Lord Of Beasts

As Ethan and Elara slowly approached, the hooded figure struggled to his feet and staggered backwards, clutching his stomach dramatically.

"Urgh..."

He doubled over again, his breathing becoming loud and uneven.

Anyone else would’ve thought the punch had nearly killed him, seeing his over-the-top display, but Ethan wasn’t convinced. Instead, something about him felt off, and without knowing what he was capable of, he remained cautious.

Though realistically, unless he was an S Rank or a very powerful A Rank, he didn’t have to fear with Elara by his side. But he didn’t have the presence of a powerful Titled, or any presence for that matter.

And looking down at his left hand, Ethan couldn’t help but question, ’Did I even hit him?’

He was confident in his own punches and knew exactly what it felt like when his fist connected. But this time, it had almost felt as though his fist had skimmed past him at the last moment.

Yet the man was acting like he’d just been folded in half.

Pretending

That was the word.

He was putting on a performance, one that Ethan and Elara were starting to see through. The hooded man’s gaze never left the pair approaching him, scanning them both, especially the expressionless blonde woman.

The Blood Demon was definitely the bigger threat.

Even now, crimson mana flickered lazily around her fingertips, as though she could erase him from existence the moment Ethan gave the word.

The hooded man swallowed.

’There’s no crowd to hide amongst now... I might as well leave.’

Without another moment’s hesitation, mana surged through his body.

The air around him shimmered, his outline blurred, then he disappeared entirely. But he didn’t teleport or simply turn invisible either. It was as though he had melted into his surroundings, perfectly blending with the world until there wasn’t the slightest trace of him left behind.

Even the sound of his footsteps vanished.

Ethan frowned at the empty street.

’I knew it! That punch probably never landed at all.’

He didn’t even look surprised after the man tried to escape, and if anything, he looked disappointed.

"Really?"

He slowly glanced around the street, hands still in his pockets.

Ethan was likely the worst person to try to hide from, but who could account for the range of sensory enhancements he had?

With Wolfy, his sense of smell bordered on monstrous. With Spark, even the faintest disturbance in mana stood out like a bonfire in the dark. And with Talon, his eyesight let him pick out subtle movement from incredible distances.

Even his newest beast, Storm, possessed compound eyes capable of detecting the slightest shifts in motion, not that he had tested them yet. Each beast covered a different weakness, and together, they made sneaking up on Ethan an almost impossible task.

And on this occasion, he didn’t even need to assimilate with or summon any of his beasts.

His naturally sharp, beast-like senses were enough.

The hooded figure that had seemingly vanished was cautiously creeping away, his camouflage blending almost perfectly into the surrounding street.

Key word there is almost.

Ethan calmly followed his every movement with his eyes, and beside him, Elara remained equally relaxed. Her crimson gaze drifted slightly to the left, following the same concealed figure. After everything she’d gained inside the Gate, her perception had reached an absurd level.

A smile tugged at his lips as they both watched him continue sneaking away.

"We can see you, retard."

The invisible figure froze mid-step.

"..."

After a long, awkward pause, the camouflage shimmered, and the hooded man reappeared exactly where Ethan had been looking the entire time.

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"I thought that’d work."

Ethan sighed.

"On an A Rank? Really?"

Before the man could react...

Whoosh!

Ethan closed the distance in an instant.

His left hand shot forward, grabbing the front of the man’s hoodie before violently yanking him closer. Their faces were only inches apart, and Ethan got a better look at the man, or at least what wasn’t covered.

He had a very generic face, but Ethan was sure he hadn’t seen this person before.

"Who are you?"

His blue eyes narrowed.

"And what the fuck are you doing hanging around this house?"

The hooded man laughed.

Then, to Ethan’s surprise, he answered immediately and honestly.

"I was watching you, duh."

"..."

Ethan stared at him.

For a brief moment, he genuinely considered introducing the man’s face to the pavement, then again to his fist. Despite the goofy grin plastered across his face, something about him felt off.

There was confidence beneath the stupidity.

He was laughing and relaxed, simply as though he wasn’t worried or afraid of Ethan or Elara. And his earlier attempt at escaping by concealing himself almost felt like an intentional joke, since no one in their right mind would believe that would work.

But that just raised even more questions.

"And why," Ethan asked slowly, "were you watching me?"

The man shrugged as though discussing the weather.

"’Cause someone paid me, obviously."

He tilted his head thoughtfully.

"But if I were him, I’d probably have just asked me to kill you."

"What?!"

Even Ethan was caught off guard by how casually the man had said that, like discussing murder was completely normal. Especially in the face of the person he would supposedly kill if paid to.

The hooded figure shrugged again while laughing.

"I don’t ask questions. I just take jobs."

Then his playful expression suddenly faded as he locked eyes with Ethan.

"I’ll give you a freebie, which I don’t usually do.

He tapped Ethan lightly on the chest.

"The Cyclops has his eye on you. And if you’re planning on living on this side of the city, or any side, I’d go pay him a visit."

His smile returned.

"I promise you... You don’t want him deciding to visit you first."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

’That’s the guy Mace used to work for, who runs Brooklyn’s underworld and the UFC.’

From how this man and Kaela had spoken about him, he definitely seemed like a dangerous man. And after killing his subordinate, Ethan received a briefcase of cash that seemed to have come with some strings attached.

But before Ethan could ask another question or give the man a beating, the hooded man grinned mischievously.

"Anyway..."

He raised both hands.

"...I’ll see you fuckers around."

Then he extended both middle fingers with complete sincerity.

Ethan smiled.

"That won’t wor-"

The smile was quickly wiped off Ethan’s face as he watched the man’s body flow like liquid. He twisted free of his grip with impossible ease, as though his entire clothes had simply ceased to exist.

Before Ethan or even Elara could grab him again, his feet sank into the pavement, with his entire body following suit in an instant.

It was like he was diving into water.

Within a heartbeat, he had disappeared completely beneath the ground without so much as a crack or ripple. Ethan wasn’t sure what to do, and he couldn’t exactly give chase, nor could he sense the man through the ground itself.

’He really just did that...’

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