Chapter 669: Gaze of Terror
Third Person’s POV
To Aurelia, he had been her childhood playmate, the boy she had always followed around and clung to whenever she got the chance.
They had always known that Ethan possessed extraordinary talent.
They had known he was destined to become powerful.
But they had never imagined that the little boy they had lost would one day grow into someone capable of fighting a Rank Four demon head-on.
Watching him now, wielding his broadsword against a monstrous demon and forcing it into a desperate defense, the gap between the Ethan in their memories and the young man standing before them felt almost unreal.
For the first time, they truly realized just how much he had changed during those eight years they had been separated from him.
Though when they remembered the moment that demon had ambushed Ethan and its terrifying attack had struck him, both women’s hearts had nearly leapt out of their chests.
They had instinctively tried to rush toward him.
Fortunately, Arlene had immediately stopped them, while Pebba had also helped restrain them before they could recklessly throw themselves into the middle of the battle.
Otherwise, they would have rushed toward Ethan without caring about their own safety.
Only after seeing Ethan recover and continue fighting did they finally calm down.
The realization made Aurelia clench her fists tightly.
She was angry, and that anger was not directed at the sheep demon, but at none other than herself.
She hated the fact that when Ethan finally returned after eight years, she had been so helpless that she could only stand there and watch him fight to protect her.
Eleanor remained silent.
Her lips were pursed tightly as her eyes followed every movement of her son.
A complicated mixture of pride, worry, and determination slowly emerged within her eyes.
They had finally found Ethan.
But this reunion had also made one thing painfully clear.
They were still too weak.
Today, Ethan had saved them.
He had crossed an enormous distance at terrifying speed simply because he had sensed that they were in danger, and then he had immediately thrown himself into a battle against a Rank Four demon.
Neither Eleanor nor Aurelia wanted this to become their future.
They didn’t want to remain people Ethan had to protect whenever danger appeared.
They didn’t want to become a liability their enemies could use to force him to do their bidding.
They wanted to stand beside him.
They wanted to become strong enough that one day, when Ethan faced an enemy he couldn’t defeat alone, they could be the ones standing beside him rather than behind him.
As that determination quietly took root within their hearts, the battle in the distance continued to grow even more violent.
In fact, it had reached a point where it seemed as though Ethan had completely lost himself in the heat and rhythm of this life and death melee.
The exchange between the two had become increasingly fierce, with neither willing to give the other even a moment of breathing room.
The sheep-headed demon couldn’t help but think that the young man in front of him had gone completely crazy.
A wild smile had appeared on Ethan’s face.
His stamina seemed almost inexhaustible, while his close combat instincts were becoming sharper with every exchange.
More importantly, the strength behind his attacks had not weakened in the slightest.
The demon had expected the human’s physical strength to decline after such a prolonged battle, yet Ethan continued swinging his heavy ice broadsword with the same frightening force and speed as before.
It realized that if things continued like this, the battle could drag on for far longer than it wanted.
The demon didn’t want that.
It still had plenty of ways to end this battle.
And if it could finish this troublesome human quickly, it could then enjoy the rewards waiting for it.
Its horizontal, yellow pupils gleaming with an evil, filthy light suddenly turned completely red for a brief instant.
No one noticed the subtle change, barring Ethan, who had not lost his mind as the demon thought him to.
A strange black ripple silently spread outward from the demon’s eyes.
No one was able to see it, as it was not visible in the real world.
It didn’t travel through the physical world.
Instead, it crossed directly into the astral world and shot toward Ethan’s soul.
The black ripple reached him almost instantly and completely enveloped his spiritual form.
A glint of excitement flashed through the demon’s eyes.
Its plan had succeeded, as it had used the Gaze of Terror at the perfect time.
This was one of its strongest innate abilities.
Once the gaze successfully connected with an opponent’s soul, it could interfere with their consciousness and temporarily disrupt their perception of themselves and their surroundings.
Against weaker opponents, it could plunge them into absolute terror.
Against stronger ones, it could still create a moment of confusion.
And in a battle like this, a single moment was enough.
The demon didn’t waste that opportunity.
Instead of retreating from Ethan’s incoming attack, it suddenly stepped forward.
Both of its bone blades rose simultaneously.
It deliberately opened its defenses, leaving its chest completely exposed.
It was a dangerous move, but it was the most lethal one he could use in the timeframe he had.
It had already calculated that Ethan’s consciousness had been affected, as his attack coming toward it had already lost its trajectory and balance.
If Ethan’s mind was truly disrupted, then his strike would never land properly.
And even if it did, the demon was confident that its own twin blades would reach Ethan first.
Its two bone blades descended simultaneously.
Whoosh!
If they landed, Ethan’s body would be sliced apart.
Ethan suddenly trembled in the middle of his charge, and his crimson eyes became glassy.
His perception seemed to lose focus.
His body staggered slightly, and for an instant, it appeared as though he had completely lost control of himself while slashing diagonally towards the demon’s chest.
The sheep demon’s eyes widened with delight.