The moment Selene and Ronan stepped into the blood-red wasteland, they felt a powerful mental oppression. The air around them seemed to solidify, and each breath came with a sharp pain. Suddenly, the ground cracked open, and countless chains emerged from below, binding them separately.
"This is the Soul Chain of the Moon Temple," Ronan gritted his teeth and struggled, but the light emitted by the Wolf King Mark was swallowed the moment it touched the chains. "They want to undermine our contract from within!"
Selene's Reverse Moon pattern was similarly suppressed. She saw that the chains were engraved with curse runes from the Moon Temple, each rune draining her life force.
Even more terrifying, the chains began to create illusions. Selene saw Ronan betraying her, joining forces with the High Priest of the Moon Temple; Ronan saw Selene choosing to sacrifice the entire Wasteland Wolf Clan to lift the curse.
"Don't be deceived!" Ronan's roar pierced through the illusions. "Our contract is real!" But as time passed, the illusions became increasingly vivid. Selene's resolve began to waver as she recalled how Ronan had concealed the truth about his mother's death; doubts sprouted in her heart like wild grass. Meanwhile, Ronan was engulfed in deep guilt, constantly reflecting on how he had dragged Selene into this dangerous past for revenge.
"Maybe they are right," Selene's voice was laced with despair. "Our contract was a mistake from the very beginning." Her Reverse Moon pattern dimmed, and Ronan's Wolf King Mark also weakened. Seizing the opportunity, the chains tightened, and cracks began to appear on their bodies as if their contract was being forcibly torn apart.
At that moment, Ronan suddenly broke one of the chains and rushed in front of Selene. He cupped her face in his hands, his eyes filled with determination. "Do you remember our first kiss at the altar? It wasn't a transaction; it was when I first felt the meaning of a heartbeat."
His lips pressed down heavily upon hers, filled with resolve and deep affection. This kiss shattered the illusions, reigniting the power of their contract. The Reverse Moon pattern and Wolf King Mark merged into a new radiance that shattered all chains. The blood-red wasteland began to collapse, and amidst the ruins, they saw the figure of the High Priest of the Moon Temple—he was watching everything through a crystal ball, his expression shifting from triumph to terror.
"Our contract is not a shackle," Selene tightened her grip on Ronan's hand as the powers of Reverse Moon and Wolf King converged in their palms. "It is a weapon against darkness."
As they stepped out of the trial gate, the black moon above the Moon Temple altar completely dissipated, replaced by a twin moon totem symbolizing balance.
Upon returning from the Moon Temple altar, Selene and Ronan found that the situation of the Wasteland Wolf Clan had become increasingly dire. More clan members were infected with a mutated frenzy disease; their bodies began sprouting black scales, and their pupils glimmered with an eerie red light. In her research, Selene discovered that these symptoms were strikingly similar to those she had seen in forbidden techniques at the Moon Temple during her journey through memory corridors.
"They are creating biochemical weapons," Selene threw down a blood-stained bandage onto the table as her Reverse Moon pattern throbbed violently with anger. "Using cursed Reverse Moon power to transform werewolves into monsters that only obey the Moon Temple."
Ronan's expression darkened as he tightened his grip on his battle blade. "It's time to take action."
The two led an elite team into the underground laboratory of the Moon Temple, where they were met with a nauseating sight. Countless werewolves were trapped in crystal pods, their bodies connected to tubes delivering black liquid. Selene recognized one of them as an old acquaintance from the Seaside Wolf Clan; her Reverse Moon pattern was being forcibly extracted to manufacture mutation potions.
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