Chapter 201 The secret is out

Chapter 201 The secret is out
I gently tap her cheek repeatedly as my heart threatens to shatter into a million pieces.

After a long moment, her eyelashes flutter open. She coughs roughly, her cloudy eyes slowly focusing on my face. "Kai..." she whispers faintly, a faint smile touching her bloody lips. "I'm... I'm fine."

A shuddering breath of relief escapes me as I hold her even tighter, burying my face in her neck. "Thank the goddess. Thank the fucking goddess." I pull back a little, gently wiping the dust off her cheeks with my thumbs, scanning her body with worry. "Are you truly okay? Talk to me, flower."

Lyra takes a shaky breath, resting her hand on her neck, where the Kryptonite had pierced her skin. "I... I can still feel Wyndra," she murmurs softly, her voice steadying as she speaks. "And I can still feel my Phoenix’s spirit inside me... even though it feels so much weaker than normal. It's…fading. She's in so much pain."

Fury consumes my whole body as I look down at her. "That's because that bastard monster sucked your essence out with his dark magic, I am going to fucking kill him for hurting you, Lyra. I am going to rip his heart out. I'm so fucking sorry this happened to you baby."

Lyra looks up into my eyes, her hands reaching up to wrap around the back of my neck. I lean down and kiss her desperately. The kiss is filled with all the fear, relief, and shock we just passed through. I pull her close, pressing her firmly against my chest, as if the entire world might end if I let go, she hugs me tightly.

We break the kiss, both of us panting heavily against each other's lips.

Suddenly, Lyra’s eyes widen in realization, her posture goes rigid in my arms. "Kai... where is Yaros? What happened to him?"

"He… he breached the surface, Lyra." I say as I help her stand up on her shaky legs. "He's attacking the outside world right now, starting with the Academy. His demon horde has probably started infiltrating the grounds as we speak."

Lyra’s jaw sets into a firm line, fire flashing in her eyes despite her weak state. "Then we need to get up there and save those innocent students immediately!"

We don't waste another second. We run toward the tunnel that leads upward. The stairs are completely blocked by a lot of heavy rocks. I 

"Stand back, flower," I tell her.

I allow my beast to take over. In the next minute, I'm in my Lycan form. With a powerful move, I slam my claws into the stone wall, and break through the rocks, carving a path to the upper world.

We burst through the surface, stepping into the central grounds of Krypton Academy.

The moment we hit the grass, we freeze on the spot and watch the scene unfolding right in front of us.

Chaos has taken over the whole academy. The protective boundary has been totally broken down, and hundreds of hideous, bloodthirsty rogue demons are flooding into the main courtyard like an unstoppable plague. They're viciously attacking, tearing through the defenses, and killing terrified students who are desperately trying to escape. The sky above is filled with dark, choking ash, and the howls of dying shifters bounce off the dorms.

"Move!" I yell to Lyra, my claws extending as we launch ourselves straight into the fray.

I jump into a cluster of three demon soldiers, slicing through their dark necks, severing their heads before they can touch a level-one student. Beside me, Lyra moves with lethal agility even though she should be weak. She unleashes a sharp burst of energy that blasts two demons off the steps.

" Kai!" a familiar voice shouts through the other side of the field.

I turn back, relief washes over me as Damon sprints with his sword covered in demon blood. Roman isn't dead. He's alive.

"Damon!" I yell, blocking a demon's spear with my forearm and snapping the creature's neck with my free hand. 

Damon stops beside me, panting heavily as he blocks a rogue beast from stabbing him. "The north wing has completely fallen, kai! We've lost over two dozen guards already, and the main hall is surrounded! The students are completely trapped inside!"

"Amara! Isolde!" Lyra calls out to her friends who are fighting and tryjng to protect Lyra, blasting a demon that lunges at them from the side. "You need to get inside and hide right now!"

Amara wipes blood from her forehead as she looks at Lyra. "Not a chance in hell, Lyra! We are level two warriors now! We are protecting you and this academy with our damn lives!"

Before Lyra can even argue with them, a loud roar splits the sky above us.

Everyone in the courtyard freezes, looking up in absolute horror.

The demon king Yaros hovers above the academy, his massive, monstrous Demogorgon form blocking the sun. He laughs cruelly as he opens his hands, unleashing balls of fire down below. 

The academy library explodes into flames. Students and teachers scream and run in every direction, looking for cover as the fiery balls destroy everything.

Lyra steps into the field's center, raises her hands, and draws upon her elemental power to create a shimmering wind dome that deflects three fireballs, shielding teachers and young shifters below.

"All royal guards!" I roar. "Protect the students! Form a perimeter around the main hall! The rest of you, with me!"

My he-wolf guards charge forward, locking shields with Damon and me as we throw ourselves into the thickest part of the demon hordeWithout wasting any time, I shift into my Lycan form. Vlad roars, tearing through the demons like a wild storm, ripping heads and limbs apart with my jaws.

Then I watch as Lyra transforms, her human shape giving way to her silver fox. Wyndra breaks into the physical world. Her sleek, glowing silver fur shines like literal starlight amidst the dark smoke. 

But she doesn't stop there.

A second later, a burst of light erupts from her. Her magnificent Phoenix wings spring from her back, expanding over twenty feet wide across the battlefield.

Every single person on the field freezes completely.

Everyone, including the horde of rogue demons stop their fighting to stare up at her in awe. The sight is magical and extraordinary. Even Yaros pauses in the sky as he stares down at the majestic creature standing on the earth below, clearly shocked that she still has her phoenix.

Lyra’s POV

Everyone is watching us. Me and my two shifters.

This is the first time everyone in Krypton Academy is seeing who and what I truly am. They see the divine silver fox merged with the ancient Phoenix.

But I don't care about that. I don't care that my secret is exposed to the entire world now.

A surge of raw power floods my body, burning away the lingering weakness from the Kryptonite. Wyndra and my Phoenix are no longer separate entities fighting inside my mind, they’re working together hand in hand, perfectly synchronized in harmony. I feel completely untouchable.

I lift my head toward the sky, allowing my shifter voice as I speak out. 

‘shifters of Krypton!’ I command through the ether. ‘Stand your ground! Let’s finish this demon once and for all!’

Without hesitation, I push myself into the air. My big white-fire wings flap once, sending a strong gust of wind through the courtyard that knocks a dozen demons off their feet as I shoot straight toward Yaros.

The Demon King snaps out of his shock, his horrific face twisting into a furious scowl as he hurls a massive spear of dark fire straight at my chest.

I don't even flinch. I sweep my right wing forward and the divine flames completely absorbs his dark magic and turns it into ash. Before he can recover, I summon a raw, magnetic wind current from my core, weaving a thick laser-like beam of solid white light around his massive body.

The laser wraps around his body, pinning his body and trapping him completely mid-air.

Yaros thrashes frantically, roaring in pure rage as the laser burns him. "Release me, you filthy bird!"

‘Never again!’ My phoenix screams. I beat my wings and my powers on him. Blast after blast slams into his chest, shattering his armor, making his black blood spray everywhere. Wyndra lunges forward with blinding speed, bites on Yaros’s right arm and brutally rips his hand completely off his shoulder.

Yaros lets out a loud shriek of pain.

I fold my wings and give a final blast into his chest until it cracks into pieces.  

The demon monster falls hard to the ground. He lies flat on his back, completely broken and defeated.

I land softly at the edge of the field and watch his broken form. 

“So… I beat you after all. You weak demon.” I say, before lifting paw, preparing to drive my claws straight into his chest to remove his heart once and for all.

Yaros coughs up a thick puddle of black blood and looks up at me. 

"You... you may have defeated me, little bird… But before I go to hell... I am taking your mate with me!"

And then, it happens in a single second. Before my mind can even process his words, Yaros raises his remaining left hand and an evil looking sword shoots out from his palm like a spear, flying across the courtyard at an impossible speed.

The dark blade flies straight past my head, and straight into Vlad’s chest. The dark sword pierces his flesh completely, bursting right through his heart and erupting out his back.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

A deafening scream escapes me as the mate bond violently fractures, unleashing blinding agony in my head. 

Without thinking twice, I bring my claws down with a brutal strike and plunge it straight into Yaros’s chest. My fingers lock around his pulsing heart, and I violently rip it completely out of his chest, crushing the organ to melt in my grip.

The Demon King lets out one final, gurgling gasp before his monstrous body instantly begins to melt into a puddle of black, smelling acid, vanishing into the earth.

I don't give the dead monster another glance. My transformation violently collapses, my wings dissolving into sparks of light as I return to my human form.

Tears stream uncontrollably down my face, blurring my vision as I run frantically to Kai who’s already back in his human form, with a hole right in the middle of his chest.