Chapter 115: I do not need your permission
Fifteen days later.
An area spanning dozens of kilometers around the Union Ruins had been completely sealed off.
Since early morning, airships had been appearing continuously in the sky.
Some were hundreds of meters long, their hulls covered with the emblems of major Safe Zones. Others were smaller, belonging to families, guilds, or independent cities. Groups of Awakened left the landing platforms one after another and gathered in the areas that had already been divided around the ruins.
At the center of everything stood a massive ancient structure.
It resembled a Greek temple left behind from the era before the Apocalypse.
Dozens of white stone pillars more than fifty meters tall stood in two rows. Most of their surfaces were already cracked, but they still remained upright. In front was a staircase wide enough for hundreds of people to pass through at the same time, and around the ancient structure, the Union Council had added many Magic Arrays, energy towers, and modern defensive structures.
There was no statue of a god in the middle of the temple.
There was only a fissure of light.
It was shaped like a horizontal diamond, nearly twenty meters long, floating more than three meters above the ground. Inside the fissure, colors kept changing, as if the space behind it was being torn apart and stitched back together.
Crack!
A bolt of black-silver lightning suddenly shot out.
Boom!
It struck the transparent protective barrier surrounding the temple.
The entire barrier shook violently.
Blue energy lines quickly lit up, absorbing the remaining power before the lightning could strike outside.
Some of the people who had come here for the first time subconsciously stepped back.
Those who were already used to it did not even bother looking.
The Trial Gate had always been like this.
Humanity had never truly controlled it.
They had only built enough layers of protection to keep the thing inside from destroying the surrounding area before the day it opened.
....
A gray-silver airship slowly descended in the eastern area.
The crescent moon emblem on the hull made a few nearby people turn to look.
"Silver Moon City?"
"They came this year too?"
"I thought that city had only been established not long ago."
"If they have a slot, of course they will come. But their representative probably will not be worth much attention."
The discussion did not last long.
In the eyes of most major Factions, Silver Moon City was still only an independent city built in the wilderness. It had no long history, no great family supporting it from behind, and its resources were not enough to compare with the Safe Zones that had existed for decades.
The airship door opened.
Xue Ji stepped down first.
The people who had just been talking immediately quieted down.
Silver Moon City’s reputation might not be great, but Xue Ji was different.
Not everyone knew her exact level, but someone who could build a city outside the Council’s control by herself and keep it standing for many years was definitely not weak.
Ethan stepped down right after her.
He wore a simple dark combat outfit, and his left arm was still covered by the Primordial Armor. Fifteen days after returning from Floor 18, the one thousand C-rank Energy Crystals were no longer lying quietly in storage like before, but from the outside, it was almost impossible to tell how much his current level had changed.
The Epic Heaven Gate was like a bottomless pit.
The amount of energy that had once been enough to push an ordinary Silver Rank Awakened up several stages was compressed when it entered Ethan’s body, filling the foundation that had just been rebuilt.
He did not see that as a bad thing.
On the contrary, with each passing day, Ethan could feel more clearly how different his current strength was from before.
Laira stepped out next.
The cabin door was fairly tall, but she still had to lower her head slightly. When she straightened up, her nearly two-meter-twenty body immediately made her stand out in the crowd. Her horns and wings had been withdrawn, but her long crimson hair and orange-red eyes quickly allowed those who had watched Aurora Academy’s ceremony to recognize her.
"Wait."
"Red Dragon?"
"That is Ethan Ashford’s Mythic Partner."
The moment Ethan’s name appeared, the gazes around them immediately changed.
Ruo Yan stepped down last.
She did not care about the surrounding whispers. She simply walked to Ethan’s left and stood less than half a step away from him.
Xue Ji looked around, then said, "The registration area is ahead. Let’s go."
Ethan nodded.
The four of them began walking toward the ruins.
The closer they got to the central area, the more crowded it became.
The geniuses brought here by the various Factions did not look ordinary. Some carried Epic weapons, their energy fluctuations strong enough to affect the air around them. Some had beast-type Partners over ten meters tall that had to stand outside the gathering area. There were also a few people who were clearly only at Silver Rank, yet their auras were already so heavy that they were almost touching Gold Rank.
Ethan only glanced over them.
No one made him stop.
Laira cared even less. She was lowering her head and quietly discussing with Ruo Yan whether the food in the rest area ahead would taste good.
After hearing a few sentences, Ruo Yan replied coldly, "We are here to compete."
"You still have to eat during a competition."
"You just ate on the airship."
"Three hours ago."
"..."
Ethan listened beside them, the corner of his mouth curving slightly.
Right then, his steps slowed.
A familiar symbol appeared ahead.
Number 7.
Behind the symbol were the emblems of Aurora Academy and the Defense Legion.
The smile on Ethan’s face faded.
Xue Ji noticed that small change and followed his gaze.
In an area less than fifty meters away, the delegation from Safe Zone Number 7 had also just completed registration.
The person standing at the front was an old man leaning on a black wooden cane.
Adrian Cole.
Beside him was a man in military uniform, with some gray already appearing at both temples.
Marcus Vane.
Before Ethan could say anything, Cole had already looked over.
His gaze stopped.
For several seconds, the principal of Aurora Academy simply stood still.
He looked at Ethan.
Then at the left arm that had now become an arm wrapped in some strange metal.
After that, his gaze shifted to Laira.
Finally, it landed on Ruo Yan.
Cole had seen too many students change after stepping onto the path of an Awakened.
But the Ethan before him still gave him a sense of unfamiliarity.
Not because of his appearance.
Because of his aura.
The young man who had once stepped onto the ceremony stage in an old uniform and stood amid hundreds of mocking voices while remaining silent had vanished.
The person now stood very straight.
Calm.
There was no sign in his eyes that he wanted to avoid anyone.
Cole walked forward first.
"Ethan."
The familiar voice immediately made Laira stop talking.
She looked at the old man.
Ruo Yan also sensed the unusual atmosphere, and her gaze shifted toward Ethan.
He stopped.
"Principal Cole."
The form of address was still the same as before.
But the distance was completely different.
Cole stopped several meters in front of him. He looked at Ethan for a long while before sighing.
"I did not expect to meet you here."
"Neither did I."
Cole nodded.
A moment of silence appeared.
Only then did he say, "About what happened before, after the truth was made public, Aurora Academy’s records were corrected. The accusations related to you were also removed. I know those things came too late."
Ethan looked at him.
There was no anger.
He already knew what Cole had done.
When Marcus wanted to stop the rescue positioning, the man before him had objected. Later, Cole himself was also one of the people who publicly revealed evidence and helped overturn the story that Ryan and the others had created.
So Ethan only nodded.
"I know."
Cole paused slightly.
Ethan continued, "As for you, I do not blame you."
Cole’s gaze changed.
Perhaps this was not the answer he had expected.
He tightened his grip slightly on the cane in his hand, then said, "If that is the case... after this matter ends, if you wish to return to Aurora, the academy’s doors are still open. After all, you were once my student."
Before Ethan could answer, another voice rang out from behind him.
"Not only Aurora Academy."
Marcus Vane walked over.
Two soldiers in combat armor followed behind him.
Marcus looked Ethan up and down, his gaze lingering on Laira a little longer. He naturally remembered the Red Dragon that had once shaken all of Safe Zone Number 7.
"Safe Zone Number 7 has also removed all restrictions related to you. The truth has been clarified, and the people responsible have been dealt with. You may return."
Marcus’s voice was very calm.
But the way he spoke made Ruo Yan narrow her eyes slightly.
It sounded like this was a decision.
A permission.
Ethan looked at Marcus.
A control room he had never personally seen, but whose events he had later learned clearly, immediately surfaced in his mind.
This man had once ordered the rescue to be cut off.
Not because they could not continue.
But because he believed saving Ethan was no longer worth consuming resources.
Seeing Ethan remain silent, Marcus continued, "You are now strong enough for Zone Number 7 to value. If you return, the matters from before can end here. The Legion can also provide you with better conditions than an independent city like Silver Moon."
Xue Ji, standing beside him, raised a brow slightly.
Ethan, however, laughed.
Very softly.
Marcus frowned. "What is so funny?"
"I just find it strange."
Ethan looked straight at him.
"Listening to the way you speak, I almost thought I was waiting for Zone Number 7 to give me permission to return."
Marcus’s expression darkened.
Ethan continued, his voice still calm. "Back then, you cut off the rescue and abandoned me outside. After that, when the truth was clarified, you deleted the wanted records on your own. From beginning to end, those were all your decisions."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Did I ask you anything?"
Marcus fell silent.
"Did I beg to return?"
"Ethan." Cole frowned slightly, but not because he wanted to stop him. It was because he had already realized that the atmosphere was beginning to change.
Ethan did not look at Cole.
His gaze remained on Marcus.
"I do not need your permission."
A few people from Zone Number 7 behind them had already begun paying attention.
Marcus looked at Ethan for a while, then said coldly, "You are still too young. A few achievements have made you think you can stand outside every Faction? How many resources can Silver Moon City give you?"
"That is his business."
Xue Ji’s voice cut in.
She took a step forward.
Standing between Marcus and Ethan.
Marcus looked at her.
Xue Ji still wore a very faint smile.
"Commander Vane, Silver Moon City’s representative is about to participate in the trial. If you want to talk to one of my people, you should at least ask me first."
Ethan turned to look at her.
Laira also lowered her eyes slightly.
Ruo Yan raised a brow.
Xue Ji immediately sensed the three gazes.
She did not turn her head, only added very naturally, "The representative of my city."
Ethan shook his head slightly.
Marcus had no mood to care about wording.
"Ethan Ashford was born and raised in Safe Zone Number 7. His Awakened records were also opened at Aurora Academy. Silver Moon City has no right to decide where he belongs."
The smile on Xue Ji’s face slowly faded.
"Is that so?"
Marcus looked at her.
Xue Ji tilted her head slightly.
"Then when he was abandoned outside, why did I not hear Zone Number 7 say he was one of yours?"
The air immediately went silent.
Cole tightened his hand around his cane.
He did not refute.
Because that sentence was true.
Marcus’s face turned completely cold.
"Xue Ji, this is Zone Number 7’s internal matter."
"Not anymore."
"You want to interfere?"
"I am only protecting my representative."
Marcus looked at her for a few seconds.
Then his right hand lifted slightly.
The movement was very small.
But the two soldiers behind him immediately stepped forward half a step, their hands resting on the energy weapons at their waists.
Almost at the same time, several people wearing Silver Moon City uniforms behind Xue Ji also turned around.
No one drew a weapon.
But everyone was already ready.
Laira stepped forward half a step.
Only one step.
Her nearly two-meter-twenty body immediately stood close behind Ethan’s shoulder. Her orange-red eyes looked straight at Marcus, and the fingers of her right hand had already curled slightly.
Ruo Yan did not summon the Necromancer.
Only a few Soul Threads, so thin they were almost transparent, slowly appeared between her fingers.
Marcus looked at the two of them.
Then back at Ethan.
Xue Ji still stood in front.
A wave of pressure began spreading from her body.
Not strong enough to attack.
Only just enough.
But the ground beneath the feet of several soldiers immediately made tiny cracking sounds.
Marcus’s expression changed.
Peak Elite.
The aura from his body also began to rise.
The people around them finally noticed the situation, and countless gazes shifted over at once. Some immediately retreated farther away, while others stayed in place, waiting to see what would happen.
Cole struck his cane against the ground.
"Enough."
No one listened.
Right then, a loud explosion rang out from the temple.
CRACK!
A gigantic bolt of spatial lightning shot out from the diamond-shaped fissure of light.
Boom!
The protective barrier shook violently.
Black-silver light flashed across the entire area, illuminating the faces confronting one another.
Marcus looked at Xue Ji.
"Move aside."
Xue Ji was no longer smiling.
She looked straight at him.
"And if I do not?"
The air between them instantly grew heavier.
Ethan stood behind Xue Ji, his right hand slowly clenching.
Back then, these people had once sat in a room and decided whether to continue saving him or not.
He had no right to speak.
No strength to object.
He could only wait for the result.
Ethan looked at Marcus.
His gaze was completely calm.
’Now...’
The corner of his mouth curved slightly.
’Try again.’