Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: The Wild (12)

Both Ahcehera and Richard stared at it, their bodies tense. The core’s light grew brighter, and the dark energy surrounding it intensified, twisting and writhing like living tendrils.

“What is it doing?” Ahcehera whispered, her voice laced with dread.

Before she could utter another word, the core moved. It shot toward Richard with blinding speed, its energy screaming through the air like a vengeful spirit.

“No!” Ahcehera screamed, struggling against the chains with renewed desperation.

The core slammed into Richard’s chest, its dark energy spreading across his body like a living infection.

He let out an agonized howl, his body convulsing as the energy invaded him. The pain was unbearable. Richard’s human form began to shift involuntarily.

His bones cracked, his muscles expanded, and his skin was replaced by jet-black fur that shimmered with a strange, otherworldly sheen.

His transformation into his wolf form was violent and uncontrollable, the energy fueling his change with a ferocity he had never experienced before.

Ahcehera could only watch, her heart pounding as Richard’s massive wolf form emerged. His eyes glowed with an intense purple light, the same hue as the core.

“Richard!” she called out, her voice trembling.

The wolf let out a guttural snarl, its body trembling under the weight of the dark energy.

For a moment, it seemed as though Richard was losing control, his movements erratic and aggressive.

Ahcehera’s mind raced. She had to find a way to reach him, to pull him back from the brink before the core’s energy consumed him entirely.

“Richard, fight it!” she shouted, her voice cutting through the oppressive energy. “You’re stronger than this!”

–

Ahcehera thrashed against the chains, her wrists and ankles bruising under their relentless grip.

The dark energy binding her burned like acid against her skin, and every attempt to use her mental power was met with a vicious backlash.

But then, something worse happened.

Above her, the dark energy gathered into a swirling storm, forming a jagged bolt of lightning that hovered ominously over her head.

The crackling energy was suffocating, pressing down on her like the weight of an entire world. When the lightning struck, it didn’t just sear her skin, it tore through her entire being.

She screamed, the sound raw and guttural, as the lightning coursed through her body. Her vision blurred, and blood spilled from her mouth, staining her pale lips crimson.

Her muscles trembled with the effort to stay conscious, but her mind refused to yield.

Richard.

Her thoughts clung to him, desperate and unwavering.

She could see him through the haze of pain, a massive black wolf writhing on the ground, his form contorting as the core’s energy continued to invade him.

“No…” she whispered hoarsely, her voice barely audible. “You can’t have him!”

Ahcehera’s fury flared, igniting a deep reservoir of strength within her. She pulled against the chains, ignoring the pain that ripped through her body.

The air around her shimmered as her suppressed mental power surged to the surface, brighter and fiercer than before.

The chains began to crack, faint fissures forming along their dark surface. The storm above her intensified, but so did her resolve.

“Let me go!” she roared, her voice echoing through the clearing.

The chains retaliated, sending another jolt of energy through her. The lightning struck again, this time accompanied by a thunderous boom that shook the ground.

Ahcehera coughed violently, more blood spilling from her lips, but her grip on consciousness remained firm.

Her eyes, filled with determination, flickered to Richard. He was on the brink of collapse, his massive wolf form trembling as the core’s energy continued to assault him.

His breaths were shallow, and his glowing purple eyes dulled with each passing moment.

Richard’s body was too weak to consume the core’s power, and it was killing him.

“No!” Ahcehera screamed again, her voice filled with raw desperation. “You’re not taking him from me!”

With a final, earth-shattering cry, she summoned every ounce of her strength. Her mental power surged like a tidal wave, shattering the chains in an explosion of light and energy.

The backlash sent her hurtling to the ground, her body slamming into the dirt with a sickening thud.

Her vision swam, and every fiber of her being screamed in agony, but she forced herself to move.

Dragging herself to her knees, she fixed her gaze on Richard. He was still struggling, his form flickering between wolf and human, the core’s energy threatening to tear him apart.

Ahcehera stumbled toward him, blood dripping from her lips and wounds. Her hands trembled as she reached out to him, her voice a broken whisper.

“Richard… please… hold on…”

Ahcehera’s fingers were mere inches from Richard’s trembling paw when the broken chains as if possessed by a malevolent will, reassembled in mid-air.

This time, they were thicker, heavier, and more sinister. Dark energy pulsed along their lengths like veins of liquid night.

Before she could react, the chains lashed out and coiled around her, binding her arms and legs in a merciless grip.

She let out a strangled cry as the chains hoisted her into the air, her body suspended like a broken doll.

Electricity surged through the chains, coursing through her body in unrelenting waves. Her muscles spasmed violently, and her head snapped back as she screamed in agony.

Every jolt felt like a knife slicing through her nerves, leaving her breathless and weak.

“Richard…” she gasped, her voice barely audible over the crackling energy.

Her vision blurred, but she could still see him. Richard’s massive black wolf form was curled on the ground, his body convulsing as the core’s malevolent energy tore through him.

His glowing eyes flickered like dying embers, and his snarls were fading into pitiful whimpers.

Ahcehera tried to summon her strength, to break free from the chains, but the energy constricting her was relentless.

She twisted and pulled, her mental power flaring weakly in an attempt to sever the chains.

“Let me go!” she rasped, her voice raw with desperation.

The chains responded with cruelty. A sharp, gleaming thorn materialized from their length and shot forward, piercing her chest.