Chapter 582: 582:The Cure
Two years have gone since Ethan retreated from battleifled and his childrens have taken command.
The war was still raging on,showing no sign of stopping.
Meanwhile...
The door to the secret passage was pushed open heavily, and a man wearing a black mask stepped inside while cold air drifted through the corridor.
The underground chamber was large and heavily guarded, and several figures moved around quietly while strange tools and containers filled the area.
At the innermost section of the chamber, broken and battered demons were chained against the walls, and their bodies were covered in wounds while weak groans echoed faintly through the room.
The masked man paused for a moment and looked toward the imprisoned demons.
"Come on, bring them," he said coldly.
"It’s time to experiment on them."
One of the guards stepped forward immediately.
"Which one do you want, leader?" he asked.
The masked man looked across the chained demons before pointing lazily.
"Bring me that fatty bastard."
The moment the words fell, a fat demon chained to the wall suddenly panicked, and fear instantly filled his eyes.
"No!"
"You can’t do this to me!"
"I already told you everything!"
"Please... please let me go!"
He screamed loudly while struggling violently against the chains.
"I don’t want to die!"
"Get away from me!"
Two men stepped forward and grabbed him roughly before dragging him away from the wall.
The demon struggled desperately while kicking and twisting his body.
"LET ME GO!"
"You fucking humans!"
"I will kill you all if I survive this!"
But before he could continue shouting, a heavy pressure suddenly descended upon him.A tall figure appeared beside him instantly and grabbed the back of his neck firmly.
"Shut up, bastard," Hale said coldly.
The demon’s body stiffened immediately.
Hale dragged him forward forcefully while ignoring his screams completely.
Soon they entered a deeper underground laboratory, and the room was filled with shelves of strange materials, glass containers, and several glowing liquids stored carefully around the area.
At the center stood a tall man working calmly beside a large table.
"Sir Mareti... I brought the fool," Hale said.
Mareti glanced over briefly and nodded.
"Hm... put him there."
Hale dragged the struggling demon toward a metal chair and tied him down tightly while the demon continued trying to curse and scream.
"You monsters!"
"You damned lunatics!"
"You can’t experiment on me!"
Hale clicked his tongue in annoyance before stuffing cloth into the demon’s mouth.
"Too noisy," he muttered.
Meanwhile, Mareti calmly picked up a flask containing a strange dark liquid mixed with faint glowing particles.
He observed it for a moment before walking toward the restrained demon.
The demon’s eyes widened in horror immediately.
"MMPH! MMPHHH!"
He struggled violently while shaking his head desperately.
But Mareti ignored him completely.
He grabbed the demon’s jaw firmly and forced the liquid down his throat.The demon’s body jerked violently.
Then silence filled the room for a few seconds.
Nothing happened at first.
But moments later the demon’s body suddenly started twitching violently.
"MMPPHHHH!"
His veins bulged while horrifying cracking sounds echoed from inside his body.
His muscles twisted unnaturally, and parts of his body began swelling strangely while his eyes widened with unbearable pain.
The chair shook heavily while muffled screams escaped from behind the cloth stuffed into his mouth.
Hale frowned slightly while watching.
The demon’s body kept convulsing violently for several moments before slowly calming down.
Then suddenly his expression became strangely dull.
The pain disappeared from his face, and his eyes turned peaceful and lifeless.
Hale looked toward Mareti immediately.
"What happened?"
"Did it work?"
Mareti stared at the demon silently for a moment before clicking his tongue lightly.
"No... it didn’t."
Then his expression turned thoughtful.
"However, unlike before, this guy didn’t die or lose his body functions completely, which means the formula itself is correct."
He looked down at the flask in his hand carefully.
"We just need to adjust the dosage compensation."
"And since this is meant for children, we need to control it carefully."
Hale nodded slowly.
"I think it’s fine as long as the formula is correct."
Just then, a calm voice echoed from the far end of the corridor.
"I think so too."
Both Hale and Mareti turned immediately.
At the entrance of the laboratory, Ethan slowly walked in with a grim expression on his face.
His eyes moved toward the restrained demon before settling on Mareti.
"Are you sure the formula is correct?" Ethan asked seriously.
Mareti stayed silent for a moment while thinking carefully.
Then he nodded slowly.
"With all the experiments we have done till now, I can assure you," he replied.
"The formula is correct."
"As long as we find the correct dosage amount... it will work."
.......
The past two years had not been peaceful for Ethan at all, and while the outside world continued drowning deeper into war and chaos, he himself had never once allowed his mind or body to rest.
He had not been sitting still.
While kingdoms fought endlessly and countless people died on distant battlefields, Ethan stayed inside Blanks and focused entirely on strengthening the foundation of his territory.
Day after day...
Night after night...
He spent most of his time inside the forge, training grounds, hidden laboratories, and military camps while continuously preparing for dangers that could arrive at any moment.
The Blanks army had changed greatly during these two years, and what was once simply a strong private force that could intimidate ordinary nobles had slowly transformed into something far more dangerous, disciplined, and terrifying beneath the surface.
Their weapons became stronger with every passing month as better materials and advanced forging techniques were introduced continuously into production, while their armor became tougher and more refined to the point where ordinary attacks could barely penetrate the defenses of elite soldiers anymore.
Runic equipment slowly started appearing among elite troops, and special units were personally trained by Ethan and Rathlos themselves, turning those soldiers into highly efficient warriors capable of adapting to nearly any battlefield situation.
Even their methods of fighting had changed drastically over time.
They no longer focused purely on brute strength and reckless charges alone, and instead they learned coordinated battlefield tactics, layered retreat formations, long-range magic support, rapid reinforcement strategies, rotating defensive lines, and methods that greatly increased survival during large-scale warfare.
Ethan understood something very clearly after experiencing enough bloodshed and witnessing countless deaths firsthand.
In war...
Survival mattered far more than glory or pride.
