The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 1762: Hunting the Hunter (1)

This development was hardly surprising for a being who identified himself as a werewolf hunter.

Up to this moment, Stelios had demonstrated a flawless execution of his strategy.

His preparation accounted for every fundamental element of battling Werewolves, and his proficiency was undeniable. He had coated his entire form in pure enchanted silver—the most potent variety Rex had ever encountered—and initiated the confrontation during daylight when Werewolves are at their most vulnerable. He further crippled his foe by suppressing regeneration with his halo and distracted him by taking a precious person hostage.

Every tactic was meticulously designed to ensure the tides of combat favored him.

A hunter has no interest in fair play.

The only objective is to conclude the hunt with maximum efficiency.

It was only natural that he had also devised a way to neutralize a Werewolf’s rage.

Long before the Lunirich Gods exerted their power, the raw strength of a Werewolf originated from a single, chaotic wellspring: fury. To extinguish that anger was equivalent to severing the moon itself, as it meant destroying the very essence of what defined a Werewolf.

As a professional Werewolf Hunter, accounting for this factor was a vital component of a guaranteed kill.

With his vast centuries of experience, Stelios undoubtedly possessed a method to handle it.

"What is the matter?" Stelios asked, his voice a manic cackle filled with disdain as a golden light radiated from his eyes. He sensed Rex’s strength failing as the six feathered wings acted like a vacuum, draining his fury. "Are you feeling the weight of defeat already?!"

Thrilled by the sudden change in momentum, Stelios mocked Rex with his own words.

Swish—!

Under his control, the wings intensified their absorption of the anger.

The pull was so violent that Rex’s physical form began to contract toward his human proportions.

Since his massive size was fueled by his rising rage, the lack of that emotional fuel caused him to shrink.

Bam—!

Executing a somersault, Stelios drove a kick directly into Rex’s chin, launching him into the air.

Though his chest heaved with exhaustion, the hunter did not let the advantage slip away.

Two holy knives materialized in his grip, elongated and exceptionally sharp.

Moving like a whirlwind of steel, he became a blurred streak of radiance, slashing and stabbing repeatedly. Blood splattered across the ground. Rex's injuries closed with agonizing slowness, as the enchanted silver acted as a toxin within his Meridians, hindering the usual Werewolf healing.

The tips of the six wings turned a dark shade of crimson, gorging themselves on Rex's fury.

A claw swiped through the air in a desperate defense.

Stelios ducked, holy energy surging through the blade in his right hand as he lunged upward.

A burning arc of light traced a path from hip to throat.

Rex managed to jerk backward just in time.

A split second later, and the blade would have sliced his neck wide open.

Grinding his teeth, Rex attempted a counterattack, but he was caught off guard by a sudden lunge from the wings.

Four of them extended forward, their ends sharpening into lethal points.

Rex managed to grab two of the wings, but the remaining two pierced deep into his abdomen, sinking in until his muscles tightened like stone. Stelios showed no mercy; he heaved upward, lifting Rex off the earth and into the shimmering golden sky.

Each wing acted as a conduit, pumping pure enchanted silver directly into Rex’s system.

The sensation was pure agony.

"Krrgghkk!"

Witnessing Rex’s suffering brought a laugh to Stelios’ lips, sensing that his victory was nearly complete.

Even if the path had been slightly diverted, the result remained as he had envisioned.

He would successfully conclude his final hunt, harvest Rex’s fangs, and forge them into a new weapon.

"Once you are gone, my destiny will finally be fulfilled!" Stelios shouted, flooding Rex’s body with holy energy as blood ran down the wings and fell to the earth below. "Observe this, First Light! I have finished the duty you assigned! With this act... I am finally liberated!"

"Huargghk!" Rex spat out a spray of blood.

Rex gripped the wings impaling him, the sound of his claws against them resembling steel striking rock. He attempted to manifest his law power to destroy the wings and escape, but it was futile. No matter his effort, the wings remained fixed. Worse yet, he felt his strength evaporating as his anger was siphoned away.

His window for escape was closing rapidly.

<Notice: All physical attributes are in a state of gradual decline!>

<Warning: High levels of pure enchanted silver detected within the host's body!>

<Muscles are failing. Skeletal structure is weakening. Blood is becoming toxified.>

<Continued exposure will result in death!>

Even without access to the system interface, Stelios could see Rex was fading.

The sluggishness of Rex’s Cultivation-based healing was proof enough.

However, unknown to the hunter, the situation was far more complex.

He was still evaluating Rex by the standards of a common Werewolf.

Any other member of the species would have perished long ago under such calculated preparations. Not even the high-ranking royalties could endure this. But Rex was not, and had never been, a standard Werewolf.

That was the fundamental flaw in Stelios’ logic.

At this moment, he wasn't even battling the true Rex.

Instead, he was fighting a fragment of Rex—a shadow preserved within the confines of this trial.

He was facing the Invincible Apparition.

The real Rex had evolved, carrying the burden of his violent history toward a future without slaughter. However, the Invincible Apparition was a relic of the past.

It was a fossilized moment, frozen when his emotional wounds were most raw.

It was trapped in that unforgettable night of tragedy.

Consequently, its rage had never faded—it had only compressed, becoming colder and more concentrated.

It was an eternal malice that could never be satisfied.

Naturally, such anger possessed no ceiling.

Boom!

Stelios shielded his face as Rex’s body erupted with a fresh surge of power.

He watched in shock as Rex’s size increased once more, returning to his previous towering height.

Rex’s grip tightened around the wings, beginning to exert a force that overwhelmed them.

"H-How...?" Stelios gasped, his eyes wide with a mixture of frustration and fury. "How? How? How?! How can he still resist?! This shouldn't be possible... It's impossible! No Werewolf can endure this amount of trauma, none!!"

By all rights, Rex should have been forced to surrender.

The damage he had sustained was enough to kill a Royal Werewolf ten times over.

Yet, he continued to push forward.

He continued to struggle.

The fire in his eyes remained undimmed, as if he were certain of nothing but his own eventual triumph.

'The energy from the sacrifices is gone... My holy and life reserves are spent; I cannot even revert to my Archangel form since the Knife of Judgment was used. My armor is failing,' Stelios thought, maintaining a steady gaze even as cold sweat trickled down his temple. 'Even the Vambrace of the Hunter is losing its grip. My wings are all I have left...'

It was then that the cold reality dawned on Stelios, sharper than any blade.

He watched Rex, who was systematically pulling the wings out of his own body, still radiating power.

For the first time in his existence, a crack formed in Stelios’ resolve.

'I... I cannot... win?'

Though the thought surfaced, he refused to accept it—he wasn't prepared for failure.

"RAARGGHK!!"

Stelios pushed the Vambrace of the Hunter—the golden bracers set with blood-red gems—to their absolute limit. His wings reacted, drawing even more of Rex’s rage, causing the Werewolf’s body to shudder under the strain.

Yet, through gritted teeth, Rex forced his head down and tore himself free from the wings.

Crack—!

Stelios felt his breath hitch as Rex broke away and crashed to the ground.

Instinctively, the hunter retreated a step as Rex looked up.

Though his body was riddled with holes, they were closing at a terrifying speed, faster than before, as Rex’s body absorbed the surrounding Qi to fuel his regeneration. Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Every second felt like an eternity.

Stelios stumbled in a moment of panic, and as time resumed its pace, Rex vanished.

Crack—!

Rex reappeared with a burst of velocity and struck, flooding his claws with concentrated energy.

The attack was intercepted by a wing, but the limb shattered upon contact.

A structure that was once as durable as the holy energy of its master was now as brittle as glass.

A raw scream escaped Stelios as he pushed the Vambrace of the Hunter again, utilizing his five remaining wings. Having a wing destroyed was a catastrophic failure for an Archangel like himself, and it pushed him over the edge of sanity.

One wing descended like a glowing blade as Rex lunged forward on all fours like a beast.

However, a golden halo appeared, intercepting the strike.

Rex charged his claws with energy once more and slashed.

Another wing was reduced to splinters.

Shards of light filled the air, but Rex didn't hesitate, pressing the attack through the debris.

Passing through the cloud of light, he saw Stelios coughing up blood.

It was clear now that the hunter was physically linked to his wings.

Swoosh—!

Rex leaped, but suddenly dropped to his knees as the suction on his anger became overwhelming.

The delay lasted only a moment as even more wrath bubbled up from his Dantian, cloaking him in a dark red aura. He lunged again, shattering a third wing and sending Stelios reeling.

With only three wings left, Stelios was visibly off-balance, leaning heavily to one side.

A familiar scent hit Rex’s nostrils.

Panic. Fear. Desperation. It was a delicious aroma that his heightened senses relished.

It brought a dark smile to his face.

"Stay back!"

Stelios kicked Rex in the chest to create distance.

Though he couldn't fathom losing, survival had become his priority.

As long as he lived, he could recover.

But before he could flee, he slammed into a golden halo that blocked his path.

It wasn't his own.

It was Rex’s Soul Artifact.

Crash—!

"Kyaaarghkk!!"

Stelios shrieked in pain as Rex destroyed another wing, leaving him with only two.

Trapped and desperate, Stelios tried to maneuver, his remaining wings flapping wildly as he sought a way around the golden halo. But the artifact tracked his every move like a sentient predator, cutting off all routes.

Close behind, Rex approached.

His movements were slow and heavy.

A limp showed the severity of his wounds, but with every step, his resolve hardened, his pained posture shifting into that of a relentless hunter. With a final leap, Rex pinned Stelios by the chest and grabbed the last two wings.

Rex's muscles swelled as Stelios’ screams intensified.

Rex’s eyes burned with a crimson fire.

A primal roar erupted from his lungs as he gripped the final wings and ripped them out by the roots.

The act triggered a massive explosion of holy energy that swept across the battlefield.

Stripped of his wings, Stelios appeared more like a broken human than a divine being.

Rex bared his teeth and reached out to finish the life of his enemy, but his hand met only empty air as Stelios dissolved into light and reappeared a short distance away. Before Rex could move, three daggers pierced his chest, forcing him back to his knees.

His exhausted body was once again pushed to its limit.

On the other side, Stelios collapsed as well, his form covered in blood.

He glared at Rex with pure hatred and plunged his hand into his own chest, pulling out a sphere of radiant light.

"You wretched beast... if I am to fall, I am taking you with me!"

Boom—!

A pillar of light pierced the golden sky, and within the brilliance, glowing silhouettes began to descend.

Rex's eyes narrowed at the sight.

Aooouu—!