The shadow lunged, its body a whirlwind of smoke and claws. The cavern shook with the impact as its mass slammed into the warriors’ shield wall, scattering men like leaves in a storm.
Zaria’s fire erupted instinctively, flaring into a wall of gold between the shadow and her warriors. The flames roared, licking at its form, but the beast only shrieked and drove forward, swallowing the fire as though it were nothing more than air.
“Hold the line!” Damian roared, throwing himself into the fray. His blade cut arcs of silver across the shadow’s mass, each strike slicing through smoke and leaving behind trails of light. The creature howled, but it did not fall.
Kael was a blur beside him, his laughter a wild echo as he darted in and out of reach, his sword flashing like lightning. “Come on, b
