The red-black greatsword in his hand began to twist and deform, ultimately becoming slender and more suitable for launching as an arrow. Coupled with the violent fire energy it contained, Ethan was confident that this shot would definitely injure Imperius.
Although his exchange with Imperius was brief, lasting only a few moves, he could already determine that his current strength was comparable to Imperius. He only managed to gain the initial advantage because Imperius completely misunderstood his fighting style, hitting the opponent hard while they did not understand him, aiming to heavily injure the opponent before they could react.
If it turned into a protracted battle, although Ethan had the advantage in endurance, his opponent was not alone. The entire angelic host of the High Heavens was watching intently, and it seemed like they could charge at any moment. If he were not fighting the proud Archangel Imperius, it would be hard to guarantee that the others would not swarm him and overwhelm him.
Just as he was about to launch the arrow from his hand, Tyrael suddenly blocked his way.
"Do you think I will stop because of you?"
"I believe you will stop, because you are filled with the radiance of justice and will not cause slaughter in this meaningless battle." Tyrael did not even raise his weapon. He simply stood there looking at Ethan, specifically, his armor. Although Ethan could not see Tyrael's face, he could clearly sense where the other party's attention was focused.
"?"
Ethan was startled, remembering the Sagittarius Gold Cloth he was wearing, which was overflowing with positive energy.
When designing this Cloth, he initially considered using energy like Holy Light. Later, he thought of the fellow nicknamed Political Commissar in The Lost Canvas, combined with the fact that the Sagittarius in the main series was also an absolutely righteous person, so he slightly modified it to be suitable for all positive energies.
Using this Cloth was a bit troublesome for Ethan. He had to ensure he did not do anything unjust, as that would severely hinder the Cloth's combat effectiveness.
Like now, his fight with Imperius could only barely utilize the Cloth's abilities normally, and this was only possible because he held the righteous thought that he was actually here to save the world.
According to Ethan's original design, by executing truly righteous actions with absolute righteous conviction, this Cloth should grant the user a greater bonus, allowing the wearer of Sagittarius to unleash combat power far exceeding their own strength.
Only now did he realize that he had created a piece of equipment that was very unsuitable for himself. He probably would not have many opportunities to unleash the Cloth's maximum combat power.
This delay allowed Imperius to recover. He walked out of the wall where Ethan had slammed him into a large crater and then came to stand beside Tyrael.
"I do not require your assistance, Tyrael."
Imperius glanced at Tyrael, who did not even have a physical form beside him.
"Besides, you cannot help me now."
After speaking, he took a few more steps forward, stopping not far from Ethan, conveniently blocking Tyrael behind him.
This guy clearly found Tyrael extremely annoying and wished he would disappear immediately, yet he was intentionally or unintentionally protecting him.
Imperius was clear in his loves and hates. Did he remember Tyrael's favor of shielding him? Or did he feel it was his responsibility to protect all angels, even those he disliked?
The more he thought, the more his already limited fighting spirit dissipated. Ethan saw that Imperius had also plunged his Spear of Valor into the ground, and he knew that this fight was probably over.
Transforming the greatsword back into pure magic and retracting it into his body, and putting the golden bow back on his back, Ethan and Tyrael, separated by about ten meters, began their most peaceful conversation since meeting.
"Divine being from another realm, while I admit your strength is formidable, I must reiterate that this world does not welcome your arrival."
No deity in any world welcomes powerful beings from other worlds showing up. Such behavior makes them feel their territory is being invaded.
If a powerful being suddenly appeared on Ethan's ship or island, he would react just as furiously.
Understanding is one thing, but it does not change the fact that Imperius wanted to kill him and actually made a move.
So Ethan's mind was still very clear. Imperius, this staunch everyone who is not an angel must die advocate, was talking to him peacefully here simply because he could not kill him.
Ethan also did not have enough confidence to kill this guy, especially with Tyrael nearby, the vast army of angels, and the other Archangels.
Anyway, he had not suffered any loss, so stopping now was an acceptable option.
"I'm just passing through. I really have no interest in your world..."
Ethan originally wanted to say no interest at all, but he suddenly realized this world had Heaven, the mortal realm, and Hell. Most importantly, the mortal realm was plagued by rampant dark creatures. If he wanted to become a Main God in the future, this would be a good world for leveling up. He wondered if he could establish a long-term passage.
"I can sense the fluctuation in your tone!"
Imperius' hand gripped the inverted Spear of Valor again. Ethan's tone, which seemed to be hiding something, made him want to attack again.
However, compared to this person, he was more concerned about the little girl beside him who possessed Diablo's bloodline.
This was the important reason he chose to stop fighting after discovering that Ethan was not a demon from Hell or a being from another world similar to demons. If Ethan's power was similar to demons, he would have eliminated Ethan even if it meant fighting to the death, absolutely preventing Hell from gaining a powerful external ally.
Now that he confirmed Ethan's power was not only unrelated to Hell but actually similar to the angels of the High Heavens, he barely managed to suppress the urge to attack. After dealing with this outsider, he would then handle Diablo's bloodline.
"I have a little interest, but it is not about conquering like you think. I just want to establish a passage so some of my people can come to your world..."
"I refuse!"
Imperius did not even wait for Ethan to finish, flatly refusing.
This time, even Tyrael sided with Imperius. He also did not think establishing a passage to another world was a good idea. Who knew what kind of world that was?
Ethan shrugged. Imperius' refusal did not surprise him, and he did not plan to continue the discussion. If he grew to that level in the future, he would just establish the passage directly. Imperius would not have the power to choose.
If he did not grow to that level, then this issue was not worth discussing anyway. There was no need to argue about it now.
The diplomatic matters were concluded. Imperius was ready to handle some internal affairs.
He turned his head to look at Leah, but Tyrael reacted faster. Before Imperius could say anything, he preemptively asked Ethan.
"You said earlier that you came to save our world, and you mentioned this little girl. How do you plan to do that?"
"You should both be able to see that this little girl is the best vessel for Diablo's resurrection."
This was not just apparent to the two Archangels. After learning that Leah possessed Diablo's bloodline, even Deckard Cain had vaguely predicted some things. Leah's birth was definitely not a coincidence but a carefully planned conspiracy.
"Humans are always like this, constantly leaning toward evil demons. That is why I stand firm!"
"But not all humans are evil!"
Imperius and Tyrael almost erupted into a verbal conflict again over their policies regarding humans. Fortunately, both Archangels knew this was not the time to argue about this issue.
They also had the thought of not letting outsiders see their family's shame and immediately stopped the topic.
"How do you plan to save our world?"
"How about I take her away?"
Both Archangels were stunned. It seemed they had not expected Ethan to actually suggest taking the little girl away.
There was no need to ask where he would take her. Although they did not know what kind of world Ethan came from, it definitely was not here.
If this little girl was not in this world, Diablo's resurrection would lack a perfect vessel. They did not believe the person who designed all this would arrange for a large number of children similar to Leah.
It could be said that as long as Leah disappeared, Diablo's resurrection plan would largely fail. Even if Diablo still resurrected under these circumstances, it would definitely encounter various problems due to the change in plans, and that would be an excellent opportunity to eliminate Diablo.
For Imperius, he felt it would be simpler to just kill her directly.
As for Tyrael, this was a good option. Leah was just an innocent little girl, and he could not bring himself to kill such a child. He could not even accept others harming a child. If someone actually tried to do so, he would definitely intervene.
"Aren't you afraid that she will awaken Diablo's bloodline in your world and become a Lord of Hell, harming the entire world?"
Ethan crossed his arms and confidently raised his head.
"Even if she awakens the bloodline of a Lord of Hell, she will not become Leahblo."
"???"
The two angels only half understood Ethan's words. They just confirmed that this guy had inexplicable confidence, confidence that he could suppress Diablo. This made Imperius extremely uncomfortable, as it seemed to make him, who had been fighting and clashing with Diablo his entire life, look incompetent.
Ethan was genuinely not worried that Leah would become Diablo. Leaving aside Leah's original personality, which was a collection of all positive human traits, even if the demonic bloodline in her body showed any signs of activity, Ethan had countless ways to suppress it, or even completely transform its form.
By then, not only would it be impossible for her to become Leahblo, but if Ethan wanted to, he could even turn Leah into an Archangel.
(To be continued.)