It was not long after Ethan dealt with the remaining two B Rank beasts with his summon that Dave regained consciousness.

The man groaned faintly, his body still sprawled across the rough stone surface of the floating island. His breathing was shallow, uneven, like someone who had emptied every last drop of energy they possessed and was now paying the price for it.

Nearby, the grey-skinned man who had lived up to his Title as a Raging Rhino now looked nothing like the unstoppable force he had been moments ago. His massive frame was hunched, shoulders slumped, his movements slow and cautious as if even standing upright required effort.

Ethan, on the other hand, sat calmly, leaning back against Wolfy’s massive frame. The Fenrir remained still, its crimson eyes scanning the surroundings with quiet vigilance.

It did not take long.

The moment Dave fully came to his senses, and the Bulldozer gathered himself, both of them rushed toward Ethan.

Questions came flying his way as the two spoke over each other.

"What the hell was that thing?"

"How did you summon it?"

"What even is it?"

"Why didn’t you use it earlier?"

"How did you use those flames?"

"What even is your Title to have so many different abilities?"

Ethan did not even look at them.

He exhaled slowly, eyes half-closed, as if their voices were nothing more than background noise.

’It’s a cruel world.’

When he needed them, he might have felt more obliged to answer some of their questions, but now they felt like liabilities compared to the B Rank Fenrir at his side.

And it wasn’t like either of them was a saint either.

One had just fired an attack Wolfy’s way, and the Bulldozer had been a massive asshole the first time they had met.

As such, Ethan raised a hand slightly, dismissing them without even turning his head.

"Enough."

That was all he said, not even giving them the time of day.

Dave frowned, frustration flickering across his face, while the Bulldozer looked confused, almost offended. But that was Ethan being nice, and they definitely wouldn’t have liked what his first instinct was to do.

Before either of them could press further, a low growl echoed.

Wolfy stepped forward slightly, its massive frame shifting as its red eyes locked onto the two men.

Instantly, both of them backed away, feeling the danger.

Even at their best and while working together, taking on the Fenrir would be impossible, and likely even tougher than the trio of B Rank Insect Beasts. Before Dave could charge another of those attacks or the Bulldozer could charge, they would be frozen in place.

All it would take was a single use of the Sovereign Howl Skill; after that, they were sitting ducks for him to feed on.

And they could instinctively feel that.

"Don’t kill them," Ethan said casually.

That startled them and made them back away even further.

"But don’t let them disturb me either."

Wolfy huffed softly, almost as if responding to the instruction.

Ethan trusted the Fenrir with his life and, not expecting the two C Ranks to try anything either, focused inward.

’Beast Recovery.’

The world around him faded as he focused on taking in the surrounding mana.

As he did, one thought remained on his mind.

’I hope some of the others survived.’

It was not just concern, but practicality.

Even with Wolfy, he knew that this gate was far from something he could clear alone, and the two Titled he was currently stuck with wouldn’t be of much help.

And most importantly, there was one person he really didn’t want to see dead.

-

Elsewhere, the sky fractured.

Not metaphorically, but very literally.

A floating island cracked apart as streaks of purple and blue tore through the air at terrifying speeds. Kaela’s purple eyes burned with intensity, her aura roaring around her like unrestrained chaos given form.

But before she had her one-on-one battle, the Riot Valkyrie had been up against three beasts.

Two B Rank damselfly-like creatures circled her, their wings producing a constant, high-pitched hum that grated against the senses. Their movements were sharp, coordinated, and predatory.

Above them, the A Rank dragonfly.

"Damn it, I really hate that I can’t fly," she groaned.

Despite that, she bounced between the floating islands with effortless grace and unbelievable speed. Kaela moved like a storm given flesh, twisting, weaving, and striking as the three beasts attacked in perfect synchronisation.

One came from above.

One from behind.

One from the side.

There was no escaping or evading all three.

Her aura flared violently as she blocked, deflected, and countered, each impact sending shockwaves across the floating island beneath her feet.

Crack!

The ground split.

She slid back, barely regaining her footing as one of the B Ranks slashed across her side.

Blood spilled.

Another struck immediately after in a rapid blur.

Kaela barely raised her arm in time.

Boom!

She was launched across the island, crashing through jagged stone before forcing herself upright again.

Blood dripped from her mouth, but she smiled.

"Good... keep coming."

Her aura flared, and the more energy she unleashed, the more precise it became.

The fight dragged on.

Seconds stretched, then minutes.

Kaela adapted with each exchange, her Valkyrie instincts taking over as she sustained damage. Each exchange refined her movements, each clash sharpened her instincts, and slowly the formation began to break.

One of the B Rank beasts faltered.

It was only for a split second, but it seemed as though it was struggling to keep up and had been clipped by one of her attacks.

Kaela immediately capitalised on it.

A burst of purple energy exploded beneath her feet as she launched forward, her fist connecting cleanly.

Crack!

The damselfly was sent crashing into a nearby fragment of a floating island, its wings snapping on impact.

But something felt wrong, and it had been almost too easy.

Kaela’s eyes flicked upward to the A Rank to find it observing indifferently.

"You let that happen."

Her grin widened.

"Big mistake."

She pressed harder, wanting to get to the blue dragonfly-like beast.

To do that, she needed to get rid of the remaining B Rank, which rushed to get away after seeing its companion be struck down.

Swoosh!

Kaela was already upon it.

Her aura erupted as she tore through its defences, her strikes landing faster, heavier, and more precise than before. The second B Rank fell within seconds, left as a mangled insect corpse.

It went to show just how great the gap between an A Rank and a B Rank was, even larger than the gap between a B Rank and a C Rank. The differences scaled exponentially, which Darius could attest to after being swatted away so effortlessly by the Blood Demon.

The two B Ranks had only lasted so long because of the A Rank that had been suppressing her attacks. But it seemed as though it had given up on protecting them, as if regarding them as more of a hindrance than a help.

Dragonflies didn’t care for their kin, and it seemed this overgrown creature was the same.

That didn’t change the fact that it was still a fearsome A Rank.

For a brief moment, everything stilled as Kaela locked eyes with the blue insect.

Then, the world exploded.

The dragonfly vanished and reappeared directly in front of her in the blink of an eye.

And that was when the real battle began...