Ethan drew a quiet breath, and his mind snapped awake like soone had just flipped a switch. The energy here was… invigorating. The kind that made your blood run warr and your thoughts sharper.
Then, without warning, a man with blue skin sprang out at the village entrance.
He gripped a long spear, and a strange pressure rolled off him—thin, sharp, almost like it could slice right through you.
He moved insanely fast. His gaze cut across Ethan and Feylora like a blade.
"Who are you?" The man's voice was packed with hostility, his eyes flashing with vicious intent.
Ethan's brow furrowed. Confusion rose up imdiately—because this guy looked ridiculous in the most unsettling way. His head was like an elephant's, but the rest of him was human. And on his back—an enormous pair of wings.
It was shocking to look at. And sohow even more wrong the longer you stared.
"Are you locals?" Ethan asked coldly, eting his eyes head-on.
The man didn't answer.
The spear in his hand radiated a keen, razor-edged force, like it could cut open the space around it.
He snapped the spear forward—
A harsh, piercing alarm-like shriek tore through the air as he lunged straight for Ethan. The spearpoint flashed with icy light, and for a split second it felt like the air itself had been cleaved in two.
Chaos followed.
Blue-skinned villagers poured out from inside, one after another. Every single one carried a strong aura, eyes full of hostility and killing intent.
Ethan's brow tightened further. The situation was already starting to annoy him. These blue-skins clearly weren't the type you could talk down with a few soft words.
Fine. Then they'd learn the hard way.
He stopped wasting ti and pulled his power together in one place. A brutal presence erupted from him in an instant, like an invisible storm exploding outward from his body.
Behind him, the army of Erald Castle surged forward as well, crashing into the crowd.
The fight detonated imdiately.
These blue-skinned people were individually tough—but their combat experience was obviously lacking. Worse, they had no Powered Combat Armor. Once the clash started, they were forced back almost at once.
Not long after, more than half of them were dead.
The rest scattered in panic. So curled into corners, clutching their heads and sobbing, pitiful in the aftermath.
And then—
An elderly man suddenly shoved his way out of the crowd.
His long trunk swung as he hurried toward Ethan. "Stop! Stop!" he shouted urgently. "It's all a misunderstanding! We're the natives here! Who are you people, and what are you doing here?"
Seeing the old man, Ethan imdiately reined in his power. He lifted a hand and signaled the troops to halt.
The fighting cut off like a blade.
Silence dropped over the scene.
The remaining blue-skinned villagers looked miserable beyond words. The one who'd started it—he was on the ground with his arm chopped off, barely breathing, writhing in agony.
Ethan walked up to the old man. His voice stayed calm, but there was authority threaded through it. "We're just trying to understand this world. Nothing more."
The old man wiped sweat from his forehead, his expression tightening with nerves. He reached into his clothing and pulled out a deep blue gemstone. In a low voice, he said, "This place is only an independent world that ford by clinging to the Purgatory World. All resources are controlled by the World Guardian. There's no point coming to us."
He paused, sighed, then continued.
"This gemstone contains all the resources we have here. I'm turning all of it over to you."
Ethan didn't hesitate. He took the gem and examined it closely.
His eyes widened.
The mineral reserves and energy contained inside were staggering—so concentrated it was practically comparable to a heavy mining mountain. Even when he tried to force himself to stay calm, the shock still hit him hard.
After steadying himself, Ethan slipped the gem into his clothes. He put on a helpless look, like this was all such a hassle. "If you were going to do this, why not do it from the start? Everyone makes money in peace, right?"
Then his tone sharpened just a bit.
"But this energy is way too little. If you want to protect your race, you'll need to give more. So—how about it? Can you tell where the energy core is?"
The old man didn't hesitate at all. He imdiately produced a map and handed it over. "Right here," he said, tapping a marked location. "But a group of giants lives there. They're extrely powerful. You'll probably have to fight them."
Ethan glanced over the map and let out a quiet, cold laugh.
He'd been past that area before.
That place wasn't just the giants' territory—it was the ho of the Guardian Tribes.
The selection ground for the World Guardian.
Ethan's thoughts clicked into place.
So that was it. There was no "energy core" at all—only a group of powerful guardians.
If he really went there, he'd probably get wiped out in one shot by those guardians.
And in that instant, he understood exactly what this old man was doing.
He was trying to borrow the World Guardians' hands—to erase Ethan and the Erald Castle army completely.
Ethan's gaze grew even darker as he realized this was a lot more complicated than he'd thought. This fight clearly wasn't over—not even close. And the old man's real intentions had only just started to show.
A flash of viciousness flickered in Ethan's eyes. He didn't hesitate. He folded the map away in one quick motion and turned to leave.
He'd only taken a few steps when he stopped cold. His eyes were ice.
He snapped his fingers.
In the next instant, the Erald Castle soldiers caught the signal. Power surged out of them like a dam breaking. One after another, their Powered Combat Armor ca online—systems whining up, weapons and devices pushing toward their limits.
The energy in the air bucked violently. A savage aura spread outward, thick and oppressive, like a storm rolling in.
The old man, standing off in the distance, saw it and went pale with terror. "What are you doing?" His voice trembled. "I already told you everything! Why are you still going to wipe us out?"
Ethan's anger burned like open fla. He condensed a razor-sharp Energy Disc, and a domineering force exploded from it, tearing through the air with a destructive edge.
"Maybe that little trick works on other people," Ethan sneered, "but you really thought you could play ?"
His eyes narrowed.
"You seriously think I haven't been there?"
The old man froze, his whole body going rigid. He couldn't force out a single word.
Ethan didn't bother saying more.
He flicked his hand.
The Energy Disc shot forward, unstoppable, and slamd into the old man with brutal force.
A deafening boom shook the village.
The old man was split clean in two. Blood sprayed across the ground, and his shriek—thin, horrible—echoed through the entire tribe.
After that, it was over fast.
In a very short ti, almost the entire settlent was wiped out.
These blue-skinned natives might've been strong, but in front of Erald Castle's army, they had no real ability to resist.
As blood pooled and ran, Ethan noticed sothing off.
Their blood seed laced with so strange substance, and the stench that rose from it was sharp and gagging—enough to make his brow crease.
Before long, that weird sll spread through the area. The air itself felt heavy, thickened by it, hard to breathe.
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