Dragon's Wrath: The Cursed Returnee

"Tsk," Emily clicked her tongue. "Aline…"

"So, that is her name?" Ethan asked. "You sound quite displeased… like you know her quite a bit."

Emily didn't even try to say anything after that. Although those two appeared several meters ahead of them, they soon turned around and found Ethan, Emily, and Ian. Those were some sharp senses… Although they frowned at first, soon they understood everything.

However, instead of wasting any time, Dante and Aline decided to work. Dante dashed toward the monsters in front of him and made the creatures fly in all directions. Not even Ethan managed to see how exactly he did that. As for Aline, she crouched down a little and then touched the ground. The ground began to tremble, but only slightly, and after a while, dozens of blocks of ice appeared from the underground. Somehow, Aline froze them all and even managed to open the path using Earth Manipulation as well.

"I guess our job is finally over," Ethan said. "Anyway, is it really fine for that guy to show up like this?"

"That guy… I guess I need to assume that you already know Dante and who he is. Do I also need to assume that you already caused him some problems?"

"More or less," Ethan shrugged. "Anyway, given his position, should he really appear in a place like this?"

"Well, don't worry about it. We work for the government, and our president knows a lot. When he was notified about the dungeons, he decided to keep some teams in position to offer a hand if necessary. I just received the order to teleport the teams, but it was purely coincidental that they were sent to the same place you are."

"I don't really care about that," Ethan said. "Anyway, do we have to bribe those two to keep their mouths shut?"

"No… that won't be necessary, and don't say something as insane as that out loud again. You don't have to like each other, but you two are on the same side."

"You are such a worrywart, Hannah," Ethan laughed. "The times where I fought and killed everyone who stood in my way are long behind me."

When Hannah heard that, she couldn't help but feel sad. For her little brother to say something like that so easily was… heartbreaking. On the other hand, it also seemed like he had already surpassed those dark times and buried them deep down in his heart.

"Well, what now?" Ian asked.

"We fortify the defenses of the capital and prepare to fight," Emily declared, visibly annoyed. "Those two won't solve the situation, and they and they can only buy us some time."

"I don't think we can do it either," Ian said. "Not in a few days, anyways. To be honest, they can do this faster than us and this entire army here."

Ian had a point, and even though Emily didn't say that he was wrong, she didn't say that he was right either. It looked like something inside of her changed when Aline showed up, but Ethan couldn't really tell what it was. Regardless, to disperse that mood, Isaac conveniently appeared.

"Holy crap, is that guy who I think he is?" Isaac asked. "Anyway, let's head back to the city to regroup while they do whatever they are doing. Before we take any action, we need to see what the higher-ups have in mind."

Ethan sighed… times really changed. Why he had to do that? Ah, right… it was because he wasn't strong enough to solve everything alone like before. In the end, even Ethan to feel weird… he worked so hard to return home and live a peaceful life. Still, when he returned, he discovered that such a life was no longer impossible.

To make matters worse, his cursed power didn't leave him. Troublesome things were happening, and he couldn't just let them happen and risk the safety of the planet. Still, he wasn't strong enough to solve them like before, and thus, here was Ethan wishing for power again when power never really helped him. It only took things away from him…

Although it still had some time before sunrise, things in the capital were quite intense despite the darkness. Those who didn't leave the place were hurrying to find a method to escape. It was a bit late for that, considering that the dungeon had appeared five days ago, but Ethan could understand the feeling. Not everyone would abandon their homes and hometown so easily.

"We will take care of the things from here on," Isaac declared. "Go back to the hotel and rest for a while. You more than deserved that since we only prevented total annihilation thanks to you three. The army and the heroes of the country will prepare for the last stand."

"Sounds good to me," Ian said and then began to walk. "I was starting to miss sleeping in a bed."

"We can help more," Emily declared.

"I know, but you are tired," Isaac said. "Besides, if we rely more on you than we already did before the next battle, I will probably die of embarrassment. The others fighting will probably feel the same. Rest for a while and recover your strength."

In the end, Emily decided to shut up and obey that. Aline's arrival shook her more than Ethan had imagined, and while that was annoying, Ian approached him to explain the relationship between those two.

"They were good friends in school since they returned around the same time," Ian explained. "However, since Emily was prideful and had a somewhat weak body, their friendship ended, and they became more like rivals."

"I really can't understand that kind of thing," Ethan said.

"Well, but you should since Dante also is a dumb warrior and has a level up system," Ian said. "The fact that you don't see each other as rivals also prove that you are. Just admit it, you guys like big swords since apparently, they compensate for something else… and you two are very prideful."

"Better be a dumb warrior than a delusional idiot," Ethan said. "Anyway, I can't see how come Aline is much more powerful than Emily. As far as I can tell, they seem equally skilled."

"While I also agree with that, Aline has a trait that granted her the chance to learn more advanced spells," Ian said. "The power she obtained as a hero; it grants her the chance to absorb all the mana of the foes she defeats."