Chapter 541: The Old Lion Chooses His Path
Ethan was on the verge of tears.
But when he saw the two figures walking toward him, his chest loosened and he let out a long, relieved breath. ’Thank heavens, it’s not more women...’
"Kid," one of them called out, a hoarse voice slurring slightly. It was Hank, the old drunkard. "That little white bottle of liquor you had... tell me, is that from your world?"
Ethan couldn’t help but smile. The man’s eyes were fixed greedily on his stash. Of course that’s what he wanted.
"Yes, it’s from my world. I already left all my stock for you, old man."
"As long as it’s from your world..." Hank’s cheeks were flushed and his nose permanently red from drink. "That little stock of yours, even if I ration it, I’ll burn through it in two years. I’m thinking... maybe I should just come to your side, drink as much as I want. What do you say?"
"This..." Ethan began, but before he could get another word out, Hank waved his hand impatiently.
"Don’t ’this’ me. And that red, bitter liquor—don’t tell me that’s not from your world too?"
"Yes," Ethan admitted.
"Then it’s settled! Regis is coming too!" Hank declared with a laugh, tossing an arm around the other figure’s shoulders.
Ethan turned toward Regis, the former City Lord. The old man wasn’t looking at him. His gaze followed the quadruplet sisters who were quietly slipping away, bundles in hand.
"You... sigh. Girls grow up and you can’t keep them forever." His voice carried both resignation and warmth. Though the sisters were technically his maids, Regis had raised them from infancy, treating them as his own granddaughters. Seeing them now, ready to leave, he knew exactly what they were thinking.
Only after that did he look back at Ethan, shaking his head. Ethan felt awkward under the weight of it, wanting to protest, I’m not kidnapping your girls! But Regis’s lips curved into a faint smile.
"I’ve lived most of my life in this wasteland they call the Sea of Death and never once seen true greenery. I wonder, in your world... are there mountains clothed in forests, rivers running clear? A place where an old man might spend his final days? And if I have four granddaughters to look after me, that would be a comfortable life indeed."
His words carried the polish and calm authority of a statesman. Compared to Hank’s bluntness, Regis was refined, measured.
"Of course," Ethan promised. "There’ll be more liquor than you can drink. I’ll build you a villa by the water, with mountains behind it, a place made for retirement. But... don’t you want to stay for your grandchildren?" Ethan’s eyes flicked to Julian, who had emerged from the main hall.
Regis turned, beckoning his son closer. "Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. I’ve spent my life in blood and hatred, fighting for the Southwest. It’s time I lived for myself."
Julian’s one good arm wrapped tightly around his father, his eyes shining with tears he didn’t shed. Regis returned the embrace without hesitation.
Watching them, Ethan felt his own chest ache. He had his mother, yes, but his father remained a shadow, a man whose name and face he still didn’t know. The last time he’d spoken with his mother, she hadn’t mentioned him, and Ethan hadn’t dared to ask. Even now, he didn’t know if he ever would.
"This city is yours now," Regis said as he pulled away.
"Father, rest assured."
The two men didn’t exchange many words, but the grief of parting hung heavy in the air. Ethan wanted to dissuade Regis, but when he saw the determination in the old man’s eyes, he kept silent.
A moment later, Regis urged his son and Bongo to leave. Watching them depart, Regis murmured, "The young eagle must spread his wings... as for this old lion, I’ve lived long enough. And yet, I can live longer still. If I don’t step away, how can he truly take flight?"
The moment he said it, the atmosphere shifted. Everyone turned toward him, startled. Though Regis was still technically only at the rank of War God, his aura swelled into something vast and boundless, like the sky itself. At the same time, he seemed frail, almost translucent, like a dying ember clinging to life.
"Old City Lord... what is this?" Ethan asked, wide-eyed.
Hank let out a drunken chuckle and took a long swig. "This old bastard... two months ago, he went out on his own. Survived two Heavenly Trials."
"What? Two Trials? That’s impossible..." Ethan’s disbelief was plain.
"Those Energy Cores were truly powerful," Regis admitted, though his voice carried a trace of fear. "And it wasn’t just two Heavenly Trials. There was also a Heart Demon Trial."
"A Heart Demon Trial?" Ethan’s breath caught. "Then your level now..."
"Beyond the Voidbreaker," Regis said. "I can’t even give it a name."
Ethan immediately understood. Julian must have given him a portion of the Energy Cores. Over a thousand in total—how many had Regis consumed to achieve this?
"Heh... with that little white bottle of Energy Cores, I’ll be at your level soon enough!" Hank winked at Ethan.
Ethan had no words. He’d given them both plenty last night already. Clearly Hank thought it wasn’t enough, which explained why he was so eager to follow Ethan back. But Ethan bore him no ill will. Hank was opportunistic, yes, but never conniving. He was direct in what he wanted, and he always backed his words with action.
In the recent battle, he’d nearly thrown his life away to stop Quinn, only surviving because he’d been blasted back instead of destroyed. He and Regis had even been rivals in love once, yet still managed to share decades of brotherhood. For a man who had lived solitary and stubborn his whole life, his loyalty was genuine. Ethan could respect that.
After a while longer of banter, Ethan scanned their surroundings and finally said, "We should—"
"Whoa, whoa, Boss, don’t say those words!" Blackie cut in quickly.
"Yeah, hurry up already," Micah added. "Jed’s probably waiting."
Ethan shut his mouth, lifted his hand, and summoned a gate. A swirl of purplish-black light tore open the air. The Gate of Ascension.
Everyone looked back one final time, as if bidding farewell to the world they’d known, then stepped through.
When the Gate closed behind them, Ethan turned toward the main hall. Within the shadows of its entrance, he glimpsed the figures who had insisted they would not see him off.
He pulled up his quest panel, pressed "Complete Quest" on the final mission, and the system voice rang out.
[System Notification: Quest complete. Reward: Divine Ability – Immortality. Due to the extreme difficulty of this quest, the ability takes effect immediately. No contest period required.]
White light flared around him. Ethan felt his body unravel, dissolving into particles, his consciousness slipping through endless darkness.
When his senses returned, he blinked in confusion. For a heartbeat he thought he was trapped inside a glass jar. Then recognition hit. He was in his limited edition X-SUP VR Capsule, worth over twelve million.
Through the transparent shell he could see daylight. Ethereal was in its rest period, which meant he had been ejected automatically. After a moment to steady his breathing and remember what it meant to have a physical body again, he pushed open the capsule’s lid.
’I’m finally back... Lyla, I’m back!’
A fierce longing welled up. He grabbed his phone, ready to call her, but then remembered—this was the Whitmore family’s Hidden Territory. No signal. Cursing under his breath, he stuffed the phone into his pocket.
He opened the starlit chamber door, intending to greet the others and then slip outside to make his call. But the moment he stepped out, something was wrong.
The Hidden Territory was silent.
He checked the nearby starlit rooms. Leo, Victor, Ryan—empty. Everyone gone. Extending his Soul Sense outward, he probed the Whitmore estate. The houses stood abandoned.
"Hm? They’re all gathered... there, at the entrance," Ethan muttered.
His heart jumped. "Lyla? And... him?"
The moment he felt it, his expression changed. Something was wrong.