Defeating the Golden Flutterer had given Ethan a false sense of strength.
At the time, defeating an A Rank creature had felt like proof that he was finally beginning to stand among the truly powerful Titled. He had walked away from that fight believing that perhaps the gap between himself and the strongest monsters wasn't as enormous as he had once imagined.
Maybe he was nearly on a par with the likes of Kaela and Elara.
The Leviathan had destroyed that illusion in minutes.
True A Ranks were on another level entirely.
And that was only made worse by the fact that the Leviathan wasn't fighting on neutral ground.
It had been an aquatic creature fighting in an endless ocean, an environment that seemed practically designed for it. Every drop of water surrounding Ethan could become a weapon. Every wave could hide an attack. Every movement of the enormous beast seemed effortless.
Its durability had been even more absurd.
