Ethan and Logan stood facing each other. Compared to Logan, whose clothes were torn and covered in soot, looking somewhat battered, Ethan appeared completely unscathed not even a strand of his hair was out of place.
In contrast to the chaotic and wrecked surroundings, Ethan seemed oddly out of place. Adding to the strangeness of the scene, Laura, with her schoolbag on her back, was casually wandering around, occasionally checking the corpses on the ground to see if any of them were still breathing.
"You're looking a little rough, Logan."
"I haven't fought at full strength in a long time." Logan kicked the corpse at his feet. "And this guy was tougher than I expected."
Having observed their fight from start to finish, Ethan knew that X-24 wasn't actually that difficult to deal with. If not for the fact that his healing factor was weaker than Logan's and that he hadn't managed to exhaust the real Wolverine in the end, their battle might have continued indefinitely.
"Is he really dead?"
Ethan glanced down at Logan's clone—the experimental warrior codenamed X-24. He could clearly sense that this guy's spiritual body had collapsed, and with it, his already-weak healing factor had deteriorated further until it stopped working entirely.
"From where I'm standing, he's dead."
To Ethan, a normal person consisted of three essential components: body, soul, and spirit. The body housed both the soul and the spirit; the soul contained the spirit, along with a person's character, memories, knowledge, and self-awareness, it was essentially the core of one's being. Once the spirit was shattered, the soul would also dissipate. And when the soul was lost, the person was effectively dead.
Even if the body retained some signs of life or, due to special circumstances, managed to form a new soul, it would no longer be the same person as before.
Logan didn't understand any of this, though. He frowned at Ethan's vague response. "Can't you extract souls? Can't you tell if this guy still has one?"
Even ordinary people had some understanding of souls. In many civilizations, knowledge of the soul was common, which was why neither Pierce nor Logan had questioned Ethan earlier when he had used it to intimidate Pierce.
But what Logan never expected was that Ethan couldn't actually extract souls at least, not easily.
"The magic of Rathma is deep and obscure. I only spent a short time with that priest. How could I possibly have mastered their spells?"
"So what you told Pierce before was that just a bluff?"
"Of course it was. You saw how much effort it took me to extract Professor Charles' spiritual body, even with his full cooperation. If someone were to resist with all their might, do you really think I could just yank their soul out like that?"
If he could, that would mean he was either a mage who specialized in soul magic or a top-tier magician on the level of the Ancient One. With his current abilities... he was better off relying on tools.
Back when he had frightened Pierce, Ethan had used a mix of his mental power and a small amount of magical energy to create an oppressive psychological effect. Since Pierce was injured and weakened, it had worked particularly well. As for the eerie energy he had conjured in his hand? That had been pure theatrics, with no real power behind it.
"But at the very least, can you tell whether this guy still has a soul?"
"He never had a complete soul to begin with. All I can confirm is that his spiritual body has collapsed."
As they spoke, X-24's bodily functions had completely ceased. By all normal definitions, he should be dead. However, considering Wolverine's unique genetic makeup, Ethan couldn't be certain whether this clone might suddenly come back to life.
"Just to be safe, toss him into something like molten steel."
"Fine."
Throwing a man who looked almost identical to himself into molten steel? That wasn't a pleasant thought. Logan was already in a foul mood, he had wanted to make Dr. Rice suffer, but the man had died too quickly, impaled by his claws the moment he found him.
Total destruction was the only way to ensure X-24 wouldn't return. This research facility had everything. While there was no vat of molten steel, finding a way to completely dispose of X-24's body wasn't difficult.
While Logan handled the cleanup, Ethan went about collecting anything that piqued his interest.
Everyone in the research institute had already been wiped out. Whether or not a distress signal had been sent was unclear, but even if one had, reinforcements wouldn't arrive fast enough. They had more than enough time to wrap things up.
This whole operation had been nothing short of a one-sided slaughter. Ethan hadn't done much, the main force in the battle had been Logan, who needed to release all the pent-up resentment and rage in his heart. No one in this facility was innocent. They were the perfect targets for Logan's fury.
Ethan had merely ensured that no one escaped. Even the final fight against X-24 had been Logan's to handle, he had just watched from the sidelines.
Now that the battle was over, Ethan turned his attention to gathering all the research data in the facility. These scientists had conducted in-depth studies on mutant genetics. While Ethan had no intention of turning himself into a mutant, some of their research could still serve as valuable reference material.
The biggest jackpot was the formula for Adamantium alloy, along with a small portion of the raw ore for its key component. This was the true prize of this trip.
Other than that, the facility didn't have much of value. Ethan simply grabbed a few stocked weapons from the armory.
Once the two had finished their tasks, they regrouped. The area outside the facility was still eerily quiet but both Ethan and Logan knew that someone was already waiting for them out there, lying in ambush.
"What's the plan now?"
With Logan's vast combat experience, he knew that after all the time they had spent here, the true masterminds behind the research institute had undoubtedly made their move.
"Should we just fight our way out?"
With their combined strength, there was no force that could stop them if they chose to break through.
"Why bother?" Ethan waved dismissively.
His purpose in this world had already been fulfilled. The reason he had come in the first place was to ensure that Logan no longer had any lingering attachments to this place.
Now that everything had been resolved, there was no reason to stay any longer.
They carried large bags filled with ore, weapons, ammunition, and some new clothes, then gathered around Ethan as he instructed.
"We're leaving this world for good. Do you have anything left to take care of? Under normal circumstances, we won't be coming back."
Although Logan had confidently said, "What could I possibly miss in this world?", his gaze still unconsciously swept around one last time.
All he saw was destruction—ruined facilities, scattered debris, and corpses littering the ground.
Whatever lingering attachment he had disappeared completely. He turned to Ethan with a resolute expression.
"Let's go. I don't ever want to come back to this world. Hopefully, yours isn't too bad."
Ethan's main reason for coming to this world had been to entertain himself. Successfully convincing Wolverine to join him was an unexpected bonus. And as for Laura, she was an extra perk, at the very least, she could help out on the ship and provide some company.
Unlike Arthur, who had traveled with him before and knew some of his situation, Logan was entirely in the dark about what he was signing up for. He had agreed to go purely on impulse.
One key reason was the inheritance left behind by Professor Xavier, but more than that, it was proof that Logan had completely given up on this world. He didn't care what Ethan's world was like, he just wanted to leave.
"The world I live in isn't exactly a paradise, but at least you can live a normal life."
Ethan gave them a quick rundown of what to expect when traveling between worlds, particularly emphasizing that Laura needed to focus her thoughts on going with 'Ethan' when activating the teleportation circle.
And with that, they vanished from this world.
As for whatever chaos their departure might cause? That wasn't Ethan's problem...
---
Of course, just because it wasn't Ethan's problem didn't mean there wasn't trouble waiting for them on the other side.
The moment they arrived in Ethan's world, Logan took one look at their surroundings and turned to him with a deadpan expression.
"You told me your world wasn't too bad? I fail to see how that's the case."
Ethan simply shrugged.
Compared to Logan's speechlessness, Laura was thrilled. Maybe she had never seen the ocean with her own eyes before. Maybe she had never had the chance to board a ship and sail across the sea.
Either way, she was bursting with curiosity about everything around her.
"At least here, you're not being hunted by the entire world."
Logan had to admit, that was a major improvement. Compared to his previous life, where he could be ambushed at any moment, his only concern now was food and water.
But after Ethan introduced him to his ship, Logan realized even that wasn't a problem.
This world had an abundance of water, and on top of that, this seemingly 'primitive' sailing ship had a magic-powered water purification device, ensuring a continuous supply of clean drinking water.
"Alright... I guess it's not that bad."
As Ethan gradually introduced the world to him, Logan found himself warming up to it.
Every day, they sailed freely across the endless ocean. The ship's storage held enough food to last for a long time, and they could easily supplement their supplies by fishing.
Plus, Ethan, being a mage, could take them to other worlds from time to time, ensuring that life would never be boring.
After just three days, Logan stopped complaining entirely.
In fact, he had already started enjoying his new life.
(To be continued.)
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