Chapter 110: The Final Conflict Starts
Melissa’s POV
The ground below us trembled with a deep, terrifying rumble.
The sky broke apart, revealing a maelstrom of golden fire and swirling blackness. Above, the worlds of light and shadow clashed with lightning.
The war was on.
My hands were balled into fists as I stood at the front lines. Around me, my golden energy pulsated with the strength I had at last come to terms with.
Armies of shadows scuttled over the battlefield, their hideous shapes hissing as they got closer. Darius-loyal renegade werewolves and dark witches stood behind them, waiting for the order to strike.
Beside me, my people-warriors, werewolves, and magic users-were prepared to defend our future.
A chilly wind blew by me.
Then a voice.
The voice of Darius.
From a distance, he shouted out, “Melissa,” in a silky but angry voice. “A final opportunity. I’ll spare your people if you surrender.”
Unfazed, I moved forward. “I will never bow to you, Darius.”
He narrowed his crimson eyes. “Then pass away with them.”
He raised his hand sharply, and the fight was on.
With their claws cutting through the air, the shadows screamed and raced forward. In a tumultuous tempest of magic and blood, warriors clashed.
Beside me, Kane fought, his blade slicing through the darkness as if it were composed of air. Enemies flew as Lydia’s charms flashed. Zephyr’s twin blades were covered in silver fire, and his motions were quick and lethal.
I pushed my hands forward, revealing the throng of shadow creatures with a burst of golden light. They broke apart and shouted.
However, more continued to arrive.
The universe was torn apart by the battle’s overwhelming power, and the ground broke beneath my boots.
Darius observed me in the midst of it all.
Awaiting.
I was aware that this was more than a conflict.
It was a message.
Darius wants more than just triumph. He desired me.
And I was forced to confront him.
Anyone who attempted to stop me was cut down as I moved through the battlefield.
I was getting closer to him with each stride.
Shadows coiled around Darius like living snakes, yet he remained in the middle, unaffected by the mayhem, his cloak billowing. His blood-hungry red eyes shone brightly.
“You’ve finally turned to me,” he replied with a smile. “I anticipated that you would.”
With golden energy sizzling at my fingertips, I raised my hands. “I’m going to end this.”
He chuckled. A harsh, deep tone. “Are you?”
Dark chains sprung up from the earth and raced in my direction with a flick of his wrist.
I ducked and jumped back, but one of them grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward.
In an instant, Darius was in front of me, his hand tightening on my arm. Melissa, you can’t avoid fate. You were destined to be mine.
I clenched my jaw and pushed my strength out. The chains broke when the golden light pierced through them.
I whirled around and struck his chest with my palm.
He crashed into the remains of a broken palace wall, and the impact sent him hurtling back.
I didn’t hold out. I rushed forward, ready to attack once more. –
However, he disappeared in a whirl of darkness.
Before I could even react, he was behind me, his fingers around my throat.
In my ear, he whispered, “You fight well.” “But not sufficiently.”
His dark energy slithered into my skin, attempting to regain control as I gasped.
However, this time-
I didn’t feel scared.
I gathered all the strength I possessed by reaching deep within.
Then-
I allowed it to blow up.
Darius was blasted away by a dazzling golden wave that rushed outward. His body cracked with golden light, his cloak torn, and he coughed up blood as he fell to the earth.
Wiping the blood from his mouth, he stumbled to his feet. He was smiling, though.
And I was afraid of that.
“You’re strong,” he acknowledged. “More powerful than I thought.”
With my hands still burning, I regulated my breathing. “Then you ought to be terrified.”
However, he smiled and shook his head.
In a whisper, he said, “Oh, Melissa.” “You still don’t get it, are you?”
My heart was racing.
Then-
Everything was different.
I was concentrating on Darius, even though the battlefield was burning all around me. His smile chilled me to the bone.
“What am I not understanding?” Despite the confusion, I made a firm demand.
Darius laughed and wiped the blood off his lip. “That you were never intended to defeat me, regardless of how strong you believe yourself to be.”
I balled my fists up. “We’ll check on that.”
Something moved next to me. Kane.
His deep voice was calm and full of quiet strength as he said, “I’m with you.” For a minute, the turmoil within me subsided as his glittering eyes met mine.
Darius paused his smile. Something dark and cruel flashed across his face as his eyes shifted between us. Thus, the powerful Alpha decides to support her. How foreseeable.
With his weapon shining, Kane took a step forward. “Until the day I die, I will stand with her.”
Darius laughed. “You two will then suffer together.”
His body burst in a piercing shock of dark energy that surged toward us like a tidal wave. Kane came next to me, his power blending with mine as I lifted my hands to call forth a golden shield.
The ground underneath us trembled from the impact.
Unwavering in his position, Kane gritted his teeth. “You won’t take her.”
Darius’s gaze became sad. “You believe she will be saved by love?” His tone was one of derision. “Love weakens you. Additionally, Melissa is mine.
“Never,” I spit out as I moved forward. “I belong to myself and no one else.”
Anger surged in Darius’s eyes. He sprang-
However, Kane stopped him, and the sound of their swords striking reverberated throughout the battlefield. As the two engaged in combat, sparks flew, and the ground shook with each blow.
My heart was racing as I saw Kane trade blows with Darius. However, I was aware of the reality.
Power wasn’t the only factor here.
It was about escaping-from the shadows, from destiny, from all that Darius had attempted to impose on me.
And I refused to let him prevail.
My thoughts were clear despite the war raging all around us. I was aware of my obligations.
I shifted my attention inward, calling forth the strength that had been building inside of me since I had first woken up.
Along my skin, golden flames flared, encircling me like armour. I breathed steadily and slowly.
Darius saw the shift. He squinted his eyes. “What are you doing?”
I looked up. “Putting an end to this.”
My body exploded with energy, causing the battlefield to tremble with shocks. Around us, the fighting stopped. The shadow beings paused, too.
For the first time, Darius stumbled back, terrified.
With the bright flames growing stronger, I took a step forward.
He snarled. “You believe you can murder me?”
I said in a whisper, “I don’t have to.”
And then-I decided.
My light sprang forth, consuming all in its path.
I could feel my soul expanding, my strength releasing the bonds that held me. The conflict itself paused after my decision, and the battlefield fell silent.
Then-the darkness fell.
And the final sight I caught-
Before all went dark, Darius’s twisted smile was visible.