Demonic Beast

Hestia rushed forward. The crowd was in chaos. To avoid crashing into them and slowing down, she had no choice but to move around them if she was to reach in time.

By the time she made it to the northern side, the beast was already standing in front of the children. Issabella, Isaiah, and Aria,Elsa's daughter, huddled behind Elsa. Hestia knew Elsa couldn't block the beast; she had cast a powerful spell just half an hour earlier. But she still prayed she could.

She was still twenty steps away when the beast lunged forward, leaving a deep gouge in the ground.

"Nooo…" she cried out involuntarily and put every ounce of strength into her legs. She covered the remaining twenty steps in barely a second, a second too long.

The beast reached Elsa, swinging its massive front paw. Elsa didn't move from her position. Just before the strike landed, a strange force repelled it. The beast bounced back as if it had slammed into an invisible barrier, landing on all fours a few meters away, unharmed.

Elsa was panting heavily, her body shaking, her face pale as snow.

The failed attack gave Hestia a chance to close the distance. But the beast was between her and the children. She could strike it from behind, but if it ignored her and launched another fierce attack on Elsa, Elsa wouldn't be able to block it again.

Thinking quickly, she grabbed a long spear lying nearby and thrust it with all her might. The beast, sensing danger, sidestepped just in time, and the spear only grazed its hind leg, leaving a shallow wound. The beast let out a furious roar.

Hestia had never fully stopped moving, and by now she stood between the beast and the children. The beast, seemingly enraged, lunged at her with terrifying speed. Its long, razor-sharp claws slammed against the flat of her sword, which she held firmly with both hands—one on the hilt, the other bracing the blade.

The impact was so strong it pushed her back a step, leaving deep grooves in the ground beneath her feet. Her arms went numb from the force. But she couldn't dodge—she had to hold her ground. Another powerful blow struck her sword, leaving one of her hands nearly senseless. She had to think of another way—she wouldn't last long standing here, trading blows.

Hestia was a petite woman, five foot six—taller than the average woman, but physical strength was never her strong suit. A few more hits like that, and she'd lose all feeling in her arms.

The wraith controlling the demonic beast must have known that. That's why it made the beast attack her relentlessly. In just a few tense seconds, it had already struck multiple times.

Fortunately for Hestia, John finally arrived by her side. Though not enough to defeat the beast alone, he could defend—and she could attack from flanks. 

She nodded at John and shifted her position. Now the beast was in a tight spot. If it chose to attack John, his tall, muscular frame could block it with relative ease. The beast wasn't particularly strong by demonic beasts standards. It resembled a dark panther, reaching only up to Hestia's waist. Its lean, powerful muscles were built for speed, not endurance. Unlike the bull-like beast William had faced earlier, this one was fast—but physically on the weaker end.

Hestia tried landing several strong strikes, but each one missed. The beast dodged every blow. It moved so fast she had trouble even keeping up with it—landing a hit seemed impossible. The villagers had all moved as far away as they could.

Seeing no chance to strike its target nor, the beast turned its attention to the villagers and started charging toward them.

Hestia's mind raced as she tried to come up with a solution. She knew if they couldn't contain it, they wouldn't be able to defeat it.

Beast struck the first villager, leaving a gashing wound on his chest. By the time hestia reached it, it moved to attack another villager.

Fortunately at that moment, William and the others joined the fray. Two warriors broke off to deal with a dark beast on the southern side of the square. William and two of the old guards surrounded the panther-like creature. John and Hestia closed in too. The beast was trapped. It had no way out.

Sensing the its inescapale predicment it let out a strange, pained roar. Then something even more horrifying happened.

A shadowy, thick, dark fog began to seep out of its body. It swirled and condensed into a humanoid form,dark and formless very similar to wraith, and began moving toward Isabella.

William slashed at it with his sword multiple times, but the blade passed through it. 

John, discerning that physical attack didn't work, tried to block it with his body, but it phased through him as if he wasn't there.

Hestia's heart pounded like thunder in her chest. She couldn't think of any way to stop it. If it couldn't be intercepted physically, then only magic could stop it.

But only Elsa could cast magic—and looking at her pale, barely conscious form she knew she wouldn't be able to intercept it. She simply didn't have a single iota of magic to cast. She was leaning on her staff, to barely remain standing.

She could only hope for miracles. She had never believed in god but at that moment she prayed for them to help her.