Lust System: Conquering the World Beauties

Chapter 433: Chapter 433 Inside The Hive

Liam opened his eyes and immediately knew he was not in his body anymore.

There was no floor beneath his feet. No ceiling above his head. He felt weightless, like he was drifting through slow moving water, carried by something he could not see or touch. Sound reached him first, distant and layered, like voices echoing through a cavern.

Beside him, Mary gasped softly.

She opened her eyes too.

Even now, even here, their hands were still connected. He could feel her fingers curled around his palm, tight, grounding, like she was afraid that if she let go she would be swept away.

”Where are we?” Liam asked quietly.

Mary did not answer immediately. Her eyes were wide, scanning the space around them, her breathing shallow.

Then she looked down.

Liam followed her gaze.

Below them was a massive underground chamber carved from black stone. The walls were jagged and ancient, etched with symbols that pulsed faintly like dying embers. At the center of the chamber stood an altar, tall and uneven, shaped like a broken throne fused with a slab of rock.

Vampires surrounded it.

Dozens of them.

They stood in circles, some kneeling, some standing, all facing the altar. Their skin looked pale under the flickering torchlight, stretched tight over sharp bones. Their eyes glowed faintly red, filled with reverence and hunger.

Blood was everywhere.

They were pouring it onto the altar.

Buckets. Bowls. Severed veins held open and drained. Liters after liters spilled over the stone, running down its sides, pooling at the base like a dark, living thing.

The altar drank it all.

Liam felt something shift in his chest.

”This,” he said slowly, ”is this something that already happened or something about to happen?”

Mary shook her head, her expression tense.

”I cannot see what has not happened,” she said. ”Only what already has.”

That answer made his stomach tighten.

Below them, the chanting grew louder.

The vampires raised their hands toward the altar, their voices blending into a deep, rhythmic hum.

”Awaken, ancient one,” they murmured.

”Blood returns what time has taken.”

”Flesh remembers.”

”The master hears.”

More blood was poured.

The altar began to glow faintly, veins of dark crimson light crawling across its surface like cracks in dry earth filling with fire.

”From slumber you rise.”

”From silence you breathe.”

”The night calls its king.”

Even Liam knew this could not be good.

They were not celebrating.

They were preparing.

”They are trying to wake him,” Liam said under his breath.

Mary’s face had gone pale.

Her lips parted slightly as she stared at the scene below, fear flickering behind her eyes.

”Yes,” she whispered. ”They are trying to wake the first one.”

The chanting intensified.

”Master of blood.”

”Father of shadow.”

”Rise.”

The altar pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

A deep sound rolled through the chamber, not loud but heavy, like a heartbeat echoing through stone.

Mary squeezed Liam’s hand unconsciously.

He turned to her immediately.

”If we are already in the hive,” he said, ”can we try to find where he went into slumber?”

Mary looked at him sharply.

”No,” she said at once. ”That place would be protected by dark magic far older than me. Far stronger. I do not dare try to find it.”

Liam studied her face for a moment.

Then he smiled.

A calm, confident smile that did not match the horror unfolding below.

”Then do not use your energy,” he said. ”Channel mine instead. All of it.”

Mary’s eyes widened.

She shook her head quickly, almost violently.

”No,” she said. ”No no no. You can die if I draw too much from you. I can drain you completely.”

Before she could say anything else, she felt it.

Liam’s body began to change.

Golden light bloomed beneath his skin, starting at his chest and spreading outward. His veins lit up like molten metal flowing through glass. His blood glowed, radiant and warm, pulsing with steady power.

Mary stared in disbelief.

She had never seen anything like it.

Not from a witch.

Not from a vampire.

Not from a wolf.

”What are you?” she whispered.

Liam did not answer.

He simply tightened his grip on her hand.

”Take it,” he said calmly. ”I am not fragile.”

The golden light intensified, wrapping around both of them like a second skin. The darkness of the hive recoiled slightly, shadows pulling back as if wary.

⸻

Back in the physical world, the room was tense.

Irina had taken a step forward, her claws half extended without her realizing it.

”Lana,” she said sharply. ”Look at Liam.”

Lana lifted her head.

Her breath caught.

Golden light glowed beneath Liam’s skin, visible through his neck, his arms, his face. It pulsed slowly, steady and controlled, not violent, not unstable.

Irina stared, stunned.

”What is that?” she asked.

Lana smiled softly.

”It is okay,” she said gently. ”It is completely okay.”

She looked at Liam with absolute trust.

”It is just one of his weird abilities.”

Mary never stopped chanting.

Her voice had grown hoarse but steady, the old words rolling off her tongue like something ancient waking up inside her. The air around them thickened, pressure building until it felt like the room itself was holding its breath.

Suddenly Liam’s body shook.

Not just inside the vision but outside too.

His muscles tensed hard, his back arching slightly as if something massive had pulled at him from both directions at once. Lana gasped and stepped forward instinctively, but Irina held her back with a firm hand.

Inside the hive, Liam felt it first.

Mary was weakening.

Her chant faltered for just a fraction of a second, her grip loosening around his palm. He felt her pulling away, instinct screaming at her to stop before she went too far.

Liam tightened his hold.

”Don’t stop,” he said firmly.

Mary turned her head toward him, eyes still glowing white, fear flickering through her focus.

”You will collapse,” she warned.

”Then take it faster,” Liam replied. ”Do not slow down now.”

Something in his voice cut through her hesitation.

Mary raised her chant.

The words spilled faster now, sharper, heavier, the ancient language twisting the air. She drew more energy from Liam than she ever had from anyone. It poured out of him in waves, gold light surging beneath his skin, his heartbeat thunderous in his ears.

Liam felt it.

The exhaustion came fast.

His limbs felt heavy. His vision blurred at the edges. Every breath burned. It felt like running full speed while being pulled backward by chains.

Still he gave everything.

If this was the price, so be it.

The chamber around them shattered.

The altar below cracked open, revealing a glimpse of something deeper, darker. A presence stirred, vast and patient, old beyond memory.

Mary screamed the final words of the chant.

Then everything snapped.

Her hand disconnected from Liam’s.

They both fell.

Back in the real world, the sudden release sent them crashing to the floor. Mary collapsed first, her knees giving way as the glow vanished from her eyes.

Irina moved instantly, catching her under the arms and pulling her upright.

At the same time Lana dropped beside Liam, grabbing his shoulders.

”Liam,” she said urgently. ”Liam look at me.”

Mary pushed Irina away gently as she steadied herself.

”I am not the one that needs help,” she said, breathless.

She knew exactly how much energy she had taken.

It was terrifying.

A normal human would have been dead long before the chant ended. Even a witch would have passed out. Even some wolves would have collapsed.

Mary turned her head.

And froze.

Liam was already standing.

His arms were wrapped around Lana, one hand resting firmly at her lower back as if he were grounding himself through her. His breathing was steady. His eyes were clear.

There was no sign of collapse.

No shaking.

No weakness.

Mary’s jaw dropped.

She stared at him like she was seeing him for the first time.

”That is impossible,” she whispered.

Irina looked between them sharply.

”How was it?” she asked. ”Did it work? Did you see anything?”

Mary swallowed hard.

”Yes,” she said slowly. ”It worked.”

She took a step forward, her legs still weak.

”We saw what they are doing,” she continued. ”And it is worse than we thought.”

Irina’s brows knit together.

Her gaze flicked to Liam.

This time he spoke first.

”They are trying to wake him up,” Liam said calmly. ”The ancient vampire you talked about. The first one.”

The room went silent.

Irina’s expression changed completely.

”No,” she said quietly. ”That cannot be possible.”

She turned to Mary sharply. ”Tell me he is wrong.”

Mary did not hesitate.

She nodded.

”He is not wrong.”

Irina ran a hand through her hair, pacing once before stopping abruptly.

”If this is true,” she said, voice tight, ”then this is no longer just a pack problem.”

She looked at Mary directly.

”We have to involve the witches council.”

Lana stiffened slightly but said nothing.

Mary nodded.

”The witches do not interfere in wars between other races,” she said. ”But what we saw today changes that. I can convince them. This threatens the balance itself.”

Irina exhaled slowly.

”We will need every ally we can get,” she said. ”If that thing wakes up...”

She did not finish the sentence.

Mary hesitated.

”There is something else,” she said quietly.

Everyone looked at her.

Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly.

”What?” Irina asked.

Mary took a breath.

Her voice was steady when she spoke.

”I know where he is.”