Chapter 91

The ref looked helpless as he called the countdown from the sides and the bell sounded. The Gatekeeper came forward and his aura was overpowering and cold. Where the Bulldog was strong and intimidating there hadn't been this killing intent behind his aura. I held my nerve.

"Keep your eyes open." I frowned and glanced over as the Bulldog got to his feet. To my surprise the little bit of rest he had gotten had given him a small amount of energy back.

The Gatekeeper charged for me first. I was about to retaliate when the Bulldog transformed to his full Lycan form and launched himself into a frenzied attack his teeth locking onto the Gatekeeper and spilling a little of his blood.

The monstrous man reeled and let a howl leave his lips then grabbed the Bulldog and tossed him to the side. Anger rose in the Gatekeepers eyes and he seemed to burn.

I frowned. He was burning. Fire was literally beginning to burn out of his skin. Hair began to cover his thick arms and a set of massive horns adorned his head. My mouth dropped. The only thing stronger than a Lycan and an Alpha was the creatures from the Mythic and God realms and this abomination was one of them. The Gatekeeper was a minotaur of flames.

Derick's POV

I almost jumped out my seat at the development then stared in horror at the Minotaur on the stage.

"Boy's don't watch…" I began but they were already staring in dread at the screen.

"Why is this a fucking death match?" Dean was livid and seemed about ready to throw himself into the ring. "I don't know." Mathew had his phone in his hand.

"Rodger what's going on?"

"I have no clue… That fucker Vox is after these two fighters and because he didn't get them, he's trying to kill them." I could hear papers ruffling in the background. "Dam, it's a legal move… if unpopular…" He sighed loud enough that everyone could hear him. "I just need something… anything to change the odds to my favor…" I looked to the boys and they seemed fixed upon the Banshee. I snatched the phone.

"Can you use another wild card?" Rodger sighed.

"I could but it's a risky move." I nodded.

"Does there need to be consent to bring a wild card into play?" I heard him flicking through the paper.

"No," I closed my eyes thinking back but Jeff was next to me.

"What if the Banshee was pregnant?" Rodger laughed.

"Not a chance, pre-screening before a match would have caught that out." He cursed then smirked.

"What about a crowd sponsor appeal?" Rodger gasped.

"That could work. But I'd need to go fast." He hung up and I looked to Jeff.

"What's a crowd sponsored appeal?" He shrugged.

"I saw it years back when a very unpopular match was held. They managed to cancel the match by a vote from the crowd." I nodded and heard someone on the system calling for a crowd appeal.

Suddenly Aden gasped and his eyes went wide. I looked to the screen and the blood drained from my face.

Danica's POV

I attacked the Gatekeeper but it was useless, he had his eyes fixed on the Bulldog and was going to end him right there and then. Since his transformation his skin had become so thick I couldn't cut through it and his bones seemed to have become so hard I was unable to even budge him. I looked around and saw the sledgehammer by the side of the ring.

"Fuck!" I cursed and grabbed the hammer. As the Gatekeeper began to pummel the Bulldog, as he struggled to even stand, I got momentum going and let all my bloodlust loose. I brought that sledgehammer down so hard that the metal head shattered on impact.

A sickening scream rocked through the arena and blood squirted out from the Gatekeepers horn as half of it fell away. He brought both hands down hard onto the Bulldogs chest with a sickening crunch then turned to me. He snorted and fire billowed towards me.

I felt my stomach drop. My strongest attack and all I managed was to snap his horn and I had suffered the effects of the shock waves of my attack in my arms. His skull had been so thick it deflected the blow out. He swung an arm at me and I blocked it with the sledgehammer handle. My arms buckled slightly and I flew through the air. With a loud clatter I came to a stop against the railings and fell to the ground. With what strength I had left I grabbed the railing and pulled myself up and away from the Gatekeeper's reach and hung in the air above the ring. The Gatekeeper couldn't climb up. I took a moment to catch my breath and recover what strength I could.

Suddenly fire shot at me. I swung and ran over the bars. I watched as the Gatekeeper took another breath and aimed for me. With my agility I was able to avoid the attacks but he wasn't giving me any room to recover. I racked my brain as I watched the Gatekeeper his massive bull head glaring at me. I know they are fast in a straight line, unbelievably powerful and this one uses fire magic with unbreakable bones and a thick hide.

With a drop I avoided another blast. My mind was coming up empty. Even if there was a way to deal physical damage to this thing I still had to get through the flames to deal it. The only thing that gave me an advantage was it was relatively dumb and I was faster and agile.

Another flurry of flames blasted out the Gatekeeper and he stomped around after me on the ring floor. A thought occurred to me. When I fought the Crusher I had used the protective spell on the ring to my advantage creating a large increase to my attack. I climbed higher and the Minotaur began to bellow at me unable to reach me with his flames. I looked to the wooden handle of the sledgehammer I had been holding onto and nodded. If I managed to focus all my strength onto the end of it, I could possibly pierce the skin of this beast.

Carefully I watched the minotaur until he breathed out fire again and I launched myself from the bars bringing the wooden handle down. With a swat he hit me midair, and I blocked his attack with the handle. The handle snapped in two and I took his hit with my shoulder. I was sent back in a blur of pain but managed to focus all my effort on the railings to land my feet. Time seemed to slow as I came closer to the bars. My life was on the line this time and there was no room for error.

'Yes!' I hit the crossbars and the magic activated. With a grunt under the force I rocketed back, using all the power I gathered from the Gatekeepers attack I stab the pointed ends of the handle towards his heart and the other towards his neck. My strike for his heart struck first but missed, smacking this sternum directly and splitting a small cut over his chest. I dropped the handle instantly to stop myself losing any of my power and prayed my last chance would find home. With a sickening sound the wood plunged deep into his neck and stabbed out the other side.

The Gatekeeper went berserk tossing me around the ring. As he stomped in an uncontrollable manner. I had to roll and flip to avoid the cloven hooves that pounded at me. Blood from the small cut on his chest spilt over ring and began to make the ground slippery.

Pain ripped through my foot as a glancing stomp crushed the outside of my left foot. The Gatekeeper came around and brought his other foot thundering towards me. I avoided the attack but my foot effectively pinned me to the ring. Pain ripped through me as he kicked his hoof into my face and I was flicked backwards seeing stars. I looked up as he brought his hoof down towards my head.

Time moves slowly when you are about to die and I watched as that hoof got ever closer to me and there was nowhere left to run. I could hear the crowd holding their breaths, Bella's scream and Rodger snapping at the bars. Only a miracle could save me now.

Suddenly the Gatekeeper roared and twisted around falling away backwards as blood exploded from his shoulder. His hoof missed me by an inch and as he flailed, I saw the Bulldog dangling from his back as he held on with his teeth. With a strange glow the Bulldog began to use his one movable arm to cut and slice at the Gatekeeper knocked him to the ground. With another snap of his jaws the Bulldog plunged his teeth in so deeply blood sprayed from the Minotaur's neck.

There were gasps from the crowd as another crack filled the air and the glow around the Bulldog intensified. With a sickening twist the Bulldogs jaw deformed on one side but his grip on the Gatekeeper never loosened instead grew tighter.

The Bulldog reached his wounded arm around and pulled up on the wooden pole in the Minotaur's neck twisting it around and causing the wound around the wood to start to rip open. The Gatekeeper slammed him against the bars repeatedly, but the Bulldog refused to let go using the last of his strength to cause as much damage as possible to the massive beast. This was the power of a Lycan Alpha's last stance berserk mode.

With sickening slow motion I watched as the Bulldog was grabbed and ripped away pulling a large chunk of the Gatekeeper's shoulder flesh with him. A few horrifying attacks later he lay motionless at the side of the ring the glow around him fading until it went out. The Gatekeeper kicked him for good measure then snorted. It staggered back a little then turned its gaze to me.

"This won't be fast." It said in a slow voice. "No one has ever caused me so much trouble." He charged and lowered his head. His surviving horn stabbed into my shoulder and he began to gore me like a bull tossing me around the ring floor.

'This is it.' I thought, 'killed because some bastard wanted my name.' I let go of the pain I was in and let myself float into darkness.