Chapter 165: The Chase and the Final Trap

Ethan climbed out of the Air-raid Shelter through the passage and emerged a hundred meters away.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he spotted the enormous creature attacking the southern wall of the Bell Tower.

The Blackscale Drake.

Its massive body slammed against the concrete with enough force to make the entire structure shudder. Cracks spread across the wall, and chunks of concrete broke loose, crashing to the ground around it.

Ethan’s expression hardened.

A familiar, invisible barrier shimmered faintly in the air, stretching across the surrounding area. He could feel the distortion in space even without seeing it.

The creature had activated its Space Sealing again.

"Come on, you ugly bastard!"

Ethan raised his voice, making sure the monster could hear him.

"If you’ve got the guts, chase me!"

He turned and sprinted toward the distant plaza.

He couldn’t allow the fight to happen near the shelter. If the Blackscale Drake broke through the outer wall, everyone inside would be trapped with nowhere to run.

He had to draw it away.

A thunderous roar erupted behind him.

Ethan glanced over his shoulder just in time to see a dark green blur rise above the Bell Tower.

The Blackscale Drake had leaped over the entire structure.

Its enormous body crashed onto the concrete, and the ground beneath its feet fractured instantly. A web of cracks spread outward, sending small pieces of rubble bouncing across the street.

Ethan’s heart tightened.

’It’s gotten even bigger.’

The creature was at least thirty percent larger than when they had last fought. Its dark green scales covered its body like overlapping plates of armor, each one reflecting the faint light with a cold, metallic sheen.

Even its horns had changed.

The two curved horns that once extended from its head had fused into a single, half-foot-long horn. A strange black light flickered around its tip, giving it an ominous appearance.

But its physical transformation wasn’t what worried Ethan most.

It was the pressure.

A suffocating presence rolled toward him, heavy enough to make his breathing feel uncomfortable. Every instinct in his body screamed that the creature had become far more dangerous than before.

’Don’t tell me...’

His expression darkened.

’Has it reached King-Rank?’

He didn’t have time to confirm his suspicion.

Ethan twisted around and thrust his hand backward.

Three Space Fissures appeared behind him, their dark edges slicing through the air as they shot toward the pursuing beast.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The attacks struck the Blackscale Drake’s body.

But instead of cutting through its scales, they left behind nothing more than a few faint white marks.

Ethan’s pupils contracted.

During their previous encounter, his Space Fissures had at least managed to tear through its flesh. They hadn’t been powerful enough to cause serious injuries, but they had drawn blood.

Now, they couldn’t even break its skin.

The Blackscale Drake let out an enraged roar.

Its powerful hind legs slammed into the ground, propelling its enormous body forward like a cannonball.

Ethan’s expression changed.

He threw himself sideways.

BOOM!

The spot where he had been standing exploded beneath the creature’s claws. Concrete shattered, and a deep crater nearly half a meter wide appeared in the ground.

Fragments of stone shot in every direction.

One of them grazed Ethan’s cheek, opening a thin cut.

He barely noticed.

"Time Stop!"

He immediately activated his Ability.

Energy surged through his body as he focused everything on freezing the monster.

For a split second, he waited for the familiar sensation of time coming to a halt.

It never came.

The Blackscale Drake continued charging without the slightest interruption.

Ethan’s heart sank.

’So it really has reached King-Rank.’

His Quasi-S-Rank Time Stop couldn’t affect it.

That was a serious problem.

Without Time Stop, he had no reliable way to create an opening when the creature got too close. If it caught him, he wouldn’t even have time to react.

"Spatial Cut!"

"Space Fissure!"

Ethan gritted his teeth and unleashed every spatial attack he could muster.

Dozens of white energy blades and dark fissures tore through the air, converging on the Blackscale Drake from different directions.

The attacks struck its body in rapid succession.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks burst across its scales.

Some of the blades shattered on impact, while the Space Fissures left behind faint scratches that disappeared beneath the creature’s movement.

It was as though Ethan were attacking a moving fortress.

Then the Blackscale Drake swung its tail.

The enormous tail swept across the street with terrifying speed.

Ethan tried to dodge, but his body was a fraction too slow.

BANG!

The impact caught him squarely in the back.

His body shot through the air.

The scabs covering his previous wounds split open at once. Blood sprayed behind him, and the force of the blow sent him crashing into a tree.

CRACK!

The trunk snapped beneath the impact.

Ethan dropped to the ground, coughing violently.

A mouthful of blood spilled from his lips.

For a moment, his vision turned black around the edges. His back felt as though something had torn through his muscles, and every attempt to breathe sent another wave of pain through his chest.

He tried to push himself up.

His arm trembled.

’Damn it...’

The sound of heavy footsteps approached.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

The Blackscale Drake was walking toward him.

It didn’t appear to be in a hurry. Its massive claws crushed the scattered concrete beneath its feet, while its blood-red pupils remained fixed on Ethan.

Each step sent a faint tremor through the ground.

A hot breath escaped its nostrils.

Ethan caught a strange scent mixed with it.

The faint but unmistakable smell of Life Crystal Stones.

His expression changed.

"So that’s what you’re after..."

Everything finally made sense.

The Blackscale Drake hadn’t discovered the shelter by accident. It had been following the Life Crystal Stones inside his Survival Space.

Even though the stones were stored in a separate space, the creature had somehow managed to sense their presence.

That explained why it had come straight for the shelter.

A series of anxious voices suddenly rang out from his Survival Space.

"Ethan! Let us out!"

It was Daisy.

Debbie’s voice followed almost immediately.

"Ethan, you can’t fight that thing alone!"

Other voices joined them, all filled with panic.

Ethan’s jaw tightened.

"Don’t come out!"

He forced the words out despite the pain in his chest.

"Stay inside! Coming out now would only get you killed!"

He could hear their protests, but he didn’t have the strength to argue with them.

His gaze remained fixed on the approaching monster.

There was no point pretending he could overpower it through brute force. His spatial attacks were barely scratching its scales, and Time Stop had failed completely.

He needed another way.

Slowly, Ethan curled his fingers.

Blue-white electrical arcs began to dance across his palm.

The lightning crackled softly at first, then grew brighter and more violent as he poured his remaining energy into it.

His newly acquired SSS-Rank Lightning Control.

It was his last chance.

The Blackscale Drake lowered its head.

The single horn on its forehead pointed directly at Ethan’s chest. Black energy gathered around its tip, and its enormous body began to move forward.

Ethan watched it approach.

He waited.

The creature’s claws scraped against the ground.

Its horn drew closer.

Closer.

Then, just as it prepared to drive its horn through his chest, Ethan raised his arm.

"Now!"

A brilliant bolt of lightning burst from his palm.

It stretched into a long, blue-white whip that cracked through the air before wrapping tightly around the Blackscale Drake’s neck.

ZAP!

The electrical discharge exploded.

The creature’s entire body convulsed.

A piercing shriek tore from its throat, and its massive frame jerked backward as the lightning surged through its scales.

For the first time since the battle began, the Blackscale Drake looked genuinely hurt.

Its claws dug into the concrete as it struggled against the whip. Black smoke rose from the area around its neck, and its roar turned into a series of furious, pained cries.

Ethan’s eyes lit up.

"It works!"

He had found its weakness.

The Blackscale Drake was resistant to his spatial attacks, but lightning could still hurt it.

He didn’t waste another second.

Ethan released the Lightning Whip and forced himself to his feet.

His back screamed in protest. Blood ran down beneath his clothes, and his legs nearly gave way when he took his first step.

He ignored it.

He needed to get beyond the Space Sealing’s range.

If the monster recovered before he escaped, he was finished.

Ethan ran.

He pushed himself forward as fast as his battered body allowed, covering nearly four hundred meters in one desperate sprint.

Every movement sent pain shooting through his back. His breathing became ragged, and his vision blurred several times.

But he could feel it.

The strange pressure surrounding the area was weakening.

He was almost out.

Then a furious roar shook the street behind him.

Ethan’s expression changed.

He glanced back.

The Blackscale Drake had recovered.

Its massive body surged forward, moving even faster than before.

’Damn it!’

Ethan gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep running.

His legs felt as though they had been filled with lead. His wounds were reopening with every movement, and the pain was becoming so intense that he could barely keep his thoughts straight.

The monster was closing the distance.

Its footsteps grew louder.

The ground trembled beneath its weight.

Ethan could even hear the beast’s heavy breathing behind him.

He was running out of time.

Suddenly, two thick vines shot out from a nearby alley.

They whipped through the air and wrapped around the Blackscale Drake’s hind legs like steel cables.

At almost the same moment, a massive boulder, nearly as wide as a water barrel, came flying toward its head.

Ethan’s eyes widened.

’That’s Aria, Evelyn, and Sasha!’

A brief spark of hope appeared in his chest.

But it vanished almost immediately.

The Blackscale Drake let out a low growl.

A wave of black energy burst from its mouth.

The vines withered instantly, their surfaces bubbling and dissolving as though they had been thrown into acid. The boulder followed, breaking apart into a mass of crumbling sludge before it could reach the creature.

Two muffled cries came from the alley.

Ethan turned his head just in time to see Evelyn and Aria stumble backward. Blood spilled from their mouths as they retreated deeper into the narrow street.

They had barely managed to slow the monster for a second.

But that second mattered.

Ethan had gained another three hundred meters.

"Keep going!" someone shouted.

He couldn’t tell who it was.

He didn’t look back.

The Blackscale Drake roared again.

This time, its fury was unmistakable.

Its speed increased, and the distance between them began shrinking rapidly.

Ethan’s vision grew darker.

His legs were beginning to fail, and the sounds around him seemed to drift farther away.

He could feel his consciousness slipping.