Chapter 63: We’re Even Now

The Snake King had actually noticed him.

And judging from the direction of its gaze, it seemed to have identified him as its target.

Ethan pushed the accelerator to the floor.

The engine screamed as the vehicle raced toward the urban-rural boundary.

He had barely reached the outskirts when five Viper Leaders suddenly burst from the bushes on both sides of the road.

They blocked the highway.

Ethan didn’t slow down.

Get out of my way.

He kept his foot on the accelerator.

Then something enormous appeared on the hillside ahead.

More than a hundred Vipers had tangled themselves together into a gigantic rolling mass.

The entire swarm came tumbling down the slope.

Ethan’s eyes widened.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

The enormous snake ball slammed into the off-road vehicle.

The vehicle flipped violently.

Ethan kicked open the door and jumped out, rolling across the ground before coming to a stop.

He immediately reached for his sword.

The five Viper Leaders attacked simultaneously.

Ethan twisted his body, barely avoiding the first strike.

His sword flashed.

Two Vipers were cut open.

Then another Viper’s tail smashed into his chest.

Bang!

Ethan was thrown backward.

His body crashed into the roadside guardrail.

A metallic taste filled his mouth.

He coughed.

Blood splattered onto the ground.

The remaining two Viper Leaders lunged at him.

Their fangs glistened in the sunlight.

Ethan raised his hand.

Spatial Cut.

Nothing happened.

A faint white glow appeared around his fingertips before fading.

His expression changed.

No...

He had been using his abilities repeatedly while escaping.

His energy regeneration simply couldn’t keep up.

He was exhausted.

And there was no time to drink Healing Essence.

The Vipers were already on him.

Ethan knew he could retreat into his Survival Space.

But that would only delay the problem.

If the Viper Swarm kept surrounding the area, he would eventually have to come out.

And when he did, they would still be waiting.

He stared at the approaching Vipers.

For a brief moment, several faces flashed through his mind.

Debbie’s stubbornness.

Daisy’s gentle smile.

Rose and Sofia constantly bickering over each other.

Penny’s embarrassed expression whenever he teased her.

His hands tightened.

A deep sense of unwillingness rose inside him.

If only he had been reborn a month earlier.

If he had been given more time to exploit the system.

His strength would have been completely different by now.

Perhaps he could even have confronted the Snake King head-on.

But wishing for something that didn’t happen was useless.

Reality was already bearing down on him.

Ethan prepared to enter his Survival Space.

Then something black flashed past him.

Whoosh!

A dark figure shot out from behind.

A deep blue energy blade formed around her fingertips.

The woman moved so quickly that Ethan barely had time to register her presence.

Slash!

The first Viper Leader’s head split cleanly in two.

Black blood sprayed across Ethan’s face.

The remaining four Viper Leaders turned toward the attacker.

They didn’t get the chance to strike.

The dark figure moved between them.

Four flashes of blue energy followed.

Each blade struck a vital point.

The four Vipers collapsed almost simultaneously.

Ethan remained on the ground for a moment, staring at the woman.

She was dressed entirely in black leather.

As she walked toward him, he finally recognized her.

Morgana Sykes.

"Why are you here?"

Ethan’s voice was hoarse.

Morgana didn’t even look at him.

"Passing through."

She walked over to the five dead Viper Leaders.

With several clean strikes, she opened their skulls and removed their Cores.

Five Viper Leader Cores.

Ethan stared at her.

"Why did you save me?"

Morgana finally paused.

Her expression remained cold.

"Save you? Don’t flatter yourself."

She looked down at the Cores in her hand.

"I only wanted the Cores."

Then she glanced at him.

"But you saved me once before."

A brief silence followed.

"So I returned the favor."

She turned toward the motorcycle parked nearby.

"We’re even now."

Morgana walked away.

Ethan pushed himself upright using the guardrail.

"Wait."

She stopped.

"Have you seen four women and two children?"

Morgana started her motorcycle.

The engine roared to life.

She looked back at him.

"They went toward the city center."

The motorcycle accelerated.

Within seconds, Morgana disappeared down the highway.

Ethan remained where he was.

The tension in his chest finally eased.

At least they were alive.

And they had gone in the direction he was already heading.

His gaze lingered on the road where Morgana had disappeared.

That schemer...

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

Something had clearly happened to Morgana.

There was no other explanation for how much stronger she had become.

She must have had some kind of lucky break.

He didn’t waste any more time thinking about it.

Ethan pulled out a bottle of Healing Essence and drank it as he started walking toward the city center.

He couldn’t use One-Way Teleportation recklessly anymore.

Not until his energy recovered.

So he walked.

One hour passed.

Then another.

By the time two hours had gone by, the sun was already setting.

The sky slowly darkened.

Ethan continued through the ruined streets until he recognized the area ahead.

His steps slowed.

A familiar basement entrance appeared in the distance.

This was the same place where he and Daisy had once hidden from the Mutant Siberian Tiger.

Ethan stared at it.

Don’t tell me...

He sighed.

There’s no way I’m running into that thing again.

A low growl answered him.

Ethan froze.

Slowly, he turned his head.

Deep in the darkness ahead, two amber vertical pupils opened.

A massive silhouette emerged from the shadows.

The dark-red King marking on its forehead pulsed with a faint energy.

Ethan’s face went blank.

It was the same Quasi-King Mutant Siberian Tiger.

You have got to be kidding me.

His hand immediately tightened around his sword.

Cold sweat ran down his back.

The tiger lowered its head.

A deep growl rumbled from its throat.

Then it began walking toward him.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Every footfall seemed to strike directly against Ethan’s chest.

The oppressive presence surrounding the beast was overwhelming.

The scent of blood filled the air.

Even breathing suddenly felt difficult.

Ethan stared at the approaching tiger.

His energy had only just begun recovering.

His abilities were far from their peak.

And now he was standing inside the territory of a Quasi-King mutant beast.

The tiger’s amber eyes never left him.

Ethan slowly raised his sword.

Looks like I’m going to have to fight my way out.

But deep down, he knew this was going to be much harder than the last time.

And the Mutant Siberian Tiger had no intention of letting him leave.