Chapter 235: Destroy The Cursed (52)

Chapter 235"Let him go!" Clara shouted, fury blazing in her voice. Golden energy surged into her palm, condensing into a searing sphere of destruction. "Do you hear me, Quint? I said—let him go!"

She unleashed a radiant beam of golden power, tearing through the cavern like a lance of judgment.

But Quint didn’t even move. He didn’t flinch.

Before the attack could reach him, Aiden stepped forward. Darkness swirled violently around his body, condensing in his hand before lashing out as massive claw-shaped waves.

They clashed with Clara’s golden beam, ripping it apart like fragile glass. The dark claws didn’t stop—they surged forward with terrifying speed, a tidal wave of annihilation rushing straight for her.

Clara didn’t hesitate. Energy thrusters ignited beneath her feet as she soared into the air, weaving through the cascading claws with pinpoint precision. By the time she cleared the last wave, she exhaled sharply in relief.

But her relief was short-lived. Her chest tightened with dread. Aiden... he seemed to have endless power at his disposal, while she was running on fumes.

Her golden suit, fueled by beast cores, was already nearing its limit. When it burned out, she’d be left wide open.

There was still a chance Aiden might break free before that happened—but she couldn’t count on it. No. If she wanted to save him, she had to kill Quint. Only then could Aiden reclaim his body.

Her resolve hardened. She exhaled, her eyes burning with unwavering determination.

With a thunderous boom, Clara launched herself forward. The air rippled from the sheer force of her acceleration, golden energy blazing behind her. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of Quint.

His eyes widened—he hadn’t expected her to move this fast.

Her fist slammed into his chest like a comet. The impact sent him flying across the cavern, crashing into the far wall with a deafening crack. The ground trembled from the collision.

Clara shot after him, ready to end this once and for all—

But Aiden appeared before her in a blur of shadows. His fist lashed forward.

Clara met it with her own.

The clash detonated into a violent shockwave, shaking the entire cave as light and darkness collided head-on.

Aiden drew his fist back.

Clara mirrored him, her gauntleted hand tightening before she lunged forward. Their fists collided with a thunderous crack, the shockwave splintering the ground beneath their feet.

Again and again they struck—relentless, brutal, precise. Their movements blurred into a storm of blows, each impact faster and heavier than the last.

But something was wrong. No—three things were wrong.

First, Clara was not Aiden’s equal in pure hand-to-hand combat. She had trained with the best—Han, Aiden himself, and others among the elite—but she was still not on their level.

Her stance faltered just slightly, her guard too open, her timing a fraction late. Against any other opponent, it wouldn’t matter. Against Aiden in his current state, it was fatal.

Second, Clara was holding back. She wasn’t using her energy beams, her blasters, or the destructive ranged power that made her so dangerous.

If she had unleashed them, she might have been able to at least create distance, force Aiden to struggle, maybe even turn the tide. Instead, she fought like she wanted to restrain him rather than defeat him.

Come on, Clara... Aiden’s voice screamed inside his own mind. Stop holding back! Beat me down! Do something before it’s too late!

Because the third problem... was Aiden himself.

Dark Essence mode burned through him, its power amplified by the Dawnoverflow surging in his veins. He was no longer just stronger—he was a force Clara couldn’t hope to match.

His punches landed like hammers, each one heavier than the last. On the sixth impact, his fist slammed square into Clara’s chestplate. The metal groaned, fractured, and split, cracks spiderwebbing across the armor.

Clara’s mouth opened, blood spilling as the air was violently ripped from her lungs. The pain hit her like lightning, tearing through her ribs, her muscles, her heart itself. She staggered, knees buckling.

No. No, no, no! Aiden screamed in his head, his desperation clawing for control. Stop! Don’t hurt her! Don’t—

But he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t even slow down. His body was no longer his own.

Clara fell to her knees, her breaths ragged and shallow. One more blow and she wouldn’t just lose—she would die.

And Aiden would be the one to kill her.

Tears burned his eyes as he fought against invisible chains, every ounce of his willpower clawing for freedom. But his hand still moved, extending against his will.

His trembling fingers curled around Clara’s throat. She was so light, so fragile in his grip, and with terrifying ease he lifted her from the ground.

Her face was bloodied, her breaths shallow. Yet when her eyes fluttered open, she smiled weakly at him.

"Don’t cry for me, Aiden... it’ll just make me feel cringe," she whispered, voice barely audible.

Aiden’s tears spilled freely now. His heart shattered. He could feel what Quint wanted. He could feel the murderous intent being forced into his veins. If he obeyed—if he killed Clara—he would never forgive himself.

"Stop it! Please!" Aiden roared, his voice raw, a guttural cry of defiance that shouldn’t even have been possible under Quint’s control.

Quint’s eyes widened faintly. "Oh? You can still talk?" His lips curled into a cruel smile. "Interesting. She must mean a lot to you. All the better."

Aiden’s grip trembled as he shook his head violently. "No—don’t make me do this! I won’t—"

Quint’s expression darkened. "I told you... you shouldn’t have barged into our base. Now... suffer the consequences." His voice dripped with malice as he gave the command.

"Now then... get. Rid. Of. Her."

The words struck Aiden like chains of molten iron. His body convulsed, his chest heaved, and blood spilled from his lips as the order tore through his very soul.

He resisted—Gods, he resisted—but the harder he fought, the more pain surged through him, tearing at his bones, his nerves, his spirit.

Still, none of that agony compared to the anguish of watching his hands shift. His fingers twisted into claws, rising slowly but inevitably toward Clara’s throat.

"No... please... Clara, I’m sorry," Aiden sobbed, his eyes bloodshot, tears falling in streams.

Clara’s faint smile never wavered, even as her body trembled from the damage she’d endured. She said nothing this time—whether from exhaustion or acceptance, Aiden didn’t know.

And then... his claws descended.

There was a sickening splat. Scarlet blood sprayed across his trembling hands.

To be continued....

Author’s Note ✨

Happy new month, everyone! ????MI hope you’ve been enjoying the Chapters so far.

For this month’s schedule:

There will be 1–2 Chapters released daily, depending on my workload.

On Sundays, expect 2–4 Chapters in mass releases as a special treat!

If you enjoyed it, don’t forget to vote with your Power Stones, drop a Golden Ticket, and leave a comment or review—it really helps the story grow and keeps me motivated to deliver more Chapters for you all.

Thank you all for your continuous support—it really keeps me going. Let’s make this month an even more exciting journey together.

— ULTRA