Talent Awakening: Draconic Overlord Of The Apocalypse - Chapter 508: • A Light Snuffed Out

Chapter 508: • A Light Snuffed Out

His body began to twist and stretch unnaturally, bones cracking like thunder. A thick darkness surged from beneath his skin, until black, jagged scales tore forth across his limbs and chest, gleaming with an otherworldly sheen.

With a violent pulse, six massive leather wings erupted from his back, edged with abyssal purple fire. Above his head, a cracked, pitch-black halo spun slowly into existence, leaking thin trails of corrupted light.

The blood pool floor rippled as his massive, draconic form towered into the air—horned, monstrous, ancient. He inhaled deeply, the void in his lungs pulling her closer like a vortex.

Hlusturia trembled, broken and near-lightless. Her remaining eye widened with sheer horror as he opened his maw, lined with rows of jagged, silver-glinting teeth.

She tried to resist, to fly, to blink away—but her body betrayed her, far too weak, her divine core already fading.

“No—!”

But the word never left her, not truly. With one swift motion, Alameck dropped her in—his maw snapping shut around her entire body.

CRUNCH.

A sickening pop echoed across the space. Her right hand slipped through his closing jaws and thudded to the blood floor, twitching once before going still.

He chewed slowly, savoring every fragment of light, his throat bulging with each devoured piece of her essence.

Then, in an instant, the massive dragon body compressed, bones and scales retracting as he shifted seamlessly back into his humanoid form. He raised his hand to his mouth and wiped it clean with the back of his arm.

His ashen-gray eyes lidded slightly, his grin returning.

“Del~icious.”

…

…

Back in the physical world

Aiku’s head suddenly throbbed, a sharp, searing pain lancing through his skull like a blade of ice.

He staggered, clutching his temples, his vision blurring as the world tilted violently.

He screamed in agony,

“Hlusturia! What’s… what’s going on with my head?” he gasped, his voice hoarse, eyes darting to her divine figure beside him.

But then his eyes widened in shock.

She was unraveling.

Hlusturia’s radiant form flickered like a dying flame, her golden light fracturing into countless shimmering particles that drifted upward like embers on a breeze.

Her body was dissolving from the edges inward. Her lifeless eyes, wide with terror, locked onto Aiku for a fleeting moment before they, too, began to fade into specks of light.

“No—no, no, no!” Aiku roared, lunging forward, hands grasping desperately at the fleeting particles.

His fingers passed through them, clutching nothing but air as the glowing motes slipped away, rising into the dust-choked sky.

“Hlusturia! Stay with me! What’s happening?!”

Her voiceless form couldn’t answer. The last of her light scattered, and she was gone—leaving only a faint shimmer in the air where she’d hovered.

Aiku’s chest heaved, his breaths ragged, his hands trembling as they hovered in the empty space.

The pain in his head surged again, sharper now, like a scream echoing inside his skull.

He pressed his palms harder against his temples, teeth gritted, trying to force the agony down.

“What… what the hell is this?!”

A shadow loomed.

The air grew heavy, oppressive, as if the world itself held its breath. Aiku’s eyes snapped upward, and his blood ran cold.

Alister was there.

Right in front of him.

The golden-eyed man stood mere inches away, his presence like a mountain bearing down. Golden mana coiled lazily around him, the draconic claws of light still hovering above his shoulders, pulsing faintly as if alive.

His expression was unreadable, but those eyes—those piercing, judgmental eyes—bore into Aiku with an intensity that made his soul feel exposed.

“I guess your luck’s run out.”

Aiku’s heart pounded, his body frozen under the weight of that gaze. The pain in his head flared again, and for a split second, he saw something—a flash of jagged black scales, a cruel grin, and ashen-gray eyes that didn’t belong to Alister.

The vision vanished as quickly as it came, leaving him gasping, his mind reeling.

“What… what did you do to her?!”

Aiku snarled, forcing himself to his feet, golden cards flaring to life around his hands. His voice trembled with rage and fear, but he refused to back down.

“What did you do to Hlusturia?!”

The massive dragon claw of golden light descended with a sudden burst of force, slamming Aiku into the shattered ground. The impact shook the battlefield, sending shockwaves through the cracked earth. Again and again, the claw smashed down, each strike a thunderous explosion of power that drove Aiku deeper into the rubble.

Dust and debris erupted around him, obscuring the air in a choking haze.

When Alister finally paused, the claw hovering ominously above, Aiku lay crumpled in a crater, his body battered and broken. He coughed violently, blood spraying from his lips, staining the dirt beneath him. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, each one a struggle against the crushing pain radiating through his ribs. His golden cards flickered weakly around him, their light dimming as his strength waned.

“Ghh… damn… you…” Aiku rasped, his voice barely audible, defiance still flickering in his bloodshot eyes. He tried to push himself up, but his arms trembled and gave out, collapsing him back into the dirt.

“You’re still talking,” Alister said, his voice flat, almost disappointed. “That’s more than I expected.”

Aiku’s fingers clawed at the ground, scraping through the rubble as he forced himself to one knee. Blood dripped from his mouth, mixing with the dust.

“I… I’m not done,” he growled, his voice shaking but laced with desperate resolve. “I can’t be done… not like this…”

He summoned another card, its golden glow flickering like a candle in a storm. It spun weakly in his palm, its edges trembling as if reflecting his faltering will.

Suddenly, Alister stepped forward, his expression unreadable.

With a single, unhurried motion, he brought his boot down on Aiku’s hand.

CRACK.

Bones shattered beneath the pressure, a sickening crunch echoing through the still air as Aiku screamed in agony.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Alister said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. His golden eyes gleamed with finality as he twisted his heel slightly, grinding Aiku’s mangled hand into the dirt.