Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 660 - 54: Hero

Charlotte's movements halted in place, her steps ceased at the hellish scene before her, momentarily ignoring the tug on her arm by the white scarf.

The voice of "Razor" Modos vanished, the revelry of the celebration banquet obliterated, leaving only masses of swelling, writhing tumors, a carpet of flesh and blood that extended to their feet, bringing a soft, sticky sensation.

Charlotte had intended to ambush from behind while Modos targeted Ethan, but it turned out Ethan didn't need her help. What chilled her even more was that Ethan's monster companions did not make a move; those red ice layers seemed to have been caused by Ethan, confirmed by the terrified look of the white baby dragon.

Just now, Ethan attacked other Summoners.

Could it be...

Ethan, like Black Steel, is actually a monster disguised as a human?

Uneasy thoughts spread in Charlotte's mind, sounding like a fantasy, yet explaining everything—this might be why Ethan never regarded Black Steel seriously. He is likely some older, more powerful entity than the King of Black Dragons.

"Shh, don't make a sound."

The white scarf pulled Charlotte into hiding; just now, he had witnessed a plague more terrifying than the mechanical one. These tumors were the antithesis of mechanization and could similarly infect objects, as if the ground beneath them had come to life.

The white scarf avoided looking at his feet, but his peripheral vision caught eyes opening on the flesh carpet, and if he wasn't mistaken, those eyes were watching them.

The invisibility cloak lost its effectiveness against the living ground, but that was to be expected, as the cloak was originally a gift from a small bat by Ethan's side.

The three of them hid in the shadows, listening as footsteps came closer and closer.

They unanimously held their breath, watching the figure that turned the Royal Palace into a hell of flesh and blood slowly pass by them.

"Can't see me, can't see me!"

The white scarf closed his eyes tightly, repeatedly muttering silently, knowing the best tactic now was to play ostrich.

Until a familiar voice shattered his unrealistic fantasy, "Your leg is exposed."

Leg exposed?

Did they think such a trick could fool him?

Despite his thoughts, the white scarf instinctively glanced down.

Alright, sure enough, it was exposed.

The unnaturally extended part of the leg shifted beneath the cloak, and then... naturally continued playing ostrich. The white scarf thought this place already looked so hellish, with heaps of flesh like melted bodies; it was normal to have a leg sticking out.

He advised his buddy Ethan not to meddle further.

Ethan could see Charlotte demonstrating immense resolve by infiltrating the Royal Palace. Such a pampered young lady with a slight OCD managed to endure being squeezed under the same invisible cloak with what amounted to living muck.

The cloak provided by Rowena was a single version; he could imagine the scene beneath the cloak right now.

"You..."

Just as Ethan was about to pretend not to see and walk away, Charlotte's voice suddenly emerged behind him. Turning around, he saw Charlotte lifting the cloak, her face flushed bright red, evidently having held her breath all along. "Who exactly are you?"

She looked directly into Ethan's eyes, her gaze firm.

But she felt this question might not be accurate because Ethan might not be human at all, and his actions just left her completely bewildered. Although his means were terrifying, he had eliminated all poachers who, under the banner of Team Rocket, killed and looted ordinary people.

Just as the white scarf said, Ethan was definitely not on the same path as these unscrupulous poachers.

But then, what is his stance?

Having killed the Crimson Queen, bringing unprecedented havoc to this world, yet somehow not appearing utterly evil, this made Charlotte's feelings extremely complicated.

Seeing Ethan not responding, she pressed further, "What is your aim?"

"Do you remember the prophecy of the Cautious Tree?"

Ethan answered with a question, "You don't have much time left. At your current level, you don't even pique my interest to act."

Charlotte was taken aback, her gaze became unfocused.

"If you can stop me, prove it to me."

Saying this, Ethan mounted Miss Keroy's back. The golden divine bird spread its wings and disappeared from Charlotte and others' view in the blink of an eye.

"Charlotte, look over there."

After the golden divine bird vanished, the white scarf pointed towards the direction of the banquet. Tumors were still emitting nonsensical whispers, mingled with women's screams.

The "spoils of war" taken from the safe haven by Modos and his men survived. She was hastily organizing her clothes while fleeing towards the outside of the Royal Palace in panic, which made Charlotte's vision even more complex; compared to the mechanical plague sweeping through the Royal Capital, the mutation brought by the red ice was far more sophisticated, seemingly able to actively identify its targets.

Even amid the chaos, the poachers couldn't protect themselves from the erosion of the red ice by using these "spoils" as shields.

"Let them settle down first."

Charlotte took a deep breath and said.

Tonight, the news of Razor Modos and his subordinates being completely wiped out spread quickly through the Royal Capital. The residents who were once plundered by poachers cheered, for in this world akin to the end times, seeing evil getting its due punishment was among the few pieces of good news lately.

The once magnificent Royal Palace had become a forbidden zone. Until the investigation of those mutated tumors was clear, no one was allowed to approach. Fortunately, with the spread of the mechanical plague, the Royal Capital's residents were like frightened birds, and upon learning that there were still terrifying monsters roaming the palace, none were curious enough to breach the forbidden zone to find out.

People who had been busy all day ultimately fell into a deep sleep before dawn arrived, hence they did not notice the sudden mist in the city. The familiar thin mist revealed the identity of the visitor. Charlotte was staying in the inn, with a candle lit on the table, quietly waiting for the footsteps behind her to gradually approach.

"Lady Fengweidie."

The arrival of the woman made her feel a bit more at ease.

"I heard from survivors about your deeds, Charlotte. You've grown quite a bit. If your father knew about this, he would surely be proud of you."

She paused at this point, "But your father is currently preoccupied, as Rocket Team members like Modos are emerging all over the Kingdom. Your father is protecting the people of Moon Forest City from their plundering."

Lady Fengweidie's face was heavy; fortunately, due to the thick mist, Misty Forest County was spared from the poachers' intrusions, as they were not skilled at fighting in foggy weather.

The consequences of the Scarlet Queen's fall had already become apparent, shattering the formerly peaceful atmosphere, and these poachers, newly "adapted" to the new era, caused considerable damage throughout the palace. Many exceptional summoners were sabotaged because they couldn't bring themselves to harm fellow humans.

Compared to the temporarily quiet mechanical monsters, the human-caused calamity brought by poachers had become the most troublesome problem in every city.

"Razor Modos was one of the leaders of Rocket Team. His death should make those poachers more restrained."

"I didn't kill him."

Charlotte said softly, recalling the palace's meat lumps that occasionally emitted dull whispers. She still couldn't determine whether Modos and his underlings were truly dead, but it was certain they had lost their mobility and couldn't think like humans anymore, rooted like plants and becoming part of the palace.

"It was Ethan, he was here."

"I can't comprehend his actions."

Charlotte expressed her confusion to Lady Fengweidie. In the Royal Capital, she felt the enormous gap between herself and Ethan. If he wished, he could transform them just as he did Modos in an instant, thereby easily fulfilling the prophecy.

But Ethan spared her, even giving her ample preparation time.

"What we see may not be the truth."

Lady Fengweidie smiled gently.

"Lady Fengweidie... what does this mean?"

"Ethan was present when the Scarlet Queen fell, but that scene was too brief to show the entire situation."

She, too, was a witness to the Scarlet Queen's fall, pondering this matter along the way.

Ethan's murder of the Scarlet Queen seemed to be the impression relentlessly trying to embed itself into the mind of every Kingdom resident. Everyone plunged into panic would instinctively accept this as fact, even she initially was no exception.

"But what we saw was only him approaching the fallen Scarlet Queen. Apart from those present, no one knows what truly happened on the Divine Tree."

Upon hearing this, Charlotte's eyes flashed with joy, "Are you saying he's not the killer of the Scarlet Queen?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

But soon, she said again, "But why doesn't he clarify this matter?"

Killing the Scarlet Queen is a crime more serious than any other, and that fleeting scene made Ethan the Kingdom's mortal enemy, while also elevating him to the leader in the poachers' eyes.

"The answer to this question must be found by you personally... remember the meaning of travel?"

Lady Fengweidie winked at him and then said, "However, with your current strength, you're not enough to find the ultimate answer. Luckily, on my way here, I met someone."

"What person?"

"Are you going to keep standing outside the door?"

Lady Fengweidie said towards the doorway.

Seeing the black figure enter the room, Charlotte's pupils shrank. She immediately stood up, cautiously scrutinizing the opponent, "What are you doing here... Black Steel?"

With the Kingdom's descent into such a state, Black Steel was one of the main culprits. Compared to Ethan, her dislike for Black Steel was even deeper.

"Here to help you progress."

Black Steel said coldly, "This is her last message. She left a method to defeat that person... But only you can accomplish this task, only you are special."

Charlotte detected strong jealousy.

He continued, "Her death was part of her plan, and it was all for you, Charlotte."