CHAPTER 92: ASHURA

"Sera!" Ethan called out.

Even though Sera wasn’t near him, she could still hear his voice from hundreds of kilometers away.

Right now, Sera was in the southern forest with Leni and Luna, flying using her own power.

Her flight suddenly stopped when she heard a faint but familiar voice in the distance.

It wasn’t a cry from another player or anything like that. It was Ethan’s voice—her master’s.

"Yes, Ethan?" Sera replied.

"I’m surrounded by multiple guild team leaders from the top ten in Uruk City. Once you’ve finished bringing them, come here and help me," Ethan said.

Sera instantly understood Ethan’s concern. She immediately rushed forward, flying faster, leaving Leni and Luna confused.

They could tell something had happened, but they didn’t know exactly what made Seraphelis react like that.

"What’s wrong?" Leni asked bravely.

"Ethan... he’s surrounded by many top-ten guild team leaders. Right now, he’s in Uruk."

"Then let’s go save him!" Leni pleaded.

"That’s impossible. Ethan clearly ordered you to hide. He told me directly to help him," Sera replied.

"B-but—"

"You’re weak. Don’t push yourselves!" Sera snapped.

Hearing that made Leni and Luna fall silent. They didn’t respond and chose to keep flying north with Sera.

Sera had already taken Leni and Luna out of Arkan City. At first, some tried to chase them, but Sera defeated them easily.

She now held a few Star Essences in her hand—not many, but they would help Ethan later.

Inside Uruk City, Ethan was thrown back hard. He spat blood, his condition chaotic.

Gilgamesh didn’t fight him. Alan and Kevin didn’t either. The three of them just stood back and let other guild team leaders fight Ethan.

Ethan had already gone through three battles and won them all, even though he was injured, exhausted, and his clothes were torn apart.

Those three opponents had come from the Guilds The Light, Atlantica, and Lion and Wolf.

The easiest to defeat had been the Atlantica leader, while the hardest was from The Light.

Ethan gained nothing from those victories—no Star Essence, nothing. Only fatigue and wounds.

"I’m impressed... truly impressed!" Gilgamesh said, clapping his hands.

Ethan still stood in the middle of the city arena, breathing hard yet standing tall.

There was no way out of this place except by defeating every guild leader.

If he was lucky, Seraphelis would arrive outside the city to save him. Until then, Ethan only needed to buy time.

"This is far beyond my expectations," Gilgamesh said, stepping toward him.

Ethan could see Gilgamesh’s strong body entering the battle arena, clearly full of ambition to defeat him and steal his Star Essence.

"Alan, Kevin. Let’s end this game," Gilgamesh said.

"Let’s kill him!" he threatened.

Ethan’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t believe it—the three guild leaders from Redemption Sword, Scavenger, and Silver Star were all about to gang up on him.

This is bad! I have to hold out until Sera arrives.

Alan grinned, summoned his scythe, and charged forward. He swung to behead Ethan in one blow, but Ethan ducked and leapt backward in time.

From the side, Kevin appeared in a flash of lightning, reappearing beside him. Ethan froze in surprise, eyes wide as Kevin struck fast.

Ethan brought his sword up sideways, blocking Kevin’s swing. But his weakened body couldn’t hold the impact.

The force sent him flying and crashing to the ground. His HP dropped sharply, pain coursing through his body.

Again, Ethan spat blood and tried to stand, but Kevin rushed in and stabbed his right shoulder. Ethan screamed in pain.

"AAAHHH!"

"You have no manners! You’ve killed many guilds and stolen their Star Essences. You even took the Redemption Sword’s position," Kevin said coldly.

"If I were you, I’d hand over the Star Essence and that sword—for my own safety, of course," Kevin sneered.

"Take his sword, then cut off his head. We’ll get both the blade and the Star Essence at once!" Alan ordered.

"Let me do it!" Gilgamesh said, stepping forward with a massive longsword.

Ethan stayed silent, though his shoulder burned in agony.

Deep inside, he knew he couldn’t rely completely on Seraphelis.

He didn’t know when she would arrive. He had to survive with his own strength.

"Star Essence and Bloodblade Ashura... they’re mine!" Ethan growled, blood dripping from his mouth.

[Warning!]

[HP in critical condition!]

[Immediate recovery required]

Ethan didn’t care. In his heart, he had only one thought—to survive and fight, even if his body was torn apart.

Kevin froze, Alan and Gilgamesh charged—but all three stopped as a red aura burst from Ethan’s body.

No, it wasn’t Ethan’s power—it was the Bloodblade Ashura’s.

"What’s happening?" Kevin shouted, pulling back his sword.

Alan and Gilgamesh stared, stunned. Ethan’s hair turned long and red, his veins glowing crimson across his skin.

Kevin tried to pull his sword free, but it wouldn’t move—Ethan’s body seemed to grip it tight.

Ethan raised his head, eyes burning, and reached out, grabbing Kevin by the neck.

"Bloodblade Ashura... belongs to EthanArk!" he growled, voice heavy and deep.

"What the—"

"HYAAA!" Ethan roared.

He hurled Kevin forward with tremendous force, slamming him into the city wall.

Kevin groaned in agony as Alan and Gilgamesh tried to help—but they couldn’t.

It was as if an invisible barrier protected Ethan, shielding him from every attack.

"Alan! Horald! Help me!" Kevin screamed.

Ethan swung Bloodblade Ashura wildly and ferociously. Kevin screamed in pain, trying to fight back but failing.

"HAHAHA!" Ethan’s mad laughter echoed as he cut down another player.

Alan shook his head, signaling that they couldn’t win against Ethan in this state.

He guessed that this uncontrollable power came from the Bloodblade Ashura itself.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!" Kevin screamed again.

Within minutes, Kevin’s HP dropped to zero. His body dissolved into floating magic particles.

"One down. Now it’s your turn!"

Alan reached out, trying to stop Ethan and bring him back to his senses.

Gilgamesh stood frozen, shocked by the side effects of the Bloodblade Ashura.

"Great power always comes with great sacrifice," Gilgamesh muttered.

"You tortured Ethan... you tried to take me away from him!"

"I WON’T FORGIVE YOU!" Ethan shouted.

"Who are you, really?" Gilgamesh demanded, staring sharply at him.

"HAHAHA!" Ethan’s wild laughter echoed through the city, shocking everyone who heard it.

"I am... Ashura!"