Selene's eyes widened as the dust cleared and Azel stepped out of the crater.

He brushed off bits of rubble like he had merely tripped over a step.

'He… didn't get turned into mush?' she thought in disbelief.

Wind force of that level was enough to pulversize stone yet this human emerged from it, completely harmless.

Her sharp golden eyes narrowed.

'A human all the way here, claiming he wants to take Lycas?'

It was funny.

But she could see he was no ordinary human…

'Strong. Too strong.' Her lips parted slightly. 'I should deal with him immediately… I wonder how a human heart will taste.'

She moved to blitz him, vanishing in a blur of silver light. But a massive claw cut across her path, striking the ground where she'd been.

The earth cracked violently, forcing her to leap back as a crater opened beneath her feet.

"Don't concern yourself with the outsider!" Vargan roared, his claws glinting in the crimson light.

His massive body towered over both her and Azel. "I'm far more insulted by the fact that a woman dares try to take my position!"

He swung his other hand down at her like an avalanche.

Selene spun aside, her white kimono ripping as silver fur sprouted rapidly across her body.

Her face lengthened, her teeth sharpened, and a bestial snarl tore through her throat but she was just like the one commentating the showdown… She could not fully become a Beast.

Vargan laughed cruelly. "Especially one with an incomplete transformation!"

The two titans clashed throwing caution to the wind.

…

Meanwhile, Azel dodged another slash.

…Then another.

There were still some contestants crawling around the edges, those too slow to escape or too stupid to realize the real fight wasn't theirs anymore.

Ten had entered this tournament… but really, it was now down to three.

He watched as Selene darted through Vargan's swings like a blur of light, her strikes slicing off bits of fur while the giant's punches shattered entire chunks of the floor.

'It's like watching a man try to catch a bee with a frying pan,' Azel thought. 'Except the bee can stab you in the eye.'

His skin crawled from the air pressure alone. Every swing from that monster carried enough force to send shockwaves.

"Well," he muttered, "I'm sure they won't mind one more joining in."

He exhaled softly and released his aura.

A shockwave rippled outward from him.

The six werewolves who had been circling nearby froze mid-motion as they were thrown back violently.

Their bodies hit the arena walls hard enough to leave dents before collapsing in heaps. They were completely unconscious.

The announcer's voice rang out instantly.

"And it seems the Outsider has taken out a total of eight opponents! Truly amazing!" He clapped his furry hands excitedly, his tail wagging behind him. "But will he be able to face our beautiful Lady Selene or our mighty former leader, Vargan? We'll find out soon enough!"

The crowd erupted in howls, stamping their feet and cheering for blood.

Azel just sighed and sat down in the sand, resting his elbow on his knee as he examined the edge of his bone sword.

"This'll take a while," he muttered.

Up above, Vargan's eye twitched.

'Is he mocking me?'

The thought boiled in his skull.

He hadn't planned to bother with the human… not when Selene was already giving him enough irritation. But sitting down in the middle of a battle when he was fighting? That was blasphemy.

Unacceptable.

He snarled, spun, and swatted Selene aside with a heavy backhand. She hit a wall with a thud, coughing up blood as debris rained around her.

Vargan's glowing eyes locked on Azel.

"I'LL TEAR YOU APART!" he roared, sprinting forward at full speed.

The ground shattered beneath each of his steps.

Azel raised his gaze just in time to see the blue-furred beast thundering toward him like a train.

He sighed, pushing himself to his feet and cracking his neck.

"In the end," he said, smiling faintly, "it's me and you, big guy."

Vargan didn't even use his claws. He balled his fist… each knuckle thicker than Azel's wrist and swung with everything he had.

The impact sounded like an explosion.

Azel didn't move.

Dust blew outward, cracks spider-webbing from his feet.

For a few long seconds, nobody breathed.

Vargan's arm trembled.

'He's… not budging?'

The human stood perfectly still, the massive fist buried against his chest but Azel hadn't moved an inch.

"What—" Vargan started.

Azel exhaled through his nose, the corners of his lips twitching.

In reality, he was far from fine.

His bones screamed from the strain, his ribs felt like they'd been hit by a truck, and his right shoulder was definitely going to bruise.

But image mattered.

He'd layered his defense perfectly… his bone density pushed to the limit and his aura reinforcing every inch of his skeleton.

It was like wearing his own internal armor.

'Goddamn it hurts,' he thought, wincing inwardly. 'But I can't ruin the moment now.'

He smirked. "That all you got?"

Vargan bared his teeth. "You're dead."

"Let's test that."

Azel twisted his stance, drawing energy into his right leg, and launched himself forward.

His fist met Vargan's face with a thunderous crack that echoed across the arena.

The blow was so strong it made the werewolf stumble several steps back, his head whipping sideways before he caught himself with a growl.

Vargan blinked, dazed. "You—"

He didn't even finish.

He charged again with fury in every step.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Anger issues much," Azel muttered.

He sidestepped, leapt up, and landed squarely on the werewolf's broad shoulders.

His cloak fluttered in the air as he pulled a long black rope from his storage ring, looping it neatly around Vargan's thick neck.

"Alright, big guy," Azel said with a grin, gripping both ends of the rope tight. "We're going down."

He yanked it upward.

Vargan's roar filled the entire stadium as the rope dug into his fur and muscle.

The pressure wasn't enough to choke him completely… but it threw off his balance.

Azel shifted his weight, forcing the werewolf to stagger forward.

Vargan grabbed at the rope, but Azel planted a boot on his head and pulled again, spinning him halfway around.

"Get off me, worm!" Vargan snarled, reaching up blindly.

"Not until you say please!" Azel shot back, tugging harder.

It was fun toying with a werewolf.

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