blackridge Settlement while more than eighty civilians escaped beneath it. And he did that while his arms were fractured, his muscles were torn open, and his legs had sunk into the stone. Then, once he was pulled out of the rubble, he immediately returned to the battle outside.
At twenty-four, during the Red Moon Gathering, six recognised Alpha Candidates challenged him one after another.
He accepted every challenge without resting.
And he won.
The even more surprising part?
Not one of the candidates was killed or permanently crippled.
His reputation was not built only through victories.
During the Moonless March, Rhydan had led eleven injured Werewolves through enemy territory, carrying those who could no longer walk while fighting for nearly twenty hours.
Once he confirmed that everyone was out and no one was left behind, he collapsed.
That was why even people outside Werewolf society respected him.
Rhydan never once killed an opponent in a fair duel, he never attacked an enemy who surrendered, nor did he ever go back on his word.
He was truly one of the most honourable supernatural beings alive.
Just that...
Maybe because he was as honourable as he was, he also despised Demons or any beings even remotely related to Demons.
To him, Demons were creatures who lied, manipulated, and won through dishonourable methods.
And when he glanced at Lucian, a Human with Demonic Blood in his system—
"This is good."
He nodded without a smile, the disgust in his eyes only strengthening further when he sensed that Lucian had the blood of a Demon of Desire and there were three women around him.
"I can free this Trial from your kind."
The Wolf made his intentions very clear.
Lucian looked back into his eyes, then he grinned.
"I’d like to see you try."
His violet eyes shone intensely.
After all, while Isolde and the others saw a man who could potentially eliminate them from the Trial, Lucian only saw a strong man he could fight.
A battle where he didn’t need to hold back.
Lucian’s eyes glowed even more strongly at that thought.
The two groups prepared themselves. The Werewolves behind Rhydan immediately stepped forward, their claws coming out of their fingers. Isolde’s silver cards spread behind her, Sabine pulled two small Relics from her belt, though her expression showed far less excitement than Isolde’s.
Naomi moved closer to Lucian.
Lucian noticed her, then he noticed the team behind him and the Wolves behind Rhydan.
One look was more than enough for him to understand the situation.
Rhydan’s Wolves were stronger than his team, his team’s disadvantage was too great. Isolde was a Witch, she would need time to prepare if she were to face enemies of such a level, Sabine was a Relic Hunter, she was barely any stronger than a normal Human, she was no match for these Werewolves, and Naomi could not fight at all.
The difference in strength was simply too great.
So he—
"Let’s make this simple."
He spoke up, looking at Rhydan.
"You came for me, so fight me."
Lucian spread his arms with a grin.
"One against one."
He challenged.
"You think we cannot tell what you are doing?"
One of the Werewolves behind Rhydan laughed.
"Don’t listen to him, Rhydan. He knows he is at a disadvantage, so he is trying to rile you up."
A Wolf who seemed older than Rhydan spoke carefully, but Lucian—
"What about it?"
He kept his grin.
"Are you perhaps... scared?"