Chapter 1142: It was over

Watching the Tier 10 Titan Ape storming toward them, Sean and the others all went stiff—their expressions grim.

Garrick immediately activated his

Earthen Armor

, layers of stone encasing his body in seconds. At the same time, he slammed his hands into the ground, raising a thick wall of solid rock in front of the group.

Everyone else drew their weapons without hesitation, forming up around Skinny Pete, who was still sitting cross-legged and deep into his evolution process.

This was about to get ugly.

A Tier 10 mutant beast was no small threat—it was a nightmare. Every one of them knew the odds. But they didn’t back down.

With Ethan down, someone had to hold the damn line.

"Henry, get to Ethan! We’ll hold this thing off!" Chris decloaked, stepping forward in front of the group, weapons drawn.

He was Tier 8 and their highest active combat power right now—with Skinny Pete unavailable, it was on him.

An assassin in the shadows could strike when the time was right—but right now? They needed a frontliner.

Henry didn’t argue. "Got it!" He sprinted full-speed toward Ethan’s motionless body.

But right then...

The Titan Ape abruptly skidded to a stop mid-charge—and snapped its gaze toward Henry.

Then it turned.

And broke into a full sprint—charging straight at him instead.

It had figured it out.

Henry was the healer. The one person who could bring Ethan back into the fight.

And if the slippery space-user got back up... it was game over.

Ethan couldn’t be killed easily.

But these others? Tier 8s and below? They’d go down in a single punch.

The second they saw the change, the others acted.

Garrick slammed both palms into the ground again, and the ground beneath the Titan Ape collapsed with a loud *crack—*forcing it into a pit.

But it only bought them a heartbeat.

The Titan Ape leapt right back out, howling with fury, and kept charging.

"

Shadow Grasp!

"

"

Water Surge!

"

Big Mike and Mia moved fast—dark energy surged from the ground as an inky-black hand shot out, grabbing at the Titan Ape’s leg and trying to halt its movement.

The moment it closed around the ankle, the Titan Ape yanked forward and

tore

it apart like brittle cloth.

Mia’s wave of water hit the beast square on, slowing it for half a beat—long enough for her to unleash

Freeze

, encasing its legs in a thin layer of ice.

It lasted less than a second.

The Titan Ape crushed through it with a roar.

Still—that brief pause was enough.

Sean, already boosted by acceleration, dove in. His metal-covered arms shot out, locking around the beast’s massive thigh and dragging it backward with sheer brute force.

Chris arrived next, leaping high into the air. His spear, coated in black energy, aimed straight for the bloody wound Ethan had left on the Titan Ape’s skull.

Garrick followed up an instant later, swinging his reinforced staff at the same weak point.

They both knew exactly where to hit.

But the Titan Ape was done playing nice.

It lifted one hand and slapped Chris’s spear aside with a bone-jarring

clang

.

The other arm came up just in time to block Garrick’s weapon with its forearm—revealing that, despite its wounds, it was still terrifyingly fast.

That’s when Mia joined the fray too—her blade flashing in from the side, stabbing toward the beast’s neck.

It was a clean hit—but lacked force.

Her sword sliced barely a few inches deep before sliding off muscle too dense to break through.

Didn’t do much.

Big Mike, on the other hand, didn’t hold back even a little.

He lunged forward from below and rammed his spear straight into—

Yeah.

Down there.

The spear jabbed straight into the Titan Ape’s groin.

The beast let out a

howl of pure agony

, stumbling half a step as its eyes bulged with rage.

In the next instant, it lashed out.

Its foot snapped into Sean’s chest, punting him away like a sack of potatoes—and then its fist came crashing down at Garrick.

Garrick’s face drained of color. Too fast to dodge.

With a roar, he brought his staff up tight across his chest as a last defense.

BOOM—

The hit landed like a meteor.

His reinforced weapon held, but the sheer impact blasted Garrick backward, blood erupting from his mouth as he flew through the air and crashed headlong into the dirt—his layer of Earthen Armor shattering into crumbling pieces.

Everyone watching winced hard.

Even Chris’s jaw clenched.

Jesus.

This thing was a walking natural disaster.

After sending Garrick flying, the Titan Ape didn’t break stride.

Its next attack came instantly—another massive punch, this time aimed straight at Big Mike.

The one who had just dared to stab it... down there.

Its fury burned bright.

Big Mike’s face went pale. His eyes widened. Nope.

He turned and sprinted. "Nope, nope, hell no—!"

He was strong, sure—but he wasn’t a tank like Garrick. One punch, and he’d be mush.

But the Titan Ape was locked onto him. It wasn’t letting this insult go. Thunderous footsteps shook the ground as it charged after him, full of rage.

Sean moved first, cutting into its path and swinging his staff in a wide arc—aimed right at the already-injured head.

But the Titan Ape didn’t dodge. Didn’t even look.

It simply answered with a brutal punch of its own, straight toward Sean’s skull.

It knew—it might take some bruises from the attack, but Sean? Sean wouldn’t survive a direct hit.

Realizing it instantly, Sean dropped the offense. He brought his arms up in an ’X’ to block his head—

BOOM!

The impact rang in everyone’s ears.

Sean’s metal-coated arms

shattered

under the blow, and his whole body crashed back like a wrecking ball. He hit the ground hard, coughing blood.

But just as the Titan Ape was drawing breath to move—

—

shhhk!

A black spear burst through the air, slamming into the open wound on the Titan Ape’s skull and driving deep, straight into brain tissue.

A perfect strike.

It should’ve finished the job.

But the beast’s reflexes weren’t gone yet.

Roaring, the Titan Ape yanked a hand up and

grabbed

the spear mid-drive, clamping it in place before it could fully pierce through.

Its other fist smashed up into the air with terrifying force—

Chris had already started retreating, abandoning the weapon–but not fast enough.

WHAM!

The blow landed center mass. Chris’s stealth shattered as he was sent flying thirty feet through the air, blood bursting from his mouth.

"ROOOOAAARR!"

The Titan Ape howled in agony, one hand wrenching the spear from its skull. Blood sprayed everywhere.

Still gripping the weapon, it didn’t even hesitate.

With pure fury, it

hurled

the spear like a missile—straight at Chris’s broken, helpless body.

It cut through the air with the hiss of death itself.

"CHRIS!!"

Screams erupted as the others watched, horror on their faces.

There was no way he could dodge it—not wounded like this.

Chris watched the spinning tip draw closer, eyes filled with desperate unwillingness.

He couldn’t move.

His body had given out.

And just as the spear was about to hit—

Thud!

A figure stepped into its path.

"Spkthh—!"

The sound was sickening.

The spear pierced clean through her chest, slamming straight into Chris’s body behind her—but stopped there, caught in her grasp.

She held it. Somehow, she held it.

"Emily!!"

Chris’s voice cracked as he looked at the woman crumpled against him, blood soaking through her clothes, his spear still lodged in her torso.

Emily smiled weakly.

"Cough... I guess... I’m still good for something, huh?"

Chris’s arms trembled as he clutched her tight.

"No. No, dammit—you’re not

good for something

. You’re everything. You hear me? You’re the most important!"

In that moment, nothing held back his tears. His heart shattered.

Across the field, the Titan Ape’s breathing turned ragged. Too much blood loss. Its vision swam. Panic flooded in.

It turned and broke into a desperate sprint.

Only—it didn’t get far.

Just ahead, a new group blocked its escape.

Skinny Pete

, now newly advanced to Tier 9, stood tall—flanked by

Goldie

, the Bengel Tiger,

Speckles

, the jet-black jaguar...

...and

Pumpkin

, the massive armored mutant beast who’d been quietly watching over them all this time.

The one-man, three-beast squad now stood fully Tier 9.

Power surged from them in waves. Their auras were wild. Savage.

During the earlier battle, they hadn’t made a move—Pumpkin had remained behind to protect them as they evolved. Now?

They were ready.

The Titan Ape’s eyes widened in disbelief.

If it were at full strength, it wouldn’t fear these fighters. But now, barely holding itself together, this... this was fatal.

And before it could even react—

Another figure appeared right in front of it.

Stepping out in silence.

The moment the Titan Ape locked eyes with him—its pupils shrank.

Ethan.

Cold purpose in his eyes. Blood still on his lips. Weapons gripped tighter than steel.

He was back.

And now the Titan Ape knew—

It was over.

...