The Golem Mage

"Master, there seems to be a lot of bad news for us," Legion said.

"And what could be worse than facing a troublesome Tier 7 demonic beast that seems to have no opening?" Alec asked, already unsheathing his Bloody Changdao.

A split second later, another roar thundered behind him, shaking the ground violently, without even turning, Alec already knew what was there.

"Well… are two Tier 7 demonic beasts not worse?" Legion asked back, however now wasn't the time for banter between Alec and his golem.

Alec scanned the area, only to realize the system spirit golem was nowhere in sight.

"Just what I need—him disappearing again," Alec muttered, irritated at how useless the system spirit always seemed in moments like this.

Still, he didn't dwell on it, after all he knew well enough how the spirit acted.

"Oni, Butcher, Hunter—you're with me. Titan, Legion, Magnito, Saint and Hive Queen, handle the other one. I don't care how you do it, just make sure you survive and keep that beast away from this second one, understood?" Alec barked before dashing toward the newly emerged demonic beast caterpillar, looming just meters away.

[> Bloodline Ability – Morph <]

This time, Alec wasn't going to stall, he immediately called upon the power of his Devourer bloodline.

After the battle against the Red Salamander, he had learnt how insufficient his powers are against the Tier 7 demonic beast beasts of the beast forest, and he had sought a way to push himself beyond his current limits.

Among all the options he had considered, only one offered an immediate boost without disastrous side effects—his bloodline.

Though at first, it seemed only his Shadow Wolf form was advanced enough to be of any use, however Alec refused to limit himself to tat one power, he didn't want to be constrained to just the powers of the Shadow Wolf.

He knew that at his current stage, he could contain the souls of six different beasts within him, even if he wasn't in a hurry to fill the remaining slots, he was determined to find a third beast, one that would finally push his bloodline powers into Low Rank.

Hopefully, it would grant him the breakthrough he needed to grow stronger.

He hoped every demonic beast soul he acquired would not only complement his abilities but also amplify his strength. For now, though, he had to make do with what he possessed, so he had been feeding his two demonic beast souls in hope of pushing their realm.

His body began transforming mid-lunge. The pain of shifting into his werewolf form was agonizing, but Alec was slowly growing used to it, his height increased, muscles swelled, thick fur sprouted across his body, and his face twisted as rows of razor fangs replaced his teeth.

New scents assaulted his muzzle, sharper and wilder than before, the moment his transformation finished, he could feel his strength surge to new heights, his body exuded a savage aura, his Qi spilling out uncontrollably.

Though he knew this power wasn't his alone, it was the merging of his Qi with that of the Shadow Wolf and it had awakened something primal and feral within him.

But while he was still adjusting, the second caterpillar had already launched its attack, its bladed tail, coated with brown Qi energy, sliced through the air like a scythe. Alec's mental senses warned him of the danger.\\

However unlike before, when his body couldn't keep up with the speed of a Tier 7 demonic beast despite reading Into the attack, this time was different, he just pushed off the ground with nothing but his raw physical strength—no mana, no skills and his body just reacted instantly.

In one effortless leap, he cleared the deadly strike, his fur brushing against the bladed tail as it looked like he was performing a flawless Olympic high jump.

Oni, Butcher, and Hunter had it easier, since they weren't as close to the attack, they had enough time to react, each sliding across the ground as the tail swept past above them.

[> Special Ability – Energy Eyes <]

Almost instantly, Alec's eyes shifted. His irises, which had turned yellow during his werewolf transformation, now changed again, this time into a piercing light blue as his newly awakened ability activated.

His special ability which layered his vision into a three-dimensional image, seems to overlap with his normal sight, giving him a sharper, more detailed perception of his surroundings.

In his werewolf form, the ability was even more advanced, allowing him to pick up subtle details effortlessly, without hesitation, Alec plunged his Changdao into his own chest.

[> Second Seal – Unlock <]

Though he could wield weapons in his werewolf form, however, Alec knew his claws were his strongest strength in his new form.

Since he was still unfamiliar with the overwhelming power of his transformed body, he had chosen to unlock the Changdao's second seal to augment his claws further instead.

His aura shifted drastically as his long black claws transformed into a blood-red shade, even his Qi now tainted with a crimson hue.

Sensing this surge in Aura and Realm, the caterpillar turned its focus on Alec.

But by then, Butcher had already leapt high above its head, dragging his thunder axe downward, lightning crackling wildly as it drew elemental particles from the air.

At ground level, Oni gripped his reaper scythe with both hands, swinging it in a wide arc that unleashed a crescent-shaped wave of dark energy. Meanwhile, mid-range, Hunter launched his hooked left hand toward the caterpillar, aiming for a direct strike.

They had coordinated perfectly, each targeting a different point on the beast's body, certain at least one of their attacks would land.

But to their shock, the caterpillar did the unexpected, it curled itself into a massive ball, its hardened carapace facing outward to shield its vulnerable parts.

Bang!

The first strike to connect was Butcher's lightning axe, the moment it smashed against the top of the caterpillar's body, a jarring force shot back at him, his arms trembled with numbness as he felt part of his own power rebound against him, amplified rather than diminished

The lightning element didn't harm him, but the physical backlash was far greater than he expected, the caterpillar's carapace didn't just defend—it reflected, returning attacks with even more intensity.

Using the momentum from the rebound, Butcher twisted mid-air and retreated not wanting to be caught in the range of the demonic beast's next attack.

Next came Oni's attack, his dark arc slammed into the beast with a screeching wail, carving a line across its shell.

But the energy soon faded, leaving behind only a shallow mark, tinged with residual dark mana, his strike had failed to pierce through as well.

However, unlike the others, Hunter found success, his hooked hand shot forward and latched onto a small exposed gap in the caterpillar's body, tearing through its skin.

It wasn't deep, but it was damage—the first real wound inflicted by Alec's group.

Screeech!!!

The caterpillar shook violently, uncoiling from its ball form, in doing so, the embedded hook was dragged along, yanking Hunter into the air as the beast rose to its full towering length.

It wasn't a major wound, but at that moment Alec's Energy eyes caught it, a flaw in what had seemed

like an impenetrable defence, a weak point had finally been revealed.