Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 322 This is also part of the plan
As he spoke, Black Steel's gaze passed over Charlotte and lingered on the white baby dragon dozing off in the hotel bed.

The familiar figure from his memory softened his gaze.

He said in an unquestionable tone, "In the black dragon's lair lies a long-sealed secret realm. If... no, you must come out of it alive."

As the Crimson Queen fell, Kurogane heard her last thoughts, which were the lies that had been stripped away, the true voice of the Crimson Queen.

--why?
At that moment, he silently questioned the constantly falling figure with his eyes.

At the end of her life, Scarlet seemed to have transformed back into the carefree red-haired girl who once lived in the treehouse, giving him the answer.

"Little Ignatius, I love this world."

I love this place more than anyone else.

"I don't want the world to be destroyed with my death."

"So, could you do me a favor? I promise, this is the last time."

The familiar voice still echoed in Blacksteel's ears, making his breathing become increasingly rapid. As the Black Dragon King who had once dedicated himself to destroying this world, he shouldn't be so emotional.

He struggled to suppress his surging emotions and said, "While you are in the secret realm, I will do everything in my power to keep this world going."

A promise was made in the name of the Black Dragon King.

No matter if the enemy is a mechanical monster, a raider who takes advantage of the chaos, or the culprit who killed the Crimson Queen... he will not retreat a single step. Even if he can no longer hear the echo of Argos, even if he is left all alone, he will fulfill the Crimson Queen's last wish and eradicate all obstacles for her.

"I will not let that human get close to you until you are absolutely certain."

Their eyes, filled with a fearless spirit, and their passionate emotions, are like an epic tale sung by wandering poets.

Charlotte's confused heart was ignited with a flame, and she became more determined—she did indeed need special training now, and she had to admit that when Blacksteel brought news of the Crimson Queen, she felt as if she had grasped a lifeline.

"I will enter the secret realm with Xiaobai, but..."

"But what?"

"You don't need to make the atmosphere so tense. Ethan won't ambush us on the way."

This sentence successfully dampened Blacksteel's determination to die for his cause, and the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward. Even Lady Butterfly's gaze drifted elsewhere, and she touched her nose to cover up her embarrassment.

Charlotte thought Blacksteel was probably wrong.

He probably thought this journey was fraught with peril, that they would be attacked by mechanical monsters along the way, be chased and intercepted by the evil Team Rocket members, and that Ethan would personally appear just before they reached the Black Dragon's lair. That would be the darkest hour before dawn, when Blacksteel and Butterfly would fight to the last moment to keep the flame of this world alive.

They will eventually burn themselves out, bringing a glimmer of hope to this crumbling world. This is the most common story in heroic epics, tragic and magnificent.

But in reality, the "villainous leader" they faced this time was somewhat unusual.

He didn't even bother attacking them. They didn't need to disguise themselves at all and could walk straight down the main road. Even if they happened to run into Ethan himself along the way, as long as they said the magical spell "I'm not ready," Ethan would never make things difficult for them.

“I can vouch for you, Old Sen isn’t the kind of person who likes to ambush others.”

The woman in the white headscarf also stepped forward.

The fate of "Razor" Mordos and his cronies has already proven everything. If Ethan decides to kill you, he won't use any tricks; he'll come straight to you and give you ample time to deliver your last words. He witnessed the downfall of the Mordos Group, and it can't even be called a battle.

To the man in the white turban, it seemed more like Death himself had knocked on the door of Mordos and the others, wielding his scythe.

Without letting personal emotions get in the way, convey the message that their lives are coming to an end to those people in a businesslike tone.

"How dare you make such a statement?"

Black Steel, feeling somewhat humiliated, retorted with a question.

"Mr. Blacksteel, you are the mighty King of the Black Dragons," the white-turbaned man said in a flattering tone, which softened Blacksteel's gloomy expression somewhat. "Would you kill small animals for making too much noise during your travels?"

After some thought, Whitehead finally understood why Ethan was always able to remain calm.

Because he was so powerful that even Charlotte, the chosen one, was no different from a small animal in his presence, he felt that perhaps Charlotte's intuition was correct, and that Ethan's true form was actually some kind of life form that transcended all things.

Gods, or evil gods.

An evil god with an exceptionally good temper who is willing to communicate with mortals.

Ethan was happy that Charlotte challenged him, as it was a good pastime in the long life of the evil god.

That's why, even after Blacksteel brought up the Crimson Queen's plan, Whitebanda was not blindly optimistic. Blacksteel's few words had already revealed a lot—this precisely shows that the Crimson Queen realized that the enemy they were facing this time was beyond her capabilities, and she was willing to sacrifice her life to ensure the continuation of civilization.

"However, Mr. Black Steel, there is something you can do to help us a great deal."

Charlotte looked Black Steel up and down, his face grim.

"Speak your mind directly, don't beat around the bush."

“We have too many people, and Little White is too young to carry so many. You are a fully grown dragon, could you…”

"Don't even think about it!"

Black Steel's eyes were practically spitting fire. He had only come to see Charlotte because of the Scarlet Queen's request, which did not mean that he would change his views on humans. And now, this insignificant human dared to ride on his head, and with so many people at that!
"In that case, we have no choice but to slow down."

Charlotte feigned regret, "If we could get Mr. Blacksteel's help, this matter would definitely be much easier."

"...Don't you dare come up here, you stinking mud!"

After some thought, Kurogane reluctantly revealed his bottom line.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

"Huh? Why aren't you all saying anything? How did I do just now?"

Ethan didn't know what others thought, but he was quite satisfied with his performance as the villain. If a rating system were introduced, he should be able to get a high score of 13.0.

"I'm sorry, I was too complacent before."

The little purple bat trembled.

After witnessing the fate of Mordos and others, she felt deeply ashamed, for she had previously had the audacity to try to instruct an evil god on how to play the villain.

She saw in Ethan a quality that no one else possessed, not even the most loyal follower of Bazartos, the Crimson King, the Destroyer of the Third Age. When Ethan summoned ice elements, his aura was so powerful that Rowena wouldn't have a doubt if you said it was Bazartos himself descending upon the world.

Good heavens, she actually used Julius, a mere mortal, as an example to Ethan before.

If I have any further suggestions...

She suggested that Ethan try to tone it down a bit, as it was so frightening that even she was speechless for a long time.

After bidding farewell to Charlotte and the others, they left the capital and headed straight for the Divine Tree.

Since the fall of the Crimson Queen, the guardians of the Divine Tree have also disappeared. Mechanical monsters have taken over the place, making the diseased Divine Tree their new home. They lie on the ground and enter a hibernation standby state after completing their commands.

They stood once again beneath this towering ancient tree, which had lived for countless years.

"Yo yo yo yo, what are you planning to do?"

Before Rowena could even ask a question, Argos's urgent voice rang out in the air.

A rift tore open in the space, and a wriggling hose emerged from it.

"You'd better think about it carefully."

The little octopus also issued a warning, a reminder from Ampolis: "Are you really going to believe that ancient man?"

"It wouldn't hurt to give it a try."

"Wait a minute, why are you all suddenly so serious?"

Rowena stepped forward; she disliked this discussion, which was filled with a riddle-like atmosphere. "Old Sen, you should speak; you're better at summarizing."

"Simply put, I plan to renovate this old house."

Repairing an old house?
Rowena instinctively looked up at the treetop but saw nothing, leaving her completely bewildered. "How do we fix it? Do we need your help?"

As she spoke, she took out a woodworking hammer from her treasure chest. This was an essential item for home and travel. If something broke while she was out, it would save her money on finding a carpenter. She had been doing carpentry since she was a child when she was in the Astrologers' Guild, so repairing houses was no problem for her.

She asked, "You mean the Scarlet Queen's collapsed treehouse?"

"No, we don't need this for this repair."

Ethan walked step by step toward the diseased sacred tree, where dew gathered and coalesced into a sharp blade in his palm. Then, amidst Rowena's scream, the blade sliced ​​open his wrist.

……

On the distant other side, Zhuang Xiao was also closely watching the movements of another world, but all she could see were constantly fluctuating numbers, with the word "tree crown" marked next to them.

This is the name of that plane. She didn't choose the name; when she arrived in that plane, the basic framework of the divine tree and the world had already been formed.

There were many other people in the hall, dressed in blue and white shelter suits, who had been there all day.

Since Zhuang Xiao arrived in the hall, the numbers behind the tree canopy had been steadily decreasing. By dinner time, they had fallen below 70%, and the numbers had changed from green to yellow. Just a few minutes ago, they had even fallen below 50%. She could feel the orange-red numbers tormenting many people's hearts.

They were pale and filled with anxiety.

However, there was nothing they could do but watch helplessly as the fluctuating numbers continued to decline.

Zhuang Xiao still hasn't fully adapted to the changes in her life. Not long ago, she tried to activate her privileges as "Scarlet," but received no response. It was as if everything that happened in another world was just a distant yet real dream.

Merlin said it was a normal reaction; she had been there for too long and might need a few days to adjust to the change.

She felt that her reaction time had slowed down, and she would often unconsciously fall into a daze.

Just like now, Zhuang Xiao was pulled back to reality by a shout.

Her inexplicable excitement quickly spread among the crowd in the hall. Many people wept with joy and embraced each other excitedly. She was also infected by the atmosphere in the hall, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

The numbers have changed once again.

Although the increase was small, it was the first time it had risen by 0.1%.

This insignificant number was enough to excite everyone. Zhuang Xiao sat in her chair, staring blankly at the people celebrating in the hall. She found Merlin at the entrance of the hall. He was talking to an old man. The old man looked happy and, after receiving the report, quickly walked towards the projector.

Merlin was always good at concealing his emotions; he stood there and watched the old man walk away.

Just when he thought everyone's attention was drawn to the number that had jumped in the opposite direction, he finally leaned against the wall and slid to the ground, exhausted.

Zhuang Xiao witnessed this entire scene.

She saw Merlin light a cigarette—cigarettes had become a luxury after their world was destroyed.

She also saw Merlin take a deep breath, press the back of his head against the wall, tilt his head back, and close his eyes with a sense of relief.

(End of this chapter)