Seemingly endless flame feathers continuously shot out from the two massive wings toward Imhotep. In the blink of an eye, Imhotep was engulfed in ceaseless explosions and towering flames.
This attack method was a tactic Ethan had long envisioned for his Flame Wings, but back then, his strength had been insufficient. He had too little magic power and lacked the technique to craft magical items capable of executing such an attack.
As his strength steadily grew, he could now unleash this attack using only his own magic power. Moreover, this level of magic posed no burden to him, leaving him with plenty of energy to launch even more powerful attacks.
This nearly uninterrupted feather barrage was terrifying enough, with a firing rate comparable to a machine gun. Each feather caused a powerful explosion and intense high-temperature damage. If Imhotep hadn't possessed near-immortality, an ordinary person would have been reduced to ashes by the relentless bombardment.
But against Imhotep, this was still far from enough.
Ethan raised the flame spear in his hand behind his head. It floated and began to spin rapidly in his palm. The flames, once perfectly contained within the spear, began to surge uncontrollably, on the verge of erupting again. Ethan didn't care. As the spear gradually transformed into a rotating cone of fire, he waved his hand forward. The cone, now as thick as a bucket, shot out instantly.
The moment it left his hand, it created a powerful sonic boom. Ethan was momentarily stunned. Did I charge it too much?
At such high speed and such close range, the "flame javelin" had virtually no flight time. As the sonic boom cloud formed, a terrifying mushroom-shaped dust cloud had already risen from Imhotep's location.
The scorching shockwave blasted a large crater in the area, then spread outward. The stirred-up sand and earth triggered a brief sandstorm.
Ethan, still hovering in the air, was blown dozens of meters away by his own attack until he summoned a magic shield and increased the power output of the wings behind him, stabilizing his position.
He felt that he might have misjudged the spell's power. After all, it had been a long time since he used magic at full strength, so it was natural that he couldn't perfectly estimate its destructive force.
However, those watching from inside the Mirror Dimension didn't know these details. To them, it felt like they were trapped in an absurd dream. How could such a terrifying person actually exist?
Ethan had emphasized his identity as a mage countless times, but they had always thought his magic was just some special technique. They never expected that the so-called "mage" would be this overwhelming.
What unsettled them even more was the pair of wings behind Ethan. They didn't care that they were formed from flames. From their perspective, Ethan's appearance… looked just like a certain special being.
Jonathan unconsciously made the sign of the cross, clasping his hands and reciting the Bible. He suspected Ethan had come to Egypt to eliminate heretics.
They weren't the only ones shocked. Thanks to the Mirror Dimension's protection, they could observe the battle up close and in great detail, without being affected by it.
This had both pros and cons.
The advantage was being able to see everything clearly. The disadvantage was that, since they were unaffected, it all felt unreal, like watching an illusion or a mirage.
Compared to them, the guardians, whose attention had already been drawn by the earth-shaking noises, suffered far more. They had just finished one round of combat in Hamunaptra and were chasing the group of Americans when they discovered something astonishing happening outside.
When the scouts reported to Ardeth Bay, the leader of the guardians, he assumed it was all Imhotep's doing. But when he rushed out with his men, ready to fight to the death to prevent Imhotep from destroying Egypt, he saw a different young man unleashing inhuman powers and thoroughly overpowering Imhotep.
Then came the terrifying explosion. The immense shockwave blew away many guardians who were hiding in the distance, too afraid to get closer. Many were burned by the scorching hot wind that followed. Ardeth Bay, who reacted quickly, managed to dive behind a sand dune just in time. Still, getting buried in sand was not a pleasant experience.
After everything settled, the guardians were still stunned. They wondered whether they could even stop such an opponent if they sacrificed their lives.
At that moment, many of them were confused, unsure if this terrifying power came from Imhotep or the stranger.
Ethan also noticed the appearance of the guardian group. But ever since Ardeth Bay had refused to communicate with him, Ethan had no interest in dealing with them.
Shifting his attention to the massive crater he had created, he saw Imhotep, who had once again been severely injured and was in bad shape.
Originally, Imhotep had regained his human form and powerful vitality thanks to the Water of Life Ethan provided. But Ethan's previous attack, with its explosive impact and intense heatwave, had nearly evaporated all the vitality and moisture in his body. At this moment, Imhotep looked more like a dried-up mummy than he had when sealed in the sarcophagus.
"Tsk. You just had to fight me, didn't you? Now you're paying for it."
Ethan landed on the ground. The massive flaming wings behind him folded gently before vanishing. Some of the contained magic power flowed back into Ethan's body. If this reverse flow of released energy wasn't controlled, it could damage the user, but Ethan had no problem managing it. This was one of the benefits of his training method.
Watching the battered Imhotep slowly gather magic power to recover, Ethan noticed that the sand beneath his feet was flowing into Imhotep's body.
Of course, Imhotep couldn't recover by "eating" sand. The so-called sand was actually part of Imhotep's body. It seemed that, in the previous attack, Imhotep had once again "sandified" himself to withstand the impact. While the force could be mitigated this way, the extreme temperature couldn't. After transforming into sand, parts of his body retained the properties of sand—some of which had melted into glass or vaporized entirely. That part was permanently destroyed.
This meant that Imhotep's vitality had taken a serious hit. The sand that returned to him couldn't fully restore his form. Now, he was caught somewhere between human and mummy, resembling the incomplete resurrection state from the original story.
"It seems a strong enough attack can still completely kill Imhotep."
Imhotep's current form was more like a twisted life state. While difficult to kill outright, it wasn't impossible. Once his vitality was entirely drained, even if his soul was protected by divine power due to the curse, without a vessel, he would no longer pose a threat.
And souls were fragile. Even with divine protection, it wasn't absolute. Especially for spellcasters, who had many ways to attack the soul directly. He could be captured, imprisoned, or even used as special spell material.
Ethan saw that Imhotep still wanted to resist. The intact sand around him began to rise again. Ethan curled his lip and once again summoned the magic power around him. A brilliant torrent of energy formed around him, glowing conspicuously.
As he moved, the once-clear night sky suddenly filled with dark clouds. Terrifying bolts of lightning gathered above. Dazzling arcs of electricity began flashing from the torrent of magic surrounding Ethan, echoing the lightning above, ready to unleash an attack powerful enough to obliterate Imhotep at any moment.
Imhotep looked at the swirling magic around Ethan and the increasingly ominous lightning above. He realized that the previous blast wasn't even the mage's full strength. The opponent could easily kill him. So he made the wise choice.
He slowly lowered his hands. The floating sand beside him also fell back to the still-hot ground. Imhotep bowed deeply to Ethan.
"Please forgive my earlier offense, powerful spellcaster."
Ethan watched Imhotep submit, but his feelings were complicated.
He felt incredibly pleased. This might be the first time he had forced a powerful enemy to yield solely through strength. It was exhilarating, and for a moment, he even found himself wanting more fights like this—wanting to crush more powerful beings beneath his feet.
From Imhotep's perspective, Ethan was silently looking down at him with a cold expression, saying nothing. The oppressive silence only heightened the pressure.
Especially with the fluctuating magic around Ethan and the occasional bursts of lightning flickering on his body. The increasingly dense clouds above seemed ready to unleash divine wrath.
Imhotep panicked. He believed he had truly enraged this powerful mage. Desperate to survive, he dropped to his knees.
"I beg for your forgiveness. I am willing to offer everything for it."
(To be continued.)