CHAPTER 187 - GATES OF THE UNDERWORLD
“Stay alert; we're not alone,” the alpha growled, sniffing the surroundings. I did the same, looking up at the sky and spotting the silhouette of the dark witch, whose laughter echoed shortly after.
“Well, well, visitors in our illustrious home…” the dark witch spoke playfully, invading the space with her darkness. Her dull eyes were even more drained, and the skin more deteriorated, with dark veins bulging from her neck.
“You look terrible, witch!” taunted the Lycan king.
“Cursed wolf, I've never been better... And your son, how is he? Oh, yes, he has become a puppet of our king!” She laughed, provoking a loud growl from me, displaying my fangs. “Oh, Luna, calm down; soon you will join us!”
“What do you mean by that?” the Alpha demanded.
“As you can see, my shell can no longer contain my powers; I need a new one.” The dark witch amused herself. “And now that the Shadow King has obtained a toy more powerful than you, hybrid, I can use her as I please!”
“Over my dead body.” I roared threateningly, displaying my fangs as I shifted back to human form and stood by my mate.
“Ah, dear, that's exactly the idea, kill your soul and use your body!” teased the dark witch. “KILL THEM!”
Various shadowy creatures began to emerge from the forest and the rift of the underworld gates. The wolves formed a circle to protect their backs and avoid surprise attacks. The alpha stared at Oliver.
“Take care of these creatures; leave the dark witch to me!” he growled loudly.
“With us, you won't face her alone!” I shouted towards the Alpha and then faced the witch. “Where is my nephew, you damned creature?”
“Your nephew is no more...” She laughed, casting spells in our direction. Dark hands emerged from the ground, trying to grab our paws and pull our fur. In a gust like a hurricane, she unleashed the storm towards us. We dug our claws into the ground; some wolves were thrown away, and dark demons dragged them to a terrible fate.
I reacted by casting light magic, creating a protective shield for the wolves and us.
“Save your energy, Luna; your fight is with the witch; the wolves can handle themselves!” the Lycan king growled.
“Came unprepared? How pitiful,” the witch mocked sarcastically, creating dark spears to attack us.
One spear hit the Alpha's right paw, making him growl. Upon closer inspection, we realized it contained poison.
“Cursed witch!” the Lycan king snarled. “She's poisoned.”
“Let me extract the poison...” I tried to approach the wound, but the witch grabbed me with a dark whip and threw me against a tree.
The Alpha roared, running towards her, cutting through the dark magic thrown at him. Jumping high, he grabbed the witch's leg and forcefully threw her to the ground.
“Wretched wolf, you only interfere!” she screamed hysterically, grinding her teeth in distress, causing the wolves to howl and lower their heads to cover their ears.
Lycan landed a paw in her face, making her spin. Laughing playfully, the witch extended her hands, dragging them from bottom to top, where chains emerged from the ground, wrapping around the Alpha's legs.
I placed my hands on my ribs, realizing some were broken from the impact. I heard my mate roar in pain, ran towards him, and cast magic, trying to break the chain in vain. Furthermore, I faced the witch, who laughed malevolently, and positioned myself in defense, in front of the Lycan king.
“I will ask one last time: where is my nephew?” I demanded, gathering fire magic in my hands.
“Well, well, you've learned new tricks...” She smiled, amused. “So have I.”
She raised her hand, attracting some creatures towards her and absorbing their souls before us, converting them into dark magic. Laughing, the witch unleashed it towards us. I raised the shield, but it was easily broken by her strength!
Then, the storm returned without giving us a chance to recover; an evil hurricane descended upon us with force. The Succubi screamed in despair; everything was enveloped in darkness. I looked at the Alpha, who was being pressed to the ground by the storm while being pulled even more by the chains. His paws were bleeding, and he was trying to break the chains with his fangs.
I ran towards him.
“Boo!” The witch appeared in front of me, grabbing me by the neck and lifting us high. “Wolves fall on their feet, or is that only cats? Let's test this theory?”
She let me go, and I transformed before hitting the ground, twisting my paw as I fought against the impact of the forced landing. I returned to human form, limping.
“You won't kill me so easily,” I growled at the approaching witch.
“Damn, you landed on your feet!” She joked. “You got it all wrong; I don't want to kill you. We need you alive. Your essence no longer has value in your body, but it will for our plans, and I can't break my new shell.”
“What plans are these? Where does Conan fit into all of this?” I shouted angrily, launching more fireballs in her direction.
“He is the perfect vessel for our king. The child endured all the tests of the shadows... Not even you endured the chains of the soul, but the cub?” Licking her rotten teeth, the witch smiled with delight. “He even managed to break free. The child's power is immeasurable; it will make the darkness emerge and set it free!”
“The chains of the soul?” I widened my eyes, remembering the excruciating pain that had been. I clenched my fists upon realizing what they had done to my nephew. “I will end you and free him, you cursed beings!”
“You don't have enough power to stop us,” she shrugged, summoning more creatures in our direction. With a dark lasso, she wrapped my body, draining part of my strength. “Now, sleep, hybrid; I can't kill you just yet.”
I felt my eyes heavy. In the distance, we heard a thunderous roar, indicating that the beast had dominated the Alpha, freeing itself and preparing for battle.
“Beast...” I fell to my knees, with the witch holding my hair and pulling my head back.
“Damn it, stop the cursed beast so it won't ruin our plans,” the enraged witch shouted. “Don't be mistaken, hybrid; your fate has already been sealed; your lineage belongs to us. Thanks to you, we are so powerful!”