DOTM: Chapter 169/170

Chapter 169

Maybe because he had already experienced enough shocks, Steve's worldview had long since been shattered. So now, all these strange things didn't seem that significant to him. He quickly accepted this new "setting," realizing that there were many mysterious things in the world he simply didn't understand.

The upside was that Steve no longer saw Diana and Logan as "primitives" who didn't know anything. He would often seek their opinions and maintained proper respect and enough distance toward the mysterious mage, Mr. Ethan.

Especially after discovering that this mysterious mage actually knew how to sail. During the long journey from the Mediterranean Sea to London, everyone followed Ethan's instructions. No matter which world he was in, he could never escape his role as captain.

The Mediterranean climate was pleasant, and this part of the journey went smoothly. They simply followed the coastline, resupplying food and water in nearby towns and villages, and successfully crossed the Strait of Gibraltar.

Once they entered the Atlantic, luck played a bigger role. Unlike the "friendly" Mediterranean, the Atlantic often had extreme sea conditions that tested even the toughest navigators.

Fortunately, Ethan and the others had luck on their side. They arrived in London without issue. When they reached the English Channel, they even encountered a British fishing boat. After some negotiation by Steve, the fishermen agreed to tow their boat to London.

"Thank you so much for your generosity!"

The main reason they agreed was the generous payment Steve promised but they were grateful regardless. It saved them a lot of time.

"This is London?"

"This is London." Steve glanced at the group who were looking around. Leaving Diana aside, even Ethan didn't seem familiar with the place. "You've never been to London?"

"No." Despite having traveled through several worlds, none of them included London—at least, not in any era he'd visited. "It doesn't look like much."

London at this time, although not yet devastated by the upcoming war, wasn't particularly impressive in the early 20th century. Especially during wartime "chaotic" was the most accurate word to describe it.

"Follow me. London's a mess right now."

Steve did what a good guide should, and soon found someone to receive them—his secretary, Etta Candy.

Not long after leaving Paradise Island, Steve had sent a telegram from a nearby town. That was the first time he was able to contact Etta, meaning he'd been out of touch for weeks before then. Ethan hadn't recalled this detail from the film until now.

"Some things are stored in memory, but still easily overlooked."

He'd previously wondered how Steve managed to sail from the Mediterranean to London in just a few weeks on a small sailboat. Now he understood, it simply wasn't possible. The film had just skipped over those days at sea. It didn't mean the voyage didn't exist.

After introductions, Etta warmly welcomed everyone and then took them to buy appropriate clothes. Naturally, Ethan didn't object. While their current outfits were relatively inconspicuous, they still stood out in this era. It was better to change into suits.

After shopping and arranging accommodations, Steve went to report the intel he had gathered. Ethan and Logan didn't go with him. Only Diana stayed close to Steve. She wanted to get to the battlefield as soon as possible, and she needed Steve's help to get there, so she stayed by his side.

While resting at the hotel, Ethan chatted casually with Logan. Logan was quite puzzled by Ethan quietly following Diana all this way.

"What's the point of us coming to this world just to follow Diana to London?"

He had previously thought Ethan and Diana had some kind of mission together otherwise, why would Ethan care so much about her? But after observing them along the way, it didn't seem that way. He was genuinely curious about Ethan's motives.

"Is it like when you found me—just for fun?"

"That's part of it." Ethan was sitting in a chair, fiddling with the collar of his suit. The clothes of this era weren't very comfortable, and after a few adjustments, he gave up trying. "Diana was taught by me. I want to see how she defeats Ares."

Logan thought his captain was great in most things, except for this weird habit of enjoying the show.

"Besides that, I want to see what the gods are really like."

It wasn't enough to learn about them through Diana alone. He wanted to witness firsthand how Ares's power differed from Diana's.

"You planning to draw some blood from Ares too?"

It wasn't hard to guess. Ethan had drawn Logan's blood before. Why wouldn't he be interested in Ares, an enemy? In all kinds of stories—movies, novels, or games—mages often studied powerful beings. They'd even risk their lives just to obtain blood samples or artifacts from such entities.

Ethan wouldn't risk his life, but he was still a mage. Logan didn't believe for a second that Ethan wasn't thinking about getting a sample of the God of War's blood.

"Just a little… if the chance comes."

Logan didn't respond. He could read Ethan's intentions clearly from his face. Laura and Auriel, who had been quietly lying nearby, gave him looks that said, "Yeah, right." It made Ethan feel like he had no authority as captain at all...

Ethan didn't stay in London for long. He didn't even have the chance to meet Sir Patrick—Ares's disguised identity in this world.

Which, honestly, was for the best. Ethan didn't think his current strength was enough to take on the God of War head-on. Provoking such a being without the power to back it up would be downright foolish.

Ares was destined to be Diana's enemy and would be eliminated by her. Ethan was just playing the side character.

It was just that this side role dragged on a bit. He followed them all the way from London to the European continent. During this time, he barely spoke. Only when Steve assembled the team and they introduced themselves did Ethan say his name.

After that, he followed along quietly. He even knew that Steve's team referred to him and Logan as Diana's sidekicks. But he didn't care. He remained focused on playing his supporting role. At most, he would watch with amusement when Logan beat someone up.

Even when Diana unleashed her full power on the battlefield, charging through the German defenses under heavy machine-gun fire, Ethan merely stayed in the trench, cheering her on. He had no intention of charging out himself.

The surrounding British soldiers kept casting strange looks his way. One nearby soldier even pointed at Steve and the others flanking the enemy and asked, "Aren't you with them?" Of course, the unspoken message was: "They're all charging forward. Why are you still here?"

"Because there's no room left for me to act."

Ethan answered calmly, stating a simple fact but none of the soldiers believed him. They all assumed he was just a coward. No one spoke to him again. Once the opposing defense line fell, they rushed out of the trenches with their comrades and stormed the enemy's position.

Beyond the defensive line was a small town completely occupied by German forces. Even though the British had broken through, they didn't dare rush into street combat with the Germans.

Aside from Diana and Steve, no one continued to advance.

Ethan walked leisurely across the battlefield, watching the soldiers regroup to "clear" the defense line. He was debating whether or not to step in.

If he didn't act, Diana would still easily defeat the Germans in the town and liberate it but the outcome wouldn't be perfect. Not long after, the town's residents would all die in a poison gas attack.

If he did intervene, he'd not only have to deal with the German troops in the town but also find a way to evacuate the civilians. That was a huge hassle. Attachment to one's homeland wasn't unique to any one country's people—it was universal.

Would these civilians—who had endured abuse under German occupation—really leave their homes just because they'd been "rescued"?

"What are you thinking?"

Logan, who had been beside him the whole time, noticed Ethan standing motionless, a frown on his face—very different from his earlier vacation-like attitude.

"I'm thinking whether I should step in to help these people."

Logan was silent for a moment. At first, he thought Ethan meant Diana and Steve but then he noticed Ethan looking toward the ordinary civilians hiding inside their homes.

"If it were me in the past, I might've told you it's not our business." He took a drag from his cigar and exhaled. "But as for you… seems like you already know your answer, don't you?"

Ethan nodded. The moment Logan spoke, he already had his answer. He really couldn't just sit back and watch these people be slaughtered.

"Looks like justice has descended."

As Ethan spoke, his magic gear activated. His equipment instantly materialized, and huge, fiery wings ignited, unfolding and changing form.

"This time, I am justice!"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 170

Ethan had never considered himself someone filled with justice, nor did he think he would become a superhero-like figure seen in so many comics.

He was too lazy to care about many things, even if he was aware of them. But he was unwilling to stand by and do nothing in the face of an impending massacre.

He didn't mind playing the role of a superhero, if he happened to be in the right place at the right time, and it was within his means.

The gradually unfolding flame wings not only attracted the attention of all the nearby soldiers but also caught the attention of everyone in the town. When Ethan made this gesture, everyone froze in place. Some of those with firm beliefs threw down their weapons and began to repent for their sins.

At that moment, if Ethan had walked into the town, the German soldiers, already on the verge of collapse after Diana's assault would likely have surrendered immediately and begged for forgiveness from this "angel."

But Ethan's target wasn't them. His goal was to save the civilians in the town. He wasn't interested in dealing with this group of ordinary soldiers.

"Keep moving through the town, or find somewhere nearby to rest with Laura and wait for me to contact you."

Logan didn't know what Ethan planned to do, but that didn't matter. He just needed to confirm whether Ethan needed his help.

"Just a small problem. I'll take care of it quickly."

Hearing Ethan's response, Logan was reassured and nodded, signaling that Ethan didn't need to worry about him and could focus on what he needed to do.

Almost at the same time Logan nodded, Ethan's wings gave a slight flap, and a strong gust of air surged out from them, slowly lifting him into the sky.

As Ethan's mental power improved, so did his control over the equipment he had crafted.

Previously, he could only unleash full thrust and rocket into the air in an instant. Now, he could perfectly control his ascent speed, and the flame wings behind him were more condensed—more like real wings. You could vaguely see the outlines of feathers, though they too were formed from fire.

These features had no practical use and didn't increase Ethan's maximum flight speed, but they were real proof of his progress. They reminded him that his training and practice weren't in vain.

As a side effect, his appearance now looked even more like a servant of some god. When using this ability, it often generated additional visual effects.

Especially as he gradually ascended into the air and used his long staff to fire a blue-glowing orb, blasting a small building into rubble, the last few soldiers still resisting dropped their weapons and knelt before Ethan, begging for forgiveness.

Ethan destroyed the building because a sniper inside had actually tried to shoot him. Even if he didn't want to steal Diana's "prey," that didn't mean others could bare their fangs at him.

After dealing with the last soldier who was "ignorant of the situation," Ethan used his glasses to lock onto a location not far away, where a large number of people were gathered. According to the plot's clues, Ludendorff's castle "party" wasn't far from this town.

The battle in the small town ended early due to Ethan's intervention, but no one paid attention to that right now. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the sky.

Charlie, Samir, and the chief, who had come all this way, already felt something was off when Diana stormed the German line with inhuman power, toppling soldiers like vegetables. When she grabbed a tank and hurled it like trash, they began to think something was very wrong with this world.

And when Ethan spread his massive, radiant wings and hovered in the sky, they began to suspect the real problem was themselves.

"Ah… um… Steve?"

"What?"

"I think I'm hallucinating…" Charlie was about to ask Steve if he also saw Ethan who had been quiet this whole time, flying with wings. But when he turned, he saw Diana flying too: "And I think my hallucinations just got worse."

Steve was stunned. He'd heard about all kinds of magic, but he hadn't known that Diana could actually fly. He also hadn't known what kind of magic Ethan could use. Even if he couldn't explain what he was seeing, it wasn't entirely beyond belief.

Diana flying? Just like that? No logic? And Ethan even had wings!

"So… the Paradise Island stuff you talked about before… the gods of Olympus… Ares and all that… it's all real?" Samir patted Steve's shoulder. He had always thought Steve's stories were either made up or that Steve had lost his mind. But now, like Charlie, he was beginning to wonder if maybe it was his mind that was broken.

Ethan didn't care about the self-doubt Steve and his companions were now experiencing. He knew they were good people, but he had no interest in forming close relationships with them, because they weren't meant to be part of the same world as him.

Once the battle between Diana and Ares ended, Ethan would return to his own world and continue his sailing journey. When he came back again, he wasn't sure if any of these people would still be alive, especially considering that Wonder Woman still existed a hundred years later, linking several DC universes…

He hadn't talked to Diana about any of this. He believed she would come to understand it in time.

What Diana cared about now was, what was Ethan going to do? He had previously said he wouldn't offer advice or take initiative in helping, which was why he always remained quiet. Diana thought that since she had done everything well, Ethan didn't need to step in. But now that he suddenly acted, did that mean she had done something wrong?

"Any questions?"

"No big deal. I'm just going to take care of a bunch of scum. But it might interfere with your plans."

If Ethan attacked and destroyed the gas cannon early, he'd definitely end up taking out General Ludendorff, Diana's current target.

If not for this, Ethan wouldn't have waited for Diana to ask anything. He would've gone straight in and wiped them all out.

"I'll go with you."

Diana didn't ask too much. She wasn't concerned about plans being disrupted, she didn't have a detailed plan to begin with. She simply believed that everything Ludendorff had done was aimed at prolonging the war, and since Ares wanted the war to continue endlessly, that made Ludendorff the most likely candidate for Ares.

Diana believed this firmly. She still didn't understand things like manipulation, instigation, or puppet control or maybe she did, but never thought such petty schemes could have such significant consequences. Only after this journey would she realize that things weren't always so simple.

"Then let's go together."

The end result would be the same anyway, and Ethan didn't mind Diana tagging along. His wings flared behind him, and a gust of air launched him from hovering into high-speed flight. Although he couldn't yet reach supersonic speed, he was fast enough. Caught off guard, Diana couldn't keep up with Ethan at all.

In the comic world, Diana at her peak could fly near the speed of light but that was the comic world. In the movie universe, superheroes were all slightly nerfed. Plus, this Diana was still young, far from her peak state.

So she was left behind again, watching Ethan accelerate, faster and faster, until he crashed into a castle ahead, smashing directly into the oversized cannon.

Boom!

The speed generated an immense impact. Ethan crashed into the massive cannon like a projectile, instantly turning the terrifying weapon into a heap of scrap.

Of course, force works both ways. The impact not only destroyed the special cannon and part of the castle's structure, but also shattered Ethan's magic shield. The unlucky ones nearby were killed, and the shockwave blew away the rising dust and debris.

Standing at the center of the destruction, Ethan looked at the wreckage beneath his feet, and the corpses that had been flung aside. He shook his spinning head and took a moment to regain his senses.

"This move... better not use it too often."

Even with the protection of his magic shield, this "justice from the sky" technique was a mutual-destruction tactic. Unless he could cast more powerful protective spells or physically withstand such impacts, it was better to use this trick sparingly.

"What's going on?"

Just as Ethan was recovering, a man in a senior German general's uniform appeared before him. The man froze when he saw Ethan, because Ethan's appearance was so… indescribable. He looked like someone you should kneel to, as if he were some divine messenger.

"Ludendorff?"

Just as General Ludendorff didn't know how to react, another figure descended from the sky—this time, a woman in red-gold armor, holding a longsword.

Ludendorff didn't even have time to be surprised by the flying woman. Just as he instinctively nodded in acknowledgment, he found that the oddly dressed flying woman had already raised her sword and slashed at him.

Then… he was instantly cut down by Diana's blade, without the slightest suspense.

(To be continued.)