Dragon's Wrath: The Cursed Returnee

Even though Ethan ran as fast as possible and activated several skills to increase his speed, he didn't reach Anna. He had no idea what she used, but it certainly wasn't a normal potion. There was also no sign of Ivan anywhere… in the end, in just a few minutes, thanks to the factor that he bought some potions, Ethan reached the place that the devourers used as a base before.

"This place is…" Ethan muttered after he used Mana Tracking and felt an abnormal concentration of mana in the area.

Ethan touched the ground, and yet he didn't feel or identified any reason as to why that symbol was causing that effect. Still, it looked like he wouldn't have time to study the place. Thanks to the fact that everything was completely dark, Ethan saw some flashes of light in the distance, far further in the north. Something happened there. Ethan couldn't quite pinpoint what it was since his magic senses weren't that good. Still, he hurried in that direction.

When Ethan got close enough, he could sense Ivan and Anna close to each other and another presence a bit farther from them. That presence… it has been a while since he felt something like that. It was as surprising as it was familiar… the presence of a demon. Very similar to the ones Ethan faced on Hedo.

"Crap… this is not good."

Ethan wasn't the type to retreat or run away from a battle unless he was literally forced due to the situation, he wouldn't go away even if his life was on the line, and that was the case. Not only was the presence similar to the demons, but the presence was also at the level of the generals of the demonic army. It wasn't an opponent Ethan could hope to defeat with his current power.

Regardless, his curiosity got the better of him. Ethan approached to try to see whoever was facing Ivan. However, when Ethan was two hundred meters away from them, he was attacked by something.

"It is a bit soon for you…"

Ethan heard a whisper the very moment he felt the attack… it was weird that someone could talk in the blink of an eye of such a super-sonic attack. Yet, Ethan heard that voice clearly, before he got kicked in the stomach and sent flying backward for several meters. The air left his lungs, and even before Ethan could start to roll on the ground or hit something, he understood one thing: the bastard held back and used just the right amount of strength to beat him while avoiding any fatal damage. Ethan's heart dropped to one point, and he almost fell unconscious, but since that wasn't the first time something like that had happened, he managed to keep himself conscious and cast Heal several times.

"Son of a bitch…" Ethan bit his lips in annoyance. "To make me feel this much pain so easily…"

Ethan had decided to let loose once when the situation demanded of him. Still, he couldn't quite remember the last time he felt the urge to do it just for the sake of doing it… to fight at his maximum without restraint in order to kill a single enemy and rip his limbs one after the other. However, deep down, Ethan knew that letting himself be dominated by rage wouldn't solve anything. The difference in power was that big…

Despite the attack that had been a warning, Ethan returned. This time he wouldn't be caught off-guard. Even if there was a big difference in power, there was something Ethan could do. However, nothing happened, and Ethan managed to join Ivan and Anna's side without any issues.

pαndα,noνɐ1,сoМ "As expected, you are a brave one… you could have died there, yet, you returned…"

"Asshole… who the hell are you?" Ethan asked, trying to focus his eyes on the creature. "What were you planning to do with this planet and Earth?"

Ethan cursed his lack of skills and the hesitation he still had in using Omni Hero. He couldn't see the creature clearly because of the darkness… if he had one skill or another. No… even if he had, it would be useless. That thing was definitely using magic to conceal their presence and mana, and that was why Ivan wasn't doing anything. If she makes a mistake, Anna could lose her life.

"It wouldn't be fun if I answered your question. Although you guys were a miscalculation on my part, I am satisfied since I managed to see an interesting human and the potential of four heroes… Still, I guess I owe you guys a gift for finding me amidst this chaos. I got it! An interesting piece of information will be enough, right? Open your ears and grave those words in your heart: this won't change anything."

What an annoying voice… Ethan clicked his tongue in annoyance since the bastard was speaking nonsense. Maybe the son of a bitch was taunting them in order to take down all of them at the same time… that would explain why he didn't kill Ethan before because if he had tried, Ivan could have used that chance to do something.

"Ethan," Ivan said.

"What?" Ethan asked.

"Use that sword to protect you and Anna," Ivan said.

Ethan had no idea what Ivan was planning, but it was probably something big. It would be a bit annoying to use the Doomsday Sword with his current power, but it wasn't impossible. Ethan couldn't see any chance of failure if it was just to protect himself and Anna.

That would be a new experience for Ethan. Letting others solve a difficult situation wasn't something he had experienced before, but he didn't mind. After all, he became a hero of Hedo because there was no other option. After Ethan put himself between Anna and Ivan and pierced the Doomsday Sword on the ground in order to use it as a shield, Ivan stepped forward. Suddenly, sparks of lightning began to appear around his black armor, and the light-blue glow grew more intense. Finally, the air around that unknown creature changed, but not as much as Ethan wanted.

"Hey, hey… this isn't the right place for a good showdown. Save your energy."

Ivan ignored those words and pointed both hands toward the creature. The mana of the armor began to concentrate on his hands, and then Ivan pointed at the beast… Ethan frowned since it looked like the Kamehameha, but the energy beam of pure concentrated energy wasn't flashy was that attack since the energy didn't cause a shockwave or anything like it… it was just a concentrated beam of energy that had no physical form, and it was only used to annihilate matter. Still… it was one of the highest level of attacks Ethan had seen in his life.

Unfortunately, that asshole's presence disappeared completely the very moment Ivan attacked. Ethan had used Mana Tracking to confirm which direction the creature ran away to, but its presence just vanished as if…

"He used teleportation," Ivan turned around and then said. "Let's go. Our job is not over."

Ethan didn't know if Ivan did that on purpose. Still, the very moment he began to walk toward them, his attack hit a mountain in the distance and annihilated it completely. Walking away from an explosion looked kind of silly in Ethan's eyes. Regardless, he had too many more important things to think about instead of that.