Chapter 256: Help Us

Azura’s POV

Torrents of golden fire poured from his massive jaws, lighting up the dark clouds above us.

The Bornes screamed as the heat consumed them, their shattered bones turning to dust before they could even attempt to reassemble. The entire sky burned a terrifying, beautiful red.

Then a smooth, cold voice cut through the sound of roaring flames.

"Interesting," Lysander said, his tone dripping with quiet mockery.

We all turned around instantly.

The Alpha King was standing on the rocky ridge behind us, looking at us through Nicholas’s eyes. Fully armored warriors flanked him on both sides, their blades drawn.

Behind them, swarms of extra shadows and fresh Bornes spilled out from the dark treeline.

Lysander smirked, tilting his head to the side as he evaluated us.

"Really. I’m impressed you brought a dragon. But why don’t we make this a little harder? It’s getting far too easy."

Directly behind us, the piles of crushed Bornes began to vibrate and move. The broken remnants pulled themselves together, dark magic knitting the shattered remains into a violent vortex.

Bones stacked on top of bones, rising higher and higher until they formed a single, gigantic skeleton monster, standing as tall as Aethryx’s dragon form.

Rhydor stared up at the monstrous skeletal creature, his voice dropping into a tense whisper.

"No."

Lysander shrugged his shoulders casually.

"Just making it a little fun, you know."

I stepped out in front of the group, fixing my eyes straight on him.

"I let you go the last time. Don’t expect me to do the same thing today."

Lysander burst out laughing, a dry, cruel sound that echoed off the high stone cliffs.

"That was your worst mistake, little girl. Did you think I would not prepare for this day? Did you think I would not make myself stronger?"

I knew he had. I remembered the heavy blood scent inside that underground ritual hall. I remembered watching Genevieve channel the ancient magic straight into his body.

"No matter what you did to build your power," I said, keeping my voice steady and firm, "I will still rip you out of that vessel."

Lysander’s lips pulled back into a wide, dangerous grin.

"I want to see you try."

He stretched his right hand out toward our group, his long fingers curling into a command.

The swarm of dark creatures rushed forward all at once.

From the rocks behind us, several giant wolves leapt into the fray. Isadora, Axel, Silas, and the rest of our pack warriors charged into the horde, their teeth bared as they collided with the enemy lines.

We were all back together.

"Don’t let them bite you!" I shouted over the deafening noise of clashing steel and snarling beasts.

"And don’t bite them either! You’ll turn into one of them if their blood mixes with yours!"

Amanda looked at me, her eyes wide with sudden panic as she held the heavy broadsword.

"What?"

"You become one of them if you take their venom!" I yelled back urgently.

Rhydor stepped close to my side, his shoulder brushing mine before he shifted into his massive gray wolf. He looked back at me, his deep amber eyes burning with fierce determination.

Stay safe, his mind link echoed in my head.

"You too," I nodded.

Everyone split off into separate fights; the roar of the massive dragon and the giant skeleton monster clashing high in the sky shook the very ground beneath our feet.

I did not move from my spot. I kept my eyes locked entirely on the Alpha King. He was the only target I cared about. He was the one who had taken everything from us.

I looked down at my right wrist. My silver bangles were gone. I had no weapons strapped to my belt.

Then I remembered the old teaching. The weapon is not just a tool. The weapon is a part of your own spirit.

I crossed my forearms tightly in front of my face, taking a deep breath to center my energy. I thrust both arms outward with explosive force.

A bright, shimmering light burst from my palms, solidifying into my silver ring blade.

I gripped the cold steel, kicked off the dirt, and rushed straight at him.

We fought.

He dodged my opening strike with supernatural speed. I slashed sideways, but he brought up a dark shadow blade to block the hit, sending sparks flying into the air. I spun on my heel and drove my boot straight into his ribs, forcing him to take a hard step back.

Lysander smiled, looking thoroughly amused as he wiped a speck of dust from his tunic.

"Wow, another impressive move. You can actually fight like a true warrior now."

A hot wave of anger boiled through my veins. I thought of my mother’s weapon, remembering the fluid, deadly grace of the ancient fighting styles recorded in our family texts.

The heavy ring blade in my grip began to shift and flow like liquid silver. It lengthened out, transforming into the kusarigama.

The long, heavy chain rattled as the curved sickle blade caught the ambient light. My mother’s primary weapon.

I whirled the chain around my head and threw it forward with raw strength.

The silver chain whipped through the air and wrapped tightly around Lysander’s neck, biting deep into his skin.

Lysander froze, staring down at the glowing metal links bound around his throat.

His entire expression changed, the cocky amusement vanishing as a dark realization hit him. He remembered that weapon. He remembered the Luna who used to wield it.

"You dare use that on me?" he roared, his voice thick with sudden fury.

I yanked the chain back with everything I had.

The force pulled him off his feet, dragging him violently forward through the air. As he flew toward me, I pulled my fist back and punched him square in the jaw. The impact sounded like a thunderclap.

Lysander flew backward through the air, crashing through three solid stone pillars before smashing into the side of the cliff miles away.

Dust and shattered rock filled the air. A moment later, he rose from the debris, standing completely upright. His brown eyes were glowing with a terrifying, unholy light.

His human body began to stretch and warp as he shifted into his beast form.

A massive black wolf emerged from the dust, its dark fur matted with dark magic. Embedded deep into the front of its skull was a jagged, obsidian crown, pulsing with dark energy.

"Have you forgotten?" I said, standing my ground as my own magic surged to the surface. "I have mine too."

I stood perfectly still, closing my eyes to let Azizie take over the physical shift.

I waited for the bones to rearrange. I waited for the fur to erupt.

Nothing happened. I was still standing there on two human feet, holding the chain.

My heart sank into a sudden pit of panic.

Azizie, why aren’t we transforming?

You are the one who has to transform. Azizie’s voice sounded dry and unbothered inside my head.

Not me. You have to open the gate and let me out.

How do I transform? I asked frantically, watching the giant black wolf dig its claws into the dirt.

All this while, why did you not ask someone to teach you how to shift your beast? Azizie replied with a dry sigh.

The black wolf let out a bone-chilling snarl and charged straight toward me.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath.

I dove sideways onto the hard dirt, barely dodging his massive snapping jaws. He leaped right over me, missed his mark, and spun around instantly to rush me again.

Before he could reach me, another massive wolf slammed into his side with brutal force.

Rhydor’s black wolf drove his shoulders into Lysander, sending both of them tumbling across the rocky ground.

Stay away from my mate, Rhydor’s furious voice echoed through our link.

He attacked without hesitation, biting at Lysander’s throat and tearing into his flanks. But Lysander was physically stronger now, powered up by the blood of my family.

He whipped his heavy tail around, flinging Rhydor off his back like a feather. Rhydor slammed into the dirt, scrambled right back up to his feet, and attacked again with wild savagery.

"Rhydor, no!" I screamed, scrambling up off the ground. "Stay back!"

He did not listen to me.

Lysander swiped a massive black paw across Rhydor’s chest, throwing him violently through the air once more.

But this time, Lysander did not let him get up. He lifted his dark snout and pointed his glowing crown directly at Rhydor’s unmoving form.

Rhydor’s wolf froze mid-run, suspended in place by an invisible, crushing weight.

Terrifying cracking sounds echoed through the quiet valley, the sound of bones snapping under immense pressure.

Rhydor’s wolf let out a horrific, agonizing scream that tore straight through my heart.

"No!" I shrieked.

A white-hot explosion of raw rage ignited inside my core, burning away every block in my mind.

Azizie burst out of me all at once.

My body expanded in a flash of blinding celestial light. Nine massive, glowing white tails erupted behind me, swinging through the air.

Soft white fur with bold black stripes covered my massive frame, and long fox ears twitched atop my head. I charged forward with terrifying speed.

The ground instantly turned to solid ice beneath my heavy paws, frost spreading out in every direction.

I reached the Alpha King before he could crush Rhydor completely. I whipped my nine glowing tails around, wrapping them tightly around his broad black torso, and threw him straight up into the air. He crashed hard into the frozen earth.

He pushed himself up, shaking the snow from his dark mane as he glared at me.

"You think you can stop me just because you brought out your little fox?" Lysander growled, his voice vibrating through the frozen air.

"No," I snarled, baring my massive fangs as my nine tails flared outward. "I think I can rip you apart."

Lysander began to laugh, a cold, echoing sound.

"Not in this world."

I slammed my heavy front paw down onto the frozen ground. Massive spikes of solid ice shot out from the earth, rushing toward him like jagged spears.

But as soon as the ice touched the air around his feet, it completely dissolved into harmless mist.

What?

Lysander smirked, taking a slow step forward.

"Like I said before. Your worst mistake was letting me go the very first time."

He lifted his paw and cast the same crushing spell on me.

An overwhelming, agonizing pain shattered through my chest. It felt like every single bone in my spine was being crushed into dust under an invisible mountain.

I fell to my knees, letting out a ragged scream that echoed across the icy field.

Lysander stepped closer, his glowing eyes fixed on my face.

"I will end all of you today. I will end your line. Erase your entire..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

The heavy, crushing pressure on my chest suddenly snapped and vanished.

And I transformed back to my human form immediately.

Lysander’s eyes went wide with shock as his dark aura flickered violently. He looked around in a sudden panic, his paws sliding across the ice as an invisible, powerful force began physically pulling at him. Something was violently trying to tear his dark spirit straight out of Nicholas’s body.

Who was doing that?

I forced my head up, looking past the dark wolf to the far edge of the battlefield.

My eyes landed on a figure standing near the dark rocks.

Torin.

When had he arrived? How had he gotten here?

He was standing at the edge of the clearing, his arms extended straight toward the Alpha King as he chanted an ancient spell.

Blood was pouring freely from his nose, dripping down his chin, and thin streams of red were running from both of his ears.

But he held his ground, his hands shaking violently from the sheer magic he was outputting. He was manually pulling the Alpha King’s spirit back.

Lysander thrashed against the invisible tether, turning his dark head to glare at the intruder.

"You!" he roared in fury.

He tried to charge forward to kill Torin, but I used all the strength I had left to shoot ice chains around his back legs, holding him in place.

I pulled with all my might as his massive wolf tried to get to Torin.

Torin’s voice tore through the air, filled with absolute agony as his body strained against the massive power.

"I can’t separate them! He is too powerful! His anchor is too strong!"

Blood poured out of Torin’s mouth, soaking the front of his robes as his knees began to buckle.

"Then let him go!" I screamed desperately, trying to pull the wolf to the ground.

"You’ll die if you keep holding that spell!"

Torin spat a mouthful of blood onto the ice, his eyes burning with absolute resolve.

"At least it’s worth it!"

"No!" I pleaded, tears burning my eyes. "Please let go!"

But he didn’t listen to me. He tightened his grip on the spell, his arms trembling as he gave everything he had left to keep the monster pinned.

Desperate, terrified, and out of options, I closed my eyes and offered a silent prayer into the vast universe.

Moon Goddess, please help us! Please save my family!

A few seconds passed in agonizing silence.

Two figures stepped out from the thick gray smoke drifting across the frozen field.

My heart stopped in my chest.

How come?

It was my aunties. But their eyes were completely different. Alisa’s eyes were a sharp, brilliant gray, glowing with celestial light. Elisa’s eyes were green, but filled with an ancient, terrifying authority that did not belong to her.

They walked right past me without saying a word, their movements smooth and majestic. They walked directly toward the thrashing black wolf.

Elisa reached out a single hand and pinned the giant wolf to the ground by his neck. It was physically impossible for a normal human woman to hold down a massive Alpha beast, but Lysander could not move a single inch beneath her grip.

What the...

Alisa stepped up to his head, reached down with both hands, and grabbed the obsidian crown embedded in his skull.