Emiya stood off to the side, observing once more. Seeing that Ethan had no intention of making a move, he understood that his task was essentially complete.
He dismissed the projection in his hand and stood there watching the scene unfold, using the opportunity to gauge what would happen next. There was nothing else he could do. He was under the Inhibitor's command and couldn't return until the task was fully completed.
Besides, he was inside Ethan's Mirror Dimension. Even if he wanted to leave immediately, he couldn't.
As Emiya dismissed his weapon, the man across from him also removed his armor. The suit vanished as soon as it left his body.
Ethan could sense that the armor had been stored in another dimensional space, one that was bound exclusively to its user.
"What's your name?"
Only now did Ethan begin to examine the mage at close range. The man had shoulder-length golden-brown hair and looked to be in his thirties, but with Reincarnators from the Main God Space, appearances were deceiving. Based on his demeanor, Ethan judged that he had a mature, refined aura, without showing any signs of age.
After removing the armor, he changed into a clean and proper casual outfit. He stood calmly, giving off a gentlemanly vibe. Even though he was now technically a captive, he didn't look disheveled in the slightest.
"Nick Lambert."
Ethan looked at him, not particularly concerned whether the name was real or fake. As long as he had a way to address him, it was fine.
"So, Nick. Have you given up on resisting?"
"I don't see any point in continuing the fight. Maybe we can resolve our conflict through other means."
Nick sighed. His magical energy had been taken away by the team contract. He wasn't completely powerless, since his physical capabilities and combat experience remained. Besides magic, he had other methods at his disposal.
But magic had always been his main strength. Losing it meant a significant drop in his overall power, especially when facing two powerful opponents. He knew there was no chance of winning in this state.
Now was the time to show humility. Besides, there was no need for the situation to escalate into a fight to the death.
"If you're willing to let us go, we can offer suitable compensation as thanks."
Ethan remained standing, chatting with Nick while waiting for that exact sentence.
"Alright."
Nick was momentarily stunned. He didn't expect such a straightforward response. It was so direct that he began to wonder if there was some kind of trap. Or maybe the other party wasn't as strong as he appeared and didn't want to risk further conflict?
But he quickly dismissed that idea. The strength of the man in red was already widely known. Even though this mysterious person hadn't made a move earlier, what little he had shown was more than enough to prove his power.
That was a level he simply couldn't go up against. There was no need for someone like that to resort to tricks.
"What do you want?"
At this point, there was only one explanation left. He must have something the other party wanted. Nick silently speculated on what it could be.
Ethan didn't answer directly. Instead, he gently waved his hand, and a blue portal appeared on the open ground nearby. Then, the fleeing red-haired woman was pulled through the portal.
She had still been flying at full speed, trying to put as much distance as possible behind her. Suddenly, her vision blurred, and in the next instant, she found herself standing in front of her teammate. She immediately slowed down and stopped, nearly crashing into Nick.
"You…"
She had just started to ask what was happening. The team contract had been activated, which meant her teammates should have all died. So why was he here?
Was someone impersonating her teammate?
Just as the thought crossed her mind, she glanced around and immediately turned pale.
As a Reincarnator, it was impossible not to have basic environmental awareness. With a single look, she realized that this was the place she had escaped from earlier. Which meant the other party had used some unknown means to drag her back, even though she had already fled far away.
What did this mean? It meant she couldn't escape their grasp at all.
"Zoe, treat your wound first."
Nick's words made the red-haired woman named Zoe instantly understand the situation. She was familiar with this kind of scenario. Since the two sides were no longer fighting, it meant negotiations had started.
She looked at Nick again, still unsure if he was really her teammate.
"How did you…"
She wanted to ask how he had survived. Nick gave a simple answer.
"I activated the Guyver."
Zoe nodded in understanding. The Guyver Bio-Booster Armor had strong self-repair functions. If Nick had triggered it before dying, then being revived after being declared dead was entirely possible.
But that equipment…
She immediately understood why Nick hadn't chosen to fight to the death and instead went for negotiation.
"Besides, didn't you notice something strange about this place?"
Zoe's expression darkened. As an experienced Reincarnator, how could she not notice? Earlier, she had planned to keep running, reach the boundary, and then see if she could break out somehow.
But now it was clear that this hope was slim. The other party could casually pull her back here. How could she escape?
"Can you restore your magic?"
Nick was momentarily silent, then shook his head. "That would require returning to the Main God Space. I can't recover my magic here."
Zoe nodded and began treating her arm. In this environment, it was impossible to fully recover a severed arm, so all she did was stop the bleeding. She then took out a mechanical prosthetic and prepared to attach it.
But the next second, she had to drop the mechanical hand. Ethan tossed her severed arm back to her.
"Uh…"
Zoe was briefly stunned, then managed a dry "thank you" and looked at the arm in her hand, at a loss for what to do.
Nick glanced over and noticed a layer of yellow energy covering the severed end. He immediately told Zoe to reattach the hand directly.
She clearly trusted Nick a lot. Without hesitation, she pressed the arm back onto the severed point. A soft golden-yellow glow flickered at the junction, and the severed hand reattached itself right in front of her astonished eyes.
She gently moved it, then used her right hand to test it for a long time. Finally, she activated the ability she had gained from a teammate. The raging flames and the power contained within it remained unaffected, as if the hand had never been severed.
"Thank you."
Zoe thanked him again. This time, the gratitude was much more genuine than before, but she was also a little confused. Had Nick already negotiated terms with the other side? Otherwise, why would the other party help treat her arm?
Of course, she didn't know that Ethan simply didn't want to carry around a severed arm. Whether or not they appreciated it didn't matter to him. But if it helped him leave a better impression and made them more willing to reveal information, that was even better.
"Perhaps we can now talk about specific terms."
Nick turned his attention away from Zoe's arm and looked toward the mysterious man. Although Ethan had always appeared friendly, after what had just happened, the pressure he felt was even more intense.
"How did you get here?"
"Huh?" Nick was briefly stunned, unsure what the question meant. "I was transported by the Main God Space…"
Ethan raised his hand and stopped him. "Maybe I phrased that poorly. What I mean is, did you know what world this was before coming, or did your Main God send you here directly?"
This time, Nick understood. The other party wanted to know if their arrival in this world was due to the team's own choice or an order from the Main God.
At that moment, he realized why they hadn't been wiped out. He wasn't a top-tier Reincarnator, but after so many years, he had picked up bits and pieces of useful knowledge.
This situation likely involved a game between high-level Reincarnators or perhaps even the Main Gods themselves, something far beyond his ability to meddle in.
But what choice did he have now? He could only truthfully explain the situation. He had no other way.
If he tried to lie or brush things off, Ethan would make him realize very quickly how foolish it was to lie to a god. Of course, Nick didn't know Ethan's true identity.
"Our team found this mission on the public task list issued by the Main God."
"What's the task specifically?"
Nick had no reason to hesitate. Besides, it wasn't something worth hiding.
"Collecting fragments of this world."
"Hm?"
Ethan thought for a moment. Madeleine had once mentioned that the Main God constantly searched for new worlds and learned new laws to strengthen itself. The mission to collect world fragments was probably part of that goal.
"Just fragments?"
"Yes, just fragments… Honestly, if it were something like conquering the world, we wouldn't have dared to accept it."
Nick wasn't lying. With the strength of their team, they were already pushing their limits collecting fragments. Conquering an entire world was out of the question. That could provoke the world's Main God or top-level Reincarnators.
But he never expected that even trying to collect world fragments would provoke someone of this level.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)