Chapter 1582 - 1582: For the First Time, They Saw a Future

In the space of a brief exchange, Ethan had killed three Stage SS fighters. His ruthlessness left every member of the Cathay Republic delegation trembling.

Of their five Stage SS fighters, only the quiet Oleg and the still-screaming Briggs remained.

Oleg had collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.

If he'd known the Atlas Federation had a Stage SSS fighter, nothing could have convinced him to come here.

He still remembered how confidently they'd assured the president that the Atlas Federation was weak and theirs for the taking.

Now he realized what fools they'd been.

The Atlas Federation was still as impossible to read as ever. They had been idiots to think it was something they could push around.

"Can you give me a reason to spare you?" Ethan asked the last Stage SS fighter.

Oleg shook his head and said nothing.

They had made their choice the moment they moved against the Atlas Federation. If they lost, this had always been one of the possible outcomes.

If the Atlas Federation hadn't possessed someone this powerful, they wouldn't have shown it any mercy either. Oleg had no one else to blame.

"Then it's time for all of you to go."

A flash of swordlight followed Ethan's words.

Oleg's head separated from his body, sending him after the others.

Ethan had never shown mercy to his enemies, nor did he give them another chance.

The moment the last Stage SS fighter died, the Cathay Republic's Stage S fighters finally broke. They scattered in every direction.

"Fallen Star Guard!"

"Sir!"

"Leave none alive!"

"Yes, sir!"

The entire Fallen Star Guard charged after the fleeing Cathay Republic troops.

They held an overwhelming advantage in both numbers and strength. One side was riding high after Ethan's return, while the other had completely lost the will to fight.

The outcome was never in doubt.

In less than an hour, all five thousand Stage S fighters who had come from the Cathay Republic were dead. A flock of Blazehawks soon descended and devoured their bodies.

When they set out, not one of them could have imagined they would never return.

Briggs, the man in charge of the operation, also died at Henry's hands.

Henry had simply gotten tired of playing with him. If he hadn't, he could have kept it going indefinitely. As long as Henry wanted someone alive, even dying became nearly impossible.

The Atlas Federation had won a complete victory.

More importantly, it now had a Stage SSS fighter. The news electrified New Atlas, and the entire city erupted in celebration.

Once the Cathay Republic forces had been dealt with, Ethan led the Beast Sovereign and the others into New Atlas.

The sight of its strange, towering buildings left the beasts visibly stunned.

Earth might be far behind the Eldoria Continent in raw strength, but Eldoria couldn't begin to compete with Earth when it came to architecture.

Maxwell and the others followed cautiously, barely daring to speak.

Even with their presence restrained, the Outland Beasts still filled them with dread.

There was no question that all of them were Stage SSS. They might even be stronger than Ethan.

Seeing how comfortably Ethan interacted with them, Maxwell and the others assumed he had brought the beasts back as reinforcements.

They already knew the Void Realm passage would soon open again. That was the entire reason the compounds had merged.

Until now, they had seen no hope of surviving what was coming. The advance forces from the Void Realm had already been terrifying. Once the main force arrived, the result would undoubtedly be catastrophic.

But now Ethan had returned as a Stage SSS fighter and brought several even more terrifying allies with him. For the first time, they felt there might actually be a future.

Maxwell and the others gazed at the modest figure walking ahead of them.

Perhaps Ethan was heaven's greatest gift to the Atlas Federation.

While the rest of them had still been struggling to develop their compounds, Ethan and his squad had already ventured to another continent in search of a way for humanity to survive.

They couldn't imagine how much courage it had taken for such a small group to make that journey alone, or how they had managed to stay alive on a continent filled with danger.

Even more unbelievable was how Ethan had risen from Stage S to Stage SSS in barely a month.

But one thing was certain: success never came overnight. The greater the achievement, the greater the price.

Whatever Ethan had endured to reach this point was beyond anything they could imagine.

While Maxwell and the others were lost in thought, Ethan glanced back at them.

"General Kane, have the kitchen prepare something good for our guests today. Make sure they're well taken care of."

"Of course. No problem."

"And find somewhere suitable for them to stay. The Beast Sovereign likes water, so see if we have a place with a lake."

"Leave it to us. We'll make sure our honored guests have everything they need."

Ethan nodded, then turned to the Beast Sovereign.

"You can stay here from now on. I'll let you get a proper taste of our food."

"As long as the place is comfortable, I'm satisfied. I don't care much about food," the Beast Sovereign replied casually.

"That's only because you've never had anything good. You will once you've tried our food," Ethan said with a laugh.

Cooking on the Eldoria Continent left a great deal to be desired. Despite all the time they'd spent there, they had never eaten anything particularly good.

Ethan was certain the Beast Sovereign would change its mind after tasting Earth's food.

Given its massive size, though, feeding it might take a lot.

Not that New Atlas lacked food. Keeping the Beast Sovereign and the others happy was far more important.

After settling the beasts in, the group gathered in the Council Chamber.

Ethan asked for a full account of everything that had happened since his departure.

Overall, nothing major had occurred. The closest thing to a major event was the merger of several city compounds.

There had been plenty of clashes with creatures from the Void Realm, but with the Fallen Star Guard present, the Federation had rarely suffered any losses. None of those battles had been significant enough to warrant concern.

Then came the Cathay Republic's attack.

Even if Ethan and the others hadn't returned, New Atlas still wouldn't have been defenseless. Miles had one last trump card: the warding circle he had improved.

That was why he had remained so firm even while facing five Stage SS fighters.

If a fight had broken out, he could have activated the warding circle, and the enemy wouldn't have been able to breach New Atlas.

The Cathay Republic's Stage SSS fighter was the only real concern. Miles believed the warding circle should be able to withstand attacks at that level, but without testing it, there was no way to be certain.

Stage SSS fighters also varied greatly in strength. No one knew what Tier the Cathay Republic's fighter had reached, so Miles couldn't guarantee the warding circle would hold.

Fortunately, Ethan was back. Those concerns were no longer an issue.

Ethan then gave them a brief account of what had happened on the Eldoria Continent.

Even his abbreviated version left everyone stunned.

Calling Eldoria dangerous didn't even begin to cover it. From the moment they arrived, they had been one wrong move away from disaster.

If Ethan hadn't kept his head and played his cards right, none of them might have made it home.