Chapter 153: Chapter 153 : Dance of the deadly darkness(2)

As Alex’s cold voice echoed through the ravaged forest.

“Vitality Drain.”

A new kind of horror unfolded.

The forest trembled.

And then—

Screams.

Not one. Not two.

Dozens. Hundreds.

Agonized howls erupted from all directions—like a cursed choir of death, shrieking in pain beyond comprehension.

From the treetops, the bushes, behind shattered rocks—every Expert-ranked soldier that had hidden or attempted to escape was now caught.

Bound by writhing black tendrils that pulsed with corrupted divinity.

Their eyes bulged.

Their bodies convulsed.

And the draining began.

W-What is this… what kind of technique is this?! one of the trapped men thought, his voice lost to the screams bursting from his lungs.

They felt their life force—their very soul essence—ripped from them violently.

Not instantly.

Slowly.

So they could feel every second of it.

Skin sagged like melted wax.

Veins turned black.

Their muscles caved in.

Their eyes bled.

Their mouths foamed crimson.

One man thrashed violently as his flesh peeled off like wet paper. Another clawed at the tendrils around his throat, only for his fingers to disintegrate before he even understood what was happening.

Screams turned to gurgles.

Pain turned to silence.

And within less than a minute—

All that remained dangling in the forest… were skeletons.

Lifeless. Cracked. Stripped bare of everything that once made them human.

The tendrils, like executioner’s ropes, uncoiled with a casual hiss—

And dropped the bones to the forest floor with a thunderous clatter.

It was death.

Cruel.

Elegant.

And absolute.

James, meanwhile, was still writhing mid-air—his body half-drained, veins bulging, skin shriveling.

“GAHHHHH!! MAKE IT STOP!!” he screamed, eyes wide and bloodshot. “MAKE IT STOP PLEASE, I’M BEGGING YOU, JUST MAKE IT STOP—!”

But Alex didn’t even glance at him.

Then, just before James’s soul flickered out completely, the tendrils holding him uncoiled and dropped him like trash.

THUD.

He lay twitching on the dirt, gasping, his body convulsing in broken spasms.

Alex extended his hand again—and this time, the stolen energy surged backward.

All that stolen vitality—all the essence of the dozens of dead Experts—was compressed into brilliant, golden streams of power.

And with a single motion, Alex directed it—

Straight to his friends.

More dark tendrils shot toward each of them—Alden, Charlotte, Seraphina, Ava, and Draven.

And the moment the golden light engulfed their bodies—

They felt it.

Warmth.

Peace.

Strength.

Wounds sealed like they’d never existed.

Bruised muscles regenerated.

Every torn ligament, every fractured bone, every splinter of damage—

Gone.

Even the tiniest scratches and bruises were washed away in an overwhelming wave of golden brilliance.

They each gasped, overwhelmed by the rush of power coursing through their bodies.

Alden’s spine straightened. His eyes widened.

Draven sat up, blinking as if waking from a dream.

Charlotte’s jaw dropped, staring at her hands in disbelief.

Seraphina looked stunned—glancing down at her once-bleeding side to find it flawless.

Even Ava’s expression softened in her unconscious state.

“I… I’ve never felt like this in my entire life,” Charlotte whispered, awestruck.

Seraphina blinked. “Charlotte… I… I just broke through a sub-rank.”

Charlotte looked at her sharply, then at herself. “W-Wait… I think I did too!”

Both girls turned their heads slowly, staring at Alex like he wasn’t human.

As if he was an alien.

A god.

Or something in between.

Alex raised an eyebrow.

Then smirked.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, his voice smooth. “You’re both seconds away from getting on your knees and proposing marriage to me.”

His smile widened wickedly.

“But I must say… I don’t accept marriage proposals unless you offer me at least a country or two as dowry.”

Charlotte and Seraphina’s mouths twitched violently.

Even in this situation—after everything that had happened…

This bastard still couldn’t let go of his superiority complex.

“This guy’s impossible,” Seraphina muttered, rubbing her temples.

Charlotte sighed, shaking her head with a soft smile. “Utterly impossible.”

Alex turned his gaze toward Alden, who was standing silently now, taking deep breaths.

“Oi, Mr. Loser,” Alex said, smirking. “Now that I’ve gone and healed your sorry ass… shouldn’t you offer me something too?”

Alden’s eye twitched.

“You want something?”

He raised his hand…

And extended his middle finger.

Alex’s smirk dropped.

A vein popped visibly on his forehead.

“You loser—”

Before he could retort—

A soft groan echoed through the silence.

Both boys turned their heads instantly.

A pair of eyelashes fluttered.

And then—

Ava’s eyes opened.

“…Ava!” Charlotte and Seraphina gasped in unison.

The two girls rushed toward her as Ava slowly sat up, her hand instinctively reaching for her chest.

“Are you okay?” Seraphina asked, already wrapping her in a tight hug.

Charlotte joined them, arms wrapping around Ava from the other side.

Ava blinked, looking around.

The ruined forest. The shattered ground. The dead silence.

“I… what happened?” she murmured, then tensed. “Wait—where are those bad guys?! The ones who were after us—”

Seraphina simply pointed behind her.

Ava followed the direction.

And her eyes landed on two things:

Alex standing tall, radiating an aura of death and dominance.

And beside him—

Alden, arms crossed, middle finger still extended.

Ava’s eyes welled up as she stared at Alden and the silver-haired figure who stood tall—unscathed and radiant, despite the chaos that still lingered in the air.

Tears trickled down her cheeks.

She had tried to stay strong… but the fear that Alex wouldn’t wake up after his body started turning dark—that he’d been too far gone—had haunted her more than she realized.

Now, seeing him like this…

“I’m so glad…” she whispered, her voice cracking.

Charlotte stepped beside her, nudging her shoulder with a teasing smile.

“Your boyfriend there also fought bravely to defend you, you know.”

“And Alex woke up right on time to save us.”

Ava’s face flushed red as she looked toward Alden.

But before she could say anything, she bolted.

Alden, watching her rush forward, instinctively straightened his posture, smiling confidently as he opened his arms slightly.

Ah… she’s finally coming to me. Must be all that heroic effort I put in earlier.

She ran faster.

His heart raced.

His arms twitched in anticipation of the hug.

And then—

She passed him.

Completely.

Didn’t even look at him.

And dove straight into Alex’s chest.

Alden stood frozen, arms still awkwardly half-raised like an abandoned statue.

Ava wrapped her arms tightly around Alex, her face buried in his chest as tears fell freely.

“I was so worried about you!” she cried, her voice muffled. “I… I thought we lost you.”

Alex blinked, momentarily stunned, then smiled gently and placed a comforting hand on her head.

He lightly patted her.

She’s just like Lily… he thought. I used to pat Lily’s head just like this when she cried.

Warmth flickered in his chest, bittersweet and nostalgic.

Ava, still sniffling, slowly pulled away—eyes red but filled with relief.

Meanwhile—

Alden.

Alden’s soul had almost evacuated his body.

He looked like a ghost.

A skeleton with noble hair and a jaw twitching in betrayal.

His mind flatlined as the visual of Ava hugging Alex replayed like a cursed loop.

“….That bastard took everything.”

Charlotte noticed and walked up beside him.

“Relax. They treat each other like siblings, Alden. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

Another voice chimed in, low and dry.

“Yeah, I don’t think he’s stealing your girl… not intentionally, anyway.”

Charlotte and Alden turned toward the voice—

And there stood Draven, awake and stretching, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

Alden sniffled. “I know… but that bastard just stole my cool moment!”

His voice cracked, pointing accusingly toward Alex.

“He’s gonna pay for this. One day.”

He glared with the fire of a man whose pride had been personally assassinated.

Across the clearing, Alex turned slightly—just in time to see Alden raise his middle finger again.

A vein pulsed on Alden’s temple.

Before their argument could escalate, Ava stiffened.

Her eyes had wandered.

And now they landed on the broken, bloodied form of James—still lying where Alex had dropped him earlier, barely conscious.

Her breath caught.

Her body trembled.

And in a heartbeat, the memories hit her like a thunderclap.

The fear.

The helplessness.

The moment James tried to force himself on her.

She stepped back, visibly shaking.

Then instinctively—without thinking—she turned and clung to Alex again, her fingers digging into his shirt.

Alex’s smile vanished.

Completely.

He looked down at Ava in his arms, then at the trembling fear in her eyes.

He already knew.

But seeing it himself still hit differently.

“This was the guy… wasn’t he the one who tried to force himself on you all?” His voice was low. Ice-cold.

Ava nodded slowly, her face buried in his chest.

Alex exhaled.

Then smiled.

Not kindly.

Not warmly.

But like a devil pleased with the idea of retribution.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, his voice laced with murderous intent. “I’ll give him the same trauma he gave you.”

He tilted his head, eyes gleaming.

“But at least a hundred times worse.”

James’s breath hitched.

Those words.

The tone.

It was like his death had just been scheduled—and there would be no cancellation.

Maybe even death was a mercy to him.

His bloodied face turned slowly toward the only hope he had left—

The Wraith twins.

“Mr. V-Veyron! Ms. Veyra! PLEASE HELP ME!” he croaked, voice shaking.

But neither moved.

Because both of them—Veyron and Veyra—still stood frozen.

In a trance.

What they had just witnessed defied even their most twisted imaginations.

That technique Alex had used… Vitality Drain—the way he drained the life force from multiple Master and Expert-ranked enemies simultaneously…

It wasn’t just impossible.

Only those with a darkness affinity at the Grandmaster level or above could ever even hope to attempt it—and even then, doing it at the scale Alex just had required impossible talent, skill, and time.

But Alex had done it.

Effortlessly.

Simultaneously.

Dozens at once.

He shouldn’t be able to do this… Veyron thought, eyes narrowed. He’s not even an Avatar.

This isn’t just rare… it’s unnatural.

Veyra’s eyes sparkled like stars gone mad.

Her lips curled upward in sheer delight.

This power… it’s beautiful. That cruelty. That rage. That control… he’s perfect.

They both came to the same conclusion:

We need to take him with us.

No matter what.

His body, his powers… they could be useful in more ways than one, Veyron considered coldly. Research. Experiments. Or even… offerings.

Veyra didn’t think of research.

She thought of bonding.

Of fate.

Of destiny twisted into obsession.

He’s mine, she thought, her cheeks pink, her grin unhinged.

Meanwhile, James, noticing their blank expressions, panicked further.

He staggered to his feet, hoping—praying—they would snap out of it and save him.

He turned toward them—

And took a single step.

“Move—” came a voice.

Cold.

Final.

Alex’s eyes glowed with cosmic power.

“—and you die.”

James froze.

His legs trembled. His knees buckled.

But fate had one last joke.

BOOM!

Suddenly, the sky above cracked with force—

And two figures fell from the heavens.

CRASH!!

They landed directly on James.

A chorus of groans followed.

“AHHH—DAMN IT!” one voice shouted.

“My ribs… freakin’ maniac!” another wheezed.

As the dust cleared, the two crumpled forms on top of James were revealed.

Daniel and Carter.

Both bloodied.

Both bruised.

And both groaning in agony from their own battle.

——

A/N:

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