Dragon's Wrath: The Cursed Returnee

Chapter 169 Slow Action

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  When the choppers got too close, some of the creatures that were leading the battalions suddenly looked at them, and then, in a single quick motion, they threw their spears at the choppers. It only lasted for a moment before the image disappeared. Still, Ethan saw the choppers freezing instantly and then starting to fall.

"An invasion of another species of people instead of monsters… and this timing…" Ethan furrowed his eyebrows while wondering if that invasion was connected to the disappearance of the students. "I am certain that all this are related…"

"Breaking news! A magic portal appeared half an hour ago in the extreme north of Canada, and once it appeared, numerous warriors from another world began to cross the portal and set footing on Earth!" A blonde woman suddenly said after the image on the TV was recovered. "They didn't try to establish contact with anyone. They secured a base on the mountains and attacked the choppers that recorded them. This is the first time that such a thing has happened since the governments of the world recognized the existence of magic. What are the authorities going to do about this unusual situation? Is it finally time for our species to wage interplanetary wars?"

  The reporter looked a bit too excited, and Ethan didn't like that one bit. In any case, Ethan noticed that the Telepathy amulet was glowing, and it looked like those two were using it. After equipping them, Ethan heard some crazy shouts.

"What the hell is going on? Why is this happening?" Emily asked. "Even if those three did something, this is too soon for a response."

"Not if the flow of the time in that world is faster…" Ian explained. "You should know that." 

"You already confirmed that they are from the same planet those three are headed to?" Ethan asked.

"Oh, you are finally on… yes, I confirmed that," Ian replied. "Although they appeared pretty far away from our territory, it doesn't mean that the two things aren't connected."

"I tried not to think that the incidents with the dungeon breaks were connected to the disappearance of those three, but maybe they are connected," Ethan suddenly said. "Logic says that five new returnees returned when the dungeons appeared, but it is hard to believe that they managed to stay hidden until now…"

·??m "I am not sure I agree with you. It would be too weird if those five were from our country. Besides, I can't imagine them hiding in the shadows of those three," Ian said. "We still lack a lot of information, but it looks like we won't have much peace to investigate."

  Ethan and the others spent the rest of the afternoon watching the news about the invasion. For now, those people only attacked when choppers got too close, but their numbers were increasing too fast. After a single afternoon, they already had fifty thousand soldiers on their side… more than enough to start a large-scale war.

  Later that afternoon, they received a message from the direction of the school telling them that the place would stay closed for three days and that they were to wait at home and not leave their houses. 

"They sure are naive…" Ethan thought. "Teenagers aren't exactly known for their obedience and ability to follow that kind of instruction, after all."

  Around six in the evening, Ethan noticed that his parents had arrived… he went to check on them, and by the looks on their faces, he guessed that they received the bad news wherever they were.

"Ethan… you aren't planning to do anything, are you?" Evelyn asked.

"I am thankful for the chance of resting a few days nonstop at home, but I guess I can't exactly do that when the tension is almost touchable in the air," Ethan shrugged. "Anyway, I am not planning to do anything… at least for now. We don't know how the situation will proceed, after all."

"I am fine if you want to fight monsters to help your friends, but not fighting other people… I don't want you doing that for any reason," Evelyn added while showing a serious expression.

  Ethan couldn't say anything about that… his mother was worried, so never mind joking. He didn't want to tell her that he had done that plenty of times already, and there was no need to make his mother even more worried.

"Any news coming from Hannah?" Michael asked once he sat down on the couch and turned on the TV.

"She was already busy with the other incident… I think she won't return for another week at least," Ethan replied.

"Even though this isn't an immediate problem for us?" Michael asked.

"... Yes, in this kind of situation, it is better to prevent the damage from piling up," Ethan replied once he realized that most people had no idea that the invasion was just another part of the problem that started a few days ago.

  Ethan and his family had a quiet dinner that night while they watched the news… the number of invaders kept increasing even at night. The Canadian government was planning to send some ambassadors despite the fact that the invaders clearly were looking for a fight… from what Ethan knew, the American government should also send some people to help to sort things out, another intermediator would also be helpful… someone like Nuvian would be a good choice, but Ethan didn't know if they would ask him. If the invaders don't have any intention of stopping, using Nuvian might also cause more problems than help.

  The next morning, Ethan woke up feeling a bit sluggish since he didn't sleep that much, but he got up once he saw the Telepathy amulet glowing. It was barely six in the morning, and Ian wasn't the type to wake up that soon without a good reason.

"Hey, I got the files about those three students," Ian declared. "Send them to you is impossible, but I can read the main points."

"Go on, by the way. Aren't you going to wait for Emily?" Ethan asked.

"She has been training a lot of her time magic, and that is mentally taxing. After knowing that we have a few days off, she is probably going to grind a lot more than usual," Ian explained. 

"You are well informed," Ethan furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well, she decided to buy some more potions from us after we were promoted. I just connected the dots," Ian explained. "Anyway, it looks like those three had been friends for the last six months since they returned. Their power level didn't increase in the last six months, so they have been in the C rank from the very beginning. It looks like they picked a fight with some B-rank students several times, and they focused on those that left them behind… I would say that they are pretty frustrated. They learned that they aren't that special, and there are those who have more potential than them, and they didn't do well with that kind of information."

"It must be hard to be a teenager in times like this… they are already pretty rare since they went to other worlds and returned with superpowers, but they still want more," Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I guess they have the profile of troublesome kids who would accept the offer to turn to the dark side in exchange for power. What do you think?"

"I am of the same opinion… we already know that some people are luring summoned heroes to their side already. This is just the same thing," Ian replied. "Still, knowing all that won't help the situation, do you have any idea in mind?"

"No, they just have to be disposed of," Ethan replied. 

"That is pretty harsh, don't you think?" Ian furrowed his eyebrows. "They are minors, and while they have superpowers, I don't think that we would benefit a lot by getting rid of them like that."

"Technically, they are deserters. Besides, I don't really care about problems that will be caused by public opinion. I am not part of the government, after all," Ethan shrugged. 

"I guess it is convenient to think like that," Ian said.

"Anyway, do we have prisons powerful enough to lock C-rank heroes?" Ethan asked. "Probably not. We probably would need some illusion magic to keep them sleeping forever. That would probably be better than getting rid of them. Using drugs to stop their powers is also an option… mind control is another. I don't think that the world wouldn't think of countermeasures like that, so you should know."

"Sometimes, you can be scarier than me… but you are right, all those options are available," Ian replied. "Those three just have to be captured first, though."

  After Ethan talked with Ian, he checked the news again and confirmed that as soon as the sun rose, the army of the invaders began to march South. They had one hundred thousand on their side, and the portal was still open and bringing more soldiers to Earth. That couldn't be a good sign, and the governments were taking their time in taking any action.