Chapter 1058: Hold the Line

Capítulo 1058: Hold the Line

The mutated Bengal tiger, having been knocked off course again, let out a furious roar. Another failed strike—another humiliation. Its pride as a predator had been wounded.

It turned its blazing eyes on Chris and the others and unleashed a deafening roar.

The sound hit like a shockwave, rattling their bones and leaving their ears ringing.

Before anyone could recover, the tiger lunged again.

Garrick reacted instantly, raising a thick earth wall in front of them and reinforcing his body with Earthen Armor. He crossed his arms, bracing for impact.

BOOM!

The wall shattered like glass under the tiger’s charge. Its paw slammed into Garrick’s arms with brutal force, sending him flying once more.

Mia launched another freeze spell, but this time, the tiger was ready. The moment the air chilled, it leapt aside, dodging the attack entirely.

Seeing that, everyone’s hearts sank.

It was learning.

Its intelligence wasn’t just high—it was tactical.

After dodging the ice, the tiger turned its gaze on Mia. Cold. Calculating.

Then it pounced.

Shhk!

A Wind Cutter sliced across the wound on its neck, spraying fresh blood—but the tiger didn’t even flinch. It barreled toward Mia like a freight train.

“Mia, move!” Skinny Pete shouted.

But Mia’s face was pale. She knew—she couldn’t dodge in time.

Gritting her teeth, she summoned a wave of water and hurled it forward.

It hit—but barely slowed the beast.

No one else was close enough to help.

The tiger’s claws were already descending.

Then—crack—the water droplets on its body suddenly froze solid, locking it in place mid-pounce.

This time, the freeze was instant. Even the tiger couldn’t react fast enough.

“Nice!” someone shouted.

They hadn’t expected it, but the combo—soak then freeze—had worked perfectly.

Mia rolled out of the way just in time.

Chris struck.

His dagger flashed, aiming straight for the tiger’s eye.

But at the last second, the beast broke free, jerking its head aside. The blade missed its mark and stabbed into its neck again instead.

Chris didn’t hesitate. He pulled back immediately.

Good thing, too.

The tiger’s jaws snapped shut right where he’d been standing. Half a second slower, and he’d be missing half his torso.

It roared in frustration and lunged after him—but Chris was already gone.

Bleeding and enraged, the tiger shook off the ice shards and turned its fury on Mia.

It let out another roar—this one aimed directly at her.

The sonic blast hit like a hammer. Mia staggered, dizzy and disoriented.

The tiger pounced again.

But just before it reached her, Garrick—bloodied, battered, but still standing—threw himself in front of her once more.

WHAM!

He was sent flying again, crashing into the ground with a grunt.

Mia didn’t waste the opening. She splashed another wave of water onto the tiger and froze it again.

But this time, the freeze didn’t hold.

Maybe the tiger’s body had started adapting. Maybe Mia was just too drained.

Either way, the ice cracked almost immediately.

Chris’s dagger had just pierced its hide when the tiger broke free.

CRACK!

A massive paw slammed into Chris’s side, sending him flying.

Thud-thud-thud—

He tumbled across the ground, blood spraying from his mouth, and didn’t get up.

That hit had been brutal.

If he hadn’t taken two Tier 6 crystal cores earlier and pushed his strength close to Tier 6 peak, that blow would’ve killed him outright.

The mutated tiger gave Chris no breathing room. The moment he hit the ground, it lunged straight for him.

It knew—this human was the biggest threat. He had to die first.

Shhk!

Another Wind Cutter from Skinny Pete sliced across the tiger’s neck, widening the already-deep wound. Blood sprayed again.

But the tiger didn’t even flinch. It leapt high into the air, claws aimed straight at Chris.

Then—CRASH!

A car came flying out of nowhere, slamming into the tiger mid-air and sending it hurtling dozens of feet away.

Ethan had arrived.

“Ethan…” someone breathed out, relief washing over the group.

With him here, it felt like they could breathe again. Like maybe—just maybe—they’d survive this.

Ethan rushed to Chris’s side and helped him up.

“Ethan… I…” Chris tried to speak, blood still on his lips.

“Don’t talk. You did great,” Ethan said, steady and calm.

And he meant it. Chris had pushed himself to the limit and beyond.

The tiger snarled, eyes locked on Ethan now. It was beyond furious—every attack interrupted, every kill stolen. It was losing control.

It roared and charged again—straight for Chris.

Ethan stepped in front of him, shielding him with his body. He gripped the barbell bar tight and swung it with all his strength.

BOOM!

The tiger batted the weapon aside with one paw. With the other, it swiped at Ethan’s head.

Ethan raised his arm to block.

CRACK!

The impact sent him staggering back over ten steps. Pain shot through his arm—bone fractured.

But the tiger didn’t get away clean.

A machete, controlled by Ethan’s Telekinesis, shot forward and stabbed deep into the wound on its neck.

“ROAR!”

The tiger howled in pain, blood-red eyes locking onto Ethan.

But instead of attacking him, it scanned the area—still looking for Chris.

Too late.

Chris had already vanished again, slipping back into stealth.

Frustrated and bleeding, the tiger turned its fury back on Ethan.

It lunged.

Ethan didn’t try to block this time. He vanished with Teleportation, reappearing behind the beast.

With a flick of his mind, he yanked the machete free from its neck, dragging a fresh spray of blood with it.

Then he drove it back in.

But the tiger was ready now.

CLANG!

It swatted the machete mid-air, snapping the blade in half.

“…Seriously?” Ethan muttered, exhaling hard. This thing was a damn tank.

The tiger, realizing it couldn’t catch Ethan, turned its gaze toward Mia and Skinny Pete.

But after a brief glance, it ignored them—and bolted toward Sean and the others in the distance.

“Shit! You sneaky bastard!” Ethan cursed.

He teleported again, landing directly in the tiger’s path. The barbell bar flew back into his hand.

The fight had only lasted a few minutes, but Sean and the others were still down, barely recovering. If the tiger reached them now, they were done.

The tiger didn’t slow down. It snarled and swiped at Ethan with a paw full of fury.

Ethan raised the barbell bar to block.

BOOM!

The weapon bent under the force. Ethan was knocked back again, boots skidding across the pavement.

But he held the line.

Then—backup arrived.

Skinny Pete, Mia, and Garrick rushed in, battered and exhausted, but still standing. They threw themselves between Ethan and the tiger.

Everyone looked like hell. But they weren’t backing down.

They were betting everything on this last stand.

And the tiger? It wasn’t doing much better.

Chris’s three dagger strikes and Ethan’s machete stab had all hit the same spot—its neck. No matter how massive it was, that was still a vital point.

Blood was still pouring from the wound.

It was weakening.

They just had to hold on a little longer.

If they could outlast it… they could win.

…