Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 312: The real target…

But...

The ones who truly stole the spotlight in this brutal war—the ones who were the most eye-catching, the most terrifying—weren’t the armies clashing on either side.

No.

It was the four Hero Units locked in a savage, no-holds-barred battle at the heart of the battlefield.

On one side—

A blazing Firebird Hero, wings wreathed in searing flame.

On the other—

Two hulking Venomspike Manticores, their bodies a deep, venomous purple...

And a monstrous Dark Hydra, its scales black as night.

BOOM!

A torrent of hellfire exploded across the battlefield, slamming into one of the Venomspike Manticores with devastating force. The beast was blasted out of the sky, crashing into the scorched earth below and kicking up a storm of dust and debris. The ground trembled from the impact.

But the Manticore didn’t flinch.

Not even a little.

Instead, it rose again—slowly, deliberately—and let out a crazed, guttural laugh, like a beast that had tasted blood and wanted more.

Its face twisted into a grotesque grin, eyes gleaming with madness and bloodlust.

"Kill! Kill! KILL! Tear them apart, my little monsters!" it howled, voice echoing across the battlefield. "Rip those damn birds to shreds! I’ll decorate my lair with their feathers! I’ll bathe in their flames! Hahahahahaha! SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!"

The roar of its bloodthirsty command shook the heavens.

It was pure chaos. Pure insanity.

And that madness... it provoked something even more terrifying.

A voice, sharp as a blade and burning with fury, cut through the air.

"You’re asking for death."

"You filthy, brainless dungeon maggot—I’ll kill you!"

BOOM!

A massive explosion of power erupted from above. The Firebird Hero—towering, radiant, divine—descended like a wrathful god, wings spread wide, trailing a storm of fire that blotted out the sky.

But before she could strike—

She was intercepted.

The two remaining Venomspike Manticores and the Dark Hydra surged forward, combining their strength to block her path.

"Kehehehe... kehehehehe..."

A cold, spine-chilling laugh echoed through the air.

"Give it up, Isaryne," one of the Manticores sneered. "You might be a Crimson Ultimate Hero, but you’re outnumbered. You can’t take all three of us. This war? It’s already lost—for you. Hahahaha!"

Isaryne’s eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched tight.

Her gaze snapped toward the Dark Hydra—Xenodrath.

Her whole body trembled with rage, her eyes burning with unfiltered hatred.

"You hybrid freak," she spat. "You think this is over? You think I’ve lost? No. I’m going to kill every last one of you. I’ll burn you to ash until there’s nothing left. Not. One. Of. You. Will. Survive."

The Hydra—Xenodrath—went still.

His many eyes darkened, his expression turning cold and venomous.

And then, slowly, a cruel, mocking grin spread across all nine of his heads.

"Well, well... classic Isaryne. Still clinging to that naïve little pride of yours."

Before she could react—

CRACK!

A deafening shockwave tore through the air behind her.

She didn’t even have time to turn.

A brutal force slammed into her back, piercing straight through her body.

BOOM!

She was sent flying, crashing into the ground in a blaze of feathers and flame.

The attacker?

A massive, barbed, venom-dripping tail—one of the Venomspike Manticore’s deadliest weapons.

Its scorpion-like stinger gleamed with a sickly purple glow, pulsing with lethal poison.

"Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"You call us trash, Isaryne? Look at you now! You’re the real joke!"

"You think just because you’re a Crimson Ultimate Hero, you’re guaranteed to win? Don’t kid yourself. You fight like a child. If it weren’t for your title, you’d be nothing!"

"Listen up, and listen good. We’re not just going to take your nest—we’re going to kill you. All three of us. And then we’re going to kill your gods. You hear me, Isaryne? You’re nothing. NOTHING! Hahahaha!"

The laughter—wild, cruel, unhinged—ripped through the battlefield like a storm.

And high above, the same Venomspike Manticore that had been blasted into the ground earlier now soared back into the sky, its face twisted in a mask of savage glee, laughing like a demon unleashed.

"Drexon... I’m going to kill you!"

"I swear I’ll kill you!"

Firebird Hero Isaryne glared at him with blazing fury, her whole body trembling with rage. Her voice was low, seething with murderous intent.

Drexon, the Venomspike Manticore, just laughed—loud, wild, and unhinged.

"You think I’m scared of you, Isaryne? Bring it on! The only ones dying today are your kind. I’m going to burn this whole damn place to the ground—wipe it all out!"

His face twisted into a savage grin, eyes gleaming with bloodlust. He wasn’t bluffing. He wasn’t afraid.

"Drexon..."

But just then, a cold, low voice cut through the chaos, making Drexon flinch.

The voice continued, calm but laced with warning. "Enough games. Finish it. If this goes sideways, we all pay for it. If you want to play, go mess around in Sylvanwood. Those two Green Dragons at Emerald Castle should be enough to keep you entertained."

"Tch."

Drexon let out a sharp snort, clearly annoyed—but he backed off a little, his bloodlust reined in, if only slightly.

Moments later, the three of them—Drexon, the other Manticore, and Xenodrath the Dark Hydra—were back in the fray, clashing violently with Isaryne once more.

Meanwhile...

Not far from the scorched volcanic battlefield, a group of figures emerged from the shadows.

Ethan and his team had arrived.

"Is that... the Dungeon army?" Ethan muttered, eyes narrowing as he stared down at the chaos unfolding below. The battle was fierce, brutal—Hero Units tearing into each other with terrifying power.

He frowned, clearly unsettled. "I didn’t expect this... So their real target was here all along? Lord Auremax, it’s a damn good thing we stumbled into this. If the Firebird and the phoenix nesting grounds fall to the Dungeon army, we might’ve had no choice but to evacuate the Castle."

Auremax’s expression was tight, unreadable—but there was a flicker of unease in his eyes.

To be honest, he’d been suspicious from the start.

The Dungeon army’s earlier move—attacking the northern Tower faction—had felt off. It didn’t fit their usual style. The Dungeon faction was known for brute force, not strategy. They didn’t do misdirection. They didn’t do feints.

And yet... that’s exactly what they’d done.

With over a dozen orange-ranked Legendary Heroes, and thousands of Tier 13 Legendary Units and Tier 14 Mythic Units at their command, the Dungeon army had more than enough power to launch a two-front war. They could’ve hit both Emerald Castle and the Tower faction’s Archmage Eldrin at the same time.

But they didn’t.

And now, the truth was clear.

The northern assault had been a ruse. A distraction.

The real target... was here.

The Firebird. The phoenixes. Their sanctuary hidden deep within this volcanic dungeon.

Auremax felt a chill crawl down his spine.

They’d been outplayed.

The Dungeon army—those blunt, reckless warmongers—had actually pulled off a strategic feint. And if Ethan’s team hadn’t shown up by sheer luck...

If they hadn’t stumbled into this at just the right moment...

The consequences would’ve been catastrophic.