From the mont the battle started, things were already going south.
Whether it was Ethan or the rest of the squad, they were all getting outmatched by the Titan Apes.
Just like Ethan had warned, these Titan Apes weren’t your average mutant beasts. Compared to the ones on Earth, they were on another level—faster, stronger, tougher. Add in the fact they were each a whole Tier above, and those monster arms that hit like they ca buffed with so kind of strength-enhancing ability? Yeah—every blow could snap bones or rupture organs if you weren’t careful.
This wasn’t a fair fight.
If it had been any other team—just a group of Tier 8 Enhanced—they would’ve been torn apart within seconds, served on a silver platter.
But this was the Fallen Star Squad. Every single mber was Awakened, ard to the teeth, and veterans in sync. That was the only reason they were still alive. Barely.
Even so, they were still getting shoved around.
But dying? Not so easy.
That was thanks to Emily and Henry—the healer siblings. One restored injuries, the other replenished stamina—keeping everyone going like a twisted ga of whack-a-mole. Knock one down, and they’d get right back up.
They weren’t tanks. They were roaches in combat gear—tenacious, pissed-off roaches who refused to stay dead.
Henry and Emily kept the gears moving, and with their support, morale stayed high. Painful? Absolutely. Dangerous? Definitely. But scary? Not anymore.
And while the squad kept hamring at the four Tier 9 Apes with relentless waves of attacks, one figure had stayed hidden the entire ti—shrouded by his ability.
anwhile, across the battlefield...
Ethan and the Tier 10 Titan Ape were locked in a pure brawl.
The fight was vicious and personal.
Ethan had only recently reached Tier 9 and was still at the early stage.Still, the Body Refinent Technique continuously reinforced his physique, allowing him to display strength approaching the peak of Tier 9.Yet compared to a true Tier 10 Titan Ape, there remained a noticeable gap.
The thing wasn’t just high-tier—it was raw physical force incarnate. Even other Tier 10 Enhanced would struggle against that kind of brute strength.
Thankfully, Ethan had tricks—mainly, [Teleportation].
Every ti the Titan Ape’s massive fists tried to flatten him, he blinked out of range, reappeared behind it, and swung for vital spots.
His attacks were relentless, every poleaxe strike cutting straight for vulnerable points. He was precise, savage—and most of all, pissed.
But that Ape’s reflexes were fast. Every ti, it blocked with those monstrous arms, and despite Ethan’s technique, his strikes mostly bounced off those rock-hard muscles.
It wasn’t that his weapon wasn’t sharp—it was. It was Ethan’s base strength that wasn’t enough. With more force, he could’ve severed limbs already.
Each ti they clashed, he was knocked back, sotis sent flying. His hands were split open from the repeated shockwaves, blood seeping between his fingers. But he didn’t stop. Didn’t slow. That slap from earlier had him seeing red, and he damn well intended to return the favor.
The Titan Ape, anwhile, was equally pissed.
It was stronger. It was faster. It had the edge in every stat.
And yet... it couldn’t land a single clean hit.
Every ti it thought it’d crushed him, the human vanished—only to reappear an instant later and drive a poleaxe into its ribs. Like swatting at a mosquito with knives.
It was infuriating.
The battle wore on, both sides burning with frustration.
Ethan had underestimated how strong these monsters really were. And the Titan Ape had badly misjudged how difficult this "prey" would be to kill.
Neither side was backing down.
By now, Sean and the others had taken several direct hits. Most of them had already been seriously wounded seven or eight tis—though Henry’s healing kept them in fighting shape, the agony was very, very real.
The Titan Apes weren’t doing much better. Covered in slashes, burns, stab wounds—but none fatal. And they kept fighting like it didn’t matter.
At this rate, dragging them down through sheer attrition wasn’t looking likely.
Then—
Suddenly—
"ROAR!"
A blood-curdling roar tore through the forest.
A longsword drove straight into the eye socket of one of the Tier 9 Titan Apes—stabbing all the way into its brain.
The strike ca from Chris.
Even in the middle of a chaotic lee, he’d found an opening—and didn’t waste it.
And though the Ape managed to backhand him into a nearby tree with gut-checking force... it was clear the hit had landed deep.
The Titan Ape went berserk.
It howled wildly, thrashing, flailing at everything around it.
"Back! Fall back, now!" soone shouted.
Everyone scattered—just in ti.
Another Tier 9 Titan Ape rushed over, trying to help—only to be sent flying by a blind, rage-fueled punch.
That was it. The wounded one had gone feral. Full-on unhinged.
The others roared in protest, trying to reel it in—but it wasn’t hearing anything anymore.
It raged for another thirty seconds, stomping and smashing whatever moved—until its body finally gave out.
With a final groan, it crumpled onto the forest floor.
Dead.
The remaining Titan Apes lost their minds.
With a furious howl, they erupted, their attacks turning savage, unrestrained.
And just like that—everything got harder.
The squad was under crushing pressure again.
Chris wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then faded back into stealth and made his way toward the Titan Ape he’d just taken down.
The beast was still clinging to life, its remaining eye staring up with unyielding rage and unwillingness to die.
Chris didn’t hesitate.
He activated his ability, and a sleek black edge coated the tip of his spear. Without a word, he drove it straight into the creature’s other eye.
Shlik—
The spearhead punched through the skull like butter. The Tier 9 Titan Ape twitched once in final defiance—then finally stopped moving.
Well and truly dead.
Chris pulled out his sword and spear, then quickly pried open the skull and dug out the crystal core from inside.
He glanced across the battlefield.
Three left. Their side was bruised and battered, but manageable.
The real threat... was still Ethan’s fight.
If Ethan couldn’t take down the Tier 10 Titan Ape, then no matter how many Tier 9s they killed—it wouldn’t matter.
Chris’s gaze flicked toward the other end of the battlefield. It didn’t look great.
Without losing a beat, he lted into stealth again and sprinted toward Ethan’s side.
He arrived fast.
Ethan was still locked in that brutal one-on-one, constantly teleporting in and out of close-quarters, ducking hits that could break a mountain, returning with precise, vicious strikes that barely seed to faze the beast.
Chris pulled out the crystal core and waved it toward Ethan to get his attention.
Ethan’s eyes flicked over. Just enough.
Chris tossed the core high into the air.
In that exact instant, Ethan Teleported.
He reappeared mid-air, snatched the core, and swallowed it in one smooth motion.
No words were needed.
That kind of trust and coordination? It ca from countless battles lived and survived together. Just one look was enough to understand the plan.
Chris let out a breath of relief as he turned and bolted the hell out of there.
This fight wasn’t his to join. He was still Tier 8.
One direct hit from that Tier 10 Titan Ape? He’d be paste on a tree trunk with no one to clean it up. And sure enough, he spotted the towering monster hurling itself toward Ethan again.
Yeah. Backup was cancelled.
Ethan, now with the crystal core coursing through him, felt energy surge through his body.
His power didn’t just increase—it expanded.
For Awakened like him, absorbing a core didn’t demand ditation or downti. As long as he swallowed it, the energy would rapidly break down and integrate, boosting his physique in minutes.
And just in ti, too.
The Titan Ape lunged again, a snarling blur of fists and ferocity.
Ethan t it head-on.
He grabbed his poleaxe and swung.
BOOM!
The impact landed, blow-for-blow again—but this ti, even as the clash reverberated through his arms, Ethan only slid back a short distance.
Way less than before.
A smirk curled on his face.
He charged again—harder, faster.
No hesitation.
Chris, anwhile, had made it back to the others.
Sean and the rest were still hamring away at the remaining three Titan Apes, their attacks full of desperation and grit. One down, but the pressure hadn’t eased—these remaining beasts were in a frenzy now, their rage making them reckless but even more dangerous.
Chris didn’t join the front line. He stayed cloaked, slipping through the battlefield’s edge, eyes locked for another opening.
Rage made monsters more powerful—but it also made them sloppy.
He waited.
Watched.
And when that mont ca—he struck like lightning.
Longsword flickering with lethal black edge, he darted in from the side. One blink of an opening—that’s all he needed.
The blade plunged deep into the side of the creature’s thick neck.
It roared, swinging blindly.
Chris took the punch head-on.
Gritting his teeth, blood leaking from his mouth, he held the sword firm and dragged it sideways through muscle and bone.
Shkrrrk—
Another one down.
The Titan Ape thrashed, howled, then finally collapsed for good.
...
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