Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 265: This battle couldn’t be lost

Hearing that, Cicero’s brows furrowed slightly, his eyes flickering with thought.

A deep, contemplative look settled in his gaze.

Compared to Kyros—or even Ethan—he had a clearer grasp of Emerald Castle’s true strength. So he knew Kyros wasn’t wrong. This battle... it wasn’t going to be easy.

But the biggest problem wasn’t the Hero Units, or even the Crimson Ultimate heroes. No, the real issue lay with the regular troop-level Legendary and Mythic Units.

They just didn’t have enough of them.

Their foundation was too weak.

Which meant going up against hundreds of Leviathans and Deep Sea Leviathans was putting them under insane pressure.

It was like trying to fight off a tidal wave with bare fists.

"That’s not necessarily true," Ethan suddenly spoke up, his voice calm. "Kyros, did you forget the plan Auremax mentioned earlier?"

"My lord, I didn’t forget," Kyros replied, shaking his head. "It’s just... I’m worried we won’t be able to take out those Leviathans and Deep Sea Leviathans without getting dragged into a full-scale war. To kill them, we’d have to go underwater. And once we’re down there, we’re on their turf. I can handle myself in the sea, but the others..."

He glanced around at the rest of the group.

The meaning was clear.

"Actually, we might not need to go underwater," Auremax said just then, his voice low as he looked at Kyros. "If we can lure them up to the surface, we might have a shot."

"A shot at what?" Kyros frowned.

The surface?

Even on the surface, it was still the Leviathans’ domain. With their massive size and those damn tentacles, fighting them up there would still be a nightmare.

"That shot..." Auremax turned to Elyra, his tone soft. "Is you, Princess Elyra."

"Me?" Elyra blinked, caught off guard.

"I get it now," Cicero said suddenly, his eyes lighting up with realization. "If we can draw them to the surface, with Elyra’s current power, one Divine Storm could seriously mess them up. And since Divine Storm is a Light and Thunder dual-element spell, it’s naturally strong against sea creatures—and it has a huge paralyzing effect! Once those Leviathans and Deep Sea Leviathans are wounded and paralyzed on the surface, that’s our chance to wipe them out!"

"Exactly," Auremax nodded slightly, not needing to say more. Kyros, after a brief pause, turned to Elyra, his expression shifting as he realized—this plan might actually work.

"If no one has any objections, then let’s go with this strategy for now," Ethan said, his voice steady, sealing the decision.

"Yes, my lord!"

"Sounds good to me!"

...

Everyone nodded immediately—no hesitation at all.

These people weren’t just Ethan’s allies—they were his inner circle, his most trusted core.

Even if the plan had serious flaws, as long as Ethan gave the word, they’d follow through without question. That’s how deep their loyalty ran.

"Elyra, I’m counting on you for this one," Ethan said with a soft chuckle, reaching out to gently ruffle her silky hair. "Time to show us what you’ve really got. Let me see the full extent of your power."

They called god-tier mages battlefield meat grinders for a reason. And now, he was finally going to see what an S-rank, orange-tier Legendary hero could really do after a second awakening.

He couldn’t wait.

"Don’t worry, Master. I won’t let you down," Elyra said firmly, pumping her tiny fist with determination.

Her face was all seriousness.

God knew how long she’d been waiting for this moment. She’d fought tooth and nail to get stronger, to prove herself. And now, finally, she had the chance to show Ethan the results of everything she’d worked for.

There was no way—absolutely no way—she was going to disappoint him.

Elyra turned her gaze toward the deep sea, her eyes sharp and fierce, burning with the hunger for battle and the thrill of the kill.

At the same time, Ethan looked over at Kyros and said calmly, "Kyros, I’m leaving the job of luring them out to you. Think you can handle it?"

"Of course!" Kyros grinned, full of confidence. "Leave it to me, Master!"

He was the true king of the ocean, after all.

Luring a few sea monsters? Please. That was child’s play for him.

"And the rest of you..." Ethan turned to Seraphina and the others, giving a small nod. "Do what you do best."

He didn’t need to give them detailed orders. Whether it was Seraphina, Auremax, or the others—they didn’t need anyone telling them how to fight.

As for the regular troops under his command?

He wasn’t planning to deploy them at all.

Why?

Simple.

He only had eight 14-tier Sacred Kirins, twenty 13-tier Kirins, fifty 12-tier Naga Swordmasters and War Unicorns, and a hundred 11-tier Naga Swordsmen and standard Unicorns.

Sure, on paper, that might sound like a decent force. But in reality? Against those massive beasts lurking in the deep sea, that kind of firepower wouldn’t even make a dent. They’d be torn apart before they could do anything useful.

So rather than send them out to die, he figured it was better to just keep them out of it entirely.

The real heavy hitters in this battle were going to be Seraphina, Cicero, Elyra, Kyros, and Auremax.

And of course—himself.

Yeah, he might’ve been a bit of a slacker in the past, but now?

He’d managed to grind his way up to level 35 as an orange-tier Legendary hero.

With his current strength, taking on ten or so Mythic Units solo wouldn’t be a problem. And if he really pushed himself, he figured he could probably handle a dozen or more.

With that kind of power backing him up, he was more than ready to jump into the fight.

Even though he was a lord, Ethan had no intention of being just a figurehead—someone who looked powerful on the outside but was hollow within. True strength could only be forged in the crucible of brutal, bloody war. And he was doing everything he could to grow into that kind of warrior.

As for the Bronze Golem Karnak, the Gold Golem Arbachel, and the rest of the Metal Golems under his command...

Ethan thought it over for a moment, then decided to leave them on ship duty.

Sure, Metal Golems weren’t afraid of water—only fire—but they were slow as hell. And if they actually went into the sea? They’d be moving at a snail’s pace, basically floating targets just begging to be torn apart.

No doubt about it—these Tower-faction Metal Golems were built for land combat. Whether it was holding a defensive line or anchoring a siege, they were top-tier units.

But out here, on the open ocean?

Yeah, not their scene.

"Get ready for battle!" Ethan commanded, his voice low and steady.

In the same breath, he equipped the full Divine Angel Set and activated the skill—Holy Armament.

Whooom!

A pair of radiant, flawless wings of pure light burst from his back, spreading wide like a divine eagle taking flight. A powerful aura surged from his body, rippling through the air and stirring the sea into a frenzy. The wind howled louder, the waves crashed harder—as if the ocean itself could feel the shift in power.

Everyone around him stiffened, eyes narrowing with focus.

And without a word, they all summoned every ounce of strength they had.

Their fighting spirit was burning white-hot.

Because for most of them, this was the first time they’d ever truly fought side by side with Ethan. Not just following his orders from afar—but standing shoulder to shoulder with him on the battlefield.

And that meant one thing:

This battle couldn’t be lost.

No matter what, they had to win.

...