Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re) - Chapter 297

Chapter 297: War of Words (1)
Third Person’s POV

Her raw and furious voice cut through the gathering dusk.

“I want this bastard’s head!”

At her cry, the very air seemed to sharpen, and the evening light darkened as the air almost froze.

Hearing her, Ethan finally moved.

Slowly, he raised his head and his cold crimson eyes locked onto Aram and his entourage—the dark knight, the huge three-headed black snake, the red-haired demon Declan, and the other trembling lackeys.

His gaze was calm and deadly, like the drawn breath before an inevitable storm.

Without speaking a word, Ethan sent a silent sound transmission to the old, hooded blood slave who had remained utterly motionless atop the carriage like a forgotten statue.

‘Protect Virelle and Velcy. I know you won’t fight my battles, but you can at least shield your master’s disciple… and little Velct.’

His mind was sharp and analytical, as he wasn’t the type to lose his cool over such childish and egotistic provocations.

He knew the battle about to unfold would demand his absolute focus and his full strength.

There would be no holding back this time, and he could no longer engage in clever tricks or partial reveals of his actual strength.

If he wanted to protect his girls and slay his enemies, he would have to unleash everything.

The old blood slave responded not with words but with the faintest nod that barely moved at all.

Hidden perfectly and controlling even the pulse of his aura, he remained utterly unnoticed by their enemies, who didn’t even have the faintest idea that there was a fourth member in the party of this trio.

There was also another reason why the blood slave remained so perfectly hidden from them.

It was his suffocating strength, which far surpassed any combatant present in this assembly, including Ethan.

Even the dark knight standing like a shadow beside the young demon Aram, radiating an aura of cold dread, was still much weaker in comparison.

Yet, even with such an overwhelming presence as an unseen ace at his side, Ethan wasn’t the least bit relaxed.

If anything, the knowledge made him sharper and more cautious.

He knew better than to depend on the blood slave for his own survival.

First of all, the specifics of the instructions given to the blood slave by the little duchess were a mystery to him.

Ethan was almost certain that if he dared to order the creature to fight in his stead, it would simply stare through him with its empty and soulless eyes while ignoring him as if he were nothing more than an irrelevant person.

And even if, by some miracle, the blood slave chose to intervene, Ethan knew that placing his life in the hands of such a being was foolishness at its peak.

He knew deep down that in this battle, even a single moment of misplaced hope, a single breath of complacency, was enough to seal one’s doom, especially against enemies as powerful and numerous as these.

The blood slave was powerful, yes, but it was still not a forbidden existence like his Master Nyx and the little duchess.

In the chaotic frenzy of close combat, who could say if it would even have the time or the inclination to step in and save him before a blade found his heart?

Understanding all this with brutal clarity, Ethan’s hand moved to his spatial ring in a single, fluid motion.

He drew forth his long, black Black Dragon saber.

Its blade hummed faintly with a predatory energy that seemed to thirst for blood.

His fingers curled around the hilt in a steady and unyielding grip as he fixed his cold gaze upon the enemy forces gathering before him.

But he was not idle, as with a silent and swift thread of sound transmission, he reached out to Virelle and Velcy.

‘Listen carefully, you two,’ Ethan said, his voice in their minds sharp as the blade in his hand.

‘This battle is going to be lethal. That Dark Demon Knight alone is no mere soldier.

You both know that he is a monster cloaked in armor.

And aside from him, there are Declan and his lackeys, all of them at the Crystal Formation Realm.

Not to mention that cursed dark serpent and the demon Aram himself.’

Even as he spoke, his crimson eyes flickered and analyzed every twitch and shift of their enemies’ muscles.

He was alert as he noticed every breath they took and every slight movement they made.

‘In this fight,’ Ethan continued, ‘I won’t have the luxury of even a moment’s distraction.

If I lose focus for even an instant, they will snatch you both and use you as pawns to cripple me.

And trust me, the ways they would use you… are better left unspoken and you both know that already.’

His voice remained calm even as he spoke such words and commanded them in the silent transmission.

‘Cooperate with the blood slave. In some moments, he will hide you, so stay close to him and don’t panic or worry about me. Trust your Brother, Ethan, he will not be defeated so easily.’

The warning was issued in a mere second, but its weight was immense.

Across from him, the demon Aram’s sneer deepened.

His scarlet eyes gleamed with malicious amusement as he turned toward the silent, looming figure of the dark knight.

“You made an excuse before,” Aram said, his voice sharp and cruel as he sliced through the tension in the air like a whip.

He continued while pointing at Ethan with a disdainful and mockery filled look on his face.

“You claimed that this… young, pretty boy was able to engage you in battle last night.”

“Were you joking, or simply lying to hide your incompetence?

What excuse do you have now, standing before us, when he looks like he has barely weaned off his mother’s milk?”

But contrary to his expectation, his lackeys or Declan’s lackeys didn’t laugh like usual as they had witnessed Ethan’s capabilities for themselves.