Chapter 434: Leviathan’s Domain

Ethan could barely keep his eyes open, but he understood how bad their situation had become.

He had underestimated the gap between himself and an A Rank beast. Although he had known the difference in their strength, he had hoped that combining Inferno Core with Variable Beast Impact would allow him to overcome it.

Instead, he had nearly destroyed his own body just to shatter a few of the Leviathan’s scales.

If he wanted to defeat the beast through conventional means, he would need weeks, perhaps even months, of grinding this floor. He could hunt weaker aquatic beasts until he had enough to evolve Storm to A Rank, increase Talon’s potential and evolve it to B Rank, and even acquire a fifth beast.

That would have been the sensible approach, but it would also have taken far too long.

Ethan had grown desperate and decided to force his way through with the strength he already possessed.

Now, he was paying for that decision.

’Fine. I fucking give up.’

He forced his battered body to respond, gathering what little strength remained in his throat.

"Switch!"

Both summoned beasts immediately understood what he meant.

They had fought alongside Ethan long enough to recognise when he had reached his limit. He couldn’t continue fighting in his current condition, and staying near the Leviathan would only give the beast an opportunity to finish him off.

Once again, they needed to escape.

Ethan had fled the Leviathan once before.

He needed to leave the Tower, recover, and return with a better plan.

At least, that was what he hoped.

Storm abandoned its offensive and shot toward Wolfy, which was still carrying Ethan between its jaws. Electricity gathered around the Lightning Dragonfly’s slender body as it closed the distance, and it seized Ethan with its mandibles. Wolfy carefully released him, allowing Storm to take over without putting additional pressure on his mangled body.

The moment Ethan was secure, Storm accelerated.

Thunder Dash

Lightning erupted around the Lightning Dragonfly, transforming it into a streak of electricity that shot across the ocean. Its wings beat so rapidly that they became little more than a blur, propelling it away from the Leviathan at tremendous speed.

Storm had always relied on speed and evasion to overcome stronger opponents, but even it could feel the difference between fighting ordinary beasts and facing an A Rank. Its instincts, as predatory as they were, also screamed at it to flee. No matter how fast it moved, it would only be a matter of time before the Leviathan swatted it out of the sky.

And now it finally could do exactly that, with its master in tow.

As Storm carried Ethan away, Wolfy took on the task of distracting the beast.

Behind them, the Leviathan watched their retreat.

That’s when the Fenrir did something that surprised it.

Instead of continuing to swim away, it abruptly changed direction and surged toward the enormous beast. Its eyes burned with determination as it climbed onto the Leviathan’s massive body, aiming for its exposed scales.

Wolfy had no illusions about winning, but it needed to distract the Boss Beast while Storm got Ethan far enough away to exit the tower. It charged along the beast’s back, its claws scraping against the dark-blue scales as it searched for an opportunity to attack.

The Leviathan noticed.

Strangely enough, it seemed amused.

Its enormous green eyes followed the Fenrir crawling across its body, displaying the patient curiosity of a predator watching prey that had mistaken desperation for courage.

Then the ocean moved.

A mass of water rose beside the Leviathan, twisting into a powerful current that swept toward Wolfy. The Fenrir tried to brace itself, but the attack struck with overwhelming force, lifting its enormous body off the beast’s back and launching it into the air.

Wolfy flew across the ocean, struck the water, and skipped across its surface several times before disappearing beneath a towering wave with a startled whimper.

For a moment, it was nowhere to be seen.

Then its head emerged from the water, its ears flattened and its eyes blinking in confusion. The Leviathan had barely bothered to attack it, and yet, Wolfy had been sent flying as though it weighed nothing.

It then turned toward Storm, which was still fleeing with Ethan.

Instead of immediately launching another attack or chasing after them, the Leviathan raised its head.

The ocean began to rise.

Water surged upward in every direction, forming a towering circular wall around the battlefield. The waves climbed higher and higher, bending inward as though an invisible hand were shaping them. Within seconds, an enormous dome of water had formed, enclosing the Leviathan and everything within a radius of roughly five hundred metres.

Its surface shimmered with dense, churning currents that distorted the view beyond it.

Storm’s eyes widened.

It immediately changed direction and accelerated toward the nearest section of the barrier.

BOOM!

Lightning burst from its body as it collided with the wall, electricity spreading across the water in a brilliant web of blue-white energy.

For a moment, the barrier rippled.

Then the current swallowed the attack.

Storm was thrown backwards, tumbling through the air before regaining control of its wings. It circled around and tried again, approaching from a different angle while pouring more power into Thunder Dash.

The result was the same.

Storm was fast enough to evade the Leviathan’s direct attacks, but it couldn’t overcome the power controlling the entire barrier. Every time it approached the dome, the currents shifted to redirect its momentum, pushing it away before it could break through.

It was trapped.

And so was Ethan.

Storm hovered within the giant enclosed space, its wings trembling as it searched desperately for another way out. The barrier surrounded them completely, leaving no obvious opening through which it could escape.

And even worse, it was closing in.

The Leviathan had completely taken control of the battlefield.

Ethan stared at the towering wall of water, finally understanding what the beast was doing.

It wasn’t trying to kill them immediately.

’It’s playing with us.’

The Leviathan wanted to savour their defeat, allowing them to exhaust themselves against its overwhelming power before demonstrating just how hopeless their situation had become. It had thrown Wolfy away without effort, watched Storm attempt to flee, and then closed off every possible escape route.

The beast wasn’t merely stronger than them.

It was confident enough to decide how their fight would end.

’This is the real power of an A Rank.’

Ethan had defeated powerful monsters before by exploiting weaknesses, combining his beasts’ abilities, and taking risks that most people would never consider. But the Leviathan possessed the strength to destroy them, the durability to withstand their strongest attacks, and the control necessary to prevent them from escaping.

Meanwhile, Ethan had destroyed his own body just to crack a few scales.

His arms hung uselessly at his sides, blackened flesh and mangled muscle exposed beneath the fading remnants of his flames. Every movement sent waves of agony through his body, and his almost depleted mana left him with little means of defending himself.

Storm and Wolfy were still enough in them to fight, but that hadn’t worked last time, even when Ethan had fought alongside them. Let alone now, when they were stuck inside a shrinking dome that was pulling them in closer to the giant beast.

Things were not looking good.

’Am I really going to die here to this thing?’

The thought crept into Ethan’s mind before he could stop it.

He had always treated the Tower as a place where he could take risks that would be unacceptable in the outside world. Pain was temporary, injuries could be endured, and even the loss of a limb was an acceptable price if it meant gaining the strength necessary to move forward.

But death was different.

The System had made it clear that death inside the Tower was absolute.

Still, a small part of him couldn’t help searching for alternatives.

’Maybe the System was lying.’

Perhaps dying inside the Tower wouldn’t truly kill him. Maybe the Leviathan would lose interest and leave them alone, or perhaps the barrier would collapse if he waited long enough. There had to be some hidden weakness, some overlooked detail that could turn the situation around at the last possible moment.

He had survived plenty of situations that should have killed him. He had overcome stronger monsters, endured devastating injuries, and repeatedly pushed himself beyond what should have been possible.

Surely, he could find a way out of this.

Ethan stared at the Leviathan as it slowly turned its enormous head toward him.

Its green eyes fixed on his battered body, and the faint amusement in its expression made his stomach sink.

No matter how hard he thought, no solution came to mind.

No amount of stubborn optimism would change the difference in their strength.

Recklessness had carried him this far, but it couldn’t conjure a victory from nothing, and this time he had pushed too far.

For the first time in a long while, Ethan Crowe couldn’t see a way out.

’Fuck!’