Chapter 12: He Who Commands Beasts

The third wave didn’t begin with footsteps. It began with magic. A pulse rolled through the gorge like a shockwave, a sudden surge of power that wasn’t fire or thunder, but pressure. Noah staggered as the ground beneath him trembled, and a second later, the walls of the maze shattered all at once. Not just cracked. Not dented. Obliterated. Stone exploded in every direction. The exact strategy they’d been banking on, their fortress of controlled chokepoints, was now a field of rubble. Dust rose in thick plumes, making it difficult to breathe or see. Noah coughed and shielded his eyes, stepping over a collapsed section of wall. Shouts rose from every direction as knights regrouped, some bleeding, some stunned. Arlo landed beside him, his tunic streaked with dirt but his grin intact. "Okay," Arlo said, brushing dust from his sleeves, "I’ll admit it. That was flashy." "They’re forcing us into the open." Noah said, already scanning the haze for movement. And then the beasts came. But not like before. This time, there was no screaming. No charging. No blind fury. They emerged from the mist in neat formations. Lines of them, rows of shadowed beasts, equidistant and synchronized. Their claws barely scraped the stone. Their eyes glowed in unison. There was no chaos in them. Only purpose. "They’re... organized." One of the knights whispered. "The demon is here!" Sir Enzo raised his sword. "Form ranks! Protect the king!" The knights rallied quickly. Swords raised. Shields braced. Noah and Arlo stepped to the front. And then the demon arrived. He walked out of the mist like it parted for him. Tall, regal, and disturbingly calm. Unlike when Noah had first seen him almost ten minutes ago, the demon now wore dark metallic armor that gleamed like it was newly made, smooth and unmarked by battle. His hair was silver-white, just like Arlo’s, and combed neatly behind his head. There was no denying it. This wasn’t just another beast. This wasn’t a monster. This was a general. Cillian moved to step forward, but a massive blast of abyssal magic slammed into him from afar. "Your Majesty!" Enzo shouted. The king went down hard, his armor cracking as he hit the ground. Chaos erupted. The knight captain dropped beside him, instantly casting healing magic over the wound. "Arlo!" Noah barked. "I’ve got him!" Arlo was already moving, grabbing two beasts by the skulls and slamming their heads together. He placed himself between Cillian and the front line, using short bursts of power to create a barrier of space around them. Noah moved forward. He didn’t think. He didn’t plan. He let instinct take over, tearing into the approaching beasts. His claws lengthened mid-motion. His feet struck the ground with such force they cracked the stone. He wasn’t fighting like a man anymore. He was fighting like a dragon. Beasts lunged. He ducked, spun, grabbed one by the throat, and hurled it into two more. Another tried to flank him, and he caught its paws mid-swing and crushed it with a squeeze. The sky dimmed. The demon hadn’t moved yet. He stood at the center of the battlefield, watching. Calculating. Then Arlo’s voice rang out. "It’s him! Maruul!" Noah turned mid-punch. "You know him?!" "Yeah. Escaped the knights three times. Smart, moderately strong, absolutely insufferable. Real piece of work." Noah didn’t need to ask for more. He turned back to his opponent. Maruul began to walk. The beasts parted for him, falling back in perfect synchronization. He moved with eerie grace, his eyes locked on Noah. And then they clashed. Maruul didn’t rush. He didn’t roar. He reached forward, faster than Noah expected, and caught his wrist. Noah pivoted, aiming an elbow at the demon’s face. Maruul ducked, swept low, and kicked Noah off his feet. Noah flipped in mid-air and landed on all fours, growling. He leapt again, claws slashing. Maruul danced around the strikes, his movements almost lazy. He wasn’t testing Noah’s strength. He was studying it. "You fight like a beast." Maruul said. "But you think like a man. Interesting." Noah snarled and went for a low body tackle. Maruul twisted, redirecting Noah’s momentum and slamming him into the ground. Dust burst from the impact. Noah rolled aside just before a spear of shadow stabbed the ground. "React well. Strong instincts." Maruul continued, stepping around him. Noah got back up, panting. He glanced around. The terrain. The shattered maze. The dead. The beasts were ravaging everything with the kind of intelligence that didn’t belong to them. He turned back to Maruul with a snarl. The demon kicked a fallen shield toward Noah. When Noah moved to block it, Maruul was already behind him, slamming an elbow into his spine. Noah roared and spun, claws extended, catching Maruul across the chest. The demon staggered. Noah pressed the advantage. He moved faster, chaining attacks, mixing punches and slashes, using pieces of the maze debris as weapons. Maruul countered, but barely. For the first time, the demon was pushed back. Then Noah landed a strike. His claw cut deep across Maruul’s torso, the force knocking the demon into a broken wall. For a split second, Maruul didn’t move. Noah surged forward with every intention to finish this battle right here and now. And then the ground shook. A deafening roar split the battlefield. Noah turned, just in time to dodge the axe. He rolled to his feet, eyes wide as he caught sight of what had attacked him. A minotaur. Not an illusion. Not made of mist. Real. Tall. Its horns curved like scimitars, and its eyes burned like embers. A thick chain wrapped around its shoulders, and in its hand was its weapon, a jagged axe taller than a man. The beast charged. Noah barely rolled in time as the axe came down, splitting the ground in two. Dust and debris flew everywhere. Maruul had already disappeared into the dust of the battlefield. Noah had no time to search for him. The minotaur came again. It was fast. Strong. But not smart. It swung wide, using brute strength. Noah ducked, weaving through its legs, slicing tendons as he went. The beast bellowed and staggered. He leapt onto its back and dug his claws in deep. The minotaur reached back to grab him, but he drove his claws into its neck. It screamed. He jumped off, landed in front of it, and delivered a final punch that shattered its jaw and sent it crashing to the ground. And with a yank, he ripped the beast’s head off its shoulders. Silence followed. Noah turned, breath ragged. Maruul stood before him once again, but his wound was gone. Completely healed. He smiled. "Now," the demon said, "where were we?"