Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 849: Victory Came Too Easily

Ethan finally let out a breath.

He hadn't expected Feylora to unleash that level of firepower.

But thinking about it, it wasn't all that surprising.

Feylora had always possessed an energy reserve far beyond the norm—enough to power others, even. In a way, she was a walking energy node.

And the War Machine—

Was built to be the perfect vessel for someone like her.

The Gnoll clearly realized it too.

His eyes locked onto the War Machine, and for the first time, a flicker of real caution crossed his face.

"Hmph. Just a metal box," he growled, voice low and forced, like he was trying to convince himself.

"Let's see how fast I can tear it apart!"

With that, his power surged.

High above, a massive energy sphere formed in the sky, pulsing with destructive force. He hurled it with a roar, the air screaming as it tore through the atmosphere.

...

Feylora didn't flinch.

The War Machine's weapon systems roared to life. Complex energy circuits lit up across its thick armor plating, glowing brighter by the second. Then, with a deep mechanical hum, the chest panel slid open—revealing a massive cannon.

A beam of pure destruction erupted from it.

BOOM—!

The beam met the Gnoll's energy sphere head-on. The two forces collided midair in a blinding explosion.

A violent energy storm exploded outward, swallowing half the sky in golden-white light. The air itself seemed to rip apart, shrieking under the pressure.

But Feylora didn't stay locked in the clash.

She knew better—this wasn't a fight that could be won in a single exchange.

The War Machine pulled back, repositioning to the flank in a smooth, calculated retreat.

By now, the entire battlefield had descended into chaos.

The armies clashed in the air and on the ground, explosions lighting up the sky. Bodies and wreckage rained down nonstop.

Emerald Castle's losses were mounting fast.

The Narlost troops were monsters—every single one of them. Even the weakest among them were Tier 26 or higher.

Emerald Castle had the numbers, sure—but that advantage was being paid for in blood.

If another full Narlost reinforcement wave arrived—

This war could end in total collapse.

Ethan hovered midair, forcing himself to stay calm.

He had to create a gap—fast.

But reality was brutal.

In both numbers and individual strength, the enemy held the upper hand. Even if he went all out, it might not be enough to turn the tide.

And in that brief moment of doubt—

A golden figure appeared high above the battlefield.

Andona.

She floated in the sky, arms sweeping outward as she hurled dozens of golden orbs into the air—like a meteor shower, dazzling and deadly.

The spheres sparkled with radiant gold, almost beautiful in their brilliance. But a closer look revealed faint red patterns pulsing beneath the surface—unstable, volatile, barely contained.

A second later—

They rained down into the heart of the Narlost army.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

...

Explosions erupted in rapid succession.

Each orb detonated into a massive mushroom cloud, shockwaves rippling outward in layered waves, devouring everything nearby.

The chain of blasts brought a sudden, eerie silence to the battlefield.

As the smoke finally cleared—

Over half of Narlost's army had been wiped out.

The remaining forces were in full retreat, their formation shattered beyond repair.

Ethan's heart skipped a beat.

He shot over to Andona's side, eyes locked on the golden orbs still floating around her.

"These things… where did you get them?"

Andona giggled, completely unfazed, and stuffed a whole armful of the golden spheres into Ethan's arms.

"New toys from the lab," she said cheerfully. "They pack a punch. Wanna try?"

Ethan instinctively caught one and tossed it without thinking.

But the moment it left his hand—

He felt it.

A familiar energy signature pulsed from within, and his stomach dropped.

He scanned it again, just to be sure.

And then it hit him.

The core of each orb was filled with that golden energy extract—the same rare liquid mined from deep within the veins beneath Emerald Castle.

And not just a drop or two.

Each orb was loaded with it.

Ethan's chest tightened.

That golden liquid was priceless. Non-renewable. He'd been saving it to forge high-tier weapons and system cores.

And now—

The lab had turned it into disposable ammo.

"Those maniacs…"

He winced, heart aching.

But a second later, he forced the thought down.

Now wasn't the time to argue about cost.

The destructive power these orbs unleashed was far beyond anything he'd expected—and right now, this war needed that kind of firepower.

He took a deep breath.

Then hurled the rest of the golden spheres in his arms toward the enemy.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

...

BOOOOOOM—!

Mushroom clouds bloomed across the battlefield like a garden of annihilation.

When the last explosion faded and the smoke peeled back—

Narlost's army had been reduced to just a few hundred survivors.

The rest had been completely erased in the golden inferno.

As those mushroom clouds lit up the sky—

Ethan's eyes burned with fury.

A rage so intense it blurred the line between grief and wrath.

Even he couldn't tell if it was hatred for Narlost—

Or heartbreak over the golden energy being used up like cheap fireworks.

But right now, none of that mattered.

He hovered in the air, voice low and cold, like steel grinding against steel.

"All units—advance."

Just four words.

But they brooked no argument.

"Kill them all."

The moment the order dropped—

Emerald Castle's forces surged forward without hesitation.

A tide of bodies and power swept across the battlefield, every soldier unleashing their full strength. Explosions lit up the sky, one after another, as raw energy tore through the air.

Mushroom clouds kept rising.

Whatever advantage Narlost's army once had—

It was gone.

The tide had turned.

In just minutes, Emerald Castle's forces pushed the enemy back, driving them into retreat as the front line surged forward.

Victory was within reach.

But just as it seemed the battle was theirs—

BZZZT.

The world fell silent.

A spatial vortex opened high above the battlefield, without warning.

Sound dulled. Even the flow of energy slowed, like time itself was hesitating.

Then, a tall middle-aged man stepped out of the rift.

His presence hit like a tidal wave—so overwhelming it made the air feel too thick to breathe. Space warped and collapsed around him with every step, folding in on itself like paper under pressure.

His appearance was twisted. Unnatural.

Twin horns curled from his head, and embedded in the center of his forehead was a blood-red vertical eye—not an organ, but a living gemstone, pulsing with eerie light.

His body was absurdly muscular, almost grotesquely so.

From each shoulder jutted a sharp, curved spike, and from the tips, a fine pink dust drifted down like slow-falling pollen.

At the same time—

A faint scent spread through the air.

Sweet. Soft. Almost pleasant.

But it chilled the blood.