Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 818: The One Who Shouldn’t Have Returned

Just as the hall fell into heavy silence, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly echoed through the chamber.

"Master!" Elira burst in, breathless and wide-eyed.

"Something's happened!"

Ethan shot to his feet.

If Elira was this shaken, it wasn't something minor.

"What is it?" he asked, voice low and sharp.

"It's the Bloodvein Mine…" Elira took a gulp of air. "The golden liquid between the mountain ridges—it's mutated!"

"What?!" Ethan's pupils contracted hard.

That golden liquid was Emerald Castle's most critical trump card right now.

If it went out of control, the consequences would be catastrophic.

He didn't waste time asking more questions. He turned and led the others straight toward the mine's depths.

…

But when Ethan arrived at the site, he froze.

There were no signs of instability.

On the contrary—

A powerful, yet incredibly stable energy was steadily rising from deep underground.

The moment he got close—

His body jolted.

The energy flowed into his limbs and core naturally, without the slightest resistance.

He could even feel a subtle shift in his Tier—an upward one.

Ethan's breath quickened without him realizing.

He stepped forward quickly and looked down into the golden pool.

And there—

A streak of violet-red had appeared.

It wasn't glaring, but it stood out vividly—like a trace left behind by a force that had fully merged with the gold.

More importantly—

It hadn't weakened the golden liquid.

It had made it denser. Heavier. Stronger.

Ethan stood in silence for a few seconds.

Then he turned to Elira.

"This is the 'mutation' you were talking about?"

Elira blinked, completely unaware of the shift in atmosphere. She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah!"

"It got stronger!"

"I just found out a few minutes ago!"

She even sounded a little proud.

Ethan finally let out a breath.

He didn't overthink it. He stepped forward, slowly lowering his hand into the golden pool.

The next instant—

A surge of power slammed into him, so intense it nearly stole his breath.

This wasn't just raw energy.

It was something refined, restructured, and—most importantly—claimed.

In just a few seconds, Ethan realized with absolute clarity—

The power in this pool had far surpassed the golden liquid's previous state.

Not by one or two times.

By dozens.

And just as he was still adjusting to the impact—

Splash.

A figure dove straight into the pool without hesitation.

"Elira?!"

Ethan's heart jumped.

The energy density here was so high even he didn't dare absorb it recklessly.

But Elira had thrown herself in like it was nothing.

The next moment—

Multiple energy vortices formed around her at once.

Not radiating outward.

But pulling in.

The golden energy around her was being drawn in violently, like it had finally found its rightful home.

"What are you doing?! Get out of there!"

Ethan stepped forward, reaching out to pull her back.

But then—he stopped.

Elira stood in the pool, calm and composed, as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

The energy that could tear apart most high-tier powerhouses was docile around her. Gentle.

As if the pool had always belonged to her.

Moments later, a massive phantom slowly rose behind her.

A golden Abyssal Monarch Moth, its wings fully spread.

The air trembled faintly.

Hummmm—

Ethan's pupils shrank sharply.

A system pulse flickered through his mind.

Tier 28—Peak.

But what truly made his breath catch was the race data that followed.

Divine Sovereign Moth.

A being on par with the Fairy God and Dragon God.

This wasn't evolution.

This was—ascension.

"Master!"

Elira leapt out of the golden pool, her face lit with uncontainable excitement.

"After the pool evolved, I could feel it syncing perfectly with my bloodline!"

"I only tried absorbing a little… I didn't expect this to happen!"

Her voice was practically bubbling with joy.

Ethan, however, stayed silent for several seconds.

Then, slowly, he nodded.

Whatever the process had been—

Elira's transformation meant Emerald Castle now had another true apex being.

But just as he was processing that, something shifted.

The power inside his body began to stir on its own.

Then, as if drawn by some invisible force, the golden liquid surged toward him, flooding into his body.

At the same time, the auras of Auri and Idra flared to life—clearly reacting to the evolved energy.

To them, this power was just as irresistible.

Ethan didn't hesitate.

He immediately issued the order to summon all core members of Emerald Castle to the site.

"If your bloodline resonates—"

"You're allowed to absorb it."

This was an opportunity.

And a test.

But before the energy could fully spread—

The world suddenly dropped into a heavy silence.

A foreign, overwhelming presence descended without warning.

Ethan's expression turned cold in an instant.

"Again."

He didn't waste time. With a sharp motion, he and several others shot out of the mine.

Emerald Castle had become a target—prey—for countless factions lately.

And this time—

The intruder's presence was more dangerous than any before.

Outside the energy barrier, a towering figure hovered silently in the sky.

Just by standing there, the space around him began to warp and collapse.

"Well, well…"

The voice was low, cold, and laced with a twisted amusement.

"After all these years away…"

"This is what it's become."

"If I'd known back then…"

"I would've taken it myself." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Ethan narrowed his eyes. Power surged through him, locking onto the figure with lethal precision.

"Who are you?"

His voice was ice. No effort to hide the killing intent.

But the man only smiled faintly.

"Name's Gathramor."

He lifted his gaze, eyes sweeping past Ethan to look down on all of Emerald Castle.

His tone was calm—but carried an unbearable arrogance.

"—The former lord of Emerald Castle."

Ethan's pupils contracted slightly.

"…Former lord of Emerald Castle?"

The title alone set off every alarm in his mind.

Before he could press further, a figure burst out from behind him, fury radiating off him like heat.

"Gathramor—!"

Cicero's voice was tight with rage, every word forced through clenched teeth.

His aura surged wildly, eyes bloodshot, like he was seconds from losing control.

"You bastard. You dare call yourself the lord of Emerald Castle?"

"You've got no shame!"

Ethan's heart sank.

Anyone who could push Cicero to this level of fury wasn't just some enemy.

"Who is he?" Ethan asked, voice low.

Cicero trembled—not from fear.

But from rage held back for far too long.

"Master…"

His voice was hoarse. "This man was never a 'guardian' of Emerald Castle."

"He was an invader."

The words dropped like a hammer.

Silence fell.

"He took many of our people."

"And he forcibly extracted the Primordial Force from this land, plunging Emerald Castle into centuries of decline."

"If we hadn't met you…"

Cicero's fists clenched tight. "We would've been wiped out long ago."

Ethan's gaze turned ice-cold.

Golden energy gathered behind him, slowly forming the massive silhouette of a Golden Dragon in the sky.

No roar.

Just a crushing pressure that grew heavier with every breath.

"I see," Ethan said, voice low and steady. "Then today, you'll pay for everything you did."

But Gathramor only let out a low, twisted laugh.

"You?"

"A newcomer like you dares call yourself the master of Emerald Castle?"

He raised his hand. A massive energy sphere formed in his palm, pulsing with violent power.

And in the next instant—

BOOM!!!

The two forces collided head-on in midair.

Space twisted violently, and even the outer energy barrier shuddered under the impact, letting out a piercing, metallic hum.