Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 820: This Was Never the End

To be honest, Ethan hadn't expected the battle to end this quickly.

The moment Gathramor fell, the sky went eerily still.

Shattered energy slowly began to settle, like the world was finally exhaling after holding its breath.

He was just about to give the order to regroup and pull everyone back to Emerald Castle when—

BZZZZM.

A low, strange hum rolled in from the horizon.

It wasn't thunder.

It wasn't an energy detonation either.

It sounded more like—

Space itself groaning.

BZZZZM—

BZZZZM—

BZZZZM—

The next instant, the sky tore open like it had been ripped by an invisible hand.

A massive rift split the heavens, its jagged black edges twisting and stretching outward.

From deep within that crack, a thick, unfamiliar power poured out in waves.

In a blink, all of Emerald Castle was swallowed by it.

It wasn't just pressure.

It felt like—

They were being watched.

"Heh heh heh…"

A low, rasping laugh echoed from the depths of the rift.

"I knew it."

"The power here… it's even richer than the rumors said."

As the voice faded, a colossal figure stepped slowly out of the rift.

He hovered in midair, towering and still, his presence like a mountain waking from slumber.

Just his existence made the surrounding space buckle and warp.

"From this moment on—"

"This place belongs to me."

BOOM—!!

A wave of terrifying pressure crashed down like a tidal wave.

Before anyone at Emerald Castle could react,

More figures surged out of the rift behind him.

Dozens. Maybe hundreds.

Perfectly aligned.

Expressionless.

Each one radiating a force that couldn't be ignored.

Ethan's heart sank.

This wasn't some scattered raiding party.

This was—

An invasion force. Fully prepared.

The leaders of Emerald Castle sensed it too. One by one, they shot into the sky.

Now, two armies faced off above the clouds, separated only by swirling currents of unstable energy.

The air was stretched to its breaking point.

Ethan took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

He pulled up his system interface.

Scan.

Data streamed across his vision.

[Target Faction: Narlost Empire]

[Origin: Independent Void World]

[Expedition Commander: Krothys]

[Current Tier: 28 (Mid-Stage)]

Ethan's gaze sharpened instantly.

That Tier—

Was enough to threaten the very foundation of Emerald Castle.

He slowly raised his head, letting his power surge out without holding anything back.

Behind him, a massive phantom took shape, standing tall between heaven and earth.

"So many bugs crawling into my house today…"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried across the battlefield with perfect clarity.

"Kill them all."

The moment the order dropped,

Emerald Castle's army erupted.

Countless auras flared at once, power flooding the sky like a rising storm, blotting out the sun.

Krothys froze for a second.

He clearly hadn't expected the other side to skip negotiations entirely.

"Damn it!"

He roared, voice echoing across the battlefield.

"You dare launch an attack on the Narlost Empire?!"

"We came here to bring you better order!"

"A stronger civilization!"

"This is a gift—and you dare reject it?!"

He sounded righteous, like he was the one being wronged.

Ethan listened, cold amusement flickering in his eyes.

That so-called "better life"?

Just the cheapest excuse the strong use when they devour the weak. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Save it."

He raised his hand.

Energy compressed in his palm, breaking down and reforming in a blink.

Then—

A storm of Energy Discs rained down like a barrage.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Shockwaves exploded across the sky, thick and violent.

Space itself tore open.

Cracks spread like spiderwebs.

Unstable void pockets began to form, flickering with chaotic energy.

The battlefield spiraled into chaos.

And in the middle of it all—

Krothys still stood tall, unmoving.

His overwhelming aura pulsed outward, making him the brightest, most dangerous presence in the sky.

Ethan was just about to charge in when—

Kaelira stepped in front of him.

"I'll take this one."

Her voice was quiet, but firm.

"His energy type matches mine perfectly."

As she spoke, violet-red energy burst from her body.

Behind her, a massive phoenix phantom spread its wings, blazing with heat and fury.

Even Krothys flinched slightly the moment that power hit him.

A second later—

The two forces collided head-on.

BOOM!!

The shockwave ripped through the sky, like the world itself was splitting apart.

Ethan was forced to retreat, unable to get close. He steadied himself at a distance, channeling his power to stabilize the surrounding space.

The battle had gone full tilt.

Figures kept falling from the sky.

Bodies, wreckage, shattered energy barriers—it all blurred together in a suffocating storm of destruction.

Even so, Emerald Castle's forces held their formation.

Their Powered Combat Armor was finally showing its worth—

The enhanced defense systems massively boosted survival rates.

Ethan hovered at the center of the battlefield, but didn't rush into the main clash.

His eyes swept the area, fast and sharp. The moment he spotted a weak point, he struck—quick, precise, decisive.

Then—

A shrill, manic laugh rang out from the flank.

"Hahaha!"

"Well, well. Didn't expect to run into the lord of Emerald Castle here."

A grotesque enemy emerged from the swirling energy currents.

His aura was cold and twisted, like something that had crawled out of a deep abyss.

Ethan's brow furrowed slightly.

The guy wasn't strong.

In fact, his Tier was clearly lower.

But that aura—it was wrong. Unsettling.

"You're dead."

Ethan didn't waste words.

Power surged through him, compressing into a single massive Energy Disc in his palm.

Golden liquid energy fused into it, sharp and heavy—unstoppable.

In the next instant—

The Energy Disc screamed through the air.

SHNK—!

The enemy's body split clean in two, offering no resistance.

Before the pieces could even hit the ground, the raging energy currents tore them apart.

"…"

Ethan didn't spare the corpse a second glance.

But just as he turned to move, something tugged at his senses.

He reached out, catching a wisp of residual energy left behind when the enemy disintegrated.

It wasn't strong.

But it was—

Unnatural.

The moment it entered his body, Ethan felt it.

His blood surged.

Heart rate spiked.

Every sense sharpened, like someone had flipped a switch inside him.

It was like something was forcibly accelerating his bloodline's flow.

"…A stimulant?"

His pupils narrowed.

This wasn't just raw energy.

It was a force that targeted instinct and bloodline directly—something primal.

Before he could fully analyze it—

A piercing scream tore through the chaos.

"You killed my brother!"

Another enemy burst out of the swirling battlefield, just as twisted and grotesque as the last.

And his aura—

Was exactly the same.

...