Chapter 256

Chapter 256: Chapter 256 A figure pushed through the crowd, clearly someone of importance based on how the others deferred to him. This werewolf was massive—easily eight feet tall with a muscular build that suggested both strength and speed. His fur was a deep gray with silver highlights, and his eyes glowed with an amber light that spoke of significant power.


He wore more elaborate armor than the others, clearly marked with rank insignia. A massive greatsword hung at his back, the blade inscribed with runes that pulsed with magical energy.


"I can see smoke coming from the direction of Merc Assault’s lair," the leader said, his voice carrying authority and barely suppressed rage. "Is that your doing?"


Satou studied him for a moment with [Omniscient Nightmare Vision], seeing not just the physical form but the essence beneath. This one was strong—probably around mid-tier demon lord level in terms of raw power. The leader of this pack, clearly, and someone with a personal connection to Merc Assault based on the emotional resonance.


"That isn’t an answer to what I said," Satou replied, his voice cold and carrying absolute authority. As he spoke, he deliberately released a portion of his bloodlust—not enough to harm, but enough to make his point crystal clear.


The effect was immediate and visceral.


Every single werewolf in the group felt it—that overwhelming presence of death and violence that radiated from Satou like heat from a furnace. The killing intent of someone who’d just slaughtered hundreds of enemies, who’d killed a legendary assassin, who’d absorbed the power of countless beings.


Many of them actually whimpered, their survival instincts screaming at them to flee. Some of the wolves they were riding began backing up involuntarily, responding to the primal threat.


But the leader—Argumus, based on the name that several subordinates had whispered in fear—activated something. A skill that created a visible aura around him, pushing back against Satou’s bloodlust. [Crowd Control Immunity] or something similar, clearly.


Then that aura expanded, washing over all the other werewolves. [Pack Sharing], Satou recognized—an alpha ability that let the leader share his resistances and buffs with his entire pack.


The immediate terror faded from the werewolves’ faces, replaced by renewed confidence. They’d faced powerful enemies before and survived. This was just one demon, no matter how intimidating.


"Your non-answer gives me the answer I needed," Argumus growled, his voice deepening with barely controlled rage. Veins bulged at his temples and neck, his muscles tensing visibly. "Did you kill Merc Assault? Tell me the truth!"


Satou smiled then—a cold, predatory expression that held no warmth or humor. "What if I did? The bastard deserved everything he got. Hundreds of innocent people he killed over centuries. He was a monster who needed to be put down, and I was happy to oblige."


Argumus’s face twisted with fury, his lips pulling back to reveal fangs that were far too large and sharp to be natural. "Merc Assault was my brother! We hunted together! We built our reputations together! He promised me that when he took control of the demon realm’s underworld, I would rule at his side!"


He drew his massive greatsword, the blade igniting with red flames that matched his rage. "You’ve destroyed everything! Our alliance, our plans, our future! For that, you will die slowly and painfully!"


"Your brother," Satou said slowly, pieces clicking into place, "was a sadistic monster who tortured people for entertainment. If you allied with him, if you supported his actions, then you’re no better. Which means I have no guilt about what’s about to happen."


His smile widened slightly, though it never reached his eyes. "I gave you a chance to walk away. I offered to spare you despite the fact that you attacked my people without provocation. But you’ve chosen violence and threats instead. So let me make something very clear, Argumus."


Satou’s aura exploded outward with such force that it created a visible shockwave in the air. His power, enhanced massively by devouring Merc Assault, radiated with intensity that made reality itself seem to warp around him.


"I just killed Merc assault. I slaughtered hundreds of his followers. I destroyed his fortress so thoroughly that nothing remains but a crater."


His voice dropped to something colder than ice, harder than steel. "So if you think your pack of two hundred werewolves intimidates me even slightly, you’re about to learn just how badly you’ve miscalculated. This is your last chance—turn around and leave, or I will end every single one of you without hesitation or mercy. Choose. Now."


For a moment, Argumus actually hesitated. Some part of his mind—the part that had kept him alive through countless battles—was screaming that this was wrong, that the demon floating before them was far more dangerous than they’d anticipated.


But pride and rage won out over survival instinct.


"ATTACK!" Argumus roared, raising his flaming greatsword high. "Kill this bastard! Tear him apart! Avenge Merc Assault!"


The werewolf pack surged forward as one, a wave of fur and fangs and enchanted steel. War cries filled the air as two hundred warriors charged at a single floating figure.


Satou sighed quietly. "I tried."


Then he moved.


[Shadow Absolute Movement] carried him directly into the center of the charging formation faster than the eye could track. He materialized in the midst of them, and his blade was already in motion.


[Void Fang] activated, wrapping his weapon in existence-erasing energy enhanced with the nightmare properties he’d gained from Merc Assault. The blade passed through the first werewolf’s neck, and their head separated from their shoulders before dissolving into nothing.


[Devour] activated automatically.


<System Notification - Suppressed for Combat> [Enhanced Smell] acquired


[Pack Tactics - Basic] acquired


[Bite Force Enhancement] acquired


Satou didn’t pause to read the notifications. His blade was already moving to the next target, then the next, then the next. He flowed through their formation like water through cracks, his movements enhanced by [Combat Transcendence - Legendary] to the point where he could predict and counter every attack before it was even launched.


A werewolf tried to slash at his back with enchanted claws. [Omniscient Nightmare Vision] showed Satou the intent before the attack materialized, and he simply wasn’t there when the claws arrived. His blade took the werewolf’s head a moment later.


[Devour].


Three more charged him simultaneously from different angles, clearly using pack tactics to overwhelm single targets. It might have worked against a normal opponent. Against Satou, it just meant three deaths instead of one.


His blade became a blur, [Shadow Blade] creating phantom copies that struck from impossible angles. All three werewolves fell with severed arteries and punctured hearts.


[Devour]. [Devour]. [Devour].


<System Notification - Combat Log> [Enhanced Agility] (Enhanced from existing)


[Natural Weapons - Claws] acquired


[Predator’s Instinct] acquired


[Pack Bond - Basic] acquired


[Scent Tracking] acquired


A spell-caster in the back ranks launched a lightning bolt at Satou’s position. He activated [Phantom Form], becoming intangible for the crucial moment. The lightning passed through him harmlessly and struck three of their own warriors who’d been charging from the opposite direction.


Satou re-solidified behind the spell-caster and removed their head before they could process what had happened.


[Devour].


The battle—if it could even be called that—became a massacre. Satou moved through the werewolf pack like death itself given physical form, his blade reaping lives with mechanical efficiency.


They tried everything. Coordinated attacks from multiple directions. Area-effect spells to hit him regardless of dodging. Attempting to overwhelm him through sheer numbers by attacking all at once.


Nothing worked.


[Combat Transcendence - Legendary] let him analyze and counter every fighting style instantly. [Omniscient Nightmare Vision] showed him every attack before it manifested. [Shadow Absolute Movement] let him teleport freely across the battlefield to always be in the optimal position.
And [Void Fang] ensured that every strike was instantly fatal, with no chance of recovery or resurrection.


The bodies piled up rapidly. Ten dead. Twenty. Thirty. Fifty.


[Devour] activated on each corpse, pulling their essence into Satou even as he moved to the next target.


<System Notification - Combat Log Accumulating> [Moon’s Blessing - Weak] acquired


[Enhanced Hearing] (Enhanced from existing)


[Territorial Instinct] acquired


[Alpha’s Presence - Basic] acquired


[Regeneration - Enhanced] (already at Legendary, minimal effect)


[Pack Coordination] acquired


[Howling Communication] acquired


[Enhanced Endurance] (Enhanced from existing)


[Feral Combat Style] acquired


[Moonlight Empowerment - Weak] acquired


The werewolves began to realize the horrific reality of their situation. This wasn’t a battle—it was a slaughter. Their enemy was simply operating on a completely different level, killing them as easily as a farmer harvesting wheat.


Panic started to set in. Warriors who’d charged confidently minutes ago now hesitated, looking for escape routes. The wolves they rode were trying to flee, their animal instincts overriding training.


"Hold your positions!" Argumus roared from the back of the formation where he’d been coordinating. "Don’t let him intimidate you! He’s just one demon! We have the numbers!"


But his words rang hollow against the reality playing out before their eyes. One demon had just killed over a hundred of their pack in less than five minutes, and showed no signs of slowing down or taking damage.