Bullying Dogs

What just happened?

Austin was so stunned that his brain experienced a momentary short circuit.

One moment, he saw Eris flipping the coin. Another moment, he saw she was already standing in front of Wilston, delivering a powerful punch directly to his face that sent him hurtling away. It was as if she had teleported and her fist was holding an invisible giant hammer. 

Is this the true strength of a demoness? 

A man whose height was like a giant and looked imposing was reduced to nothing by a petite girl. Eris barely reached Wilston's chest, yet, she effortlessly overwhelmed him.

Other than that, he also noticed something peculiar about Eris. It was her decisive nature. She didn't hesitate or wait for her opponent to complete their transformation; instead, she went straight for the kill!

In most fictional tales, protagonists spend hours engaging in conversations with their opponents, patiently waiting for their opponent's transformation process to complete. 

However, to him, this seemed utterly absurd – a foolish decision. Why wait for your opponent to finish their transformation when you can finish them off much earlier?

And Eris had exactly accomplished what he wished to yell at every shounen protagonist, especially that one with the golden-yellow hair.

She waited for no one, finishing her opponents before they could reach their peak strength. This was precisely what every shounen protagonist lacked – common sense!

From the looks of it, Wilston seemed caught off guard too by her decisiveness. Perhaps, he never expected Eris to throw a punch at him so abruptly in the middle of his transformation. 

"Father, I'm going to avenge you!" Taylor's shout snapped Austin back to reality.

He saw Taylor's body had gradually gone for transformation too and was trying to sneak attack Eris.

Without hesitation, Austin rushed from his position, delivering a swift low kick when he closed the distance. "This isn't a movie. Quit announcing your intentions before attacking someone."

Crack!

Austin heard a crisp, cracking sound emanating from Taylor's knee. Almost immediately, Taylor tumbled and fell to one knee, visibly in extreme pain.

"So weak?" He couldn't help but call out.

His low kick was delivered on instinct, but he never anticipated that Taylor's bone would break from just a single kick.

"Ahhhhh! Ahwooo!!" Taylor's cries shifted midway into a howl as his head finally transformed into that of a wolf.

He hadn't had the opportunity to witness Wilston's transformation earlier, as it was interrupted by Eris and sent him far beyond his line of sight. However, now he finally glimpsed what a werewolf looked like. Well, calling it one-fifth of a werewolf might be the precise way to describe it.

After all, from the neck down, Taylor's body remained human.

It was only his head that had undergone a complete change. It looked honestly weird, with a wolf head atop a human body. It reminded him of a similar anime character, but with a wild boar head instead.

Currently, tears streamed from Taylor's wolf eyes, a sign of deep pain.

"Stupid dog! You shouldn't have gone for the head if you get harmed in the lower part. Wolves are known for their regenerative ability and durability. If you had transformed the lower part first, I wouldn't have been able to break your knee so easily, and you wouldn't be in as much pain now," Austin scolded.

"Awo!! Awoooo!" 

"Quit howling so loud; you're hurting my ears." Austin slapped Taylor's head a few times until he whimpered. "Wuwuwu."

"Just speak in human language. I can't understand your words."

"They can't speak human language." It was unknown when Eris had arrived beside him. Her voice startled him a bit.

"Why?" Austin looked at her curiously.

"I don't know the details, but it's similar to how why animals can't talk like humans. Humans have a unique voice box that allows them to produce a wide range of sounds. But most animals' voice boxes are simpler, which limits the sounds they can make. When a werewolf transforms into their wolf form, their body structure also changes to that of an animal, causing them to lose some human abilities, including the ability to speak like humans." Eris explained.

"So, I was just wasting my breath earlier talking to him?"

"They're only losing the ability to speak, not to listen," Eris shot him a scornful glance.

"I'm just kidding," Austin chuckled dryly.

"In addition, not all werewolves are unable to talk like humans. Those with better bloodlines naturally possess the ability to produce soundwaves. Through these soundwaves, they can imitate a human's voice. So, if this guy can't speak, he must have revealed all we needed to know about his lineage. A trash lineage," Eris ridiculed sharply.

"AWOOO!!!" A loud howl echoed from the direction Wilston had flown.

When Austin turned toward it, he saw Wilston had risen to his feet and now glared resentfully at them, letting out another howl.

His howl seems to carry a message: "Who gives you the right to criticize my lineage like that?!"

In contrast to Taylor's incomplete transformation, Wilston had fully embraced his wolf form. No remnants of his human self remained; instead, he was entirely covered in sleek grey fur.

From pointed ears to sharp teeth, a wolf's nose, piercing eyes, and long arms and legs, his appearance was undeniably 'intimidating.'

Despite the threatening scene, Eris merely snorted and commented, "Hmph! What a showoff idiot."

In his wolf form, Wilston's heightened senses took a leap to the next level, allowing him to pick up sounds from several kilometers away. So, when Eris mocked him, every word reached his ears with crystal clarity.

His howl abruptly ceased as his boiling rage overwhelmed him, prompting an immediate rush on all fours towards her. With his long limbs, he closed the distance in mere seconds.

As he prepared to unleash a lethal swipe of his claws, an overwhelming wave of dizziness suddenly engulfed him. This not only thwarted his attempt to launch an attack but also sent his body tumbling frantically to the ground.

Bam!

Austin watched the colossal wolf, poised to unleash its claws upon them, unexpectedly collapsing.

In disbelief, he watched Wilston attempt to howl and regain his footing, only to fail repeatedly with each effort.

"What's going on?" Austin turned to Eris in puzzlement.

"He's been poisoned," Eris replied bluntly.

"Poisoned?" Austin mulled over her words as he continued to watch Wilston's comical performance. The man repeatedly rose and fell, resembling a drunken person. 

"Idiot. Doesn't know when to surrender. Overestimates himself. It just goes to show that age doesn't necessarily come with wisdom," Eris remarked coldly. She then began to flap her hands, conjuring what seemed like a small tornado, its height reaching up to six meters and its diameter stretching to two meters.

The small tornado instantly enveloped Wilston, its swirling force lifting him off the ground. In its grasp, he became like a ragdoll, tossed around in the vortex as if being toyed with by an invisible force. 

"Awoo-"

Whoosh~

"Awo-"

Whoosh~

"Aw-"

Whoosh~

The howling winds drowned out any sounds of resistance as the tornado carried him through the air.

After about half a minute, the winds around the tornado began to subside, causing it to die down. As a result, Wilston's once-hovering body lost its support and plummeted straight to the ground below.

His fur-covered body bore numerous scratches and injuries, blood seeping from the wounds caused by the sharp winds. Gradually, his colossal form began to shrink, followed by his fur receding. Eris swiftly tore a shirt from Taylor's body and tossed it to Wilston.

She then dusted her hands as if just taking out trash.

"Was that your bloodline ability?" Austin asked in shock.

[A/N: I changed the term 'Characteristic' to 'Bloodline' as I found the latter more fitting.]

Eris nodded her head after a moment of hesitation.

"That's amazing," Austin exclaimed, offering genuine praise as he gave her a thumbs-up with both hands. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy for her ability. He wondered when he would finally complete his morphing, awaken his bloodline, and develop a set of abilities unique to him.

Eris nodded again and responded, "You'll possess your own bloodline ability too."

"Yup, if we're going by my track record, I should acquire a new rune today and the remaining three over the next three days. So, in total, just four more days of waiting," Austin answered with a smile.

However, in response to his sincere reply, Eris's mouth involuntarily twitched, and for some reason, her heart ached. 

All the joy she derived from bullying the dog now evaporated with Austin's words.

She gazed at Austin with a complicated expression, sighed to herself, and then shook her head. All of this occurred in silence.

Austin felt bewildered when he noticed her peculiar stare and headshake. 'Is there something wrong with my words?' he wondered.

"Let's go; we should report the matter to my young miss," Eris stated calmly.

"What about these guys?" Austin pointed at the nearby Taylor and Wilston who had passed out. 

"Don't worry about them. I've already injected them with my poison. They won't be able to move for a while," Eris answered dismissively.

Austin nodded and started to follow her. As he did, something from their earlier conversation crossed his mind.

"Your excuse about Alysia watching anime is a really clever idea. They looked so pissed off," Austin remarked.

"What excuse? It's the truth," Eris shrugged.

Austin immediately paused and said helplessly, "You never viewed them to be important guests since the very beginning, aren't you?" 

"What do you think?" Eris tilted her head and revealed a cold smile. "Those dogs think highly of themselves. They must think my young miss and I were just exiled demons from the Infernal Realm and seeing us as weak prey. If we really reach for cooperation, they'd definitely keep pulling strings behind our backs. So, why should we keep such disgusting people on our side? Not to mention, their skills were really subpar. Look, you even beat one of them, and it was their Alpha. It must mean their pack's strength was nothing more than cannonfodder." 

As Austin and Eris continued their conversation during their walk, Austin finally learned the reason why Alysia had been watching anime.

"After the day you introduced her to a Japanese term, she's become somewhat obsessed with their culture. She even spent almost half a day watching this particular anime."

"Oh? What's the anime Alysia watched?" Austin said curiously.

"If I remember correctly, it's called Middleschool xD."