Chapter 197
The excitement and tension that once filled the stadium dissolve into pure, unrelenting terror as the hydra’s panic reaches a fever pitch. Its heads regenerate faster than any of us could have imagined, multiplying like weeds, each one more ferocious and erratic than the last.
Acidic blood sprays in all directions as the hydra thrashes, staining the water with a sickly greenish hue. The crowd, once jubilant and bloodthirsty, begins to scream as the acid splashes into the stands. Cries of agony pierce through the chaos, and I clutch Cora’s arm tightly, my nails digging into her skin as I try to make sense of the madness.
The hydra’s massive body slams against the arena walls, shaking the very foundation of the structure. At first, the glowing sigils that line the walls flicker, struggling to maintain their power. Then, one by one, they sputter out, their once-brilliant light dimming to nothing. Raif’s voice cuts through the noise, sharp and panicked: “The wards are failing!”
His words send the audience into a full-blown frenzy. People push and shove, scrambling to get to the exits, but it’s too late. The final sigil blinks out, and for a heartbeat, the stadium is eerily quiet. The water feels heavy, charged, as though the entire world is holding its breath. Then the remaining arena doors groan open, and all hell breaks loose.
A horde of monstrosities floods into the arena, their forms twisted and grotesque. They don’t stay confined to the Pit—whatever magic had once contained the chaos is now gone. Some of the creatures immediately take to the open water, their wings or fins carrying them far from the stadium.
But most of them, the angriest and most confused, turn their attention to the crowd. The monsters surge upward, claws and fangs bared as they tear into the panicked audience. Blood and screams fill the water as the Menagerie spills from the arena floor into the stands.
Raif shouts commands, his voice barely audible over the chaos. “Guards! Converge on the arena! Protect the people!” But the guards look as terrified as the civilians. Many hesitate, while others are swept up in the tide of monsters. The panic spreads like wildfire, leaving Cora and me clinging to each other, our breaths coming in short, terrified gasps.
I can’t take it anymore. Throwing aside all pretense, I summon Electra’s gift. Power surges through me, though it’s muted, sluggish—a far cry from the ease with which I once wielded it. The Darklite—this cursed city and its oppressive aura—dampens my connection to the goddess.
Even so, the crackling electricity around me is enough to force back the spider-crab monstrosities crawling toward us. Lightning arcs from my fingertips, striking several of them in succession. They screech and writhe before retreating, their bodies charred and twitching.
Raif’s eyes snap to me, narrowing with realization and fury. “You,” he hisses, his voice venomous. “I was right all along!”
Cora whirls on him, her face twisted with rage. “Look at what you’ve done!” she snarls. “This is your fault!”
I glance at her, my chest heaving. “The Darklite is dampening my connection to Electra,” I say, my voice strained.
Cora’s expression sharpens with determination. “Do you remember what happened in the lava cave?” she asks urgently.
My stomach clenches. “I do.”
Her hand shoots out toward me. “Then let’s do it again.”
I hesitate for only a moment before grabbing her hand. The voidlike chill of her touch sends a shiver through me, and then it happens. A blinding flash of light erupts from our joined hands, illuminating the entire section of the arena.
When I blink away the spots in my vision, the spider-crab monsters are all frozen solid. They’ve been transformed into diamond sculptures, their grotesque forms preserved in crystalline perfection. The surrounding audience stares in stunned silence before breaking into cheers.
Raif’s expression twists with fury. He points at me, his voice rising to a roar. “Seize her!”
The guards nearest to him hesitate, their eyes darting between me and the monsters surrounding them. But eventually, they obey, converging on me with grim determination. I brace myself, but the attack never comes.
From the arena floor, Wake severs one of the hydra’s growing heads with a powerful strike. He twists the head, aiming its severed neck in my direction. Acid blood sprays from the wound, splattering across the guards surrounding me.
They fall back, screaming in agony as the corrosive liquid eats through their armor and flesh. Wake swims upward, his movements swift and purposeful despite the chaos. The hydra’s shrieking head dangles from his grip as he shouts, his voice booming above the din.
“This is what your King has brought upon you!” he yells, his voice cutting through the chaos. “This is what lies in store for you in his glorious expansion!”
Lampreys streak toward him, their needle-like teeth snapping hungrily. Wake spears two of them in a single jab and hurls their writhing bodies into a shark chimera tearing through the crowd. His movements are furious, precise, every strike filled with righteous fury.
He turns his gaze to Raif, his voice a thunderous roar. “You killed your own brother to be Dawn King…but who is left to be your heir now, Raif?”
The ground begins to tremble beneath us, interrupting Wake’s tirade. The floor of the arena cracks, fissures spidering out in every direction. Glowing veins of molten lava bubble up from the Pit, spilling out in streams that turn the water murky with heat and ash. The tremors intensify, sending more pieces of the arena crumbling into the chaos below.
I stagger, clutching Cora’s arm for support. “What is happening?” I shout, my voice barely audible over the rumbling.
Cora’s eyes widen, her face pale as she gasps, “It…can’t be.”
Raif shoves past the guards surrounding him, his expression twisted with disbelief. He peers over the edge of the royal box, his voice rising in a desperate cry. “No…no, no, no!”
The hydra’s massive form begins to change, its torso glowing brighter and brighter as molten veins spread across its body. Its shrieks grow louder, more ear-splitting, until its chest bursts open in an explosion of magma and heat. A blazing orb of molten rock emerges from the hydra’s core, swirling and pulsing with energy. As the light dims, the orb begins to part, revealing a figure inside.
It’s Khale.
He holds Kelis’ limp body in his arms, his eyes glowing brighter than the sun itself. No—brighter than the heart of an erupting volcano. The sheer intensity of his presence sends a wave of heat rippling through the water, and every monster in the arena spontaneously bursts into flames or melts into magma. The crowd’s stunned silence is broken by a single, disbelieving chant.
“Tangaroa… Tangaroa has claimed his Heir!”
Cora begins jumping up and down beside me, her voice rising in jubilation. “Tangaroa’s claimed his Heir! The Lost Prince has returned!”
Raif falls to his knees, his face a mask of despair and disbelief. The crowd’s chant grows louder, a deafening roar that shakes the arena as they witness the impossible—the return of a god and the rise of his chosen heir. Tangaroa has returned, and nothing in Ao will ever be the same.
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