CHAPTER 681: WE’RE SO SCREWED

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM...!

A chain of deafening explosions ripped through the air, shaking the very sky. The shockwaves rolled out in every direction, flattening nearby buildings like they were made of paper.

"...We’re so screwed," Ethan muttered, eyes wide. None of the girls under his command ever made his life easy. The moment they got a little power, they started throwing it around like kids with fireworks.

"What the hell are you doing? Who told you to start blasting people without my say-so?" he snapped at Feylora, grabbing her arm and yanking her into a retreat.

They ran.

He didn’t know how long they were sprinting—minutes? Hours? Time blurred. But eventually, when they stopped, the sounds of pursuit had faded behind them.

Ethan was just about to exhale in relief when the air around them suddenly shifted.

A terrifying pressure rippled through the atmosphere.

Hovering in the sky ahead was a creature that looked like a massive owl—its wings stretched wide, blotting out the sun.

Ethan’s breath caught in his throat.

This thing... it was Tier 18, mid-level. On par with Feylora. And the energy radiating from it was unmistakably Kazzan Empire—wild, destructive, and absolutely lethal.

"You two... what are you?" the owl-like being growled, voice echoing like thunder. "You sneak into my empire’s capital, stir up chaos, and think you can just walk away? You’d better start talking—unless you want to be torn to pieces right here and now."

...

Ethan quickly pulled up the system’s scan, sweeping the area.

Only one enemy in range.

He let out a breath and gave Feylora a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Quick and clean. Take this bastard down, and we’re out."

Feylora nodded hard, her expression sharpening.

She stepped forward, power flaring around her like a storm. In her hands, a massive spirit bow formed, glowing with emerald and gold energy.

She’d never wielded this much power before.

And it showed.

There was a spark in her eyes—excitement, hunger. For so long, she’d only been the support, the one who boosted others, the one who got called in when someone needed a power-up.

But now?

Now she was the storm.

Now she was the one people would call for.

As the Fey Sovereign, her power surged—doubling her combat strength in an instant.

The air around them locked down, sealed by her presence. The owl had nowhere to run.

Ethan stood a short distance away, watching calmly. His own energy gathered above him, forming a massive sphere of raw force, ready to launch if needed.

The owl was strong—no doubt. In a straight-up fight, it could probably go toe-to-toe with Feylora. At best, they’d stalemate.

But something was changing.

As the battle dragged on, the owl’s aura began to waver—just slightly, but enough for Ethan to notice.

"...Huh?"

At the same time, Feylora’s body began to glow with a strange, pulsing light. Her energy was shifting—evolving. The arrows she fired now carried a terrifying edge of destruction, each one stronger than the last.

"What the hell is happening?!" Ethan blurted, eyes wide.

Whatever it was, it was working.

At this rate...

Feylora was going to win.

VMMM!

VMMM!

Just as Ethan was starting to feel a flicker of hope, the sky above them rippled again—waves of energy distorting the air like heat off scorched stone.

Two more figures emerged from the distortion.

And they weren’t just any reinforcements.

Their auras hit like a sledgehammer—wild, volatile, and unmistakably Tier 18 mid-level.

Ethan’s eyes went wide. "Shit."

Feylora might’ve been able to take one of them down, maybe even hold her own in a one-on-one. But three? No way in hell.

This wasn’t a fight they could win.

Before the two newcomers could fully charge their energy, Ethan moved. He lunged forward, grabbed Feylora’s wrist, and tore open a spatial rift beside them.

"Time to go!"

The two of them vanished into the portal just as the enemy trio surged forward.

Left behind, the three Kazzan elites seethed with fury.

"Who the hell were those two? They didn’t feel like anyone from the Umbral Abyss."

"I don’t care who they are. They broke into our capital like it was nothing. If we don’t hunt them down, we’re a damn joke."

"Send scouts. I want names, origins, everything—fast."

...

Ethan and Feylora tumbled out of the spatial rift onto the edge of a jagged cliff, the wind howling around them.

They were both gasping for breath, adrenaline still surging through their veins.

That had been way too close.

If they’d stayed even a second longer, they’d be dead.

"Master... I didn’t expect them to be that strong," Feylora said between breaths, her voice tight with frustration. Her fists clenched at her sides, and from the look in her eyes, she was already itching to go back and finish what she started.

Ethan shot her a glare and stood up, brushing dust off his coat.

"Are you serious right now? How many times do I have to tell you—don’t act without my command! You can’t just go full nuclear every time someone looks at you funny!"

Feylora’s lips pouted, her head drooping like a scolded child. Her eyes shimmered with guilt and frustration.

"I just... I just wanted to protect you," she mumbled. "I didn’t know they’d be that strong..."

Ethan sighed, rubbing his temples. He didn’t push it further. She meant well—she always did. But good intentions didn’t mean much when they almost got you both killed.

Without another word, he turned and started heading back toward the Obsidian Dynasty’s capital, Feylora trailing behind him in silence.

But they hadn’t gone far when the ground beneath them gave a low, unnatural groan.

Crack...

A thick vine shot out of the earth, wrapping around Ethan’s arms and legs in an instant.

"What the—?!"

Feylora’s instincts kicked in. Her energy flared as she tried to rip the vines off him—but they didn’t budge. These things weren’t normal. They were tough, elastic, and somehow absorbed the force of her attacks, bouncing the energy right back.

Before she could try again, more vines erupted from the ground like a tidal wave, lashing around her limbs and torso, pinning her in place.

Ethan’s pupils dilated. "What the hell?! She’s Tier 18—how is this even possible?!"

He didn’t get an answer.

The vines yanked them both downward, dragging their bodies across the dirt and stone, deeper and deeper, until the light above vanished completely.

...