LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 62: Chapter 60 : His Fall
"You can't kill me," the creature hissed, its voice a twisted chorus of a thousand whispers, each more venomous than the last. "I am the darkness that has always been. A shard of every shadow. A fragment of every fear."
As it spoke, the remnants of Quintus's demonic army stirred, rising like marionettes whose strings had been pulled. With a single motion of its clawed hand, the creature beckoned, and the corpses obeyed, staggering to their feet with jerky, unnatural movements. The wolves' growls faltered, their eyes widening in disbelief as the dead returned to life, fueled by the dark energy that had taken hold of them.
Luna stood firm, despite the ache that coursed through her battered body. Her human form, fragile and strained from the use of moonlight, trembled, but she refused to back down. Her golden eyes locked onto the creature, blazing with unwavering resolve.
"Enough, Quintus," she spat, her voice unwavering despite the weight of exhaustion pulling at her. "You're nothing but a parasite, clinging to a dying host."
The creature tilted its head, its movement eerily human yet grotesquely unnatural. "Parasite?" it crooned, mocking her. "Do you not understand, little goddess? This is my true form—unshackled, untethered, and eternal."
The air around it thickened, a suffocating darkness pressing in on Luna and the others like a weight too heavy to bear. The wolves whimpered, struggling to stay upright as the humans gasped for breath under the invisible pressure.
The creature's laughter echoed through the battlefield, a hollow, grating sound that scraped at the soul. "You believed his sacrifice could end me? Foolish child. This is only the beginning. I am the harbinger of despair, the eternal shadow that even your precious moonlight cannot banish."
It advanced, the ground beneath its feet withering with each step. Its glowing eyes locked onto Luna, the temperature dropping as if even the light recoiled from its presence.
"I will consume everything," it snarled, its clawed hand stretching toward her. "Your people, your world, and finally, you. And when I am done, nothing will remain but darkness."
Luna's fists tightened, the pain from her burned hands searing through her, but her resolve was unshakable. Her heart ached with grief, rage, and exhaustion, yet she refused to yield. Her voice rose, steady and defiant.
"If you are the shadow, then I am the light," she declared, the words ringing with a finality that echoed across the battlefield. Her body surged with a burst of energy, her resolve igniting her spirit. "I've killed you once. Doing it twice won't be a problem."
The creature's eyes narrowed, its form rippling with what might have been irritation—or perhaps anticipation. The battlefield seemed to brace for another clash, the darkness pressing in around them even as Luna prepared to face it head-on.
The wolves fought valiantly, but the shadows were relentless. For every demon they felled, two more emerged, rising from the abyss. The air was thick with blood, sulfur, and the anguished cries of the fallen.
Through it all, Luna pushed forward, undeterred by the toll her body was paying. Step by step, she drove Quintus back, her attacks relentless despite the strain they placed on her mortal form. With a fierce cry, she summoned the last of her strength, channeling it into a devastating blow. Her fist, glowing with silvery light, struck Quintus with a force that sent him hurtling to the ground. The earth cracked beneath him, splintering as if even nature itself recoiled from his presence.
For a moment, there was stillness. Luna stood over him, chest heaving, her mortal body trembling from the sheer force of the divine power that coursed through her veins.
Then, Quintus's laughter erupted—a low, guttural sound that sank into her bones, sending a chill through her very soul. He rose, dark energy swirling around him like a storm, his form impossibly strong.
"Impressive," he sneered, his voice laced with mockery. "But you're running out of time, Luna. Your mortal shell is failing you. And as for your people..." He gestured toward the wolves, who were struggling to hold their ground against the encroaching darkness. "They're dying."
Luna turned, her heart sinking as she saw the wolves, the brave few who had stayed by her side, faltering. Their once-proud forms were battered and bloodied, their strength draining as the shadows pressed in, growing more solid with each passing moment. The dark energy feasted on their pain and fear, suffocating them, crushing their spirits.
By now Alex had managed to stand up too . He looked around and his gaze shifted. For a moment, the shadows dimmed in his eyes, and his focus snapped to his people. He saw Charlie holding off two shadow-beasts, his shoulder torn open but his resolve unbroken. Timothy was barely standing, his flank drenched in blood. The sight of their suffering cut deeper than any wound Quintus could inflict.
And then he saw her—Dorothy. The old traitor stood in the shadows, her gnarled hands raised in incantation, her lips curling in a twisted smile. She was feeding the darkness, strengthening Quintus and the demonic army with every word she uttered.
Dorothy was the source, the anchor that was sustaining these creatures.
There was no time for hesitation. A cold clarity filled Alex. He knew what he had to do. Even as Luna's voice rang in his ears, begging him to stop, he turned away from her and sprinted toward Dorothy. His body screamed in protest, blood dripping from a deep gash along his side, but he didn't care. His people needed him. She needed him.
Dorothy's laughter echoed as he approached, her eyes glinting with cruel triumph. "You're too late, Alex," she sneered, her voice dripping with malice.
He didn't respond. He leapt at her, his body shifting mid-air into his massive wolf form, his silver fur glinting faintly under the broken moonlight. Dorothy tried to summon a final spell, but Alex was faster. In one fluid motion, his jaws clamped down on her neck, and with a sickening crack, her head separated from her body. Her lifeless form crumpled to the ground, her spell fading into the void.
But Dorothy didn't fall alone. Her last, desperate spell struck Alex square in the chest. A shockwave of dark energy coursed through him, and he collapsed to the ground, his body trembling as the life drained from him.
His breathing was shallow, his wolf form flickering as he shifted back into a man. Blood pooled beneath him, and his hand weakly reached for her. Luna grasped it, her tears falling freely as she whispered his name over and over, as if saying it could tether him to life.
"Alex!" Luna's voice cracked as she fell to her knees beside him, her trembling hands reaching for him in desperation. His eyes fluttered open, and despite the blood staining his lips, a faint, defiant smirk graced his face.
"I told you..." he whispered, voice strained but steady, "I'd protect you "
She pulled him into her lap, her arms tightening around him as though sheer will could keep him alive. His weight pressed heavily against her, grounding her in the horror of the moment. Her fingers shook as she brushed blood-matted hair from his face, her voice breaking with every word.
"You promised me forever too ," she choked out, her grip tightening around him, desperate and unyielding.
"You don't get to do this to me.""I love you... I love you," she breathed, the words trembling on her lips, and the way she said it felt like a revelation. It was the first time she had said it to him, and his eyes widened slightly, disbelief mixing with a flicker of hope.
He had once poured his heart out to her, only to face her rejection. Now, hearing her say it sent a jolt of energy through him, even in his fading state but it vanished as quickly. " You dont have to say this because i said this to you " he replied but his hand, which had weakly gripped hers, was slipping, his strength fading.
"No - I am not saying this - " she trails off - " I fucking love you Alexander Valencia Anderson ,so dont you dare die on me " Her threats sounded more like a cry .Alex's gaze softened, a flicker of disbelief crossing his face, and a faint, rueful chuckle escaped him. "Yeah... right."
He searched her face, almost as if he wanted to believe her but couldn't quite accept it.
A quiet sadness lingered as he finally whispered, "I love you too."
"No... get up," she sobbed, her fingers digging into him as if her touch alone could hold him to this world. "If you don't get up, I swear—I'll tear this world apart until there's nothing left... I'll destroy it all."
You won't . His lips parted but he couldnt really say it as his breath softened. But his grip slipped from hers, his fingers growing cold, and his gaze fell shut as his body stilled in her arms.
Her cries broke through the silence, raw and unrestrained, echoing through the emptiness around her. Each sob felt like it tore her apart, regret flooding her. All the moments she could've told him—every stolen glance, every touch—came crashing down, drowning her in grief.
"Alex," she wailed, her voice shattered, "I should've told you—I should've said it every day!" Her tears fell, soaking the blood-streaked fabric between them. "I didn't know it would end like this. I didn't know I'd be the one to lose you..."
She rocked back and forth, clutching him tightly, her cries a desperate declaration.
As the world around her faded to nothing, her heart broke under the weight of his lifeless form. Her whispered pleas turned into screams, a desperate prayer to the universe, to him.