Just as Ethan was about to step through the portal, a sudden attack struck him from behind without any warning, and the force of it shook him to the core. His body staggered forward, and a sharp pain spread across his back as the energy tore through the space around him.
"Damn—!"
Before he could stabilize himself, the portal flickered violently and then collapsed.
The spatial passage twisted into chaos, and the unstable energy surged outward, threatening to tear everything apart. For a moment, Ethan felt his body being pulled in different directions, as if space itself was trying to rip him apart.
But he reacted quickly.
He forced his mana to stabilize himself and pushed forward with all his strength, and in the next moment, he broke free from the collapsing portal and reappeared outside, breathing heavily.
Behind him the battlefield was already gone.
What remained was a land of slaughter.
