Chapter 317: Ethan’s Next Target

Unlike before, the attacks unleashed by the Absolute Defense Magic protecting this city were on an entirely different level.

The pressure alone made it clear that this was no ordinary defensive system.

Ethan immediately suspected that the city guarded by this magic belonged to an S-rank guild, one of the strongest factions within the Redemption Sword Alliance.

That assumption alone explained everything. The intensity of the mana fluctuations, the density of the rune structure, and the sheer scale of the attack patterns were far beyond what they had faced the previous night.

To be safe, Ethan decided not to rely solely on speed and flexibility.

He switched his weapon.

The Tempest Reaver vanished, replaced by the Bloodblade Ashura. The moment Ethan’s fingers wrapped around its hilt, a drastic transformation occurred.

A deep crimson aura erupted from his body, spreading outward like waves of blood-red light. His presence became heavier, more oppressive.

The surge of power was unmistakable, violent in nature. Both of his eyes ignited with a sharp red glow, radiating killing intent that made nearby soldiers instinctively tense.

[Mode Ashura Activated]

The sudden change stunned everyone watching, especially the other unit commanders.

Until now, most of them had only heard rumors about Ethan’s strength.

Stories passed around the alliance painted him as powerful, but none of them had ever truly seen him fight.

Now, standing before them, Ethan was no longer just the Chairman of the Eastern Alliance.

He was a walking embodiment of destruction.

“This… this is Sir Ethan’s true power?” one commander muttered under his breath.

Several others swallowed hard. The pressure alone made it difficult to breathe.

Ethan moved.

His body shot forward in a flash of crimson light, so fast that some soldiers barely registered his movement.

The moment he crossed into the city’s detection range, the magic rune reacted.

The rune flared violently.

The defensive mechanism activated without hesitation.

Three massive meteors formed within the red rune, their surfaces burning with intense flames.

The heat distorted the air around them as they descended at terrifying speed, all three locking onto Ethan as their target.

Ethan felt the crushing pressure of their combined force bearing down on him.

But it still wasn’t enough to shake him.

He tightened his grip on Bloodblade Ashura, planting his feet firmly against the ground. His stance lowered, muscles tensing as his aura surged even higher.

With a sharp sideways swing, Ethan unleashed his attack.

Crimson Slash.

A vast crescent of red energy tore through the air, slicing upward toward the sky. The slash collided head-on with the incoming meteors.

BLAST!

The explosion was deafening.

The sky itself seemed to tremble as fire and crimson energy clashed violently. Thick clouds of smoke burst outward, glowing red from the intense heat of the impact.

Red dominated the explosion, swallowing the flames whole.

Ethan’s Crimson Slash obliterated all three meteors simultaneously.

Fragments of shattered stone and burning debris rained down from the sky.

Ethan drove his sword straight into the ground.

In response, a defensive dome formed around him, constructed from condensed aura and sword energy.

Meteor fragments crashed against the barrier relentlessly, but none of them managed to penetrate it.

“Magic defense formation!” Nathan shouted, eyes wide.

Other unit members reacted immediately. Several mages raised their staves, reinforcing the barrier and extending its coverage to protect the entire force.

A translucent wall of magic spread outward, enveloping thousands of soldiers just as smaller meteor fragments continued to fall.

The barrage lasted only a short while.

Then, silence.

The rain of debris finally ceased. Not a single soldier had been injured. The magic barrier had completely neutralized the aftermath of the meteor strike.

As the last fragments hit the ground, the barrier slowly faded away.

Ethan still stood at the front.

Untouched. Unmoved.

Not even dust clung to him.

One of the commanders exhaled shakily. “Sir Ethan’s strength… it’s on a completely different level.”

Nathan turned to them, his expression serious. “If you try to measure yourselves against him, you’ll only end up disappointed. You’ll never reach that level.”

They nodded, unable to argue. Their eyes returned to Ethan with a mix of awe and reverence.

With the meteor threat resolved, Ethan did not waste a single second.

He launched himself forward again, leaping effortlessly onto the city wall.

Crimson energy gathered along the blade of Bloodblade Ashura as he targeted the glowing red rune suspended above the city.

Another Crimson Slash tore through the air.

The rune trembled violently as its structure destabilized.

Ethan continued his assault without pause. One by one, he struck the rune’s core nodes, each attack precise and devastating.

Within five minutes, all four rune points were completely destroyed.

The red rune flickered, cracked, and finally shattered into countless fragments of fading light. The oppressive mana pressure vanished instantly.

The city’s Absolute Defense Magic was gone.

The massive gate creaked open slowly.

Nathan stood frozen, staring at the open entrance. For a moment, he genuinely did not know what to do next.

“You can order your troops to attack the city now,” Yuna said calmly.

Nathan turned to her. “But… there’s nothing there.”

“There are city soldiers and city structures,” Yuna replied firmly. “Your objective is simple. Destroy the city.”

Nathan fell silent.

Then he looked at Ethan.

Ethan hadn’t given a verbal command, but the situation was already clear. The gate was open. The defense was gone.

Nathan straightened his posture.

He raised his sword high.

“Raise your weapons!” he shouted with all his strength. “Kill all city soldiers and destroy the city!”

“YEAAH!”

The roar from the troops shook the ground.

Nathan charged forward on horseback, sword gleaming. The unit commanders followed, and behind them came the overwhelming tide of the Eastern Alliance’s combined forces.

They surged into the city with unstoppable momentum.

Yuna rode with them until she reached the southern gate wall. She dismounted and stood beside Ethan, both of them watching from above.

Below them, chaos unfolded.

Eastern Alliance soldiers clashed with the remaining city guards. Buildings were set ablaze. Walls collapsed.

Flames spread rapidly through the streets, consuming everything in their path.

“Same as yesterday, right?” Yuna asked quietly.

Ethan nodded. “There are no enemy team members here. We stick to the plan.”

“I understand.”

Time passed quickly.

After roughly thirty minutes, all city soldiers had been eliminated. The city lay in ruins.

Buildings collapsed one after another, fire devouring what remained until nothing of value was left standing.

Nathan eventually rode back toward the southern gate, his armor stained with ash. He stopped before Ethan, eyes filled with determination and uncertainty.

“What should I do next?” Nathan asked.

“Withdraw all forces from the city,” Ethan replied calmly. “Yuna will handle the rest.”

“I understand.”

Nathan turned and shouted orders, commanding every soldier to evacuate immediately.

The Eastern Alliance forces began marching out of the city in disciplined formation, moving quickly and efficiently.

Ethan and Yuna watched silently as the city was emptied.

Once no one remained inside, Ethan turned to Yuna.

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Yuna glanced at him, then nodded.

She raised her staff, focusing her mana. Wind began to swirl around her, gathering into complex patterns as she activated her Absolute Defense Magic, wind element.

At the same time, Ethan descended from the city wall and mounted his horse.

He rode south, deliberately putting distance between himself and the city to avoid triggering the defense mechanism.

In less than ten minutes, the Absolute Defense Magic fully activated.

From afar, Ethan saw the wind barrier stabilize and the rune system lock into place. Yuna emerged safely, riding back toward him without a single scratch.

Nathan stared, confused. “Wait. She wasn’t attacked by the magic?”

Ethan shook his head as he deactivated Ashura Mode. The crimson aura faded, and his eyes returned to normal.

“No. The magic only detects anyone other than the caster,” Ethan explained. “If I went in there, I’d be attacked because I’m not Yuna.”

“Oh…” Nathan nodded slowly. “Now I understand how it works.”

Ethan looked back toward the ruined city. “This is why city sabotage is so important. When the enemy returns from the battlefield and tries to enter the city, they’ll be met with attacks from their own Absolute Defense Magic.”

Nathan let out a breath of disbelief. “That’s clever. I never imagined their own defenses could be turned against them like this.”

Yuna arrived in front of Ethan. He took out an MP potion and handed it to her. She smiled softly and accepted it, thanking him.

Ethan then turned his gaze toward the thousands of soldiers waiting behind him, their weapons still raised, their morale burning brighter than ever.

“We’re moving to the next city now!”

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