"It's clear he knows more than most of the Court's goons we've been facing off," Adrian said, drawing his sword. "But for now… we fight. Keep his focus on me," he added, eyes locking onto the stranger's. "We'll deal with the monsters first, then go for him."

"It's clear he knows more than most of the Court's goons we've been facing off," Adrian said, drawing his sword. "But for now… we fight. Keep his focus on me," he added, eyes locking onto the stranger's. "We'll deal with the monsters first, then go for him."

With a swift nod, the goddesses spread out, forming a defensive perimeter around Adrian as the summoned beasts advanced. Lilith's eyes gleamed with a fierce grin as she drew her sword, flames flickering along its edge.

"Oh, I've been waiting for a chance like this," she purred.

She met the eyes of one of the monsters, an enormous, shadow-clad wolf with blood-red eyes, and launched herself forward, slashing down in a quick, deadly arc. Her blade connected with the beast, slicing through its shadowy form, but it didn't fall back.

It didn't even stagger.

Instead, the wolf let out a low growl and pounced at her, its claws narrowly missing her arm as she jumped back.

"Tough uhn?"

Abyss charged into the fray beside her, cutting down another wolf with a swift, brutal swing of her sword. Her expression was deadly calm, but there was a fire in her eyes as she fought.

A second beast lunged for Medea, its jaws snapping inches from her throat. She reacted instinctively, hands flaring with dark fire as she sent a blast directly into the creature's face. It shrieked, rearing back, but didn't dissolve completely.

Whatever spell bound these monsters together was strong, reinforcing them with dark energy.

"Adrian!" she called over her shoulder. "These creatures aren't breaking easily!"

Adrian's gaze locked onto the summoner, who was still channeling dark energy, his lips moving in an unending murmur as he fed his beasts power. "He's the key," Adrian said. "We stop him, they fall."

The summoner only sneered, lifting a hand to send another wave of red energy that solidified into two more monstrous figures—hulking, shadowy figures with claws as long as daggers. They charged at Adrian, forcing him to parry as their claws scraped against his sword, sparks flying.

Ava darted behind him, throwing a flurry of daggers at the monsters. Her weapons, enchanted by her own magic, found their mark, burying deep into the beasts' shadowy forms. For a moment, they faltered, but it was only a brief reprieve as the summoner muttered a new command, reinforcing his creatures.

Ava's gaze narrowed. "He's bolstering them somehow, Adrian."

"I see that," Adrian grunted, blocking a heavy swipe from one of the hulking beasts. The force of it sent him sliding back, but he held his ground, meeting the creature's red eyes fiercely.

It was like fighting a shadow, but it was corporeal.

It was a shadow, given physical form.

His thoughts raced as he considered their options. It was clear they couldn't just keep fighting until the creatures weakened. They had to find a way to break the summoner's magic.

But how?

Abyss was holding her own against a group of beasts, her sword a blur as she slashed and sliced.

Adrian took a steadying breath, gathering his focus as he blocked another strike from the hulking beast before him.

The creature's claws raked against his sword with a harsh, metallic screech, and Adrian tightened his grip, pushing back with a powerful shove. "We can't hold them off forever," he said quietly as he fixed his eyes on the summoner.

The goddesses were fully engaged in their own battles. Lilith was darting around a snarling, shadowy wolf with blood-red eyes. Flames flickered along her blade as she delivered quick, punishing strikes, and the creature staggered… even though it was just briefly.

She twisted around its snapping jaws, bringing her sword down in a fiery arc that connected with it squarely. As she did, she unleasehed fire from her sword into it, burning it from the inside.

"The flames can only burn them from the inside!" Lilith announced.

Nearby, Medea released a blast of dark fire, engulfing another beast that towered over her. The flames scorched its shadowy hide, but it barely faltered, lurching toward her again with renewed malice.

Seeing the odds stacked against them, Adrian's eyes darkened with determination. His pulse surged as a fiery glow erupted from his back, and with it came four blazing chains tipped with spear-like heads.

They uncoiled like serpents, extending around him with deadly precision.

He launched the fiery chains with a sharp motion, two of them arcing around the wolf attacking Lilith. The chains lashed out, the spearheads striking through the beast's shadowy form and pinning it to the ground.

The creature writhed, its red eyes blazing with fury, but the fire radiating from Adrian's chains was relentless, eating away at its essence.

Lilith glanced over her shoulder, a grin spreading across her face. "Well, finally bringing out the big guns, are we?" she teased, slashing through another beast as it lunged for her.

"Just keeping things interesting," Adrian replied with a smirk, his focus shifting to the summoner.

The summoner's eyes narrowed as he watched Adrian, recognizing the threat in those fiery chains. Muttering an incantation, the summoner raised his hands, summoning another wave of shadowy beasts. Hulking creatures with claws like daggers materialized, their eyes glowing red as they charged forward.

Adrian launched his chains again, the spear-tipped ends stabbing through two of the creatures with pinpoint accuracy. They shrieked, dark smoke billowing from the wounds as his flames tore through them, leaving only ashes in their wake.

"Don't think we'll let you summon beasts all night," he said, his gaze locked on the summoner.

Beside him, Abyss tore through another shadow creature with her blade, her strikes precise and deadly. "Let's take this guy down before he summons more of these things," she called.

Ava, throwing a flurry of enchanted daggers, nodded. "He's fueling them with his own energy—cut him off, and they're done."

Adrian's chains retracted, hovering protectively around him as he stalked forward. "Stay focused on the monsters," he told the others. "I'll handle him."

The summoner raised a hand, casting a shimmering barrier of dark energy around himself as he chanted, his voice a murmur that fueled the beasts with power.

Adrian's chains lashed out, the spearheads striking the barrier with a powerful impact that sent ripples across its surface. Sparks of fiery energy crackled as the chains tested the barrier, seeking any weakness.

The summoner sneered. "Do you think mere fire can break through my magic?"

Adrian smirked, his fiery chains retracting before he launched them forward with renewed force. "Let's find out."

Two of the chains slammed into the barrier with a fiery explosion, causing cracks to form along its surface. The summoner's eyes widened, but he quickly muttered another incantation, reinforcing the barrier.

"You're really determined, aren't you?" Adrian teased in a low voice as he focused.

The chains grew hotter, their flames flaring up as they moved through the air. With a strong leap, he directed the chains to pierce the barrier in four places simultaneously, shattering it with a burst of energy.

The summoner stumbled back, his eyes wide with alarm as Adrian's chains hovered menacingly around him, the spearheads glinting. "This ends now," Adrian said coldly.

In desperation, the summoner lifted his hands, calling forth one last wave of power. Shadows twisted around him, forming into a final monstrous creature—a massive, wolf-like beast with claws of pure darkness, its eyes burning like coals as it lunged for Adrian.

Without hesitation, Adrian's fiery chains shot forward, wrapping around the creature's neck and limbs. The chains burst into flames, tightening their hold as the beast struggled, smoke rising as the fire burned through its dark body. With one last, painful cry, the creature dissolved into ash.

Adrian turned back to the summoner, his eyes blazing. "It's over."

The summoner, now trembling, fell to his knees, his gaze shifting from the deadly chains to the determined faces of the goddesses standing behind Adrian. Medea, Abyss, Lilith, and Ava all stood ready with their weapons raised.

Adrian retracted the chains slightly, giving the summoner a clear view of the spearheads hovering just inches from his throat. "You're going to tell us everything you know about the Shadow Court," he demanded.

The summoner's face twisted with a mix of anger and fear. "You'll gain nothing from me," he spat, though his voice shook.

Adrian's chains inched closer, the heat of the flames searing his skin. "We'll see about that," Adrian replied in a cold and unyielding tone. "We can make this as painful as you want. But one way or another, you will talk."

The summoner swallowed hard, realizing he had no escape. "Fine," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "But know this… the Court will never stop coming for you. They'll unleash horrors you can't even imagine."

Adrian's gaze hardened. "Let them try."

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