Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 816: What Gods Look Like When They Break

From afar—

Alaric, still locked in fierce combat with Kaelira, suddenly froze mid-motion.

The moment he turned and saw what had happened, his entire body went rigid.

That thing—

The ultimate weapon forged by the Crocaster Empire through countless resources, experiments, and sacrifices.

The Empire's trump card.

And it had been completely destroyed… in just a few breaths.

"No… no way…"

His mind snapped.

"AAAHHH—!!"

Alaric let out a roar, raw and feral.

He unleashed his full power in a single violent burst, blasting Kaelira back. Then, without a second thought for formation or consequence, he charged straight at Ethan.

This wasn't strategy.

It was rage.

It was vengeance.

Kaelira's expression shifted instantly.

She knew better than anyone how dangerous Alaric truly was.

"Ethan—!"

She shot forward in a streak of violet lightning, pure instinct driving her.

But she was too late.

Alaric, consumed by fury, moved with terrifying speed. In a blink, he was already upon Ethan.

The energy in the air ignited.

Violent currents tore across the battlefield, and even space itself groaned under the pressure.

The two commanders finally clashed head-on.

Ethan raised his hand.

Alaric did the same.

And then—

BANG!

Their palms collided midair.

HUMMMM—

WHUM-WHUM-WHUM—!

Power surged at the point of contact, stacking and crashing into itself, erupting into a visible storm of energy that rippled across the sky.

RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE—!

Space tore open, healed, then split again under the strain.

"Do you even know what you just destroyed?!" Alaric's voice was nearly drowned in fury.

"That was the Crocaster Empire's greatest treasure!"

"And you—how dare you—!"

He dropped all defense.

Dozens of energy spheres formed around Ethan in an instant—then detonated all at once.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOOOM—!!

The overlapping blasts created a wave of destruction powerful enough to level the entire battlefield.

Ethan was thrown back hard.

THUD—!

He crashed into the chaotic remnants of energy still swirling in the air. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

If not for the lingering barrier still clinging to his body—

That hit would've torn him apart.

Just as Ethan prepared to counterattack—

A surge of violet-red power swept across the sky.

It wasn't wild.

But it was absolute.

Like the entire heavens had been seized and folded into a new order.

Air compressed. Space twisted. The world itself felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand.

Kaelira now stood in front of Ethan.

Her back was straight, calm, unwavering. Violet-red energy surged around her, openly shielding Ethan without hesitation.

Alaric's pupils shrank.

He hadn't expected this.

Not from her.

"Kaelira," he said, voice low and tight, thick with restrained fury and disbelief. "We've known each other for years. I've moved armies for you. Held the borders. Shielded Sol'Rakka from threat after threat. And this is how you repay me?"

Kaelira let out a cold laugh.

There wasn't a trace of warmth in it.

"Don't act like some savior," she said, voice sharp and clear. "Your so-called 'protection' was never for Sol'Rakka."

"You were just waiting for it to weaken—"

"So you could take its Primordial Force for yourself."

The moment Kaelira's words fell, the air seemed to freeze.

Alaric's expression twisted—completely.

It wasn't a lie she'd exposed.

It was the truth he himself refused to face.

"…So that's how it is."

"Then don't blame me for what happens next!"

With a furious roar, the power inside him spiraled out of control.

Conflicting energies—wild, unstable, incompatible—were forcibly compressed and fused behind him, forming a massive, distorted silhouette.

Its outline was blurred, but the pressure it gave off was suffocating. Like some malformed god had been dragged screaming into reality.

The instant it took shape—

The space around it began to fracture, inch by inch.

The sky groaned with a deep, unnatural rumble, as if the world itself was rejecting its presence.

Kaelira didn't flinch.

She simply raised a hand and tapped her fingertip forward.

Violet-red energy bloomed behind her, slowly forming the image of a colossal phoenix.

Its wings spread wide, radiating a pure, steady light.

This wasn't rage.

It was sanctity.

A presence so overwhelming, so absolute, it made you want to bow your head without thinking.

Then—

The two avatars collided.

BOOM—!!!

The explosion tore through the sky, a shockwave of energy crashing outward like a tsunami.

The entire battlefield was forced back. Space buckled, collapsed, and reformed in violent pulses.

But—

Alaric was still in a berserker state.

He wasn't fighting with skill.

He was burning everything.

And in that first clash, he actually overpowered Kaelira.

Ethan's eyes went cold.

No hesitation.

He stepped forward and pulled Kaelira into his arms.

Not to shield her.

To connect.

In the next instant, his power surged out, resonating with the phoenix behind her.

RUMBLE—!

Two completely different forces met—and didn't repel.

Instead, they locked in, like they'd found the same anchor.

One born of order.

One forged at the edge of chaos.

Different—but not incompatible.

They could stand side by side.

The phoenix's light flared, blinding and immense.

Cracks began to spread across Alaric's monstrous avatar.

"No… impossible!"

Alaric's scream was raw, panicked. For the first time, real fear showed in his eyes.

"Your powers aren't even compatible! How can they fuse?!"

Ethan and Kaelira didn't answer.

They just kept pouring energy into the phoenix.

Until—

CRACK.

Alaric's avatar shattered completely.

The backlash hit him like a hammer. His body staggered, reeling.

"Now," Ethan said quietly.

And then he was gone.

He shot forward, power condensing in his palm—an enormous Energy Disc forming, so sharp it looked like it could slice through reality itself.

"Die."

The disc slammed down.

A scream tore across the battlefield.

Alaric's shoulder—gone. Cleaved clean off.

"No… no… this can't be…"

He stumbled back, voice shaking, unraveling. "My body… is a divine construct… I'm invincible…"

"There shouldn't be anything in this world that can—"

He never finished.

More Energy Discs had already formed in Ethan's hands.

Cold. Precise. Merciless.

Alaric's pupils dilated in horror.

And in the next instant—

His body was torn apart.

Shredded into fragments that dissolved into motes of light, vanishing into the air without even a scream.

...