Ethan Cole - The Unlimited System

Mike and Taison's eyes widened.

They had seen fast movements before, but this was something else. Ethan didn't just move fast.

He vanished.

By the time their senses caught up, he was already gone. Wind rushed past their faces a second too late, like a ghost of motion they couldn't track. Even Lucien, flinched as Ethan passed.

Lucien's mind reeled. 'That speed… It's not possible for normal human.'

He squinted toward the blur that had just streaked past.

'He had… become an Ascendant?' The thought hit him like a hammer.

No. Lucien believed it was something worse.

'He might've been one all along… and we didn't notice.'

But before he could shout a command or even lift a finger, Ethan appeared.

Right in front of Donald.

Not beside. Not near.

Donald barely managed a blink. "Wait, what—"

He didn't finish. He couldn't.

"I'll kill you..." Ethan's punch landed squarely against his face.

A deep crack echoed through the warehouse as bone shattered. Donald's feet left the ground. His body flew backward like a sack of meat, slamming into the warehouse wall with a sickening crunch that reverberated across the steel beams.

Blood splattered across the concrete.

Donald slumped to the ground, unmoving. His eyes stared straight ahead—vacant, stunned, dazed. His jaw hung loose. His nose was crooked. Teeth scattered across the floor.

But Ethan wasn't done.

He stepped forward slowly, golden energy rippling through his arms like fire under his skin. His aura burned brighter than before, surrounding him like a living flame, sharp and wild.

It was not something that Ethan willed for it to appear. It was because he was furious.

"But... I'm not letting you die easily," Ethan said, his voice low and seething. "You don't get to escape what you've done. Not like that."

Everyone was frozen.

Jessica looked up with tear-streaked cheeks. Jordan, unconscious, remained limp in her arms. Steve, still standing guard, watched silently.

Even Lucien didn't move.

The pressure in the air had changed.

It was Ethan now, not Steve anymore, who was the most dangerous person in the room.

Then came a chime.

A soft tone inside his mind, too familiar to ignore.

Ethan narrowed his eyes and called forth the panel with a single thought.

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[New Mission: No Second Chances]

Objective: Eliminate Donald and his three contracted Ascendants. Make sure none survive this time.

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=====

"Useless..." Ethan muttered as his jaw tightened. "I've planned to kill them all."

He didn't need the mission to tell him what had to be done. The sight of Joseph Moore's lifeless body. The sound of Jessica's scream. Jordan's blood soaking the floor.

It was more than enough.

A rough cough echoed from the left.

"Donald!" a voice cried out, raw with shock and fury.

It was Verran, the Wind Ascendant. He clutched his ribs tightly, blood trailing down his side from a deep wound. His breathing was sharp and uneven, but his rage burned hotter than his pain.

Beside him, Kaida cursed under her breath. She tried to push herself up, her arms trembling as cracked stone armor crumbled off her shoulders.

Dravik remained on one knee, silent and still. His bruised face twitched with quiet frustration as he scanned the battlefield, calculating.

But Verran didn't hesitate.

He wasn't thinking. He was acting.

"You'll pay for that!" he roared.

His figure blurred into motion, wind spiraling around him like a violent cyclone. It howled with him, turning into blades of pressure that carved the air apart as he charged toward Ethan.

But Ethan didn't flinch.

He turned toward Verran with calm, almost eerie composure.

His voice was low but firm. "Come."

In that split-second, Ethan activated Divine Eyes.

And everything changed.

The world didn't stop. But it slowed.

Not like slow motion in a movie. It was something deeper. As if his mind stepped into a higher realm of awareness. He didn't just see things, he understood them.

He watched Verran rush toward him, wind blades slicing the air, fast enough to shred steel. But through the lens of Divine Eyes, Verran looked almost… sluggish.

Ethan saw the way his opponent shifted his weight. The way his fingers twitched just before he curved his attack. He could see the swirl patterns in the air, the way the cyclone was formed, and more importantly, he could predict it.

It only lasted a few seconds.

But in that brief moment, it was enough.

More than enough.

He didn't just see movements.

He saw levels. Vital signs. Weaknesses.

And they were all laid bare.

Despite still being ranked higher than him, all three of Donald's Ascendants—Verran, Kaida, and Dravik—were injured. Badly. Their fight with Steve had drained them. Their power had been reduced to half. Maybe even less.

They were still dangerous.

But not unbeatable.

Still, Ethan wouldn't let arrogance blind him.

"Come forth," he then summoned the weapon that had become part of his soul.

The Flame Dragon Sword.

The blade materialized in his hand, pulsing with golden fire. It didn't just glow. It roared. The flame that danced across it had changed. It was thicker, deeper, with hints of orange and gold. This was no longer just an elemental weapon.

It was the reflection of his Golden Dragon Core.

He stepped aside once, cleanly dodging Verran's lunge. And with a smooth, controlled motion, he brought the sword down in a swift arc.

It wasn't flashy. It wasn't loud.

But it was fatal.

The sword sliced through Verran's neck like it was air.

There was no resistance. A clean cut.

Verran's momentum carried his body a few more steps before the head dropped with a dull thud, rolling across the floor as his body crumpled beside it.

Silence gripped the warehouse.

Kaida and Dravik froze.

Ethan stood there, golden flames rippling off his sword, eyes burning with quiet fury.

He was learning and improving. With every second, every heartbeat.

The moment he unlocked his Dragon Core, he had naturally formed affinity with all of the elements. However, Ethan was only familiar with one element, which was fire.

And that was because of the Flame Dragon Sword.

Now he knew that elemental affinity wasn't just for attacks. It actually enhanced his abilities across the board.

According to the system, his elemental power alone boosted all his core stats by 150%.

But that wasn't all.

When wielding the Flame Dragon Sword, it added an extra 170% boost to his Strength stat. Combined, it made him stronger, faster, and far more dangerous than he had ever imagined.

He wasn't just holding a sword anymore.

He was holding a force of nature.

Right now, with that kind of power flowing through him, Ethan wasn't just capable of fighting his enemies.

He was capable of crushing them.

Unless someone had strength far beyond the usual Ascendant level, no one in this warehouse could stop him.

At this moment, he was almost invincible.

Kaida let out a roar, her earth elemental power surging as she charged at Ethan. Jagged rocks erupted from the ground, hurtling toward him like missiles.

Ethan's eyes narrowed his movements fluid as he weaved through the projectiles.

In a blur of motion, he closed the distance and drove the blade into Kaida's chest. The golden energy surrounding him amplified his strength, shattering her earth armor and piercing through her body.

"What—" Kaida gasped, blood trickling from her lips before she collapsed.

Dravik, battered and desperate, ignited his sword with a final burst of fire.

"You've killed my comrades... I'll not let you live!"

He lunged at Ethan, his flames roaring with defiance.

Ethan didn't flinch. His hand shot out, gripping Dravik's face with an ironclad hold.

The golden energy surged once more, and with a single motion, he crushed Dravik's skull.

The fire was extinguished instantly as the lifeless body fell to the ground.

Within seconds, the three hired Ascendants were killed.