Chapter 1006: The Free-Form Combat System

Level 125 was the turning point. Beyond that threshold, skills were no longer chained to fixed animations or predetermined attack patterns, and at Level 125, the Free-Form Combat System unlocked.

Even before reaching this point, Ethan had already gained a measure of freedom in battle thanks to the Achievement he’d earned back in his early days in Ethereal by hunting down other players. At the time, though, that freedom only applied to basic attacks, allowing him to fight like a true martial artist despite being a Druid.

Now, everything had changed; it wasn’t just his basic attacks anymore. He could pour the power of any skill into any movement, any strike, any part of his body.

Just moments ago, he’d used Heavy Strike.

Normally, the skill concentrated its power in his claws for a devastating slash aimed at an opponent’s head. Instead, Ethan had redirected all that force into his own skull before slamming his head straight into OneSwordBreaksArmy’s face.

The result was horrifying.

OneSwordBreaksArmy’s head burst apart under the impact like a dropped egg, his helmet crumpling inward as though it had been made of thin tin.

"That’s brutal!"

"Way too gory..."

"That’s completely insane!"

"Oh my God... I LOVE IT!"

"The second I get back, I’m grinding to Level 125!"

With that single attack, Ethan had shown the entire world that combat had entered a new era. Level 125 wasn’t just another milestone; it completely changed the way people could fight.

The spectators’ blood was boiling. Ethan had planned this from the very beginning: when the apocalypse arrived, there was no chance he could protect the world by himself, and he needed every survivor on Earth to become stronger. Every player who raised their level inside Ethereal would also become stronger in reality, giving humanity one more person with a chance to survive and one more fighter capable of resisting the Divine Realm when it finally descended.

OneSwordBreaksArmy’s death completely shattered the coalition’s morale, and panic spread through their ranks like wildfire.

Ethan calmly issued another command, and the Renegade Alliance’s formation shifted once again.

The 400,000 players split apart, but unlike before, they didn’t stop after dividing into four groups. One became four, four became sixteen, sixteen became sixty-four, sixty-four became two hundred and fifty-six, and then two hundred and fifty-six became one thousand and twenty-four.

In the blink of an eye, 1,024 spinning blade formations bloomed across the battlefield, spreading outward like ripples across water before exploding into a storm of steel within the coalition’s army of more than nine million.

"RETREAT!" "RUN!" "How are we supposed to fight monsters like this?!" "They’re walking fortresses! We’re nothing but paper!"

The coalition, which still numbered close to nine million players, dissolved into complete chaos in only a few moments.

The Renegade Alliance’s 400,000 soldiers surged after them like wolves chasing a flock of terrified sheep, and every spinning blade formation carved a bloody path through the battlefield like a scythe swung by death itself.

The coalition had completely lost the will to resist, and wherever the formations passed, players collapsed in waves.

The slaughter continued for a full hour, and by then, the millions watching the livestream had gone completely numb. Even the two commentators, who normally filled every second with excited chatter, had fallen silent, for there simply wasn’t anything left to say.

From beginning to end, the battle had lasted two and a half hours. When the Renegade Alliance finally regrouped, there wasn’t a trace of the coalition left on the battlefield, and the final results were enough to leave anyone speechless.

In two and a half hours, the Renegade Alliance’s 428,961 players had suffered zero casualties, while the three-faction coalition had entered the battle with 9,618,900 players. Of those, 3,987,112 had died, and the surviving players had abandoned all organization, scattering in every direction like frightened birds.

A force of over 9.6 million had been routed by fewer than 430,000, numbers so outrageous they almost seemed fabricated.

This battle was destined to become part of Ethereal’s history.

There had never been anything like it before, and no one believed they would ever witness anything comparable again.

Years later, people would still recount this battle with the same excitement they felt today. Even those who had memorized every detail would tell the story as though they were reliving it all over again.

The Renegade Alliance gathered once more, every face flushed with excitement. They had actually done it: four hundred thousand players had crushed an alliance of more than nine million, and one by one, their eyes turned toward the man standing at the front.

Ethan remained as calm as ever, wearing nothing more than a faint smile, as though this overwhelming victory had been exactly what he’d expected all along.

To the members of the Renegade Alliance, he had become someone they trusted without reservation.

Even the Blade Syndicate, Ethan’s former rivals who had watched the entire battle from the sidelines, could only stare at him in silence.

Every one of them arrived at the same unsettling conclusion.

If the Renegade Alliance had chosen to wipe them out back in the Northern Frontier Region instead of merely holding the border...

The Blade Syndicate would have ceased to exist long ago.

Marcus Skeiner quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead. Behind the Blade Syndicate stood an even larger force: the Nocturne Order Alliance numbered over three million players, and around them were countless independent players who had witnessed this historic battle with their own eyes.

Every gaze was fixed on Ethan, some filled with excitement, others with admiration, and many with awe.

In this battle, the Renegade Alliance had represented the entire Northern Frontier Region.

That was true even for the players who had never fought alongside them and had once cursed the Renegade Alliance for sealing the border crossing.

They had mocked them as gatekeepers, called them roadblocks, complained endlessly because they wanted to leave the Northern Frontier Region.

Elsewhere in the world, every nation’s major factions had been pushing toward their regional capitals, but only the US had remained stalled. The players of the Northern Frontier Region simply couldn’t cross the border. Because of that, Dragon City continued to benefit from an overwhelmingly powerful defensive buff.

Unless at least eighty percent of the players from all four regions gathered around Dragon City, that protection would never disappear.

Any attack launched before then was doomed to fail.

Ethan stood quietly before his guild, giving everyone time to catch their breath, and watched as their frantic breathing gradually steadied. Only then did he smile.

"If you want to celebrate, go ahead. You earned this victory."

There was a heartbeat of silence, then the battlefield exploded.

"YEAHHH!"

"THAT WAS INSANE!"

"HOLY SH*T!"

"WHO’S CALLING US TURTLES NOW?!"

"The Renegade Alliance doesn’t move unless it has to. But once we do... nobody can stop us!"

Ethan watched them laugh, shout, and cheer together, every face overflowing with joy. More importantly, their confidence had reached heights it never had before, and that confidence would matter far more than today’s victory.

Once the excitement finally settled and the cheers gradually died away, Ethan spoke again.

"Alright. Start cleaning up the battlefield. I’ve got a few people to meet first."

As he finished speaking, he noticed Marcus Skeiner, Xandria, and several other guild leaders approaching the edge of the Renegade Alliance’s formation.

Ethan walked over to greet them.

"Congratulations!"

"This battle’s made you famous throughout Ethereal!"

He accepted the congratulations with a polite nod and a faint smile before his attention settled on two familiar faces.

Xandria.

Marcus Skeiner.

Xandria was the first to speak.

"What? Has our great Druid God never seen a beautiful woman before?"

Her voice caught Ethan by surprise.

It no longer carried the deliberately sweet, playful tone he remembered. Instead, it was clear, confident, and naturally authoritative, perfectly matching the poised woman standing before him.

For the first time since meeting her, Ethan found himself able to look her in the eye without feeling awkward.

Marcus had been about to say something, but the instant Xandria opened her mouth, he thought better of it and quietly stepped aside.

Then something clicked, and his eyes widened.

"Wait... your voice..." His gaze darted between the two of them before realization spread across his face. "Hold on. You two know each other? Don’t tell me you’ve been working together this whole time?"

He had first noticed the dramatic change in Xandria’s voice, but it was the easy familiarity between the two of them, the natural way they spoke and looked at each other, that truly sent a chill down his spine.