"Tick-tock-tick."

Xelrath's muttering rang in Hades's ears like the sound of a clock counting down his mate's death. He couldn't delay any longer. No more plans. No more breathing room. Just destruction.

He lunged forward. Same target. Same rage.

Dolton grinned widely, his teeth gleaming like steel, and slammed his palms together.

THWAAMP!

A violent shockwave erupted—trees bent backward, leaves scattered, and dust swirled like a storm. Hades gritted his teeth and used Featherless Flight to rise above the chaos, wind roaring past his ears.

He twisted midair, brought his fists together, and came crashing down with a bellow—

"AHHHH!"

DHOOOOMP!

The ground exploded beneath Dolton. The dragon tanked that attack with his forearm, going down on his left knee and a grunt leaving his throat. The air burned hot from the collision, a pulse of raw mana shaking the surface.

Dolton's eyes flared gold. "Not bad," he growled—and then his massive hand shot up.

Before Hades could react, fingers like iron wrapped around his face.

"—Guh!"

A heartbeat later, his face met the ground.

KRAAASH!

The impact cracked the earth like glass, blood spurting from his nose. His lungs refused to pull air in. Then a shadow fell—he looked up, and a mountain-sized foot came down.

He rolled aside—barely—

DOOOOOOM!

The ground cratered beside him, the shockwave hurling him across the dirt. His ribs screamed as he tumbled, carving a trail through mud and rock.

Hades spat blood, forcing himself up. His legs trembled, but his glare stayed sharp. He flicked his wrist, hurling a few stones charged with mana—each glowing faintly blue.

They zipped toward Dolton's eyes like bullets.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

The dragon swatted them aside effortlessly, growling, "You really thought that'd work?"

Hades darted forward again, but his movements had lost their rhythm. His steps were heavier, slower.

Dolton chuckled. "Tired already?"

He sidestepped Hades's charge and grabbed his ankle mid-spin.

"Ah-guh!"

DOOOOM!

The redhead's body slammed down with bone-shattering force. The ground cracked open beneath him, dust erupting into the air.

Dolton raised him again—this time by his throat—and flung him like a ragdoll into a nearby boulder.

CRAAASH!

The stone exploded into fragments, Hades's body folding around it.

Blood poured from his forehead, his breath ragged and wet. His arm dangled, likely broken.

Dolton advanced, towering over him, each step shaking the dirt loose. "You've got guts, boy. But guts don't win wars."

Hades coughed, tasting iron. "I'll… remember that."

He suddenly pushed off the ground and vanished in a blur, appearing behind Dolton.

"HAH!"

A flaming kick caught the dragon's side, searing his scales, but Dolton barely flinched. He swung his tail around—

BWHAM!

The tail slammed into Hades like a wrecking ball, sending him spinning through the air. He crashed through three trees before slamming into the fourth, the bark cracking from the force.

He slumped, his vision blurring, chest barely rising.

Dolton smirked. "Stay down. You've done enough."

Hades's fingers twitched. He felt something stir inside him—a faint rhythm beneath the pain. His blood boiled, his heart thumped faster. Not yet.

He pressed his palm against the ground, forcing himself up despite the broken bones and split skin. "You talk too much," he rasped.

Dolton stopped mid-step. "What did you just—"

Hades appeared before him again, his movement sharp and violent, the air around him shimmering red.

He smashed his head into Dolton's jaw.

KRAAACK!

The dragon stumbled a step back, his grin fading.

But before Hades could follow up, Dolton's fist came swinging like a boulder.

It connected.

THWOOOM!

The impact threw Hades several meters away, blood spraying from his mouth as he crashed again, this time skidding until his body finally went limp.

Dolton sighed, his claws retracting slightly. "It's over."

He walked closer, raising his hand. "You fought well, boy. If we weren't enemies, I'd—"

He froze. Mid-sentence.

He tried to move his arm. Nothing. His muscles refused to respond. Panic crept into his voice. "What—what is this?"

A shadow coiled around his limbs, black tendrils rising from the ground like smoke.

Then came a voice—weak, bloodied, yet cold as steel.

"It's called… Shadow Bind."

Dolton looked down. Hades knelt there, a bloody smile twisting his lips, his crimson eyes glowing faintly through the dirt and blood.

"You're strong," Hades rasped. "I'll give you that." He slowly raised his clawed hand. "But in the end, you're just a knucklehead."

SQUELCH!

The claws plunged into Dolton's abdomen, bursting out his back.

"Ghk—" Dolton gasped, fury and confusion twisting his face, but the shadows only tightened their grip.

Hades pulled his claws free, then thrust them back in.

SQUELCH SQUELCH SQUELCH

Each stab faster, wilder, the sound wet and brutal. Blood splattered across Hades's face, his teeth clenched, veins bulging as his regeneration kicked in full force.

He had held it back—let Dolton think he had won. The dragon's arrogance was his undoing.

SQUELCH SQUELCH SQUELCH!

Dozens of strikes in mere seconds. The air stank of iron and steam. Hades's arms were soaked to the elbows in crimson.

Dolton's eyes rolled back, life draining from his gaze. His once-golden scales dulled, and his massive body began to sag.

Hades didn't stop. Not until the dragon's stomach was torn open, a hole large enough to fit a man's head.

At last, he exhaled, chest heaving. The shadows around Dolton's corpse faded, their purpose fulfilled.

Silence fell.

Only Hades's ragged breathing remained, echoing through the broken forest as blood dripped from his claws—steady, deliberate, alive.

But he didn't have the time to rest. Hades didn't remain standing for long. The moment Dolton's body hit the ground, he sprinted toward the mansion.

He'd been keeping count — there were still a few seconds left.

Bursting through the doors, he spotted Peri and Beatrice in the hallway. The younger girl was struggling to hold her mother upright.

"We need to leave, now!" Hades shouted. Without waiting for an answer, he scooped Beatrice into his arms and grabbed Peri by the wrist, pulling her toward the exit.

They had just stepped outside when Hades froze.

His eyes widened. His knees nearly buckled.

The black orb Xelrath had released moments ago had fallen—and hit someone.

But it wasn't Peri.

No… from the look of it, it was never meant for her at all.

*Thud*

Her knees hit the ground first before her pale face sank into the dirt.

Hades froze, his breath catching in his throat. Then, in a heartbeat, he handed Beatrice to Peri and rushed forward.

He knelt beside her, trembling, his hands shaking as he lifted her limp body.

"L-Luna…" his voice broke, raw and trembling.

He pressed his fingers against her neck, desperate for a pulse—something, anything. But it was faint… slipping away.

"Luna!" He shook her, again and again, as tears rolled down his cheeks. "No… stay with me, please!"

But she didn't respond. Her skin was growing cold, her breathing gone. The life he cherished most was fading right before his eyes.

He was losing her. Losing his Luna.

"Well, that was a surprise, wasn't it?" Xelrath's mocking voice slithered through the silence as he appeared before them. "I did say I would kill your mate… but I suppose I changed my mind about *which* one."

Hades didn't respond. His whole world had narrowed down to the lifeless woman in his arms. The tears streaming down his face glistened under the dim light, but he didn't even blink.

Peri stood frozen behind him, her eyes wide and empty. The world around her had gone silent—no sound, no movement—just the still body of Luna lying in Hades' arms.

The air was heavy, suffocating.

Hades pulled Luna closer, clutching her as if holding her tighter would bring her back. The woman he swore to protect… the woman who saved him…was gone.

Xelrath clicked his tongue, "Now, that's boring, isn't it?" he sneered. "Well, it was fun until—"

*DOOOOM!*

A thunderous impact shook the ground as someone landed behind Hades, cracking the earth beneath her feet.

Xelrath's words stopped. His grin faltered slightly.

Kaelith stood there, flames flickering in her eyes, her aura raging like an inferno.

"You… dared to harm my family." Her voice was cold, trembling with fury. The ground trembled beneath her as her power erupted without restraint.

Xelrath smirked again, though his tone carried a nervous edge. "Oh? Angry, are we, Kaelith? Upset that I took your boy's happiness? How pitiful. But anger won't change the fact that she's dead."

Kaelith's jaw clenched. Her heart twisted painfully at his words. She couldn't sense Luna's presence anymore—no warmth, no light. Only emptiness.

She had known Luna for only a few weeks, but in that short time, she had come to care for her deeply. And now… she was gone.

But more than grief, Kaelith felt fear—for her son. She could already imagine his pain, his silence, the darkness that would swallow him whole.

But then,

"Huh…?"

Suddenly, something stirred behind her—a faint pulse, a whisper of energy. Her instincts screamed danger, and she instantly leapt back, flames flaring around her as she turned to face it.

Her heart pounded. Something was happening. Something she hadn't expected at all.

The air went still. Even the faint wind that brushed against the fallen leaves froze in place.

Hades trembled, his arms tightening around Luna's lifeless body. Her skin was cold… too cold. His vision blurred, his heart hammered painfully against his ribs.

"No… no, you can't leave me like this…" he whispered. His voice cracked, shaking with despair.

Something in him broke. The world around him began to shiver in response.

A low hum filled the air — deep, otherworldly — as the ground beneath them split in thin glowing veins. The atmosphere warped, bending like glass under pressure.

Xelrath's grin faded. "What… is this?" he muttered, instinctively stepping back.

But even he could feel it — a power that wasn't meant to exist here.

The chaos particles in the air stirred, drawn to Hades like iron filings to a magnet. They swirled around him, unseen by the naked eye yet pressing heavily on every soul present.

Peri could barely breathe. Her body refused to move, as if the world itself had forgotten how to function.

If she had been focusing on the beast inside her, she would have noted Samarella tremblig.

The space around Hades cracked — faint threads of distortion spidering through reality itself.

He didn't chant. He didn't call upon any divine name. He simply willed her to return.

"Please… come back to me."

The whisper carried like a command through existence. The light and shadow trembled, the flow of time itself hesitating — unsure which direction to obey.

Reality began to bend inward, as if folding upon itself. The dirt beneath Luna shimmered faintly, black turning to gold, and the dying embers of chaos merged with the warmth that once filled her.

Xelrath's eyes widened. "That's impossible… that's—"

BOOM.

A pulse rippled outward, silent yet deafening, rewriting everything it touched.

The world rebalanced, the distortion calmed. The air grew warm again.

And then… Luna gasped.

A miracle was witnessed. An awakening was recorded. The Chaos Heir has announced his presence to the world.

°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you are confused then find the chapter named 'skill' which should be around 170s.

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