"Annoying?"

"You're asking me to go to the 50th floor while protecting Risa? That's nonsense," Ethan complained.

He summoned his Tempest Reaver, and the moment the sword appeared, the Tempest Mode activated once again.

The three elders were shocked and tried to fight Ethan with their magic, but he dodged each of their attacks with ease.

"He's so fast!" they shouted.

Ethan dashed forward, pulling aside the curtain that separated him from Risa. When the curtain opened, Risa froze, stunned by Ethan's reckless action.

Ethan stretched his hands forward, picked her up, and told her to wrap her arms around him. One of the elders rushed outside to alert everyone that Ethan was trying to kidnap Risa.

The moment people heard that, chaos broke out. The village guards raised their weapons and formed tight lines in front of the chief's house.

Risa was still in shock, unable to react to what was happening. Her eyes stayed locked on Ethan, who was forcing her to leave with him —it was clear he was kidnapping her.

As Ethan reached the front yard of the chief's house, everyone glared at him with anger, demanding he release Risa.

But this was Ethan's backup plan in case his offer was rejected. He didn't care if they saw him as a villain or a savior. Risa was the village chief, and he couldn't allow her to stay out of his sight.

If Risa died, it would be the same as Ethan dying.

From behind, the three elders cornered him. Now Ethan was surrounded —the guards in front, the elders behind.

Even so, he didn't see Nok, Risa's cousin. Ethan narrowed his eyes, wondering what Nok was planning.

But his focus had to stay on the situation around him. Risa didn't resist while Ethan carried her; instead, she tightened her arms around him.

"Let go of Lady Risa, Ethan!" one of the guards shouted.

"I'll let her go if you can stop me," Ethan replied.

"Ethan?" Risa called. Ethan turned to her.

"Please... don't kill them," she begged.

Ethan paused, then nodded. Risa clearly cared for her people's lives even now, even though she was being kidnapped.

She feared Ethan might do anything to escape — even kill everyone. She didn't want that to happen.

"Neryss. Lyodra!"

[Aggressive Mode: Soul Servant]

[Neryss Abyssborn (Lv.10) || SR Rank || Passive → Aggressive || 1000 MP]

[Lyodra Vulkanis (Lv.10) || SR Rank || Passive → Aggressive || 1000 MP]

Two lights flared — one blue, one red — and Neryss and Lyodra appeared in front of Ethan in perfect form.

Neryss wore a beautiful blue dress and held a magic staff, while Lyodra appeared in a fiery red gown holding a spear of flame. Both had come at Ethan's call.

"Lyodra, take Risa away from here," Ethan ordered.

"Neryss, hold them off. Don't kill anyone," he commanded.

Neryss nodded and created glowing blue runes on the ground. Lyodra turned and carried Risa in her arms.

"W-What is that?" one of the elders shouted as Nok watched from the stilt house.

It turned out Ethan had another power. Maybe Risa would be safe with him after all.

The elders began chanting spells, forming a magic barrier to keep anyone from leaving the village. Lyodra and Ethan moved —Lyodra flew into the sky carrying Risa, while Ethan dashed through the lines of guards at lightning speed, avoiding them all without killing anyone.

The village guards were overwhelmed. Their strength wasn't enough to handle Ethan's speed and power.

Just as they were about to chase after Ethan and Lyodra, a wall of seawater three meters high rose up around them, trapping them inside. There was no way they could break Neryss's water barrier.

Lyodra managed to escape the village before the dome sealed completely, but Ethan didn't — he was trapped inside. He swung his sword, but the dome wouldn't break.

"Haha! You'll never destroy our barrier!" one of the elders shouted.

Ethan clicked his tongue and looked back. The three elders were also caught inside Neryss's water barrier. Like him, they couldn't break through it.

"Not with Tempest Reaver," Ethan said.

He sheathed the sword and switched to the Bloodblade Ashura. The aura around him shifted from gray-white to deep crimson.

Everyone stared at the sword — Lord Gor's legendary blade. As Ethan gripped it, the Ashura Mode activated instantly.

"Lord Gor's sword?" one of the elders whispered.

Nok narrowed his eyes. It was his second time seeing that sword. But he had another plan.

"No, Ethan!" Risa cried out.

"I have no choice. If I kill the elders, I can escape this blood barrier!" Ethan said firmly.

Just as Ethan was about to swing his sword and unleash a crimson slash, he stopped when Nok leapt from the stilt house and landed in front of him.

"NOK! Defeat him!" one of the elders shouted.

Nok glared at Ethan and raised his staff to the sky, firing a blood-red beam at the top of the dome.

Ethan thought Nok was attacking him and prepared to strike first —but then an explosion burst at the top of the dome. The blood barrier started to fade and vanish completely.

Ethan lowered his sword, surprised.

"Nok?" one of the elders called.

"Your power is amazing, Ethan. Your idea is the best — you can protect Risa while keeping her close to you," Nok said.

"NOK! What are you doing?!" the elder shouted, shocked by Nok's betrayal.

"I'm doing this for the village. The teleport token can only be used by those with the chief's bloodline," Nok replied.

"I do have the chief's bloodline, but Risa is important to Ethan," Nok said, turning toward the furious elders.

"If I don't let Ethan go, he'll slaughter everyone here. Do you realize how much energy it takes to summon this blood barrier?"

The three elders fell silent, clicking their tongues in frustration. Nok was right —half of their strength had been drained just to create the barrier.

If the fight continued, Ethan could easily kill them. And if the elders died, the barrier would collapse anyway.

Seeing them speechless, Nok turned back. Ethan stood still, and Lyodra gently set Risa down so she could say goodbye to her cousin.

Risa ran to Nok and hugged her tightly, crying in her arms. Nok smiled softly. She had explored the world outside many times, but Risa hadn't.

Risa had spent her entire life inside the village, never knowing what the outside world looked like.

With Ethan's protection, Nok believed Risa would be safe.

"Take care of yourself. Listen to Ethan. I'll protect the village until you return," Nok said. Risa nodded, wiping her tears.

Ethan called Lyodra and Neryss, telling them to end their aggressive mode. The two servants began to glow softly before returning to their small chibi forms.

Risa saw Ethan ready to leave. After saying her last goodbye to Nok, she and Ethan walked away from the village, heading east.

"Thank you... for not killing my people," Risa said softly.

"We're going to the eastern village. Your outfit stands out too much. We need to buy clothes that suit you."

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