Chapter 1091: Fangs and Steel

"Captain, I think you’re the only one fast enough to keep up with that mutant jaguar," Big Mike said awkwardly, glancing toward the treeline.

Ethan nodded, his expression grim. "Yeah. Jaguars are already known for their speed and reflexes. Mutated? It’s probably even worse. I’m not even sure I can land a hit on it."

He looked around at the terrain. "And this mountain slope gives it the advantage. It’s built for this kind of environment—we’re not. This fight won’t be easy."

"Then maybe we don’t fight it?" Sean suggested, frowning. "Even if we try, I doubt we can pin it down. If it runs, we’ll never catch it."

Ethan let out a quiet sigh. "That’s not really up to us anymore. It’s already spotted us."

Everyone tensed.

"But it doesn’t know I’ve seen it," Ethan added. "So don’t react. Keep walking like normal. When I give the signal, move."

"Got it."

The squad kept climbing, acting casual, like they hadn’t noticed anything.

This stretch of the mountain was probably the jaguar’s territory—there hadn’t been a single other mutant beast since they’d entered this area.

A few minutes later, Ethan spotted it.

The jaguar dropped silently from a tree and began stalking toward them.

It wasn’t as bulky as Goldie, the Bengal tiger. Though larger than a normal jaguar, it still kept that lean, streamlined build—clearly evolved to maximize speed and agility.

Its massive body moved with eerie silence, not a single twig snapping underfoot.

Ethan gave the team a subtle look.

They got the message. Everyone shifted into combat readiness, but kept their posture loose, relaxed—like nothing was wrong.

The jaguar was cautious. Even at Tier 8, it didn’t rush in. It crept closer, then crouched low in the grass, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Minutes passed. Still, it didn’t move.

Ethan frowned. This stalemate couldn’t last. Everyone was on edge, nerves stretched tight.

He gave another signal, then used [Telekinesis] to create a faint rustle in the brush off to the side.

"What was that?" he said aloud, feigning surprise.

The others played along instantly.

"Huh? What’d you see?"

Right then, the jaguar lunged.

It exploded from the grass like a bullet, faster than anyone could track.

"Now!" Ethan shouted, spinning and swinging his rebar staff behind him.

The rest of the squad didn’t hesitate. They hadn’t seen the jaguar, but they trusted Ethan. Eight rebar staffs slammed toward the ambush point.

The jaguar’s eyes widened mid-pounce.

These humans... set a trap!?

But it was too late. It was already airborne—no way to pull back now. It twisted midair, trying to dodge the incoming blows.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Three solid hits landed—Ethan, Chris, and Garrick all connected. The others missed, swinging blind based on Ethan’s signal.

Chris and Garrick had gotten lucky. Only Ethan, with [True Sight] active, had tracked the jaguar’s exact path.

The beast was knocked out of the air, crashing to the ground and tumbling across the dirt. It rolled, then sprang back up, eyes blazing with fury.

It had been played—and it did not like that.

But the squad didn’t give it time to be mad.

The moment it hit the ground, they unleashed everything—fireballs, wind blades, void beams, earthen spikes.

The jaguar reacted instantly. Its hind legs kicked off the ground, launching it out of the kill zone in a blur. Every attack missed.

"Mia, watch out!" Ethan shouted.

Too late.

Mia barely managed to raise her rebar staff in front of her face before the jaguar’s claws raked across her shoulder.

Blood sprayed. Her shoulder was torn open, bone cracked.

But Mia didn’t scream. She didn’t even flinch.

Instead, she retaliated.

A wave of water blasted from her hand, slamming into the jaguar as it tried to retreat.

It dodged most of it—but not all. Part of its body was soaked.

Mia didn’t hesitate. She triggered her freezing ability.

Frost bloomed across the jaguar’s wet fur, slowing it mid-run.

Her ice power had a slight delay when cast directly, and the sudden drop in temperature usually gave it away—easy to dodge if the target was fast.

But if the target was already wet?

She could freeze the water on their body instantly. No warning. No time to react.

That was her trick—hit them with water first, then freeze.

The jaguar wasn’t fully soaked, so it didn’t freeze solid—but it slowed down.

And that was enough.

Ethan blinked forward in an instant, appearing right beside the jaguar. His rebar staff shot straight for its throat.

At the same time, the rest of the squad’s attacks came flying in from behind—fireballs, wind blades, and energy blasts converging on the same target.

Schlunk—

With a sickening sound, Ethan’s rebar staff pierced into the jaguar’s neck.

But unlike Chris, Ethan didn’t have the ability to coat his weapon in that black energy edge. Without that extra sharpness, the deeper the staff went, the more resistance it met. It jammed halfway in and stopped.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The others’ ranged attacks slammed into the jaguar’s body, hammering it with force and leaving visible wounds.

But by the time Chris, Sean, and the other melee fighters closed in, the jaguar had already shaken off the frost and bolted.

"Damn," Ethan muttered, watching it vanish into the trees. "If only Chris’s black edge could be applied to other weapons... that hit would’ve finished it."

The jaguar leapt into the branches above, glaring down at them with cold, furious eyes.

For a second, it looked like it might pounce again.

Then, without warning, it turned and sprinted away into the forest.

"Now you wanna run? After taking all that damage?" Ethan’s voice dropped cold. "Too late."

"Let’s see what’s faster—your legs or my teleportation."

"I’ll go first. Follow my lead!"

With that, Ethan vanished in a flash of light—[Teleportation]—and reappeared directly in the jaguar’s path, swinging his rebar staff down in a brutal arc.

But even injured, the jaguar’s reflexes were razor-sharp. It twisted mid-stride, dodging the blow and veering off in a new direction.

Ethan’s strike hit nothing but air.

He didn’t flinch. Another [Teleportation]—and he was right on the beast again.

The chase was on.

One man. One jaguar.

The jaguar tore through the forest like a ghost, but this was its domain. Every leap, every turn, it moved with instinctual precision. Other mutant beasts scattered at its approach, diving for cover as their apex predator passed.

But no matter how fast it ran, it couldn’t outrun teleportation.

Ethan kept blinking ahead, cutting it off again and again. But landing a hit? That was another story.

Even with [Telekinesis] flinging debris and attacks from odd angles, the jaguar dodged every time—its reactions were just that fast.

Still, Ethan wasn’t worried.

The wound in its neck was bleeding steadily, dark red soaking into its fur. And with every burst of movement, every dodge, it was only making the bleeding worse.

It was only a matter of time.