The Vampire King's Pet-Chapter 361: Beasts Arrive

Some were people she even recognized, which only made her heart bleed more. Faces she knew. Faces that should not have been twisted into snarling, hollow-eyed things. Her heart raced faster and would have been thumping hard enough to explode if not for the fact that Zyren stood right beside her, solid and unmoving like an anchor against the chaos.

Still, it raced nonetheless—especially considering the fact that unlike what Zyren thought, she could no longer heal herself if she got hurt.

If something happens to me...

Which meant that any serious injury could kill her before the baby in her belly was even affected. The thought alone was enough to make her stomach churn.

The growls around them grew much louder as the space became more crowded. Beasts pressed in from all sides, saliva slobbering from their mouths as black, soulless eyes fixed hungrily on them. Their breaths came hot and foul, filled with anticipation.

"It’s fine! I can kill all of them!" Zyren assured her, his voice steady and confident. Not once did Aira doubt him—but that did nothing to chase away her fear. Power didn’t erase consequences. And consequences were now her greatest enemy.

Just when Aira expected the beasts—creatures Zyren could no longer freeze with his abilities—to lunge at them, she froze in shock. Instead of attacking, the Zygon beasts suddenly shifted their attention, circling Liora as she dashed around frantically. The movement was deliberate, coordinated, almost reverent.

Protective.

In a way that made it unmistakably clear—they wanted to protect her.

The realization sent a cold shiver down Aira’s spine. Why...?

This was the last thing she had expected.

Zyren noticed it too. His gaze lifted sharply, attention snapping away from the encroaching beasts as a powerful presence surged in the distance. His eyes locked onto a massive Zygon beast flying toward them at terrifying speed, wings slicing through the air with thunderous force.

It was enormous—more than three times the size of the beasts on the ground. Its presence alone made it clear it stood far above the others. Authority radiated from it in waves. It opened its mouth and let out a long, echoing howl that shook the ground beneath them.

Every Zygon responded instantly, shivering as one.

At least, the ones that hadn’t already been bound and frozen by Zyren’s abilities.

The beast landed sooner than Aira expected, crashing down into the very center of the circle the other Zygons had formed—one that Liora was trapped in. Zyren tightened his hold on her bindings, knowing better than to let her go. Letting her escape now would only make things far worse.

The ground cracked violently beneath the beast’s weight. Stone splintered. Dust and debris exploded outward. It stood tall enough to look down on everything like a lord surveying his dominion.

King.

Its black gaze was tinged with red as it slowly scanned its surroundings before finally settling on Zyren. When it spoke, its voice was more beast than language, raw and guttural, carried by roaring wind.

"I know you," it growled loudly, the force of its voice rattling the air itself. "...But you don’t know me!"

Zyren didn’t respond. He simply stared back, his gaze blank and cold, betraying no emotion. To him, size meant nothing. Power spoke louder, and even now, he saw the beast as largely beneath him.

The only reason he hadn’t moved yet was because he was waiting. Waiting for his lords to arrive—they would have been informed instantly. He could kill them all, but doing so would divide his attention.

And Aira could get hurt.

She can heal herself, he thought automatically—then stopped. His gaze sharpened. No. Not anymore.

Because of the baby.

The realization settled heavily in his mind, forcing caution where none had existed before. But the thought had barely finished forming when something else caught his attention.

The massive leader beast suddenly jerked, turning its back on him.

The arrogance.

The thought had barely occurred to Zyren when both he and Aira watched in horror as the beast opened its mouth and took a massive bite out of half of Liora’s body.

Congealed blood exploded into the air, floating grotesquely midair as if suspended by unseen hands. Aira didn’t even have time to scream before Liora did—her shriek piercing and agonized.

Zyren frowned sharply and released his hold on her bindings at once.

But the leader beast was ready.

It attacked relentlessly, claws tearing into Liora’s form while ignoring the countless arrows she drove into its hardened body. The arrows sank deep—yet it barely reacted. Its regenerative ability was terrifying, wounds sealing almost as fast as they were made.

Growls and screams filled the air as chaos erupted.

Liora summoned massive spears of blood, far larger than before, driving them straight through the towering beast with brutal force—even as it continued to bite and swallow chunks of her liquid form. It loomed over her, more than five times her height, relentless and merciless.

At first, it seemed stupid. Foolish, even. The parts it swallowed visibly burned and tore at it from within.

But that illusion didn’t last.

Slowly—surely—the leader beast began to shrink.

Yet its aura grew stronger.

Denser. Sharper.

More dangerous.

Liora, on the other hand, was clearly shrinking. Her screams grew thinner, more desperate. Blood spilled and failed to return fast enough.

"Is it... is it eating her?" Aira whispered, horror choking her voice.

Zyren didn’t answer.

The fight dragged on painfully until Aira finally broke, turning to him with wide, pleading eyes. "You’re not going to let them kill her, are you?"

Again, Zyren did not respond immediately. He glanced at her only once before turning his full attention back to the beast devouring her sister.

She was always a monster, he thought calmly. Just like them.

It was almost comical to him. A truth Aira still struggled to accept—even now, even as half of Liora’s head was already missing.

What made it worse was that Liora kept calling Aira’s name.

Again.

And again.

And again.

In a voice filled with pain and desperation that made it impossible to ignore.

Zyren sighed inwardly. Why would I bind myself to someone so fragile... so fickle?

Yet—he didn’t hate it.

In the next instant, he scooped Aira up into his arms and leapt forward, the movement closer to flight than a jump. Wind tore past them as he descended.

He had no weapon.

He didn’t need one. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The moment he landed beside the Zygon leader, the ground shattered anew. Zyren lifted his leg and kicked.

The massive beast reacted instinctively, raising its arms just in time.

Good thing it did.

The sound of bones breaking echoed violently through the battlefield as the beast was launched backward like a projectile, hurled far into the distance.