Who Hit Me?

"Your whole family died in front of you, so why didn't you die with them? You selfish, cowardly worm!"

The vicious voice echoed deep within Serena Walsh's mind, forcing her to drop her crimson-bladed sword.

She clutched her head in agony, letting out a cry of pain as memories of her tragic past overwhelmed her.

"Hahahaha!"

Jack Chase, cradling the stump of his severed arm, managed to push himself up from the ground, laughing maniacally. His laughter was filled with the euphoria of having narrowly escaped death and the madness of his twisted success.

His severed arm had somehow stopped bleeding. Whatever method he'd used, it had worked fast, and he wasn't losing any more blood.

"You foolish old-world scum and pathetic beast! You'll never be able to kill me!" Jack's laughter turned to a triumphant sneer as he pulled out a knife with his remaining hand, ignoring the pain in his body as he stepped toward Serena.

"It took me five years to discover the truth about this world! No one can stop me from entering the new one!" Jack cackled as he plunged the knife into Serena's abdomen with vicious force.

Whether her protective shield had failed or she was too lost in her mental torment to resist, the cold blade pierced through her black uniform, and blood quickly soaked the fabric.

Her body crumpled to the ground, unable to stand.

"I... I'm coming... Grandpa... Mom, Dad... Little Sis..."

As her consciousness faded, scenes from her life flashed before her eyes, like a montage of her most cherished memories. She could see her family's smiles, beckoning her to join them in death.

The pain of reliving those moments was unbearable, and she lost the will to fight.

"Die!" Jack snarled, pulling the knife free from her abdomen and sending a spray of warm blood splattering across his face. His once-handsome features twisted into a grotesque expression of rage and pleasure.

He raised the knife again, ready to deliver the final blow. But something was wrong—his movements became sluggish.

It was as if the knife was moving in slow motion, inching toward Serena one millimeter at a time.

Panic washed over Jack as he slowly turned his head, catching sight of the werewolf. The beast was awake, its glowing green eyes fixed on him.

Green light shone from the werewolf's eyes, casting a powerful beam on Jack's body like high-intensity flashlights, freezing him in place.

"You... you..." Jack's eyes widened in terror as he realized that the werewolf had absorbed the power of the strange flashlight that could slow down movement—using it against him!

Without hesitation, the werewolf sprang into action. Its powerful legs pushed off the ground, and its razor-sharp claws carved through the night air, slicing off Jack's remaining arm in one clean swipe.

"AAAAHHHHHH!"

Jack screamed in agony, collapsing to his knees as blood poured from the fresh wound. His suit was now entirely drenched in blood, and his body was shaking uncontrollably.

The werewolf's massive paw clamped down on Jack's head, its claws just barely digging into his neck.

"Call off the ghost, or you're losing your head!" the werewolf growled, its voice deep and ferocious.

"I know, I know! Don't kill me!" Jack wailed in fear, his arrogance shattered. He shouted desperately at the white-clad ghost still hovering nearby. "Stop! Get away! Stop attacking!"

The white ghost reluctantly obeyed, drifting away as if it had no interest in Jack's fate. It seemed that the creature and Jack weren't as bound to each other as it first appeared.

With the ghost gone, Serena's mental anguish began to fade. Her mind cleared, though she was left weakened from the wound in her abdomen, which was still bleeding profusely.

"You're back to normal?" Serena's first words as she regained her senses were directed at the werewolf.

Even in her pain, she raised her hand, and the ring on her finger emitted a faint glow that moved to her wound, beginning to staunch the flow of blood.

"I don't know who just beat me up, but my whole body is aching!" the werewolf grumbled, still rubbing its sore muscles. "When did you show up, anyway?"

"I got here right after you went berserk," Serena replied as the glow from her ring slowly healed her injury, though she remained pale from the blood loss.

"Wait, did you hit me?" The werewolf, having no memory of what had happened during its rampage, looked at Serena suspiciously.

"Of course not!" Serena's cold, elegant face softened with a rare hint of amusement. "Didn't you see? I was also taken down by his tricks. So obviously, it was him who beat you up."

Jack, still trembling in fear, didn't dare to refute her claim. The werewolf's claws were still dangerously close to his throat, and he wasn't about to say anything that might provoke it.

The werewolf wasn't stupid, though—it knew Jack wasn't capable of landing such powerful blows. Still, this wasn't the time to argue about who had hit whom.

"How do we deal with the infected in the city?" the werewolf snarled at Jack, spittle flying onto his face.

"Fasting... induce vomiting... force them to expel the fragments!" Jack blurted out, desperately trying to appease the beast.

"That's it?" Serena asked, incredulous.

"The fragments got inside through the meat. As long as they stop eating and force the fragments out of their system, they'll lose their power!" Jack explained, spilling every detail as he feared for his life.

Finally, Serena allowed herself a moment of relief. They had a solution.