Chapter 305: Kill Them

Everyone was collectively shocked to see that not a single one of them could move, the air thick with an almost suffocating tension, not even the hunters that surrounded the vampires, intent on killing them the second they got the go-ahead, their fingers frozen mid‑curl around weapons, breaths caught halfway in their lungs.It was almost like whatever free will they had suddenly vanished into the air, leaving them frozen and helpless, their bodies stiff and unresponsive, muscles locked in place as panic screamed inside their minds with nowhere to go.

Lord Virelle, Lord Noctare, Lord Drehk, and Lord Lythari on the vampire’s side couldn’t move, and neither could the council members on the werewolf side, their expressions a mixture of fear and disbelief, eyes darting wildly despite their bodies refusing to obey.

Falson, Brilla, Kannedy, their eyes widened in shock, and that was all they could do, not even the furry ears on their heads twitching an inch, as if even the smallest reflex had been stripped from them, their tails stiff and unmoving behind them.

They all knew in theory how powerful Zyren’s shadow ability was, but seeing it in action was something entirely different, as he collectively froze everyone there with nothing but a raise of his hands, the authority emanating from him almost tangible, pressing down on them like a crushing weight.

Such power was enough to put fear in all their hearts, including King Jared, who had somehow considered himself to be almost Zyren’s match, the realization settling heavily on his shoulders as cold dread seeped into his bones.

Clearly, in a fight, he would die, and not even know how it came to be, the thought alone sending a shiver down his spine, his jaw tightening as his pride shattered.

Nothing moved, and even the citizens who had been watching from their houses didn’t dare make a sound, curtains trembling slightly as hands clutched at doorframes, the eerie stillness stretching across the streets as their Alpha remained frozen, almost like he had been held down by invisible chains.

"Sometimes...you all underestimate me!" he said with a light chuckle, almost playful, the sound chilling in its calmness, even as his gaze moved around, settling on Aira, almost like he was giving her a special show she should appreciate, the shadows around him dancing in perfect rhythm with his words.

Aira on the other hand had never been afraid of him since she watched him kill her father and brother. It was the aura around him. He smiled and chuckled but there was something angry and manic in his gaze, something unhinged that made her stomach twist.

One that showed that he would kill every single person there and he wouldn’t even blink an eye, that death to him was no more than an inconvenience.

’I messed up’ she thought to herself realizing that after she fed Zyron silver and he refused to die she should have known that he was a monster that couldn’t be killed, something far worse than the stories whispered in fear.

But even as she stood there unable to move, her muscles locked and burning, she wasn’t scared for herself but for her sister knowing that she would make any deal if it meant that she could keep her mother and sister alive, her chest tightening painfully at the thought.

"I could wring your neck from your shoulders and everyone would simply stand there and watch" Zyren said with a smile on his face, the threat delivered casually, turning his hand to the side slightly but it was enough for everyone to see Jared’s neck snap to the side, skin stretching unnaturally.

A bit more and it would snap right off as his face was coloured in pain, veins bulging, a strangled gasp trapped in his throat.

The black sand Clara had poured out of the artifact still swivled around in the air, drifting like living smoke, hovering close to him even as Clara herself was frozen still pointing at Zyren, blood dried and sticky along her wrist.

Zyren stared at it but unknown to everyone there he knew that the artifact couldn’t kill him since unlike what they thought, he was a vampire but he was also a werewolf, something far rarer and far more dangerous than they could imagine.

"...still examples have to be made!" he announced, his voice echoing unnaturally, which sent more than a rush of undiluted fear through every single person that heard it, hearts slamming violently in their chests.

And barely had Zyren said the words when instantly a few werewolves rose into the air, their feet lifting off the ground as if yanked by invisible hands, even as he lowered his hands. Clearly he didn’t need to move his limbs to control the shadows that held them frozen still, the darkness responding to his will alone.

They were picked at random even as they began to shake, fear written clearly on their faces, eyes bulging, even as they clawed at the air the second they could move, fingers scraping against nothing.

Some of them thinking that they could use such a method to escape, kicking wildly, jaws snapping in panic.

Others didn’t care, doing everything they could physically do to get out of the hold, muscles straining to the point of tearing, but it was clear that whatever they were doing was in vain, their struggles only making it worse.

It only got worse when Zyren’s gaze darkened, shadows deepening beneath his eyes, and slowly their bodies began to twist in an awkward manner almost like they were wet clothes that was being wringed out, torsos bending at impossible angles.

It was horrific to look at, stomach‑churning and brutal, and raised high in the air everyone could see it, forced to witness every second.

Loud cracking of bones echoed in midair, sharp and wet, even as the symphony of their heart wrenching screams followed, voices breaking as ribs collapsed inward and spines snapped like dry branches.

Their limbs twisted violently, joints popping out of place, arms spiraling backward as flesh tore and skin split under the pressure. Blood burst from ruptured veins, spraying into the air in dark red arcs as muscles were compressed and shredded.

Organs were crushed within their bodies, ribs folding inward until chests caved, lungs bursting as air and blood spilled from mouths frozen open in silent agony. Their screams grew weaker, hoarse, then fragmented as throats collapsed and jaws dislocated.

Bones ground against one another until they shattered completely, splintering through skin as the shadows tightened mercilessly. Flesh was mangled and pulped, bodies compressed tighter and tighter until they lost any recognizable shape.

Eventually, there was nothing left but a wet, formless mass, blood dripping down in thick streams as the last remnants of their bodies collapsed inward. Their screams faded into choking gurgles before cutting off entirely, replaced by a heavy, suffocating silence.

If previously the rest had been terrified, at that moment they were completely horrified as the smell of blood lingered in the air and clung to them, thick and metallic, making several of them gag despite being unable to move.

If they could move they would have been shaking in their boots as they all remain fixed like that, eyes trembling, hearts pounding violently against their ribs.

Yet at that moment no one hated Zyren more than King Jared who simply stood there unable to move and treated as powerless as everyone there since one of his string abilities could counter the shadow ability Zyren used to bind him, but not fast enough to save anyone.

Angry that he should have brought more artifacts just to be prepared, rage boiling in his chest, even as he fixed his gaze firmly on the dark sand mixed with Clara’s blood which still continued to hover around him, pulsing faintly.

Your arrogance will be the death of you! Convinced that as a vampire that artifact would kill him and Zyren was simply playing with fire, Jared clung desperately to the belief.

Zyren on the other hand could clearly see the dark sand even as he instantly amassed shadows, which were weaker in daylight, to block most of the mass that were swirling around and following his every step no matter what he did, the shadows wrapping tightly around his form.

Annoyed, he tried boxing all of them up, compressing the darkness around the particles, but no matter how he tried it somehow continued to wiggle free even as some particles began to attach themselves to his body, clinging stubbornly.

A frown flashed on his face, stunned by how easily it passed through his clothes and touched his skin, burning just as bad as sunlight would if he was a normal vampire, the sensation sharp and searing.

Within moments it was obvious that whatever was in that artifact was clearly as deadly as sunlight was to vampires, the sand sizzling faintly where it touched him.

Realizing that he had been a bit too laidback in assessing the enemies’s way of trying to kill him, irritation flickering through his eyes, he shouldn’t have allowed Clara to open the artifact no matter how curious he was to find out what was in it.

The dark sand continued to slide through his skin even as he had no choice but to pull out more shadow trying to wrap his skin with it to prevent more of the deadly sand from touching him, shadows tightening like armor.

He had assumed that because he was part werewolf that he would be unaffected but clearly he was wrong as, whatever was in the artifact was doing it’s best to erase the vampire side of him, attacking him at his core.

The worse part of it and the most dangerous was if it somehow managed to get to his blood, a thought that made his jaw tighten.

A deeper frown settled on his face as he realized the kind of trouble he was in, letting out a deep sigh since if he continued to amass more shadows to himself then he wouldn’t be able to keep all the people in front of him frozen.

I guess i’ll have to kill them all.