12 Culprits
Lazar was divided between hurrying to prevent the couple from being killed before his arrival and his instinct shouting him to act with caution. He was going to attack a group of monsters for the first time after all, 'I have to start taking risks. It's my best chance to understand what happened.'
The situation was taking a bad turn. The couple was slower than their pursuers who were only twenty yards from them. Lazar was running as fast as he could too, but it wasn't enough to catch up with the monsters, he was even left behind.
He was barely 1 kilometer from his home and therefore knew the surroundings like his pocket. The chase had led Lazar to a neighborhood full of apartment buildings glued together, he knew this place only too well. He was arrested once here.
Normally it was very easy for him to sow the police. He could no longer count the number of obese police officers who tried to chase him when he was younger.
He had come to believe that when they entered the police they were given the choice between donuts every day and fighting crime, 'Obviously many had chosen the donuts.'
The reason he was arrested here was that he didn't foresee that there would be so many dead ends in the neighborhood. Visibly, this couple hadn't anticipated it either.
Lazar noticed in front of him that the man was leading the woman down a path between 2 buildings, 'He just made a mistake that will surely be fatal.' According to Lazar's memories, there was a dead-end on this path.
The couple was closely followed by the monsters as they rushed into the passage. Lazar no longer had any visibility of what was going on but he knew that maybe the fight was going to start in the next few seconds.
He wasn't convinced that the monsters were unaware of his presence. His life was more important than the information he needed, so he took precautions before entering the passage. He moved away from the sidewalk which was directly connected to the passage, he intended to enter it by passing by the road. This left him full visibility at 10 yards from the entrance of it.
When he reached it he was only half surprised by what he saw.
He wasn't only awaited by the 7 monsters but also by the man and the woman who both greeted him with a big smile.
It was confusing...
The passage was thirty yards long and ended in a dead-end as he had planned.
If they wanted to maximize their chances of killing him, their best option was to wait for him in the blind spot at the entrance to the passage.
'It's just a game for them.'
Instead, they were all waiting for him in the middle of the way.
Now that he could see them from the front and given what was going on, he understood what these monsters were.
There is nothing monstrous about them as long as you don't look at their legs, arms, and heads.
'It's like an approximate bipedal version of a wolf.'
Their legs and arms were similar to those of humans but were also covered with fur and their head looked completely like that of a wolf, the rest of their bodies were totally human... and naked.
Their specificities didn't stop at characteristics similar to those of wolves.
Their bodies looked much more robust than those of humans, their eyes were red and their claws, whether on their feet or hands, were much longer than any wolves that Lazar saw in his life.
'They seem more like wanting to have fun with me than anything else, let's try to make them talk. I don't want to waste my time for nothing.'
"I told myself that you couldn't be werewolves but that you weren't far from it. I was right."
The young 'man' behind the other monsters groaned in their direction which had the effect of calming them.
They didn't seem to be able to completely control themselves in this form.
Lazar wasn't sure of the role of the 'woman', she looked rather young too, but seeing her bossy posture, he had the feeling she was the leader.
The fact that she was the one who answered him further confirmed his judgment.
She looked particularly playful at Lazar's remark.
"I told you this man was interesting Leo."
'I don't know what the monsters all have with me. None of them take me for a threat when they see me, it gets annoying...'
"Wait a bit before making any conclusions, he could bluff."
Lazar successively pointed to one of the male monsters.
"Ganipote."
Then one of the female monsters.
"Garache."
This action had the effect of triggering the laughter of the 'woman'.
"Ah ah ah ah! You see! I was right to choose him!"
'They must have noticed me for a while and set a trap for me.'
Oddly he saw a tinge of respect in the eyes of the couple, as well as those of the monsters.
"I am honored that you know who we are!"
"The honor is not shared, you seem to forget that we are enemies."
The hostility of the monsters immediately returned. They were even starting to slowly approach Lazar.
The eyes of the man who had just spoken to him took an orange tint.
'He is transforming into a Ganipote.'
His clothes started to tear, thicker fur grew in the same places as the other monsters as well as claws more impressive than them.
"He disrespected the pack! Give us the order Diane!"
They all seemed to be about to rush to Lazar and yet he didn't put himself in a position to fight.
He was convinced that they would do nothing.
'Fortunately, their boss doesn't seem as touchy as they are.'
"Stop it now."
'She didn't even have to raise her voice. This Diane knows how to manage them, I can grant her that.'
The enraged wolves had become obedient puppies in less than a second, Leo had already regained his human form.
"I'm afraid I didn't catch your name?"
"It doesn't matter."
Lazar thought that the members of 'the pack' were going to threaten him again, but it seemed that since their leader had taken charge, they dared not do anything.
"We don't have to be enemies, we could even become allies."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I like you, so I'm going to make you an offer."
She turned to the others.
"Does everyone agree to get him into the pack?"
'I'm afraid to understand what she is asking them...'
The whole pack started to bow their heads in unison, Lazar took that for a sign of approval. All agreed.
Except one.
"I know that the other packs are gaining power by transforming humans in mass, but Diane, don't you think we should choose our recruits with more... criteria?"
He finished his sentence, looking at Lazar up and down.
'I am dreaming or he is using a roundabout way to call me weak? If he had insulted me directly I wouldn't have cared, but the fact that a fucking monster doesn't want to hurt my feelings is really humiliating.'
Then Leo's first sentence came back to his mind.
'Several packs, huh? I was surprised that 9 individuals could have submerged as many people so I thought it was a group of isolated monsters. But if it was a coordinated attack with several packs, then that changes everything, I may have found some of the culprits...'
Lazar kept a calm face on the surface but anger was already at its peak in him.
"You're wrong about him Leo, look at him! He didn't even piss himself when he found himself face to face with us. It's already better than 99% of humans that we could have crossed."
"Yes but on the other hand he doesn't look very smart, he fell into our trap after all."
'You won't have a sweet death, Leo.'
"I noticed from the start that you didn't have weapons in your hands unlike humans, I had my doubts about you as soon as I saw you, it's just that I chose to take the risk anyway."
"But..."
"Don't tire yourself Leo, you don't have any other arguments, that's how it is every time another male joins the pack. That's decided! He will become one of us if he agrees."
'They want to ask me my opinion for once? Unexpected.'
"Before we get there, I have two questions."
"I'll answer them, but just know a little thing before. We know how fast you are, don't hope to run away with such pitiful speed. Either you become one of us, or you die."
She told him all of this while displaying an anything but reassuring smile.
'Finally, you show your true face.'
"I want to know if you are responsible for everything that happened in town and if you have transformed people from the first attack?"
Diane looked quite puzzled but still answered Lazzar with a tone that seemed honest to him.
Anyway, what interest she had in lying to him by saying that.
"Yes, all the packs attacked all over the city at the same time."
It was enough for Lazar to decide to kill them all but she didn't stop there.
"As for humans, it was only since last night that some packs began to transform them. Before that, we killed everyone else and we ate them."
'They...'
Diane would have done better to lie.
She didn't know what kind of monster Lazar could become when he was out of control.
She misunderstood the expression on his face for joy.
In reality, the grim smile he had on his face just expressed an uncontrollable desire to cut everything in front of him.
When she approached him to warmly welcome him to their family and noticed the state of mind in which he was actually, it was too late.
She had never seen someone more frightening than him in her entire long life and remained frozen.
She was already overwhelmed by his expression, but she would have preferred to be already dead when she heard him speak.
"I'm going to slaughter every individual of your kind rotten to the bone. Do you know why?"
Lazar was already holding his blade to make a horizontal Energy Slash.
By rushing into such a narrow passage they had made a serious mistake. He only had to aim in front of him.
Seeing that their pack leader was in distress, the others Ganipotes and Garaches rushed towards Lazar.
It could have helped if it had been 3 seconds earlier.
"Because you have allowed yourself to eat one of the only people in this world for whom I would be able to do the worst things."
No one could stop him anymore.
"ENERGY SLASH!"
The blue of the Slash mixed with the blood of everything in front of Lazar, they had neither the time nor the opportunity to dodge.
None of the Ganipotes and Garaches could even slow down the Energy Slash in his race, even the leader of the pack.
❗ [You have eliminated a beta Barache (E ★★★☆☆)] ❗
❗ [150 experience points obtained] ❗
❗ [You have eliminated an omega Barache (E ★★☆☆☆)] ❗
❗ [75 experience points obtained] ❗
❗ [Your level has increased, level 2➞3] ❗
❗ [You have eliminated an omega Ganipote (E ★★☆☆☆)] ❗
❗ [75 experience points obtained] ❗
❗ [You have eliminated an omega Ganipote (E ★★☆☆☆)] ❗
❗ [75 experience points obtained] ❗
❗ [You have eliminated an omega Barache (E ★★☆☆☆)] ❗
❗ [75 experience points obtained] ❗
❗ [You have eliminated an omega Ganipote (E ★★☆☆☆)] ❗
❗ [75 experience points obtained] ❗
They were all killed instantly and bathed in their gut and blood.
The others would also be dead if Lazar's skill hadn't dissipated by itself after 15 yards.
So he approached the bottom of the dead end, without hurrying, he wanted to savor the moment.
There remained only Leo and two other Ganipotes that were torn between extreme fear and extreme anger.
"I SWEAR ON MY LIFE THAT I'M GOING TO KILL YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
Leo had completely transformed since.
Seeing that again a blue aura was on the blade of Lazar he held before him the other 2 survivors who were supposed to be his comrades and used them as a shield to protect himself while rushing towards him.
No matter how they scratch Leo's flesh and struggle, he didn't let go waiting for Lazar to launch his attack.
he had to take revenge on the one who had just killed his beloved.
"ENERGY SLASH!"
The two remaining monsters were cut like the others, but Leo was more resistant to the Energy Slash.
❗ [You have eliminated an omega Ganipote (E ★★☆☆☆)] ❗
❗ [75 experience points obtained] ❗
❗ [You have eliminated an omega Ganipote (E ★★☆☆☆)] ❗
❗ [75 experience points obtained] ❗
Nevertheless, the attack had crushed him against the dead-end wall and had broken his entire rib cage. He died like the others.
❗ [You have eliminated a beta Ganipote (E ★★★☆☆)] ❗
❗ [150 experience points obtained] ❗
❗ [Your level has increased, level 3➞4] ❗
