God-Tier Fishing System-Chapter 601

Sylren’s eyes suddenly sharpened, the black-gold lines at the corners of his pupils burning like molten metal.

Anger surged violently in his heart.

At the same time, Ethan’s gaze flickered sideways.

Alina.

Her expression was vacant, her breathing unnaturally calm. The aura around her consciousness had loosened.

She had fallen into the illusion.

Before Ethan could even finish the thought, Verelia had already moved.

A long sword appeared in her hand, the blade cold and merciless. Without hesitation, she raised it high and slashed straight toward Alina’s neck, intending to decapitate her on the spot.

Clean. Efficient. Final.

Ethan’s pupils contracted.

If Alina died here, the balance would collapse instantly. Two three-legged Golden Crows against him alone—no matter how strong his methods were, that situation would be extremely unfavorable.

Alina alive meant three forces restraining each other.

Alina dead meant disaster.

At that instant, Ethan vanished.

There was no explosion, no violent collision of power.

Only a sudden gust of wind swept past Verelia, lifting her long hair violently into the air.

Clang!

The sword slipped from her grasp and spun away, embedding itself deep into a distant branch of the Hibiscus Sacred Tree.

The expected scene—blood blooming, a head falling—never appeared.

Verelia froze.

She stared forward, her expression solemn and incredulous.

That man... had actually rescued Alina under her own blade.

"How fast...?" Verelia’s pupils shrank.

"How is this... possible?"

Before she could recover, Ethan had already reached Alina’s side.

He grabbed her by the waist, lifted her effortlessly, and shook her twice.

Alina gasped sharply.

Her eyes snapped open, her chest heaving violently as if she had just been dragged back from the brink of death. Her face was deathly pale, and two beads of cold sweat slid down her smooth forehead.

Just now, she had truly sunk into a fantasy world.

In a battle of this level, even a moment of distraction was fatal—let alone being trapped in an illusion.

"Am I... dead?"

The thought flashed through Alina’s mind.

But the next second, reality slammed back into her senses.

She was not dead.

She turned her head—and froze.

This tall, handsome man was holding her up as casually as if she weighed nothing at all.

Alina hurriedly steadied herself, pushed off Ethan’s arm, and stepped back, standing aside with forced composure.

"Cough... cough..."

She adjusted her breathing, then bowed slightly. "Thank you for your help. May I know your name?"

"Ethan."

"...Alina. From White Emperor City."

"I know," Ethan replied flatly.

He did not look at her again.

His gaze was fixed firmly on Verelia and Sylren, cold and focused, as if Alina’s presence was no more than a temporary variable.

There was a brief silence.

Alina hesitated, then asked, "May I ask why Mr. Ethan was not affected by the hibiscus fruit’s illusion?"

"It was just a fluke."

"...Then why save me?" Alina pressed.

"You and I are strangers. We are also rivals for the hibiscus fruit."

Ethan frowned slightly.

"Where did you get so many words from?"

Alina was momentarily speechless, embarrassment flickering across her face.

Ethan paused, then added calmly, "Don’t think too much. I saved you because I don’t want to be surrounded by two three-legged Golden Crows."

That was the truth.

Alina understood immediately and nodded, no longer dwelling on the matter. She turned to face Verelia and Sylren once more.

"My spirit body can still last about five minutes," she said coldly.

"We currently have a three-against-two advantage. We should finish this quickly."

"No."

Ethan shook his head without hesitation.

"There’s not enough time. Both your realm and mine are suppressed. Even with divine weapons, we can’t kill them in a short period."

He glanced upward, where the battle above the canopy still raged fiercely. "Your people are already in a bitter fight."

Alina frowned. "Then what does Mr. Ethan suggest?"

"If you can trust me," Ethan said evenly, "you and your spirit body block these two Golden Crows. I’ll pick the remaining hibiscus fruits."

"Five minutes is enough."

"After that, we leave and divide the spoils."

"I can’t trust you," Alina replied frankly.

Ethan smiled faintly.

He had already expected that answer.

"In that case," he said lightly, "Miss Alina can stay here and play with the three-legged Golden Crows by herself."

"What are you going to do?" Alina asked sharply.

"Nothing special," Ethan replied calmly.

"This valley is full of treasures. I’ll take a look around. As for the hibiscus fruit, I already have some. It doesn’t matter."

With that, he turned around and leapt upward, clearly preparing to leave.

"Come back!"

Alina’s voice rang out urgently.

If Ethan left now, she would be forced to face two Golden Crows alone once her spirit body dissipated. By then, survival itself would be uncertain—let alone harvesting treasures.

Ethan stopped midair, crossed his arms, and looked back with a lazy smile.

"Miss Alina, speak louder. I didn’t hear you."

"...Mr. Ethan," Alina clenched her teeth.

"I agree to your proposal."

"I’ll hold back these two three-legged Golden Crows while you collect the hibiscus fruits."

"But when it’s over, I want five."

"Too many," Ethan replied instantly. "There are six left. Three each."

He paused, then added indifferently, "And I didn’t save you for free. You owe me one as payment."

"...."

Alina’s expression darkened.

"...Fine. Two. Just two."

She knew she could not afford to delay any longer.

"Deal."

Ethan gave no further comment.

Golden light surged around him as he transformed into a streak of lightning, shooting toward another hibiscus fruit.

Seeing this, Sylren roared furiously.

A terrifying wave of demonic energy erupted from his body as he leapt after Ethan like a blazing meteor.

"Stop him!"

Alina instantly commanded her spirit body to intercept Sylren, while she herself turned to face Verelia head-on.

"Damn humans," Verelia snarled, swinging her sword violently.

"So cunning—temporarily cooperating to restrain us."

"Aren’t you afraid that boy will deceive you?"

"When he takes all the hibiscus fruits and escapes, you’ll get nothing—not even the scraps of this valley!"

Alina raised her sword and swept it outward.

Sword intent surged, sharp and domineering, spreading in all directions like a storm.

The two instantly became entangled, blades clashing, sparks flying. The crisp sound of metal striking metal echoed repeatedly, like a cold and deadly symphony.

"You don’t need to worry about that," Alina said coldly.

"You should worry about whether you can block the sword in my hand first!"

"Get lost!"

Sylren roared and slammed his palm forward.

Red-orange flames burst out, blazing like a miniature sun, violently forcing Alina’s spirit body back.

The spirit body raised a barrier, blocking the Golden Crow Red Flame—but the terrifying impact still blasted it backward.

The spirit body retreated rapidly through the air, barely managing to steady herself after several dozen feet.

A/N:

Hey guys, I wanted to say this properly.

First of all, thank you. Seriously. Every gift, comment, and bit of support means a lot to me, and I’ve never taken it lightly.

That said, I’ve decided to stop doing extra Chapters for gifts. Writing under that kind of pressure has started to affect how I write and enjoy the story, and I want to keep this sustainable and fun in the long run.

Please don’t feel like you need to send gifts. Just reading, commenting, and sticking with the story already supports me more than you think.

Thanks for understanding, and for being here with me. I really appreciate you all.