Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 903: Child Of Yesterday

The metal pole smashed across Angus’s face with a deafening clang. He staggered sideways as the impact echoed through the throne room. There was an imprint in the metal showing just how hard Micah had hit him, yet Angus had taken it like a champ. That was not a compliment.

"Why don’t you tell that to my mother?!" Micah roared.

But that wasn’t enough.

He swung again.

Angus barely managed to throw up an arm before the pole connected with enough force to send him stumbling backward.

"Tell her how you summoned the demon that raped her!"

He struck again.

"Tell her how you destroyed her life!"

CLANG!

The pole finally snapped apart from the force of the repeated blows. Yet that didn’t seem to satisfy Micah. He had years of rage festering inside him, and now every bit of it was pouring out at once.

The demon prince vanished and reappeared beside Angus, driving the jagged remains of the pole into his ribs like a spear.

He claimed the runes made him impenetrable, right?

It was time to put that to the test.

Micah shoved harder.

The broken metal groaned against Angus’s body, but it was like trying to pierce a steel wall with a wooden knife. Even so, Angus grunted and slid backward across the floor from the sheer force Micah was applying.

"Say that to my face after turning me into this!" he screamed, eyes wide with fury, veins standing out across his forehead.

For the first time, sweat gathered on Angus’s brow. He strained against Micah, clearly not expecting this level of unhinged rage from him.

With a frustrated snarl, Micah vanished again.

Angus spun.

Too slow.

The pole crashed into the back of his head hard enough to make his vision flash white.

"What kind of person kills his own daughter?!"

Another hit.

"And while we’re at it—"

CLANG!

"Tell me why you thought we’d sweep all these crimes under the rug and let you become our king!"

"Damn," Violet breathed, watching the scene with open fascination. "That is one legitimate crash out."

The beating had become unsurprisingly personal.

"If he didn’t have those runes protecting him," Griffin admitted, "even I wouldn’t recover easily from a beating like that."

He visibly shuddered at the thought.

"Every spell has a loophole," Asher said, studying Angus with rapt attention. More specifically, he was studying his reactions and recovery time. "We just have to find it."

Angus finally caught the pole on the next swing, his fingers closing around the metal shaft. The floor beneath his feet cracked from the force. For the first time, his calm expression slipped.

"Are you finished?" he hissed.

"No."

Micah vanished.

Angus immediately tensed.

Then the demon prince reappeared above him, and the pole came down like divine judgment.

CRASH!

Angus’s knees buckled slightly beneath the impact.

"Good." Micah flashed him a vicious grin. "Because I have years of unresolved issues."

But Micah shouldn’t have let his guard down because faster than his eyes could follow, Angus suddenly punched him so hard that he was launched several meters across the room.

"Micah!" Violet rushed forward and caught him before he could crash into the floor. The impact still forced both of them several steps backward, their feet scraping against the stone.

Violet immediately turned toward Angus, her brows furrowed. He shouldn’t be capable of such strength. Just what kind of dark spell had he subjected himself to?

"Insolent children," Angus said, disdain dripping from his voice as he glared at Violet and Micah who so obviously had each other’s backs.

He continued, his eyes full of disappointment. "You dare raise your hands against your own father?"

"Oh please, don’t taint that title with your tongue. You’re not a father but a sperm donor." Violet sneered. "The same way you went around carelessly procreating children. You’re no father of ours."

Angus stared hard at Violet before clicking his tongue. "Pity. I had such great plans for you." He shook his head slowly. "I placed you in District One. I planted you like a seed among thorns because I wanted you to become my miracle. I needed the pain to shape you into my perfect heir, and this is how you repay me?"

"In that case, thank you," Violet said to everyone’s surprise. "You saved me from turning out like Ziva and the rest of your daughters."

"Also," she added, "you’re right. Your plan did make me stronger and now I’m here to thank you for that by ending your miserable existence."

Angus laughed. "Don’t be so cocky. You’re a child of yesterday. What makes you think I’ll sit still and allow you to end me just like that?"

His eyes gleamed at her foolishness. Then he took a step backward onto the dais.

Immediately Violet’s instincts went on high alert. Every single one of them.

Something was wrong.

That was when they noticed the small speakers positioned at strategic points around the hall. Strange spells began echoing from them, filling the throne room with overlapping spells.

Violet felt the ground beneath her feet soften. She looked down to see the stone floor rippling like water disturbed by an unseen force.

"Move out now!" Violet thundered.

Sadly, that only made things worse.

The moment they lifted their feet and tried to move, they immediately began to sink. Their boots vanished first, followed by their ankles as the floor swallowed them. The entire ground had somehow transformed into quicksand.

"Micah! Leave!" Violet shouted, knowing he had the greatest chance of escaping.

But Micah shook his head.

"My powers aren’t working!"

"What?!" Violet yelled, alarm surging through her. She immediately opened her palm, calling for her darkness.

Nothing happened. Not even a flicker. What the hell.

"Oh shit." Violet finally understood how bad the situation truly was.

Angus had deliberately lured them into the room and stalled while the trap finished activating around them. As always, the bastard had been planning several steps ahead.

Alaric said, sounding exactly like the nerd he was, "The safest way to escape quicksand is to lean back, spread out your weight, and slowly wiggle your legs to let water circulate and break the suction."

And he did exactly that. Unfortunately, this was no ordinary quicksand.

The moment Alaric leaned backward, the floor opened beneath him and swallowed him whole.

"Alaric!!!"