Imhotep was a complex individual. In the original plot, upon realizing that he would lose all his magic and revert to a normal state when facing the Scorpion King—and then, after seeing the Scorpion King and understanding his odds—he immediately retreated, appearing like a coward who valued his life above all.
Yet after falling into despair and being abandoned by Anck-su-namun, he decisively chose to end his own life, acting as though life held no value for him.
Upon reflection, the only explanation seemed to be that Imhotep had a firm belief at that moment: to resurrect Anck-su-namun and live happily ever after with her.
As long as that goal could be achieved, even kneeling before his enemy and begging for mercy was no big deal. Because, in his eyes, dignity paled in comparison to Anck-su-namun's resurrection.
The magical fluctuations around Ethan gradually subsided. His control over the lightning element wasn't particularly refined, and since he had just pushed his magic to its limit by channeling the immense energy of this world, it wasn't as easy to stop as manipulating his own internal magic.
Even though he no longer intended to continue fighting, the dark clouds, flickering lightning, and the swirling torrent of magic around him had yet to fully dissipate. Still, the imminent sense of danger from earlier was gone.
"Offer everything?"
Ethan began to seriously consider the meaning behind that statement.
Imhotep was a High Priest with deep magical knowledge and formidable strength. The main reason he had been so thoroughly beaten by Ethan wasn't due to an insurmountable power gap, but because he initially hadn't taken Ethan seriously. By the time he realized the threat, Ethan had already crippled him with a series of relentless attacks.
Otherwise, with Imhotep's ability to level a city, if both of them had fought at full strength, the entire terrain around Hamunaptra would have been reshaped.
Imhotep being willing to serve him was, of course, a welcome outcome. But his loyalty was highly questionable—or rather, he had no loyalty at all.
"Get up."
Regardless, Ethan still needed to learn necromancy and summoning spells from Imhotep. The reason he had beaten him so severely was to teach him a lesson, to make Imhotep understand that he wasn't someone to be taken lightly, and that he should take Ethan's words seriously and follow through on them. Otherwise, Ethan wouldn't hesitate to fight again.
And if they fought again, Ethan certainly wouldn't give up the advantage offered by the Book of Amun-Ra. At that point, he would go all out to kill him. With the power Ethan had just displayed, Imhotep now understood that the immortality he relied on was meaningless before Ethan. Being defeated again might even lead to the complete annihilation of his soul.
The lightning within the dark clouds gradually dispersed, and the heavy gloom faded, revealing a bright moon and a sky full of stars.
The magical aura surrounding Ethan also faded. Now, Ethan simply stood there, looking like an ordinary man.
But neither Imhotep nor the distant guardians viewed him that way.
Compared to the already-yielded Imhotep, the guardians in the distance were more conflicted.
Their duty was to protect Hamunaptra from being discovered, and to risk their lives preventing Imhotep from endangering the world should he be resurrected.
But what was the current situation?
Imhotep had indeed been resurrected, but was immediately and brutally beaten by a mysterious spellcaster who had appeared out of nowhere. The once-feared priest now knelt on the ground, begging for mercy. Should they now charge in and try to take him down?
That thought barely formed before Ardeth Bay dismissed it.
He wasn't a fool. He could see that the powerful spellcaster had no intention of killing Imhotep. If they charged in now, it would be the same as declaring war on that powerful individual.
Ardeth Bay wasn't afraid of death, but he wanted his death to be meaningful. A suicide mission like this was worthless. He recalled Ethan's earlier offer to talk, and now might be the best time to do so.
"I hope he's still willing to talk."
Quite a few guardians had come this time, and Ardeth Bay wasn't the only one in command. After a brief discussion with another black-robed guardian, Ardeth Bay decided to personally approach and test Ethan's intentions. If the man planned to use Imhotep's power to harm the world, the guardians would fight to the last man, even if it meant total annihilation.
But if that wasn't the case, perhaps they could reach some kind of agreement?
The guardians' highest duty was to ensure that Imhotep did not threaten the world. If this powerful mage could control Imhotep and had no malicious intentions himself, the guardians might not have to fight to the death.
Of course, the guardians were not so easily swayed. Ardeth Bay's willingness to entertain this possibility was based solely on Ethan's terrifying strength.
If it had been an ordinary person, they wouldn't have bothered negotiating. They would've killed them on the spot.
Ethan noticed Ardeth Bay approaching from the dunes but couldn't be bothered with him at the moment. He casually took out some Spring of Life water and handed it to Imhotep, telling him to restore his human form first.
The mummy form wasn't pleasant to look at. Since Ethan didn't plan to kill him immediately and would be interacting with this High Priest for some time, he didn't want to tax his eyes or patience. Better for Imhotep to return to his human form.
At the same time, with a casual wave of his hand, the Mirror Dimension protecting Ada, Logan, and the others was dispelled. In Ardeth Bay's eyes, a group of people had suddenly appeared out of thin air, which startled him. He thought more powerful enemies had arrived.
He stood and observed for a moment before realizing these people were companions of the powerful spellcaster. As for how they had appeared so suddenly, he simply couldn't understand it.
His attention then shifted to Imhotep—the legendary terrifying figure—who now sat meekly on the ground. Even when he stood up, he slightly bowed his waist, respectfully receiving a glowing water orb from the mage. After absorbing it, his previously "broken" body gradually returned to normal.
Seeing Imhotep restored, Ethan smiled and asked, "Are you ready to fulfill the promise you made earlier?"
Imhotep bowed respectfully. "Whatever you command, I will faithfully carry out."
At this point, the situation could be considered settled. Logan and the others walked over to Ethan's side, looking at the once-feared High Priest who now appeared so obedient.
Evelyn and O'Connell, for example, had countless questions about ancient Egyptian civilization that they wanted to ask Imhotep. But they understood now wasn't the time for such things. Ethan had revived Imhotep for his own purposes, and now that the priest was finally resurrected and subdued, Ethan would obviously focus on his own goals.
The knowledge Evelyn sought could wait until later.
When Imhotep saw Evelyn, his expression changed slightly. It wasn't obvious, but both Ethan—who stood closest—and Ada, who excelled at reading expressions, noticed.
Ethan, knowing the plot of the second film, understood the reason. Evelyn was later revealed to be the reincarnation of the Pharaoh's daughter killed by Imhotep, and she eventually awakened her past-life memories and even combat skills far beyond that of an ordinary person.
It would be several years before she awakened those memories, so Ethan wasn't worried she'd suddenly recall her past life and try to kill Imhotep now.
By then, Ethan would have long since achieved his goals and left. Whether or not the two fought later would have nothing to do with him.
"Let's find a place to talk properly. If you can perfectly solve some of my problems, I might even help you resurrect Anck-su-namun."
If Ethan had offered other benefits, Imhotep might not have cared. But the resurrection of Anck-su-namun was something he couldn't ignore. For him, bringing back his beloved was the most important thing. Especially now, realizing Ethan had such potent magic and a spring containing immense life force, if Ethan was willing to help, Anck-su-namun could be resurrected even more perfectly.
Imhotep dreamed of her coming back to life so they could live happily together. Before, he hadn't thought much beyond that, only worrying about the Book of Amun-Ra.
Now that he saw a chance to free himself from the Book's restraint, he couldn't help but care. After all, no one wanted to be controlled or threatened by a restrictive item.
Naturally, he didn't know that Ethan planned to use Anck-su-namun as an experiment—to test whether a complete, unrestrained resurrection was possible, something that might allow him to bring back Tony's parents through true resurrection, immune to items like the Book of Amun-Ra.
Just as Imhotep was weighing his options, Ardeth Bay walked up to the group and awkwardly greeted Ethan.
"May I speak with you?"
Ethan glanced at the black-robed guardian and gave a curt reply.
"No."
(To be continued.)