Chapter 18 - The Battle of the Southern Pass
The narrow mountain pass of the southern border was choked with thick, unnatural fog. The wind howled through the jagged cliffs like a dying soul.
Malakor’s army of rogues poured through the gorge—a chaotic, bloodthirsty horde of hundreds of displaced wolves, renegades, and outcast fighters eager for slaughter. At their head strode Malakor himself, his red eyes glowing in the mist, a massive obsidian blade clutched in his scarred hand.
"Burn the gates!" Malakor roared, raising his sword. "Show the wolfless bitch what real power looks like!"
Before the horde could take another step, the ground beneath their feet trembled.
A blinding flash of silver light erupted from the center of the pass, instantly vaporizing the thick fog and illuminating the entire gorge like midday.
Standing alone at the narrowest point of the pass was Vera Ashwood. Behind her stood Dante, alongside Rowan and a disciplined line of outcasts-turned-warriors who held their ground with absolute serenity.
Malakor sneered, stopping his advance just yards away from her. "You must be the little ghost everyone is whispering about. Where is your pack, little girl? Where are your precious wolves?"
Vera didn't smile. She raised her hand, and the silver starlight swirling around her skin intensified until it cast long, dancing shadows across the sheer rock walls.
"My pack is right here," Vera said softly.
She swept her hand forward.
A shockwave of pure, condensed stellar energy blasted through the pass with the force of a tidal wave. The leading edge of Malakor’s army didn't just stop—they were lifted off their feet and slammed violently against the rock walls. The obsidian blade in Malakor’s hand shattered into a thousand glittering fragments.
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Before Malakor could recover his footing, Dante was already across the distance. Moving with blinding, cataclysmic speed, Dante slammed his fist into Malakor’s chest, sending the rogue leader crashing through three solid boulders before pinning him to the earth.
The entire rogue army froze, dropping their weapons as the sheer, overwhelming aura of Vera’s awakened bloodline pressed down on them, demanding absolute, unyielding submission.
