DOTM: Chapter 166/167

Chapter 166

"Paradise Island, an island ruled by the Amazons."

Inside Ethan's magic shield, Steve Trevor's muttering didn't escape his ears. Since he had nothing else to do at the moment, Ethan decided to chat casually with the man who was supposed to be Diana's first love.

"The Amazons?"

Ethan pointed behind Steve, and the man turned to look in the direction he indicated. On a nearby cliff, there were many figures, women wearing ancient armor, wielding swords, bows, and arrows, riding horses.

Steve wasn't stupid. As an excellent spy, his mind was sharp. He looked at Ethan and Logan's clothing and immediately concluded that these two weren't natives of the island, they clearly came from the outside world.

"And you?"

"I'm just a passerby, staying here for a while."

Steve's expression clearly showed disbelief. There were still those white energy shields surrounding the group—was that something ordinary people could create? But since the other party didn't want to answer, he had no choice but to turn toward the only woman not 'trapped' by the shield.

Earlier, he had worried that the young woman might get hurt under the relentless rifle fire. As it turned out, he had overthought things. She had leapt over a hundred meters into the sea and kicked one of the German soldiers overboard. Even from a distance, he could tell the man wouldn't survive that kick.

Then the woman stood on the boat and began cutting down enemies. What amazed him was that she didn't appear to be holding a weapon, but with every motion, soldiers were slashed down, and blood seemed to fly with each strike.

A chill ran down his spine. He couldn't understand what kind of strange scene he was witnessing. Looking at the two standing beside him, Steve instinctively took a couple of steps away, which made him feel slightly safer.

The battle at sea ended quickly. These ordinary soldiers were no threat to Diana, and within minutes, she had wiped them all out.

They never even set foot on the shore of Paradise Island. At the same time, Antiope—who should have died during this encounter in the original storyline was sitting leisurely on her tall horse, watching Diana's fierce performance with admiration.

Hippolyta was also smiling as she watched Diana fight at sea. She felt her most correct decision had been not insisting Diana live as an ordinary girl. Facts had proven that Diana was anything but ordinary. With a single leap of over 100 meters, and invulnerability to the best warriors on Paradise Island, her divine power was undeniable. Such a Diana was destined to face Ares.

"Is this an omen?"

After all, the Amazons were a race created by the gods of Olympus, and Hippolyta had lived for an uncountable number of years. Even without any special abilities, when she saw an unknown enemy suddenly break into the domain of Paradise Island, she had a strong sense that the peaceful days were coming to an end. The barrier that had held strong since the age of gods was gradually losing its function.

"Maybe…" Antiope glanced at the 'outsiders' on the beach. It seemed more and more outsiders were appearing on Paradise Island, and the Amazons would never return to their old, peaceful, isolated life. "Diana is likely to leave."

She would step into her own destiny, but neither Antiope nor Hippolyta could guess what changes would come to Paradise Island. Perhaps the mysterious Ethan knew something, but neither of them wanted to ask.

With the battle at sea over, Paradise Island seemed to regain its calm.

The cleanup work naturally fell to the Amazons. They would clear the sea and restore it to its previous state. Hippolyta brought a few people to Steve's location, and once Ethan removed the magic shield, he was immediately surrounded and restrained.

Now, all attention was focused on Steve Trevor. He also realized his situation was bad, so he raised his hands honestly to show he wouldn't resist, even though to his eyes, the Amazons' weapons seemed primitive and outdated.

"Identify yourself, strange outsider."

"Um… I can't say." Steve was a spy, and by protocol, couldn't reveal his identity. Even though the group before him clearly wasn't German, rules were rules, and as a soldier, he could only follow them.

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a British spy." Logan, more familiar with this kind of thing, directly exposed Steve's identity. "I don't know what you did to get the Germans chasing you so desperately."

Although his identity was revealed, Steve still shook his head, insisting he couldn't say.

Seeing him like this, Hippolyta was clearly displeased. Ethan, on the other hand, watched with an amused expression. While Steve's stubbornness was commendable, it was ultimately meaningless because there was something on Paradise Island that was perfect for interrogation.

That item was originally kept by Hippolyta and only taken out when necessary. However, as Diana's strength grew and it became harder to find a suitable weapon, the Lasso of Truth had already been handed over to Diana. But now, Diana had grown accustomed to using the Battle Cross and rarely used the lasso.

This was the perfect time for the Lasso of Truth to shine. Diana didn't hesitate. She took the lasso from her waist and, with a flick of her wrist, it wrapped tightly around Steve, glowing with a golden light.

"What's this?" Maybe it was because he'd seen too many strange things today, but Steve looked a little panicked when the golden-glowing rope wrapped around him. He also found he couldn't control his mouth, and started blurting out whatever came to mind. "It's so hot! Are you planning to roast and eat me?"

No one paid attention to him. Diana tugged the lasso tighter to prevent him from slipping free.

"What's your name? Who are you?"

Steve, who was still nervously staring at the rope in front of him, revealed his identity without a moment's hesitation.

"My name is Steve Trevor, Captain of the American Expeditionary Forces, pilot, soldier number 8141921. I'm responsible for providing intelligence support to the United Kingdom... I shouldn't be saying any of this. What the hell is this thing?"

Only midway through speaking did Steve realize his situation, and panic set in. The moment he tried to stop talking, he felt the rope around him grow even hotter.

Logan burst out laughing at Steve's awkwardness. "Told you, this guy's a spy."

The interrogation that followed quickly revealed Steve's mission, what he had done in the Ottoman Empire, and why so many German troops had been chasing him.

It turned out that Steve had received intel that Dr. Poison was developing a new type of chemical weapon in the Ottoman Empire. He had rushed in to investigate, stolen Dr. Poison's research notes, and destroyed her lab by hijacking a plane and blowing up the facility.

On his way back to deliver the intel to the British, his plane crashed on Paradise Island. The German troops that had been in pursuit were wiped out by Diana, and then he himself was interrogated on the beach by the Amazons of Paradise Island.

After explaining everything, Steve didn't show any frustration. Instead, he hoped that this group would let him go so he could deliver the intel in time and prevent the UK from suffering massive losses.

"If I can get this information back to Britain, we may be able to end the war quickly. If not, the Germans could use this weapon to crush us, and the casualties will be massive—not just soldiers, but countless civilians..."

It had to be said, Steve had a sharp mind and a silver tongue. Realizing he couldn't resist this strange power, he simply cooperated and positioned himself on the side of justice in hopes of persuading these so-called Amazons to let him go.

In fact, this tactic had worked in the original plot and this time, it caught Diana's attention as well.

After hearing the scale of the war, Diana clearly sensed something. But unlike her more naïve self from the original story, she thought things through more carefully. She instinctively glanced at Ethan once again. Although he still didn't give her any clear hint, Diana still understood something from it and made her own decision.

Freed at last, Steve let out a long sigh of relief. Being bound by the Lasso of Truth was an unpleasant experience, and the aftermath left him feeling drained. He sat on the sand, looking up at the young woman holding the lasso as she approached the apparent leader of the group.

"I'm going to the battlefield."

Diana didn't ask Hippolyta for permission. Instead, she firmly told her mother that she was going to fulfill her mission.

Hippolyta had already realized this when Steve spoke of the massive scale of the war. There had to be the shadow of Ares behind such a catastrophic conflict.

Unlike Diana, she didn't naively believe that the war was entirely caused by Ares, or that killing him would bring peace. But she knew that such a colossal war would definitely draw the God of War's attention and possibly his physical presence somewhere on the battlefield.

Diana's destiny was to destroy Ares.

So when her daughter stepped forward, Hippolyta wasn't surprised. Instead, she looked at the now-grown Diana with complex emotions in her eyes.

"Bring all your gear and don't forget the armor you've always loved."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 167

Although Diana wanted to set off immediately, there were still a few things to take care of. Steve Trevor had just escaped from the Germans and nearly drowned, and then had been 'pulled' by the Lasso of Truth. Since Diana was counting on him to lead the way to the battlefield, someone had to escort him to rest first. Only after he had mostly recovered would they depart.

Compared to the original plot, Steve didn't receive such special treatment this time. He wasn't given lodging within the Amazon city but was instead sent to Ethan's nearby wooden cabin.

"Will you come with me on this journey?"

Diana had already figured out that Ethan intended to use this confrontation with Ares as part of her training. What she wanted to know now was whether he would stay by her side the whole time, or leave her to face things on her own.

"I'll follow behind you. Just consider me an ordinary traveler. I won't offer any advice, you'll need to decide for yourself how to handle the problems you encounter."

Diana nodded, understanding what she needed to do next. She then turned to Steve, who was still looking around curiously. "Rest here. We'll leave Paradise Island once you've recovered."

This was exactly what Steve wanted to hear. If it weren't for his current physical state, he'd have liked to leave immediately.

He couldn't understand why this young woman wanted to go to the battlefield, but regardless, as long as he could reach London and deliver the information he had, his mission would be complete.

Only now did he learn that the woman was named Diana. Unfortunately, she left in a hurry before he had the chance to ask more about this place.

Turning to Ethan and Logan beside him, he figured he could probably get some answers from them.

"Where is this place?"

"Paradise Island."

"No, no, what I'm asking is—where exactly is this place? Which country does it belong to?" What Steve wanted to know was the precise location of the island. That would help him plan his route to London.

Unfortunately, even Ethan couldn't give a clear answer to that.

The exact location of Paradise Island was never made clear in the movie. Based on various scenes, it didn't seem to make much sense no matter which direction you considered.

Judging by the type of plane Steve had stolen, it was likely near the Ottoman Empire. A more reasonable guess would be somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, which would also align with the Greek mythology setting of the Olympian gods.

Later, he and Diana were able to travel safely and directly to London on a small sailboat less than ten meters long. It didn't even seem to take much time. The only logical explanation was that the entire sailing process was skipped. After a supply stop, they somehow arrived in London with no issues.

According to Steve's secretary, he had indeed been missing for quite a while, so this assumption seemed the most reliable.

"Mediterranean… probably…"

In Ethan's past life, there were even people who swore Paradise Island was located in the North Sea. He didn't know where they got that idea, so he just considered it a possible theory.

"As for the country…" Ethan touched his chin, unsure how to answer. "Olympus?"

Paradise Island and the Amazons were created by the gods of Olympus. If anyone could claim ownership of Paradise Island, it would be Zeus. As king of the Olympian gods, Paradise Island would logically fall under Olympus's rule.

"Olympus? Is that even a real country?"

Steve was clearly confused by the answer, but at least he now knew he was somewhere in the Mediterranean.

"Don't worry about it. This place has nothing to do with the war you're fighting in. You can consider it a neutral zone and it won't affect your return to where you need to go."

Ethan's reassurance put Steve a little more at ease. Only then did he notice how empty his stomach felt. Fortunately, there was a variety of food and fresh juices laid out before him.

"Can I…"

"Help yourself."

These things had been prepared for him from the start. As an ordinary human, he needed food and drink to recover his strength. While enjoying a hearty meal, Steve finally learned the names of the two men in front of him.

Ethan and Logan.

Neither of them gave their last names. It seemed they had no intention of sharing them, but Steve didn't mind. After all, they were complete strangers, and a simple way to address them was enough.

After getting some food into his stomach, Steve felt much better and began asking other questions, like why there were only women on this island, how the two men who clearly weren't locals ended up here, how long they had been here, and whether they were imprisoned.

"You're overthinking it. I was once helped by Queen Hippolyta, so I taught Diana a few things. This time, I'm just here to visit Diana."

"Oh."

Steve nodded, but then looked at Ethan with a strange expression, curious that someone who looked about the same age as him would claim to have taught Diana something.

"By the way, that white light wall you used earlier... the barrier... whatever it is—was that some kind of new technology?"

"Just a defensive magic."

Ethan glanced at Steve's expectant expression, and the man didn't disappoint, his face twisted into a confused look, as though something didn't quite compute.

"Magic?"

"Yes, magic." Ethan raised his hand and lightly curled a finger. A fruit on the table floated over to his hand. "This is also magic."

If Steve Trevor had still suspected Ethan was joking before, he was now truly stunned. Magic actually existed in the world? He even stood up and began inspecting everything. To help him confirm it, Ethan handed over the fruit he hadn't eaten yet.

"This is impossible!"

The collapse of someone's worldview was always entertaining, no matter how many times Ethan saw it. Even Logan had switched into spectator mode, beginning to enjoy the show.

"Is there really magic in this world?"

"This world is far more complex and interesting than you think. There's not only magic—but gods as well." Ethan pointed to the ground. "Paradise Island and the Amazons who live here were created by the gods of Olympus. They've lived here for thousands of years."

Steve listened to Ethan's explanation with an expression that screamed, "Are you serious?" If magic was barely believable, then everything about gods and Olympus was beyond him. It didn't just shake his worldview—it shattered it completely.

"There's no need for that face. You'll witness a duel between gods with your own eyes soon enough."

The battle between Diana and Ares was inevitable. As someone who would guide Diana to the battlefield and potentially draw near to Ares, Steve had every chance to witness such a battle, assuming he didn't leave early.

"I'll look forward to it."

Although Ethan said it with certainty, Steve still didn't believe gods existed. He didn't think Ethan was making fun of him; rather, he figured this young magician had just grown up with a different kind of education, maybe he really did believe in the divine.

After all, it was natural for someone who could use magic to also believe in gods.

After downing a large glass of fresh juice, Steve began feeling drowsy. He hadn't had proper rest in a long time, and the pressure of life as a spy had worn him down. Unable to fight the exhaustion, he quickly fell into a deep sleep, even though he'd wanted to ask more questions.

Ethan looked at the sleeping Steve Trevor. His own intervention might change a few things, but it wouldn't significantly alter the man's fate. Still, if they got along well over the next few days, maybe he'd help Steve avoid an early death.

Returning to his room to rest, Ethan didn't go to sleep. Instead, he lay on the reclining chair he'd built himself, flipping through the Book of Inheritance and thinking about his next move.

The Wonder Woman storyline wasn't particularly complicated. In fact, he could've exposed Ares from the beginning, letting Diana confront him directly—even if the battle destroyed London, Ethan wouldn't have cared.

But this time, the goal was to let Diana grow through experience. Letting her use her own judgment to find clues and uncover Ares's identity was the best way to temper her instincts and abilities.

Besides, if the fight happened in London, Ares wouldn't hold back, but Diana likely would. It would be better to draw Ares into the war zone and then stage a final battle in a more open and quiet place.

"So I don't need to do anything, just enjoy the show."

What Ethan was now debating was whether he should take advantage of the chaos.

Ares was still the god of war among the Olympians. If he could collect some of Ares's blood or similar materials, it might be incredibly useful for his own progress.

"If I can collect it, I will."

Even if he couldn't get Ares's blood, Diana's would do. With the blood of a true god or at least a demigod, he might be able to craft a strengthening potion to further elevate his physical attributes.

"Also, there's Hulk's blood and the Extremis virus from Marvel... I could even ask Thor for some blood to compare Asgardian traits to Ares's. Then there are all kinds of unique viruses... If I could collect them all…"

Ethan suddenly realized with all those elements fused together and injected into his body, he might just turn into some kind of freak.

(To be continued.)