Lord Of Beasts

The moment the Golden Flutterer’s body disappeared beneath the inferno, the backlash arrived.

A horrifying crack echoed through Ethan’s right arm.

It wasn’t just one bone.

It was all of them.

Tiny fractures raced through his hand before connecting into larger breaks that splintered across his forearm and shoulder. Muscles tore under the overwhelming recoil while ligaments stretched beyond their limits, leaving his entire arm hanging uselessly at his side.

”Shit!”

The pain finally caught up to him.

His vision blurred.

It was unlike anything he had experienced in a while, and even with his pain tolerance, he was struggling to endure it without losing consciousness.

The blazing aura surrounding his body flickered violently as he barely managed to maintain Partial Assimilation. Though he didn’t have enough energy to fly, gravity instantly reclaimed him. As for his stolen trousers, well, they were gone, ash that drifted away in the wind.

Ethan was naked again, and he didn’t exactly want to make this a habit.

He sighed internally, looking down as it flapped limply like his shattered right arm.

But at least he’d learned from last time.

With the tiny scraps of mana he still possessed, Spark’s flames instinctively gathered around his waist, creating a curtain of dancing fire that concealed his dignity from the increasingly conscious members of the squad below.

’I can’t have them all seeing my friend down there.’

As he continued plummeting through the sky, another thought surfaced.

’The Golden Flutterer...’

Its status screen replayed itself inside his mind.

It was a Rank with ridiculous amounts of mana and powerful mental domination, and would undoubtedly grow into a very strong beast if he chose to acquire it.

’Mental attacks, golden barriers, and who knows what else.’

Ethan couldn’t deny how tempting it was.

The beast had nearly wiped out an entire squad of elite Titled without moving an inch. It was only because he and Elara were anomalies that they had even managed to break out of its mental control and turn things around.

Its abilities were terrifying.

But...

He smiled weakly.

’It’s mental hypnosis, and all that is incredible... when it works.’

The problem was exactly that.

When.

Against creatures or opponents with unusual mental resistance, or someone like Elara with the Blood Demon inside her, it became far less reliable. It also seemed to require an immense amount of mana, so it probably wasn’t something he could maintain for very long.

Storm, on the other hand, seemed more reliable and versatile, and even though he hadn’t seen it in action, it had almost beaten Kaela and could wield Lightning.

Those two things alone were convincing enough for Ethan.

’I’ll stick with Storm.’

’Besides...’

His exhausted smile widened slightly.

’I’ve still got a ridiculous number of floors left in the Tower, so there’ll be plenty of powerful beasts to choose from my remaining slots.’

He also wasn’t sure he had the strength left to summon his Lightning Dragonfly, kill it, and then acquire the Golden Flutterery. And there was the question of how long he had to acquire the beast before that option disappeared.

Was it until he killed another beast?

Or did it have to be within a certain timeframe after eliminating it?

With all the uncertainties, his mind-numbing fatigue, and because he simply didn’t want to kill a beast that now shared his very soul, he was satisfied with his decision.

But that didn’t change the fact that he was still falling.

’I’ll just wait for one of them to save me. It’s the least they can do after the heavy lifting I’ve done in this gate.’

Ethan was calm and knew that using Flame Flight or summoning Talon was impossible in his current state. He was barely managing to maintain assimilation with Spark to hide his... you know.

As such, he relaxed until...

Blink!

There was a flash of crimson light, and his descent stopped so suddenly it almost made him dizzy. He found himself suspended in Elara’s arms, carrying him like a fallen princess.

For a moment, Ethan simply stared at her.

Then he laughed.

A genuine laugh escaped him despite everything.

”So...”

He glanced down, making sure his flaming underwear was still working, before looking back at her.

”Since when could you fly like this?”

She floated effortlessly through the air, crimson mana wrapping gently around them as though gravity had ceased to exist. It was completely different from before, with her control far more precise.

Elara’s lips curved upward into a small smile, clearly proud of herself.

She paused, forcing herself to speak.

”T-Training.”

Only one word, yet Ethan’s eyes widened.

She had spoken and answered him without having the pressure of the world on her to speak.

His smile softened.

A warmth spread through his chest that had nothing to do with Spark’s flames.

”Looks like someone got a lot stronger.”

The compliment made her ears redden ever so slightly, and she quickly looked away. That’s when she seemed to realise something: both how she was carrying him, and the fact that he was naked apart from strategically placed flames.

Flames that seemed to be weakening with each second.

Her face immediately flushed red, almost as much as her scarlet eyes.

Without another word...

Blink!

The scenery shifted instantly as she teleported both of them back beside the others. She gently placed him onto the rocky ground before taking an unusually large step backwards.

Ethan couldn’t help chuckling.

She shot him a glare before deliberately refusing to meet his eyes.

He continued laughing, but was more amazed by her Instant Displacement that he had just experienced and how it worked. It definitely wasn’t something he could replicate so simply, but he was learning that the higher ranked the Titled, the more control and versatility they usually had.

’I guess each time she teleports, her clothes go with her, so she can also teleport others with her. But does that increase the cost? Would it be based on weight or maybe volume? And does it work kinda like gates do?’

He had so many questions, but they could wait for another time.

The others had finally gathered nearby, with Kaela looking Ethan up and down before smirking.

”At least you don’t have to steal someone’s clothes this time.”

He smiled, but Dave wasn’t exactly amused, especially after the nightmare he had just been trapped in.

”But it doesn’t seem like you need much fire to cover it,” she joked.

Before he could even defend himself, the Bulldozer suddenly chimed in, ”He’s packing, Dave and I can vouch for that.”

There was an awkward silence, and even Ethan wasn’t sure how to feel about it. That’s when everyone burst out into laughter, especially Kaela, who never expected such a comment.

”You guys definitely got some explaining to do,” she joked.

But despite the banter, nobody could hide how exhausted they were, especially mentally.

Ethan’s own Partial Assimilation was barely functioning.

Tiny wisps of orange flame continued dancing around his waist, threatening to disappear at any second.

He looked toward Rowan.

The man whose skin was now covered in bark had already figured out what he needed. Without saying a word, Rowan knelt beside a nearby shrub growing from the floating island.

Vines extended from his fingertips, leaves intertwined, and branches softened. Within seconds, a surprisingly decent pair of shorts woven entirely from living greenery rested in his hands.

He tossed them over.

”Covers enough?”

Ethan caught them one-handed.

”Bro...”

He immediately pulled them on just as the flames were dying out.

”...you’re a lifesaver.”

”They’re biodegradable, too.”

He unbound himself from his Cinder Wisp, literally running on fumes, and the tattoo instantly reappeared on his right arm. But it was so scorched and mangled that it was barely even visible as he collapsed to the ground.

’It’s finally over.’

It had felt like an eternity, especially for Ethan, but now they could finally relax...