“This isn’t a true beast tide,” Yvonne Hart said calmly.

  “It’s a skill?induced swarm. Hold for ten minutes and they’ll disperse on their own.”

  A veteran hunter suddenly understood.

  “That roar earlier! That was a tiger?type beast skill — Beast King’s Roar. It forces nearby beasts of lower life?tier to obey!”

  Someone cursed under their breath.

  “The Blackrock Mountains only have one tiger?type Tier?3 beast… Don’t tell me we ran into the Rock Tiger?”

  “No,” Yvonne corrected sharply.

  “Not a beast. A person.”

  Her gaze locked onto the treetop above them.

  A man in a black suit stood there silently, as if he had materialized out of thin air.

  And with him came the swarm — dozens of beasts emerging from the forest, eyes glowing with murderous intent.

  Evan quickly counted.

  Five… six dozen beasts at least.

  Tier?1 and Tier?2 mixed.

  Snakes, wolves, insects, birds — everything that crawled or flew.

  And since Tier?2 beasts were present, the man who used Beast King’s Roar had to be a Butterfly?tier evolver.

  Only now did Evan fully understand why Wendy Lewis — despite having Yvonne, a Butterfly?tier powerhouse — still hired a large escort team.

  Yvonne knew their pursuer had Beast King’s Roar.

  In a city, that skill was useless.

  But in the Blackrock Mountains?

  One man could command an army.

  If Yvonne was forced into a one?on?one duel, she wouldn’t be able to protect Wendy.

  Without these hired hunters, Wendy would be left alone against dozens of beasts.

  Evan understood.

  The other hunters understood.

  And many began cursing.

  “Damn it! I knew the pay was too good to be true!”

  Regret spread through the group — but it was too late.

  The employer had warned them repeatedly about the danger.

  They were the ones who gambled for money.

  A Breaker?tier hunter shouted, trying to rally morale:

  “Look closely! They outnumber us two to one, but most are Tier?1 beasts! We can fight this!”

  “Yeah! We don’t need to kill them all — just survive ten minutes!”

  Evan added his voice as well.

  He wasn’t resentful — this was still the best path he could’ve taken.

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  Any other route would’ve been even more suicidal.

  Wendy also raised her voice:

  “Use every trump card you have. Any damage or losses, I’ll compensate. If you’re injured, I’ll treat you. Don’t hold back.”

  No one complained anymore.

  They all knew the only way out was forward.

  Wendy tugged lightly on Evan’s sleeve, signaling him to stay close.

  Her side would be the safest place once the fighting began.

  Evan nodded.

  He wasn’t the type to act tough — staying alive was the priority.

  Then—

  He noticed something.

  Li Carter was gone.

  No one else realized it — everyone was too focused on the incoming beasts.

  But Evan had been watching him all day.

  And now he had vanished.

  Suspicious.

  The beasts closed in.

  Tension thickened.

  The battle was seconds away.

  Yvonne let out a cold laugh and stared at the suited man.

  “I thought you’d given up and crawled back to Gu’an Nation.”

  “Heh. I’ve followed you across the entire Muke Republic. You think I’d let you go now?” the man replied, adjusting his collar.

  “And don’t bother probing. I’m alone. But alone is enough to deal with you.”

  He floated down from the treetop, landing lightly before Yvonne.

  “I admit I can’t beat you in open terrain. But here? In the Blackrock Mountains? This is my domain. You’re doomed. I waited until today for a reason.”

  Yvonne didn’t waste breath.

  Lightning erupted across her body as she launched herself at him.

  The suited man let out a low, beast?like roar.

  Instantly, every beast around them surged forward like they’d heard a war horn.

  Chaos

  Skills flew everywhere — fireballs, ice spikes, water arrows, venom sprays — an uncontrolled storm of attacks.

  The battlefield split into two fronts:

  One side:

  Yvonne vs. the suited man — a clash of Butterfly?tier titans.

  The other side:

  Twenty?plus hunters vs. fifty?plus beasts — a desperate struggle for survival.

  Yvonne’s duel was fierce but controlled.

  She held the advantage.

  Evan’s side… was a madhouse.

  Beasts attacked from every direction.

  Hunters raised shields, counterattacked, screamed, cursed.

  One hunter wrestled a bear?type beast in brutal hand?to?hand combat.

  Evan stayed beside Wendy, blocking stray projectiles and attacks.

  He knew Wendy was nearly defenseless.

  She was a researcher, not a fighter.

  Her skills were all for evolutionary science, not combat.

  Her combat power was effectively zero.

  Time crawled.

  Hunters were bleeding, exhausted, barely holding on.

  Many beasts had been slain — but more kept coming.

  The swarm wasn’t shrinking.

  It was growing.

  Their strength was dropping.

  The beasts’ numbers were rising.

  Despair crept in.

  At this rate, they wouldn’t last ten minutes.

  Yvonne couldn’t break through her opponent.

  The suited man’s plan was clear:

  Stall Yvonne.

  Let the beast swarm crush the hunters.

  Force Wendy into danger.

  Make Yvonne retreat to protect her.

  Then finish them both.

  Wendy saw it too.

  Her face went pale, but she forced a smile.

  “Evan… if you get a chance, run. Don’t worry about me. I’m more valuable alive than dead — they won’t kill me.”

  Evan shook his head.

  If the team collapsed, he’d never make it to the Rovan Federation alone.

  “Relax,” he said, patting her back gently.

  “I’ll make my move.”

  The battlefield is collapsing.

  The hunters are breaking.

  And somewhere in the darkness, Li Carter has vanished.

  Evan is about to act — but what exactly can a newly advanced Chrysalis?tier do in a battlefield ruled by Butterfly?tier monsters?

  If you were Evan, what would your “move” be?