The other players looked at each other, exchanging uneasy glances. Stephen had been badly wounded by Ethan, and he still looked traumatized and terrified while being treated by the priests.
Of course, they couldn't just hand Stephen over. They were afraid Ethan would hurt him once he was in his hands.
"No! Stephen stays with us!"
Ethan stayed silent, his brows furrowing sharply as he stared ahead. Clearly, the players refused to cooperate—which meant they were siding with Stephen.
"I just need to ask him a few things."
"If you won't move out of the way, then I'll break through myself."
He stepped forward firmly, crimson-red energy flaring around him as his right hand gripped his Flamefang sword tightly.
The players standing in front of him stepped back in fear, terrified that Ethan might kill them.
"HYAAA!" several players screamed from behind.
They attacked Ethan from his blind spot—but luckily, his Soul Servant, Maelis, boosted his defense in time.
Ethan turned quickly, spinning around. His Flamefang sword slashed through the necks of the two players who attacked him. They died instantly.
[WARNING!]
[You have killed a player.]
The man saw a red warning panel appear before his eyes. Ethan exhaled slowly—whatever was happening now meant he couldn't clear his PK status for a while.
"ATTACK HIM TOGETHER!" another player shouted.
That command threw everyone into panic. Even the scared ones were forced to attack Ethan. But Ethan remained cold, showing no mercy.
He dashed forward, jumping with power as his sword shone brightly—his ultimate skill had automatically activated.
The ground shook as crimson slashes spun around him. The nearby players were caught in the attack, their HP dropping rapidly even though most of them were level 20 and above.
[Passive Skill: Intimidate!]
Not only his ultimate skill but also his passive had activated. The intimidation aura spread outward with Ethan at its center.
The farther he moved forward, the wider the range spread.
Some players tried to attack from behind, but Ethan noticed and sent a crimson slash forward.
The strike's massive damage tore through their bodies, cutting them clean in half.
Panic filled the area—dozens of player corpses lay scattered around, some dying, some already dead.
Ethan kept walking forward, his attention fixed on Stephen, who was sitting weakly while the priests tried to heal him.
Several players stood between Ethan and his target—all of them women.
"Move," Ethan said firmly.
"Y-You'll have to get through us first," one of the female warriors replied.
Ethan dismissed his sword and rushed forward, attacking them with barehanded martial arts—punches and kicks.
The female warriors struggled to keep up. Ethan's movements were quick, and his physical strength was overwhelming.
It didn't take long for him to defeat them. The women fell one after another, unable to stop him.
Now Ethan stood directly before Stephen. His order was clear—he told the priests to stop healing him.
The priests obeyed. After all, they had no power to go against Ethan.
"You've killed half the players in this city," Stephen said.
"Congratulations. The Great Lord will surely be pleased with your achievement," Stephen sneered.
Ethan summoned his sword in his right hand and thrust it forward. The blade pierced through Stephen's chest. Blood poured from his mouth as his HP dropped sharply.
"You're a killer… but afraid to die," Ethan whispered.
Stephen trembled in fear, his hands shaking as he tried to pull the Flamefang from his chest. But Ethan's strength was far greater.
"You have a few seconds left before you die. Tell me—who ordered you? Which guild?" Ethan asked quietly.
"It… it was Scavenger," Stephen muttered, truly terrified of death.
"P-Please… don't kill me."
"Too late. Your time's up," Ethan replied.
He pulled his sword free and swung it sideways, sending a crimson slash that cleanly severed Stephen's head from his body—using his first skill.
Scavenger… those damn assassins.
If Eve and Juno were killed by them, then they're still here somewhere.
Ethan looked up and spotted a man standing on the roof of a nearby house. The man wore all black, his level info hidden.
"You?" Ethan asked sharply.
"Congratulations, Ethan! The whole world will know you're a criminal," the man replied.
"You'd better hurry. LionArk will fall soon," he added.
In an instant, the man vanished, leaping to another building. Ethan froze—whoever that player was, he had to be high-level. Chasing him would be suicide.
Ethan turned his gaze around. Many players were crying or raging over the death of their friends or lovers. Ethan felt no sympathy—they had protected Stephen, which meant they were his enemies.
Eve and Juno were dead. Their deaths hit Ethan harder than he wanted to admit.
He walked out of the city as red warning panels kept popping up, showing his kill count.
[WARNING!]
[Punishment applied!]
[PK Status + Red Name for 1 year.]
[Red Notice across the world for 1 year.]
"HAHAHA!"
"It's getting longer for me to join LionArk"
Ethan ran out of the city, heading west into the forest. He needed a quiet place to calm down and rebuild his strength before continuing toward the central region.
The old wooden hut from before was perfect. After the massacre in Nile City, he was sure few players would dare enter the western forest.
When he got there, Ethan lay down on the bed. The brutal deaths of Eve and Juno still replayed vividly in his mind.
"Those people… those Scavengers!"
Ethan opened his guild panel and typed Scavenger. The guild info popped up, showing over 70,000 members—far more than LionArk.
Back in their time, there were three great guilds: Redemption Sword, LionArk, and Scavenger. Now, it seemed only Redemption Sword and Scavenger remained.
Guild competition will get tougher. If LionArk couldn't maintain its status as an S rank guild, then many guild members would leave to resign.
That was not good for LionArk, nor for Ashley and Jill.
"I can't join LionArk because of my PK status… but at least I can help them from the shadows."
"I'm sorry, Ashley. Looks like things are about to get harder for you."