My mates in Beastworld-Chapter 297 Oceanus power+ Lucas POV

Lucas POV freewebnøvel.coɱ

Oceanus moved ahead without waiting for a response, his steps unhurried despite the chaos threatening to swallow the place whole. I nodded, gripping the gemstone tighter, and followed him through the stone passage. The walls groaned with pressure, and faint cracks appeared as if they could collapse any second.

"How are you so calm right now?" I asked, half-joking, trying to lighten the mood despite the situation.

Oceanus glanced at me over his shoulder lazily, his expression still neutral. "Panic is a waste of energy. Better to focus on what needs to be done."

Of course, Oceanus would say something like that. I rolled my eyes, quickening my pace as I followed his steady steps.

Suddenly, the walls around us began to crack louder, pieces of stone falling dangerously close. Panic shot through me, and without thinking, I grabbed Oceanus by the hand. He didn’t seem fazed by the destruction around us, his usual lazy careless expression intact, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

"Come on!" I shouted, pulling him along as we raced toward the exit.

Despite everything crumbling around us, Oceanus barely picked up the pace. It was like he didn’t care whether we made it out or not. I was practically dragging him, and I could feel the ground tremble beneath my feet, the walls collapsing with each passing second.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we burst through the gate and into the open air. The sound of the cave collapsing behind us was deafening, a huge pit swallowing up the entrance we had just escaped from.

I gasped for air, my chest heaving as I looked around. Simon had already tended to Damon, who was sitting on a rock with a blank expression. His face was pale, but when he saw me, his eyes lit up, focusing on the gemstone in my hand.

"I got it!" I called out, raising the glowing morganite for him to see. A small smile appeared on my face, relief washing over me as Damon gave me a weak but grateful nod.

Simon, however, looked at us both with wide eyes, his gaze flicking between the gemstone and the pit that had just formed behind us.

"Let’s get out of here quickly," he said, his voice tinged with urgency. Even Oceanus, who had been so calm before, seemed to nod in agreement.

With the world key in hand, we had no more time to waste. Kyra was still waiting, and there was no telling what danger she could be in right now.

As we stepped out wing structure gate, a thought nagged at the back of my mind: Why hadn’t we encountered any ancient beasts guarding something as valuable as the world key? It was odd—too quiet, too easy. But I shook off the feeling, focusing instead on Damon’s injured state.

I walked over to him and handed him the world key. He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.

"Sit on my back," I said, already preparing to shift into my wolf form.

"No," he replied flatly.

"Yes," I insisted, cutting off any further objections. "I’m not hearing any excuses, Damon. You’re hurt, and we need to move fast."

Damon hesitated, his pride clearly fighting against the idea, I shifted into my wolf form and Simon, ever practical, stepped in to help him onto my back. Damon finally relented, though I could tell he wasn’t happy about it. Oceanus, meanwhile, lazily climbed onto Simon’s back as if this was all part of some casual stroll, unfazed by the chaos around us.

Once Damon was secured, Simon spread his wings, and with a powerful beat, he flew into the cave where we came from and I also started running, following closely behind.

The moment we reached the outside gate, however, I felt my heart drop.

All around us, a massive horde of creatures stood, surrounding us in every direction. They were monstrous—horned beasts with grotesque, twisted bodies, their eyes glowing with malevolent intent. They looked like something out of a nightmare, and there were far too many to count.

"I knew it!" I growled inwardly, my eyes narrowing at the sight. The ease of our journey had been too good to be true.

Damon, still on my back, stiffened, his gaze scanning the horde. "We don’t have time for this," he muttered, his voice low but dangerous.

I tensed, readying myself for a fight. We had the world key, but getting out of here alive was going to be a whole new challenge.

Damon climbed off me and I shifted in Human.

"Don’t worry about them," Oceanus said, flashing a smile that wasn’t really a smile. His face looked calm, but his eyes held a dangerous gleam. "I can handle them alone."

I blinked at him, caught off guard. "But you’re worse than small cubs! You’re only rank one," I blurted out without thinking. Immediately, I regretted it when I saw his expression darken, the corners of his mouth twisting into something far more dangerous than I expected.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry!" I quickly added, holding my hands up in surrender.

Oceanus gave a lazy wave of his hand, brushing it off. "When I say I can handle them, I can," he said with a relaxed shrug. "Your mate must be nearby somewhere. Try to feel the crystal you’re wearing."

I nodded, gripping the crystal in my hand, focusing on its faint warmth. Sure enough, it pulsed gently, indicating Kyra was close. Relief flooded me, but before I could say anything, Oceanus raised a finger, closing his eyes. I felt the air shift, heavy and electric. Suddenly, an invisible force rippled through the ground, sweeping across the horde of monsters.

A chorus of agonized growls and painful screams echoed all around us as the beasts were thrown back, their twisted bodies crashing against each other. I stared, wide-eyed, as the creatures were wiped out with ease, my mouth hanging open in disbelief.

I wasn’t the only one in shock—Damon looked stunned as I.

"Did... did Oceanus just..." I stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.

Oceanus, on the other hand, didn’t seem the least bit impressed. He turned toward us lazily, his turquoise eyes glinting with a mischievous light. "Told you I could handle it," he said, chuckling softly. His tone was so nonchalant, as if we weren’t just surrounded by a massive horde of monsters moments ago.

I quickly looked away, feeling like I’d just witnessed something far beyond what I could comprehend.

"Let’s go, yeah?" Oceanus said, still chuckling as if this was all a nothing to him.