"No!" Veronica cried out again.
Her shouts did nothing to alter the situation.
In the sky, the hammer formed of lightning continued its relentless descent towards Ethan, accompanied by Victor's taunting voice.
"Boy, you're nothing but an insignificant worm, yet you dared to challenge me!"
Then, the lightning hammer struck the ground.
Boom!
The earth trembled as if an earthquake had occurred.
The ruins outside Stone Rock Harbor suffered another calamity.
The already damaged walls collapsed entirely, and some bricks turned to dust under the impact of the lightning hammer.
Such was its terrifying power.
Staring blankly at the horrifying scene before her, Veronica, before she could even express her grief, was blown away by the shockwave produced by the hammer's impact.
She crashed heavily into a wall, blood spewing from her mouth.
"That's what you get for opposing me!" Victor sneered, turning his attention to the weakened Veronica lying beneath the wall.
Standing over her, he declared arrogantly, "That boy is dead. Now it's your turn. However, I might give you a chance. If you submit to me, I can let you live. Naturally, if you choose to serve me, you must prove your sincerity."
His eyes roamed over Veronica, especially lingering at the valley between her bosom.
His throat bobbed with anticipation, longing to grasp and relish the softness and warmth.
"It will never happen. Dream on!" Pushing herself up against the wall, Veronica stood defiantly.
In Stone Rock Harbor, she had encountered many with ill intentions towards her, with quite a few desiring to partake in a carnal rendezvous.
Yet, after meeting Ethan, she realized how blissful it was to have someone to lean on.
Although, in terms of time, she hadn't been with Ethan for long.
But feelings, they're always inexplicable.
Rejected by Veronica, Victor's fury reached its peak.
With his mud-caked hand, he reached out, grasping Veronica's slender neck, lifting her off the ground.
With gritted teeth, he spat, "If you won't submit, then death is your only option!"
"I... will never... submit to you!"
Veronica responded resolutely, "I will never submit."
"Then die!" With added force to his grip, Veronica felt her breath being squeezed out.
Suddenly, Ethan's voice emanated from behind Victor, "Let her go."
"It's you... impossible! Absolutely impossible! No one survives my lightning hammer, not even if you're the so-called Rank S Hero!" Victor was visibly shaken.
Not only had Ethan survived, but he also seemed to be unharmed.
"I'll say it once more, let her go," Ethan declared gravely.
Slowly materializing in his hand was a long spear, as if forged from concentrated beams of light.
It radiated a formidable and indestructible aura – the Dragon Slayer Spear.
"No wonder you survived, wielding such a weapon," Victor believed he understood the truth, still looking down on Ethan.
Not releasing Veronica, he laughed sinisterly, "Hahaha, even if you're alive, what can you do? You wish to save her? I'll make sure you can't! Watch as your woman dies! Once she's gone, you're next!"
With that, Victor tightened his grip further.
This time, a feeling of hopelessness overwhelmed Veronica.
She could feel her throat bones shattering.
"You're asking for it!" Ethan roared, completely enraged.
Powering forward, he was upon Victor in an instant, like a flash of lightning.
Without hesitation, he threw a powerful punch directly into Victor's abdomen.
Bang!
Victor felt as if a massive boulder had crashed into him.
The force was not just astonishingly potent, but the speed was unparalleled.
Before he could even register the pain, he found himself being flung violently, crashing through walls.
It took seven or eight walls to finally halt his momentum, leaving him lying defeated on the ground.
Reacting instinctively, his grip on Veronica loosened, allowing the swiftly arriving Ethan to rescue her.
"Are you alright?" Ethan's voice dripped with concern for Veronica.
He hadn't expected that, even when her life was at stake, she chose not to betray him.
Gazing at the anxious look on Ethan's face, Veronica gave a weak shake of her head.
As she tried to speak, blood trickled from her lips, but she whispered reassuringly, "I'm fine, just need to rest."
"Stay here, I'll be right back."
Supporting Veronica, Ethan carefully led her to a relatively clean spot and helped her lean against a wall for rest.
Then, he quickly approached Victor.
Victor lay on the ground, his appearance ever more disheveled, yet he was still alive.
Hearing Ethan's approaching footsteps, he struggled to his feet.
The earlier disdain on his face had vanished, replaced by an unmistakable gravity.
"Young man, I admit I underestimated you, but this ends now!" As he spoke, lightning once again danced around him.
"That's precisely what I was about to tell you." Ethan replied.
Without another word, he lunged at Victor with his spear.
Victor deftly dodged, trying to counter, but suddenly hesitated.
Before his very eyes, Ethan had seemingly vanished, as if he'd blended into the surroundings.
"Show yourself!" Victor yelled into the void.
Near his ear, Ethan's voice teased, "Sir Drunkard, I'm right here. Who are you yelling at?"
Taken aback, Victor hastily turned to the source of the voice, but just as he pinpointed Ethan's location, he was met with a powerful kick.
He was sent hurtling towards a large tree on the roadside.
The tree snapped in two from the impact.
Struggling once more to his feet and spitting out blood, Victor looked up to find Ethan ready to continue the assault.
As Victor tried to stand, Ethan's foot came crashing down again.
In that moment, Victor resembled a mere soccer ball, bouncing off the ground and walls in mid-air.
"Stop! I concede! I beg for mercy!" Victor pleaded.
As Ethan readied another kick, Victor reached his breaking point, quickly begging for mercy. In that instant, he was consumed by fear.
"Surrender? Sorry, even if you do, you're still going to die," Ethan declared, shaking his head.
Showing mercy to one's enemy is cruelty to oneself.
Ethan had always believed in this principle.
Victor's past actions had left a deep-seated grudge in Ethan's heart, and so he had no intention of letting Victor live.
"You can't kill me. If you want to uncover the truth behind the Elders' Council, you'll need me alive!" Victor pleaded, falling to his knees before Ethan, trying to leverage his knowledge.
Ethan, however, remained unmoved, retorting with disdain, "Whatever truth lies behind the Elders' Council, I'll discover it myself. I don't need you. Besides, who can guarantee that you're telling the truth?"
Ethan's words left Victor speechless.
Victor was filled with regret, wishing he had never crossed paths with Ethan.
Why hadn't he simply answered Ethan's questions when he had the chance?
"Can't you truly not find it in yourself to forgive me, just this once?" Victor asked, desperation evident in his voice.
The answer was still firm and unyielding. "No, I don't trust you. And I never offer those I distrust, especially my enemies, a chance at life."
With that, Ethan pointed the Dragon Slayer Spear at Victor's skull.
One thrust, and Victor's head would be pierced by the Dragon Slayer Spear, ending his life.
But just then, Little Fairy Baal flew out of Ethan's pocket, quickly alighting on Ethan's shoulder.
"Ethan, stop! Don't kill Victor yet. I have a solution," she urgently whispered.
"What solution?" Ethan asked, filled with curiosity.
Baal quickly explained, "Among my kind, there's a sacred art known as the 'Enslavement Contract.' It allows one to brand a being, ensuring their eternal loyalty. It's one of the few means my tribe uses for protection."
"There's such a ritual?" Ethan exclaimed, clearly thrilled.
But he soon sobered up, asking, "As useful as this method sounds, I assume it's not simple to execute, is it?"
"If it were anyone else, perhaps they couldn't use it, but you, Ethan, are different," Little Fairy Baal said with conviction.
"Even if someone knows the method and incantations of the Enslavement Contract, without a powerful spirit, they simply can't brand another. But you, Ethan, have a spirit that can perceive the boundaries between consciousness and matter, a spirit that could free me. This shows that your spiritual strength is more than sufficient," Baal explained in detail.
Ethan nodded, about to speak, but Victor interjected first, "En...Enslavement Contract! No, don't use such a wicked spell on me!"
"You actually know of the Enslavement Contract!" Baal said, genuinely impressed.
"It seems you, Mr. Drunkard, are quite the extraordinary individual."
This was a secret closely guarded by the Shadow Fairy tribe, yet Victor was aware of it.
Clearly, this man, both a drunkard and a scholar, was no ordinary being.
Ethan too was taken aback.
The Enslavement Contract was not even mentioned in the knowledge passed down from the Golden Divine Dragon, yet Victor knew of it.
"This man could be of use," Ethan thought. Then, turning to Victor, he declared, "Victor, you now have no choice! Either become the subject of the Enslavement Contract or become a corpse."
"Now... tell me, what's your decision?"
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