Ethan gritted his teeth, his mind racing for a solution. He had never encountered a defense so absolute; it was as if Boris existed in a different layer of reality where physical laws simply didn't apply. Every spark of lightning and every bullet was swallowed by that shimmering, silent frost.
"Is this the limit of a billionaire's ambition? Staring in silence?" Boris said.
Before Ethan could retort, the ground beneath the square began to vibrate with a low-frequency hum. A split second later, the permafrost erupted.
ROAR!
A deafening, primal scream shattered the silence. A massive crater opened directly beneath Boris. As the commander leapt backward to maintain his balance, a colossal, jet-black claw—each nail the size of a shortsword—swiped through the air. Boris was fast, but the sheer scale of the attack was too much to fully evade. The very tip of one obsidian claw grazed his cheek, tearing a deep gash that sprayed crimson across his pristine white hair.
