BLOOD & SIGILS

Chapter 66: The Alpha's Domain

The moment the Alpha Mana Beast appeared, the jungle fell silent.

No rustling leaves.

No distant howls.

Even the lesser beasts fled.

Damien Nocturne stood frozen, his breath caught in his throat. The nobles around him—battered, exhausted—had once believed themselves strong.

Now?

They looked like prey.

The Alpha Mana Beast was unlike anything they had faced so far.

A nightmarish fusion of raw power and intelligence.

It resembled a massive obsidian-furred wolf, standing over four meters tall, its thick hide pulsing with veins of mana. Its eyes weren't just golden—they glowed with an eerie, unnatural light.

And worse?

Its aura was shifting.

Balancing on the precipice of evolution.

It was not yet a King-Class Beast—but it was dangerously close.

And Damien?

He was standing right in front of it.

A Predator's Gaze

The Alpha's eyes locked onto him.

Damien's entire body screamed at him to run.

To get away.

To do anything but stay here.

Yet, his legs refused to move.

One of the nobles beside him—Cedric Voss—shook violently. "T-That's… that's not just an Alpha…" His voice cracked. "It's almost… a King."

Another noble, Alden Crestwell, gritted his teeth. "Shut up. We can take it. We just have to—"

CRACK.

A blur of black and silver shot forward.

Alden never finished his sentence.

One second, he was standing beside Damien.

The next—his entire torso was gone.

The Alpha had moved too fast to track.

Blood sprayed through the air as Alden's upper body vanished, his legs collapsing onto the ground with a sickening thud.

The other nobles screamed.

Cedric staggered backward, horror flashing in his eyes. "We—we need to retreat—"

Damien's heart slammed against his ribs.

He wanted to agree.

He wanted to run.

But then—he felt it.

The Alpha's eyes on him again.

And he realized—

It wasn't just hunting them.

It was studying them.

Kael's Hunt – A Dangerous Shift

Elsewhere on the island, Kael Veyrin moved through the jungle, his blade still dripping with the blackened blood of a Greater Mana Beast.

He had lost count of how many he had killed.

His body was covered in scratches and burns, but his movements remained sharp.

This wasn't new to him.

He had hunted beasts before.

But something felt different now.

The mana in the air was thicker.

The beasts were growing smarter.

And his instincts screamed that something was very, very wrong.

Then—

A sound.

A distant scream.

And then—a burst of mana unlike anything he had felt before.

Kael stopped moving.

His crimson eyes narrowed.

That's not a normal beast.

His grip tightened around his blade.

Whatever was happening—

It was time for him to step in.

Mira's Recovery – A Decision Made

Mira Valcroft dipped her hands into the river, washing off the dried blood caking her arms.

She had taken down her fair share of beasts.

But that wasn't what mattered.

What mattered was what came next.

Cassian's words echoed in her mind.

"Why do you need to be strong?"

She had thought it was to prove herself.

But now?

She realized it was to never feel helpless again.

Her fingers curled into fists.

She wasn't going to let Damien break her.

She wasn't going to let anyone decide her worth.

A sudden gust of wind rustled through the trees.

Mira's instincts flared.

Something had shifted.

The jungle felt… wrong.

She rose to her feet, gripping her sword.

She wasn't sure what was coming—

But she refused to face it unprepared.

Lucian & Darius – The Buried Truth

Lucian Eldoria and Darius Zephyrion emerged from the ruins, both covered in scratches and dust.

The Greater Mana Beast inside had been… different.

It had spoken.

Not in words—but in thought.

Lucian's mind replayed the message it had left him.

"The island is not yours to claim."

Darius exhaled sharply. "Alright. I don't like how that thing looked at us before it died."

Lucian remained silent.

Because he knew something Darius didn't.

This island wasn't normal.

And if they had encountered a talking Greater Beast…

Then something far worse was waiting for them.

Selene & Evelyne – A Battle on the Horizon

Selene Duskbane stood at the treetop, her silver eyes scanning the island.

She had already confirmed it—the beasts were converging.

Something was pulling them.

And she had a terrible suspicion about what.

Evelyne Grimthorne, standing beside her, cracked her knuckles. "Looks like we're in for a real fight soon."

Selene didn't answer.

She was already thinking three steps ahead.

Whatever was happening—

They needed to prepare.

Damien's Last Mistake

Back at the Alpha's domain—Damien made his choice.

He stepped forward.

Not to run.

Not to fight.

But to sacrifice.

He grabbed Cedric Voss by the shoulder—

And threw him forward.

The Alpha lunged.

Cedric barely had time to scream before his body was ripped apart.

Blood sprayed across Damien's face—but he didn't care.

He had bought himself a few more seconds.

And as the other nobles scattered in terror, Damien turned and ran.

He didn't care who died.

As long as it wasn't him.

But what he didn't realize was—

The Alpha had already marked him.

And it was just letting him think he was safe.

For now.

The Final Hunt Begins…

The island was no longer just a battleground.

It was a graveyard in the making.

The Alpha Mana Beast—on the cusp of evolution—had made its move.

And soon, every student would learn—

That survival wasn't guaranteed.