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

Ethan looked the woman named Liz up and down. She was very tall. He thought she wasn't much shorter than Diana, and if she wore slightly higher heels, she might even be taller than he was.

In fact, the gear she was currently wearing also had noticeable heels. Standing next to Ethan, they were nearly the same height and that was after Ethan had used a potion to enhance his body, which had made him a little taller again.

"This is a combat suit from the Sea of Miracles."

Noticing Ethan and Brent repeatedly examining the gear he and Liz were wearing, Brad gave a brief introduction.

At this point, he had already revealed most of his background and the situation in the Sea of Miracles, so introducing some gear from there was no big deal. Given the strength of the two men in front of him, it was only a matter of time before they crossed the Sea of Storms and reached the Sea of Miracles. Now they were fighting side by side and could even become future allies, so sharing this information wasn't a concern.

"Magic stones provide energy, offering full-body energy protection and a significant boost to strength and speed."

Brent's armor also had these effects, so he was curious what else the suit had to offer.

"Communication and reconnaissance."

Brad pointed to the goggles over his eyes.

"These don't just protect the eyes. They also display various data, like the suit's remaining energy, armor condition, teammate positions, and so on. They even provide a certain degree of energy detection and lock-on capability."

Brent expressed admiration. That was clearly far superior. In terms of support functionality, this suit was much more advanced than standard magic stone armor.

Ethan nodded. His guess had been correct. This gear could be seen as a weakened version of an Iron Man suit, or a magic stone-based version of the exoskeleton armor he had heard about back in his previous life.

After asking more detailed questions, Ethan found that this magic stone-powered armor was still different from the exoskeleton suits he had known.

Its biggest advantage was that, thanks to the properties of magic stones, the suit could form a highly durable energy barrier around the body. As long as that energy layer wasn't pierced or broken, the wearer would remain completely unharmed.

The suit Ethan had obtained earlier also had a protective barrier, but that one clearly prioritized stealth and had a much weaker shield. Brad, on the other hand, claimed that as long as the energy shield of his suit remained active, he could not be injured.

It was equivalent to Brad having a visible health bar above his head. As long as that bar wasn't empty, he wouldn't die. He could use the goggles to see how much shield energy remained and decide whether to keep fighting or retreat.

"Very powerful."

Even though the combat suit lacked offensive capabilities and focused purely on defense and support, Ethan still thought it was impressive. He really wanted to get a set for everyone on his team.

He wasn't the only one thinking that. Brent also looked at Brad's suit, then at his own, and felt the urge to upgrade.

His moral standards were clearly the highest among them. He didn't even consider stealing the suit or taking it by force. Instead, he asked if there was a legitimate way to obtain one.

"You can buy them on Miracle Island, or even have them custom-made, but they're not cheap. I only have two sets on my ship."

Ethan didn't believe it when Brad said there were only two sets.

Brent didn't believe it either, though he didn't call Brad out. He simply nodded and said that once he reached the Sea of Miracles, he would definitely buy a set for himself.

As they spoke, they didn't waste time. The group had already left the coast and was heading deeper inland again.

Since the direction they had explored earlier and the path they had taken on the return trip had yielded no results, they altered their route slightly, heading toward an area they hadn't investigated yet.

Auriel was perched on Laura's head. After walking a certain distance, the group would pause, and Auriel would close its eyes and use its talent to search for the Magic Heart. They continued like this until they could no longer see the sea behind them. Auriel searched twice, but each time the result was the same—nothing found.

"Let's keep going."

Their journey was going surprisingly smoothly. They walked for a long time without encountering any undead, and even the dense fog with its unpleasant stench didn't appear. Just as Ethan was considering whether to change their search direction again, something appeared in front of them.

"Another castle? How obsessed is this guy Beckford with castles?"

Before them stood a massive structure, very similar to the previous castle. The only noticeable difference was that this one had an outer wall. Through the open gate, they could vaguely see undead wandering in the large courtyard.

Everyone stopped. After exchanging glances, they all turned to look at Ethan.

"What should we do?"

Seeing all eyes on him, Ethan could only shrug helplessly. "Blasting it again is out of the question, unless you're willing to wait a few days."

No one was surprised. If Ethan could casually unleash that kind of ultimate move whenever he wanted, there'd be no need to form a team to explore the island. He could just go around freezing everything into oblivion himself.

He could even sink the entire island or turn it into an arctic wasteland on his own.

At the very least, they could've just let Ethan wander the island solo and kill everything in sight. Why bother assembling an elite team?

At the same time, Brent felt a sense of relief upon hearing Ethan admit he couldn't use that attack freely.

It wasn't jealousy. It was just that Ethan had grown so powerful in just a few years that Brent began doubting himself. Was he simply unfit to be an adventurer? Otherwise, how could the difference between them be so great?

Even now, the gap was huge.

"Should we go around?"

No one here was stupid, let alone reckless. The castle clearly wasn't a tourist destination, and no one would willingly walk into danger without a good reason.

Ethan hesitated, then looked at Auriel.

"You didn't sense the Magic Heart nearby, right?"

Auriel initially nodded firmly, but then paused. It suddenly froze, looking confused, squatted motionless for a while, and then suddenly raised its front paws to clutch its head and shake it wildly.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Auriel's unusual behavior, Ethan immediately soothed it with his mental power and asked via telepathy.

"It's chaotic. The feeling is very chaotic. The Magic Heart seems to be there… and yet also not there."

Auriel shook its head hard again, closed its eyes, and searched carefully for a while longer before finally shaking its head reluctantly, giving an uncertain answer.

"What did it say?"

Unlike before, when Auriel would emit mental pulses that allowed everyone to roughly understand what it was expressing, this time no one could make sense of it. Only Laura, who had formed a special connection with Auriel through her budding understanding of the Way of Nature, could partially understand.

But while Laura could understand, she couldn't explain clearly. Everyone could only turn to Ethan for interpretation.

"It seems that whether or not the Magic Heart is really in there… Beckford wants us to go in."

"You are right, young man."

Just as Ethan finished speaking, a figure suddenly appeared not far ahead.

It was a tall man, about thirty years old, with long graying hair. He wore very ordinary clothes and had no weapons. He had appeared out of nowhere and was now calmly looking at Ethan.

As a mage, Ethan was highly sensitive to energy. The moment this man appeared, he instantly saw through his nature.

"Don't be alarmed. This is just an illusion."

It wasn't surprising for someone proficient with energy to create an illusion clone. What surprised Ethan was that this person had used the ambient negative energy scattered throughout the island.

That kind of energy was extreme and unstable, not suitable for casting illusions. The fact that he could do it meant his control over energy was not far from Ethan's own.

"Beckford?"

"Yes."

Beckford's tone was calm and composed, as if he were chatting with an old friend, completely unlike a madman trying to turn everyone into undead.

"You want us to go into the castle?"

Beckford suddenly raised a hand. The negative energy around him surged, gathering behind and above him to form an illusion of the Magic Heart.

"Aren't you looking for the Magic Heart? It's in that castle. You'll have to enter it to retrieve it, and only then can you destroy this entire island."

Ethan curled his lip. This guy was really trying to use them.

"I don't have to go in. I can destroy the castle right from here. That wasn't my only method."

Ethan indeed couldn't cast Blizzard again, but if he simply wanted to cause destruction, he had plenty of options. Worst case, he could take Loki to another world to rest, wait for the Arcane Spring to recharge, and then return to blast the castle into dust.

"I believe you can."

Beckford's tone remained calm, as if he didn't care at all whether Ethan destroyed the castle. A second later, everyone understood why he was so composed.

"As long as you don't care about the lives of these one hundred and twenty-six adventurers."

(To be continued.)

***

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