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“They dare?” Sebastian’s voice carried pure disgust. His aristocratic features twisted with fury as ancient vampire magic responded to the forbidden ritual.

Sebastian’s commanders formed up around him, black fire wreathing their hands as they moved into defensive positions.

“They dare bring blood magic to New Vale?”

The council moved as one, their power unfurling like battle standards.

Lady Victoria’s celestial light blazed forth from her position by the council vehicles, turning shadows to ash wherever it touched.

The very air seemed to bow before Lady Victoria as she advanced, her power making Dark Haven’s soldiers stumble back.

Lord Thanatos’ control over death itself made the ground writhe with hungry shadows that sought out those who dared pervert the natural order.

Lady Wei’s ancient scrolls came alive in her hands, becoming deadly weapons as golden characters peeled off the parchment and burned through the air like meteor showers, each one seeking its target with devastating precision.

Lord Johnathan stepped forward with the fluid grace of an ancient predator, his power rolling out in waves that made even the elders pause.

As one of the oldest wolves in New Vale, Lord Johnathan’s magic carried the weight of millennia.

Ancient runes appeared in the air around him, each one pulsing with power that had protected the Whitlock Clan for centuries.

“You dare,” his aristocratic voice cut through the chaos like a blade, “attack our fated one?” The runes began to spin, faster and faster, until they formed a circle of pure power that made Dark Haven’s soldiers stumble back in terror.

But even as the elders engaged, Luca’s power flared dangerously in Archer’s arms. The prince’s skin burned fever-bright against Archer’s chest, Luca’s life force flickering like a candle in a storm. The nightshirt Luca wore had begun to smoke slightly where his power leaked out uncontrollably.

“Stay with us, precious,” Archer whispered against Luca’s hair.

Golden light poured from Archer’s hands, trying to stabilize Luca’s erratic power as he pleaded, “We have so much to tell you. So much to show you.” Archer’s voice broke on the last words, raw with emotion that made his solar magic pulse in response.

On the other side, Dominic’s darkness surged forward like a tidal wave of pure shadow, trying to reach Luca again.

Dominic’s remaining wing spread wider, corrupted power leaking from the wound where his other wing had been shattered by Ryker’s lightning.

“The fated one’s power belongs to Dark Haven!

” Dominic’s voice echoed with dark authority, making his elite guards move forward in perfect formation, their own shadows stretching unnaturally across the frost-covered ground.

“He belongs to US!” The brothers’ combined roar shook the very foundations of the earth, their unified denial carrying such force that even the elders’ power flickered in response.

Their magic exploded outward—frost and lightning and solar light joining into something ancient and unstoppable.

The air itself seemed to crystallize as their powers merged, creating a storm of elemental fury that made both armies pause in awe.

The clearing erupted into savage chaos. Sebastian’s commanders met Dark Haven’s blood magic head-on, their black fire cutting through corrupted flesh with surgical precision.

Edmund and James moved like twin shadows, centuries of fighting together evident in every synchronized attack.

Where darkness touched them, they burned it away with centuries of contained fury, their aristocratic restraint finally unleashed.

“Look how far you’ve fallen,” Sebastian’s voice dripped contempt as he stepped over Percy’s ashes, his perfect posture a sharp contrast to the devastation around him.

Black fire wreathed Sebastian’s form as he advanced on Dark Haven’s forces, the flames so dark they seemed to devour the very air.

“Let me show you why we banned these rituals.”

The elders’ power made reality bend, the very fabric of space warping around them as they unleashed their full strength.

Lady Victoria’s light seared through darkness like divine judgment, burning away corruption wherever it touched.

Her celestial power turned the night sky into false dawn, each blast of pure radiance accompanied by a sound like crystal bells shattering.

Lord Thanatos reached into the black crystals with death magic, his shadows moving with purpose rather than corruption.

The trapped souls within the crystals broke free under Lord Thanatos’ touch, their vengeful spirits turning on their tormentors with howls that carried centuries of pain.

Their ethereal forms tore apart the very ones who’d bound them, making Dark Haven’s soldiers scream as their own dark magic was turned against them.

Lady Wei’s dragon magic manifested fully now, her scales blazing with golden light as ancient Chinese characters swirled around Lady Wei like a living storm. Each symbol found its mark with devastating accuracy, burning through Dark Haven’s defensive wards like paper in flame.

Lord Johnathan’s ancient wolf magic erupted in a display that made even Dark Haven’s eldest vampires step back.

Centuries of accumulated power manifested as glowing runes that formed intricate patterns in the air, each one carrying the weight of Whitlock history.

Lord Johnathan’s aristocratic features remained perfectly composed even as he systematically dismantled Dark Haven’s defensive formations with precise, devastating attacks that spoke of countless battles won.

On the ground, Owen coordinated the Whitlock elite forces with military efficiency, his teams moving in perfect sync as they engaged Dark Haven’s ground forces.

Owen’s voice carried clear command as he directed their movements, years of military experience evident in every calculated strike.

“Teams Alpha and Beta, secure the perimeter! Delta team, support the elders! No one breaks through to Prince Luca!”

But Dominic Nightshade had planned for this.

More black crystals erupted from the ground in a precise pattern, each one pulsing with stored power that made the air thick with corruption.

“You think I came unprepared?” Dominic’s laughter echoed across the battlefield as waves of darkness spread outward from each crystal.

In Archer’s arms, Luca convulsed violently, the prince’s small body arching as the corrupted power tried to claim him.

Luca’s power sparked erratically, pure light fighting against encroaching darkness.

Through their bond, the brothers felt Luca slipping further away, each faltering heartbeat a fresh agony in their shared consciousness.

“No!” Zane’s roar carried raw anguish that made even the elders flinch.

Zane’s frost exploded outward, no longer the controlled power of an alpha but pure desperation of a mate watching his love die.

Ice spread in killing waves across the battlefield, freezing everything it touched.

Dark Haven soldiers shattered like glass as they tried to advance, their corrupted forms unable to withstand power fueled by an alpha’s need to protect his mate.

The very air crystallized, turning each breath into a cloud of ice crystals.

Ryker’s lightning turned the sky white, each bolt carrying the fury of a storm god.

Thunder cracked with such force it shook the council vehicles, their protective wards flickering under the onslaught.

“We won’t lose him.” Electricity arced between the black crystals, overloading them with raw power until they exploded in showers of corrupted shards.

“Not to you. Not to anyone.” Ryker’s voice promised violence as storm clouds gathered overhead, responding to his rage.

The air grew thick with ozone and frost as the brothers’ power merged.

This wasn’t the controlled strength of alphas anymore—this was the primal fury of mates watching their love die.

Their combined power made the clearing look like the end of the world: lightning striking frozen ground, darkness burning away under golden light, three forms of magic that should never coexist somehow working in perfect harmony.

“Fools!” Dominic gathered his remaining darkness into a sphere of pure corruption, the void-black orb pulsing with stolen life force. “If I can’t have his power?—”

Three attacks struck simultaneously, their timing so perfect it seemed choreographed: Zane’s frost hit first, freezing the sphere of corruption solid with a sound like a mountain cracking, Ryker’s lightning followed instantly, shattering the frozen darkness into a thousand glittering shards, Lady Victoria’s celestial light completed the trinity, burning away the fragments before they could reform.

Dominic fell from the sky like a broken angel, dark blood streaming from multiple wounds as his remaining wing gave out.

His elegant clothes, worth a fortune in Dark Haven’s aristocratic circles, were now torn and frozen, smoking slightly where celestial light had touched them.

His elite forces, seeing their lord defeated, began a tactical retreat, moving with military precision even in defeat.

More council forces arrived through the ETS, the sound of powerful engines filling the air as elite guards spilled from reinforced vehicles. Their weapons gleamed with spelled silver as they sprinted forward, taking up defensive positions around the clearing with practiced efficiency.

“This isn’t over,” Dominic snarled as his followers dragged him back through the barrier, his aristocratic facade cracking to reveal the monster beneath. Dark blood dripped from Dominic’s fangs as he added, “The fated one’s power?—”