Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]

"Blessing?"

Brent and Brad didn't understand what Ethan was up to, but given the strength Ethan had shown and the reliability of his suggestions along the way, they didn't raise any objections and even actively helped gather everyone together.

Ethan watched as everyone assembled. He held the Holy Light Cross he had secretly removed earlier in his hand, preparing to use its power for a large-scale blessing spell. However, he awkwardly discovered that to use the energy on such a large scale, he needed to perform a special 'ritual.'

Looking at the crowd, Ethan finally chose a direction facing the sea, then knelt on one knee, his upper body upright, holding the cross tightly in both hands before his chest.

Everyone was confused about what Ethan was doing, but it wasn't long before a golden light began to emanate from his body, growing brighter with each passing moment.

What was magical was that this light wasn't dazzling at all. Everyone instead felt a warm, comfortable sensation, as if they were basking in sunlight.

Especially the adventurers whose bodies had been eroded by negative energy and were showing obvious symptoms, they felt as though their bodies were recovering under the illumination of this light. Their limbs, which had been cold and gradually losing sensation, regained feeling.

Because the sensation was so miraculous, many thought it was an illusion. But when they looked at the people around them, they found that companions who had previously appeared pale and sickly, almost terrifyingly so, were now visibly recovering.

"Your complexion looks much better."

"So does yours! You looked so pale just now I was afraid you might suddenly lunge and bite me."

"You think I wasn't worried about the same thing?"

"Ah, I can feel my hand again."

"And I'm not constantly freezing anymore…"

"..."

The crowd's conversation became lively. The situation was too miraculous. As Ethan continued to pray, the golden energy on his body slowly spread and floated into the air like golden clouds. Once the golden clouds enveloped everyone, they began to rain down golden light, allowing the adventurers to bathe in a rain of Holy Light.

It didn't last long, no more than ten minutes. When Ethan stood up again and turned around, he found that the previously noisy voices had all disappeared. The adventurers were now looking at him with strange expressions.

Even Brent and Brad were looking at him a bit oddly. For some reason, he suddenly thought of those fanatical believers.

"I didn't accidentally turn them all into believers, did I? This technique doesn't have that function."

He really hadn't intended to do that. He performed the blessing on this group of people for one reason: to eliminate future worries.

These people wouldn't be going into the depths of the island with them but would remain aboard the ships near the shore, keeping watch over their vessels. If their condition deteriorated and they were attacked while lacking elite support, they would likely be wiped out—and if the ships were destroyed, Ethan would have a serious problem on his hands.

Moreover, he had some ulterior motives. Although he hadn't completely mastered Holy Light energy, after using it for a while, he had gained some insights and mastered a few small tricks. If this group took the ships and fled while Ethan was away, he could use the residual Holy Light traces on them to track their location.

Simply put, it was a way of leaving an undetectable mark on the group.

Regardless of the reason, he had never considered developing believers in the Holy Light. That was absolutely not on his agenda. Even if these people suddenly knelt to worship him as a god, Ethan—who was firmly committed to cultivating and strengthening himself as a mage—would decisively refuse.

If he developed followers and ascended to godhood through faith, wouldn't all his previous training be in vain?

Cough, cough.

With a light cough, Ethan subtly drew Brent's attention. Then, as if nothing had happened, he began discussing the next steps.

"The crew's current condition is stable enough to ensure the safety of both themselves and the ships. Next, we should make preparations and head into the island interior."

Business came first. Although Brent had many questions in his mind, this clearly wasn't the time to ask. Who knew if Ethan's earlier move involved some secret of his? Seeing Ethan unwilling to elaborate, Brent decisively shifted the topic to what needed to be done.

"We won't need too many people this time. Judging from the earlier situation, I'm probably the only one suitable from my crew."

Brent had quite a few crewmembers, and their combat abilities weren't bad. They were all excellent sailors. However, on this island, pure individual combat power was more important. While a few others aboard were skilled, they were clearly a tier below him.

Furthermore, for the sake of retreating safely, he couldn't bring all the elites. After careful consideration, it seemed best for him to go alone.

Brad had the same idea, but his situation was slightly different from Brent's. Brent was fully equipped, while Brad still had some trump cards he hadn't revealed. He needed to return to the ship to change gear.

"So you'll have to wait for me a bit."

"No problem, go ahead."

Ethan looked at his own group. Both Logan and Selene were quite strong. As for Loki, there was no need to say more, on Ethan's ship, Loki's strength was definitely ranked first, even stronger than Ethan himself.

Although everyone's strength was considerable, the ships still needed to be guarded. It seemed someone should remain behind.

However, Ethan had no intention of leaving anyone behind. He planned to take all his companions with him and head into the island interior together.

"I'll have to trouble you to look after my ship."

Brent was very surprised that Ethan was taking everyone with him. He could understand the others, but Laura didn't look very old. Was she also going to such a dangerous place?

What he didn't know was that being with Ethan was the safest place to be—far safer than staying here.

Staying here carried the risk of being attacked. Even retreating to the sea didn't guarantee safety,they had been attacked by undead sharks upon arrival, which proved the surrounding waters were not secure.

Retreating farther out would be safer, but doing so would cut off the retreat path for those still on the island. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, the ships would try to stay near the island—at most, anchoring at a point from which they could observe the shoreline.

With such limited movement range, and the possibility of sudden attacks, plus the top combat power going inland, this area wasn't safe by any means.

If something went wrong with Ethan's group, he could immediately use interplane travel to escape to another world. They could even take their time in that world to figure out a solution and return later to resolve the issue.

His crew all understood this, so when Ethan made the suggestion, Logan and the others naturally thought it was for the best. Only Brent, not knowing the inside story, found it hard to understand.

"They're all solid companions. Just the three of us wouldn't be enough. If we encounter an endless army of undead, we might not be able to hold out."

Hearing this, Brent felt it made sense. With just three captains, if they encountered real trouble, no matter how strong Ethan's magic was, there wouldn't be enough time or space for him to act effectively.

"You're right," Brent said, then turned to call out to two others. "Perrin, George, gear up and come with me."

"Captain, you've made a very wise choice."

One of the men Brent called out to seemed thrilled to be chosen and immediately began preparing his gear.

This time, given the environment, everyone needed to prepare enough clean water, purifying magic stones, and other supplies. They also had to bring sufficient food. Even without thinking too deeply, they all knew that nothing on the island could be safely eaten, and no one knew how long they would remain there, so provisions were essential.

Ethan and his team also replenished supplies. Mainly, Logan had used up some ammo in the previous skirmish. After resupplying on the ship, he handed out refilled bottles of fresh water to everyone.

Once the preparations were complete, Brad returned.

This time, Brad was no longer wearing the same armor as Brent. His current gear resembled the set Ethan had previously acquired.

However, compared to the extremely form-fitting set Ethan obtained, Brad's armor appeared more heavily defensive.

It still resembled armor overall but had a more modern feel. Parts like the chest plate and arm guards didn't look like pure metal but more like composite materials.

That wasn't all. Brad also had something on his head that resembled a helmet or headgear, complete with protective lenses. Ethan didn't believe it was just for show.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's alright. We were doing our own prep work. You came back at the perfect time."

Brad glanced at the packs everyone carried and knew they weren't just being polite. They had indeed spent the time organizing gear and supplies.

"This is my assistant, Liz."

Only then did Ethan notice a woman standing beside Brad, dressed similarly. Her armor was more slender and streamlined than Brad's and resembled the one Ethan had obtained earlier.

"She'll be joining us in the island interior."

(To be continued.)