Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 186: Like A God

Althea’s power was like an endless ocean—no matter how much was drawn from it, the depths remained unfathomable. She was intoxicated by the sheer magnitude of it.

The exhilarating rush of power coursing through her veins was so overwhelming, so euphoric, that her consciousness wavered, threatening to spiral into delirium over and over again.

She could do anything. Her power was boundless, limitless. The realization that she had finally ascended to the realm of the gods sent waves of uncontainable ecstasy rippling through her.

"Behold the true power of a witch!" she declared, her voice ringing out as ghouls surged forward again, tearing into the beasts with relentless ferocity. "Like a god, I can create life and command it to do my bidding. Wouldn’t you want such power, King Rhaegar?"

Her lips curled into a twisted smile, and she smacked them as if savoring the moment, her dark eyes gleaming with malice. Surveying the chaos around her, she relished the sight of Rhaegar and his forces struggling against her creations. She had resisted his attacks with ease, toying with him and his men like a child tormenting insects.

But finishing them off all at once? That wouldn’t do. No, she wanted to draw this out, to make them suffer, to exact her revenge for every slight and humiliation she had endured. It was a symphony of pain she was determined to conduct.

And yet, there was one thing that gnawed at her, that tarnished her triumph. Her spells couldn’t fully subdue the Lycan King.

Her magic could touch him now—finally—but it still couldn’t bend him to her will as it did with others. It was infuriating, maddening. The defiance in his amber eyes was a thorn lodged deep in her pride.

"Do you still not understand, King?" Althea hissed as she effortlessly dodged another swing of his massive sword. "If the two of us combine our powers, we will be unstoppable. Together, we could be gods!"

His glowing, bestial eyes remained steady, unwavering. To her dismay, it seemed as though he was savoring the battle, while she, Althea, found herself gripped by unease. With every swing of his massive golden sword, an unnatural shiver coursed down her spine, something no god should ever experience.

In that moment, one thought consumed her: she must kill him.

She loathed his defiance, his refusal to heed her words. And yet, what a waste it would be to destroy him.

"...!!"

Althea’s mind snapped back to the present as though doused with ice-cold water. Something was wrong—terribly wrong. She felt it in the spell, the intricate connections fraying and snapping apart as if severed by invisible scissors.

Kai... Her brows furrowed as her fists clenched tightly, her long, black nails biting into the pale flesh of her palms.

Kai had always been a fragile, unstable mind—perfect for her experiments. Before she turned her attention to Lorelai, she had refined her spells on him, molding him into her tool. Thanks to their kindred connection, she could always sense when his consciousness wavered, slipping beyond her grasp.

Now, that very connection screamed of betrayal.

Althea’s body stiffened, every nerve alight with tension. Thick black smoke began to coil beneath her feet, rapidly enveloping her in an ominous shroud.

She had entrusted him with a simple task: to bring Lorelai to her. She had been confident he would obey, fueled by the searing rage of his little puppet slipping away from his control once more.

But now, dread gnawed at her edges—an unshakable feeling that even Kai had deceived her.

Pathetic little worm! Althea hissed internally, the crease between her eyebrows deepening in frustration.

Rhaegar lunged at her again, his blade sweeping through the air in a deadly arc. The swing was so precise, so close, that she could hear the blade sing as it sliced through the air just above her head.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Irritated, Althea raised her hands, her palms open and commanding. Immediately, dozens of thin, crimson threads of dark magic seeped from her pores, writhing like living things. The strings shot toward the Lycan King, encircling him in a sinister dance of black and red.

The threads coiled tightly around his wrists before vanishing into his skin, leaving a searing pain in their wake.

Rhaegar winced as the burning sensation spread up to his elbows. Looking down, he saw blood trickling from deep, narrow cuts etched into his flesh. freёwebnoѵel.com

Some of her magic does work on me... even if it’s just enough to inflict minor damage, he thought grimly, observing the steady drip of blood from his wrists. If she’s quick enough—and I’m not careful—she might find an opening and land a more critical blow.

Still, Rhaegar remained composed. He knew that forcing her to overextend herself could turn the tide in his favor. Althea’s strength was vast, but it wasn’t infinite.

Maintaining control over her monstrous ghouls required constant energy, and the more she split her focus between fighting him and feeding her creatures, the greater the likelihood of a mistake born of exhaustion.

He trusted his warriors to handle the ghouls without his aid. This battle wasn’t about them; it was about draining Althea, forcing her to burn through her reserves. All he needed was to outlast her.

Thus, Rhaegar pressed on.

With each swing of his massive sword, he aimed to strike Althea’s corrupted body. Fatigue clawed at his every muscle, his movements slower than they had been at the start. Yet, even as he dodged her dark magic and evaded her sly attempts to wound him, he refused to falter.

There was only one end to this battle: his victory.

"How long do you think you can keep this up?" Althea spat through gritted teeth, narrowly dodging another of his ferocious strikes. "You’re strong, yes, but you’re not immortal. Even if you win, you cannot escape this place. You’ll be trapped here, starving to death, while my creations devour the world around you."

Her chest trembled with a bout of maniacal laughter, black veins bulging grotesquely beneath her nearly translucent skin.

"All of this is futile, King. And you’re nothing but a fool if you think I’m bluffing."

"No," Rhaegar growled, lunging at her with renewed force. "I’m not foolish enough to think you’re lying. But I do believe that by getting rid of you, I can put an end to the destruction you’ve unleashed upon my kingdom."

Althea let out another piercing laugh, her head snapping backward in a horrifying fit of amusement. She couldn’t believe how naive this man was.

"Imbecile! There is no end to this without me! Like a god, I have unleashed this chaos, and only I can stop it!"

"Not anymore."

The sudden voice echoed through the broken hall, freezing both combatants in place. Rhaegar’s heart clenched painfully as he turned toward the source, his breath catching in his throat.

"Lorelai?"