The bearded master froze for a moment when he heard Ethan's calm words. But he was not a fool—he instantly understood that Ethan was trying to stall for time. The bearded man lifted his chin, pointed at the two broken halves of the wooden box lying on the ground, and declared:
"Yes. Give it up. We already destroyed it."
The heavy footsteps approaching from behind belonged to the housekeeper—known to Ethan as "Uncle." But now, the man looked nothing like the gentle and loyal butler he once knew.
His face was still somewhat normal and barely recognizable.
His body, however, told a different story.
It was now nearly two meters tall, swollen with unnatural muscle, and covered entirely in twisting, pulsing black curse lines. The dark patterns crawled across his skin like living snakes, shaping him into something monstrous.
Ethan recognized those dark marks instantly. They were the same curse spell the housekeeper once used to kill the dwarf assassin and severely injure the old king. But why—why in the world had he turned this curse upon himself?
When the housekeeper's eyes fell upon the shattered box, he froze. He sniffed the air, checking for the scent of the Evil God's blood. After several seconds, he confirmed it—
There was no trace left.
But the loss didn't calm him—it crushed his sanity.
He glared at Ethan, voice twisted and unstable.
"Hand over the Evil God's blood… and I will let you live."
He raised three trembling fingers.
"I'm counting. One—!"
His whole body trembled violently, clearly unable to think straight after losing track of the cursed blood. His eyes, however, were full of murderous intent. That fury only grew deeper.
"Three!"
The moment the word left his mouth, the housekeeper lunged at them, moving so fast that the ground cracked beneath his feet.
BOOM!
Dust erupted as his massive body shot forward like a cannonball.
Ethan remembered vividly that the last time the bearded master confronted this same housekeeper, the bearded master wasn't afraid at all. He even argued with him fearlessly.
But this time?
The moment he saw the cursed monster charging, the bearded master grabbed Ethan's arm and ran like his life depended on it.
Clearly, whatever the housekeeper had become, even the bearded master couldn't handle him head-on.
Ethan could have simply activated Space Transfer and vanished. It would have been easy. But if he left now without explaining what happened to the Evil God's blood, everyone would blame him later.
So, he decided to watch for a moment—if things got too dangerous, he would escape then.
But it quickly became clear that the bearded master was not fast enough.
Especially while dragging Ethan along.
The housekeeper was closing the distance with frightening speed. Ethan finally prepared to use his escape skill.
But at that very moment—
SHHHH—!!!
A gigantic spear suddenly fell from the sky, spinning with incredible force. The weapon was carved with glowing runes, and roaring flames wrapped around its shaft.
The housekeeper froze mid-charge.
The spear struck the earth directly in front of him.
BOOOOOM!
The ground exploded.
A wave of terrifying energy blasted outward, sending dirt, stone, and flames flying into the air. A massive crater appeared as if a meteor had slammed into the earth.
This was stronger—much stronger—than Ethan's own free-fall attack from earlier. This crater was easily twice the size.
If the housekeeper had taken even one more step, that spear would have pierced straight through his body.
Although the attack separated Ethan and the housekeeper, the explosion knocked everyone—including Ethan and the bearded master—high into the air.
The bearded master tumbled across the dirt, finally landing face-first. He pushed himself up, coughing and furious.
"Damn it! What kind of rescue was that?! If I wasn't tough as iron, I'd be dead! This is murder disguised as helping!"
Ethan followed the bearded master's gaze upward.
A massive shadow passed over the battlefield.
A griffin soared above them—its enormous wings stretching tens of meters across. Its body was broad and muscular like a lion, yet its wings gleamed with sharp eagle feathers. The mixture looked unnatural, yet majestic and overwhelmingly powerful.
Riding on top of this mighty beast was an old man wearing nothing but a simple vest.
The gatekeeper.
Ethan's jaw dropped.
He never would have guessed the gatekeeper's real identity—
A griffin knight.
Or perhaps, a former dragon knight who had failed to secure a dragon and settled for a griffin instead. Regardless, riding any flying summoned beast was the mark of an elite warrior.
The bearded master, still dizzy, shouted upward, "Try killing us properly next time! Are you blind?!"
The gatekeeper only laughed heartily.
"You have thick skin and strong bones. Think of it as… cupping therapy!"
With a wave of his hand, the flaming spear flew off the ground like a boomerang and returned straight into his grip.
Then the gatekeeper gave a warning—still smiling:
"Don't blame me for not reminding you. Stay away."
The bearded master's face drained of color immediately.
"Oh no… No, no, no—your uncle!"
He didn't even finish his curse before grabbing Ethan by the wrist again.
This time he sprinted with everything he had, activating multiple charging skills one after another. The speed was far beyond his previous escape attempt—he practically flew across the ground.
They didn't stop until they had put hundreds of meters between themselves and the battlefield.
The bearded master collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.
Ethan patted dust off his coat, still stunned.
Behind them, the griffin circled above the housekeeper like a hawk watching prey.
The battle was far from over.
But for now, they were alive.
And luckily, Ethan did not need to explain anything today.
.
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