Aftermath

The silver wolf shook its head, the dizziness from earlier seemingly vanished, but the hulking brute with the warhammer could not so easily disregard his injuries. 

The loss of blood and the searing pain slowed his movements, yet he swiftly downed a mysterious potion from his belt, bellowing with rage as he charged once more at the silver wolf.

Levin, observing the battle's ebb and flow, stealthily crept toward the tree where Ellie had been thrown earlier.

Noting that the silver wolf wore no equipment, Levin deduced that Ellie's gear—her enchanted mail, hand cannon, and military knife—must be scattered nearby. These could prove invaluable in the coming fight, whether against the brute or Ellie's transformed werewolf state.

The battle had reached an equilibrium once again; whatever potion the brute had taken was staving off his wounds, and his strength seemed to have grown, each strike sending the silver wolf flying farther, eliciting louder cries of pain.

In fact, he seemed to have gained the upper hand.

Levin felt around beneath the tree and found the mail flung aside. It didn't matter; the armor was tailored for Ellie and wouldn't fit him. He carefully collected the knife and hand cannon, reloading the latter with precision and securing it at his waist.

Hmm?

A glint caught Levin's eye—a flash of silver among the dead leaves and branches. Glancing back at the ongoing battle, he saw the brute and the silver wolf still locked in fierce combat.

Cautiously, Levin reached for the gleaming object, retrieving a silver dagger.

Silver!

Levin's eyes lit up. According to the Guard's records, silver could inhibit a werewolf's regenerative abilities. In other words, it could inflict lasting wounds, rather than watching the creature's flesh knit itself together in an instant.

Ellie had been carrying such an item... Had she anticipated this day all along? Levin's gaze grew complicated as he looked at the silver wolf, then a sudden realization dawned on him. He carefully searched Ellie's ammo pouch.

Sure enough, at the bottom was a single, specially crafted silver bullet.

Captain… you really left nothing to chance, did you?

Levin loaded the other hand cannon with the silver bullet, his heart steadying as he waited for the battle's conclusion.

If the brute emerged victorious, he would use the lead bullets and knife. If it was the silver wolf, Ellie's pre-prepared silver bullet and dagger would come into play.

The battle raged on, the silver wolf repeatedly struck by the brute's hammer, each time rising again to lunge at him, leaving minor wounds in its wake. 

The wolf's once-rapid movements grew sluggish, her strength visibly waning from the accumulated injuries, while the brute's potion seemed to be wearing off. His wounds reopened, bleeding profusely, and his actions grew increasingly sluggish.

At last, with a final, desperate roar, the brute swung his hammer with all his might at the silver wolf's head. The wolf sidestepped, and the hammer struck her shoulder instead.

The silver wolf didn't waste the opportunity. She pushed through the hammer's force, her long claws plunging into the brute's chest, tearing out a hot, still-beating heart.

The brute's pupils dilated as the hammer fell from his weakening grasp.

But the victorious silver wolf fared little better, gasping for breath as she tried to recover her strength. Her deep purple eyes fixed on Levin as he stepped forward.

"Captain, do you still recognize me?" Levin aimed the hand cannon loaded with the silver bullet at the silver wolf.

Her only response was a snarling growl as she charged at him.

Levin rolled aside, the cannon's barrel lining up with the wolf's left leg.

Bang!

The bullet tore through the silver wolf's leg, drawing a pained howl unlike any before. The wound hissed and smoked, as if seared by fire.

It works! Levin's eyes gleamed with hope. Seizing the moment, he downed the potion of Bull's Strength, activated his tactical prowess, and advanced, knife in one hand, silver dagger in the other.

With the potion's power surging through him, Levin felt strength beyond that of a peak novice, possibly even approaching that of an intermediate extraordinary.

The silver wolf growled, facing three Levis due to the potion's effect. But her wounded leg robbed her of her former speed. She lashed out with her claws, limping towards the leftmost Levin.

It's working! Levin's heart soared as the wolf struck only his illusion.

Snap! The shattering image was accompanied by a crisp sound.

[Combat Reflexes Activated!]

There's an opening in her right leg! Levin's body reacted instantly, the silver dagger in his left hand slashing toward the wolf's right leg.

His timing was perfect, as the wolf had just exhausted her momentum attacking the illusion, unable to dodge in time.

[Power Strike Activated!]

Slice!

Empowered by Bull's Strength and the Power Strike, the silver dagger sliced through the wolf's fur as if through warm butter, leaving a deep gash. With both legs injured, the wolf's speed was significantly reduced.

Levin stepped back, calmly facing the crippled wolf.

When she tried to flee, he chased her down. When she turned to attack, he kept his distance.

Panting heavily, the silver wolf finally halted, her wounds still bleeding profusely.

"What's the matter? Tired already? I've got plenty of energy left~" Levin taunted, stepping forward with a flourish of his sword.

With a long, agonized howl, the silver wolf's lithe form began to shift, her fur receding as she reverted to the silver-haired maiden captain.

"Phew… finally, it's over." Levin wiped the sweat from his brow and approached Ellie.

Her breathing was steady, as though she were merely sleeping. Her shirt had burst during the transformation, leaving only a few tattered scraps.

Levin quickly removed his uniform jacket, draping it over Ellie.

The wounds inflicted on the silver wolf didn't carry over to Ellie, leaving only faint red marks on her legs.

After ensuring Ellie was unharmed, Levin covered her with his jacket.

But it wasn't over yet. There were still countless headaches to deal with…

How would he explain this scene to the guards and Inspector Arios when they arrived?

Tell the truth? That Ellie turned into a werewolf and wiped out the enemies in an instant?

Then why did he go through all this trouble to protect her?

After much deliberation, Levin concluded that the only feasible option was to fabricate a plausible battle outcome.

I'm sorry, Captain.

With a resolute heart, Levin picked up a discarded weapon and began inflicting wounds on Ellie's unconscious body.

Her pained whimpers pierced Levin's heart with every cut.

This should be enough...

Raven halted his attempts to disguise Ellie and carefully poured the life-restoring potion he had bought that night into her mouth.

There was still the matter of Ellie's enchanted armor; without dressing her in it, there would be no way to explain how it ended up off her body. However, in Ellie's current state, putting the armor back on her... well...

It wasn't that Raven was unwilling; he just feared Ellie would kill him to silence him once she woke.

But there was no choice; if he delayed any longer, dawn would soon break.

Blushing deeply, Raven picked up Ellie's armor and began to dress her.

"Chief, don't blame me when you wake. I'm doing this to save you and protect your identity."

He quickly rehearsed his explanation for the guards in his mind, covering any potential loopholes.

After tidying up the aftermath, Raven, utterly exhausted, sat beside Ellie, breathing heavily.

Looking at Ellie, who lay peacefully beside him, her silver hair spread across the grass like a blossoming dandelion, her eyes shut tight as if trapped in some tormenting nightmare, and her cracked lips slightly parted as if she wished to speak.

"Chief, are you awake?" Raven leaned closer, but heard nothing. He sighed and began to mutter to the unconscious Ellie.

"Chief, cleaning up after you this time has worn me out. Does this count as a work injury? Can I get a couple of days off?"

"Well, I guess I have no choice. You saved my life, so I'll save yours this time. Let's call it even, alright?"

"And by the way, your werewolf form is truly fierce, cutting through those lowlifes like they were nothing…"

After talking for about half an hour, Raven felt his strength return. He glanced at the horizon where the sun was beginning to rise, then hoisted Ellie onto his back and set off toward their rendezvous point.

"Raven! What happened to Ellie? We were about to come looking for you!" At the meeting point, a worried Arios was pacing back and forth. Seeing Raven and Ellie return, he visibly relaxed.

Members of the East Fourth Squad quickly gathered around, expressing their concern for Raven and Ellie's injuries. They helped take Ellie off his back and placed her onto a spare stretcher.

"Inspector, the situation this time was highly unusual. I need to report to you privately," Raven said solemnly, pulling Arios aside.

"We pursued the fugitives but fell into an ambush…"

"Ellie and I fought fiercely, using every trump card we had…"

"Ellie was gravely injured, but fortunately, I had a healing potion…"

"Then suddenly, we heard a wolf's howl, and a werewolf joined the battle!"

Arios furrowed his brow. "A werewolf?"

Raven nodded affirmatively. "Yes, a werewolf!"

"If you inspect the scene, you'll see that most of the drug dealers were killed by having their throats torn out, and the mid-level extraordinary who led the ambush also met his end at the werewolf's hands, his heart ripped out."

"If it really was a werewolf, that's incredibly dangerous. How did you manage to escape?" Arios asked, fully immersed in the perilous situation Raven described.

"Fortunately, Chief Ellie is highly professional. She had prepared silver weapons and ammunition. We fought desperately, finally wounding the werewolf's legs and making our escape."

"After escaping, Ellie and I found a place to rest, but Ellie must have overexerted herself in the battle and lost too much blood, causing her to pass out."

"Once I recovered, I brought Chief Ellie back."

Perfect, everything was laid out, with not a single lie.

Except for the part where Ellie herself was the werewolf.