Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies-Chapter 279: Brothers turning each other

Ethan also noticed a hooded man rushing toward him with startling speed.

He frowned. He wasn’t in the mood for a fight, but he wasn’t someone who would ever back down either.

It’s just that the real problem was figuring out how to secure his wife first.

If his guess was right, that hooded figure would arrive first before him. That alone placed him at a disadvantage.

Without wasting a second, he invoked his ability to halt the man’s momentum.

"[Shadow Forge] — Great Hammer," he whispered, shadows rippling around him as they condensed into the form of a massive hammer.

He threw it forward, directing its force at the hooded man.

A colossal hammer of shadow shot through the air—completely invisible to ordinary human eyes.

But not to the Abbot.

To him, the spiritual pressure surging toward his body was as clear and tangible as a physical blow.

Yes—this was the leader of the Five Abbots, the one assigned to oversee all activity within City A, as per Heaven’s command.

This time, he had finally moved because his brother abbots were not responding to him.

They had been missing for more than an hour now, with no communication... and their talisman locator was not working.

As if they had been erased from existence entirely.

His brothers’ last destination had been Building C—specifically, the Caldwells’ unit.

According to the report, the woman there was the one Heaven had marked for eradication in its latest vision.

And now, with his brothers’ disappearance... the perfect timing of the solar eclipse... and the spiritual burst that erupted from Building C...

It all pointed to one conclusion.

The woman must have triggered a powerful artifact—strong enough to subdue his brothers.

What he didn’t know was that all three of his brothers were currently trapped inside the space, where Ethan held them captive for interrogation and to finish them off later.

His eyes then locked on the masked man descending from above; it was clear they were part of the same group.

"Tsk... Talisman of defense, protect me from harm," he muttered.

A golden shield flared to life around him just in time to take the brunt of the massive shadow hammer, shimmering as he shifted his body to avoid the direct center of the blow.

Boom!

The impact cracked through the air, sending the golden barrier rippling violently. It barely lasted, trembling as though it could shatter at any moment.

"What kind of power is that?" the Abbot gasped, his eyes widening in shock.

As one of the strongest in the entire monastery, he rarely felt threatened.

He had always believed that no ordinary ability user could match him, let alone overpower him. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

But now, he forced his emotions back under control. This masked man—this enemy—was someone he needed to take seriously.

Seeing the stunned Abbot, Ethan immediately followed up with another use of [Shadow Forge], this time shaping the shadows into rippling vines bristling with dangerous spikes.

His ability was incredibly versatile—he could mold it into anything his imagination allowed.

The Abbot, already anticipating another strike, quickly activated a Fire Talisman in retaliation.

A massive fireball erupted forward, crashing into the shadow vines and exploding into magnificent sparks.

The clash of powers instantly alarmed everyone nearby. Upon witnessing the spectacle, people scattered in fear, desperate not to be caught in the battle.

Yet this only strengthened their belief: a deity with unbelievable powers had descended. Many fell to their knees, bowing in the Abbot’s direction as if worshipping him.

"Petty tricks. Your ability is unusual, but still too weak to break through me," the Abbot smirked, deliberately taunting Ethan as he prepared an even stronger talisman.

Though distance separated them, he assumed Ethan could hear him—and he was right. Ethan’s enhanced senses picked up every word.

Ethan scoffed. He instantly recognized this one as the arrogant type—loud, proud, and full of empty bravado—the stupid abbots.

"Is that so?"

Once more, Ethan pushed his ability to its limit, turning the entire area into a writhing field of shadow vines rushing toward the Abbot.

It was draining—his core was rapidly thinning—but he needed to distract the man as he prepared to land.

Ethan quickly realized this Abbot was far stronger than the one he had fought earlier.

’He truly has skills.’

The Abbot, meanwhile, found himself equally astonished by Ethan’s frightening talent with spiritual energy.

He refused to believe the world was shifting into an age of ability users, as the military claimed.

Instead, he convinced himself that Ethan must come from some hidden ancient cultivator lineage.

"Fascinating," he whispered, completely unafraid, before closing his eyes to invoke another talisman.

"Thunder, I call upon you—destroy this filthy shadow."

He tossed a high-grade Thunder Talisman, and sparks erupted as lightning tore across the battlefield toward the shadow vines.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

While the Abbot wrestled with the thunder he had summoned and dodged the shadow vines, Ethan finally landed smoothly, immediately checking on Elena in his arms.

But a sudden water arrow shot toward him with sharp momentum, trying to strike him unnoticed.

His enhanced senses reacted instantly—he twisted aside just in time. He then countered with a swing of the shadow hammer, forcing the Abbot to break his focus.

Ethan was ready to unleash another wave of thorned shadow vines when another presence arrived, halting the clash.

This time, he recognized him at once—Brother Elias, dressed in his Abbot robes, hands calmly clasped behind his back.

"Comrade Elias, you finally came to your senses," the Abbot leader greeted him with a faint, pleased nod. "Come, let’s subdue this man together."

Without warning, he fired a wind arrow toward Ethan while he was distracted. The elemental strike was too fast, leaving Ethan with no time to evade.

But before it could hit, a talisman flew forward and intercepted it—a high-grade defensive talisman shining bright, barely holding against the powerful wind arrow.

The Abbot leader froze, stunned that his junior brother had defied Heaven’s will and chosen to protect their target.

"You... so you’ve finally shown your true colors?" he asked calmly, though rage trembled beneath his words.

Brother Elias didn’t answer him. Instead, he looked toward Ethan—long, intent, steady—before finally speaking.

"Leave, Comrade Ethan. I’ll handle this."

Ethan raised a brow, genuinely confused as to why Brother Elias had taken his side.

Yes, they’d worked together before and had grown close since the disaster began, but not enough to betray his own monastery brothers.

"You know..." Ethan replied, already sensing Brother Elias might have figured out their connection to the Paradise shop.

"Not entirely. I just realized it a while ago—after watching closely the Paradise shop."

He truly admired Ethan and Elena. To him, they were more like protectors than destroyers.

Heaven claimed they were catalysts that would bring ruin to the world, but that never made sense to someone who had seen the truth with his own eyes.

Besides, Heaven had already cut him off from its visions, turning him into an outcast.

Whatever game Heaven was playing no longer concerned him. He then finally looked at his senior brother, calm and firm.

"Good... good. You truly betray the monastery now," the Abbot leader said coldly.

"Oh, senior brother," Elias sighed, "we both know the monastery has lost its way—obsessed with Heaven, forgetting our true purpose."

"Heaven’s will is absolute," the Abbot warned, voice dangerously low. "Stop this foolishness and repent. Otherwise, I will consider you an enemy... and eliminate you along with them."

"Then try me," Brother Elias answered without flinching.

Both of them were Rank 2 mystic practitioners—he had no reason to fear.