The air changed before Blake even reached the ground.
The hunters felt it first—a pressure that rolled through the ruined lot like an approaching thunderstorm. The fog curled inward, drawn toward a single point, and the two-headed monster stiffened mid-struggle, both heads lifting simultaneously.
Marcus Vael's amber eyes widened.
"That's him," he said quietly. "Hold your positions. Whatever happens next… do not interfere unless he commands it."
The beast roared, both throats releasing sound at once, a violent challenge that shattered what remained of the warehouse windows.
Then the ground shook.
Blake landed.
Concrete cracked beneath his feet, spiderwebbing outward in a perfect circle. Dust and debris lifted into the air as his massive form straightened, black fur rippling, claws flexing slowly as if he were waking from a nap rather than entering a battlefield.
He inhaled once.
Twice.
Then his head tilted slightly, eyes lifting to meet the towering, two-headed monster staring down at him.
For a long moment… nothing happened.
The hunters watched, frozen.
The creature's heads hissed and growled independently—one calculating, the other enraged—both sensing that whatever had just arrived was not prey.
Blake looked up at it.
Then he spoke.
His voice rolled across the lot like distant thunder.
"So," he said calmly, almost bored, "who the hell are you?"
The monster answered with violence.
Both heads lunged at once, jaws wide, bodies surging forward with enough force to flatten a truck. The hunters shouted warnings, weapons rising instinctively—
But Blake didn't move.
At the last possible second, he stepped aside.
Not fast.
Not frantic.
Effortless.
The first head slammed into the ground where he had been standing, jaws snapping shut on empty air. The second barely missed him, fangs scraping sparks from the concrete as Blake reached out casually—
—and grabbed it by the throat.
The beast shrieked.
Blake lifted.
The hunters stared in disbelief as the massive creature was yanked partially off the ground, one head thrashing wildly while the other slammed its claws into the earth to keep balance.
Blake leaned in close, eyes glowing faintly.
"Huh," he muttered. "Two heads. That's new."
He released it.
The monster staggered back, snarling, both heads roaring now in fury.
Blake rolled his shoulders, stretching his arms. "Alright," he said lightly. "Let's see what you do."
The beast charged again.
This time Blake moved.
He met the creature head-on, ducking beneath a swinging claw and driving his shoulder into its chest with explosive force. The impact sent the monster skidding backward, carving trenches into the ground.
Before it could recover, Blake was already there.
A punch.
Not a killing blow—just enough.
His fist slammed into the left head's jaw, snapping it sideways with a wet crack. The right head screamed in rage as the creature stumbled.
Blake laughed. Hahaha
A deep, booming sound that echoed off every ruined wall.
"Oh, you're fun," he said. "Strong. Angry. Confident."
He stepped forward again as the monster regained its footing.
"But sloppy."
The beast adapted quickly.
Both heads split their focus—one feinting high while the other struck low. Blake allowed the first strike to graze his shoulder, claws scraping fur and skin.
The hunters gasped.
Blake looked down at the wound.
Then back at the monster.
"…You're gonna regret that."
The next exchange was brutal.
Blake moved faster now, claws flashing as he deflected, redirected, and punished every attack. He struck tendons instead of heads, joints instead of bone—disabling without ending it.
He was testing it.
Learning.
The monster roared in frustration, adapting, coordinating its heads more tightly now, attempting to overwhelm him with simultaneous strikes.
Blake let it.
He blocked one head with his forearm, caught the other by the horn, and twisted.
The sound that followed was like a tree snapping.
The creature howled.
Blake shoved it backward and stepped away, breathing steady.
"Yeah," he said calmly. "You're definitely not from around here."
The hunters watched in stunned silence.
Marcus exhaled slowly. "He's… not even trying to kill it."
Elias nodded. "He's studying it."
The beast charged again, fury overtaking strategy. It slammed Blake into a collapsed wall, concrete raining down as both heads snapped at him.
For a moment, the hunters feared—
Then the rubble exploded outward.
Blake emerged, eyes burning now, grin gone.
"Alright," he said quietly. "Playtime's over."
He lunged hahaha.
This time, the impact sent shockwaves through the ground. Blake drove the monster backward step by step, overpowering it with sheer force. He slammed its head into the ground once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then stopped.
He stood over it, chest rising slowly, claws digging into the earth beside its neck.
The monster lay stunned, both heads panting, eyes wide—not with rage now, but fear.
Blake tilted his head.
"…You're not the worst thing I've faced," he said thoughtfully. "But you're dangerous enough."
The monster suddenly surged, desperation fueling one final coordinated attack.
Blake didn't dodge.
He caught both heads at once.
One in each hand.
The hunters collectively stopped breathing.
Blake leaned down, his face inches from the snarling creature.
"Here's the problem," he said softly. "You wandered into a place where monsters answer to me."
He hurled the beast across the lot.
It smashed through barriers, skidded across concrete, and slammed into the far wall, barely managing to rise.
The creature staggered to its feet, both heads bleeding now, intelligence still burning behind its eyes—but tempered by something new.
Fear.
Blake straightened, cracking his neck.
The wolf pack had arrived at the perimeter, silent, watchful, waiting for command.
The hunters stood frozen, weapons lowered, knowing instinctively they were witnessing something far beyond their understanding.
Blake took one step forward.
Then another.
The monster backed away.
The battle wasn't over.
Not even close.
Blake smiled slowly I thought you were strong.
"Go on," he said. "Show me what else you've got."
The creature roared again—desperation and defiance tangled together—and charged once more.
Blake braced himself.
The storm had fully arrived.
And the fight would not end here.