Maruul moved first.
Noah braced, but the demon was already upon him. The demon was just a blur of dark armor and motion, moving faster than Noah, but thankfully, he was slow enough for Noah's eyes to track.
However, just because he could see it coming, that didn't mean he could dodge it.
Maruul's elbow slammed into Noah's jaw, followed by a knee to his ribs.
Noah stumbled back, barely keeping his feet. He retaliated with a wide swipe of his claws, but Maruul ducked it with ease, stepping inside his guard.
A quick jab to the throat.
A palm strike to the chest.
A twist and a kick that sent Noah crashing into a fallen wall.
Noah coughed hard, struggling to rise. The hits weren't just strong. They were also designed to inflict as much pain as possible.
Maruul wasn't fighting to overpower. He was dismantling him.
Noah forced himself up, spitting blood. "You're fast."
Maruul offered a slight tilt of his head. "And you're predictable."
Noah roared and charged again. He led with a feint to the left and spun with a right hook. Maruul stepped back, letting the blow graze his armor, then punished Noah with a downward elbow across his shoulder blade.
Pain burst through Noah's arm, and he dropped to a knee.
"I've seen a battle between a dragon and a phoenix before. Just one. It was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. And that battle told me one thing about dragons." Maruul said, a grin on his face. "You're not one."
Noah's vision blurred. He staggered up and threw a flurry of slashes. Left. Right. Feint. Lunge.
Maruul parried them with the back of his hand, sidestepping effortlessly.
He grabbed Noah's arm mid-swing and twisted, dislocating his shoulder with a sickening pop. Then, with a gentle push, he shoved Noah into the dirt.
Noah groaned, rolling over. He reached deep into himself, calling on the energy. His mana flared, hot and searing.
He needed more.
He needed another memory. He needed an overdrive.
He forced himself to his feet, dragging air into his lungs, muscles straining.
He could feel the danger of the fight settling over him like a blanket. And beyond it were the edges of another Memory. Just beyond reach. He had to push harder. Had to risk more.
Maruul watched him quietly. Then he smiled.
And eased his stance.
Noah struck. Maruul blocked.
Noah dodged. Maruul followed but never pressed.
It was like fighting a mirror.
Whatever Noah did, Maruul moved just enough for Noah to feel in control, but not enough for him to capitalize on it.
"You feel it, don't you?" Maruul said softly. "So close to Overdrive. So close to your second Memory."
Then, a wide, dark grin appeared on his face, his mouth widening almost to his ears. "But I won't let you have it."
He struck with a lazy backhand that clipped Noah's jaw.
"You only awaken when you're near danger and death." The demon whispered, his voice filled with glee. "When everything is on the line. But I won't give you that risk. I'll keep you just alive enough. Trapped. Weak."
Noah's legs buckled. He fell to one knee, panting.
Across the battlefield, Arlo spun through beasts with dance-like steps, batting aside beasts like child's play. Sir Enzo shielded Cillian with a protective dome, fighting off beasts that clawed at the edge.
No help was coming. He was on his own.
The dragon within him roared at the thought. This wasn't the end. This was exactly how things were meant to be!
The dragon was the king of the abyss. And the dragon conquers with no exception.
Maruul raised his hand, darkness swirling around his fingers. "I'll end you now. Slowly. Without danger. Without awakening."
Noah's mind reeled.
No.
He summoned what little strength he had left and focused on the one thing Maruul hadn't prepared for.
Adaptation.
Instead of roaring out, Noah inhaled deeply.
He reached inside his mana pool and shaped the roar.
Not wide. Not uncontrolled.
Focused.
He compressed it.
His hands glowed. His energy surged, not outward, but inward, pulled tightly like an arrow on a drawn bow.
Maruul's magic struck forward, but Noah released it.
A single point of power.
Dragon's Roar: Focused Nullification.
The beam struck Maruul like a lance.
It didn't explode.
It unraveled.
The demon's magic sputtered and vanished. The energy around his body disintegrated. His aura flickered, and the beasts around them stuttered in confusion.
Maruul staggered back, wide-eyed. "What—?"
Noah was already moving.
With a final surge of strength, he lunged. His clawed fist connected with Maruul's face. The demon reeled as Noah tore an eye out.
Noah followed up with a knee to the gut, a rising elbow to the chin, and then both fists slamming down on Maruul's shoulders like hammers.
The demon hit the ground.
Noah didn't let up. He grabbed Maruul by the chest plate, roared with everything left in him, tore it off, and drove his claw through the demon's heart.
Maruul gasped.
Then fell still.
All around them, the battlefield shifted.
The beasts froze.
Then scattered.
Some disintegrated, sent back into the abyss. Others fled into the mist. Their formation broke. Their focus vanished.
The knights rallied. Arlo laughed and spun in place, launching the last of his enemies into a wall.
"They're done!" Enzo shouted.
Noah collapsed to his knees.
Arlo jogged over and caught him before he could fall fully. "Now that... that was something else."
Noah groaned. "He wasn't even trying to kill me. Just... mess with me."
Arlo grinned, patting him on the back. "And yet, you killed him. That makes you a full chimera. A real threat."
King Cillian approached slowly, now fully healed, with Sir Enzo beside him. The king looked at the battlefield, then at Noah.
"I can no longer call you a guest, Noah." Cillian said. "You are now a warrior of this world."
Noah didn't respond, eyes narrowing as he stared at the king. What was the man trying to pull?
The king dropped to one knee.
"Lord Noah Webb, I ask you now. Help us defeat the Demon Lord. Be our champion. Our hope."
Noah's fists clenched and anger spread through him.
"Help save our lands, hero." Cillian said.
"You're putting me on the spot." Noah growled. "I don't like this."
Cillian stood. "Whether you like it or not, hero, your fate has been sealed. This is the evidence." He gestured around them. "You will save us."
That broke him.
Noah's eyes blazed. "This is not my war!" He shouted. "You summoned me! You threw me into this! I never asked for this!"
The knights tensed.
"You're trying to chain me to yourselves! You don't ask! You demand! You try to chain me to a single choice but a dragon is no one's plaything!"
Arlo stepped forward, placing a hand on Noah's shoulder. "Enough."
A wave of energy pulsed through the air from Arlo, and Noah flinched, breathing hard.
Arlo turned to Cillian. "This discussion is tabled. Not here. Not now."
He turned back to Noah.
"It's time to head back to Camelot. When we get there, we can discuss what we have to do."