Chapter 87:  Absorbing the Fire Ability

Scott looked around one last time. Seeing that his pack was already engaged in battles with their opponents, he turned to Michael with a grin. "Let's get started. I can't wait to get my hands on your fire ability!" 

Michael focused on Scott, ignoring his pack entirely. He could feel Scott's strength, but he wasn't scared. Instead, he thought to himself. 'Once I beat this kid and take his powers with the dagger, I'll be unstoppable. Losing a few of my pack, or even all of them is a price I'm willing to pay.' 

With that, Michael shifted. His dark brown skin turned pitch black, and his face elongated into a canine-like shape with large, menacing fangs. Steam hissed from his mouth as his body grew taller and more muscular. His claws lengthened, and flames erupted across his body, burning away his clothes. His glowing red eyes locked onto Scott, and with a guttural roar, he charged. 

Scott, still in his human form, didn't flinch. He charged straight at Michael. The two clashed with brutal force, each landing a punch squarely on the other's face. The impact sent Scott flying backward, crashing into a tree and splitting it in half.

Rising to his feet, Scott's face was half-burned, and the hand he had used to punch Michael was scorched. However, his injuries healed almost instantly. 

Scott's pack witnessed the exchange and grew worried. Feeling their concern, Scott spoke to them telepathically. [Don't worry about me, guys. Just focus on your opponents.] 

Reassured by his words and seeing his rapid healing, the pack refocused on their own battles. 

Scott smiled at Michael. "I like that fire of yours even more now." 

Michael, shocked at Scott's ability to heal so quickly, hesitated. He had used his flames on supernatural creatures before, and none had ever recovered this fast. 

Realizing he couldn't fight Michael effectively in his human form, Scott began to shift. Fur sprouted along the sides of his face, his fangs lengthened, and his growl deepened. In an instant, he transformed into a shadow, disappearing from sight. 

Scott reappeared beside Michael and delivered a solid punch to his face, sending him crashing to the ground. 

Michael rolled across the ground and stood up, but Scott vanished again. Anticipating an attack from behind, Michael turned, but Scott reappeared at his back and delivered a powerful kick, sending him sprawling. 

Scott glanced at his burned foot, which healed quickly, then attacked again. Blow after blow, he used his shadow teleportation to maintain the upper hand, but despite the relentless assault, Michael seemed to take minimal damage. After knocking Michael down once more, Scott paused his attack. 

Michael rose to his feet, seething with anger. "Fight me like a man! Stop hiding, you coward!" 

Scott smirked. "If that's what you want, I'll stop using my shadow abilities. But I'm not going to fight you like a man..." 

Scott began shifting again, this time into his full werewolf form. When the transformation was complete, he stood a towering 2.8 meters tall, covered in jet-black fur. His wolf-like head glared down at Michael as he spoke in a deep, monstrous voice: "I'll fight you like a beast." 

Michael stared, stunned by the massive creature before him, and for the first time, fear crept into his heart. He thought about running. 

Scott chuckled darkly. "I can smell your fear, Cerberus." 

Michael made his decision and turned to flee. 

"Trying to escape, huh?" Scott called. "It's too late for that now. You'll never get away." 

In a blur of speed, Scott caught up to Michael and raked his claws down his back, leaving deep, bloody wounds. 

Michael staggered to his feet and unleashed a torrent of flames at Scott, but they barely fazed him in his werewolf form. The fire singed his fur and burned him slightly, but it wasn't enough to stop him. 

Seeing this, Michael growled. "You've forced me into this. Now let me show you my strongest form!" 

Michael began to shift again, this time transforming into a massive three-headed dog the size of a bull. Magma-like saliva dripped from the mouths of his three heads, which opened wide and unleashed a fiery blast toward Scott. 

Scott didn't wait to see if he could withstand the flames. He vanished into shadow, reappearing above the Cerberus. Using all his strength, he delivered a devastating punch to one of the heads, which exploded like a watermelon.

Michael whimpered in pain, staggering backward. While the wounds began to heal, the severed head didn't regenerate, leaving Michael with only two heads. 

Scott smirked. "How about I show you my wolf form?"

This time, Scott shifted into his massive wolf form. Towering and powerful, he made Michael's Cerberus form look small in comparison. Without hesitation, Scott lunged, clamping his massive jaws onto the back of one of Michael's remaining heads. 

Michael tried to counterattack, igniting his body in flames in a desperate attempt to deter Scott. But Scott ignored the searing pain. He violently shook his head, ripping the Cerberus' second head clean off. 

Spitting the mangled head to the ground, Scott attacked again, this time biting down on Michael's spine. The force of the bite crushed the Cerberus' backbone, forcing Michael to revert to his human form. 

Scott shifted back into his human form and crouched beside the broken and bloodied Michael. 

"Please." Michael begged, his voice weak and trembling. "Spare my life. I'll join your pack..."

Scott smiled faintly but didn't respond. Instead, he extended his claws and plunged them into Michael's chest, beginning to absorb his powers. 

Michael screamed in agony, flames erupting from his body in a last-ditch effort to resist. The fire licked at Scott's skin, but he didn't stop. As Scott absorbed more and more of Michael's power, the flames grew unstable, turning inward and starting to burn Michael himself. 

Moments later, the fire extinguished, leaving Michael charred and powerless. Scott stood, his body now surging with newfound strength. He closed his eyes, focused, and within seconds, flames flickered to life in his palm, spreading across his body. 

"Not bad." Scott said with a smirk. "I like it."

Scott turned his attention back to Michael, now lying helpless on the ground. A quick dive into Michael's memories revealed the truth: Michael and his pack were ruthless killers, preying on innocents without remorse. They had no wealth or resources of value, save for one thing, an enchanted dagger capable of absorbing the powers of supernatural beings, currently in the possession of the kitsune from Michael's pack. 

With a grim expression, Scott ended it. He snapped Michael's neck and unleashed his new fire ability, reducing Michael's body to ashes. 

Satisfied, Scott turned and began walking back toward his pack, eager to see how they were faring in their battles. 

---

Melissa's POV 

After Scott reassured her that he was fine and she saw Michael's fire barely affect him, Melissa refocused on her fight with the kitsune, Fujiko. 

Using her enhanced speed, Melissa lunged at Fujiko, aiming to wound her with her poisonous claws. However, Fujiko swiftly swung her katana, its blade shimmering with an ominous energy as it sent a green wind slash toward Melissa. Sensing the danger, Melissa instinctively dodged, but the wind slash grazed her shoulder, leaving a shallow wound. 

The wound healed almost instantly. Melissa smirked and said. "So, I assume you're a wind kitsune." 

Fujiko said nothing, her gaze cold and calculating. Melissa didn't need a verbal confirmation. This time, she pushed her speed to the limit, zigzagging unpredictably to avoid Fujiko's strikes. 

Fujiko unleashed sharp wind slashes from her katana, but Melissa's agility made her untouchable. Closing the gap between them, Melissa struck with her claws, aiming for Fujiko's chest. Fujiko managed to block with her katana, but the force of the clash made her hands tremble. She was stunned by how tough Melissa's claws were. 

Seizing the moment, Melissa delivered a powerful kick to Fujiko's gut, sending her flying. Fujiko flipped in midair and landed on her feet, but clutched her abdomen in pain. Her fear was evident. She knew she couldn't match Melissa's strength. 

Desperation flashed in Fujiko's eyes. She flung six kunai in front of her, which shimmered and transformed into six shadowy oni. 

Melissa frowned but quickly drew two silver daggers from her belt. The oni turned into shadowy blurs and charged at her. Melissa used her speed to keep moving, preventing the oni from surrounding her. The moment one materialized, Melissa struck with a silver dagger, causing it to explode into shadow and disappear. Fujiko screamed in pain, clutching her head. 

Melissa grinned. 'So Scott was right. Silver can kill oni. And judging by her reaction, those kunai must be her tails. If I destroy all her tails, she'll be weakened.' 

Without wasting time, Melissa pressed her advantage, dispatching three more oni before Fujiko recovered. The kitsune recalled the remaining two oni, transforming them back into kunai and hiding them on her body. 

"You bitch!" Fujiko hissed, glaring at Melissa. "How did you destroy my oni? What are those daggers made of?" 

Melissa smiled coolly. "You talk too much, bitch." 

Not wanting to prolong the fight, Melissa shifted into her full werewolf form. Her speed increased dramatically, and before Fujiko could react, Melissa appeared in front of her and slashed her with razor-sharp claws, leaving a deep wound from her shoulder to her abdomen. 

Fujiko staggered but managed to unleash a powerful gust of wind, pushing Melissa back slightly. However, it wasn't enough. Melissa attacked again with relentless speed. Fujiko couldn't keep up, and soon the poison from Melissa's claws took effect. The kitsune collapsed, writhing in pain. 

Melissa wasted no time. She drove her claws into Fujiko's chest and began absorbing her powers. Fujiko screamed as the process drained her completely. When Melissa finished, Fujiko lay lifeless on the ground. 

Shifting back into her human form, Melissa closed her eyes and focused. When she opened them, she raised her hand, and a gust of wind swirled around her fingers. She smiled. "I can control wind now. Cool." 

Just then, Scott appeared, now in new clothes, a clear sign he'd stopped by his car for a change after dealing with Michael.

"Good job, Mom." Scott said, offering her a proud smile. 

Melissa turned to him. "Did you already take care of that Cerberus?"

Scott nodded. "Yeah, and I absorbed his fire ability. What about you? What did you get?"

Melissa said with a smile. "She was a wind kitsune. I've got her wind abilities now." 

"That's a good ability." Scott replied. Then, he approached Fujiko's body, rummaging through her belongings. He retrieved a black dagger and her katana. 

"Is that all you found?" Melissa asked, walking over to check the body herself. 

Scott nodded. "Yeah. What are you looking for?" 

"Her tails." Melissa said, frowning. "I destroyed four, but she hid two. They've got to be here." 

Scott examined the dagger in his hand. "They probably disappeared when she died." 

"Maybe." Melissa muttered. Her eyes fell on the dagger. "What's with that dagger?" 

Scott turned the black blade in his hand, noting the strange golden script etched into its surface. "This is the dagger Lydia saw in her vision. She said it's dangerous." 

"What does it do?" 

"Like our claws, it lets its wielder absorb the powers of other supernatural creatures." 

Melissa's expression darkened. "That thing is dangerous, Scott. You need to hide it." 

Scott nodded. "I will." 

With that, Scott raised his hand and unleashed his newly acquired fire ability, burning Fujiko's body to ash. "Now." he said, turning to Melissa. "let's see how the others are doing."

To be continued…