Chapter 176: The Dark Magic Unleashed!

The tail came down with devastating force.

Everyone watching thought for certain that Neve would be crushed underneath the massive serpent limb. Cael’s heart stopped. Aldric held his breath. Maren’s eyes went wide with horror. They all froze in place as they watched everything.

The impact was earth-shattering. The ground cracked beneath the weight of Zyreth’s tail. Dust and dirt flew up into the air, obscuring the area where Neve had been standing.

"NEVE!" Cael screamed, pulling against his bonds. His leopard instincts roared to life. He tried to break free, to run to Neve’s side, but the ropes held firm. "NO! NEVE!"

Aldric closed his eyes, unable to watch. He had thought Neve was fast. He had thought maybe the red panda could dodge. But Zyreth’s tail was too massive. Too powerful. There was no way anyone could have survived that direct hit.

Jereth and the other snake beastmen laughed, celebrating what they assumed was a confirmed kill.

"The king is truly powerful!" one of them cheered. "No one can stand against him!"

But then the dust settled.

And there, standing behind Zyreth, completely unharmed, was Skarr.

The red panda had been fast enough to dodge. Incredibly fast. Impossibly fast. Skarr had moved in a blur of motion, sliding out of the way at the last possible second.

Inside his own mind, Neve was panicking. His heart was racing. His consciousness was screaming with fear. He had felt the tail pass so close to Skarr’s body. He had felt the wind of the attack. He had thought they were both going to die.

But Skarr had dodged with perfect precision and timing.

The dark magic user was not going to die that easily. Not to a snake king. Not when he had already survived the elimination of an entire tribe.

"Can... Can you not try to get us killed?" Neve asked in Skarr’s head.

"Do I look like I’m trying to get us killed?" Skarr asked, not even caring at all.

"Well, yessss!" Neve yelled and a small smirk tug at his lips.

"Quiet now, Neve. If I want to win this fight, I have to concentrate..." He said and Neve parted his lips like he wanted to say something but he pressed his lips shut.

He saw as Zyreth lunged forward again, to attack but Skarr moved with predatory grace, dodging and weaving through Zyreth’s relentless attacks. The snake king kept striking with his tail, trying to crush the small red panda. But each time, Skarr moved just fast enough to avoid the impact.

Zyreth slashed with long claws. Skarr ducked underneath.

Zyreth tried to wrap his tail around Skarr’s body. Skarr rolled out of the way.

Zyreth opened his mouth to bite. Skarr jumped backward.

It was a deadly dance of predator and prey, except the roles kept switching. The supposedly helpless prey was moving like a master fighter. The powerful king was getting increasingly frustrated.

Then Skarr saw his opening.

He moved faster than anyone could follow. He darted forward and grabbed Zyreth from behind, wrapping his small arms around the snake king’s neck. His small hand pressed against Zyreth’s skin.

And then Skarr muttered something. Words in a language no one recognized. Words that sounded ancient and powerful. Words that carried weight and darkness.

The dark magic curse.

Immediately, Zyreth felt something change inside him.

It started as a tingling sensation in his neck where Skarr’s hand was touching him. Then the sensation spread. It moved through his blood like liquid darkness. It invaded every nerve ending. Every muscle fiber felt like it was being torn apart from the inside.

But it was not just physical pain.

It was something deeper. Something that attacked not just his body but his will. His sense of control was slipping away. His body felt like it was no longer entirely his own. Like there was something foreign inside him now. Something dark and ancient that was slowly taking over every function of his being.

Zyreth tried to scream but found that he could not open his mouth. He tried to move but found that his limbs were not responding the way he wanted. His body felt sluggish. Slow. Like someone else was controlling the strings.

It was the sensation of losing control. The sensation of becoming a puppet.

But then Skarr released him and jumped back.

Zyreth thought maybe the curse had failed. Maybe it had not worked. The snake king shook his head, trying to clear the strange sensations from his body.

He felt mostly normal again. His muscles responded to his commands. His body felt like his own. Maybe the red panda’s attack had been weaker than he thought.

"You think you can attack the king and survive?" Zyreth roared, his pride wounded by what he perceived as a failed attack.

He tried another assault, launching himself forward with renewed fury. His tail whipped around like a weapon. His claws extended.

But then Skarr simply snapped his fingers.

Just one snap.

That was all it took.

Zyreth’s entire body locked up. His legs gave out. He crashed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. His massive snake form collapsed, unable to support its own weight anymore.

The king of the outcast territory fell.

Everyone gasped in shock.

Cael’s eyes went wide. Aldric gasped. Maren froze in place. Jereth and the other snake beastmen stared in disbelief at their fallen king.

Their powerful king. Their invincible leader. Their master of dark magic and strength.

Dropped to the ground by a single snap of fingers.

"What happened to him?" one of the guards asked, confusion and fear evident in their voice. "What did the red panda do?"

"I don’t know," another answered, equally confused. "I’ve never seen anything like this before."

Jereth’s face went pale as he realized that the tide of battle had completely shifted. The snake king was down. The intruders were still alive. The situation was rapidly spiraling out of control.

He turned to the nearest guard immediately.

"You," Jereth commanded, pointing at the snake beastman. "Go and summon everyone. Summon all the guards. Summon Varek. Summon the king’s brother. We need reinforcements. We need to bring everyone to fight this intruder."

The guard nodded and turned to run.

But before he could take even a single step, Skarr snapped his fingers again.

The guard froze mid-movement. His body went rigid. His legs locked in place. He tried to move but found that his body was no longer obeying his commands.

Everyone realized in that moment what was happening.

The dark magic was not just affecting Zyreth. It could affect anyone.

Skarr had taken control of the guard’s body.

And then, still under Skarr’s control, Zyreth’s tail shot forward with blinding speed. The sharp point pierced directly through the controlled guard’s chest. Blood sprayed everywhere as the guard screamed in agony.

The other beastmen stepped back in horror, watching their companion die on the end of their king’s own tail.

Everyone gasped in shock at the brutality of it.

Maren’s hands clenched into fists. Cael looked away, unable to watch. Aldric’s face went pale.

Skarr grinned at the scene before him, clearly pleased with how the battle was progressing.

"I didn’t say you could invite anyone else to the party," Skarr said coldly, his voice carrying absolute authority. "I said let those two go and you get to live. But you tried to call for reinforcements. You tried to break the rules."

He looked down at his hands with satisfaction.

"Now Zyreth is going to listen to every command I give him. His body is mine to control now. His power is mine to use. And anyone who tries to interfere will meet the same fate as your friend here."

The remaining guards stepped further back, fear clear in their eyes. They now understood the true nature of the dark magic they were facing. This was not simple magic. This was not something that could be fought with strength or weapons.

This was domination at its most fundamental level. This was the power of elimination incarnate.

Skarr looked at Cael and Aldric, still bound.

"Now," he said, his voice carrying a command that could not be refused. "Let’s talk about what happens next. You two are going to walk out of here alive. Your ropes are going to be cut. And Zyreth here is going to cooperate with whatever I ask of him."

He looked back at Zyreth’s prone form on the ground.

"Because if he doesn’t, I can always make it worse. I can make him hurt in ways he cannot even imagine. I can make his own body torture him from the inside out."

Maren watched this display with a mix of emotions. Relief that Cael and Aldric would live. Horror at what he was witnessing. Respect for the power being displayed.

This was dark magic in its purest form. This was sacrifice incarnate. This was the power granted by the willing death of an entire tribe.

And it was being wielded by someone trapped inside Neve’s pregnant body.

’I thought he was someone like me. Just who the hell is Neve?’ Maren furrowed his brows.