Ethan did not hesitate.

The moment his mana recovered enough, he surged back into the air.

But this time, his Flame Flight, as he called it, was different.

’The name’s dope and it’s my first skill that isn’t recognised by the system, otherwise it would have called it some beast bullshit.’

It was his own, and that made it all the more special to Ethan.

Flames burst from his arms, not wildly this time, but with intent. Controlled streams of fire jetted from his forearms, angled carefully to act as propulsion. It was not elegant, and it certainly was not efficient, but it worked.

He hovered before pushing forward.

The key was regulation.

Too much mana, and he would engulf himself again, burning whatever he was wearing to ash. Too little, and he would drop like a stone into the endless void below. So he balanced it carefully, adjusting output with each passing second, keeping the flames tight and focused.

It was draining, but right now, it was his most dynamic form of movement.

’And most importantly, it’s cool as fuck, and every kid’s dream ability straight out of a comic book.’

As such, he burst off into the distance, feeling like an excited child as he wielded his new ability.

’All those shards aren’t going to collect themselves.’

A grin spread across his face as he accelerated, weaving back toward the battlefield.

The system notifications were still trickling in.

{Beast Eliminated!}

{Beast Eliminated!}

{Beast Eliminated!}

Though it was much slower than before.

His earlier inferno had done most of the damage, burning through larvae and eggs in massive numbers, but the aftermath was tapering off. Still, every notification meant more Evolutionary Shards, more progress.

And among them were kills that were not his.

His beasts hadn’t been idle and were literally autonomous monsters.

Ethan’s fiery eyes scanned the chaotic battlefield, quickly picking them out.

Talon was high above everything.

The Griffling moved with precision, its wings slicing through the air in controlled, efficient beats. Unlike the hornets, which buzzed erratically and aggressively, Talon was deliberate and cautious.

It stayed at the edges of the chaos, never diving recklessly into danger.

While it waited, it watched and calculated.

Then it struck.

When a lone hornet strayed too far from the swarm, Talon would swoop down in a blur, its talons lashing out with surgical precision before it immediately retreated. It never lingered, both because that was its natural hunting style and because they were too dangerous to take lightly.

And when something got too close to it, he had the perfect solution...

"SKREEEE!"

Skyshatter Cry exploded outward, a shockwave of compressed air that sent nearby hornets tumbling away mid-flight. Their wings faltered, their formations broke, and Talon used that moment to escape.

It wasn’t always faster than them, but it was definitely more agile.

And it capitalised on that.

It darted up and down, weaving through the air like a phantom, completely untouchable.

’Smart,’ Ethan thought, impressed.

Then his gaze dropped lower, and his expression shifted because Wolfy’s approach was the complete opposite.

The Fenrir was a monster.

It had activated Predator’s Frenzy the moment it entered the battlefield, and now it looked like something straight out of a nightmare. Its red eyes burned with feral intensity, and its movements were wild, unrestrained, and savage.

"Sovereign Howl!"

The sound ripped across the battlefield, deep and commanding, carrying a primal authority that made even Ethan feel a slight chill. If its master did, then the remaining Titled also did so, impressing even Kaela with its power.

Its effect was immediate.

The hornets faltered, their movements slowed, their coordination broke.

Additionally, Wolfy became even stronger.

It launched forward, leaping from one floating island to another with terrifying speed, its claws tearing through anything in its path. It pounced onto a hornet mid-air, dragging it down and ripping it apart before bounding away again.

This was all while avoiding their stingers and other attacks.

The Void hornets weren’t as one-dimensional as they seemed, and alongside their descriptive ovipositors, they also had multiple skills. One that Liora and Darius had experienced against the Boss Beast was a spinning strike where they became living torpedoes.

Lower-ranked Void Hornets could also fire their stingers, which only took a short while to recover. Of course, it left them temporarily more vulnerable, but all they needed was one successful attack.

And they also had terrifying jaws and bites, which were underestimated because their stingers overshadowed them. Still, it wasn’t enough against the Fenrir that was relentless, precise, and terrifyingly intelligent.

As much as it seemed so, Wolfy didn’t attack blindly.

It chose targets, separated them from the rest, and destroyed them before moving on.

Ethan could not help but smile.

’I really did raise them well.’

There was a strange sense of pride that filled him as he watched them fight; they were literally a part of him, and they had come a long way alongside him.

But they weren’t the only ones who gave him that feeling.

His gaze shifted again.

To Elara.

And something in his chest tightened slightly.

’She’s in control of all that power...’

She moved like a force of nature.

Blinking across space in flashes of crimson, her attacks came in relentless bursts of energy that carved through the battlefield. Each Crimson Flash she unleashed carried enough force to obliterate anything in its path.

And yet, that was all she did: Teleport, Attack, Repeat.

It was simple, but it was direct and devastating, and most importantly, it was working.

But Ethan was still confused.

’How did she deal with that demon?’ he wondered. ’And is that why she can talk now?

He pushed the thoughts aside as he surged forward, weaving between the hornets with bursts of flame from his arms; they were like mini Flare Drives.

It was chaotic and dangerous, requiring fine control, but it was incredible.

’My life is fucking crazy.’

A laugh escaped him mid-flight.

Just a few months ago, he had been in a prison cell, unsure of what kind of world he was even returning to.

Now?

He was flying through a separate dimension, fighting giant insect monsters alongside people who could level entire landscapes.

And somehow, this had become his norm.

But if there was one thing he was certain about, it was that he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

He continued straight toward the centre of it all, toward the two A Ranks that were clashing with the Void Hornet, their combined presence shaking the very air around them.

Ethan slowed slightly as he approached, hovering just outside the immediate danger zone.

"Elara!" he called out, raising his voice over the chaos. "You can talk now, right?!"

For a brief moment, her eyes flicked toward him.

Despite being entirely white, Ethan was sure he was speaking to Elara and not the Blood Demon.

But when she opened her mouth, no words came out.

And they didn’t exactly have the luxury of having a casual conversation while facing an A Rank Beast.

She vanished again, reappearing above the hornet and unleashing another Crimson Flash. Meanwhile, Kaela laughed wildly nearby, her violet aura flaring as she slammed into the beast with raw, overwhelming force.

The two of them together were incredible.

And they weren’t alone either.

Liora’s constructs shimmered into existence around the battlefield, forming barriers, redirecting attacks, and subtly supporting the two A Ranks without directly interfering.

As planned, they focused on the Boss Beast.

Elara and Kaela took the lead, Liora now supporting them.

And Ethan, making himself useful, took over from the Barrier Bastion to support the B Ranks who were holding off the remaining hornets. He turned away and burst toward the swarm, flames spitting from his arms as he intercepted incoming hornets.

Rowan, Seraphina, and Darius fought alongside him, holding the line against the remaining beasts.

It was working.

They were controlling the battlefield, and the A Ranks were overwhelming the Boss Beast with relative ease. That was to be expected since Elara had taken on an arguably even more powerful beast alone when in peak condition.

But that’s when something changed.

The Void Hornet stilled for a fraction of a second, then it let out a sound.

It wasn’t a roar or screech, but something sharper.

A command.

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly.

’Oh... that’s not good.’

Up until now, the creature had fought alone, almost as if prideful and confident, or maybe out of pure rage, it wanted to get the kills itself to avenge its base and brethren.

But that had changed upon realising that it could not win alone.

And so, it called for help.

The swarm responded instantly.

Hornets that had been scattered across the battlefield turned in unison, their attention shifting as they rushed toward their leader. A tide of black surged inward, protecting and reinforcing the Boss Beast.

Ethan clicked his tongue.

"Damn it."

Deep down, he knew even that wouldn’t be enough, and they had no choice but to win if they wanted to get out of this gate alive.

’But it definitely makes shit a whole lot harder.’