--
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.
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.