ROAR—!
The monster in the hockey mask charged forward like a living tank, completely ignoring the Cullen family and the Quileute werewolves. Its murderous presence was like a freight train barreling through the forest, carving a path of destruction straight toward Bella.
She tilted her head slightly.
The movement was subtle—elegant, even—but it carried a quiet confidence that made the very air seem to pause around her.
"It's kind of weird not to have a weapon yet," she murmured to herself, her voice light, almost amused. "I really should find time to forge something soon."
With that idle thought cast aside, Bella stepped forward with her right foot.
BOOM—!
A radiant stream of golden light flashed in her eyes, and then—
An invisible force exploded from her body.
It wasn't just power. It was a wave of authority. A kingdom of energy. A crushing, oppressive aura spread in all directions like the roar of an ancient ocean—boundless, surging, divine.
The Cullen family and the werewolves all faltered.
Carlisle's eyes widened in disbelief. "What... is this?!"
The ground itself seemed to buckle beneath the pressure. Everyone felt it—not with their bodies, but with their souls. It was as if an ancient predator had awakened, and every instinct screamed for them to run.
"I knew she was strong, but this?" Edward muttered, gritting his teeth. "This is insane."
"Damn it... who is she really?" growled Emmett, unable to tear his eyes away from the woman in black.
Even the wolves, massive and feral, took a step back under the weight of her presence. Their snarls turned uncertain. Their instincts warned them: she was not prey, nor predator. She was something else.
But the man in the hockey mask didn't care.
No fear. No hesitation. No pain.
With a roar that rattled the mountaintops, the monster charged forward once again, machete raised and eyes glowing beneath the mask.
And then—
BOOM!
Bella vanished.
The ground cracked beneath where she'd stood, leaving behind a crater, the soil pushed outward from the sheer force of her movement. Even with their supernatural senses, the Cullen family and the wolves could barely catch a blur.
She reappeared in a blink.
To the left of the charging monster.
Her right leg whipped through the air like a scythe of vengeance, trailing compressed gusts that ripped through the atmosphere.
CRACK!
Her foot smashed into the monster's neck.
The impact sent the creature flying like a ragdoll, its body twisting midair as the unmistakable sound of bone snapping echoed across the forest.
The monster tumbled through the air, crashing through trees like they were paper.
But Bella was already moving.
She leapt into the sky—an effortless, graceful arc that carried her nearly a hundred meters upward. Her arms spread wide like wings, and for a second, she hovered at the peak of her jump.
And then she dove.
Like a meteor.
Like divine punishment.
BOOOOOOOM!
She struck the monster mid-air, slamming it down to earth with cataclysmic force.
The earth howled.
The mountains shook.
The shockwave ripped through the terrain. Massive roots and ancient trees were uprooted. Stones shattered. A wave of pressure exploded outward, sweeping up the Cullen family and the wolves like leaves in a hurricane.
RUMBLE—!
The entire clearing was turned upside down. A deep pit—twenty meters wide—formed at the center of the impact. Dirt and debris shot into the sky like a volcanic eruption. The mansion in the distance? Reduced to rubble in seconds, consumed by the rolling quake.
Rain poured harder.
Thunder crackled above, silver lightning dancing madly through the clouds.
Edward and Carlisle, both thrown from the force, climbed to their feet and stared through the rain.
Dust slowly began to settle.
The battlefield came into view.
The forest was gone.
Flattened. Obliterated.
A massive crater sat where Bella had landed—at least thirty meters across, the edges cracked and steaming.
Shattered trees lay in pieces, scattered like broken toys. The landscape looked like it had been hit by a missile barrage.
The wolves growled lowly, standing beside the vampires as they looked on in awe.
Alice blinked, eyes sparkling. "Wow... I think that thing's definitely not getting back up."
Even her usual confidence was laced with disbelief.
Was this really a human?
Not even the elder werewolves could inflict this level of devastation. Not with claws. Not with fangs. Not with years of battle.
Only something ancient—something like an alpha elder—could hope to approach this level of destruction.
She bit her lip, her expression a mix of excitement and mischief. "She's kind of amazing, right?"
Carlisle didn't share the sentiment.
"No," he said grimly. "That thing's not dead."
Alice glanced sideways. "What?"
Carlisle's brow furrowed. "It's a necromancer construct. Physical destruction alone won't end it."
"She crushed it with a mountain," Emmett muttered.
"And it will still rise," Carlisle replied.
As if on cue—
Crunch.
From the heart of the crater, amidst the fallen trees and shattered rocks, movement.
Edward's eyes narrowed. "Here we go…"
The mud shifted. Rain pattered against the ground. And slowly, impossibly, the hockey mask rose from the center of the pit.
Its cracked mask was mostly intact.
Its chest—mangled only moments ago—was rapidly restoring itself, the bones popping back into place with sickening crunches, muscles stitching back together with unnatural ease.
It stood up, silently.
And smiled.
Bella stood at the edge of the crater, her expression unreadable beneath the mask. Her long blond hair, soaked from rain, clung to her shoulders.
Lightning flashed above.
She didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
She simply watched.
The monster took a step forward—then another.
Carlisle spoke quietly to Edward. "Only one thing can truly destroy a creature like that."
Edward nodded. "The beam of light we saw at Sheldon Manor?"
"Yes."
Edward clenched his fists. That power… it wasn't something a vampire could wield.
Only someone chosen by fate, or burdened by it, could harness that.
And somehow—this girl in a suit, with jewel eyes and a V-shaped mask—had it.
Bella finally raised her hand, stretching it toward the monster like a conductor signaling the start of a finale.
"This town has too many shadows already," she whispered.
"And you…"
Her voice grew colder.
"…are one shadow too many."
To be continued…
___________________________________
Get membership in patreon to read more chapters
Extra chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31