Chapter 289: Ethan Domination

Realizing that Ethan had come with the clear intention of seizing the core crystal, the guild leader rejected him without hesitation.

His expression hardened, and anger flared in his eyes as he thrust his arm forward.

“Attack him!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.

His command echoed across the battlefield, but it was followed by an unsettling silence.

Very few people moved.

The members of his team and the city’s soldiers stood frozen in place.

Their weapons remained in their hands, but their arms trembled.

Some of them couldn’t even bring themselves to lift their blades. Their legs shook as fear crept into their hearts.

This fear did not come from nowhere.

They had seen what Ethan was capable of.

Moments earlier, Ethan had crushed other elite fighters with terrifying efficiency.

His movements were clean, decisive, and merciless.

Anyone who stood in his way was struck down without warning.

There was no hesitation in his attacks, no wasted motion, and no visible exhaustion afterward.

Ethan wasn’t injured.

He wasn’t breathing heavily.

He didn’t even look tired.

His posture was steady, his grip on the Bloodblade Ashura firm and relaxed, as though he had just finished warming up rather than fighting multiple opponents.

The remaining fighters understood the truth instantly.

They could not defeat him.

Not in this condition.

“What are you all doing?!” the guild leader screamed, his voice cracking with rage. “Why aren’t you listening to me?!”

Ethan took a step forward, his gaze calm but sharp.

“Your people understand something you refuse to accept,” he said firmly. “They know they can’t beat me.”

The guild leader clenched his teeth. Desperation began to creep into his expression, but he still forced himself to raise his hand.

“Hand yourself over to me,” he said, trying to sound commanding, “and I’ll let you and your surviving teammates leave this place alive.”

The fighters exchanged uneasy glances.

“W-Wait… does that mean you’ll spare us?” one of them asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Ethan did not answer right away.

He simply stood there in silence, staring at them.

That silence was enough.

The pressure of his presence weighed heavily on their minds, and they quickly came to a decision. One by one, they nodded to each other.

Survival mattered more than pride. Dying here for a lost cause made no sense.

They dropped their weapons.

Metal clattered against the ground as they fell to their knees, heads bowed, shoulders slumped.

“I don’t want to fight anymore,” someone muttered. “I… I still want to live.”

A faint smile tugged at Ethan’s lips. He shifted his attention back to the guild leader.

The man’s face twisted in fury.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” he shouted at his subordinates. “I’ll punish every single one of you for this later!”

But his threats rang hollow.

He was alone now.

With no other option left, the guild leader stepped forward and summoned his sword. If his team wouldn’t fight, then he would do it himself.

Ethan met him head-on.

Both of them lunged forward, blades flashing as they clashed. Steel rang through the air as the guild leader swung desperately, attacking with everything he had left.

Ethan blocked and sidestepped with ease, his movements precise and controlled.

As the fight continued, Ethan quickly read his opponent’s rhythm.

Too slow.

The guild leader’s strikes lacked weight and timing. Every attack left openings, every defense exposed a weakness.

To Ethan, it felt like watching a predictable pattern unfold.

He moved in.

A swift slash sent the man staggering back in pain. Another clean strike knocked him off balance. Within moments, the difference in strength became overwhelming.

The guild leader collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. His body was covered in cuts, and his grip on his sword weakened.

He looked up at Ethan, eyes filled with disbelief.

“Why…” he wheezed, “why are you so strong?”

“Don’t compare me to your subordinates,” Ethan replied coldly.

He raised the Bloodblade Ashura and placed its edge against the man’s neck.

The guild leader froze.

His face drained of color as panic flooded his expression. The crimson blade rested there, unmoving but unmistakably threatening.

“Are you… are you going to kill me?” he asked.

Ethan’s eyes shifted briefly toward the kneeling fighters nearby.

If he spared this man and only took the core crystal, the guild leader would surely punish them later. Harshly. Cruelly.

They had done nothing wrong—they had simply made the only choice they could.

There was no rule that said surrender was forbidden.

Ethan narrowed his eyes and looked back at the man.

“Yes,” he said.

The blade flashed.

The battle ended.

The guild leader fell lifelessly to the ground, and the core crystal slipped free. Ethan stepped forward and picked it up without hesitation.

“You’re safe now,” he said to the others. “You don’t need to fear him anymore.”

The surviving members nodded repeatedly. Relief washed over their faces as they stood and bowed deeply.

“Thank you,” they said sincerely.

Their guild had failed this event. But at least, they were alive.

One by one, they activated their teleportation systems and disappeared from the battlefield, returning to the real world.

With the city fallen, its forces now belonged to Ethan. He had full authority over them—whether to send them to Lion City or bring them along to fight against the remaining enemy guilds.

Kevin approached him soon after.

Ethan sheathed the Bloodblade Ashura and deactivated Ashura Mode. The red markings faded from his body, and the surge of power settled back into his core.

Kevin’s face was bright with relief and excitement.

“Your arrival saved us, Sir Ethan,” he said earnestly.

Ethan nodded and glanced to the side. Ascalon City’s forces were still engaged in fierce combat with enemy troops nearby. Explosions echoed in the distance.

Sera continued her mission, destroying enemy cities and infrastructure without pause.

With one of the three enemy guilds eliminated, the morale of the others had clearly begun to crumble.

“What should we do about the rest?” Kevin asked.

Ethan paused briefly.

“We attack,” he said firmly. “You focus on one guild. I’ll handle the others.”

Kevin nodded immediately and relayed the orders. His troops shifted formation, concentrating their assault on a single enemy force.

Meanwhile, Ethan drew the Bloodblade Ashura once more.

[Mode Ashura Activated]

Power surged through him again. Red markings spread across his body as his presence intensified.

In a blur of motion, Ethan charged forward.

Enemy fighters panicked as he cut through their front lines.

They had known EthanArk was involved in the war—but they hadn’t expected him to strike directly.

“Ethan is attacking! What do we do?!” someone yelled.

“Retreat! We’ll regroup later!” the enemy guild leader shouted.

But Ethan didn’t allow it.

He advanced relentlessly, breaking their formation and overwhelming them before they could escape. Casualties mounted rapidly as resistance collapsed.

Then they saw it.

Their city was burning.

Massive flames consumed buildings and towers as soldiers inside desperately tried to contain the fire. It was too large, too sudden.

“What’s happening?” the guild leader muttered in horror.

He turned—just in time to see Ethan approaching.

Half of his team was already gone.

“Wait!” he shouted. “We can talk this out!”

Ethan stopped.

The wounded retreated, using the pause to recover. Ethan lifted his gaze and focused on the guild leader.

“I’ll end this battle,” Ethan said calmly, “if you hand over the core crystal.”

The man swallowed hard.

“…Fine,” he said weakly. “I’ll give it to you.”

This time, it was easier than before.

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