Chapter 120: The Tower Battle

Ethan’s expression darkened into ice. "Damn it!"

The first bat came from his left. Its wings shimmered with a metallic silver sheen, and each powerful beat sent a violent gust across the platform. It moved so quickly that Ethan could barely follow its trajectory~a Speed Ability.

The second bat approached from the right. Blue electricity crackled aggressively around its fangs, illuminating its open mouth, while tiny arcs of lightning jumped between its teeth and danced across its membranes~a Lightning Ability.

The third bat stayed farther back, opening its jaws to spit a thick stream of dark-green venom. The venom droplets struck the concrete floor. Hiss! Smoke rose instantly as the surface dissolved into a collection of honeycomb-shaped pits~a Poison Ability.

Ethan’s grip tightened until his knuckles turned white. One Leader-Level Mutant Beast supported by three Elite-Level creatures, and he was standing on an exposed platform with severely limited room to maneuver. This was easily the most dangerous battle he had faced since reaching Quasi-S-Rank.

The Speed Bat attacked first. It vanished from his field of vision, then reappeared at his flank with its razor-sharp claws extended. Ethan twisted aside, but the claws still raked a bloody trail across his back. Pain exploded between his shoulders.

He retaliated instantly with Spatial Cut. The bat folded one wing and twisted in midair, slipping past the blade by a microscopic hair’s breadth.

Before Ethan could follow up, the Lightning Bat opened its jaws. A bolt of blue-white electricity struck his left shoulder. His muscles seized instantly. The sword nearly slipped from his numb fingers, and a sharp, paralyzing tingling sensation raced down his arm.

The Poison Bat seized the opportunity, showering venom across the platform. Ethan teleported away just before the liquid hit, but the attack forced him toward the tower’s outer edge.

Above them, the Streak of White shrieked again. A wave of invisible pressure crashed into his head. Ethan staggered, feeling as though dozens of heated needles were being driven directly into his temples. His vision blurred, and for a terrifying moment, he couldn’t tell which direction the next attack would come from.

The Speed Bat struck his back again. He barely managed to raise his sword before the Lightning Bat lunged straight at his face. Ethan teleported to the opposite side of the platform, but a fresh bolt of lightning followed him instantly. He dodged, but the electricity clipped his arm, sending another wave of numbness through his muscles.

Meanwhile, the Poison Bat continued filling the available space with corrosive venom, releasing a foul vapor that made Ethan’s throat tighten. The Streak of White remained hovering above, directing the attacks with ruthless, calculating precision. It never needed to expose itself to danger; it only had to keep Ethan distracted long enough for the three elite bats to tear him apart.

If this keeps up, I’m finished.

Ethan swallowed two Elite-Level Cores in quick succession. Energy surged into his body, but the recovery was disappointingly small~he regained barely a tenth of what he had spent. He immediately unleashed Spatial Cut five times in rapid succession. The attacks carved through the air, forcing the bats to scatter wide, but the Speed Bat dodged every single one with terrifying agility.

Then the Lightning Bat struck his shoulder directly. His arm went completely dead. His fingers loosened, and his sword slipped halfway from his grasp before he caught it with his other hand.

At the same time, venom splashed across the raw wound on his back, sending a searing wave of agony through his flesh. Ethan gritted his teeth, fighting to remain upright. He could feel his energy reserves approaching rock bottom.

I’m not dying here.

"Let us out!" Daisy’s voice rang urgently through the Survival Space. Another voice followed immediately. "Ethan, we can help!" It was Sofia.

Ethan didn’t hesitate for another second. He activated Teleportation and brought both women directly onto the platform.

Daisy immediately focused her mental energy on the Streak of White. Pale-blue waves spread from her body, rolling through the air like ripples across a lake. "I’ll suppress its Mental Ability!" she shouted over the wind.

The Streak of White shrieked in anger. Its red eyes flared, and a massive mental shockwave swept toward them. Daisy’s waves collided with it violently. For an instant, the air seemed to fracture. The two opposing forces pressed against each other, neither gaining a clear advantage. Daisy’s face tightened with immense effort, but she held her ground, forcing the bat’s next shriek to falter.

That brief pause was all they needed.

"Sofia! The Speed Bat!" Ethan yelled.

Sofia raised both hands. Pale-blue energy gathered around her fingertips, rapidly condensing into a cluster of sharp ice spikes whose surfaces gleamed in the morning light. She aimed directly at the Speed Bat’s chaotic flight path. "Let’s see you dodge this!"

She released them. The ice spikes shot through the air. The Speed Bat twisted away, avoiding the first few with ease, but Sofia had anticipated its movement. The spikes suddenly burst apart mid-flight, scattering into a dense cloud of razor-sharp ice crystals.

The bat’s wings swept right through the freezing mist. Frost spread instantly across the thin membranes, causing its speed to drop sharply. For the first time, it failed to evade an incoming attack.

Ethan’s eyes flashed with lethal intent. "Got you!"

He activated Time Stop.

The world froze instantly into absolute silence. The Speed Bat hung motionless in midair, its razor claws barely three inches from Ethan’s throat. The lightning bolt emerging from the second bat’s fangs stopped dead in place. The Streak of White’s red mental energy remained suspended before Daisy, frozen like a crimson blade.

Ethan had only one second. He moved. His body blurred as he crossed the short distance separating him from the Speed Bat, gripping his sword with both hands and pouring the Breath of Corrosion into the steel.

Black energy crawled viciously along the blade. Then he swung.

The sword struck the bat’s head with a wet, ugly crunch that broke the frozen silence. Black blood and fragments of brain matter burst into the frozen mist.

Time resumed.

The Speed Bat’s lifeless body dropped from the air, crashing hard onto the wooden platform.

At the exact same instant, Daisy thrust both hands forward. "Now, get stunned!" Her mental ability surged outward, slamming directly into the Lightning Bat’s consciousness. It let out a distressed shriek as the electricity surrounding its body flickered wildly, its wings losing their rhythm.

Sofia seized the opening. Ice spikes shot forward, piercing the bat’s wing joints and pinning the creature hard against a concrete support pillar.

For several seconds, the platform fell quiet except for the labored breathing of the three survivors. Then Ethan’s knees nearly buckled. Daisy caught herself against the wall, pressing a hand to her temple as dark spots swarmed her vision from spiritual exhaustion. Sofia’s fingers trembled violently.

They had killed one elite bat and crippled another, but the Streak of White was still alive and hovering just beyond their reach.

"Brother Chen! Let me out! I can help!" a familiar voice called from the Survival Space. It was Tessa.

Ethan brought her out without a second thought. Tessa landed beside them, took one look at Ethan’s bloodied back and Daisy’s pale face, and immediately extended both arms. "Everyone, hold hands!"

Ethan grasped one of her hands while Daisy and Sofia took the others, forming a small, unbroken circle on the battered platform. A soft, soothing green light spread from Tessa’s palms, flowing through their joined hands like warm water. The glow spread across their bodies, bringing instant relief to their exhausted muscles.

Ethan felt the numbness in his shoulder recede. The torn flesh on his back began to close rapidly, and Daisy’s breathing steadied as her mental waves returned. Tessa’s Life Link ability distributed vitality efficiently, though the immense strain caused her own face to lose color and her knees to shake.

"That’s enough," Ethan murmured, returning her to the Survival Space before she could collapse.

With their energy partially restored and injuries stabilized, Ethan turned his attention back to the threat above. The Streak of White beat its wings, trying to find a new angle to strike.

"Let’s end this," Ethan said coldly.