The first thing anyone noticed about the woman standing before him was her height and striking figure. She stood tall and slender, long white legs framed by a pair of fitted boots that reached nearly to her knees. Her posture carried the confidence of a warrior who had never known defeat, every movement balanced and controlled.
Yet what truly captured attention was her face. Despite her imposing stature and powerful build, her features were delicate and flawless, almost impossibly refined. Bright eyes shone beneath strong, heroic brows, and the natural dignity in her expression gave her an aura that commanded respect without a single word being spoken.
If Ms. Marvel resembled the kind of blonde sweetheart who might light up a Hollywood screen, then the woman standing here radiated a completely different charm. Diana, Princess of the Amazons, carried herself like a mature and commanding older sister, graceful yet formidable.
Which raised an obvious question.
Hadn't Princess Diana left Paradise Island during the First World War?
The thought suddenly surfaced in Ethan Drake's mind, bringing with it an uncomfortable realization. Something about the timeline here felt… wrong.
"In all these years," Ethan asked carefully, "has no one else ever landed on this island?"
Queen Hippolyta shook her head calmly. Her expression was composed, yet there was certainty in her voice.
"No," she replied. "In hundreds of years, you are the first outsider to arrive on Paradise Island."
Ethan felt a quiet shock ripple through his thoughts.
So that confirmed it.
In the original timeline of the film Wonder Woman, the pilot Steve Trevor should have crashed near this island during World War I. His arrival had been the catalyst that pulled Diana into the outside world.
But here, that event clearly never happened.
Which meant the two worlds merging together had likely disrupted more than just geography. The timeline itself had probably been rewritten.
That led to an even more interesting question.
If Steve Trevor never came here… then who dealt with Ares?
The god of war had originally risen during the First World War, spreading chaos and destruction across the battlefield. Without Diana leaving the island, who had stopped him?
Ethan let the question settle quietly in his mind.
But before he could examine it further, another matter demanded his attention.
"You know," Ethan said casually, glancing at the woman in front of him, "you really aren't my opponent."
After returning to the royal palace on Paradise Island, Queen Hippolyta had attempted to maintain order. Yet despite the queen's objections, Princess Diana clearly had no intention of letting things end peacefully.
Her eyes burned with eager anticipation.
As the daughter of Zeus, Diana possessed divine blood. Decades earlier, when her power awakened, she had already become unmatched among the Amazons of the island. Ordinary Amazon warriors could no longer challenge her.
And Amazons were not a people who avoided battle.
The spirit of war ran deep in their blood, and encountering someone strong was not an opportunity they would simply ignore.
"Who exactly are you calling a girl?" Diana shot back. "By human standards, I'm more than an adult."
Amazons enjoyed extraordinarily long lifespans. Even so, by the island's standards, Diana still belonged to the younger generation.
More importantly, she had never experienced the outside world.
She had never seen the cruelty of human society, nor the complicated emotions that shaped it. Love, hatred, betrayal—those were foreign concepts to her.
In many ways, she was still like a blank sheet of paper.
Meanwhile, Ethan had already finished adjusting his breathing within the palace halls. The sunlight bathing Paradise Island had further strengthened his body, refining his bones and meridians with quiet efficiency.
Facing Diana's open challenge, he felt no irritation.
In this world, power spoke louder than words. And truthfully, Ethan was a little curious.
Just how strong was Wonder Woman at this point in time?
"Alright," Ethan said with an easy smile. "I'll be careful."
Diana's eyes lit up instantly when she heard that.
With quick movements, she gathered her shoulder-length hair and tied it into a practical ponytail. Turning toward the open fields beyond the palace, she gestured toward the wide grasslands.
"Let's go outside," she said. "If we fight here, we'll destroy the palace."
"Sounds interesting," Ethan replied, nodding casually.
The two of them soon stepped out onto the broad grasslands.
It didn't take long before a crowd began to gather.
Amazons from across the island quickly arrived to watch the unfolding scene. The warriors whispered among themselves, their curiosity barely restrained.
"Is the princess sparring with someone?"
"That must be the outsider. I heard he's a man."
"He looks much taller and stronger than us. Is that normal?"
"You're missing the important part," another Amazon said with blatant curiosity. "I heard men have something extra compared to us. Maybe we should check how long it is."
The Amazons spoke openly and without embarrassment.
After all, they had lived on this isolated island for centuries without ever encountering men. Their curiosity was simple and straightforward.
Naturally, many curious eyes turned toward Ethan.
He remained completely unfazed.
Diana, however, clearly couldn't tolerate the distraction.
Clang!
With a sharp metallic sound, she drew the golden blade strapped across her back. At the same time, a shield snapped into position on her other arm, and the collision of sword and shield rang loudly across the field.
"Have some discipline," Diana snapped at the watching Amazons.
Her sharp gaze silenced the crowd instantly. Then she turned back toward Ethan, her eyes blazing with pure fighting spirit.
"Take up your weapon."
Ethan shook his head.
"I don't fight with weapons," he said calmly. "That battle axe is just decoration."
Diana frowned slightly, clearly feeling that the situation was unfair if she fought armed while he remained empty-handed.
But Ethan's next sentence instantly ignited her temper.
"If you're thinking about throwing away your weapons," he added lightly, "then you'll lose badly."
"Asshole!"
The dismissive tone in his voice made Diana's anger flare instantly. She shouted sharply, pushing off the ground with the tip of her foot.
The earth cracked beneath her step.
Her body shot forward like a cannonball.
"Good," Ethan murmured, raising an eyebrow.
The sunlight pouring down over Paradise Island continuously strengthened the solar core within his body. Warm power surged through his muscles as he exhaled lightly and threw a casual punch forward.
Boom!
The sound exploded across the field.
Diana, who had charged straight toward him, was forced to raise her divine shield to block the blow. The sudden collision halted her momentum completely, the impact absorbed through the shield and dispersed through her body.
Gritting her teeth, she immediately counterattacked.
The golden sword in her hand swept forward with a sharp roar, the blade cutting straight toward Ethan's body. Its edge gleamed with lethal precision, enough to slice through steel like paper.
The air itself seemed to shudder beneath its path.
Yet Ethan simply smiled.
Then he punched again.
"Multiple Attacks."
For a brief instant, his fist blurred.
In a flash that resembled lightning, the punch collided directly with the sword's blade. The divine weapon, capable of cutting through gold and jade alike, left only a faint white mark across Ethan's knuckles.
The next moment, the sword was knocked violently from Diana's grip.
Diana inhaled sharply.
Without hesitation, she raised her shield again, pulling it back toward her body just in time.
Boom!
Two overlapping punches slammed into the shield.
The force exploded outward, sending Diana flying backward through the air. Her agile body twisted gracefully before she landed firmly on the grass nearly a hundred meters away.
"No!" she shouted loudly, disbelief clear in her voice. "What kind of trick is that? You punched three times with a single strike!"
Ethan nodded slightly, acknowledging the durability of her divine body. Still, he couldn't help laughing softly.
"That's just one of my many abilities," he said. "To be honest, if I hadn't held back quite a bit, you wouldn't be standing so comfortably right now."
"Hmph! I haven't even used the power of Zeus yet," Diana replied stubbornly, refusing to concede.
Ethan simply pointed upward toward the bright blue sky.
"I can devour every ray of sunlight on Paradise Island," he said calmly. "Are you sure you can handle that punch?"
....
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