Chapter 158: The Shadow of the Eagle

The atmosphere inside the Survival Space was suffocating.

Ethan stood before the light screen, his eyes fixed on the enormous eagle circling above the mountain forest.

Its sharp, golden eyes seemed to pierce through the screen and stare directly at him.

A thin layer of cold sweat covered his back.

King-Rank mutant beasts were creatures of an entirely different level. Their abilities often defied common sense, and there was no telling what kind of destructive power this particular creature possessed.

Could it actually break through the Survival Space?

Ethan didn’t know.

And that uncertainty was more frightening than anything else.

He had acted on instinct when he pulled Stella into the Survival Space. At the time, saving her from the eagle’s attack had been his only concern.

But now that he thought about it, perhaps he had made the wrong decision.

He could have grabbed her and used Space Teleportation to escape the mountain forest entirely.

Instead, he had brought her into the very place the Eagle King seemed capable of detecting.

If the creature discovered a way to attack the Survival Space, they could all end up trapped like rats in a cage.

Ethan clenched his jaw.

’I can’t just sit here and wait for it to make the first move.’

He studied the light screen again.

The Underground Casino was located near the outer edge of the mountain forest, while he was currently deep inside the woodland.

The straight-line distance was roughly three thousand meters.

Three consecutive uses of Space Teleportation should be enough to reach it.

His gaze shifted toward Stella.

She was still crying, curled up in Daisy’s arms. Her clothes were covered in dirt, and her hair was a complete mess after digging through the underground soil.

Ethan walked over and tapped her forehead.

"You little troublemaker. How did you manage to dig in the wrong direction?"

Stella blinked at him.

Her cheeks slowly turned red.

"I... I couldn’t remember which direction I was supposed to go."

Ethan stared at her.

"You couldn’t remember?"

She lowered her head.

"I was in a hurry. I thought I was digging toward the city, but I must have gone the wrong way."

She had intended to reach the city center and find Ethan. Instead, she had dug deeper into the mountain forest.

If she hadn’t happened to emerge from the ground and run into him, she might still be wandering around beneath the trees while Kate’s condition continued deteriorating.

Ethan sighed.

There was no point scolding her now.

He turned toward the light screen.

"I’m going out. I’ll use Time Stop to create an opening, then teleport straight to the Underground Casino."

He looked at the women.

"Nobody comes out unless I tell you to. Understood?"

"Wait!"

Daisy suddenly caught his hand.

Her expression was filled with concern.

"That creature is King-Rank. It’s incredibly fast, and its lightning attacks are terrifying. You can’t handle it alone!"

Ethan gently patted her hand.

"Don’t worry. I’m not planning to fight it."

He raised his other hand. A faint spatial distortion formed around his fingertips.

"I just need to get past it."

Before anyone could object again, his figure vanished.

---

The moment Ethan reappeared in the mountain forest, the Eagle King reacted.

Its enormous head snapped toward him.

Those golden eyes locked onto the human who had suddenly appeared beneath the trees.

For half a second, the creature seemed almost surprised.

Its prey had finally shown itself.

KRAAAAAH!

A deafening screech tore through the forest.

The Eagle King spread its wings, and the surrounding trees bent beneath the force of the wind.

Its beak opened.

A blue-white glow gathered deep in its throat.

Ethan’s expression changed.

"Time Stop!"

He poured energy into the ability, attempting to freeze the creature before it could attack.

But something went wrong.

The familiar sensation of time slowing never came.

The eagle didn’t stop.

Its wings continued moving, and the lightning gathering in its beak grew brighter.

A bolt of blue-white energy erupted toward him.

Ethan’s pupils contracted.

’It didn’t work?’

His Time Stop, even when activated with Quasi-S-Rank strength, couldn’t freeze a King-Rank mutant beast!

The lightning tore through the air.

A sharp electrical crackle filled his ears. The hairs on his arms stood on end, and he caught the faint smell of burning hair.

"Damn it!"

Ethan activated Space Teleportation at the last possible moment.

His body vanished.

BOOM!

The lightning struck the ground where he had been standing.

The earth exploded.

Rocks and soil shot into the air as a deep, charred crater formed in the clearing.

Ethan reappeared a thousand meters away, stumbling as his boots struck the ground.

He barely had time to regain his balance.

KRAAAAAH!

The Eagle King had already turned toward him.

Its enormous wings beat once, sending it surging through the air.

Another blue-white bolt gathered in its beak.

Ethan’s expression tightened.

He had only just completed his teleportation. The spatial fluctuations around him hadn’t fully settled, and he couldn’t immediately activate the ability again.

The lightning was coming.

"Brother Ethan! Let me out!"

Sofia’s urgent voice came from the Survival Space.

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He pulled her out and teleported her directly beside him.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Sofia turned her back toward his and raised both hands.

"Water Manipulation: Barrier!"

Water surged from the surrounding air.

A massive wall of water formed in front of them, nearly three meters thick. Its surface churned and twisted, compressing into a dense defensive barrier.

The Eagle King’s lightning struck.

SZZZZT!

Blue-white electricity spread across the water.

Steam erupted in every direction, turning the clearing into a cloud of white mist.

The barrier began disappearing almost immediately.

The lightning was so hot that the water evaporated faster than Sofia could replenish it.

Her face turned pale.

But the wall held long enough.

The bolt finally dissipated.

"Go!"

Ethan turned and pulled Sofia onto his back.

He activated Space Teleportation again.

Spatial ripples spread beneath their feet.

But just as the distortion began forming, the Eagle King folded its wings and dived.

Its talons sliced through the air, aiming directly for the place where they were about to disappear.

"Another one!"

Sofia’s voice was weak.

She was still clinging to Ethan’s shoulders, but she could already feel her energy running out.

The eagle opened its beak.

A third bolt of lightning erupted.

Sofia gritted her teeth and forced the last of her Water Ability into her hands.

Another barrier formed.

This one was much thinner.

The lightning struck it almost immediately, tearing through the water with a violent hiss.

"Brother Ethan, let me out too!"

Evelyn’s voice rang out from the Survival Space.

Ethan pulled her out while the spatial distortion was still forming.

The moment she appeared, he held her against his chest.

Evelyn didn’t waste time asking what was happening.

She immediately raised her hand.

The thick vines wrapped around a nearby birch tree began to move.

They tore free from the ground, twisting together into a dense wall behind Sofia’s water barrier.

The third bolt struck.

Sofia’s water wall shattered first.

The lightning continued forward, slamming into Evelyn’s vines.

CRACK!

The vines split apart.

Several snapped completely, while others burned black at the edges.

But the two barriers had done their job.

The lightning weakened just enough to give Ethan the time he needed.

His Space Teleportation finally activated.

The three disappeared.

They reappeared a thousand meters ahead.

Ethan’s boots struck the ground, and he immediately checked the sky.

The Eagle King was already turning toward them.

Its speed was absurd.

It had barely lost any distance despite the repeated teleports.

"Brother Ethan..."

Sofia’s voice came from his back.

Her arms loosened around her shoulders.

"My Ability... is completely exhausted."

Her head dropped against his shoulder.

Ethan immediately returned her to the Survival Space.

He couldn’t afford to let her remain outside in that condition.

Before he could move again, the Eagle King released a fourth bolt of lightning.

This time, it didn’t attack from a distance.

The creature itself was diving toward him, its enormous body following the lightning like a falling boulder.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

"Spatial Fissure!"

Five black cracks opened behind him in rapid succession.

They spread through the air like wounds in reality, swallowing the incoming lightning.

But the attack was too powerful.

The first fissure collapsed.

Then the second.

The remaining three struggled to contain the energy.

Evelyn, still in his arms, forced herself to raise her hand.

The last of her strength gathered into a thick wall of vines behind them.

The lightning broke through the remaining fissures and slammed into the vines.

BOOM!

The barrier exploded.

Burning fragments scattered across the clearing.

Ethan felt the heat rush past his back.

The few seconds bought by their combined defenses were barely enough.

Space Teleportation activated.

He disappeared just as the Eagle King’s talons swept through the air.