162

The battle raged on.

While Carter was busy rescuing Vance, Ethan was still locked in a deadly clash with the remaining four members of the Meteor Chase Team, led by Nolan.

Brooks' missile bombardment was as ferocious as ever.

But just like before, protected by the powerfully reinforced Thread Armor and his immense Nen reserves, Ethan burst out from the heart of the explosion—undeterred.

Any Nen lost or damage sustained to his armor was instantly repaired.

Wasting no time, Ethan launched himself directly at his next target.

That target was Brooks.

After severely wounding Vance, Ethan had locked onto the next most dangerous opponent—Brooks. His finger missiles had proven both powerful and relentless at long range.

Eliminating Brooks would not only weaken the team's firepower but also ease the pressure on Ethan significantly.

Of course, it wasn't as if Nolan and the others were going to just stand by and let Ethan pick them off one by one.

After witnessing Vance's brutal defeat, the team had grown more alert and cautious.

As soon as Ethan surged from the smoke and raced toward Brooks, the rest of the team sprang into action.

Flaming bullets.

Arcing sword slashes.

Teleportation strikes.

Ethan was immediately met with fierce interception.

He weaved, dodged, or tanked through the onslaught—engaging Nolan and Reid in brutal close-quarters combat while dealing with Brooks' long-range missiles and Ford's return to the battle.

Boom boom boom—

The wilderness echoed with continuous detonations. The ground trembled, sometimes caving in to form craters. Explosions sent chunks of rock flying in all directions like deadly shrapnel.

"HRAAAGH!!"

Vance's defeat had clearly enraged the rest of the squad, their attacks growing faster and more ferocious by the second.

And yet—Ethan remained unfazed.

Even with one man down, the Meteor Chase Team's numbers still outmatched him.

Six against one.

But Ethan wasn't overwhelmed—in fact, he was holding his own.

He pressed on, undeterred.

"War Technique: Strike Like Thunder!"

A sharp slash tore across Ethan's back, breaking through his Nen-coated Thread Armor and ripping into flesh. Blood pooled in the gash as it stained the inner armor.

Simultaneously, a barrage of Nen bullets pelted him from the side, denting his armor with dozens of impact craters.

Yet, even while under fire, Ethan retaliated.

He twisted his right arm back and unleashed a spiraling burst of Nen energy. The high-speed rotation of the gathered energy tore through the air like thunder cracking across the sky.

Fighting tooth and nail, Ethan broke through the perimeter and finally closed in on Brooks.

Still under attack from Nolan and Dylan, he launched his most devastating blow at close range.

BOOM!!!

Brooks reacted fast—his pupils constricting in fear as he morphed his arms into shield form to block the blow.

But it wasn't enough.

Ethan's thunder-infused punch shattered the shield instantly. His fist crashed into Brooks' chest like a freight train.

"GAHHH!!"

Brooks screamed in agony.

The raw impact obliterated the air around them, tearing into the ground with explosive force. Ethan's right arm didn't just land a hit—it pierced clean through Brooks' torso, the spiraling energy reducing his internal organs to sludge.

Ethan continued moving forward, flinging Brooks' limp body from his arm with a sharp shoulder check.

He didn't wait.

"Spiral Gun!"

His shredded Thread Armor twisted itself into a high-speed projectile. Ethan launched it down at Nolan, Ford, and Reid.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The sudden counter forced the others to abandon pursuit. They scattered in panic as the spiral guns cratered the earth where they'd stood seconds before.

Dust filled the air.

Ethan hovered in place, his silver Thread Wings flared out and whirling, keeping him aloft.

New armor immediately formed around his torso—replacing the shredded plates, and even stitching the deep wound on his back with needle-fine threads. Blood stopped flowing instantly.

Whoosh!

Ethan looked down briefly—then his eyes snapped to a far-off direction.

Without a word, he raised his right hand and formed another Spiral Gun, hurling it like a silver thunderbolt into the distance.

BOOM!!!

It landed hard.

The spiral gun slammed into the earth far behind the battlefield, shaking the ground with its impact. A massive cloud of dust billowed into the sky.

"…No…"

"You bastard!!!"

"GAHHH!!"

The cries came immediately—screams of rage and anguish from Nolan and the others.

The scream of pain came from Vance.

Even though Carter had dragged Vance far away, the area hadn't been safe.

Ethan had tracked their location—and struck without hesitation.

While the others were distracted, he seized the opportunity to deliver the killing blow.

Vance was obliterated instantly by the Spiral Gun.

Two down.

Brooks, whose body lay crumpled in the dirt, showed no signs of life. His chest had been caved in and his organs shredded beyond repair. Even a cyborg wouldn't have survived such trauma.

With two of the team's most aggressive fighters eliminated, the Meteor Chase Team's cohesion—and morale—was starting to fracture.

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

patreon.com/Achilles_Stein

50 +Chapters

Update Schedule: 7 Chapter/week.

Every 300 Power Stones+1 (5 Review)

= 1 Chapter+1Chapter

By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters