Chapter 189 Battle game

Chapter 189: Chapter 189 Battle game

The threat hung heavily in the air as everyone stared at Rowan and Mr. Davis, who stood some distance away from Luna.

Luna was still gasping in shock at what she had just witnessed.

How was he doing that?

He had casually tapped something resembling a panel, and her attacks had simply disappeared. Was that his system, or was it something else entirely?

Could that strange ability nullify magical attacks? If so, how was anyone supposed to fight him?

The discovery left her deeply unsettled. She had encountered powerful enemies before, but Mr. Davis was different. His technology, his creatures, and now this mysterious ability made him far more dangerous than she had initially imagined.

"Are you surprised?" Mr. Davis asked, his lips curling into an eerie smile.

"Of course, I knew you were like me. You have a cheat code just like I do, and you can make a difference in this world. But two people like us cannot simply coexist without a reason. We must either be allies, enemies, or benefactors to each other."

He paused, his gaze fixed on Luna.

"Unfortunately, we’re neither allies nor benefactors. And since I can’t let you walk away with that power, you’ll have to die. Your death will benefit me because I’m going to take your space for myself."

Luna’s eyes widened.

Take her space?

She had never heard of anyone being able to hijack another person’s space, let alone steal it completely. Her supermarket space was an ability she had developed and relied on for survival. The thought of someone taking it away from her was almost unthinkable.

"Wait, you don’t know?" Mr. Davis asked, looking genuinely amused. "What have you even been doing with an ability like that? Have you been wasting it on these useless men instead of learning how to use it properly?"

He didn’t get to finish speaking.

All four men erupted at once.

"OVER OUR DEAD BODIES!"

Their voices rang through the hall, their fury evident as they prepared to attack.

Rowan stepped forward, his eyes burning with an ominous purple light.

"After insulting Luna and our entire group, you still think you’ll walk away from here alive? I’ll be damned if I let that happen!"

He raised his head toward the sky.

The atmosphere changed immediately.

A deafening roar echoed above them, and the entire ground began to tremble. The sky darkened as furious rumbles rolled through the clouds, creating the impression that something enormous was awakening.

The ice Kai had previously formed across the ground began to crack.

Then it burst apart.

Kai stared at his hands, a strange expression crossing his face. He had struggled to summon his abilities earlier, but now, they were returning with frightening intensity.

He didn’t waste the opportunity.

Ice surged from one hand while fire erupted from the other. The ground beneath his feet shook violently, and chunks of rock began rising into the air as his powers spread throughout the area.

It wasn’t just his ice ability anymore.

His other elemental powers were responding too.

Kai’s expression hardened as he watched the energy gathering around him. Whatever had been suppressing his abilities seemed to have weakened, allowing him to unleash far more than he had expected.

Beside him, Adrian was also preparing to attack.

The sky rumbled again, and lightning flashed through the dark clouds.

Meanwhile, Mr. Davis remained strangely calm.

Instead of retreating, he lifted his hand and tapped his mysterious panel.

Several creatures appeared around him.

These weren’t ordinary monsters. Their eyes burned red, and dangerous beams of light flickered within them. Strange runes covered their bodies, their meanings impossible for Luna to recognize.

The creatures immediately spread out, their movements coordinated as though they were following a single command.

Luna’s expression changed.

While the others were preparing to fight, she had been looking for an opportunity to reach the aircraft. If she could get it moving while Mr. Davis was distracted, they might still escape.

But that plan quickly fell apart.

She had barely taken a few steps when the creatures snapped their fingers.

A sudden, unbearable pain tore through her body.

"AHHH!"

Luna collapsed to the ground, clutching herself as the pain intensified. It felt as though her bones were being crushed from within, one after another.

She could barely breathe.

What the hell was happening to her?

The moment her scream reached the others, their fury intensified.

"LUNA!"

Kai’s voice thundered through the hall.

He slammed his foot against the ground, unleashing the full force of his power.

The frozen earth shattered, revealing the water beneath it. At the same time, the wind began responding to his movements, swirling violently around him.

Then the impossible happened.

Water rose from the broken ground, twisting into the air alongside the ice. Rocks lifted from the earth, joining the swirling mass as the earthquake intensified.

Wind, water, ice, fire, and earth converged into one enormous surge of elemental power.

The entire area shook as though the world itself had awakened in anger.

Kai raised his hands, directing the destructive force toward Mr. Davis and his creatures.

The attack swept across the hall.

For the first time, Mr. Davis’s expression changed.

He hadn’t expected them to unleash such overwhelming power, especially after the beam had weakened them earlier.

The combined attack crashed into his creatures.

Several were buried beneath falling rocks, while others were frozen solid before the ice shattered around them. The raging water swept through the remaining monsters, and the powerful winds tore them away from their positions.

Their inhuman shrieks filled the air.

Yet even amid the destruction, Mr. Davis remained untouched.

Before the attack could reach him, he disappeared.

Luna, still struggling against the pain, barely noticed what had happened. Her attention was fixed on the creatures surrounding her, desperate to free herself before they could inflict any more damage.

Then someone appeared beside her.

Ethan.

He had moved so quickly that nobody had noticed his approach.

Before Mr. Davis could reappear and launch another attack, Ethan intercepted him. He grabbed the scientist firmly, his expression darkening as he held him in place.

"Now you’re not going anywhere."

Mr. Davis glanced at him and laughed.

"Oh, dear! You’re the one I’ve been trying to get my hands on. Thank you for coming to me."

Ethan frowned.

Before he could understand what the man meant, a massive shadow appeared above them.

Something enormous moved through the air.

A gigantic tentacle descended from the sky, twisting violently as it swept toward the battlefield.

Everyone looked up in shock.

The tentacle was unlike anything they had ever seen. Its surface was covered in slimy, dark material, and its sheer size suggested that whatever it belonged to was far more terrifying than the creatures they had been fighting.

It came from the direction of the sea.

The tentacle swept through the remaining creatures, grabbing them in one powerful motion before pulling them toward an enormous head that had emerged nearby.

A gigantic mouth opened.

The creatures disappeared into it.

Luna stared in disbelief.

What kind of monster was that?

Then she noticed someone standing atop its head.

Rowan.

His eyes were still glowing dark purple, and his expression remained cold as the monstrous creature moved beneath him.

But the appearance of the enormous abomination wasn’t the end of the nightmare.

Slimy creatures began emerging from the water, their jaws snapping as they rushed toward Mr. Davis. They moved with terrifying speed, surrounding him before he could escape.

One latched onto his leg.

Then another.

They began biting into his flesh, tearing at him with their sharp teeth.

"AAAAH!"

Mr. Davis screamed as blood spread across his legs.

Yet even as he suffered, he refused to release Ethan.

His grip tightened, and he continued tapping his mysterious panel with his free hand.

Ethan’s expression changed.

A strange dizziness washed over him, and his body began feeling increasingly weak. He tried to summon his powers, but nothing happened.

His connection to his abilities had been cut off.

What was this bastard doing to him?

Luna noticed the change immediately.

Her heart lurched.

Mr. Davis was trying to take Ethan away!

She hurriedly turned her attention toward her system.

If the scientist could use his own system to interfere with other people’s abilities, then surely there had to be a way for her to counter him.

Her system had evolved. It had improved. It was supposed to be powerful enough to help her survive situations like this.

So why was it failing her now?

Luna frantically searched for an option that could stop Mr. Davis or trap him inside her space.

There had to be something.

Anything.

But before she could complete her attempt, Ethan began disappearing.

His body grew increasingly transparent as Mr. Davis continued tapping the panel.

"No!"

Luna’s eyes widened.

She tried to reach them, but the pain in her body made every movement difficult. Meanwhile, the creatures continued tearing into Mr. Davis’s legs, yet his expression had changed. The pain no longer seemed to matter to him.

He was determined to get what he wanted.

"ROWAN!" Luna screamed.

Rowan’s expression darkened.

He had been holding back the full extent of his power because he feared the enormous creature beneath him might lose control and attack both Ethan and Mr. Davis. If that happened, Ethan could be caught in the destruction.

But now, watching Ethan disappear before their eyes, he regretted his hesitation.

Perhaps he should have unleashed everything from the beginning.

"TAKE HIM!" Rowan commanded.

The enormous tentacles immediately swept toward Mr. Davis, rushing to seize him before he could disappear completely.

But they were too late.

Mr. Davis’s entire body vanished.

And Ethan disappeared with him.

For one terrible moment, the battlefield fell silent.

Rowan stared at the empty space where the two men had stood.

Then he let out a furious growl.

"Damn it!"

The monstrous creature beneath him shifted restlessly, its massive tentacles twisting through the air. Rowan clenched his fists, his eyes burning with anger.

He should have acted sooner.

If he had used the creature’s full power earlier, perhaps Mr. Davis wouldn’t have escaped with Ethan.

But regret wouldn’t bring Ethan back.

"Look around!" Rowan ordered. "He might still be here somewhere. Search every corner!"

The others immediately began looking.

Adrian scanned the surroundings furiously, while Kai paced back and forth, his anger evident in every movement.

Luna, however, had fallen to her knees.

Her face twisted with rage and disbelief as she stared at the empty space before her.

"It was a trap," she whispered.

Nobody answered.

"This whole thing was a trap!"

Her voice grew louder as the realization sank in.

"That bastard planned everything just to get Ethan to come to him. And I was stupid enough to let Ethan get close to him!"

She lowered her head, her hands trembling.

Why hadn’t she realized it sooner?

Mr. Davis had been provoking them from the beginning. He had deliberately revealed his interest in Ethan, pushed them into a confrontation, and used their determination to protect one another against them.

And she had fallen for it.

Luna clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

Why had her system failed her at the most crucial moment?

What was the point of all its improvements and supposed evolution if it couldn’t help her when she needed it most?

She had spent so much time developing her abilities, trusting that her space would always give her an advantage. Yet when Ethan had been in danger, she hadn’t been able to do anything.

What was the difference between her and someone without a space if she couldn’t even protect the people she cared about?

"No!"

A dagger materialized in her hand.

She stabbed it into the ground repeatedly, each strike releasing another burst of anger.

"That damn bastard! I’ll kill him! I swear I’ll end him!"

Her breathing grew ragged as she continued stabbing the floor, unable to contain the fury consuming her.

But eventually, her strength began to fade.

Luna stopped and stared at the dagger in her hand.

Then she covered her face with both palms.

She had made promises to her men. She had told them she would protect them, that she wouldn’t let anyone take them away from her.

Yet Ethan had disappeared right before her eyes.

And she had failed to stop it.

"Luna..."

She barely heard Adrian’s voice.

Her thoughts were consumed by the same painful question.

How could she have let this happen?

She had promised herself that she would never allow anyone to take what belonged to her, but now she couldn’t even find a way to reach the man who had taken Ethan.

Suddenly, Adrian’s voice broke through her thoughts.

"Luna, I can see that vehicle! It’s already moving away, and it’s heading out to sea!"

Luna’s head snapped up.

She didn’t need to be told twice.

The vehicle had to be the one carrying Ethan.

She immediately pushed herself to her feet, ready to chase after it.

But Rowan moved first.

The enormous creature beneath him surged forward, its tentacles cutting through the air as Kai joined him.

"Let’s go," Rowan declared, his voice cold with determination.

He glanced at Luna, his purple eyes burning.

"Ethan isn’t going to die. I promise you that."