Thank you for reading on ! We provide free access to all our stories, but maintaining this platform requires ongoing costs. To keep the site running and continue offering free content, we display advertisements. You can close the ads anytime, or upgrade to premium membership ($5/month) for an ad-free reading experience while supporting our mission. You can also earn premium for free by completing simple tasks. We truly appreciate your understanding and support!**El Hades** The poison coursed through Alessandro's veins, igniting a searing pain in his bones. He writhed, though he barely registered the agony; it was reminiscent of the torment he had endured after drinking Angel's blood. He could withstand it, but he would not reveal how to open the doors of Hades. Cira let out a slurred laugh, her voice laced with defiance. "This pain is nothing. You won't be able to take the secret to the tomb from me." "Pain is merely an extra," Dagon retorted, turning his back on Cira, who was writhing in suffering.Liona watched, a cruel smile playing on her lips as she savored Cira's torment. Cira summoned her strength to speak. "Do you really think he will let you live? These monsters only seek to unleash their power. Once they get what they want, they will kill." Dagon sneered. "I will not kill her. She will be rewarded when the dark king conquers this world." "Rewarded?" Cira scoffed. "They promised me the same, yet here I am, standing at the very gates of death." The pain intensified, threatening to consume her. But she would endure it; it was her penance for everything that had transpired.Cira resisted throughout the night, her suffering unbearable. She screamed until her voice was hoarse, her body slick with sweat, her eyes bloodshot and weeping. Just when she felt death closing in, Dagon approached Elia, gripping her hair and lifting her from the ground. "Speak! How can I open the doors of Hades?" Cira fought against the urge to divulge the secret, but the words threatened to spill from her lips. "Tell me!" Dagon demanded, his frustration boiling over. He struck her in the stomach, but at that moment, the pain in her body was so overwhelming that she barely felt it."Damned witch! Answer my question!" he growled, his voice a low hiss. Cira had never begged for mercy, but in that moment, she found herself praying with all her strength. "God of the heavens, grant me the mercy to die, to take the secret to the tomb with me." As her prayer faded, a fierce wind swept through the air, and she heard the rustling of branches. Something was descending rapidly. It was her dragon, and Abril was riding it. She thought she saw several winged horses trailing behind, but her vision was beginning to blur. Abril leaped from the dragon, landing gracefully."Let her go!" "I thought you hated her. Shouldn't you be pleased to see her suffer?" Liona taunted. "I'm not like you," Abril replied, her voice steady. "And I'm not alone in this fight." With that, the monsters began to emerge from the trees, launching their attack on Abril. She conjured a circle of flames, consuming the monsters that dared to approach. "This is a clever trick, but how long can you hold out?" Dagon taunted as he dragged Cira toward the gates of Hades.noveldramaThe monsters clustered around them, some leaping through the flames, but at that moment, Cassian descended, cutting through the creatures with his sword. "Why is it taking so long?" Abril asked, urgency lacing her tone. "The dragon is much faster; it will be here soon," Cassian replied, his eyes scanning the chaos. Abril sheathed her daggers. "Cover me; I need to reach Cira." Abril darted through the flames, just as Cassian did, both seemingly unaffected by the heat. But they collided with Liona, who blocked their path to Cira. "Where do you think you're going?" Liona sneered."Step aside, Liona." "I won't! I won't let you interrupt Dagon's plans!" "You must ensure he opens the gates of Hades completely so the dark king can emerge and create a new world." "He won't create anything; he will destroy this world, consuming all life. Even if you stand with him, you will perish too." "Do you think that matters to me? I'll die anyway, but I won't go alone. If this world burns, it will be better for me to burn with it in hell." Liona was beyond reason, her madness evident. Barto descended, landing before her, his eyes wild with insanity."My dear fairy, you look as beautiful as ever. We should celebrate a wedding; the world is ending, so let's enjoy what little time we have left before it all disappears into darkness." "You're insane! Even if it were the end of the world, I would never marry you!" Liona spat, summoning a black spear infused with dark power to attack Barto. "You're rude. If I tear your tongue out, you might find yourself much more beautiful than you are," he retorted. Dagon seized the opportunity, knowing Liona was buying him time to command the monsters to attack.While they were preoccupied, he continued to interrogate Cira. He gripped her tightly, demanding, "Speak! How can I open the doors of Hades?!" Cira could no longer resist; the words began to pour from her. "Cross." She bit her lip, desperate to hold back the truth, but blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Abril fought her way through the throng of monsters and reached Cira, who was trapped in Dagon's grasp. "You are a damned fire, a wall of damnation," Dagon snarled, launching himself at Abril. "The only one who will die today is you. I will send you back to Hades!" Abril declared.As she spoke, Dagon recalled Cira's words: to open the doors, one must cross them. He ordered several monsters to attempt crossing the gates of Hades while he battled Abril, but none could pass. If they couldn't cross, then only Cira could open the gates. Dagon attacked Abril with ferocity, but she parried his blows. Humans joined the fray, attacking Dagon, each one trying to reach Cira to prove that what she had said was true. Abril was losing focus; she had no intention of killing him. Her sole aim was to reach Cira.Enzo had warned her before leaving that for the doors of Hades to open completely, Cira had to cross them. Cira was perilously close to the gates, dragging herself toward them, her body refusing to respond. "Don't let Cira come to harm!" Abril shouted to her allies. Dagon fought fiercely to clear a path until he reached Cira. He hurled her toward the gates of Hades. As her body crossed the threshold, she found herself in a desolate wasteland, a place devoid of life, where everything lay in ruins.Before her stood an army of monsters, and at their forefront was a man clad in armor that seemed to shimmer with darkness. Cira lay motionless in the dirt on the other side of the gates. If they left her there, she would die. The others continued to fend off Dagon, but Abril rushed to Cira. "It's too late; the dark king is coming. We cannot stop him." Abril wielded her daggers, severing Dagon's head from his body, the silvery flames consuming him. Then she sprinted toward the gates of Hades and crossed them.Upon entering, a chill ran through her, the evil and darkness of the place weighing heavily upon her, making her feel sick. When Barto attempted to follow, she stopped him. "Don't cross; you won't be able to return." Abril approached Cira, who lay unconscious on the ground. Summoning all her strength, she dragged Cira back toward Hades. The heaviness in her body was suffocating. In that state, she could not fight, so she ordered the others to retreat before the dark king could claim them.They used parchment for teleportation, the last thing Abril saw before vanishing was the dark king crossing the gates of Hades, a wicked smile etched on his lips, sending shivers down Abril's spine.