Dragon, Ethan, and Leon sat on the sofa, facing one another in silence. The weight in the air was undeniable, yet strangely comforting.
"I wonât ask you any questions," Dragon said calmly, breaking the silence. "I donât need to. Just share some of your burden with us. Thatâs all I want from you."
Ethan didnât respond. His eyes flickered, unreadable.
Ethan leaned forward slightly. "Mr. President, please give a brief overview of Earthâs situation. I have many things I need to understand from you."
Dragon and Leon exchanged a look and nodded.
Super City 6.
Nolan Ashford paced like a caged beast. Madness gleamed in his eyes as he stared at his mutilated son. Despite exhausting all resources, Earth had no technology or treasures capable of regenerating limbs or organs. Perhaps the Alliance had hidden such advances, keeping them away from public reach.
That
bastard
had healed his son after severing his organs, leaving no path remained open to them.
This was no mere injuryâthis was a death grudge, irreversible and unforgettable.
They had even attempted to kill him in Base City using a Level 9 King-tier beast. But someone had interfered. The city was saved, and their plans were shattered. To this day, they couldnât identify the golden-armored figure who had ruined everything.
Nolan turned toward Erasmus, eyes burning.
"Father, we canât just sit here any longer. I want that bastard dead. I want to rip him apart with my bare hands. Itâs a blessing he didnât dieânow I get to take revenge with my own two hands."
Erasmus gazed at his son silently. Nolanâs eyes no longer looked humanâthey radiated hatred, the kind born only in monsters.
He sighed. "We canât hurt the Hunt family directly. But others can. The Hunts have rivals. One family even stronger than them. Their old patriarch is a Level 9 Emperor. They also have a Level 2 Emperor within their ranks."
Nolanâs eyes gleamed with wicked light. "Which family?"
"The Morningstar family," Erasmus said slowly. "From what I heard, Ethan Hunt already has a grudge against them. He beat their young prodigies publicly."
Nolan burst into maniacal laughter. "Perfect. Then letâs go to Super City 1. Iâll offer all my personal wealth if they help me take revenge."
Erasmus shook his head. "You wonât need to. The Ashford family will back you. Weâll offer
half
the familyâs wealth."
The Ashfords were business giants, their assets comparable to families led by Level 8 or 9 Emperors.
That very afternoon, father and son set out for Super City 1.
Alliance Hall.
The atmosphere was tense and oppressive.
Ethan sat in silence, absorbing the grim details of Earthâs dire situation. His expression darkened.
He had once estimated Dragonâs combat power to be around 560 billion. But he had forgotten one crucial factorâthe weapon. Dragon wielded a Level 5 force weapon: the Crimson Sword.
With its 80x amplification, Dragonâs true combat strength surged to approximately
44.6 trillion tonnes
.
That kind of power... Ethanâs thoughts drifted.
In his past life, the strongest nuclear bomb ever detonated on Earth was the Soviet Unionâs Tsar Bomba. Its destructive power, when converted to punch force, amounted to about
21 quadrillion kilograms
. But Dragon could explode with
44 quadrillion
âmore than double.
He wasnât a man. He was a walking supernuclear warhead.
And yet... even with this much power, Dragon couldnât defeat the Ocean Emperor.
What kind of monster was that?
Without any force weapon or amplification skills, that thing had still overwhelmed Dragon. How?
Ethan asked, "The Ocean Emperor... did it transcend the Emperor Realm?"
Dragon shook his head. "No. If it had, Earth would already be gone. Humanity would be extinct. But weâre running out of time. I estimate it will break through within five years."
Ethanâs brows furrowed. "President... do you know what realm comes after Emperor?"
Dragon nodded. "The Planetary Realm."
Ethanâs eyes lit up. "Do you know how to become one?"
Dragon exhaled slowly. "No. If we knew, weâd be trying to break through. All we have is the name of the next realm."
Ethanâs excitement dimmed a little. But only for a moment.
Then Iâll find out myself. If not in this realm, then after I reach Level 9 Emperor... Iâll figure it.
Then he asked, "How many Emperor-tier monsters are present on Earth currently?"
Dragon replied gravely, "On land alone, there are ninety-seven. Among them, sixteen are Level 9. As for the ocean...we donât know. Some unknown power is obstructing our satellite sensors whenever we try to observe the sea."
"Ninety-seven on land alone? Sixteen Level 9?" Ethanâs voice was low, almost incredulous. "Humanity only has fifty-five Emperors...and just nine at Level 9. And we donât even know the true number of Emperors lurking in the ocean. They definitely have more than a hundred, thatâs for sure. How is humanity even surviving now? Itâs...a miracle."
He stood. "Then, President, shall we head to the secret realm you mentioned? I want to see what lies beyond that energy door."
Dragon and Leon stood up with him. "Follow us."
The trio moved toward the center of the building and opened a sealed gate leading underground. Just five meters below, they entered a wide, brightly lit chamber. At the center stood a mysterious, glowing door.
Leon explained, "We created this door at the entrance of the realm. Similar doors have been installed wherever a realm was discovered across the world."
Ethan nodded and followed them through.
A wave of discomfort swept over Ethan the moment he stepped inside.
Leon smiled reassuringly. "Donât worry. Realms are separate spacesâyour body just needs to adapt."
Ethan glanced around. The realm looked surprisingly... normal. Like a quiet town.Light glowed from above, casting gentle shadows on the land.
"Does the realm use the outside environment as its own?" Ethan asked curiously.
"Good catch," Leon replied. "The realm has its own environment. What you see is artificial light."
"Got it."
Ethan noticed treesâstrange varieties, foreign yet beautiful. At the center stood a massive palace, silent and imposing.
Dragon pointed forward. "Letâs go inside."
As they entered, Ethanâs eyes widened. Towering sentinels lined the grand corridor like royal knights standing in eternal vigilance.
Dragon said, "These statues inspired the design of our real-world Sentinels."
The interior was like something out of a sci-fi epic. Unreal. Majestic.
They approached the energy door. It stood ten feet tall and seven feet wide, sealed with a shimmering plasma shield.
Ethan reached out to touch it.
Leon quickly grabbed his wrist. "Donât. Youâll burn yourself."
"That dangerous?"
"Yes. It doesnât radiate heat, but the temperature is about
6,000 degrees Celsius
."
Ethan whistled. "Thatâs hotter than the surface of the sun."
"So this is the unbreakable gate, huh?"
Without hesitation, Ethan pulled out the keystone, gripped it, and stepped forwardâright through the blazing energy wall.
Dragon and Leon stood speechless behind him.
"That boy..." Dragon muttered, "heâs far too confident. But then again, he has every reason to be."
They sat cross-legged near the door, waiting.
Morningstar Family.
Two unexpected guests entered.
Jake Morningstar sat before themâson of Adam Morningstar, a Level 9 Emperor. Jake himself was already a Level 2 Emperor. Caseous and Cristan were his grandsons.
"So... why would the Ashfords visit us at this hour?" Jake asked, curiously.
Erasmus replied with one name. "Ethan Hunt."
Jakeâs eyes turned cold instantly. "You came here to mock us?"
Erasmus quickly denied it, then detailed their own grudge against Ethan.
Jake let out a twisted laugh. "Arenât you afraid Iâll tell the Hunts? Do you really think your family would still survive?"
Erasmus remained composed. "Weâll offer you half of the Ashford familyâs wealth... if you help us take vengeance."
Jake was taken aback. Half their wealth? That was no light offer.
Nolan stepped forward, jaw clenched. "He didnât just humiliate my sonâhe destroyed him. Mutilated him. This is a blood feud. If you give me the opportunity to take revenge, weâll pay. But if you
help
me succeed, Iâll owe you a personal favor."
Jakeâs expression shifted. "Weâll see. My fatherâs in closed-door retreat. Once he returns, Iâll speak with him. If he agreesâweâll help."
Nolan looked at Jake, his voice cold. "Ethan Hunt has a healing talent."
Jakeâs eyes widened immediately. "How do you know?"
Nolan replied grimly, "He healed my son after destroying his bodyâsealing every possible path to future treatment."
"How can you be sure that wasnât just a healing skill? He has the light element, after all," Jake asked gravely.
"He took only two seconds," Nolan said in a deep voice. "After cutting off his hands, legs, tongue, balls...gouging out his eyes...he healed him instantly and stopped all bleeding. Now you tell meâwhich healing skill has power like that?"
Jakeâs expression turned nasty, but he didnât say anything.
As the Ashfords departed, Jakeâs gaze grew colder than ice.
"Ethan Hunt... a supreme genius, huh? A dead genius is no different than a dead dog. Just wait for the ruin exploration in two months. I know youâll be there. And thatâs where it ends for you."
Secret Realm.
Ethan opened his eyes.
Another palace loomed before himâlarger, more magnificent. The previous one had resembled a dukeâs residence. This was like a kingâs royal palace.
He strode forward confidently, drawing the
Shadow Sword
, a Level 3 force weapon gifted by the Windsor family. It could amplify his strength twentyfoldâmore than enough for now.
As he approached, the giant doors opened on their own.
Ethan stepped into a vast hallway. After two minutes of walking, he saw a grand throne.
Behind it stood four giant knights, each thirty meters tall. Green. Red. Blue. Brown.
And seated on the throne... was someone.
Ethanâs heart skipped a beat.
Who was this figure? The ruler of this realm?
Could he defeat them if a battle broke out?
He stepped closer, tension building.
The shadows around the throne concealed the figureâs face and structureâbut as Ethan approached... his eyes widened in shock.
[Thanks for the big gift STOP_RIGHT_THERE,also thanks to Milo4more and Vikko. I am grateful for you support.]