THE DEMON KING WHO WAITED FOR HER
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Seeing her beloved being tortured in front of her shattered something deep within Linah. The screams that tore from Mako's throat pierced her soul like a cursed blade, and in that moment, anger unlike anything she had ever known flooded her veins. It was no longer fear that ruled her heart—it was fury, ancient and uncontrollable.
A strange heat rose from her chest, spreading through her limbs, burning yet empowering. Linah clutched her fists as a mysterious force awakened inside her, one she could not yet understand. Her heartbeat thundered like war drums, and the ground beneath her feet trembled as if the underworld itself had recognized its rightful queen.
Before anyone could react, Linah leapt forward.
She grabbed one of the warriors who was mercilessly torturing Mako, her fingers digging into his flesh with supernatural strength. Gasps filled the air as Linah lifted the man with one hand, gripping his neck as if he weighed nothing. Her eyes burned like flames from a raging furnace—bright, merciless, and terrifying.
With a single movement, she hurled him away like a rejected stone. His body struck the ground with a sickening sound, lifeless before it stopped rolling.
Silence followed.
Every warrior present froze in horror.
Mako stared at Linah, disbelief and fear battling in his eyes. Where did this power come from? he wondered. The woman he loved—the woman he had tried so desperately to protect—now stood before him like a goddess of destruction. Pride warred with terror in his heart, for he knew such power always came at a terrible cost.
"Linah… stop," he whispered weakly, blood dripping from his lips. "Please… don't let this power consume you."
But Linah could no longer hear him.
Her rage had taken control.
One by one, she turned toward Lyold's warriors. Fear struck them like lightning. Their hands trembled, their weapons clattered to the ground, and some took steps backward, already defeated by the sight of her alone.
Linah moved like a storm unleashed.
She struck without mercy—her fists, her feet, her very presence became weapons.
Warriors fell screaming, their confidence shattered as she advanced. Some tried to fight back, but her power crushed them effortlessly. Others attempted to flee, only to be thrown aside as if the underworld itself rejected their escape.
Blood stained the ground as Linah walked forward, step by step, her expression cold and unyielding. Each movement carried the weight of centuries of pain, betrayal, and love lost.
Mako watched helplessly, his heart breaking.
He had waited for her. Loved her across lifetimes. And now, because of him, she was forced to awaken a power that could destroy her.
"Enough," he cried again, his voice cracking. "I don't want this victory if it costs your soul."
But Lyold's name echoed in Linah's mind like a curse.
She lifted her gaze and locked eyes with him.
Lyold, Mako's stepbrother, stood frozen in place. The arrogance that once defined him had vanished, replaced by pure terror. His legs trembled as he watched the bodies of his warriors fall around him.
This was not the weak human woman he had expected.
This was death itself walking toward him.
On the other side of the battlefield, the mysterious woman—Lisah—moved swiftly through the shadows. She reached the imprisoned uncles of Mako, who had been seized after attempting to rescue their king.
Heavy chains bound them together, but with a single touch, Lisah unlocked them.
The uncles stared at her in shock.
"Who are you?" one of them asked, breathless.
Lisah met their gaze calmly. "Give thanks not to me, but to your queen," she said. "She abandoned the safety of the human world and crossed impossible realms to save you all. Her journey has been painful, but her love is greater than fear."
Realization dawned on their faces.
Without hesitation, they rose, determined to fight. Together, they turned back toward the battlefield—toward Linah and their wounded king.
Meanwhile, Lyold finally broke.
Seeing Linah's burning eyes and the corpses of his fallen warriors, he turned to flee. Survival was all that mattered now. Power meant nothing in the face of such wrath.
But Linah's voice stopped him cold.
"Your time is up," she said, her tone low and deadly.
She walked toward him, each step echoing like judgment
.
"I once died for love," Linah continued, memories flashing through her mind—her past life, her betrayal, her murder. "I was weak. I trusted. I lost everything."
Her power surged again, the air crackling around her.
"But this time," she declared, lifting her chin, "I will fight. I will win. And I will protect the man I love—even if the whole world burns."
Mako's eyes filled with tears as he listened. Despite the pain, despite the chains, love overflowed in his heart.
"Linah," he whispered, "you are my salvation… and my greatest fear."
Above them, the underworld trembled.
The war had only just begun.
END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN