Chapter 153: The Mountain Predator

Meanwhile, deep in the suburban mountain forest, a hidden alloy door slid open with a low, grinding hiss.

Kate stepped into the underground casino, her black bodysuit clinging damply to her figure. Pale skin stretched tight across her face, and a thin trail of blood ran from the corner of her mouth down to her chin. She pressed a hand against her side, fingers curling into the torn fabric there. The heavy door sealed shut behind her, cutting off the cold night air and the distant rustle of wind through the trees.

Despite the injury, her expression remained stubborn, jaw set, eyes still sharp.

After breaking through to Quasi-SS-Rank, she had gained far greater control over her golden wings. She could now make them invisible, folding the radiant energy so completely that even the faint heat they once gave off vanished. It let her move through ordinary surroundings without drawing attention~no glowing trail, no sudden gusts of wind, nothing to mark her passage. Her speed had increased by fifty percent. The world blurred more easily beneath her feet now.

Yet even that wasn’t enough.

"Sister Kate!"

Stella hurried out of the bedroom, bare feet slapping against the smooth stone floor. She had awakened Earth Manipulation and spent the past several days expanding the underground casino, digging deeper chambers with careful precision and reinforcing the surrounding earth until the walls felt solid enough to hold against anything short of a full King-Rank assault. What had once been a cramped, temporary hideout had become a surprisingly comfortable underground home~rooms with proper ceilings, hidden ventilation shafts, and storage nooks carved neatly into the stone.

Kate had brought back furniture, bedding, and other necessities over the last few trips. The rooms were now furnished well enough that they almost felt like a real house, if one ignored the lack of windows and the constant, faint smell of damp earth.

But Stella’s expression changed the moment she saw the blood on Kate’s mouth.

"Did you go after that mutant eagle again?"

Kate wiped the blood away with the back of her hand, smearing a thin red streak across her cheek. "That creature is close to breaking through to King-Rank. If I don’t act now, I might lose my chance to kill it."

Stella frowned, stepping closer. "You can barely stand!"

"I’m fine."

"You say that every time!"

Kate opened her mouth to respond, but a sharp wave of pain forced her to pause. She pressed her lips together until it passed, breathing carefully through her nose. The wound at her side throbbed in time with her pulse.

Before Stella could argue further, footsteps sounded from the kitchen.

Wendy emerged carrying two bowls of hot soup. Her apron was dusted with flour, and the rich smell of warm broth and herbs followed her into the room. She took one look at Kate and sighed, the sound soft but heavy with resignation.

"Sit down. Let me see your injuries."

Kate accepted the bowl without protest and settled onto a chair, the movement slow. Wendy placed the other bowl on the table, then crouched beside her to examine the wound. Gentle fingers parted the torn fabric, revealing the deep gash beneath. It had already begun to close thanks to Kate’s improved recovery, but the edges were still angry and swollen.

"That eagle has been living in the Snake King’s territory for a long time," Wendy said quietly. "It can’t be an ordinary mutant creature. You shouldn’t underestimate it."

"I don’t."

Kate drank some soup, allowing the warmth to settle her stomach and ease the hollow ache that always followed a hard fight. "That’s the problem. Its speed and defense are almost at King-Rank already. Even after my breakthrough, I couldn’t land a decisive blow."

She stared down into the bowl, watching the surface of the soup ripple with each small movement of her hand. The frustration was obvious in the tight set of her shoulders.

She had grown stronger. Her speed had improved dramatically, and her golden wings gave her an advantage that few opponents could match~raw power, mobility, and the ability to strike from angles most creatures never expected. Yet the eagle had still outmaneuvered her. Every time she thought she had found an opening, the creature slipped away on the wind or counterattacked with frightening precision, its talons finding the gaps in her guard as if it already knew exactly where she would be.

She had returned with another injury and nothing to show for it. Again.

After a moment, she raised her head. "If Ethan were here, his Space Ability might be able to deal with that thing."

Stella immediately pulled a face, arms crossing over her chest. "Don’t mention that pervert. He’s probably somewhere holding a beautiful woman in his arms and enjoying himself."

Wendy glanced at Kate. The two women exchanged a knowing smile, brief and tired.

Ever since Ethan had tricked Kate during their previous encounter, Stella had taken every opportunity to complain about him. The younger girl had never quite forgiven the way he’d played them, and she made certain everyone within earshot knew it.

Kate couldn’t help laughing, although the movement aggravated her injury. She winced. "Ow. Don’t make me laugh."

"Then stop talking about him," Stella replied, though the corner of her mouth twitched.

Wendy shook her head, still smiling, but her expression soon turned serious. She rose and wiped her hands on her apron. "If that eagle reaches King-Rank, things could get dangerous. Even the Snake King might struggle against it when it returns."

The room grew quiet.

The Snake King was already a terrifying presence in the surrounding mountains~an apex predator that kept most other mutants in line through sheer force. If a second creature of comparable strength emerged, the balance of power could change completely. The quiet territory they had claimed might not stay quiet for long.

Wendy looked at Kate, her voice softer. "Stella and I aren’t strong enough to help you fight it. Please don’t go after it again."

Stella nodded firmly. "She’s right. You can’t keep risking your life for a single Core."

Kate looked at the two of them. She understood their concern. They had spent days building a secure refuge, turning cold stone into something that felt like safety, and she was the one repeatedly putting herself in danger. Every time she left, they waited. Every time she returned injured, the worry carved a little deeper into their faces.

But the eagle’s Core was an extraordinary prize. If she could obtain it, the concentrated energy might help her grow stronger still~perhaps enough to finally close the gap between Quasi-SS and true King-Rank. In a world where strength decided who lived and who became prey, that difference mattered.

She set down the empty bowl. "I’ll try one last time."

Wendy’s face tightened. "Kate..."

"If I still can’t beat it, I’ll give up."

Kate rose before either woman could object. The movement pulled at her wound, but she ignored it. She headed toward the exit, her expression hardening as she thought about the creature waiting somewhere in the forest. Her fingers brushed the edge of the alloy door. For a moment she paused, listening to the quiet voices behind her, then she stepped through and sealed it shut once more.

The night had grown deeper. Beyond the rocks surrounding the underground casino, the mountain forest lay beneath a blanket of darkness. The lights inside the hideout shone through narrow cracks, casting faint lines across the stone. Leaves stirred. Somewhere far off, a branch cracked under its own weight.

The forest seemed quiet.

Too quiet.

High above the casino, a gigantic eagle glided through the night sky. Its golden-brown feathers gleamed faintly beneath the moonlight, each vane catching the silver light as it rode the currents of air. Its enormous wings barely moved. Sharp eyes remained fixed on the ground below, pupils narrowing to thin slits.

A crimson glimmer flickered deep within them.

The creature had already broken through to King-Rank. Power rolled off it in slow, invisible waves, pressing against the trees and silencing the smaller creatures that still dared to move. It had sensed Kate returning to the underground casino~had felt the faint ripple of her energy as she descended into the earth~and it had no intention of letting its prey escape again.

Far beneath its wings, hidden among the trees, lay its nest. The remains of several vipers were scattered across the ground, their thick bodies reduced to bones and scraps of scale. Some of the skeletons were nearly as thick as tires, ribs splayed open, skulls crushed. The eagle had hunted well.

It lowered its head. A low, rumbling cry escaped its throat, deep enough to vibrate through the branches.

Then it folded its wings slightly and began circling above the forest, patient and deliberate. The wind carried its scent downward~ozone, blood, and something older.

It was waiting.

And when Kate came looking for it again, she would discover that the creature she had been hunting was no longer simply a powerful mutant eagle.

It was a King-Rank predator.

And she had just entered its territory.