Chapter 7 - THE BEAST UNLEASHED"Fire!" Viktor screamed.

A volley of gunfire erupted, filling the underground arena with deafening noise, flashes of orange light, and the acrid smell of gunpowder. Bullets chipped the concrete pillars and raised clouds of dust into the air.
But Cyrus was faster.
Before the first wave of bullets could reach them, the massive German Shepherd launched himself forward with terrifying velocity. He didn't aim for Viktor; he aimed straight for the primary line of gunmen blocking the exit.
Bang! Crash!
Cyrus slammed into the lead mercenary, taking him down with a bone-crunching tackle that sent the rifle clattering across the floor. In a blur of teeth and muscle, the dog moved with a synchronized, tactical brilliance that left the professional hitmen completely defenseless. He wasn't acting out of blind rage anymore—he was protecting his pack. Protecting Maisie.
Julian didn't hesitate. Pulling his weapon, he fired a precise, three-round burst that dropped two of Viktor’s snipers from the catwalk above.
"Get down, kid!" Julian roared over the gunfire, grabbing Maisie by the collar of her jacket and shoving her behind a heavy steel generator alongside her terrified brother, Leo.
"Maisie! Are you okay?!" Leo sobbed, pulling his sister into a tight embrace, shielding her body with his own.
"I'm fine, Leo," Maisie said, her voice eerily steady despite the deafening chaos around them. She could hear every movement, every footstep, every intake of breath in the room. "Cyrus is angry. They shouldn't have done that."
In the center of the arena, Cyrus had cleared half the mercenaries single-handedly. Viktor Vance, realizing his ambush was falling apart, backed toward the exit with wide, panicked eyes, raising his sidearm to shoot Julian directly in the chest.
"It ends here, Julian!" Viktor yelled over the din of battle.
He pulled the trigger—Click.
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Viktor stared down at his gun in absolute horror. The magazine was empty.
Julian stepped out from behind a pillar, his suit dusted with grey concrete, his expression a mask of pure death. He pointed his smoking weapon straight between Viktor's eyes.