When Ethan returned to the battlefield with Alicia slung over his shoulder, the fight was still raging.

Chris and the others were bloodied and bruised, their clothes torn, their bodies marked with cuts and burns. The enemy's numbers were just too overwhelming—especially the dozens of Tier 4 elites still holding the line.

Tier 5 might dominate Tier 4 in a one-on-one, but when the Tier 4s came in waves, even the strongest could get overwhelmed.

If it weren't for the Fallen Star Squad's nightly stargazing sessions—absorbing that strange, celestial energy that made them stronger than your average Tier 5—and the long reach of their barbell bars keeping enemies at bay, they'd be in far worse shape.

Sometimes, numbers really did matter.

But Ethan had always believed that when your power reached a certain point, numbers stopped meaning anything.

Take him, for example. Against these Tier 3 and Tier 4 grunts, getting injured wasn't even on the table. Hell, most of them couldn't even get within six feet of him.

Fortunately, the squad was used to getting hurt. As long as they weren't dead, they knew Henry could patch them up. That knowledge gave them the courage to fight harder, push further. Henry was their safety net—and their secret weapon.

The Harlan side, though? They were falling apart.

Nearly a hundred of their people were already dead. The rest were starting to crack. They weren't zombies—they could feel fear. And watching your comrades drop like flies had a way of making that fear real fast.

Ethan's eyes locked onto Richard, who was still flailing around trying to fend off Pumpkin, the oversized orange menace.

As the one leading this little invasion, Richard couldn't be allowed to leave alive.

Ethan dropped Alicia unceremoniously to the side, then vanished.

A blink later, he reappeared behind Richard.

One clean swing of the barbell bar.

The metal cracked against Richard's skull with a sickening thud.

The man didn't even have time to register what was happening. One second he was swiping at a cat, the next he was face down in the dirt, dead.

Just like that, the second-in-command of the Harlan family, a Tier 5 Awakened, was gone—sent to join his nephew Ray in the afterlife.

Maybe, in his final moment, he realized this revenge mission had cost him everything.

The moment Richard hit the ground, the last thread of morale snapped.

The Harlan soldiers, already shaken, now completely lost it.

No one gave the order. No one needed to.

Someone turned and ran—and the rest followed.

They scattered like rats, bolting in every direction, desperate to escape.

The Fallen Star Squad gave chase, cutting down another few dozen before the survivors finally slipped beyond reach.

They didn't bother pursuing further. Over a hundred enemies had been killed. That was more than enough.

The Harlan family had just lost half its forces in a single battle.

And Richard Harlan—their number two, the man right beneath Victor Harlan himself—was never coming home.

The blow was catastrophic.

When Victor got the news, he'd probably lose his damn mind.

He'd been gearing up to make a name for himself in this new world, to seize power in the chaos of the apocalypse.

Instead, he'd just been cut off at the knees before he even got started.

When Chris and the others finally made it back to the luxury home, the place was still humming with tension—but the battle was over. In the center of the living room, sprawled across the floor like a magazine cover, lay a woman with curves that could start wars. Ethan sat on the couch nearby, deep in thought.

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Ethan… you lonely or something?"

Ethan blinked. "What?"

"Don't play dumb," Henry chimed in with a sly grin. "We get it."

"…"

Ethan followed their gazes, then finally caught on. "Oh, her? Nah. She's for Pete."

"For me?!" Skinny Pete's eyes went wide, bouncing between Ethan and the unconscious Alicia like he'd just been handed a live grenade wrapped in lace.

"Yeah. You want her or not?"

"Uh…"

"Come on, Ethan," Pete stammered, staring at Alicia's long legs and perfect face. "This is kinda sudden. I need a minute to think."

He wasn't usually into the sultry type—he preferred the sweet, innocent look—but damn, she was hot. Maybe… maybe just once?

"No, no, what the hell am I thinking? That's messed up."

As Pete wrestled with his inner caveman, Ethan reached over and smacked him upside the head.

"Not like that, you idiot. I meant her ability."

"Oh…" Everyone froze for a beat, realizing they'd all gone down the same mental rabbit hole.

Of course. Ethan wasn't that kind of guy.

"Wait, what's her ability?" Pete asked, suddenly very interested for a different reason. "Is it good?"

"Charm-type," Ethan said with a smirk. "Can make people feel like they've died and gone to heaven."

Pete's excited expression froze. The others stared, stunned.

"Ethan," Sean said slowly, "you sure Pete's the right guy for that?"

"Yeah," Pete added, face darkening. "That sounds like a girl's power. How the hell am I supposed to make someone feel like that?"

"Who says it's gender-locked?" Ethan shrugged. "Might even work better with a guy. Men know what men want, right?"

"…"

"I'm telling you, this ability can let you punch way above your weight. If you don't want it, I'll give it to Big Mike. He's a little darker, sure, but he might pull it off."

"…"

"Ethan, you're not messing with me, right? This thing can really let me fight above my Tier?"

"Absolutely," Ethan said. "If you can charm someone, they're basically yours to finish. If I didn't have True Sight, I might've fallen for it myself."

"Damn… that's actually kind of terrifying."

"Yeah, but I'm a dude. I'd be lucky not to make people puke, let alone charm them."

"When you activate the ability," Ethan said, "you'll appear to the target as their ideal fantasy. Naked. Gorgeous. Irresistible."

"…"

Pete stared at him, horrified.

"Think it over," Ethan said. "If you want it, we keep her alive until tonight and transfer the ability. If not, we kill her now. She's from the enemy side—no way she joins us."

Pete fell silent, chewing on the decision. No one interrupted. It was a weird one, sure, but a powerful Awakened ability was a rare thing. You didn't just walk away from that.

And Ethan was right—used well, this power could flip a fight on its head.

After a long pause, Pete looked up and asked, voice low, "So… I don't have to, like, wiggle my hips or anything, right?"

Pffft—

Big Mike, mid-sip, sprayed water across the room. The others burst out laughing, barely holding it together.

Ethan grinned. "No, you don't have to. But hey, if you add a little flair, might boost the effect."

"…"

Pete groaned, but after another moment of hesitation, he clenched his jaw. "Screw it. I'll take it."

"Good," Ethan said. "Then lock her up. We'll do the transfer tonight."

"Got it."

Pete nodded and stepped toward Alicia, reaching down to grab her—

But her eyes snapped open.

Before he could react, she was on her feet, moving like a viper. She wrapped herself around him, one arm tight around his neck, the other pressing a dagger—where the hell had that come from?—against his throat.

"Don't move!" she barked.

...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.