The guard arrived just outside the solitary confinement cell, his footsteps echoing in the damp, metallic corridor. He peered through the reinforced bars, annoyed at the disturbance. "What are you yelling about in there! Be quiet for me!"
He didn't even have time to register the blur of motion from the darkness within. A giant, sharp, gray-furred claw shot through the bars, faster than a striking snake, and clamped around his head. The man's eyes went wide with sheer, unadulterated terror.
"Ah! What's going— Help!" he screamed, his voice a choked gurgle as he called for his companion.
His partner on the other side of the corridor heard the cry and looked over just in time to see the horrific sight: his friend's head was being held fast, engulfed by a massive hand armed with three razor-sharp claws that dug deep into his skull. Not having time to think about what was happening, he drew his psionic blade and rushed forward. "Let him go!"
But before he could even get close, the claw exerted a terrifying force. There was a sickening, wet crunch, like stepping on a ripe melon. The guard's body went limp, his life snuffed out instantly before he even hit the ground.
The remaining cultist froze, his legs turning to lead, his would-be heroic charge stumbling to a halt. He stared, wide-eyed, at the darkness within the cell. In that oppressive gloom, a pair of fierce, burning red eyes suddenly lit up, glowing with feral intensity. The reinforced steel cell bars, meant to contain a powerful psionicist, were no match for the raw, primal power that now possessed them. Ethan's two massive, wolf-like hands grabbed the railings, and with the high-pitched screech of tortured metal, his sharp claws tore through the bars as if they were made of clay. The cage broke open with a large, jagged hole, and Ethan, in his new form, walked out just like that.
The last guard was so scared his legs finally gave out. He collapsed to the ground, unable to even crawl, looking up at the giant wolf-person looming over him, a wave of absolute terror rising in his heart, paralyzing him completely. But the now-insane Ethan didn't give him a chance to beg for his life. He lunged, grabbing the man's body and, with a savage snarl, bit down hard on his neck.
Fresh, hot blood flowed all over the cold floor. Ethan, as Blitzwolfer, lifted his head, his new senses on fire. He sniffed the air with his powerful nose, and through the stench of blood and fear, he smelled something else. A familiar scent. His subconscious, the last shred of his humanity buried deep within the feral rage, told him that his friends—and his enemies—were nearby. Thus, with a guttural roar, Ethan ran in that direction.
He burst into the main cavern just as the beast-tamer had released his two monsters. The ongoing battles between the high-level psionicists paused for a fraction of a second. Everyone—agent and cultist alike—stared, shocked, at the new arrival. The creature that now stood before them was simply a true, terrifying werewolf.
The mentalist captain, his face a mask of confusion, shouted, "What is this thing? When did our stronghold have such a monster?" After speaking, he looked at the beast-tamer.
The beast-tamer shook his head frantically. "Don't look at me! I'm only a Rank Two psionicist! How could I possibly have a third, so powerful, beast in my command?"
While they were frozen in their confusion, Ethan didn't give them a chance to figure it out. With his four powerful limbs on the ground and a mighty push from his hind legs, his whole body shot towards the captain like a bolt of gray lightning. The captain had completely not expected this new creature to be so fast and didn't have time to react. It was still the sound wave-type psionicist nearby who, with his enhanced senses, detected the incoming threat in time. He opened his mouth wide, and a powerful, invisible wave of concussive sound instantly shot out from his throat, slamming into the flying Ethan and sending him tumbling away.
Ethan was sent flying by this blow, crashing heavily into the ground and raising a large cloud of dust. However, what was astonishing to the cultists was that Ethan did not suffer any substantial injuries from the powerful attack. He quickly got up from the ground, a trace of pure, animalistic ferocity flashing in his red eyes. His mouth suddenly, horrifically, split open, the jaw unhinging and separating into four distinct, petal-like parts. Then, without hesitation, Ethan launched a powerful counter-attack against the person who had used the sound wave attack.
He opened his quadra-hinged mouth, and a sonic blast, even more intense and ferocious than the one before, sprayed out like a torrent of pure, destructive sound.
"What?!"
That cultist had not expected at all that this beast would actually possess the same ability as him. He widened his eyes, his face showing a look of utter astonishment. But he did not retreat. He likewise opened his mouth wide, let out a defiant roar, and clashed head-on with Ethan's sonic blast. The two powerful sonic waves fiercely intertwined in the air, creating a huge, visible impact force. The surrounding air seemed to be torn apart by the pressure, and the ground itself vibrated and shattered into countless stones due to the power of the sonic blasts.
At this moment, Ethan, because of the forced infusion of psionic energy, had reached a stable Level Three of Rank Two, while his opponent was only at Level Two of Rank Two. After a short, brutal while, the opponent's sonic blast was violently pushed back by Ethan's.
Crash!
The fierce sound wave hit his body, directly sending him flying, and he smashed hard into a metal wall on the side, collapsing in a heap, unconscious and bleeding from his ears.
The captain yelled, "What's going on?! Who on earth is this beast! Wait a minute?" He carefully looked at Ethan's wolf-like appearance, at the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, and then his mind connected it to the experiment, the wolf, the boy. "Could it be… you're that brat? The experiment didn't fail, it just caused a… a unique and powerful mutation?" Thinking of this, he was overjoyed. "Hahahaha! I didn't expect this! We had already given up on you, but you actually brought us such a big, wonderful surprise! After I capture you and wait for the Deacon to return, I will definitely be heavily rewarded!" He had already recognized Ethan and believed that he had turned into this powerful state because the Beastification Potion had caused a successful, if unexpected, mutation in his body. He raised his hand and released his psionic ability.
"Mental Interference!" An invisible wave of mental power spread out. Ethan felt his mind go blank for a moment, his feral rage faltering under a wave of confusing static. But very quickly, this feeling was dispersed by the overwhelming, singular killing intent that now dominated his mind.
His consciousness currently only contained the wild nature of the wolf and a burning hatred for his enemies. He only wanted to tear apart this bastard who had brought him to this endless abyss of pain!
With a fierce howl, the beast-tamer's Direwolf, responding to its master's command, rushed towards Ethan. Ethan charged forward and met it head-on. That Direwolf was only at the level of Rank Two, Level One. Ethan was not only a higher rank than it, but as a fellow wolf-type creature, he now also had a distinct, almost mystical, physical advantage. The Direwolf didn't last long under his claws.
Ethan seized an opportunity and released another powerful sonic blast. The Direwolf's brain was directly shattered by the focused sound wave, and it dropped to the ground, dead.
"Aah!!!" Because his bonded beast had died, the beast-tamer also suffered a powerful psionic backlash. He clutched his head, rolling on the ground in pain, his spirit having suffered a severe blow from the broken contract.
The captain cursed. "Damn it! This brat is actually so strong! But no matter how strong he is, he is ultimately just a wild beast, driven by instinct!" He released his more powerful Rank Two psionic skill.
"Mind Invasion!" A powerful, insidious mental force invaded Ethan's brain.
"Just right," the captain thought, a cruel smile on his face. "Those two little minions of his are for you." He discovered that Ethan's consciousness was completely occupied by the wolf's rage at this moment, making him extremely difficult to control directly. So he changed his direction. He didn't try to control Ethan's actions, but to control what he saw. He swapped his own identity with Marcus's. At this moment, in Ethan's feral eyes, his best friend Marcus was now the hated enemy captain.
Ethan turned his head, his fierce, blood-red eyes staring deadly at Marcus. However, he was still being suppressed by the other party's Mind Invasion, making his movements a bit sluggish and confused.
Marcus felt his hair stand on end under those wild, murderous eyes. "You… Ethan… what are you trying to do?"
The captain began to laugh loudly, a triumphant, evil sound. "Hahahaha! I know you. You're this brat's good friend, right? I guess your purpose in coming here was to save him, but now, it seems your best friend is the one who is going to hurt you."
Hearing his words, Marcus and Seraphina couldn't help but widen their eyes at the same time, their faces showing expressions of pure shock. They looked at each other, their hearts filled with doubt and incomprehensible terror. "N-no… impossible!" Marcus muttered to himself, his voice trembling. "I know him so well; he would never be like this, unless…" He stopped midway before he could finish his thought. He seemed to have realized something horrifying and immediately closed his mouth.
The captain looked at Marcus, who had spoken and then stopped, a trace of curiosity flashing in his eyes. He asked with a slight, taunting smile, "Oh? Unless what?" His voice carried a few hints of teasing.
Marcus gritted his teeth and stubbornly replied, "I won't tell you!"
Seeing this, the captain didn't continue to pursue the matter, but just laughed lightly and said, "Alright, it doesn't matter if you don't say it." Then, he released the direct mental pressure on Ethan.
Just at this moment, Ethan suddenly seemed to have recovered his full consciousness. He suddenly opened his eyes, his mind now free but locked on the false image the captain had implanted. With a terrifying roar, he sped towards Marcus's direction. His speed was extremely fast, like a bolt of gray lightning, leaving Marcus with no time to guard against him. By the time Marcus finally reacted, Ethan had already arrived directly in front of him. Ethan stretched out his sharp right claw and ruthlessly slashed at Marcus's neck.