Chapter 163

Chapter 163
Fiona's POV

"You're insane! Yulia, what the hell are you doing?!"

I pointed at the enormous cultivation chamber filled with viscous green fluid, my voice hoarse with fury and terror.

Suspended inside was my mother, Isabella. Her eyes were closed, her expression as serene as Sleeping Beauty's—if not for the cold tubes and machinery surrounding her, I might have believed she was merely asleep.

Yulia turned, her face twisted into a smile of near-pathological fervor. "No, Fiona. I'm perfectly lucid. More lucid than any of you."

She caressed the cold metal edge of the control console as one might stroke a lover's cheek.

"Look at this world. Look at your so-called peace. Purebloods reign supreme while half-bloods wallow in the mire. Why?"

Yulia whirled toward me, her gaze sharp as a blade. "Have you forgotten your sister? Victoria—that poor child. Do you know what she became after you bit her, after she was infected with Golden Wolf blood? Do you know what a perfect specimen she was? The exact result I'd been striving for! If only she hadn't betrayed me—"

"You see, your Golden Wolf blood is an unstable force of destruction! But all terrible powers are double-edged."

"So I wondered—what if I could re-fuse the Golden Wolf bloodline with Arctic Wolf blood? A thousand years ago, you were of the same lineage. Desire and suspicion drove you to mutual slaughter. Now, my grand experiment and vision might be considered... a kind of redemption!"

She moved to the console, her finger hovering over a red button, madness flickering in her eyes.

"Using your mother as the Golden Wolf donor, providing genes in perpetual supply, then fusing them with Arctic Wolf royal blood—this will birth the perfect god! A warrior with absolute power, no weaknesses, no curse!"

"This is crimes against humanity! You're desecrating life itself!"

I couldn't bear it any longer. With a roar, I gathered every ounce of strength and lunged forward to stop her.

"Too late."

A cruel smile curved Yulia's lips as her finger slammed down.

"No—!!"

In that instant, everything went wrong.

I don't know when Rasen realized something was amiss and made the desperate decision to return. Now he sprang from the floor like a cornered wolf cub, throwing himself at the control panel with reckless abandon.

"Rasen! What are you doing?!"

Yulia shrieked, trying to shove him away.

"BANG!"

A tremendous crash—not the roar of machinery starting up, but a crisp, heart-stopping sound of shattering.

The massive chamber containing my mother Isabella exploded from within, torn apart by violent tremors and erroneous commands!

"CRASH!"

Green nutrient fluid gushed out like a breached dam, instantly flooding half the laboratory.

With the liquid came a terrifying presence—ancient, savage, brimming with destructive hunger.

"ROAR!"

An inhuman bellow made my eardrums scream and my heart convulse.

Through the mist, a figure slowly rose.

It was my mother, Isabella.

But she was no longer the gentle woman from my memories.

Her skin had turned a ghastly gray-white, like a long-dead corpse. Instead of red blood, golden luminescence flowed through her veins, writhing beneath her skin like living serpents.

Her eyes had no pupils—only an expanse of deathly white.

Diana's pure Arctic Wolf blood had awakened her.

But it had also completely destroyed her humanity.

"Mom..."

I reached out with trembling hands, tears blurring my vision. "It's me... I'm Fiona..."

Isabella didn't look at me.

Her head turned mechanically, those dead white eyes sweeping across the room before locking onto the nearest living creature—

"Watch out!"

I screamed.

But everything happened too fast.

Isabella's form vanished from where she stood. The next second, she appeared before Rasen.

"Thunk."

The dull sound of claws piercing flesh.

Time seemed to freeze.

Rasen looked down in disbelief at the bloody ruin torn open in his chest. His body slowly crumpled.

"Rasen!"

Yulia's scream was soul-rending.

She stumbled forward, collapsing over him. "No! No! Rasen! My child!"

Blood frothed from Rasen's mouth. He looked at Yulia with eyes holding no hatred—only infinite sorrow.

"Mom... actually, I... I always suspected you... but I... I knew you just wanted to make me stronger, but I... I only wanted to write the songs I loved, for the person I loved most..."

His hand fell limp. The light in his eyes extinguished completely.

"AHHH!!!"

Yulia released a wail of absolute despair. Her sanity shattered in that moment.

She jerked her head up, staring at Isabella, then at me, her expression twisted beyond recognition.

"It's all because of you!"

Yulia pointed at Isabella, laughing with manic hysteria. "It doesn't matter! Even if he was my son, he was still a mongrel who shouldn't have existed! Let him die then! Let everyone die!"

She glared at Isabella and pressed the remote control in her hand.

"Kill her! Isabella! And that little Golden Wolf mongrel too! She has no right to exist in this world either!"

"Mom! I'm Fiona!"

I retreated step by step, tears streaming down my face. "I'm your daughter!"

Isabella showed no reaction. With a low growl and earth-shattering momentum, she lunged at me.

I rolled clumsily across the water-logged floor. Behind me, a piece of delicate equipment shattered under Isabella's claws, sparks flying.

She couldn't hear me. Those dead white eyes held no emotion—only pure killing intent.

Isabella attacked again, fast as a bolt of golden lightning.

Instinctively, I raised my arms to block. Sharp claws tore through my windbreaker instantly, leaving three deep gashes in my forearm that exposed bone.

The pain was excruciating, but my heart hurt more.

I couldn't fight back. I couldn't hurt her.

Gritting my teeth, I could only defend passively. With each block, my bones screamed. Though the pureblooded Golden Wolf's strength was formidable, against this tireless, painless killing machine, I quickly lost ground.

Even escape was a luxury I couldn't afford!

Finally, Isabella leaped high, hands transformed into blades, thrusting viciously toward my throat.

And I had nowhere left to run.

Perhaps everything should have ended long ago.

Perhaps the Golden Wolf curse was meant to conclude with everyone's annihilation as the price of this world's evolution.

We simply refused to accept it.

But refusal never changes one's powerlessness.

I closed my eyes. Images from half a lifetime flashed through my mind.

My parents, my uncle, Victoria, and... my beloved Alexander...

In that instant, a figure suddenly burst from the shadows to the side, slamming into me with desperate resolve.

Time seemed to freeze.

Then came the sound of claws piercing flesh, unbearably sharp in the cavernous laboratory!

I stared wide-eyed at the man who'd thrown himself in front of me—

It was Alexander!