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

Being unskilled with Holy Light and more proficient in Shadow was meaningless, because what was lacking now wasn't combat power. Ethan was worried that long-term exposure to this environment would deteriorate everyone's physical condition.

He wasn't concerned about the people on his own ship, but rather the other adventurers, especially the ordinary crew members. Most of them didn't have a full set of magic stone equipment like their captains. The few who did were already the main combat force. Most of the crew used ordinary equipment.

Ordinary equipment had no energy barriers and couldn't stop this energy from eroding their bodies.

As time passed, the effects began to show. Several adventurers who had suffered minor injuries and only received simple treatment started exhibiting various symptoms.

Their faces turned ashen, their bodies were saturated with negative energy, and their eyes dulled with sluggish reactions. Many experienced symptoms like fatigue and chills. A few became extremely irritable, exploding at the slightest provocation and even drawing weapons on their companions.

"Things are getting worse and worse."

Brent's expression also grew increasingly grim. He was now faced with a choice: continue pressing deeper, or stop here, return to the coast before things spiraled out of control, and lead everyone out of this place. If they turned back now, those showing symptoms might still be cured.

Brent struggled with the decision for a moment but ultimately chose to give up.

"I didn't bring everyone here just to watch them die." Brent slammed his greatsword into a nearby rock, gritting his teeth. "We're going back!"

No one objected. Many secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This land was far too strange. First came the endless wave of terrifying creatures, then the dense fog with a strange smell, and now even their companions were behaving abnormally. Who knew what would happen next?

Everyone was glad they were leaving, but after turning around and walking for a while, what appeared before them wasn't the familiar sea or the large ships they had come on, but rather a sheer cliff face that looked like it had appeared out of thin air.

"This is impossible!"

Fazio, the one responsible for tracking directions and mapping the route, had a full team helping him record their path to ensure they could find their way back if needed.

He led everyone according to the recorded markers, only to be blocked by a cliff. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

One person might make a mistake, but there was no way an entire team was wrong.

"Where did we go wrong?!"

Fazio repeatedly checked the records and paced around, comparing notes, but all the information pointed to the same direction—they should be going forward.

"Maybe we didn't make a mistake. Maybe this cliff appeared after we passed by."

Ethan had been observing carefully. After spotting a few inconspicuous footprints on the cliff face, he confirmed his guess.

"Look over there. Those should be the footprints we left when we came through."

The fog had cleared quite a bit, and visibility had improved. Following the direction Ethan pointed, everyone saw the footprints on the sheer, vertical cliff.

"This…"

Brent touched the rock face. It definitely wasn't an illusion. It was a real cliff. And it was this sheer cliff that now blocked their way.

Strictly speaking, this cliff couldn't block some people, including Brent. But they couldn't get everyone across. Unless he was willing to abandon the ordinary crew, they were stuck here.

"Let's try another direction."

He didn't believe there was no way out. With no other choice, the group began following the cliff face forward. The journey wasn't smooth. Occasionally, stone-like creatures burst out from the cliff to ambush them.

"Gargoyles?"

Their appearance was a bit different, but overall, they resembled the gargoyles Ethan knew. Moreover, these gargoyles could merge into the cliff face—something the ones from his memory couldn't do.

Fortunately, these monsters could only ambush from the cliffs and didn't attack from other directions.

Even so, the group suffered further losses, especially among adventurers already heavily affected by the negative energy. Along the way, many turned into undead creatures and had to be killed by their former comrades.

Brent's expression grew darker. Even Brad, who had previously seemed calm and indifferent, now looked grim.

Ethan looked around. If this were an army, they were now like a routed force fleeing in disarray. Morale had dropped to rock bottom. No one knew what to do.

"This can't go on."

Brent had originally been determined to uncover the truth behind this place. But after assembling such a large team, they encountered setback after setback. They were now running without even understanding what they were facing. Ethan began to wonder if this would shake Brent's resolve.

"Everyone halt."

Brent, who had been walking at the front, suddenly stopped. He looked ahead with a solemn expression.

In front of them, the fog was so thick it looked like a wall. But as everyone stopped, the fog parted slowly, forming a pathway, as if inviting them in.

With the fog receding, everyone saw what lay ahead—a massive castle. It occupied a vast area and stood at least a dozen stories high.

"Something like this appearing in a place like this… weird doesn't even begin to describe it."

Logan had put away his cigar long ago. In this environment, smoking was pointless—he couldn't even tell whether he was breathing in the smoke or the stench in the air. Without his favorite pastime, Logan was full of complaints and grumbled whenever he had the chance.

"Anyone with a brain can tell something's wrong here. The real question is, do we even have the choice to refuse?"

Ethan gestured around. The people near him followed his hand and looked around. The fog had completely cleared, and they could now see into the distance.

Only then did they realize that they were trapped in a valley. On all sides were sheer cliffs, and even behind them, a cliff had silently appeared less than a hundred meters away.

Brent also noticed this. He still didn't know who the enemy was, but it was clear they were being forced into the castle.

Of course, he wasn't afraid. This was actually better than before, when they couldn't even see their enemy. Maybe, once inside, they would finally find out who was behind everything. Having a clear target was far better than fighting an unseen enemy.

"Do you have any suggestions?"

After traveling together for a while, Brent had a general idea of Ethan's strength and wanted to hear his opinion.

"My suggestion?" Ethan rubbed his chin. He didn't like playing along with the enemy's game. Being forced to enter a castle by the enemy, his first instinct wasn't to go in, but to blow it up. "What do you think about blasting this place right now?"

"Don't joke." Brent waved his hand, hoping Ethan would give a serious answer. But when he noticed Ethan's expression, his face stiffened. "Wait, are you serious?"

"Of course."

Ethan was speechless. Did his face really look like he was joking? He was clearly being serious.

"How do we blast it?"

Brent looked at the castle in the distance. Even from here, he could tell how massive it was. If they were at sea, they could use the magic stone cannons on their warships to reduce it to rubble, but they didn't have such weapons now.

Ethan motioned for Brent to step back, indicating that he would handle it.

Although he said he'd handle it, Ethan couldn't destroy such a massive structure on his own. He needed help.

"Loki, give me a hand."

Loki wore a look that said "what does this have to do with me" and was clearly reluctant. But he hated this place even more and wanted to leave as soon as possible. So, despite his unwillingness, he stepped forward.

"What are you planning to do?"

"You still remember the Blizzard Jaina cast earlier, right?"

"You want to use that spell? That spell doesn't really do much to buildings…" Loki trailed off mid-sentence as he suddenly understood Ethan's plan. "You want to use the principles of that spell to condense the power of the Casket of Ancient Winters into a more powerful blizzard?"

Loki truly was a genius mage from Asgard. He instantly understood why Ethan needed his help. Only he could use the Casket of Ancient Winters, and the frost energy it contained was far more terrifying than any blizzard Jaina could summon from the icy reaches of Azeroth.

A blizzard infused with this kind of energy could annihilate any structure.

"Sounds interesting."

Loki had never tried something like this before. He was quite willing to cooperate with Ethan and see how he pulled it off. It might even become a new trump card for himself.

Just as Ethan took out the Arcane Spring, a figure slowly walked out from the castle. At the same time, a familiar mental fluctuation made Ethan realize that the person was someone he knew.

(To be continued.)