Bruce sighed, raising his hands. He was about to take action, but Mikhail moved before him.
"Bruce, you better honor your deal! I can't deal with Maximilian alone, but with your team, it's possible!"
Mikhail wasn't just going to sit still and watch his teammates get killed mercilessly. He took a deep breath before howling loudly.
AWOOOOOO!
"Ugh?!"
"W... what?!"
Everyone was startled, taking a step back. Their ears rang repeatedly from the sheer volume of the sound.
It didn't sound like a howl from a human but from a large, threatening beast.
At that moment, Mikhail's body started to transform before their eyes. His flesh began to grow thick, grey fur.
His eyes, originally beady black, turned bright red. His nails grew an inch longer, becoming as sharp as claws.
This was his awakened ability — [Werewolf]!
After a few seconds, Mikhail had completely transformed into a werewolf. His large white teeth flashed threateningly at the three.
"Let them... go...."
In this Werewolf state, his overall strength increased significantly, enhancing his five senses and fighting intuition to the level of a real werewolf.
In human history, werewolves were a terrifying race that once threatened humanity. They were vicious and ate humans indiscriminately.
Their strength far surpassed that of an ordinary human, and the universe also blessed them with great talent for fighting.
They were a fearsome enemy to most middle-level races in the universe.
Of course, in the end, humanity adapted to their methods. In response to the brutal nature of werewolves, humanity used their blood as nourishment, their fur as materials for treasures, and their heads for decoration.
Mikhail moved, and with his long arms, he reached one of Maximilian's teammates easily. He slashed the person in the face.
Woosh!
Before the person, Jarcus, could react, he felt the sharp claws slide across his face. Blood burst from his face, spurting everywhere like a fountain of red wine.
"Ah-ah... ah... ahhhh—!!"
Jarcus took a step back in disbelief. His hands trembled as he tried to stop the blood from gushing any further.
"Die!"
Mikhail raised his claws once more and brought them down on Jarcus's neck like a guillotine, executing him swiftly.
Thak!
Feeling the sharp claws pierce his neck, Jarcus screamed in pain. His body transformed into particles of light, returning to the real world.
The other two, Allain and Allis, felt their hair stand on end from horror. They immediately let go of Mikhail's teammates and ran away.
But they didn't even had the chance to run.
Members of Team 4 got ahold of their bodies, giving Mikhail the opportunity to reach them and eliminate them in one fell swoop.
In under a few seconds, Team 9 was down in only a member left...
"You... brutish, fur-laden, blasphemous troglodyte! How dare you!"
Maximilian's face changed. He could feel that Mikhail's strength was no longer "normal" but in fact...
It was similar to his and Natasha's!
The man in front of him could qualify to be one of the ten strongest students in the class. No, perhaps after this...
There would be eleven strongest students in the class!
Mikhail turned around, gazing at Maximilian. His claws clicked as he growled hoarsely.
"You're... next... Maximilian... Frost.."
From his side, Bruce sized him up. He could feel the man's life force change and improve significantly.
"What a great ability," He praised with a nod. Using his mastery over life force, he could see, or more aptly, sense Mikhail's life force.
The amount and purity of life force were often tied to one's strength. In this case, Mikhail's life force was very pure and plenty.
This change allowed him to cross a "barrier" that ordinary pre-evolutionaries couldn't touch, the realm of geniuses.
But... there was something amiss.
Mikhail's life force was like a bright, exhausted light. It was like a fire that was letting out its last moments of brilliance before vanishing.
Mikhail glanced back at Bruce, seeing the man shamelessly size him up. He and Bruce needed to be quick.
This state only lasts ten minutes and has a cooldown of five minutes.
"Let's team up... against him... what do you say...?"
Ignoring Mikhail, Bruce turned his attention to the Blue Card and spun it around. There was no doubt about it; this card was as real as it gets.
With this card, they were guaranteed to pass this test. They only needed to hide in a safe place and wait until the end of the exam.
He put it in his pocket and looked at Natasha, giving her a nod. He was casual and nonchalant about the whole thing.
Mikhail even doubted that maybe he was cheated by Bruce.
With doubt and confusion clouding his mind, he looked at Bruce and Natasha, waiting for them to act.
As though sensing his gaze, Bruce glanced at him.
"I'm not going to fight."
He waved his hands as he walked away. Mikhail's pupils dilated. Before he could speak, Bruce continued.
"Our leader will handle it, otherwise it would be overkill. I think she's enough. I'd like to join, but my bones are very tired today, sorry."
Certainly, Natasha was enough, but Mikhail was a little unsatisfied. They made a deal, and the man wasn't honoring it "fully" so to speak.
"Are you... cheating me... Bruce...?"
"The deal was to help you guys survive," Bruce shrugged. "As long as none of you guys die or get disqualified from the test, I'm not breaking the deal. Plus, I didn't say I was going to act myself, did I?"
That was true, but... Mikhail was miffed. He saw that Bruce couldn't care less and promptly gave up trying to convince the man.
He was correct. Bruce couldn't care less about fighting... as far as he knew, this battle was as good as done.
'Fighting is tiring.'
Poor, old him didn't get enough sleep and they wanted him to exert his body? Just how shameless can people get...
As for Maximilian, he trusts Natasha to deliver his comeuppance.
Bruce snorted and waved at Penguin and Noah, leaving it to them to protect Mikhail's teammates. As for him...
Under everyone's gaze, he jumped to the branch of a tall tree and leaned against the trunk. He closed his eyes and slept peacefully.
Everyone was stunned, especially Mikhail, who was left speechless.
Although surprised, Natasha didn't waste any more time. She swung her Black Scythe gracefully, gazing at Maximilian.
"Interesting, interesting..."
Maximilian laughed loudly, holding both his shoulders. He swept his arrogant gaze across the field.
"Disrespectful, arrogant, blind, blasphemous, and rude... all of you must be punished for the sin of lacking reverence. Don't blame me for taking advantage of this situation."
Instead of nervousness or fear, Maximilian was calm. There was even a trace of excitement in his smile.
It was as if he found delight in his hopeless situation.
"The Frost Clan is one of the strongest clans on the planet, and our history precedes even the Star Lord. Our clan, known as Dragon Guardians from afar, can control elements from birth but in exchange carry a heavy curse. From our very birth, we were told..."
Maximilian rolled up his sleeves, letting frosty hail gather around his body. He was controlling ice to gather around him!
"That we can only grow stronger when we overcome hopeless situations. Otherwise, we cannot advance any further."
The hail of ice swirled around him, making him look like a paragon of frost. He looked at Natasha and Mikhail.
"Let's enjoy this fight as I slaughter all of you."
Natasha frowned, feeling slightly uneasy. He was strong. But she glanced at Bruce and saw that he was fast asleep.
She sighed in relief. Perhaps she noticed or not, but she felt calm when Bruce was calm as well...
Without wasting any more time, the three of them engaged in battle!