The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 39: First Fight

Chapter 39: First Fight

>>Aelin

"You underestimate me." Draegon said and then looked back at me, "Aelin," he said in a low growl, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Move away. When you get the chance, run back up—don’t stop until you’re out of the dungeon."

I was still trying to absorb what had happened when I looked at him, "..."

"Do you hear me?" He called again as he held me

"But—" I began to argue, but his grip tightened, his sharp glare brooking no argument.

"Go."

Ariston was already at my side, his blade ready in his hands while Draken and Drakkar fought with monsters, the other demons trying to assist them. Ariston glanced at Draegon, then back at me. "I’ll keep her out of the way. You just—"

"Go," Draegon finished darkly, rolling his shoulders as his claws lengthened further, razor-sharp and gleaming. The air around him grew thick, charged with power.

The dungeon stretched out far beyond what I had imagined—a massive cavernous space lit dimly by torches, with crumbling stone walls that swallowed the sound of our steps. Despite the vastness, the air was stifling, reeking of rot and something far worse.

The skeletal hound was the first to strike, its horrific frame bolting forward with unnatural speed, its gaping jaw snapping like an iron trap. The first monster—a towering, shadowy abomination—slithered and stalked closer, its elongated claws scraping against the ground, leaving deep gouges in the stone.

"Now!" Draegon shouted, charging toward the skeletal hound.

He moved like a silver blur, faster than I could follow. His claws met the monster’s ribs in a powerful strike, sending shards of bone scattering across the ground. The beast screeched, staggering but not falling, its jaw twisting unnaturally to bite at him again. Draegon barely dodged, his reflexes keeping him just out of reach.

Ariston didn’t waste a second. He pushes me in the corner, far from the whole ordeal, "Stay there, and the first chance you get, run out!" He then turned around and lunged at the second monster, the tall, writhing shadow, and struck hard with his stolen sword. The blade sliced through the creature’s limb, severing one of its claws, but instead of falling, the limb hissed and reformed, curling back into place like living smoke.

?!?!

What the hell!?

Ariston cursed under his breath and backstepped, narrowly avoiding a swipe that shattered the stone wall beside him.

"Hit it where it’s solid!" Draegon yelled, sparing Ariston a glance.

Drakkar joined Draegon against the skeletal hound, his own claws glowing faintly with energy as he slashed at its hind legs, trying to cripple its movements. The hound shrieked again, swinging its massive head to swipe Drakkar aside, sending him skidding across the floor with a loud thud.

"Drakkar!" Draken shouted, but he had no time to check on his brother. The shadow monster lashed out, its claws multiplying into a dozen writhing extensions as it swung at him. Draken blocked with his forearm, sparks flying as claws scraped against his scales that he had brought forward. He grunted, forced back under the sheer weight of the attack, but Ariston darted in from the side, hacking at the beast’s torso.

"I said solid hits!" Draegon yelled again, his voice sharp and commanding. "It’s weak where it’s most physical!"

"Well, I have to see where it’s solid!" Ariston’s sword finally connected with something tangible—the shadow’s core. The creature recoiled with a screech, its body shuddering as black ichor splattered onto the ground. But it didn’t stop. The wounds Ariston created stitched themselves back together almost immediately, and the creature lunged at him, faster this time.

Draegon and Drakkar were having similar struggles with the skeletal hound. No matter how hard Draegon struck, the beast refused to go down. It twisted and clawed, snapping at him with relentless precision, as though it had no concept of pain or fear. Drakkar managed to grab hold of one of its hind legs and yanked hard, pulling the beast to the ground with a thunderous crash.

"Now, Draegon!" Drakkar roared.

Draegon didn’t hesitate. He leaped high, claws glowing with his demonic power, and drove them straight into the hound’s spine. The beast howled in agony as cracks splintered through its body, dark energy pouring out from the point of impact. For a moment, it looked like it might finally fall—

But then the hound surged back up, its bones knitting back together as it threw Draegon off with a violent shake. Draegon hit the ground hard, skidding several feet before he caught himself, his claws digging into the stone to steady his landing.

"Damn it," he hissed, glaring at the creature.

"It’s regenerating!" Draken shouted, still locked in a brutal clash with the shadow monster. "We need to stop its core!"

"And where is that?!" Ariston yelled back, slashing at the beast’s shifting limbs.

"I’m working on it!" Draegon growled, his violet gaze darting between the two monsters.

A core?

Do these monsters have a core that needs to be destroyed?

I watched in horror as the battle raged on, my heart hammering so hard it drowned out the sounds of claws scraping and blades striking. The demons fought like forces of nature, their movements relentless, but these creatures—whatever they were—fought without weakness, without pause.

Suddenly a strike came towards me. The first monster tried to claw me but Draegon blocked the attack, throwing the monster in another direction.

"Ariston, get her out of here!" Draegon shouted suddenly, his voice cutting through the chaos.

"But!" I shot back before I could stop myself.

"You’re in the way!" Draegon snapped, turning his gaze to me with such intensity that I froze in place. "Go—now!"

"I’m a little occupied here!" Ariston said as he struck again. This strike did something, the skeletal hound let out a deafening roar, its ribs flaring open to reveal something glowing darkly within—a sickly light that pulsed like a beating heart.

Drakkar saw it too. "That’s its core!" he yelled, pointing. "Everyone," He looked at the other demons that followed them here, "That’s the target!!"

The core is the weakness? How does Drakkar know that though?

The skeletal hound reared back, its massive jaw snapping as it roared again, the black glowing core at its center pulsing with an ominous rhythm. The sound echoed through the dungeon, shaking loose chunks of stone from the ceiling. Its ribs flared wider, almost as if to mock them, daring anyone to get close enough to strike at the heart of its unnatural existence.

Ariston didn’t waste time. "Drakkar!" he called the demon prince, charging forward.

Drakkar followed without hesitation, his claws glowing faintly with energy as he flanked the beast. The two of them moved in perfect tandem, attacking from opposite sides. Ariston’s blade struck first, slicing clean through the hound’s front leg, sending the severed limb clattering to the ground. Drakkar darted in, aiming for the back leg, his claws raking through bone and sinew with brutal precision.

The skeletal hound howled in defiance, its body jerking violently as it attempted to regenerate. Black smoke poured from the stumps where its limbs had been, the bones knitting back together faster than they could break them apart.

"Keep going!" Ariston shouted, his sword cleaving into the creature’s jaw. Bone splintered under the force, but the hound’s otherworldly resilience made it feel like cutting through iron. Drakkar snarled as he dodged a sudden swipe from the hound’s remaining paw. "This thing’s not going down easily!" Ariston said

"That’s why we’re not doing this alone," Drakkar replied, his eyes darting toward the other demons who had followed them down. "Everyone! Target the ribs!"

The demons hesitated for a moment, some still trembling in fear at the sight of the monstrous beasts, but Drakkar’s sharp growl snapped them out of it. "Move, or you’re next!"

A handful of demons rallied and joined the assault, their weapons glinting in the dim light as they descended upon the hound’s exposed ribs. One demon wielding a massive hammer swung with all his might, the blow cracking through the creature’s side and leaving an opening. Another demon, armed with a spear, drove it into the gap, wedging the ribcage apart.

The hound thrashed wildly, black ichor spraying from its wounds as it tried to fend off the relentless assault. But Ariston and Drakkar gave it no room to recover.

"Keep it pinned!" Ariston roared as he leaped onto the beast’s back, plunging his sword deep into its spine. The creature screamed again, its body convulsing, but the blade didn’t seem to stop it.

Drakkar took advantage of the moment, his claws flashing as he tore into the hound’s skull. He ripped off half its face, the jagged remains of its jaw hanging loosely, yet the creature still fought.

"Regenerating again!" one demon shouted as the ribs they had just broken began to fuse back together.

"Not this time," Drakkar snarled. "Hit it harder!"

The demons redoubled their efforts. One of them sent a blast of energy into the hound’s chest, shattering more of the ribs. Another drove a halberd into the exposed gap, using the leverage to pry the ribs apart further.

Finally, the glowing core was fully exposed, its dark light pulsing faster as though it sensed its imminent demise.

"Now!" Ariston bellowed.

Draegon, who had been holding back for the perfect moment, stepped forward. His chest expanded, the air around him growing impossibly hot as flames built in his throat. With a deafening roar, he unleashed his fire breath, a torrent of blazing inferno that engulfed the skeletal hound and its exposed core.

!?!

The fire was not ordinary—it was imbued with Draegon’s demonic power, hotter than any natural flame. I was standing the furthest away yet I felt the hotness of it. Ariston immediately moved away, as a human he must have felt it was unbearable and after him the other demons back away as well. It consumed the creature completely, the black core writhing and shrinking as the fire ate away at it. The hound’s screams turned into a high-pitched wail before it finally collapsed, its body crumbling into ash and smoke.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the dungeon, Draken and a small group of demons were locked in a fierce battle with the first monster. I looked around, were there less people here now or was I imagining it?

And suddenly something else clicked in my mind.

And

Where was Ruoxy?

That’s when I heard a crunch, like a bone snapping between teeth, and slowly turned my head to look back and my I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach

"Hello, Aelin," Ruoxy was standing a step away from me, her long form looming over me and her mouth was stained with fresh red blood, as if she had finished eating raw juicy flesh.

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