Apocalypse: Every Woman I Invest In Makes Me Stronger

Daisy raised her hands once more, her brow beading with sweat as pale-blue psychic waves spread across the platform, locking tightly onto the Streak of White’s erratic mind and fiercely disrupting its mental control over the surrounding beasts. Beside her, Sofia gathered the surrounding frigid air, instantly condensing a razor-sharp, glinting ice spike and aiming it directly at the Lightning Bat’s exposed, glowing eye.

The ice spike pierced the socket with brutal accuracy, drawing a shrill, dying shriek from the creature as its nervous system overloaded. Ethan didn’t waste a single fraction of a second opening; he lunged forward, unleashing a final, sweeping *Spatial Cut*. The invisible spatial blade swallowed the crippled Lightning Bat whole, sweeping it into a dimensional rift that left behind only a violent spray of dark blood and shredded feathers floating in the air.

Two elite bats were dead. The third was already gone, its lifeless carcass resting on the wooden planks.

Only the Streak of White remained. The bat’s tiny red eyes burned with a mixture of absolute fury and primal panic. It released one final, high-pitched screech of pure, unadulterated rage that rattled the broken glass of the observation deck, then abruptly turned and fled, its leathery wings beating so fast it became a dark, frantic blur cutting against the bright morning sky.

Ethan tried to lunge forward in pursuit, but the staggering energy required to survive the brutal onslaught had left his spiritual reserves nearly empty. Behind him, Daisy and Sofia were swaying on their feet, in no condition to run or maintain another portal jump. The bat climbed high over the skeletal sightseeing tower, crossed the open expanse of the park, and disappeared beyond the distant, smoke-stained rooftops of the eastern district.

Ethan clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ached, fighting down the burning urge to chase it blindly into the ruins. He had come within inches of securing the vital Core that could save Rose’s mind, only to watch his primary target slip through his fingers at the last second. But throwing caution to the wind and getting everyone killed over a reckless, blind pursuit was the height of foolishness.

”Back into the Survival Space. We need to recover,” he commanded tightly, swiftly collecting the yellow, blue, and black Cores dropped by the dead elite bats before pulling Daisy and Sofia back inside the pocket dimension.

The moment they materialized within the safety of the perimeter, both women collapsed onto a nearby cot from sheer, bone-deep exhaustion. Ethan helped them settle comfortably, ensuring they had water and blankets, before turning anxiously toward the space’s glowing light screen to check the exterior perimeter and ensure the bat hadn’t looped back around to ambush them.

The aerial camera displayed the shattered amusement park square from above, bathing the desolate concrete in neutral light. For a long, tense moment, nothing seemed amiss amid the debris. Then, a heavy, dark shape suddenly plummeted straight out of the sky like a stone.

The Streak of White crashed hard onto the cracked pavement of the central plaza, its massive wings hanging completely limply at its sides. It struck the ground with a sickeningly heavy thud, sending up a cloud of choking dust and broken stone fragments that skidded across the ancient plaza.

Ethan leaned in closer to the screen, his eyes widening. A deep, devastating gash ran entirely across the bat’s neck~the wound was so unimaginably severe that the white bone beneath its flesh was clearly visible. It had been struck down in a single, overwhelming, catastrophic blow somewhere over the city, long before it could reach safety.

For a moment, Ethan simply stared at the monitor in utter disbelief. Then, pure surprise gave way to a sudden, surging rush of fierce adrenaline and burning excitement.

”The Core!”

The prized creature had practically been delivered right to his doorstep by pure, improbable fortune. He was halfway through channeling his mental focus to activate Teleportation and materialize outside to retrieve the corpse before someone else claimed it, when a deafening, bone-shaking roar echoed across the amusement park.

The sound rolled across the ruined rooftops like a roll of thunder, rattling every windowpane in the vicinity and sending massive flocks of smaller birds scattering frantically into the smoky sky. Ethan froze mid-motion, his blood running cold.

A massive golden shadow leaped effortlessly from the absolute top of the nearby sightseeing tower, landing beside the dead bat with enough concussive, devastating force to crack the surrounding pavement into a spiderweb of fissures. Thick, lustrous golden fur caught the morning sunlight, and powerful, corded muscles shifted menacingly beneath its hide as the beast lowered its enormous, majestic head slowly toward the twitching carcass.

It was the Tiger King.

Ethan’s sudden wave of excitement vanished in an instant, replaced by a heavy, freezing knot in the pit of his stomach.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Tiger King seized the Streak of White in its massive, crushing jaws. *Crunch!* The sickening, wet sound of breaking bones carried clearly through the light screen’s audio feed. The apex predator chewed viciously, tearing through tough muscle and swallowing the entire bat corpse in several enormous, savage bites.

Then, the Tiger King reached the head. Its razor-sharp, steel-crushing teeth cracked effortlessly through the skull.

The precious, irreplaceable Core containing the Streak of White’s high-level Mental Ability was swallowed whole, disappearing down its throat.

”No!” Ethan slammed his fist hard against the wooden table, the wood splintering beneath his knuckles.

He had fought three terrifying Elite-Level Mutant Beasts, nearly bled out on a foreign platform, and exhausted his spatial reserves right down to the last drop just to corner that elusive target, only for the apex predator of the region to casually wander in and devour the prize in mere seconds.

The Tiger King finished its grim meal, casually licking the fresh, warm blood from its powerful muzzle with a rough tongue. Then, it slowly raised its massive, heavy head.

Its piercing, vertically slit golden pupils shifted directly toward the camera’s hidden spatial position~straight toward Ethan, as if looking right through the dimensional veil.

The Tiger King stared unflinchingly at the empty air where the Survival Space’s threshold was anchored. Fresh, dark blood still dripped slowly from the corners of its terrifying mouth.

Ethan’s heart tightened violently in his chest. He had encountered many intelligent Mutant Beasts throughout the apocalypse, but this was on an entirely different plane of existence. The Tiger King wasn’t just casually looking around out of idle curiosity; it was actively, methodically searching. And judging by the razor-sharp, chilling focus burning in its golden eyes, it had successfully pierced right through the spatial camouflage of his pocket dimension.

Ethan took a slow, involuntary step back from the glowing screen. *It knows I’m here.*

Outside in the ruined, desolate park, the Tiger King stood completely motionless over the crushed pavement, its brilliant golden gaze locked onto the hidden pocket dimension. The corners of its mouth slowly curled upward in a grim, cruel, predatory expression. It looked almost as though the beast were smiling at him.

For the first time since the world ended, Ethan felt a deep, piercing chill that had nothing to do with the physical fear of death. The Tiger King had just consumed the exact, life-saving Mental-type Core he desperately needed to restore Rose.

And now, judging by the predatory glint in its eyes, it was coming for him next.