Wave Four – The Humanoid Bats

As soon as the growls intensified, the air around us grew heavier. A sickly red mist began to rise from the ground, spreading across the battlefield. The stench of blood and decay choked my lungs, but I stood firm, my fists clenching as I stared into the growing darkness.

Then, I saw them.

Humanoid Bats.

These weren't like the previous waves—mindless, screeching monsters. These were warriors.

Each one stood well over eight feet tall, their bodies lean but packed with unnatural muscle. Black leathery wings folded behind them, their crimson eyes gleaming with intelligence. Unlike the others, they wore armor, crude but efficient, and each one wielded weapons—massive greatswords, serrated spears, and curved daggers dripping with venom.

Henry whistled beside me. "Oh, fantastic. Now they've got brains."

One of the creatures stepped forward, grinning to reveal razor-sharp fangs. "Humans…" its voice was deep, almost amused. "No… not humans. Something else. Stronger. We've been waiting for this."

I cracked my neck, rolling my shoulders. "Then stop talking and start dying."

The creature let out a horrible, guttural laugh before it lunged forward, swinging a massive blade down at my skull.

I sidestepped, barely avoiding the impact as the ground beneath me shattered from the sheer force. The moment my feet touched solid ground again, I spun and delivered a devastating punch to its ribs, sending it skidding backward.

Henry was already in action, his golden energy blade clashing against a bat warrior's spear, sparks flying.

"Eyes open, Samuel. These bastards fight like trained assassins."

I dodged another incoming slash, grabbing the enemy's wrist mid-attack. With a brutal twist, I snapped its arm at the joint before driving my knee into its gut.

The creature roared in agony, but before I could finish it off, another bat appeared behind me in a blur of motion.

Too fast.

A dagger buried itself into my side.

I gritted my teeth, feeling the burn of venom seep into my veins. No time to process the pain.

I grabbed the assassin's face and slammed it into the ground with enough force to crater the earth. Its skull shattered upon impact.

Henry, meanwhile, was locked in a deadly dance, fending off three of them at once. His movements were fluid, precise, deadly.

He disappeared in a flash of golden light, reappearing behind one of them and slicing its wings off in a single motion.

The creature screamed, falling to its knees—before Henry drove his energy blade straight through its heart.

I exhaled sharply, ripping the dagger out of my side. Blood poured from the wound, but my Black Heart was already working on repairs.

More were coming. Dozens more.

"Heavenly Demon." Henry's voice was serious. "We need to end this wave. Now."

I grinned, blood dripping from my lips. "Then let's go all out."

I activated Breath of Destruction, inhaling deeply. The ground trembled. The surviving bats realized too late what was about to happen.

I exhaled—

A torrent of annihilation erupted from my mouth, engulfing everything in its path. The red mist evaporated, the humanoid bats incinerated in seconds.

Henry raised his blade, channeling his own celestial energy.

"Holy Annihilation."

A wave of golden destruction surged forward, consuming anything my flames had missed.

Silence.

Nothing remained of the fourth wave. Only ash.

I staggered slightly, breathing heavily. That had taken a lot out of me.

Henry wiped some blood from his cheek, glancing at me. "Not bad. You still standing?"

I spat out some blood, grinning. "Barely. You?"

He rolled his shoulders. "Tired. But not dead."

After the chaos of the fourth wave, the battlefield was silent again—except for the sound of our heavy breathing. The humanoid bats had been fierce, their agility and precision almost overwhelming. But we'd done it—barely.

My clothes were torn, blood soaked through in multiple places, and I could feel the stinging pain from several deep gashes, but I grinned through it all. Henry, just a few steps away, looked in worse shape than I did—his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths, his once-pristine armor now covered in blood and ash.

He wiped a hand across his face, leaving a smear of blood on his cheek. "Damn, man, I thought we were done for there."

I straightened, pushing myself off the ground. "Tell me about it," I said with a smirk. "That was close."

Henry chuckled, though there was a hint of exhaustion in his voice. "You know, I've been fighting for ages, but sometimes, these damn waves feel like they're never going to end."

I nodded. "It's the same for me. Every wave just gets worse and worse."

He sighed deeply. "I wonder how many more we have to go through before we can move on."

I shook my head, stepping forward, inspecting my surroundings. "Honestly? I'm not sure I care. We've come this far. It's just about getting it over with now."

Henry grinned, his eyes glinting with determination. "True, true. We don't stop until it's done."

"Exactly," I agreed, wiping blood from my brow. "And we've made it this far, so why stop now?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "You know, back in our old lives, we wouldn't have even dreamed of dealing with something like this. Hell, we would've been the ones playing the game, not fighting for our lives."

I snorted. "Yeah, but it's funny how life works out. We're not the main characters of these damn stories, but we sure as hell make the plot interesting."

Henry grinned wide. "Yeah. The story of Samuel Gebb and Henry, the two guys who refused to be pawns in some shitty romance drama."

I laughed, feeling a bit of the tension ease from my body. "At least we're not stuck in those stupid love triangles. Just monsters, demons, and plenty of fighting."

He nodded. "Agreed. Besides, we make our own damn rules. No more being anyone's sidekick."

I glanced back toward the horizon. "One more wave left. We ready?"

He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "Always. But you know, I've been wondering... after all of this? What happens next?"

I thought for a moment. "I don't know. But I'm tired of the games. After this is done, I think it's time we take control for once. No more sitting around waiting to be pushed into some new role."

Henry gave me a side-glance, his smirk returning. "That's the Samuel Gebb I remember. I'll stand by you on that."

I nodded. "Let's finish this."

Before we could continue, the ground shook beneath us—the fifth wave was coming.

I looked to Henry. "Ready for the worst?"

He grinned. "Does the sky have stars?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "You always know how to make things interesting, don't you?"

Then, the darkness of the battlefield began to shift, and the next wave started to descend. No turning back now.