The growl reverberated through the cavern, the sound low and drawn out.

The mist coating the ground swirled, parting as something massive moved through the darkness.

A pair of eyes appeared first, burning with an eerie, unnatural blue glow.

They were followed by a hulking frame of bones and sinew, each step making the ground beneath it shudder subtly.

The creature emerged from the darkness, its skeletal form standing at nearly twice Cecilia's height, plates of ivory bone overlapping like armor.

Its ribs glowed faintly from within, blue light glowing like a heartbeat trapped in its hollow chest.

A bone wolf.

But this was no ordinary one.

The Alpha.

Its massive claws scraped against the stone, leaving deep gouges with each step. It lowered its head, growling again, the sound rolling through the chamber like a wave.

When it exhaled, flames leaked from between its bony jaws, the black fire mixed with a faint red hue.

Cecilia's expression hardened. "An Alpha Bone Wolf," she muttered. "Rare. Extremely dangerous."

Noah cracked his neck, flexing his fingers. "Good. I was getting bored."

The creature lunged before either could move.

Its charge was faster than its size suggested, so fast that the air split around it.

Noah barely had time to raise his arm before its claws slashed downward.

He caught the blow with a shadow barrier, the impact sending cracks of darkness spider-webbing across the floor.

If not for the boosts he'd gotten from Feasting on the stone golems, he'd have died from the blow.

Besides him, Cecilia was already in motion. She vanished in a burst of flame, reappearing behind the beast with a fiery blade in her hands.

Her sword struck its spine, carving through bone and searing the air with the smell of burning marrow.

The Alpha howled, twisting its massive body with surprising agility.

Its tail, thick and tipped with jagged bone, swept around in a wide arc.

Cecilia disappeared again in a flash of fire just before it could smash into her.

Noah used the distraction.

"Feast!"

The ground beneath the wolf split open as shadows erupted upward, forming massive hands that reached for its legs.

But the Alpha snarled, and with a violent leap, it twisted into the air, dodging the shadow tendrils entirely. The darkness missed by inches, closing on empty air.

Noah's eyes widened at the sight. The alpha was way too fast.

The wolf landed heavily, the ground cracking beneath its weight. Its eyes locked onto Noah, and this time it opened its mouth wide.

Flame exploded outward. Not the usual orange of fire, but a jet of black-red inferno that burned hotter than normal.

Noah threw himself to the side, barely avoiding the blast. The fire struck the wall behind him, melting through the stone as if it were wax.

Cecilia appeared beside him in a burst of heat, her face tense. "That flame... it's abyssal," she hissed. "It's not normal fire."

Noah's eyes widened. That was abyssal energy! He had to Feast on it, at all costs.

"Perfect," he muttered, baring his teeth into a wide grin. "Then mine will feel right at home."

He threw a hand out, casting Pillar of Judgement.

A beam of black fire tore through the air, striking the Alpha head-on. The explosion lit up the cavern, swallowing the beast in smoke and flame.

But before the dust could even settle, a shadow moved within it.

The Alpha burst from the cloud, unscathed, its bony chest glowing from the light trapped inside.

It exhaled again, sending its own fire colliding with Noah's.

The two flames met midair, black and crimson twisting together before cancelling out in a violent implosion that rocked the chamber.

"Wonderful," Cecilia muttered, narrowing her eyes. "It can counter our magic."

The wolf lunged again, its claws tearing grooves into the ground as it raced toward them.

Noah gritted his teeth, summoning the spell he knew he needed. "Aegis of Hades!"

Darkness armor burst from his skin, spreading like ink over his entire body until he was encased in matte-black plates.

His strength surged instantly.

The wolf was on him in seconds, slashing with claws like blades.

Noah ducked low, the claws grazing across his armored shoulder, sparks flying.

He twisted his body, driving an elbow into the creature's ribs, then followed with an uppercut that connected with its jaw.

The impact cracked bone, sending the beast stumbling back.

It recovered almost instantly, swinging its paw in a wide arc.

Noah met it with his forearm, blocking the blow with a grunt. The shock of it rattled his entire arm.

Cecilia appeared on the wolf's flank, fire surging around her hands. She unleashed a storm of flame spears that slammed into its side, peppering its ribs with explosions.

The Alpha roared in fury, turning its head and exhaling another blast of fire.

Cecilia vanished in a streak of orange light, reappearing a few feet away, her clothes singed but her grin undeterred.

"Keep it busy!" she shouted. "I'll find its weak spot!"

"Gladly!" Noah charged forward, a hammer of shadow forming in his hand.

He swung in a wide arc, the impact echoing like thunder as it slammed into the creature's shoulder. Cracks spider-webbed through the bone, but the Alpha retaliated immediately, biting down.

Its fanged maw clamped around his arm, the strength of its jaws crushing the armor, piercing through to his flesh. Noah growled in pain, shadows bleeding from the wound.

"Let. Go!" he snarled, channeling mana into his other hand. A Void Bolt formed in his palm. He shoved it into the creature's chest and fired.

The explosion blasted both of them apart, Noah crashing into the wall while the Alpha was thrown backward, its ribs cracked and glowing red-hot.

Cecilia seized the moment.

She teleported again, appearing above the creature this time, her hand blazing.

A spear of fire formed in her grip, long and bright enough to blind.

"Solar Lance!"

She hurled it downward, the weapon spinning through the air like a comet.

It struck the Alpha in the back, impaling it through the spine and driving it into the ground with a screech that made the cavern quake.

The beast's legs kicked, its claws gouging deep furrows into the floor as it tried to rise. Smoke rose from its body, and for a moment it looked like it might fall.

Then the spear shattered.

The Alpha pushed itself up, fire leaking from the cracks in its spine. The sound it made was no longer just a growl, but a roar of pure fury.

"Cecilia!" Noah shouted, stumbling to his feet. "Get clear!"

But it was too late.

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