The werewolf form Monville assumed seemed to radiate a chilling power born of the deepest permafrost.

  With his pounce, a biting glacial gale instantly whipped through the expansive corridor.

  Wherever Monville passed, the masonry was rapidly coated in a rime of hoarfrost.

  "Bloodline power, is it?"

  Pierce's gaze narrowed slightly.

  "To awaken a portion of a Sorcerous Bloodline at the mere stage of an Apprentice... his talent far exceeds that of Percival."

  Despite the thought, not a shred of fear resided in Pierce's heart. He unhurriedly released the Fireball he had already primed.

  The blazing sphere of incineration, carrying an aura of violent destruction, crushed forward.

  A flash of contempt flickered in Monville's bestial eyes. With agile grace, he leaped onto the right-hand wall, intending to bypass the spell and rush straight for Pierce's rear. Who would have thought the fireball would detonate prematurely while still several meters away?

  The scorching flames and the concussion wave swept out instantly, swallowing him whole.

  BOOM!

  Monville fell back to the stone floor, looking slightly bedraggled. Before he could regain his footing, a ray of grayish light shot forth, striking his torso.

  Ray of Enfeeblement.

  Monville immediately felt his body sink, as if his limbs had been shackled with invisible chains of lead.

  Having fallen for Pierce's tricks twice in succession, Monville felt an intense irritation. With a darkened expression, he charged forward once more.

  "His Spell Resistance in this lycanthropic form is formidable."

  Pierce frowned slightly.

  Monville had taken an enhanced Fireball almost head-on, yet suffered only minor burns. This resistance was even more robust than Pierce's own magical heavy armor.

  Realizing this, Pierce abandoned his incantations. Gripping his longsword, he charged head-on to meet Monville in melee combat.

  Although the werewolf form was specialized for close-quarters slaughter, Pierce had never feared any Apprentice of the same tier in this regard.

  Even against a powerful lycanthrope, he had the confidence to beat the opponent into the dust!

  Whoa!

  Seeing Pierce actively charging at Monville on the screen, the crowd of spectators erupted into an uproar.

  Monville, who had been anxious after seeing Monville suffer a minor setback, instantly revealed a look of unbridled glee, barely able to contain his laughter.

  The most feared aspect of the Frost Calamity Silver Wolf, aside from its dominion over ice and wolves, was undoubtedly its terrifying melee capability.

  Although Monville had only awakened a fraction of the bloodline and could not fully inherit the ice manipulation, his physical prowess was almost fully realized.

  In this form, Monville's constitution had reached the tier of a First-Order Legendary Knight, approaching the Second Order. His body emitted a passive freezing aura that continuously eroded anyone who drew near, and his claws dealt additional frost damage.

  In close quarters, Monville could fight a Second-Order Legendary Knight to a standstill.

  For Pierce to engage Monville in melee was, without a doubt, the height of folly.

  Gwen frowned deeply.

  She knew little of Monville's transformation, but seeing Monville’s ecstatic expression, she knew Pierce's choice was unwise. A seed of worry sprouted in her chest.

  The spectators shared her sentiment.

  "Monville's werewolf form is a melee juggernaut. Why has Pierce lost his senses? Why engage him up close?"

  "Exactly. He could maintain distance and kite him with spells."

  "Stop your sarcasm. Did you not see the Fireball was ineffective? That fur grants immense Spell Resistance."

  "That still does not justify a suicide charge."

  "Silence. Watch."

  The arguments died down quickly.

  Everyone widened their eyes, staring at the screen, terrified of missing a single heartbeat of the action.

  CLANG!

  The ear-piercing sound of metal clashing against diamond-hard claws echoed endlessly.

  Pierce and Monville fought strength against strength. The ferocious momentum was like two primordial beasts tearing at each other, with violent shockwaves sweeping out from the epicenter of their clash.

  The corridor was soon devastated, the floor and walls covered in dense spiderweb cracks.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  In terms of raw constitution, Pierce was inferior to Monville.

  But he possessed the enhancement of Elemental Runes, and with multiple layers of Mage Armor, he had no fear of the cold erosion.

  Even facing Monville's claws, he offered no defense, attacking relentlessly, adopting a stance of trading blood for blood.

  Monville had originally mocked Pierce, but as they fought, he was shocked to discover he could not gain the upper hand.

  After a fierce exchange, Pierce remained unharmed, while Monville bore several scorched wounds from the lightning arcs.

  "This guy!"

  Monville felt a chill in his heart. He finally discarded the last shred of contempt. Dodging a lightning-wreathed slash, he retreated twenty meters, threw his head back, and howled.

  A high-pitched, piercing ululation resounded through the corridor.

  The moment the sound rang out, hundreds of small summoning circles materialized around Monville. Amidst flashing lights, burly, snow-white Winter Wolves appeared one after another, growling as they pounced toward Pierce.

  "A war of attrition?"

  Pierce chuckled low. Black mist rose from his wrist, and with the sound of flapping wings, a legion of Mist Ravens flew out, sweeping toward the wolf pack like a tide.

  The flock of crows and the pack of wolves crashed into each other like two floods—one black, one white!

  BOOM!

  Flesh and blood flew; black mist filled the air.

  The two beast swarms fought into a chaotic mass. There was white in the black, and black in the white; it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe.

  Monville's face darkened. He hadn't expected that even his pack tactics would fail.

  If this continued, he feared he would not wrestle the Prismatic Gem from Pierce's hands before the trial ended.

  Must I give up and hunt the other two?

  Monville rejected the thought instantly.

  The others were far away. Even with the map, catching them would take time. And success was not guaranteed.

  He could not afford to gamble.

  His expression shifted uncertainly. Finally, Monville gritted his teeth. The fur on his body receded, and he reverted to human form.

  Immediately after, he tore open his collar, revealing a bright crimson seal on his collarbone.

  The seal was composed of a dozen bloody lines, outlining a giant wolf howling at the sky.

  Monville pressed his fingers together and stabbed viciously at the red seal.

  Amidst spurting blood, his face distorted rapidly, enduring intense pain.

  In the next instant, his mouth elongated into a muzzle. Jagged fangs protruded from his lips. A thick layer of pure white fur sprouted over his body at a speed visible to the naked eye.

  The muscles under his skin writhed like wyrms—twisting, bulging, elongating.

  In the blink of an eye, a hideous, lupine behemoth nearly three meters long stood in the center of the corridor.

  ROAR!

  The giant wolf roared at the heavens. A violent, unmatched aura erupted, turning into a gale that swept out a hundred meters.

  Because of the distance and the chaos of the beast swarm, Pierce could not interrupt. He watched helplessly as Monville completed his transformation.

  Clearly, this was no mere werewolf form. This was the True Form of the bloodline.

  In this instant, Pierce felt as though he were facing a terrifying creature from the Age of Myths.

  After transforming, Monville's rationality seemed to fade. He looked around with bloodshot eyes, saliva dripping uncontrollably, before fixing his gaze on Pierce.

  Then, an ice storm mixed with bone-chilling cold erupted violently.

  Amidst the sweeping gale, the giant wolf crushed forward like a siege engine, carrying momentum capable of toppling mountains.

  Along the way, wolf or raven, everything was smashed to pieces, exploding into a mist of blood and shadow. The dense beast swarm was plowed into a blank path.

  ROAR!

  At the end of the path, the giant wolf opened its bloody maw and spewed a Tempest of Frostblades at Pierce, submerging him completely.

  On the mountainside, a cry of alarm erupted.

  Gwen's face turned pale. She clenched her hands so hard her knuckles turned white.

  Monville, however, lit up with joy. "See that? This is the power of the Frost Calamity Silver Wolf! A mere Rank 3 Apprentice is nothing before the might of a Bloodline!"

  Monville turned to Gwen, triumphant. "It seems I have won this bet."

  Gwen bit her lip, frowning in silence.

  Monville prepared to mock her further, but a cry of surprise from the crowd stopped him.

  He hurriedly looked up.

  On the screen, the hurricane dissipated. The corridor was a world of ice and snow.

  At the epicenter, a thick layer of ice had frozen over.

  However, what shocked everyone was that amidst the cold mist stood a silver, hemispherical metal dome.

  Under the erosion of cold sufficient to crack steel, the quicksilver dome remained smooth and undamaged, gleaming with a faint, otherworldly luster.

  Splash!

  The dome melted, turning into silver liquid suspended in mid-air, revealing Pierce—unharmed.

  "!!!"

  The crowd fell into a sudden, dead silence, followed by a thunderous uproar.

  "Pierce is unharmed!"

  "Am I hallucinating?"

  "What is that silver substance?"

  Anyone could see the devastating power of Monville's strike. Even a Second-Order Legendary Knight would be crippled, if not dead.

  But Pierce stood there as if nothing had happened!

  "H-how is that possible?!"

  Monville's face was full of disbelief, muttering with dull eyes.

  "Defensive spell? Impossible. First Circle magic cannot block a Frostblade Tempest!"

  "Magic item? But even top-tier items couldn't possibly..."

  His voice stopped abruptly. Monville looked as if he were being strangled; his mouth gaped open, realizing the truth.

  Beside him, Ingram and Gwen gasped in unison.

  They looked at each other, the same thought emerging in their minds.

  An Arcane Artifact.

  Only an Arcane Artifact could possess such tyrannical defensive power!

  ROAR!

  Discovering the prey was alive, the giant wolf was instantly enraged. A surging frost storm whipped up around him as he pounced again.

  "Has even his intellect degraded to that of a beast?"

  Pierce shook his head. The silver liquid surrounding him instantly twisted, forming countless needle-thin spikes.

  In the next second, accompanied by deafening sonic booms, the dense mass of spikes shot out, submerging the giant wolf like a metal storm!

  Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

  Against the spikes, the tyrannical defense of the giant wolf was useless. It was shredded like parchment, revealing the bright red flesh underneath!

  When the metal storm ceased and the spikes melted back into liquid, the majestic wolf was drenched in blood, flayed alive.

  Bang!

  The beast crashed to the ground. Its massive body shrank rapidly, reverting to human form. Monville lay there, dying.

  Outside the screen.

  The mountainside was dead silent.

  One could hear a pin drop.

  Everyone stared blankly, mouths dry.

  Even those with little knowledge recognized the silver liquid for what it was.

  "It is actually an Arcane Artifact!"

  "Monville lost..."

  No one expected this conclusion.

  Monville, the favorite, defeated by Pierce.

  When Monville activated his bloodline seal, they thought the outcome was decided. Who could have guessed Pierce held such a trump card?

  Any Apprentice understood the power of an Arcane Artifact.

  The moment they saw it, everyone, including Monville, understood one thing—this battle had lost all suspense.

  Before an Arcane Artifact, even Monville was powerless.

  Monville snapped back to reality, his face turning ashen.

  He lost.

  Five hundred Magic Stones!

  He could pay, but his resources for the coming months would be decimated, his cultivation severely stalled.

  Heartache, sharp as a blade, cut through him.

  Who could have thought Pierce was such a monstrosity? To possess an Arcane Artifact!

  Just as he despaired, Monville swept his gaze over the screen and widened his eyes in horror.

  Pierce manipulated the silver liquid to condense into a long spear, the tip pointing remotely at the fallen Monville.

  "What is he doing?!"

  Monville turned pale, his lips trembling.

  Under his terrified gaze, the silver spear shot out with a howl, driving accurately through Monville's chest.

  Monville's body convulsed violently, and then he lay motionless. Breathless.