Night had settled in completely.
The trees around them were little more than dark shapes now. Visibility had dropped to less than five meters. Every few steps Ethan had to slow down and make sure he wasn’t walking straight into a ditch, a wrecked vehicle, or something worse waiting in the dark.
They had planned to reach the villa district before nightfall.
That clearly wasn’t happening.
Ethan glanced back at Daisy.
"We should keep moving."
She nodded, her face pale in the thin moonlight.
"Debbie will be worried."
That was enough reason.
They continued down the ruined path, moving carefully through the blackness.
Then~
"ROAR!"
A thunderous roar exploded through the night, rolling through the trees like a physical shockwave. Leaves shook. Birds that still remained in the area scattered in panic.
Daisy flinched violently and grabbed Ethan’s arm. Her face went white.
"What was that?"
Ethan’s expression changed at once. He pulled her firmly behind him and drew the Tang dao.
"A tiger."
He scanned the darkness.
Something was moving. Slowly. Heavy footsteps crushed dry leaves somewhere ahead. Ethan narrowed his eyes. Moonlight slipped through gaps in the canopy, revealing a massive silhouette.
Then it stepped into view.
Ethan’s breath caught.
It was a Siberian tiger~or at least it had once been one.
The creature was nearly twice the size of any normal tiger. Its body was a mountain of dense muscle beneath thick black-striped fur. Countless scars ran across its sides and shoulders~some old and faded, others still raw and recent. The animal had clearly spent the entire apocalypse fighting for every meal.
Its enormous eyes glowed with an eerie green light. Steam-like breath escaped its nostrils with every slow exhale. Thick saliva hung in strings from the corners of its mouth. And its gaze never left them.
Daisy’s fingers tightened hard around Ethan’s sleeve.
"Is... is that really a Siberian tiger? How can it be that big?"
Ethan didn’t answer. He was too busy studying it.
The creature’s muscles were already tense. Its powerful shoulders had lowered. Its claws slowly dug into the dirt. It wasn’t simply watching them. It was preparing to attack.
A low, vibrating growl rolled from its throat.
Then the tiger vanished from where it stood.
"Shit!"
Ethan barely had time to react.
"Get back!"
He shoved Daisy hard to the side.
The next instant the tiger came crashing through the darkness like a black missile. Ethan stepped forward instead of retreating and brought the sword up to meet it.
Clang!
The blade collided with one massive front claw. The impact sent a violent shock straight up Ethan’s arm. His fingers went numb. The force nearly ripped the Tang dao from his grip. He staggered backward several steps.
He immediately looked at the tiger’s paw.
There was barely a mark~only a faint white line where the steel had scraped across the hide. The skin hadn’t even broken.
Ethan’s eyes widened.
What the hell?
He had fought mutant leopards before. Compared to this thing they had been almost fragile. Its defense was several times stronger.
The tiger landed heavily. Its head snapped toward him. It was angry. Very angry.
Another roar shook the trees. Then it charged again, jaws opening wide to reveal rows of long, bloodstained fangs.
Ethan’s instincts screamed. He sidestepped at the last possible moment. The tiger’s claws tore through the empty space where his chest had been, gouging deep furrows in the earth.
He immediately pulled the pistol from his Space Ability and fired three rapid shots at the animal’s forehead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Every bullet struck directly.
Nothing happened.
No blood. No wound. The rounds simply bounced off the thick fur and disappeared into the darkness.
Ethan stared.
"You’ve got to be kidding me."
The mutant leopard could at least be injured by a gun. This thing hadn’t even flinched. A cold feeling settled in his stomach. Do mutated animals have ranks too? If ordinary firearms were useless against creatures like this, then guns were quickly becoming little more than expensive toys.
The tiger roared again. The gunshots had only made it angrier. It charged.
Ethan backed away rapidly while scanning the ground. Metal fragments were scattered everywhere from earlier wreckage. He reached out with Metal Manipulation. The pieces trembled, then shot upward and slammed together in front of him, forming a rough, jagged metal shield.
The tiger crashed into it at full speed.
Crack!
The shield shattered instantly. Metal fragments exploded in every direction. Ethan used the force of the impact to throw himself backward and barely avoided the next swipe of the claws. Several flying shards still sliced across his arm. Blood ran down his skin in thin, warm lines.
"Ethan!"
Daisy’s voice cracked. She started to rush toward him.
"I’m fine!"
He had barely finished speaking when the tiger changed direction with terrifying speed. Its massive body twisted. Its glowing green eyes locked onto Daisy.
Then it charged her.
"Daisy!" Ethan’s heart jumped. "Move!"
She froze for half a second~just long enough.
Ethan threw himself forward and slammed into her shoulder. They both hit the ground hard and rolled. The tiger passed over the exact spot where she had been standing, claws tearing deep trenches in the earth.
But Ethan wasn’t fast enough to get clear himself.
One enormous claw tore across his back.
Pain exploded through him like a truck had driven straight into his spine. His bones seemed to vibrate from the force. He staggered forward. A metallic taste flooded his mouth. He coughed and blood splattered onto the ground.
The next thing he knew his body was airborne. He crashed into a thick tree trunk hard enough to make the whole tree shudder. He slid down the rough bark and crumpled to the ground.
His vision blurred.
"Ethan!"
Daisy scrambled toward him. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw his back. Four deep, parallel gashes stretched across it. The wounds were so deep that white bone showed beneath the torn flesh and muscle. Blood poured freely.
Her tears came instantly.
"You’re hurt!"
Ethan tried to straighten himself. Pain shot through every part of his body. He grimaced.
"I’m okay."
"You are not okay!" She dropped beside him, hands trembling. "You’re bleeding everywhere."
He forced himself to look toward the tiger. It had turned around and was coming back~slowly, almost casually. Its glowing green eyes remained fixed on them. It wasn’t finished.
"Daisy." His voice was strained. "Use your Ability. Mess with its emotions."
She wiped her tears and immediately focused. Her S-Rank Mental Ability surged outward. The air around her seemed to tighten. She reached into the tiger’s mind and was nearly overwhelmed by the raw flood of sensations~fear, pure rage, endless hunger, bloodlust so strong it made her stomach turn.
Daisy gritted her teeth.
"Come on..."
The tiger suddenly stopped. One massive paw remained suspended in mid-step. Its head tilted slightly. Confusion flickered in those glowing green eyes.
She had managed to interfere with its emotions~only for a moment. But that was enough.
Ethan knew they wouldn’t get another chance. He grabbed Daisy’s wrist.
"We’re leaving."
"What?"
"Don’t ask."
He forced himself upright. His body screamed at him. He ignored it. His mind raced. Fifty meters. He remembered a hidden corner along the path they had just traveled~a place surrounded by thick trees and broken concrete. If his Space Teleportation Ability worked... if it could take Daisy with him... and if he could even activate it in this condition...
There was only one way to find out.
Ethan focused. The space around them began to distort. A strange, high-pitched buzzing filled his ears. His stomach turned violently.
"Daisy, hold on."
She grabbed his arm tightly.
Then~
Buzz!
The world disappeared.
For one terrifying second Ethan felt as though his entire body had been pulled through an impossibly narrow tunnel. Then solid ground returned beneath his feet. They were fifty meters away.
He stumbled.
"Huff... it... worked..."
His vision suddenly went black.
"Ethan!"
Daisy caught him before he hit the ground. His weight nearly dragged her down with him. She held him tightly.
"Stay awake!"
He tried to answer. Nothing came out. The pain was overwhelming. His back burned like it was on fire. His arm throbbed. Blood soaked through his clothes and dripped onto the dirt.
Daisy looked around frantically.
"We need somewhere safe."
She supported him as best she could and half-dragged, half-guided him through the darkness. After several tense minutes they found an abandoned building with a partially collapsed entrance. Inside was a small basement~dark, cramped, smelling of dust and damp concrete. Perfect.
Daisy helped him inside and carefully lowered him against the wall. His face was deathly pale. His breathing was shallow and uneven.
She knelt in front of him.
"Ethan..." Her voice broke. "Please don’t scare me."
His eyes barely opened.
"I’m fine."
"You keep saying that." Tears started falling again as she looked at the wounds. "You almost died."
Ethan reached weakly into his Space Ability. His fingers closed around a small bottle. He pulled out a Recovery Potion and held it toward her with a trembling hand. His voice was barely audible.
"Give... it to me."
Daisy immediately understood. She twisted the cap open.
"Open your mouth."
He obeyed. She carefully poured the liquid into his mouth. The moment the potion reached his stomach a violent wave of pain tore through his body. His muscles seized. His back arched. His vision went completely black.
"Ethan!"
Daisy grabbed his shoulders.
"Ethan!"
No response. His body went completely limp.
Her heart nearly stopped. She pressed her fingers against his face.
"Wake up."
Nothing.
"Ethan..." Her voice became smaller.
She looked at him~at the blood covering his clothes, at the deep wounds across his back, at the man who had thrown himself between her and a Mutant Siberian Tiger without a second of hesitation. They had known each other for only a few hours. Yet he had risked his life for her without thinking twice. If he hadn’t pushed her out of the way, she would have been the one lying here~maybe dead, maybe torn apart.
The thought made her chest tighten painfully.
"I’m sorry," she whispered. A tear rolled down her cheek. "If I were stronger..."
She clenched her fists.
"But you still protected me."
Daisy slowly wiped her face. She couldn’t break down. Not now. Ethan had risked everything to get her out alive. The least she could do was make sure that sacrifice meant something.
She moved to the basement entrance and sat down beside it, back straight, eyes fixed on the darkness outside. Her Mental Ability spread outward in a steady, watchful wave. She listened for every sound, every movement, every shift in emotion.
She kept watch.