Nathan lifted his gaze slowly, his breath catching in his throat.
Towering before him was a monstrous wolf, its entire body engulfed in crimson flames that danced and twisted like a living inferno. Each flicker of fire illuminated its massive frame, casting warped shadows across the arena walls. The creature's pelt glowed as though it had been forged from molten steel, and its very presence radiated heat so intense that the sand beneath its paws sizzled and blackened.
Nathan's eyes narrowed into sharp slits. This was no ordinary beast. Even the most hardened gladiators would consider such a monster an impossible challenge.
Was this Caesar's doing? A deliberate twist, an escalation after witnessing warriors like Spartacus and himself dominate the pit? Perhaps the Emperor had grown dissatisfied with mere bloodshed and now sought spectacle of a far crueler scale. Whatever the reason, this was no test of skill—it was a deliberate execution wrapped in the guise of entertainment.
