The chamber was on the verge of collapse.
Stone cracked beneath the force of Dominic's battle with the Perfect Alpha Killer. Each clash sent shockwaves rippling through the massive structure, shaking pillars and scattering debris across the ground.
But something else was happening.
Something far more dangerous.
The Alpha Killers were moving.
Not attacking.
Not rampaging.
Choosing.
Leila stood at the center, her body still glowing with the awakened First Bloodline. The energy around her was no longer chaotic—it was calm, vast, and absolute.
She could feel them.
All of them.
Ten Alpha Killers.
Each one a fractured soul.
Each one a broken will.
Each one… reaching.
Marcus noticed it first.
"…They're looking at her."
Kael nodded slowly.
"They're waiting."
Dominic and the Perfect Alpha Killer clashed again, their battle tearing through the chamber, but Leila barely noticed now.
Her focus had shifted.
This moment—
Was hers.
The Call
Leila stepped forward.
The ground beneath her feet cracked slightly with each step, not from force—but from presence.
The First Bloodline pulsed outward.
Not as a command.
Not as control.
But as something deeper.
A call.
"You don't belong to him."
Her voice echoed softly, yet it carried across the entire chamber.
The Alpha Killers froze.
Even the Perfect Alpha Killer paused for a fraction of a second.
Leila's eyes burned brighter.
"You were never meant to be weapons."
Images flashed in her mind—
Their pain.
Their transformation.
Their loss.
"I can feel you…"
Her voice trembled slightly—but not with weakness.
With emotion.
"With everything they took from you."
One of the Alpha Killers stepped forward.
Slowly.
Uncertain.
Marcus whispered.
"…Is it working?"
Kael didn't answer.
He was watching history change.
Leila raised her hand slightly.
"I won't force you."
The energy around her softened.
Warm.
Inviting.
"I'll give you a choice."
The First to Break Free
One Alpha Killer collapsed to its knees.
Not from pressure.
Not from command.
But from release.
Its body trembled violently.
The red glow in its eyes flickered—
Then shattered.
Replaced by something else.
Clarity.
Leila gasped softly.
"It's waking up…"
Marcus's eyes widened.
"No way…"
The Alpha Killer looked at its own hands.
At its own body.
Like it was seeing itself for the first time.
Then—
It turned.
Not toward Leila.
Not toward the pack.
But toward Malachar.
And it growled.
Low.
Deep.
Defiant.
Kael exhaled sharply.
"It chose."
The Shift
That was all it took.
One choice.
One act of defiance.
And everything changed.
The remaining Alpha Killers began to react.
Their bodies tensed.
Their eyes flickered.
The control Malachar had over them—
Cracked.
Leila stepped forward again.
Her voice stronger now.
"You are not bound."
The First Bloodline surged outward again.
Not forcing.
Not dominating.
Freeing.
One by one—
The Alpha Killers began to kneel.
But this time—
Not to her.
To themselves.
Breaking.
Releasing.
Reclaiming.
Marcus let out a breath.
"…This is insane."
Kael nodded.
"This is evolution."
Malachar Loses Control
Malachar's expression finally changed.
For the first time—
There was no calm.
No control.
Only cold realization.
"You're undoing centuries of work," he said quietly.
Leila didn't stop.
"Good."
The final Alpha Killer dropped to its knees.
Its eyes clearing.
Its body stabilizing.
And just like that—
Malachar's army was gone.
No.
Not gone.
Turned.
The Alpha Killers rose slowly.
Ten of them.
No longer weapons.
No longer controlled.
They stood behind Leila.
Not as servants.
Not as soldiers.
But as wolves who had chosen their side.
Dominic saw it.
Even in the middle of his fight.
And he laughed.
A deep, satisfied sound.
"Well…"
He slammed the Perfect Alpha Killer backward with a powerful strike.
"That changes things."
The Perfect One Reacts
The Perfect Alpha Killer stopped.
Its gaze shifted.
For the first time—
It looked at the others.
At the Alpha Killers who had broken free.
At the ones now standing with Leila.
Something flickered in its eyes.
Confusion.
Conflict.
Leila felt it instantly.
"It's not immune…"
Kael's eyes widened.
"Even that one…?"
Leila stepped forward slowly.
Her gaze locking onto the Perfect Alpha Killer.
"You're not perfect."
Her voice was calm.
"You're just controlled better."
The creature froze.
Dominic didn't attack.
He watched.
Waiting.
Leila raised her hand again.
Not to command.
But to reach.
"I can feel you too."
The Perfect Alpha Killer's body tensed.
Its aura flickered slightly.
Malachar's voice cut through sharply.
"Do not listen to her."
The creature flinched.
Leila's voice softened.
"You don't have to obey him."
The chamber fell silent.
Everything—
Balanced on this moment.
The Edge of Collapse
The Perfect Alpha Killer took one step forward.
Not toward Dominic.
Not toward Malachar.
Toward…
Leila.
Marcus whispered.
"…No way."
Kael didn't breathe.
Malachar's eyes darkened dangerously.
"You will not lose this one."
His hand lifted.
Dark energy surged violently around him.
The runes flared brighter than ever before.
The chamber shook.
Cracked.
Destabilizing.
Leila felt it instantly.
"He's going to force control."
Dominic stepped forward, placing himself between her and the creature.
"Then we end this now."
The Alpha Killers behind her moved as one.
Ready.
Free.
Dangerous.
Leila's power surged again.
Stronger than ever.
The First Bloodline fully awakened.
And across from them—
Malachar smiled.
But this time—
It wasn't calm.
It was madness.
"Good."
His voice echoed as the mountain trembled.
"Let's see how far your freedom goes…"
The ground beneath them split open.
And something deep within the mountain—
answered.