My Werewolf System

Chapter 1819  Tower Land

Unzoku continued to run, his powerful legs eating up the distance as he moved further and further across the vast, open fields. He stayed away from the highways and the light of civilization, moving with a speed that made him a mere blur to the world.

A few late-night drivers in their cars might have caught a glimpse of something moving in the darkness, a shadow flickering at the edge of their headlights, but they simply believed it was their imagination playing tricks on them. One second the shape was there, and the next it had vanished into the tall grass. Since the deep night sky was out anyway, it was almost impossible for any human eye to track his progress.

Finally, Unzoku began to slow his pace. He had reached his destination. He transitioned from a sprint to a heavy, rhythmic walk as he approached a large, rusted banner that hung over a collapsed perimeter. The metal was pitted with age, but the faded letters still clearly read the words: Tower Land.

The sign looked as if it hadnʼt been touched or maintained in years, and that was because it hadnʼt. This abandoned theme park had been Unzoku’s main base of operations for the longest time; it was practically where he had been living in secret. It was the perfect location for several strategic reasons. Theme parks were generally built far away from other types of construction due to the immense noise and the heavy traffic they would cause during their peak years.

Furthermore, Tower Land had been built on cheap, undesirable land in the middle of nowhere to save on initial startup costs. Now that the park was a derelict ruin, there was no reason for people to wander out this way. It wasnʼt a place that anyone would just stumble upon by accident while traveling.

Why was it abandoned in the first place? There had apparently been many inexplicable issues with the land itself, problems that had caused many of the complex rides to malfunction. Strange, earthquake-like tremors and deep underground troubles constantly hit the park, rattling the foundations of the structures. Eventually, the operating company decided it was best to just cut their losses and walk away. It had always been a strange case, because all the professional geological assessments had been done on the theme park before it opened, and the park had run just fine for its first few years before the ”earthquakes” began.

As Unzoku walked through the sprawling, overgrown land, the presence of his brood was everywhere. Glutton Werewolves were perched in various places throughout the park. Some of them were hanging around on top of the rusted roller coaster structures. Others sat atop the large arcade buildings, surrounded by various machines that had long since lost their power, or crouched on the sagging roofs of the haunted houses.

There were even a few dead human bodies scattered about, though not in large numbers. These were the remains of those who had wandered too close—the urban explorers or those who ventured out hoping to film the abandoned theme park for their videos, only to find a nightmare waiting in the shadows.

Eventually, Unzoku reached one of the centerpieces of the park, a large fountain that sat before a massive, crumbling structure. Here, he had taken his seat within the large castle that had been built for the park’s theme. Unlike other theme parks that focused on fairy tales, this one was centered around a castle that belonged to a legendary Villain. Because the villain was a monster, the throne was designed to be demonic-looking and extremely large, which made it the perfect size for Unzoku to sit down on in his state.

Maybe that was why the place had somewhat attracted him in the first place. While he sat there, brooding on his recent defeat, a few of the Gluttons approached him. They were dragging people by their feet across the cracked pavement. Just by seeing them and smelling the scent of their blood, Unzoku could tell what they were already.

“You’ve brought more Altered,” Unzoku said, his voice a low, echoing rumble. “I guess youʼre still following my orders for now. It seems that you are still affected by my powers, but if the others have found a way on how to stop my influence, then there is really only one person that I can rely on.”

Unzoku stood up from his dark throne, the movement fluid and predatory. He pushed a nearby Glutton off to the side with a casual shove and picked up one of the Altered off the ground himself. He opened his jaws, which extended far past their natural anatomical point, and then crunched down. He bit down through a fifth of the Human Altered’s body in a single, sickening go.

“I need to heal, and I need to get stronger!” Unzoku growled through a mouthful of flesh. He continued to crunch down, consuming the Altered with a savage hunger.

Right after finishing the first one, he reached for the other Altered lying on the floor and began to consume it in the exact same way. Two Altered had been consumed within minutes, but due to the level of his current injuries and the power he had expended, it hadnʼt done much for Unzoku’s recovery.

“More... I need more than this,” Unzoku said, his eyes turning toward the Glutton that stood nearby. “There’s a chance I’m going to lose control of all of you, right? If that’s the case, then I better make the most of it while I still can!”

Unzoku reached out and grabbed the Glutton by the throat. With a single, brutal bite, he tore the individualʼs head clean off. He continued to eat, and when he was done with those immediately around him, he had come up with his own answer to the rebellion of the other werewolves.

“I’ll just kill everyone myself! All of you... come to me!”

Unzoku stomped his foot on the ground, the impact cracking the concrete around the fountain. He lifted his head up into the air, the familiar red mist swirling violently around his body and his eyes glowing with a renewed, manic intensity. He let out a deafening yell into the night sky.

“GRAHHHHKKK!!!”

It was a deep, primal growl that shook all of the heavy machinery and rusted rides in the area. The sound traveled far and wide across the empty fields. Even if the physical cry wasnʼt heard by human ears, the psychic order within it was unmistakable. Every Glutton Werewolf in the country felt the pull. They turned away from their current paths and began heading toward a single spot: Tower Land.

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