The Substitute Luna (Alpha King)

In the recesses of history that now lie in the mists of time, there is a magnificent and mysterious period known as the Middle Ages. This period, covering roughly the 5th to 15th centuries takes us to a different world, where life and civilization flourished under the shadow of castles and tall towers.

Long ago, in a world full of magic and diversity, four distinct races - Humans, Vampires, Werewolves, and Dwarves - lived together in fragile harmony. They share the vast earth peacefully, respecting each other's uniqueness. But, as happens in the timeline of every civilization, that balance cannot last forever.

The war wiped out everything, and that era of harmony became a memory lost among the historical records. Shadows of conflict and tension flash across the horizon. Discord arose from the growing rift between the four races, creeping in slowly like invisible weeds. In 580 AD, the year when the four races isolated themselves from other races, one race considered the other race to be despicable, history could not save harmony between races for 200 years. This period is known as the Age of Alienation.

"Oi, Noah! It's almost time! The full moon is starting to appear, our troops are waiting. When do you want to see the fireplace?" said Arthur while throwing pebbles at Noah.

Noah, who had had enough of staring at the fireplace, got up and spread his arms, preparing to lead the raid into the Kingdom of Elaria with Arthur. "Your people have had a lot of coffee, Arthur?" said Noah.

"We are strong without even eating! Nothing can stop us from taking back what is ours!" Arthur said enthusiastically.

"You human. Remember, our enemies also benefit at night, you know. They can kill a hundred people even if they're sleepy, hahaha," said Noah again.

"Don't be arrogant because you are a Werewolf. Do you want to compete to see who can cut the most vampires?" Arthur challenged.

Noah smiled enthusiastically at Arthur's challenge and clenched his fists. "The one who kills the least treats four casks of ale!" said Noah.

Noah took four steps past where Arthur was standing, steadied his footing, raised his head towards the full moon then let out a loud howl. Noah's pupils, which were originally brown, turned red when he released his howl.

Not long after Noah howled, the forest trees roared violently, and the leaves of the trees whipped violently after being passed by something that was moving incredibly fast. It was so fast, that waves of wind blew hard toward Noah and Arthur along with their movements, but the gusts didn't make them move.

From behind the dense forest, a group of Werewolves emerged, their steps agile and graceful even though their bodies were covered in thick fur. Their every step was full of wild grace, and their eyes glowed blue. "Change, save your energy. We will release our strength with Arthur's troops," Noah ordered hundreds of Werewolves.

Hearing Noah's orders, the Werewolves transformed into their original forms, then they knelt before Noah. "We are ready to accept your orders, King Noah," said one of the Werewolves politely.

"What about our territory?" asked Noah.

"Everything has been taken care of, Your Majesty. The Queen also took part in helping eradicate the intruders," he answered.

Meanwhile, In the spacious throne room, Cedric Klein was sitting relaxed cross-legged on his throne while reading a book accompanied by a cup of Chamomile Tea and the scent of fragrant candles fragrant with flowers placed beautifully around the throne room.

In the midst of solemn reading, a woman came into the throne room to report to Cedric. "Dad, the border guards said they heard loud howls from the east," he explained politely.

Cedric, who heard this news, casually looked forward and closed his book slowly. "It's here, okay? Do your siblings know, Anya?" Cedric asked.

"Yes, Dad. Lillian has moved with our troops, while Thea followed with her troops. Can I come down with you, father?" Anya answered.

Cedric put his right hand forward, Anya quickly grabbed Cedric's hand and kissed it. "We are nobles, Anya. And the favorite task as a noble is selection. Let them finish off the weak enemies, while the rest will be your share," explained Cedric.

After the Age of Alienation had lasted for 200 years, mainland Europe was divided into four regions, four regions separated by the main wind direction, each of which was controlled by one race. One of the four races that inhabit mainland Europe is the Werewolf Race, which controls the Western region of Europe, the Dawnshade Forest.

Under the moonlight obscured by black clouds, a great battle was immediately held in the middle of the wide circular arena, with torches placed in every corner of the arena stands. The arena was filled with crowds and enthusiasm from the spectators who came to watch. At the front of the arena stands, there was a special bench, a bench reserved for the most respected person in the Dawnshade Forest, King Tobias.

The enthusiasm of the audience became even more intense when the King, wearing a Bearskin Coat, arrived, approached a special bench, and stood proudly in front of his people. "The People of Dawnshade! My people who are blessed by divinity! The Unification Ceremony will soon arrive. The time has come for my heir to choose Luna. However! As Leader of the Werewolves, I will prove that my heir is worthy of carrying out the duties as Alpha! Watch! The battle between the best Generals The Kruger Clan is fighting my son! Watch! Proof of Alpha's worthiness!" shouted the King, who was greeted by loud cheers from his people.

After giving his speech, King Tobias began to sit in his chair, preparing to watch his son's eligibility test. The two fighters had entered the Arena, and both of them stood proudly in the right and left corners, preparing to fight with all their strength.

"This is no longer training, son. Your opponent has already had many battles outside of Dawnshade," said Ares, the wolf who resided in Noah's body.

Noah didn't budge and continued to glare at his opponent. "I understand, he is a great opponent. But I can't disappoint my father," said Noah.

"It's true that we shouldn't underestimate our opponents, but even though we lack experience, your strength is above them, because there are two wolves in your body, Noah," said Pandora, the second wolf who inhabited Noah's body.

"Hey, never mind, Pandora! It's not good to fuel this kid's ego. Half of Dawnshade will perish if he can't control his power!" Ares argued.

"Haha, that's true. But it would be good for Noah to show two wolves inside his body so that the Kruger Clan and all the people of Dawnshade can see how strong King Tobias' successor is," said Pandora again.

"What do you mean, Pandora? Noah's condition is something new in the history of Werewolf civilization. The whole of Dawnshade will be in an uproar seeing Noah's uniqueness!" Ares argued again.

The argument between Ares and Pandora made Noah squint loudly, unable to stand the voice that was raging inside him. "Never mind, you two! We have to stay focused on completing this exam!" Noah snapped.

Noah's demeanor, which seemed to be talking to himself, created admiration from the audience, praising how seriously Noah interacted with his wolf. King Tobias is no exception, he knows the complexity of Noah's condition, even though he is a little worried that Noah won't be able to use his great strength. In fact, a Werewolf only has two possibilities after being born, to have one Wolf Soul as a protector or not to have a Wolf at all, in contrast to Noah who was gifted with two Wolves when he was born.

Not wanting to drown in worry, King Tobias stood up again after seeing the two fighters had entered the Arena. "My formidable knight! Come closer!" shouted King Tobias to the two fighters.

Hearing that order, Noah and his opponent started walking towards each other before the fight started. Both fighters bowed before their opponents to show respect. "It's an honor to fight you, Young Master," said a man with a burly build and one foot taller than Noah, the man known as the best general of the Kruger Clan.

Even though Noah is a direct descendant of the Alpha, he still shows respect for his opponent without the slightest hint of arrogance. "It's an honor for me too, Jorgen. Don't hold back just because I'm the son of the Alpha Kruger Clan," said Noah.

"Raise your heads!" shouted King Tobias, who was quickly joined by the two fighters.

"START!"

Both fighters shouted enthusiastically after the battle signal was given. Even though he is still in his human form, Jorgen's body size almost exceeds that of most werewolves. Jorgen's strong legs stomped so hard they cracked the ground he was standing on, he stepped fast to lunge at Noah with his huge physique. Noah, who saw his opponent taking steps, quickly responded to his opponent's movements, galloping fast to lunge at Jorgen. After hitting the ground with several steps, the lunges of the two fighters finally met a lunge that created a wave of wind after the two fighters pitted their physical strength against each other, making the entire Arena shocked to feel the gust of the wave. After their lunges collided, the two fighters grabbed each other's shoulders, clashing with each other's thrusts.

"So strong! This kid doesn't fight just anyone!" Ares said in amazement

"Don't be too amazed, Ares. The battle has only just begun," Pandora said.

The grip on Noah and Jorgen's shoulders was never released before one of them fell. Both of them pushed each other's bodies, but the strength of the two fighters was evenly matched, their pushes collided with each other until the ground they were standing on slowly cracked due to their incredible strength.

Knowing that fighting between forces was pointless because they were evenly matched, Jorgen relaxed his grip and pulled his body, making Noah lose his balance. Jorgen took advantage of this opportunity by throwing a strong punch from his right fist, but Noah's reflexes were very fast, he still had time to put his arms together, parrying Jorgen's hard punch even though he had to be blown away to hit the ground, creating a cloud of dust from the impact of Noah's body.

Some of the spectators in the Sembat Arena gasped when they saw King Tobias' son being knocked down. "Oi, Noah! What are you doing? Are you sleepy?" taunted Pandora after Noah received Jorgen's hard blow.

Noah ignored his wolf's words and prepared to give Jorgen a counterattack. The cloud of dust became momentum which Noah used, in the middle of the cloud he jumped straight quickly from the last point he hit Jorgen, as soon as he entered range, in the middle of the air Noah launched a transverse kick from his right foot at Jorgen, but unfortunately the kick was still able to be blocked by Jorgen with equal strength. at his feet, once again creating a wave of clashes between two equal powers.

It didn't stop there, Noah landed his body and then launched a spinning kick towards Jorgen's right hip, but once again Noah's attack was blocked by a block from Jorgen's left arm. Noah pulled back his leg and then continued with a right hand aimed at Jorgen's head. However, with his dexterity, Jorgen grabbed his head and then changed the target of Noah's attack with a powerful punch, causing their fists to meet and releasing a wave that was bigger than before, the audience was so shocked that they had to cover their faces with their arms because of how hard the wave was hit. Except for King Tobias who smiled proudly seeing that his son could match the best general of the Kruger Clan.

After exchanging fists, the two fighters again maintained their distance while still maintaining their footing. "Battle experience doesn't lie, Jorgen!" praised Noah.

Jorgen smiled as he clenched his fists again. "I only obeyed your request, Young Master. To give everything without holding back. However, that is still a small part of my strength," said Jorgen.

Jorgen's pupils, which were originally brown, turned red, indicating that his wolf had contributed to increasing Jorgen's fighting power. "Noah, he released Aumen! Don't hold back anymore!" Ares exclaimed.

Instead of being afraid, Noah smiled seeing his opponent starting to increase his strength. "Yes, Ares! Please!" Noah asked Ares to help increase his strength.

Aumen is a special ability that Werewolves have in facing battle. Aumen can be carried out with the help of a wolf that resides in the body to channel additional energy to its host, marked by a change in the pupils of the eyes to read. The Werewolf's strength, speed, and reflexes increase greatly in its human form in this phase.

Noah and Jorgen had released Aumen, their combat power had increased greatly, the two red-eyed fighters steadied their footing, waiting for the right momentum to launch an attack.

"SHOW YOUR BEST, JORGEN!"

"FOR YOUR ORDERS, YOUNG MASTER!"

With a lightning movement, Noah launched himself forward, sending a swift hand strike toward Jorgen. However, with the same speed, Jorgen dodged and responded with a counterattack that shook the air. Their bodies seemed to blend into the rhythm of the attacks, creating an exchange of blows so fast that the audience's eyes were almost unable to follow them.

"A-awesome! So this is a fight between the two strongest Werewolves?" said one of the spectators who was amazed watching the fight between Noah and Jorgen.

The two of them exchanged attacks, kicks, and punches, even the ground around the Arena shook to accommodate the heat of this fight.

Noah just smiled as he continued to throw fast punches, revealing tightly clenched teeth, enjoying the flow of the fight against Jorgen who kept dodging and parrying his attacks. Not wanting to be outdone, Jorgen also contributed to the attack after targeting Noah's stomach as the target of his punch. Thanks to his agility, Noah realized the target of Jorgen's attack. After Jorgen delivered a raw punch, Noah took a step back and then launched a leg attack aimed at Jorgen's shoulder.

"Very good! The defense is open!" Ares said happily seeing Noah launch a crushing attack.

The hard kick managed to land on Jorgen's left shoulder, making Jorgen's body slam into the ground hard due to the force of Noah's kick. The ground caught Jorgen's body as it crashed and created a depression. The force of Noah's kick was so strong that it created a clatter that echoed throughout the arena.

Noah smiled while panting for breath after successfully knocking out Jorgen with a crushing attack. "Hah...Hah...It's over, huh?" Noah guessed as he saw Jorgen lying in a depression on the ground.

"WOOOAAAHH so cool, Your Majesty! Even though Jorgen's stature is far above him, Young Master Noah managed to overthrow Jorgen! Our prince is truly great, Your Majesty!" praised happily one of the spectators who was sitting next to King Tobias' throne.

"Hahaha, I'm really amazed at what he can do. However, can he withstand the next one?" said King Tobisa while staring intently at the Battlefield

Even though he had received a heavy attack, Jorgen was still able to revive himself, he immediately jumped out of the depression and regained his footing. Jorgen couldn't leave his calm face, even though his fight against Noah had reached high intensity, leaving several wounds on Jorgen's arms and face.

"You're great, Jorgen. You were still able to survive after receiving my kick!" praised Noah smiling.

Jorgen still smiled calmly as he brushed off the dust on his combat clothing. "You're great too, Young Master. I could lose consciousness if I landed even a little wrong," said Jorgen casually.

Realizing that his opponent was getting up again, Noah clenched his fists again, preparing for the next battle. "How? Can you continue?" Noah asked excitedly.

"I admit, I alone will not be able to defeat the descendant of the Alpha of the Kruger Clan. However, I don't know if he will come down," said Jorgen.

"Hurry, Jorgen! My hands are itchy!" demanded the wolf residing in Jorgen's body.

"Forma! Ivar!"

Not long after Jorgen chanted, dense fur began to grow rapidly all over his body, his fingers elongated and grew sharp nails and Jorgen's appearance changed into a wolf's head with bright red eyes.

Forma, another special ability of the Werewolf, this phase is one level above Aumen. In this phase, physical abilities are increased again and the physical appearance also changes, taking the form of a human body covered with lots of furs and the head-turning into a wolf's head. The body size also increases twice that of its human form, the residing Wolf takes over this form. This is the top ability phase that the Werewolf reaches.

Seeing Jorgen's body which had changed shape and been taken over by Ivar, Noah's fighting spirit became even stronger, he wasn't afraid in the slightest even though his opponent's body size had increased by four feet from Noah's body. "Ho! Forma, huh? Then I don't want to lose either!" exclaimed Noah.

"Forma! Wh-".

"Wait! Not now, Noah!".

"Huh? Why-".

At high speed, Ivar drove towards Noah, who had not had time to discuss it with his wolf. Ivar grabbed Noah's head and then with great force threw Noah towards the Arena wall, causing the Arena wall to crumble after Noah hit him, part of the grandstand area collapsed because the support was destroyed, causing several spectators to fall into the Arena. All the occupants of the stands were shocked when they saw Noah thrown hard by Ivar, including King Tobias.

Noah winced in pain as he rubbed his head, amidst the rubble of the Arena walls. "What's wrong, Ares? Why did you stop me?" Noah asked annoyed.

"I'm sorry, Young Master! I'm not as refined as Jorgen when fighting! It doesn't matter if you're the son of a king or the son of a god, as long as you're in front of me, I'll finish you off!" Ivar challenged arrogantly.

"Did you forget, Noah? My energy is tied to Pandora! If you release Forma, then you know what happens when two wolves take over one body!" Ares said.

With drastically increased speed and strength, Ivar sped towards Noah, parting a cloud of dust and debris. Noah, who realized that Ivar was going to continue his attack, jumped from where he was knocked down, avoiding Ivar's very aggressive attack.

This fight turned out to be unequal, when his opponent had released the Forma, Noah could only survive in the Aumen phase, he could only avoid Ivar's pursuit which was filled with killing intent. Werewolves can be calm in the midst of battle, but it's a different story if their wolf has taken over its host body.

"How is it, Your Majesty? Why doesn't Young Master release Forma? Can he win with just Aumen?" complained one of the spectators beside King Tobias's seat.

The chatter of the audience and what King Tobias witnessed added to his worry. Although he realized that his son's potential could still exceed Ivar's.

The fight continued with Noah continuing to avoid being hit by Ivar, he did not respond to the attacks Ivar gave, even though the longer the fight progressed, the more aggressive Ivar chased.

"What's wrong hey! Where's your enthusiasm from earlier, Alpha Heir?" Ivar quipped as he continued trying to catch Noah.

"Wow, that's insulting. Is it okay if you keep avoiding it like this?" said Pandora.

"Never mind, Pandora! Don't ruin our plans!" Ares snapped.

"Yeah, yeah. I was just kidding, hahaha," said Pandora again.

Noah cleverly jumped and ran to avoid Ivar. In the middle of the air, Ivar finally managed to grab Noah's leg, then quickly slammed Noah's body to the ground.

It didn't stop there, Ivar landed where Noah had fallen, throwing a series of punches at Noah who had just fallen from a height. Without mercy and compassion, Ivar's big hand continued to land blows on Noah's face, until the ground shook along with the flow of Ivar's punches. The audience gasped in horror at how brutally Ivar launched his attack.

Once satisfied, Ivar's series of punches stopped, leaving Noah lying with his face covered in blood. "Hahahaha! How fun! This is what it feels like to beat up a King's child! Oi, King Tobias! Try looking for a new Luna, make a stronger offspring! This one is still too weak!" insulted Ivar arrogantly.

Ivar's arrogance sparked emotions in the audience, judging that he should not be disrespectful to his opponent, especially since the person he was fighting was the son of King Tobias. Cheers of disdain echoed throughout the stands, disapproving of the arrogance that Ivar showed.

Not long after Ivar boasted, a hard punch aimed directly at Wolf Ivar's face, sending him flying into the wall of the Arena. It turned out that Noah was still able to get up after being bombarded with blows. What was even more amazing was that the fatal wounds that covered his face recovered quickly, the wounds faded as if they had been evaporated until they were as before. A blue aura emerged while Noah was regenerating his body.

Noah is a rare anomaly who is present among the Werewolves, being born with two Wolf souls. If the Aumen from Ares strengthens combat power, then the Aumen from Pandora helps Noah to regenerate wounds no matter how serious they are on Noah's body.

Ivar, who saw Noah managed to survive, was shocked while holding his jaw that had shifted, even though he had beaten Noah to the max. "How can you beat up an arrogant person this much? Even though it's only one attack, you know!" said Pandora.

Unable to accept seeing Noah gain the upper hand again, Ivar got up while frowning in annoyance, drove quickly towards Noah then scratched his neck and body, creating a wide wound with blood that splashed following Ivar's scratch pattern. Unfortunately, the attack meant nothing as long as Pandora's Aumen continued to be activated, and Noah's wounds recovered as quickly as Ivar launched the attack. After the wound healed and seeing Ivar in attack range, a powerful blow landed on Ivar's left head, sending Ivar flying again.