Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

Chapter 409: Howler and Morning Wood

--

The cannons took out two teams in quick succession, and it's only because they didn't expect it.

Other teams nearby were actually gobsmacked. They looked at the cannons installed around and deep into the island and lamented that they didn't think of doing the same. Turning the entire island into a mobile fortress was a damn good idea, especially in a competition like this.

But of course, this isn't enough to completely deter other teams. It surprised them, yes, but only for a short while. They will adapt to it eventually since that's all they could really do, meaning that the efficiency and threat of the cannons will be lessened.

This, however, was of no consequence to Cedric and his team. They already thought about this before, and truly, they're not losing anything. A threat is still a threat, no matter how small. Plus, it's not like the cannons were the only weapons they had. The seven of them were still there; if worse came to worse, they could mobilize and solve the problems that the cannons couldn't solve.

Around the same time that Eunuch Wei eliminated two teams, the rest of the enemies appeared. There were ten in total; five were near them, and the other five were distant. Now though, the distance teams have already joined the fray, making this chaotic battle even more turbulent.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Their island faced attacks at all angles. If it weren't for the formation protecting it, they would've long since been eliminated. But this formation also made them the target of bombardment somehow, because it would seem that other teams didn't like the idea that they had a sturdy shield they could use to turtle in. Some seem even more determined to test the limits and break the formation just to send a message.

This caused aftershocks to shake the island consistently. Cedric didn't mind; it also didn't disturb Eunuch Wei's focus nor move Backpack Fatty, who's disguising himself as a mountain ranger.

Though it caused Howler to feel displeased.

'Let me out. I wanna play with these fools,' he said through voice transmission.

Cedric raised a brow. He then thought about it for a bit. Howler sure can't stay idle; he has too much energy to spare.

'Will you be okay on your own?' Cedric asked.

'I'll go with him.' Morning Wood offered.

'You? No, you're too slow. I'm good by myself.' Howler denied.

'I don't need to be as fast as you are. You won't go far anyway. Plus, I'm more durable than you. Don't worry, I won't hold you back from playing.'

They became silent for a while. It seems that this was Howler's way of agreeing to this set-up.

'Well, just be careful then. Wei, open up a small hole for these two.' Cedric replied.

Eunuch Wei didn't say anything, but he did do as he told. Howler and Morning Wood were already on the move, with the former moving faster.

Howler didn't slow down for Morning Wood; he actually left him behind. He turned into a silver flash that immediately engaged with the enemies around. He was too fast and too ferocious for them. By the time Morning Wood left the island, Howler had already incapacitated two enemies on his own.

But like he said, Morning Wood didn't come out to hold Howler back. He was there to assist him, and what followed was him doing exactly just that.

The tree hovered above the island. His body shook, and a green pulse erupted from his body. The pulse went through all of the teams nearby, and to their horror, they found that their respective islands were being restricted by an invisible force.

Then, to their surprise, they suddenly discovered that their surroundings shifted. They found themselves inside a vast rainforest out of nowhere. Their islands were trapped by vines, the earth, and towering trees.

Cedric's eyes flashed in surprise too. He then thought to himself, 'Domain?'

Yes, indeed. This was Morning Wood's domain. He calls it the 'Nativity; the World of Trees'. In this domain, he was a ruler. He declares the weather and the laws and order of everything inside.

The trees around them weren't just mere visions; they're as real as they could get. This also meant that if these other teams wanted to regain the mobility of their islands, they had to free themselves from this trap and escape Morning Wood's domain.

But the transformation of their surroundings didn't end here. As stated before, Morning Wood is a god within his domain; he decides what comes and goes here. And while he wouldn't deny that he's doing this to show off, he also stayed true to his initial purpose of coming out with Howler.

Swoosh!

The skies suddenly darkened, illuminated only by the solitary full moon that's hovering ever so close to them.

"Go nuts, Howler. I got your back."

Howler didn't even hear him. He just stared in trace at the full moon. His white fur bristled, almost turning into needles. They transformed into pure silver and grew slightly longer. Howler's strength was seemingly boosted as well, and his burning enhusiasm was replaced by a cold and merciless indifference.

'Oh, so that's what he planned to do.' Cedric mused. 'First, he unleashed his domain to set Howler's playground, then he replicated the full moon to trigger Howler's transformation and make him stronger.'

The Werewolf Clan had innate closeness with the moon. It didn't matter what phase of the moon it was since it would not weaken them. However, the full moon was their favorite since it turns them into truly fearsome beasts, bringing them closer to their ancestors.

And within Morning Wood's domain, this full moon was as real as it could get. Therefore, it will certainly trigger Howler's transformation. And so long as Howler remained inside his domain, Morning Wood could ensure his safety.

When the other teams felt Howler's transformation, all of them felt their skin crawling in fright. They knew that they're about to be victims of carnage and did not hesitate to prepare themselves for a tough battle.

There actually aren't many tales of werewolves rampaging under the full moon; most of them were either exaggerations or fake stories. This was because there's almost nobody that lives through the full moon rampage of a werewolf. They knew it could happen, but living to tell the tale is a completely different matter altogether.

Howler was already frighteningly quick before, but after his transformation under the full moon's influence? He's even faster.

At least before, you'd still see him before he kills you. But now, Howler could effortlessly slip through the fabrics of space and rip out someone's heart before they even knew what happened.

That's happening right now, actually. Howler promptly became untraceable after his transformation. He effortlessly mowed through his enemies, incapacitating them one by one before they could even react.

And within Morning Wood's domain, Howler could blend through the trees, foliage, and vines. Simply put, Howler was in his element, and he had Morning Wood to thank for it.

Some of the smart ones knew that if they wanted to put Howler under control, they had to first deal with the owner of this domain. Some already moved with this goal in mind, yet they're also the first ones that Howler hunted.

Howler didn't completely lose his rationality in this state. The full moon transformation didn't erode his sanity or make him lose his reason. It just numbs them down while also giving him something akin to a steroid shot injected directly into his veins.

He knew that his enemies would catch on and try to take Morning Wood down, and he simply couldn't have that. Not now, when he's still relishing the power brought by the full moon.

This was something that he didn't experience very often because even though his clan had innate closeness with the moon, the times they saw a full moon were extremely rare. That's why he wants to relish every second that passed in this state because he doesn't know when he'll experience it again.

He wished that he could be in this state perpetually. Unfortunately, even with his clan's long history and research, they still hadn't discovered a way to do so.

This was actually one of Howler's goals once he joined the alliance. The Werewolf Clan reveres the moon, and if they could harness the strength of the full moon regardless of its current phase, it would immensely help with their development.

It took no more than an hour for Howler to not only eradicate every single one of the teams that surrounded them but also eliminate them from the tournament.

There were a handful of people who actually put up a good fight even in his current state. It wasn't surprising since everybody here was a prodigy on their own. But Howler was just too fierce in this state. He easily outpaced and overpowered them in combat.

After eliminating the teams around them, Eunuch Wei said that they're clear for now.

Morning Wood retracted his domain, which also meant that the influence of the moon on Howler also receeded. He reverted to his original form much to his dismay, but he didn't say anything.

The two of them returned inside the formation and waited until the next enemies arrived.