"Fuck... Are you stupid or what..." he muttered under his breath, while glancing at both of them with annoyance.

"Anyone comes and asks about me, and you both look at me at the same time..."

His voice was low, but the frustration in it was obvious.

The cloaked figure tilted his head slightly, as if he had already expected this outcome.

"So... you are the one who ruined our plans."

Ethan frowned slightly as those words sank in, and a faint sense of unease rose in his chest. He tried to recall what exactly they were referring to, but before he could think further, something changed.

A loud, heavy sound echoed across the battlefield.

BOOM!

The space behind the cloaked figure twisted violently, and a massive silhouette slowly formed in the air. It was not fully clear, but it carried an overwhelming pressure that spread in all directions.

It looked like a divine figure.

Its outline was faint, but its presence was terrifying, and the moment it appeared, the entire battlefield trembled slightly.

Ethan’s pupils shrank as he stared at it.

"...This feeling..."

For some reason, it felt familiar, yet he could not remember where he had seen something like this before. That brief moment of confusion cost him.

The cloaked figure moved.

Without any warning or change in expression, he raised his hand and threw a spear forward. The motion was simple, almost casual, but the power behind it was anything but normal.

The moment the spear left his hand, Ethan’s body reacted on instinct.

"...Shit!"

A cold chill ran down his spine, and his heart skipped a beat as he felt the danger approaching. Without thinking, he turned and ran.

BOOM! 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

His body shot forward like a storm, and the ground cracked beneath him as he pushed his speed to the limit. The air behind him was torn apart, and his figure blurred as he tried to escape.

But the spear was already chasing him.

It carried a terrifying divine energy, and as it moved, the space around it began to split apart. The ground below was ripped open, and everything in its path was destroyed without resistance.

Ethan glanced back for just a fraction of a second, and his expression changed instantly.

"...No way..."

The spear suddenly vanished.

Before he could process what happened, it reappeared right in front of him as if space itself had folded.

"...Fuck—!"

There was no time to react, and there was no way to avoid it.

The spear struck directly.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A massive explosion erupted, and the force of the impact tore through the land, shattering everything around it. The shockwave spread outward violently, flattening the surroundings and shaking the entire battlefield.

At the center of the explosion, Ethan took the hit directly.

There was no resistance.

His body burst apart instantly, turning into a cloud of blood and fragments that scattered into the air.

The sight was brutal and absolute.

Han’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the scene in disbelief.

"...What the hell..."

Hale’s expression froze completely, and his body went stiff as if he could not process what had just happened.

"...No... way..."

For a brief moment, even the demons fell silent as they looked at the aftermath of that single attack.

Ethan was gone.

There was nothing left of him except a fading mist of blood in the air.

The battlefield grew even heavier, and a sense of fear slowly spread among the soldiers as they realized what kind of enemy they were facing.

For a few seconds after the explosion, the entire battlefield fell into a strange silence, and even the sound of weapons and screams seemed to fade as everyone stared at the spot where Ethan had been.

The air was still filled with traces of blood mist, slowly dispersing under the heat and pressure, and that sight alone made the hearts of the soldiers sink.

Han’s hand trembled slightly as he gripped his weapon tighter, and his eyes remained fixed ahead as if he could not accept what he had just witnessed.

"...No... this can’t be real," he muttered under his breath, while his throat felt dry.

Hale stood beside him, and although he tried to remain calm, his face had already turned pale, and his breathing became uneven.

"...He... died just like that..." he said slowly, his voice barely steady.

Before either of them could react further, a burst of laughter suddenly echoed across the battlefield.

"Hahahaha...!"

The God Of Darkness Priest stepped forward slightly, and his voice carried a twisted excitement that made people uneasy.

"Did you think you can survive this... Even if you are a Saint, you would be killed today," he said, while spreading his arms slightly as if admiring his own work.

"It’s a one-shot direct kill spear blessed by the God Of Darkness."

He paused for a moment, then his tone turned colder.

"Daring to stand before us, you deserve to die."

His gaze then shifted toward Han and Hale, and something in that look made both of them freeze for a brief moment.

A strange sense of déjà vu hit them, and without needing to say it out loud, both of them came to the same conclusion.

"RUNNN!"

That was the only thought that flashed through their minds.

Forget the war, forget everything else, because survival came first. Seeing Ethan, a mid-stage Mythic ranker, getting erased so easily had already shaken their confidence completely.

Their bodies tensed as if they were about to retreat, but before they could move—

A sudden change swept across the battlefield.

A bloody intent spread outward, thick and heavy, and it pressed down on everyone like an invisible weight. The temperature seemed to drop, and even the demons stopped moving for a moment.

Then..

Swoosh!

The scattered blood mist in the air began to swirl, slowly gathering together as if pulled by an unseen force. It rotated faster and faster, forming a vortex of red that drew everyone’s attention.

Han’s eyes widened.

"...What the hell..."

The swirling blood suddenly condensed.

And then a figure formed.

Standing there, completely intact, was Ethan.

"Marquise Ethan...!" someone shouted in disbelief, and that single voice broke the stunned silence.

Ethan stood calmly, his clothes untouched, and his expression cold as his gaze swept across the battlefield before stopping on the cloaked figure.

He looked at Han and Hale for a brief moment, then turned his attention forward again.

"That was my clone, I created it for backup," he said calmly, while rolling his shoulders slightly as if nothing had happened.

Then his eyes hardened.

"Now..." he paused, and a faint killing intent leaked from his body as he stared directly at the cloaked figure.

"You have really pissed me."