LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 61: Chapter 59: The Blood Moon
The clearing was enveloped in an oppressive darkness, the once tranquil night now alive with the guttural roars of demons and the sorrowful howls of wolves. Quintus stood imposingly, a sinister smirk playing on his lips, his eyes glinting with malice as he exerted his control over Alex's body.
"Kill them all," Quintus commanded, his voice low and dripping with venom.
At his signal, demonic shadows surged forward with terrifying speed, their jagged forms blurring into streaks of darkness. They descended upon the wolves like a living nightmare, a relentless tide of claws, fangs, and inhuman shrieks. The remaining wolves, fiercely loyal to Luna and defiant to the end, braced themselves. Their snarls rose to meet the cacophony, and the battle erupted in violent chaos.
One wolf, a scarred Alpha with venom-green eyes, lunged at the nearest shadow, his fangs sinking into its smoky form. For a fleeting moment, it seemed he had triumphed, but the creature dissolved into tendrils of darkness, reforming behind him to slash through his side with razor-sharp claws. He howled in agony but stood his ground, refusing to retreat. Around him, other wolves were locked in similarly desperate struggles. They fought with a ferocity born of loyalty and desperation, but the shadows were inexhaustible, their numbers seemingly infinite.
Amid the turmoil, Luna stood at the center, her golden eyes blazing with an ethereal light. Her hands reached skyward, summoning an orb of pure moonlight that radiated an intense, silvery glow. The orb expanded into a wave, searing several shadows into nothingness and briefly illuminating the battlefield with its brilliance.
"Hold the line!" Luna commanded, her voice cutting through the din like a beacon. The wolves drew strength from her presence, their attacks intensifying even as the demonic onslaught threatened to overwhelm them.
Quintus laughed from his vantage point, his tone mocking. "Is that all the mighty Moon Goddess can muster? You shine bright, Luna, but your light... it's fading."
Luna's gaze shifted to Quintus, her jaw tightening. As she prepared to strike, a flicker of Alex's anguish surfaced within Quintus's eyes—a glimpse of the man she loved, trapped and pained beneath Quintus's control. Her heart ached, torn between her duty and her love.
Without hesitation, Luna launched herself forward, her form a blur as she closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Quintus barely had time to raise his hands before her fist connected with his chest, sending him skidding back several feet. The ground cracked beneath him, but he grinned defiantly despite the impact.
"There's the fight I was hoping for," he taunted, his voice laced with dark delight.
Luna hesitated, guilt gnawing at her. She knew that beneath Quintus's malevolent exterior was Alex, the man she cherished. Every blow she dealt felt like a betrayal, every strike a painful reminder of the person trapped within her enemy.
Determined, she raised her hand, summoning a shimmering barrier of moonlight that encircled the wolves, providing them a momentary respite. Her mortal shell burned with the effort, her body trembling as she channeled her divine power. She could feel the strain—the limits of her humanity pressing in with each spell she cast.
Her eyes never left Quintus, who stood at the center of the battlefield like a conductor of this hellish symphony. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a surge of shadowy tendrils directly at her. Luna raised her arms, and a dome of silvery light erupted around her, intercepting the attack. The shadows collided with the barrier, splintering into wisps of darkness that evaporated into the night air.
"You're holding back," Quintus sneered, stepping closer. "How disappointing. Is this the mighty goddess they whispered about in fear? Or are you being cautious not to hurt this man?" His finger pointed accusingly at him, a flicker of Alex's pain evident in his eyes.
Luna's resolve wavered for a split second, but she quickly regained her composure. She thrust her hands forward, sending a concentrated beam of moonlight hurtling toward him. Quintus barely flinched, countering with a wave of his own darkness. The two forces clashed in a blinding explosion of light and shadow, the ground beneath them cracking and the air vibrating with raw energy.
"I've faced worse than you," Luna declared, her voice steady despite the excruciating strain in her body. "As for him—he will be fine, but you won't."
Quintus laughed, the sound echoing like a death knell. "Win? Oh, Luna, this isn't about winning. This is about breaking you."
As Quintus fought with the relentless strength of Hell, Luna's mortal form began to falter. Every movement pushed her closer to her limits, the divine energy within her burning her alive from the inside. She gritted her teeth against the searing pain, refusing to let it slow her.
The battlefield around them remained a maelstrom of chaos. The wolves fought valiantly, but the shadows were unyielding. For every demon destroyed, two more seemed to take its place. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the acrid stench of sulfur. The cries of the wounded mingled with the triumphant roars of the demons, creating a symphony of despair.
The full moon that was pure whiteonce was not getting tinted with the hint of red. It looked like even it was bleeding with the blood of its own.
Through the turmoil, Luna focused on Quintus, her determination unwavering. She could feel Alex's presence within him, a flicker of his true self battling against the darkness. She knew she had to reach him, to draw Quintus's soul away and free Alex from his torment.
With a fierce cry, Luna channeled her remaining energy into a devastating spell. Her hands glowed with silvery light as she began to weave a complex incantation, each word a beacon of hope and love. The air around her shimmered as she reached into Quintus's essence, reaching out to the man she loved.
Quintus staggered under the onslaught, his control weakening as Luna's magic pierced through his dark facade. Alex's anguish became more pronounced, a silent plea for help that resonated deeply within Luna's heart. She pressed harder, her divine power intertwining with her unwavering love.
"Alex," she whispered, her voice filled with both desperation and determination. Her voice holding authority in softest way possible. "I'm here. Let me free you."
Quintus's facade cracked, revealing the pain and fear within Alex's eyes. "Luna... I..."
With a final surge of will, Luna unleashed the full force of her spell, drawing Quintus's soul away from Alex's body. A brilliant light enveloped them, and for a moment, the world seemed to stand still. The demonic shadows recoiled, their connection to the battlefield disrupted by the shifting energies.
Quintus screamed, the sound a mix of rage and despair, as his essence was torn from Alex. Luna held on, her body on the brink of collapse, her mortal form struggling to contain the divine power. Slowly, Quintus's control faded, and Alex regained consciousness, his eyes clearing as the darkness lifted.
"You..." Alex whispered, his voice hoarse and filled with confusion and relief.
Luna collapsed to her knees, the effort of the spell nearly too much to bear. She watched as Alex stood, his presence no longer tainted by Quintus's malevolence.
But his body faltered as he fell down - he was injured - gravely injured . Luna's attack and wounds inflicted by her for Quintus was still on his body . His wolf was already on its limit . He laid down his eyes closed for a while as he tried mustering his left over energy. He knew his body was on the edge of breaking yet his mind was worrying over her. Luna .
Alex knew he had to get up.
While Luna's gaze turned to the battlefield, where the wolves fought bravely but were being overwhelmed by the relentless tide of darkness. The shadows grew heavier, more solid, as if feeding off the fear and pain of the wolves. Luna knew that freeing Alex was only part of the battle—she still had to protect her people from the encroaching evil.
The battlefield around them was no less chaotic.
The silence on the battlefield was shattered as an eerie, guttural laugh rippled through the air. It was a sound that didn't belong to any living thing—low, vibrating, and crawling under the skin of every survivor. The wolves stilled, their ears flattening as a new wave of dread swept over them. Luna turned sharply, her burned hands trembling at her sides, her golden eyes narrowing at the sound.
"You think you've won?" Quintus's voice boomed, no longer confined to one location. Instead, it echoed from every direction, a chilling symphony of malice. The ground quivered, and the air grew thick with a palpable sense of menace. The shadows that had been scattered by Luna's moonlight began to shift, pooling together like dark, viscous liquid.
The black tendrils coiled and climbed, writhing and merging into a single entity. Slowly, they took shape—humanoid, but wrong in every way. Its body was a void, featureless and pulsating with a sinister energy. Only its eyes were visible, glowing like twin embers in the dark, burning with an intensity that seared into the soul of anyone who dared to look.
The creature's form seemed unstable, constantly shifting and rippling as if it could unravel at any moment. Its arms elongated unnaturally, fingers sharpening into jagged claws that dripped with shadow. The glow of its eyes intensified, casting a faint, sickly light that danced across the battlefield, illuminating the faces of the terrified wolves and warriors.
"You cannot kill me," the creature snarled, its voice layered with a thousand whispers, each one more venomous than the last. "I am the darkness that has always been. A piece of every shadow. A fragment of every fear."