Chapter 349: The Variable (Part 13)

  "Of course it's me. What, have you already forgotten me?" Ethan let out a long breath. His hands were gripping Adela's hand and neck respectively. Looking at the stunned crowd around him, he said, "I suggest none of you make a reckless move. All it takes is a little force from me, and this Cardinal's neck will snap like a twig. Then, in the blink of an eye, Necromancy can turn his brain into a puddle of mud. No amount of white magic, no matter how brilliant, can heal that."

  The high priests, Talise, and the Cardinal had already taken their positions, surrounding Ethan along with Lancelot, but no one dared to make the slightest move. Even though they didn't know that it was the real Pope, who had occupied Adela's body with Soul Magic, he was, after all, a Cardinal acting as Pope.

  "I didn't expect it to be you." Adela shook his head, his voice heavy and sour, as if it had emerged from a vat of vinegar. The orcs had come too suddenly, and from the start of the battle, everyone's full attention was consumed, leaving no room for anything else. And even if they had thought of it, they would have been unable to pay attention to his situation under the circumstances.

  "Actually, I didn't think I could really escape. I thought I had already been turned into a piece of charcoal..." Ethan nodded.

  In the dark-red fire clouds, dozens of giant fire meteors tumbled down. When the Archangel, enveloped in white holy light, cut apart and swatted away the fire meteors one by one, Ethan was struggling desperately inside the steel cage. Although he couldn't see the spectacular scene in the sky, he could feel it clearly. A fire meteor, the size of a small hill, was bypassing the Archangel's blockade, rolling down with a deafening roar.

  Unfortunately, he had tried this kind of struggle countless times before, and the result this time was no different. The chains and the steel cage that locked him were still as firm as ever. He could only listen as the great sound of the wind grew louder until it was deafening, along with the searing heat that the wind brought, which even the steel walls could not block.

  With a loud bang, the tens of thousands of pounds of fire meteor crashed to the ground. Amidst the flying rain of fire, dirt, and rocks, the steel cage was deformed and sent flying like a piece of crumpled waste paper. Just being grazed by the edge of the fire meteor, this once-indestructible cage was instantly smashed to pieces.

  Ethan also felt as if he had been smashed to pieces. His Battle Qi had long been suppressed, and he couldn't use his magical energy. He was no different from an ordinary person now, and under this world-destroying power, even the strongest physique was no different from paper-mache. The immense shock had shattered his body along with the chains that bound him, before blood even had time to flow. The high temperature of the fire magic around the meteor had already half-cooked him.

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  But then, under the ensuing rain of light from the sky, his body, which was no different from being dead, immediately began to heal at a rapid pace. The magic-suppressing cage and chains were gone, and the white magic within his body immediately attracted the healing power of Universal Redemption to surge into him. The Forbidden Spell, cast by the Pope with the last of his spiritual strength, had saved him first.

  "It's not that I didn't anticipate you would escape, but that I never expected you wouldn't flee afterward, and would even dare to take such a huge risk to come here."

  "Fleeing is not really my habit. As long as there's an opportunity, isn't it better to solve the problem completely than to keep running? And if I had fled, how could I have such a good opportunity now?" Ethan loosened his grip on one of Adela's hands and then snatched, and the Leaves of the World Tree that had been in Adela's hand fell into his.

  The expressions on Adela's and Lancelot's faces changed simultaneously. But Ethan's hands immediately tightened again, and he said, "Don't move. If you really don't want to talk, I don't care. I can kill this man and still escape safely."

  Adela suddenly smiled faintly and said: "I'm sorry, but I truly have no value as a hostage. I am merely temporarily acting in the stead of His Majesty the Pope. Compared to the Leaves of the World Tree and you, my life is not worth much. Lord Lancelot, you need not have any reservations."

  "There's no need to put on an act for me, Your Majesty the Pope. Or do you want me to say it out loud?" Before Lancelot could react, Ethan said softly. His voice was very low, just enough for Lancelot and the Pope to hear. "What I sensed was you. This man's temperament and tone are completely different from before. Coupled with the way Lancelot speaks to you, I only made my move after I was certain. Although I'm not entirely clear what method you used, I can roughly guess that it's not something appropriate to say out loud. So please, stop trying to fool me."

  "Forget it, stand down." Lancelot sighed and said suddenly. "Both His Majesty and I can promise to pardon your crimes from this day forward. Oufu is already doomed to lose. You are not of much use to us anymore."

  Ethan smiled slightly and shook his head: "If this were before, I would have been desperate for such terms. But now that I have such a big bargaining chip in my hand, of course I won't agree."

  "Don't get too cocky." Lancelot took a step back, his hand already on Aimee, who was unconscious in Talise's arms. "This little girl is also in our hands. If you let him go, how about I let you both leave?"

  "If I don't let him go, you'll still have to let us leave." Ethan smiled.

  "Do you believe I'll kill her right now?" Lancelot's voice was laced with killing intent.

  "Do you believe that if you make a move, I'll make one too?" Ethan was still smiling.

  A smile also appeared on Adela's face as he said: "The moment you make a move, you're dead. This is just a little girl. I don't believe you would give up your own life for her. I can tell you're not idiotic enough to throw away everything for some sentimental bond. In the name of the Pope, I promise to pardon all your crimes. You will be free from now on."

  "Even if you're right, I really won't give up my own life for her. But what I believe is that the Pope's life is worth far more than that. If it were just for that pardon, I wouldn't have taken this risk."

  "Are you really going to try?" Lancelot's hand moved. His fingers had already jabbed into Aimee's neck, and dark red blood immediately soaked into her fair skin.

  "It doesn't matter. Go ahead and try." Ethan's hand didn't move, nor did his expression. He smiled like a stone. "I'm not some wet-behind-the-ears rookie. I can afford to play this game. If you really think I won't do it, go ahead and try. But I know you can't afford the stakes."

  "Teacher..." It was Talise's face that began to change. Even she could tell that the killing intent from Lancelot was real, and in his hands, Aimee was no more significant than an ant.

  Lancelot ignored her, staring coldly at Ethan. Adela's face also darkened. The feeling of having his life in someone else's hands, with the possibility of being snapped at any moment, was not pleasant.

  After a long while, Lancelot finally nodded and snorted coldly: "Fine. What do you want?"