Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 258: Mana Crystal Dragon

"Sea King Maelthorak, rest assured—if that Emerald Castle lord dares to act out of line, I’ll drag every last one of them back here myself. You can deal with them however you see fit..."

At those words, Naga Swordmaster Kairos immediately nodded, his face lighting up with excitement. He was practically buzzing with anticipation.

As one of Maelthorak’s most trusted lieutenants, Kairos knew better than anyone just how much his lord treasured the Level 4 Soulbind Shackles. Normally, those things were locked away so tight, even catching a glimpse of them was a rare privilege—let alone actually using them.

But now?

Now, Sea King Maelthorak had handed them over to him. To use.

And damn, it felt good. No—better than good. It felt amazing.

And the cherry on top?

He didn’t have to go to the frontlines anymore.

Hell yeah.

Because let’s be real—those massive faction wars? They were no joke. Even a Crimson-tier Ultimate Hero could get killed if they weren’t careful. And he was just an Orange-tier Legendary Hero. Sure, he was strong, but not invincible.

So yeah, getting a chance to steer clear of that meat grinder, even temporarily? That was a godsend.

He was loving every second of it.

As for his new mission?

Heh. Sure, the frontlines made him a little nervous—he wasn’t gonna lie about that.

But Emerald Castle?

Please.

Kairos didn’t even consider them a threat.

He was an S-rank Orange-tier Hero, and his power was far from ordinary. In fact, he was confident he ranked among the top three strongest under Maelthorak’s command.

And that meant something.

To put it bluntly, unless a Crimson Ultimate Hero showed up, there weren’t many people across the entire ocean who could make him flinch—let alone scare him.

Yeah, Emerald Castle had a few Crimson Ultimate Heroes.

But they were young. Just kids, really. Nothing to worry about.

He didn’t take them seriously at all.

Because in the world of Glory Lords X, there was one hard truth everyone knew:

Until a Hero underwent their second awakening, they weren’t the real deal.

Without that, it didn’t matter if you were Crimson Ultimate, Orange Legendary, or even Purple Epic—your power was all bark and no bite.

The gap in strength was massive.

So, with that in mind, Maelthorak soon led his elite forces to the faction war frontlines himself.

Meanwhile, Naga Swordmaster Kairos set off toward the Gemspire Kingdom.

At the same time, after several days of sailing, Ethan—guided by The Tidebreaker Paxton—finally arrived at the destination marked in the orange-tier tome Gemstone Isles:

Gem Dragon Isle.

"Paxton, is that the Gem Dragon Archipelago?"

Standing on the deck of The Tidebreaker Paxton’s Tier 4 warship, Ethan gazed out over the endless expanse of deep blue sea. On the horizon, a dark line had appeared—thin at first, but growing larger and more distinct by the second.

It loomed, massive and imposing.

And even from this distance, Ethan could feel it—waves of overwhelming pressure rolling off that direction. Power. Raw, suffocating power.

It made his heart race.

"Hero Units..." he muttered, eyes narrowing.

He could tell—that kind of aura could only come from Hero Units. But... was it really just that?

Could these be Crimson Ultimate Heroes?

Because if not, then this level of pressure didn’t make any damn sense.

"Master, there’s a Crimson Ultimate Hero’s presence on that island," Kyros suddenly said, his eyes fixed on the horizon.

"A Crimson Ultimate Hero? Seriously?"

"From the Gem Dragon race?"

Ethan froze for a second, then his expression shifted to shock.

The Gem Dragon race was a 13-Tier special hidden unit—meaning, in terms of value and overall power, they were even more formidable than Black Dragons, Angels, or Devils.

And if a Hero Unit came from the Gem Dragon race, a special hidden unit of that caliber... then theoretically, they’d be leagues above even the Crimson Ultimate Heroes of the Angel, Black Dragon, or Devil factions.

Normally, a Crimson Ultimate Hero from any major faction, as long as nothing went wrong along the way, would eventually rise to the rank of Lord—or even become a faction’s King.

But a Crimson Ultimate Hero born from a 13-Tier special hidden unit like the Gem Dragon? Unless something catastrophic happened, they’d start at King-level, minimum. And pushing for the Overlord title? Totally within reach.

We’re talking about an Overlord candidate here—those are insanely rare, even among the major factions. Powerhouses of the highest order.

That kind of potential? It’s on a whole different level.

"Gem Dragon Isle does have a Crimson Ultimate Hero," Paxton the Tidebreaker suddenly chimed in, as if sensing the shift in conversation. "But that one... they’re probably not here right now."

He paused, then continued, "The founder of Gem Dragon Isle was a Gem Dragon Hero. Incredibly powerful. He used to be one of the greatest heroes of the Greenwave Empire. Later, he accepted an invitation from the Forest Faction and joined them."

Paxton hesitated for a moment, then added thoughtfully, "If I had to guess, that Hero is probably in the Forest Faction’s main world right now. He hasn’t been back here in ages..."

"I see..." Ethan nodded slowly, finally grasping the significance of Gem Dragon Isle.

A place created by a Gem Dragon Hero—even if that Hero hadn’t returned in years, maybe even forgotten about it—outsiders still wouldn’t dare underestimate it.

Especially since that Hero had once been one of the Greenwave Empire’s greatest. And even though he later left the sea to join the Forest Faction, it seemed like it had been an amicable split—no bad blood.

Which meant, whether out of old loyalty or strategic interest, the Greenwave Empire probably still looked out for Gem Dragon Isle.

That alone would be enough to solidify its status as a true "Sacred Isle."

"But even though that Hero’s gone, the sanctum of Gem Dragon Isle is still incredibly powerful," Paxton added, glancing over at Auremax, who was lazily sunbathing on the deck nearby. Then he lowered his voice slightly and continued.

"There are at least six Gem Dragons here who are as strong as your Mythic Ace Unit."

"Six?!" Ethan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Special hidden Legendary Units—while probably not quite on the level of Auremax or Balthazar, who were Mythic Ace Units—weren’t far off either.

And with six of them?

Even someone like Paxton, a second-awakened Orange-tier Legendary Hero, probably wouldn’t last more than a few rounds against them.

At that level, five or more units could trigger a qualitative shift in power just from sheer numbers alone.

"What else?" Ethan asked, still trying to wrap his head around it.

"What else?" Paxton echoed, then nodded and continued. "There are over 500 Tier-13 Gem Dragons living here. And besides them, there’s another affiliated dragon race—the Mana Crystal Dragons. Their Dragon King is a Mana Crystal Dragon Hero... and he’s even stronger than I am."

"Mana Crystal Dragon?"

"A Mana Crystal Dragon Hero?"

Ethan blinked, confused.

That was a unit he’d never even heard of before. No memory of it at all.

BOOM!

Suddenly, the sea exploded with a terrifying surge of energy. A massive creature, pitch-black like ink and radiating a terrifying aura of magical particles, burst from the ocean’s surface and charged straight toward them!

At that exact moment, a cold, cutting voice sliced through the roaring, immortal sea—clear as day, despite the crashing waves and howling wind.

"Paxton, what are you doing here? The Elders didn’t summon you, did they?"

Whoosh!

Before the words had even fully settled, a blinding black streak of light—massive and overwhelming—slammed down in front of their Tier 4 warship, anchoring itself in midair with terrifying force.

A pair of colossal wings, shimmering like Mana Crystals and darker than night, unfurled with a thunderous snap. They stretched wide across the sky, blotting out the sun, casting a suffocating shadow over the ship. The sheer pressure that followed hit Ethan and the others like a tidal wave—crushing, primal, and impossible to ignore.

Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. His breath caught in his throat.

Holy hell... that power...

He looked up.

Hovering in the air above them was a massive dragon, its scales black as ink but glowing faintly with an eerie, otherworldly light. Its eyes locked onto him, cold and calculating, as if dissecting his very soul.

But then—suddenly—the dragon’s expression shifted. Its gaze snapped to Kyros, standing beside Ethan. Its pupils contracted sharply, and its voice rang out again, this time tinged with surprise.

"A Crimson Ultimate Hero?!"

ROAR!

Kyros, though still young, could feel the immense power radiating from the dragon. But as a Crimson Ultimate Hero, pride burned in his blood. He stepped forward, placing himself protectively in front of Ethan, his eyes cold and unflinching.

Then, with a low, rumbling growl—deep and resonant like thunder rolling through the mountains—he let out a Kirin’s warning roar.

It wasn’t just a challenge.

It was a declaration.

A reminder of who he was.

At that moment, Paxton quickly stepped forward, raising both hands in a calming gesture.

"Easy, easy—he’s one of us, Zyraxis. This is Lord Valkarion of Emerald Castle. And the esteemed Kirin here, along with the Gold Dragon you see over there, are both under his command."