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

The antidote made by Ethan was one of his standard potions. In truth, his universal antidote wasn't particularly powerful. When faced with highly potent toxins, its primary function was to suppress the symptoms temporarily and buy time for further treatment.

However, when used on Wolverine, the result was entirely different. Just a moment of suppression was enough for Logan's self-healing factor to eliminate the toxins instantly.

If the situation remained unchanged, and the flowers and plants in the cave continued to release their poisonous fragrance, Logan would still fall into a repeatedly poisoned state.

But Ethan and the others were not passive observers. From the moment he detected the poison, Ethan had already begun preparing his counterattack.

Since the magic power in his body was limited, Ethan usually relied on tools to cast spells. This meant longer preparation times for certain magic. Fortunately, the opponent was overconfident in its own tactics. By the time it realized the poison was ineffective, Ethan had already completed his preparations.

The combined power of the staff and the Book of Inheritance provided sufficient magical energy. As Ethan funneled the energy through a large magic circle constructed from the Book of Inheritance, a torrent of flames erupted, instantly reducing all the flowers and plants in front of him to ash.

Against plants, fire was undoubtedly the best weapon. The only concern was whether the flames would ignite the poisonous gas lingering in the cave. To counter this, Ethan had taken extra precautions when forming the spell, though in the end, they weren't needed.

Orange flames blazed fiercely, rapidly raising the cave's temperature. The creature that called itself "Life" frowned at the burning landscape, clearly displeased by the heat.

Suddenly, the vines spread across the cave ceiling began to release a cool, clear liquid. It was as if rain had started falling indoors. Ethan's fire was extinguished in an instant, and the cave's temperature quickly returned to normal.

"These 'raindrops' are full of life energy."

As the rain fell on him, Ethan could feel the powerful energy it contained even through his magic suit. Logan, who had not fully recovered from the toxin damage earlier, found that after a bit of this rain touched him, his body instantly returned to peak condition, almost as if he had never been injured at all.

This so-called "healing rain" might have seemed like a benefit for Ethan and the others, but a moment's thought revealed it to be the worst-case scenario.

Physical injuries could be healed, but mental fatigue and psychic wounds could not be cured by this rain.

And their enemy was a plant. With the rain continuously healing it, the creature could grow and attack endlessly. Even a war of attrition would lead to the humans' defeat.

"We can't afford a drawn-out fight."

Ethan no longer hesitated. Even if it meant collapsing the entire cave and burying themselves underground, he could still find a way out afterward. But if this battle dragged on, he'd either have to rely on space-time energy to escape or find a way to kill the creature, or he'd be the one to die.

Logan had already released his metal claws. As the wildly growing plants lunged toward them, he slashed them into countless pieces while shielding Ethan from the attacks.

Cleo hesitated for only a moment before drawing his weapon and taking up a position beside Ethan as well.

Although he had no idea what Ethan was planning, there was no choice but to trust him in this situation. At the very least, Ethan's expression didn't suggest desperation. He likely had a plan.

Especially now, when the energy radiating from Ethan's body had grown even more intense. Even Cleo could feel the immense power emanating from him. A huge magic circle unfolded beneath Ethan's feet, shining with dazzling brilliance. Even from the shape alone, it was clear that this spell would be incredibly powerful.

"Get out of the way!"

At Ethan's shout, Logan and Cleo immediately leapt aside. A blinding beam of light shot out from Ethan, blasting straight toward the core of the plant creature.

There was no point in attacking the vines or flowers. Ethan knew that if he wanted to end this quickly, he had to strike the creature's body directly. Magic artillery was the best option for long-range damage, and he had poured all the energy from his staff into this spell.

The output of magical energy far exceeded the staff's limits. Cracks formed along its once-sturdy frame, and the gemstone used to store magic shattered. After releasing all of its energy, the long staff crumbled into fragments, and the gemstone disintegrated into dust.

The beam carved a straight path through the air and struck the creature's body directly.

The thunderous explosion echoed repeatedly within the enclosed space. The blinding light left everyone temporarily blind. Even Ethan, the caster, was affected and needed a moment to recover.

Once his vision returned, he immediately looked toward the creature, only to find it completely unharmed. The devastating magic had cleared away the surrounding vegetation, but the core entity remained intact.

"You're seriously this tanky?"

No matter how he looked at it, this was a plant-based lifeform. And yet, it had survived a point-blank magic blast without even flinching. It simply continued to stare at Ethan with those strange eyes.

"Human, why do you refuse to become life?"

Ethan sneered and answered without much thought. "Because I don't want to die."

He hadn't expected the creature to engage in a rational conversation, but surprisingly, it responded to his words.

"Death? To become life is not death."

The strange plant that had introduced itself as "Life" began to undergo a transformation. Ethan noticed cracks appearing on its humanoid form, and the sound of splitting flesh echoed throughout the cave.

At first, he thought his attack had finally dealt damage, but a closer look revealed that wasn't the case. The plant was splitting apart slowly, dividing to the left and right. From within... stepped out a person?

If the previous figure holding the sphere had been a humanoid plant, then the one that emerged from within it now was entirely human.

He had human facial features and perfectly proportioned limbs. His appearance was comparable to Diana's, radiant with divine energy. He had fair skin, emerald green eyes, and dark green hair. He was the same height as Ethan and the others, and his body proportions were identical to a human's. If no one had seen him emerge from the plant, they would have assumed he was just another man—aside from the thick vine attached to his back, linking him to the giant plant.

Life walked toward them step by step, stopping a short distance away. He extended a hand slightly. "Become life... Eternal life. This is not death, but immortality."

His words carried a strange, enchanting power. For a moment, Ethan felt his mind go blank.

Eternal life? What a beautiful phrase. Wasn't that one of the very goals he had been pursuing? But he quickly snapped out of it. Realizing something was wrong, he glanced to the side. Logan was frowning, seemingly in great pain, and Cleo stood in a daze, taking a step forward.

That movement caught Life's attention. He shifted slightly and extended his hand toward Cleo.

"Human, walk forward and receive eternal life."

His voice was mesmerizing. Whatever doubt or hesitation had existed on Cleo's face moments ago had now vanished, replaced with longing and fanaticism. His eyes burned with urgency, as if the thing he desired most was finally within reach, only a few steps away.

Just then, a sudden flash of light erupted from Cleo's waist. A cool wave of energy exploded outward. And it didn't happen just once—rays of light flared again and again, one after another.

The sudden change snapped Cleo out of it. He looked down at the small pouch where he kept the amulets. It was now empty. Remembering the energy surge he had felt, he immediately understood what had happened.

"Thank you for the amulets, Captain Ethan."

"You're welcome. But next time, be more careful."

Ethan's amulets had a built-in safety feature. When the last bit of energy was depleted, they would trigger one final burst—an explosion of mental clarity to help the wearer snap out of control. Ethan hadn't expected the creature's mental attack to "detonate" all of Cleo's amulets at once.

"This thing's psychic ability is seriously strong."

Ethan didn't know if his own defensive magic could withstand such an attack and had no interest in testing it. What mattered now was launching an attack and not giving the enemy another chance to use its mental powers.

This time, instead of relying on magic, he pulled out all the incendiary bombs stored in his space ring and threw them all at once.

"Logan!"

Logan, with his rich combat experience, had already anticipated this. Even without Ethan's call, he had pulled out his own incendiary bombs and was already tossing them.

The cave turned into a sea of fire once again.

(To be continued.)

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