Chapter 75: Ethan's Revenge, Charles's Domination!
Meanwhile, at Second Elder Ethan's residence.
"Those two damned people, how dare they place me under house arrest!" Ethan paced back and forth in his room.
His face was as dark as a storm cloud, eyes filled with anger.
At this moment, Ethan realized that he had been used by Charles and Eve as a tool to establish their authority.
Initially, Ethan thought that Eve and Charles were just two young upstarts, easy to manipulate.
He never expected these two youths to possess such cunning and strategy.
However, Ethan hadn't given up on his ambitions, he still saw an opportunity to turn the tables. Charles and Eve were wary of his status and power within the Forest of Elves, so they wouldn't dare to act rashly. Otherwise, they wouldn't have merely placed him under house arrest.
Thus, Ethan decided to temporarily play along, secretly plotting his comeback. Once the situation stabilized, he vowed to make those two suffer!
"I must avenge this!" Ethan clenched his fists, his eyes filled with malice.
He had put in so much effort to gain control of the Forest of Elves, only to lose his son and be used as a pawn by others.
He couldn't swallow this humiliation!
"Buzz buzz buzz!"
Just then, a notification popped up in Ethan's personal chat window.
It was a secret message from one of his informants in the Forest of Elves.
Initially, Ethan didn't pay much attention to it.
But after reading it, his expression changed dramatically.
"Eve wants to merge the Forest of Elves into Charles's Zerg territory? And under Charles's threat, all the high-ranking members have already signed the vassal contract?!" The teacup in Ethan's hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, but he didn't even notice.
"This can't be happening!" Ethan muttered to himself, unable to hide the shock in his eyes.
The Forest of Elves wasn't just Eve's property, other leaders also held certain rights. To sign such a vassal contract, the agreement of all the territory's high-ranking members, including Eve, was required.
Under normal circumstances, there were only two ways to get a territory to sign a vassal contract. One was through an exchange of benefits, where the leaders voluntarily relinquished their power. The other was through force.
Judging by the information, it was evident that Charles had used the latter method.
"Charles's strength... it's actually this formidable!" Ethan couldn't believe how things had turned out.
This development was completely beyond his expectations.
If Charles and Eve truly possessed such power, then he had no hope of turning the tables!
Not only that, but his very life would be in jeopardy.
Ethan wasn't naive enough to think that Charles and Eve would spare him after the vassal contract was signed.
"No, I can't stay here any longer," Ethan said, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes as he quickly stood up.
He was the only one who hadn't signed the contract yet, and Charles might already be on his way to deal with him.
To save his life, the best course of action was to leave the Forest of Elves immediately and find a secluded place to hide.
Ethan glanced around at the Elf treehouse, feeling a deep sense of unwillingness.
The intense humiliation brought back memories of the past, when he was chased out of his homeland like a stray dog. Ethan had experienced such an ordeal once before.
At that time, he was a commander in the Elf Empire, but after stumbling upon a precious artifact, he was hunted by an eighth-tier royal Elf. He fled all the way to the Realm of Chaos and eventually joined Eve's Forest of Elves.
Others might not know the identities of the Elves Eve had killed previously, but Ethan was well aware.
Those Elves had been sent by that powerful figure to capture him.
According to Ethan's original plan, once he took over the Forest of Elves, he could use that artifact to quickly boost his power, no longer needing to hide.
However, he never anticipated that just as his plan was about to succeed, Charles would appear out of nowhere.
A ruthless glint appeared in Ethan's eyes.
He gritted his teeth and said, "If I can't have what I want, then neither can you!"
He pulled a feathered envelope from his pocket and quickly scribbled a message on it before setting it on fire.
"Enjoy your victory while it lasts!" Ethan murmured, a sense of vengeful satisfaction in his eyes as the envelope vanished.
The item he had just used wasn't anything precious, just a simple tool for sending messages.
But even a single letter was enough to determine the fate of many.
The recipient of the message was none other than the royal Elf who had previously hunted him.
Ethan knew full well how valuable the artifact in his possession was to that powerful figure.
By revealing his location, he was certain that the eighth-tier royal Elf would come personally. When that happened, whether it was Eve's Forest of Elves, Charles's Zerg territory, or even the entire Serene Forest, everything would be reduced to ashes.
A grotesque smile spread across Ethan's face. "Blame Charles and Eve. They forced my hand!"
Just then, a cold voice cut through the air.
"Blame us for what?" Outside the window of the Elf treehouse, Charles looked at the snarling Ethan, his brows furrowing.
He had come personally to ensure that Ethan signed the vassal contract.
But upon arrival, he found Ethan sneakily sending a message.
Charles didn't know who the message was for, but he didn't need to guess—it couldn't be anything good.
A cold glint flashed in Charles's eyes.
This old fool, given a chance to live but choosing death instead!
"You... how are you here?!" Ethan's face froze when he heard Charles's voice, his expression filled with terror.
With his third-tier strength, he hadn't even sensed Charles's presence!
Charles lowered his gaze, his voice icy. "Old man, who were you sending a message to just now?"
Ethan, a seasoned veteran, reacted quickly.
Without a moment's hesitation, the instant Charles showed a hint of murderous intent, a green light enveloped Ethan.
"Bang!"
The wooden planks under his feet shattered as his figure transformed into a stream of light, bursting through the wall and fleeing.
He had no intention of fighting Charles.
Ethan's keen eyes had already judged that Charles's strength was beyond what he could handle. Rather than fighting to the death, escaping might still give him a glimmer of hope.
"Did I say you could run?" Charles sneered, his legs tensing as the treehouse collapsed beneath him.
Amidst the flying splinters, Charles's figure vanished from his original spot, reappearing above Ethan.
Sensing something amiss, Ethan turned his head only to see the expressionless Charles.
In his terrified gaze, Charles swung the Godslayer Lance down forcefully.
A sonic boom echoed as the lance became a blur, striking Ethan viciously!
The inhabitants of the Forest of Elves hadn't even recovered from the explosion when a thunderous noise erupted from the sky.
A dark figure shot towards the Elf plaza like an arrow.
"Boom!"
The deafening crash reverberated throughout the Forest of Elves.
Dust filled the plaza as confused Elves stared, unsure of what had just happened.
When the dust settled, a massive crater several meters wide appeared in the plaza's center.
Ethan lay in the middle, covered in blood.
His eyes were glazed over, blood continuously spilling from his mouth. Charles had shattered his spine with a single blow, leaving him like a flickering candle in the wind.
Nearly killed in one hit!
In the sky, Charles's blood-red wings flapped.
Holding the Godslayer Lance, he looked down at Ethan and sneered.
So weak indeed.
Had he not held back in time, this guy might have died on the spot.
The Elves in the plaza were taken aback by the scene.
One Elf, confused and uncertain, asked, "Is that the King? And... the Second Elder?"
Ethan's current state was so pitiful that he was barely recognizable.
Another Elf squinted at the pit for a long time before nodding, "It's definitely the Second Elder. I recognize his floral underwear—I sold it to him."
A female Elf, gazing dreamily at Charles in the sky, swooned, "The King is so handsome, Queen Majesty is so lucky! I wish I could marry him!"
Beside her, another Elf, exasperated, said, "Shouldn't we be more concerned about why the King is attacking the Second Elder?"
...
At that moment, Eve and Amy hurriedly arrived with several other elders.
They had all witnessed Charles's strike.
Eve looked up at Charles in the sky, her chin lifting proudly.
"That's my man, absolutely stunning!"
Amy, standing nearby, was also a bit dazed.
"The King is incredibly powerful!
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If only I could be that strong..."
The other Elf elders exchanged glances, falling into a contemplative silence.
Ethan was a third-tier warrior, one of the top fighters in the Forest of Elves, yet he couldn't withstand even a single blow!
Their initial dissatisfaction with Charles's overwhelming strength dissipated entirely.
Some even began to think that following such a powerful Overlord might not be so bad after all.
Compared to Eve, Charles's strength was on a whole different level.
In the Continent of Overlords, power and benefits were directly correlated. The stronger Charles became, the more benefits they could reap in the future.
Some of the Elf elders even felt a glimmer of hope.
This was just the beginning, and Charles was already so terrifyingly strong.
What about the future?
How powerful could Charles become?
With this in mind, the group of Elf elders suddenly felt much less troubled.
Indeed, Elves needed to learn to adapt!