Path To Godhood Begins With Marrying Wife And Gaining SSS Rank Skill Chapter 526:Killed

"Damn… Are you brain-dead or something…" he grumbled under his breath, casting an annoyed glance at both of them.

"If anyone asks about me, and you both look at me at the same time…"

His words were quiet, but the frustration was evident.

The figure in the cloak inclined his head slightly, as if this turn of events was anticipated.

"So… you are the one who disrupted our plans."

Ethan's brow furrowed slightly as the statement registered, a subtle unease stirring within him. He attempted to recall the context of their words, but before his thoughts could fully form, a change occurred.

A loud, resonant sound reverberated across the combat zone.

BOOM!

The space behind the cloaked individual contorted dramatically, and a colossal silhouette gradually materialized in the air. Though its form was indistinct, it exuded an immense pressure that radiated outwards. This apparition resembled a divine being.

Its outline was hazy, yet its presence was awe-inspiring, and with its arrival, the entire battlefield quivered.

Ethan's pupils contracted as he gazed upon it.

"…This sensation…"

For an inexplicable reason, it felt familiar, yet he couldn't pinpoint where he had encountered such a sight before. This fleeting moment of bewilderment proved costly.

The cloaked figure acted.

Without preamble or change in demeanor, he raised his hand and hurled a spear forth. The movement was unpretentious, almost casual, but the force behind it was far from ordinary.

The instant the spear left his grasp, Ethan's body reacted on pure instinct.

"…Shit!"

A frigid dread coursed down his spine, and his heart leaped as he sensed the impending peril. Acting without thought, he turned and fled.

BOOM!

He propelled himself forward like a tempest, the ground fracturing beneath his feet as he exerted his utmost speed. The air behind him was ripped asunder, and his form became a blur in his attempt to escape.

Yet, the spear pursued him relentlessly.

It pulsed with a terrifying divine energy, and as it courred through the air, the very fabric of space began to tear. The earth below was rent open, and anything obstructing its path was annihilated without the slightest resistance.

Ethan risked a fleeting glance backward, and his expression shifted in an instant.

"…Impossible…"

The spear abruptly disappeared.

Before he could comprehend its vanishing, it reappeared directly before him, as if the intervening distance had been folded away.

"…Fuck—!"

There was no opportunity to react, no possibility of evasion.

The spear struck with direct impact.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A colossal explosion erupted, its concussive force tearing through the landscape, obliterating everything in its vicinity. The shockwave propagated outwards with violent intensity, leveling the surrounding area and causing the entire battlefield to shake.

At the epicenter of the blast, Ethan absorbed the hit squarely.

There was no defense.

His body disintegrated instantaneously, transforming into a cloud of blood and fragments that dispersed into the atmosphere.

The spectacle was gruesome and absolute.

Han's eyes widened in sheer astonishment as he witnessed the scene, disbelief etched on his face.

"…What in the hell…"

Hale's expression became frozen, his body rigid as if incapable of processing the event that had just transpired.

"…No… way…"

For a few moments, even the demons fell into a hushed silence, observing the aftermath of that singular strike.

Ethan was no more.

Not a trace remained of him, save for a dissipating mist of blood hanging in the air.

The atmosphere of the battlefield grew more oppressive, and a palpable sense of dread began to permeate the soldiers as they grasped the true nature of the foe they confronted.

Following the explosion, the battlefield was plunged into an eerie silence for several seconds. Even the sounds of combat and the cries of the wounded seemed to recede as every gaze was fixed upon the location where Ethan had stood.

The air still held vestiges of the blood mist, slowly dispersing under the ambient heat and pressure, a sight that alone caused the soldiers' hearts to sink.

Han's hand trembled slightly as he tightened his grip on his weapon, his eyes remaining locked on the spot ahead, as if unable to accept what he had just witnessed.

"…No… this can't be real," he whispered, his throat feeling parched.

Hale stood beside him, and despite his attempts to maintain composure, his face had turned ashen, his breathing growing ragged.

"…He… died just like that…" he stated slowly, his voice barely holding steady.

Before either of them could process further, peals of laughter suddenly echoed across the battlefield.

"Hahahaha…!"

The Priest of the God of Darkness stepped forward slightly, his voice laced with a disturbing excitement that unsettled the onlookers.

"Did you truly believe you could survive this… Even a Saint would perish today," he declared, spreading his arms in a gesture that seemed to admire his own handiwork.

"It is a one-shot kill spear, blessed directly by the God of Darkness."

He paused momentarily, his tone then hardening.

"To dare stand before us, you invited your own demise."

His attention then veered toward Han and Hale, and a peculiar glint in his eyes caused both of them to momentarily freeze in place.

An uncanny feeling of déjà vu washed over them, and without a spoken word, they both arrived at the identical conclusion.

"RUNNN!"

That singular thought coursed through their minds.

The ongoing war, every other concern, was completely disregarded as survival became paramount. Witnessing Ethan, a cultivator at the mid-stage Mythic rank, being so effortlessly obliterated had already shattered their prior confidence.

Their bodies instinctively tensed, poised for a swift retreat, but prior to any movement—

A dramatic shift suddenly overtook the battlefield.

A potent, bloody intent radiated outwards, thick and oppressive, bearing down on all present like an intangible burden. The ambient temperature plummeted, and even the demons paused their assault momentarily.

Then…

Swoosh!

The dispersed mist of blood in the atmosphere began to swirl ominously, coalescing as if drawn by an invisible, irresistible force. It spun at an accelerating rate, forming a crimson vortex that commanded everyone's undivided attention.

Han's eyes widened in astonishment.

"…What in the actual hell…"

The swirling blood abruptly condensed further.

And from it, a figure materialized.

Standing there, entirely unharmed, was Ethan.

"Marquise Ethan…!" someone exclaimed in sheer disbelief, and that solitary utterance shattered the pervading silence.

Ethan remained composed, his attire pristine, his expression frigid as his gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield before finally settling upon the hooded figure.

He glanced briefly at Han and Hale, then redirected his focus forward once more.

"That was merely a clone I fashioned as a contingency," he stated calmly, performing a slight shoulder roll as if utterly unfazed.

Then, his eyes intensified, hardening with resolve.

"Now…" he declared, his voice dropping slightly, a nascent killing intent subtly emanating from his person as he locked eyes with the cloaked adversary.

"You have genuinely provoked me."