Chapter 560: The Druid God Versus Twenty-Five
The official homepage of Ethereal exploded with a headline that dominated every screen, refreshed in real time as billions of players logged on.
[The Druid God Returns, Trapped in Hostile Territory! Will the Legend End? (Live Broadcast) WCC Radio – Carnage Faction Sub-Station]
The post had only been live for a few moments, but already the comment section was flooding with billions of replies. A live broadcast link pulsed at the top of the page, updating second by second.
"Everyone, pay attention," a voice cut through the feed, shaky with barely contained excitement. "I’m reporting live from San Lorenzo Town. Behind me, you can see the city wall, where an unbelievable battle is unfolding. It’s the Druid God himself, fighting against the top twenty-five guild leaders of the Carnage Faction. And to be precise—this isn’t a battle. It’s a massacre."
The broadcaster hesitated for a beat before pressing on. "Alright, we just secured new broadcast permissions through the Ethereal System. Switching now... aerial view."
The perspective suddenly shifted, the camera pulling high above the battlefield. WCC Radio, once a minor station, had clearly grown influential enough to secure these rare permissions, and the world was riveted. Survivor Faction players made up the majority of the audience, but even neutral and Carnage-aligned users tuned in, unable to look away.
The feed showed Ethan, the so-called Druid God, smoothly maneuvering four massive Shield Tanks away from the wall as though they were mere pawns in his game.
Chat instantly detonated.
Inkwell: "Can Druids even do that? Am I seeing this right?"
CornerSquatter: "You’re not wrong, bro!"
I’m So Busy: "What the hell? Isn’t this guy supposed to be some god-tier player? Why doesn’t he just wipe them out already instead of playing with them? Trash..."
That last comment lit a fuse.
10086: "Hey, ’I’m So Busy,’ do you feel smarter after getting diagnosed with brain rot?"
10010: "Nah, he didn’t just get smarter—he went to a psych ward, killed a god in his dreams, and came back crazy."
10011: "Kid, stupidity’s not a buff. You don’t respawn smarter."
10000: "Yo, Busy, is your dad a moron too?"
XXXX: "Nah, correction—his dad is his uncle."
.....: "You guys are too polite. I think he’s just [Beep~][Beep~][Beep~]..."
Moderator: "Please, stop... I already have too much work keeping this clean."
While the chat tore "I’m So Busy" to pieces, Ethan shifted forms. Out of combat, he instantly morphed into an eagle, wings catching the wind as he sped ahead to cut off the fleeing guild leaders. His speed dwarfed theirs, and in a blink, he was circling above them.
"Should we... jump too?" a nervous voice piped up from within the fleeing crowd.
Heads snapped toward the source. A dark-skinned man, who had been running with his eyes closed as though invisible, suddenly cracked them open and grinned, flashing teeth unnervingly white in the gloom. For a moment everyone froze, startled he was even there—most had assumed he’d already been taken out.
Had this man chosen an assassin class, he might have been a terrifying threat. Instead, he was a healer, which made his ability to blend in even more absurd. In dungeon runs, raid leaders often had to pause mid-count, scouring the party to make sure he hadn’t slipped away unnoticed. Yet because he was a guild leader, no one dared complain.
"Jump? You’d embarrass yourself further," scoffed the leader of River Empire, a towering Weapon Master who carried a greatsword across his back. He drew the massive blade with slow determination. "I’d rather die with honor than grovel my way out."
But his eyes betrayed him. The courage was already gone. The will to fight was more pride than conviction. And for a Weapon Master, courage wasn’t optional. Without it, defeat was inevitable.
"Damn it, let’s just go," growled the Desert Sands guild leader, ranked second among Carnage. He drew his longbow and loosed an arrow in one fluid motion, faster even than River Empire’s blade.
Ethan touched down lightly on the ground, prepared to exchange a few words with these so-called titans of Carnage. Instead, the arrow whistled straight for his chest the instant his boots hit the dirt.
"Holy—" Ethan twisted aside, the shaft grazing his side. The shot had been so precise it could have crippled him had it landed. He turned sharp eyes on the archer, only to see the man himself staring in disbelief. It hadn’t been foresight. It had been blind luck.
Still, luck or not, the gauntlet had been thrown.
The Weapon Master roared and launched his Leap Slash. Ethan braced, paw rising as he shifted forms, massive bear limbs rippling with power. With a deafening crack, paw met steel, and the greatsword veered wildly off course, smashing harmlessly against the wall.
Gasps echoed across the livestream.
The Weapon Master landed, stunned that his unstoppable attack had been so casually brushed aside. He barely had time to rise before Ethan stepped in close. One colossal swipe of his arm, and his palm struck the warrior’s head like a hammer.
The stun effect triggered instantly.
Three seconds later, the guild leader was on his knees, dazed and broken, staring up at the Druid God.
For a moment, even the roaring chat froze in silence.
Anonymous Warrior: "No way. The Leap Slash... you can counter that?"
Every Warrior in the game knew the truth: Leap Slash was not something you blocked. You dodged, or you died. Attempting to parry it usually got you flattened, even if you had a counter skill prepared.
Yet Ethan hadn’t parried. He hadn’t even used a defensive skill. He had simply slapped the blade in its weakest spot, redirecting the blow with uncanny precision.
Experts in the audience immediately dissected the maneuver. Ethan had not only dodged the lucky arrow but instantly calculated the precise angle where the Weapon Master’s force collapsed. And he had acted in the split-second window available.
Coincidence? Or proof that the Druid God was everything the legends claimed?
If this was skill, then all the rumors—bug exploits, black-market tech, gear hacks—died here. Ethan’s display was a slap across the faces of every so-called analyst and keyboard warrior who had written him off.
The truth was undeniable. His gear was strong, yes, and his level was high, but he wasn’t recklessly tanking blows. Every step, every counter, was deliberate. He didn’t waste a single movement.
For the first time since Ethereal launched, the world was seeing Ethan fight at full strength. And no one dared speak as he dismantled the guild leaders one by one. The chat, normally a storm of chatter, froze into reverent silence as thousands leaned in, desperate not to miss a flicker of his movements.
Though they knew recordings would circulate later, no one wanted to blink and miss the live broadcast. Some even leapt to their feet, fists pumping as though they themselves were in the fray.
One man, alone, standing against the top twenty-five leaders of the Carnage Faction.
As for the old rumors—that he had glitched his way into enemy territory—no one brought them up anymore. The truth was plain: even if a bug had carried him here, only skill had kept him alive. Could anyone else have done the same?
Not a chance. They would have been slaughtered instantly.
And across forums, message boards, and live chats, players who had once ridiculed the Druid God now fell quiet, swallowing their envy along with their own words.