Chapter 157 Pureblood dark side!

Chapter 157: Chapter 157 Pureblood dark side!

Right at the Imperial Palace, the ground was hotter than before. The entire place looked as though it had been dragged into the middle of a disaster. Smoke covered the sky, flames burned across the broken palace grounds, and the bodies of dragons and demons were scattered around the ruined battlefield.

But Noah barely noticed any of it. His eyes were fixed on what had happened to his friend. The sight of Lamia’s disappearance had changed something inside him. His face had gone completely pale before slowly darkening with rage. His silver-blue eyes began to shift, the blue fading away until they became a deep, terrifying red. The air around him trembled.

"I will kill you all."

His voice was low. Then his eyes swept across the battlefield.

"You dared to kill him?" His fists tightened. "Where is my Lamia?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the heavens shook. Thunder exploded across the sky, and a massive bolt of lightning crashed down from above, followed by another and another, each one striking with such force that the entire world seemed to tilt beneath their feet. The palace shook violently. Broken stones rolled across the ground. Even the remaining dragons roared uneasily as Noah stood in the center of the destruction.

His attention turned toward Damon first. The Emperor was no longer standing with the same confidence he had possessed earlier. Something had changed. Damon had lost his connection to the immortal part of himself. He couldn’t feel his powers anymore. His breathing became heavier as he desperately tried to summon his strength.

"Impossible..." He looked at his hands. "No..."

He attempted to conjure his power, but the moment he moved his fingers, something invisible sliced through them. His fingers dropped away from his hands as though they had been cut by an invisible blade.

"ARCHHHHHHHHH!"

Damon’s scream echoed throughout the palace. Blood sprayed across the ground.

"What are you doing?!" he screamed, clutching his ruined hand.

Noah’s red eyes narrowed. "What I should have done a long time ago." His voice thundered across the battlefield. "Killing all of you right here."

There was no hesitation in his voice. No fear. No mercy.

Eugene slowly rose from where he had been thrown earlier, his body still suffering from the heat of Emily’s dragon. He looked toward Noah, then his attention shifted toward the dragons. The spell Lamia had cast before his disappearance had affected the creatures terribly. All seven dragons had fallen heavily to the ground, their massive bodies shaking the palace with every movement.

The ancient spell had weakened them so badly that several of them crashed through the palace structures. Half of the surrounding palace had already been demolished, turning stone and magical structures into piles of dust. Yet somehow, Emily’s dragon had remained functional.

Emily stared at the fallen dragons in disbelief. Those weren’t ordinary creatures. "They’re sacred dragons!" Her voice trembled with fury. "Some of the most powerful dragons left in existence! How dare you do this to them?"

She raised her hands, preparing to command the remaining dragon. "Release your flames! Finish them!"

The dragon opened its enormous mouth. Fire began gathering inside its throat. Eugene and Damian were directly in its path.

But before Emily could give the final command, Noah moved. He snapped his fingers. Emily’s arms disappeared. Her mouth vanished at the same time. The girl froze. She couldn’t scream. She couldn’t move her hands.

Eugene stared at her, but he said nothing. He didn’t move to protect her. He didn’t even attempt to defend her. Perhaps he understood what Noah had already realized. Emily wasn’t acting entirely on her own. The Book of Shadows had taken control of her.

Damian, however, staggered forward. "Wait!" He moved toward Noah. "Don’t kill her, please!"

Noah’s eyes shifted toward him.

"She’s being controlled!" Damian’s voice became desperate. "Her eyes... she’s slowly losing herself. The Book of Shadows is influencing her." He took another step. "I don’t want you to destroy her." His expression tightened. "Please, enough!"

Noah stared at him. For a moment, Damian thought he had gotten through. Then Noah lifted one hand. Damian was thrown off his feet. His body flew backward and landed directly on top of Eugene. The impact wasn’t hard enough to seriously injure either of them, but it still hurt.

Eugene groaned as Damian landed across him. "Sorry," Damian muttered. Eugene said nothing. Their attention remained fixed on Noah.

Emily’s eyes filled with tears as she watched her hands disappear. The dragons saw their master suffering. Their rage exploded.

The remaining dragon unleashed its flames. A massive torrent of fire erupted from its mouth.

Noah didn’t move. Instead, something appeared behind his back. A golden crown-like structure formed in the air, glowing brilliantly with pure light. At the same time, another golden formation appeared across his back and chest. The light expanded.

The incoming flames struck Noah’s power, but instead of burning through it, the golden energy caught the fire. Then it began pulling the flames backward. The dragon’s own fire was suddenly forced back toward its body. The flames collided with the dragon and Emily at the same time.

But that wasn’t all. The golden light mixed with the flames, creating something far more destructive. Divinium energy surged through the fire. The resulting explosion tore across the battlefield.

The remaining dragon and Emily were engulfed. The people watching could only stare in horror as their bodies were consumed by the overwhelming energy. Flesh began melting beneath the combination of flames and Divinium. Emily’s scream was muffled by the explosion.

Damon Ashborn’s jaw dropped. For the first time, genuine shock appeared across the Emperor’s face. He had watched Noah awaken. He had seen the power. But this was something else.

He immediately tried to fly away. Nothing happened. He couldn’t move. His powers were gone. His body remained frozen in place.

"No..." He looked toward Noah in terror.

Noah slowly raised his hand. A red orb began forming around his palm. The energy twisted around his fingers like living tendrils.

Damon knew exactly what was coming. But before Noah could release it, the cloaked woman who had been holding the Book of Shadows suddenly moved. Desdemona appeared behind Noah. A sword was already in her hands. She drove it straight through his back.

The blade pierced him. For one second, everything went silent.

Desdemona’s eyes widened. Then the sword began melting. The weapon dissolved from Noah’s body and fell apart into a heavy, smoking substance that hit the ground like molten sulfur.

Desdemona stumbled backward. Her face was filled with horror. "That blade..." She stared at Noah. "It was forged through the breath of dragons and the ashes of the ancestors of dead mages." Her voice shook. "It can kill anything." She couldn’t understand what she was seeing. "How did you survive it?"

Noah slowly turned his head, then he smiled. It wasn’t a comforting smile. It was maddening.

"Don’t be foolish." His red eyes stared directly into hers. "Do I look ordinary?" He tilted his head. "Do you really think something that basic could damage me?" His voice became colder. "Is that how little you think of me?"

Desdemona slowly stepped backward. The Book of Shadows was no longer in her possession. It was floating beside Noah. The ancient book hovered in the air as dark energy flowed from it into his body. Noah was draining some of its magic.

Desdemona’s expression changed. "No..." She continued retreating.

But someone else had been watching the entire scene from the upper tower. Damon’s sister. Irene. She stood high above the battlefield, staring down at Noah. Her eyes narrowed. She snarled before disappearing from the tower.

But even as she vanished, her gaze remained fixed on Eugene and Damian. Those were the people she would go after.

Noah suddenly looked upward. "You witches..." His voice carried through the battlefield. "You’re embracing the darkness now?" He slowly raised one hand. "Is that what this is?"

A powerful slash ripped through the air. It struck Irene from behind. She screamed. Blood spilled across the tower.

Noah’s eyes remained cold. "Now you don’t have autonomy." He lifted his hand again. "I thought witches and mages hated being controlled."

Another wave of energy sliced through the air. The attack cut across Irene’s back. She cried out.

"So who are you?" Noah’s voice was almost mocking.

But Irene suddenly stopped retreating. Her eyes darkened. Desdemona’s expression changed too. Then she opened her mouth.

"Because I sold my soul for this." Her voice echoed across the ruined palace. "And I’m not the only one who did."

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

"You didn’t come and save us when we needed you the most." Dark energy began gathering around Desdemona. "You Purebloods are nothing but murderers!" Her voice became louder. "You’re no savior!" The darkness around her exploded. "You never were, and you never will be!"

She released a deafening scream. A massive dark pulse erupted from her body. The entire palace floor was swept away. Stone, debris, bodies, and broken weapons were lifted into the air. The force sent everyone flying.

Noah was thrown backward. For the first time, his balance broke. His body slammed into the ground.

Damian and Eugene struggled to remain standing. The remaining demons scattered.

And that was exactly when Irene appeared beside Eugene and Damian. She wasn’t alone. Demons came crawling across the broken ground. Monstrous flying creatures descended from the sky. More creatures appeared from the corners of the palace, circling the battlefield. They surrounded Eugene and Damian from every direction.

Irene raised her hand. She was about to attack.

Then everything stopped.

A single footstep landed in the middle of the battlefield. Boom. The sound echoed through the palace. Every creature froze. Every demon turned. Even the dragon stopped moving.

A man stood there. He was dressed entirely in black. A long black coat flowed behind him, extending over fitted black pants and heavy boots. Dark wings spread behind his back. His hair glowed like flames, bright against the darkness surrounding him. His presence alone made the entire battlefield fall silent.

He slowly lifted his head. His eyes locked onto the creatures surrounding Noah. Then his voice came. Cold. Deadly. Absolute.

"Don’t touch him..." The darkness around him expanded. "...or his mates."

The entire world seemed to hold its breath.