CHAPTER 97: SNOW HILL REUNION

Ashley froze in shock at Ethan’s unexpected reaction, left completely speechless.

She couldn’t see his face directly—the black mask hid everything.

But Ashley’s memory never failed her. She had seen him, knew him, and was certain that the man she saw on the monitoring screen was Ethan.

There was no mistake—it was him.

Even so, Ashley couldn’t understand why Ethan refused to meet her.

Her eyes lowered, then widened slightly as she noticed his left hand.

Blood dripped from the hand clenched tightly into a fist. Ashley realized something with a look of shock.

A moment later, she knew what she had to do.

Ashley stepped forward, smiling softly as she apologized.

Jill, Leon, and Leni were all surprised by Ashley’s reaction.

"I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else. Forgive me," said Ashley.

Ethan smiled faintly behind his black mask. He dismissed his sword, easing the tension that filled the air.

With that, the atmosphere calmed. Ashley turned around and walked away from Ethan, while he did the same, heading in the opposite direction.

Leni was still confused. She had clearly heard that Ethan had wanted to meet Ashley so badly, but now? The two of them acted like complete strangers.

"What actually happened?" Jill asked, curious.

"Send an assassin from our guild to follow Ethan. I want to know where he goes," murmured Ashley.

"Of course. But why did you respond to what Ethan said?" Jill asked again.

Ashley fell silent. Talking about that in public wasn’t wise—especially with the Big Three Guilds still around.

Some distance away, Ethan stopped walking when he noticed someone in front of him.

It was Horald, or rather, Gilgamesh, standing face to face with him, sword in hand.

Not just Gilgamesh—Kevin and Alan were there too.

Lara watched from the side, not expecting Ethan to get involved with the Big Three Guilds again.

Ashley stopped as well and turned back. Her eyes narrowed, clearly seeing Ethan standing alone before Gilgamesh, Alan, and Kevin—the three leaders representing Redemption Sword, Scavenger, and Silver Star.

"What?" Ethan asked coldly.

"We still have unfinished business," Kevin said, and Ethan shot him a sharp look.

"You want to fight me again? Here? Putting your lives on the line?!" Ethan barked.

"I don’t mind. With my servant’s strength, I can kill you easily!" Ethan threatened.

He summoned Bloodblade Ashura once more and stabbed it into the ground.

That crimson aura—his killing intent—rose from his body, a clear sign that he was fully recovered and ready to fight.

Ethan’s level had increased, and his power far surpassed theirs.

If he fought now, they would be seriously injured—maybe worse.

Horald, also known as Gilgamesh, knew well how terrifying Ethan’s servant could be.

If Ethan truly summoned it again, they would all die.

At this point, none of them could afford to act recklessly.

Gilgamesh laughed, sheathing his sword and clapping his hands.

He started to think more realistically—fighting Ethan now was pointless when their levels were so far behind.

He also suspected LionArk’s involvement, since that guild had always been at odds with the Big Three.

If a battle broke out, Ashley would likely side with Ethan to fight a common enemy.

Beating Ethan alone was already hard enough—adding Ashley would make it a nightmare.

"What happens in the event stays in the event. We don’t need to bring it up again, right?" Gilgamesh said.

Alan squinted at him, then sighed softly, realizing what the man intended.

Among the three, only Kevin was still fuming. He was angry because of his loss to LionArk.

That defeat meant Silver Star had failed to claim Mavelard—and Kevin had failed to marry Ashley.

It was a crushing blow for Silver Star, but a breath of relief for LionArk.

"I don’t care! He ruined my plan—I’ll kill him!" Kevin shouted, pointing his sword forward.

Ethan drew his blade and blocked Kevin’s strike. The clash of steel echoed loudly, sending out waves of power.

Ashley watched as Ethan and Kevin fought. Ethan was risking his life to protect LionArk, Mavelard, and Ashley from destruction.

That alone was enough to convince Ashley that EthanArk was truly Ethan Arkwright—the man she knew.

Ethan roared and swung his sword sideways. Kevin was thrown back hard, his body slamming into the white altar wall.

He wasn’t injured, but his pride shattered instantly. The Big Three Guilds were known as justice enforcers—players who were said to be unbeatable against criminals.

But now, the truth was clear. Kevin had been defeated in a single swing by Ethan.

Rumors began to spread that the Big Three Guilds needed to be reorganized. Their power was unstable now; only Scavenger and Redemption Sword deserved their top ranks.

Hearing that, Gilgamesh didn’t want his image ruined. He stepped forward to stop the fight, repeating that what happened in the event should stay in the event.

Everyone agreed and praised Gilgamesh’s so-called wisdom. Many even began to see him as a role model among players.

Ethan wasn’t impressed. He had always known Horald—Gilgamesh—was after fame and influence. The man loved being praised.

Slowly, everyone began to leave the white altar. Each player gained temporary flight ability for thirty minutes to depart safely.

While flying, no one could attack anyone else.

Silver Star left first, followed by Scavenger and Redemption Sword. After the three big guilds departed, smaller ones like Sword Liberation began to leave too, including LionArk.

Lara and her group flew back toward Porco. Leni and the others headed toward Mavelard.

Everyone was gone—except Ashley. She watched Ethan standing alone on the white altar as eternal snow drifted down from the northern sky.

The North was the land where snow never ceased to fall.

Everyone had left. Jill even asked Ashley to leave too, but she refused.

She made it clear she would stay here until Ethan left. Jill looked at Leon, and the two exchanged a knowing nod—they understood what Ashley wanted.

Jill and Leon were the last to go, leaving Ethan and Ashley alone on the white altar.

Neither of them knew that Ashley hadn’t yet returned to Mavelard—not even the members of the Big Three Guilds realized it.

"Is your hand still bleeding?" Ashley asked, standing beside Ethan, looking out over the snowy hills below.

"Yeah, it is," Ethan replied softly.

"Let me heal you," said Ashley.

She opened her inventory, took out a white bandage, and wrapped it around Ethan’s hand.

The bandage could restore 5 HP per second as long as Ethan kept it on.

The effect would stop once his HP was full—who knew how long that would take.

Ethan kept his eyes on Ashley from up close. She was shorter than him, and from this distance, he could see her clearly.

"I’m sorry," Ethan said.

"You must have a lot of questions for me, right?" he asked again.

"At first, I didn’t believe what Leon said... but after watching the event recording, I realized he was right," Ashley replied.

Ethan smiled. He took off his black mask, revealing the handsome face Ashley had missed for so long.

As she saw his right hand holding the mask, Ashley lifted her head, staring at his face.

"It’s been two years... two long years since we last met," Ashley whispered, her eyes shimmering with tears.

Her hands trembled as she continued tending to Ethan’s wound, her mind blank, not knowing how to begin.

The person she had longed for was standing before her—not a dream, not an illusion, but the real Ethan Arkwright.

Ashley knew everything about his habits, even his bad ones. If he could answer those things, it would prove he was truly Ethan.

She didn’t know how he had ended up inside the Tower of Ascension—that mystery remained. But for now, at least she was glad.

Glad to have someone she could count on again.

"There are a few questions I need to ask—if you don’t mind."

"Of course. I’ll answer them."