Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 857: Even a Lion Doesn’t Hunt with Half Its Claws
Ethan froze for a second.
Then it hit him.
"…He can just leave like that?"
For the first time, he truly realized—
Arkhadon wasn't just escaping.
He was actively shifting his spatial frequency, hiding himself completely within the fabric of space.
This wasn't teleportation in the usual sense.
It was—
Direct manipulation of space itself.
That thought sent a chill crawling down Ethan's spine.
A second later, rage drowned out reason.
With a roar, he slammed his energy greatsword into the ground.
BOOM!
Chunks of stone exploded outward.
He pointed in the direction Arkhadon had vanished and let loose a string of curses—loud, vicious, and completely unfiltered.
One after another.
He didn't hold back.
The tirade went on for quite a while.
No one dared approach.
The energy still rippling off the Powered Combat Armor was wild and unstable, spreading in waves like the eye of a storm that hadn't yet passed.
Getting close now would mean getting hurt.
Only when Ethan finally pulled his power back, disengaged the armor, and let the energy settle—
Did the others cautiously gather around.
"Boss… that was insane."
"We've never seen a fight like that before."
"That Powered Combat Armor… it's a damn miracle. If we could get our hands on one…"
Someone swallowed hard, eyes locked on the armor like it was a holy relic.
Others were barely holding back their fury.
"That Arkhadon bastard had to be from the Narlost Empire."
"When we're strong enough, we're gonna hit their capital and make them pay—twice over."
Anger. Awe. Hunger.
The air buzzed with emotion.
But in the end, almost every gaze landed on the same thing—
The Powered Combat Armor.
It wasn't just gear.
It was the future.
Ethan took a deep breath.
Forced the fury in his chest to settle.
When he spoke again, his voice was calm.
"Relax."
"I've already ordered the lab to start mass production."
"Won't be long before each of you has your own Powered Combat Armor."
A ripple of barely contained excitement swept through the group.
But Ethan raised a hand, cutting it off.
"That said—"
"Don't expect the armor to do all the work for you." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
"If your own strength isn't up to par, you won't be able to bring out its full potential."
His gaze swept across them.
Steady. Unyielding.
"If you want to be worthy of it—"
"Then push yourselves to the limit first."
Silence fell for a beat.
Then, all at once, a surge of fighting spirit lit up in everyone's eyes.
No more words.
They turned and sprinted toward the mining zone—
Diving headfirst into training and absorption, like their lives depended on it.
Ethan still stood atop the high city wall, eyes fixed on the sky above—still churning, still unsettled.
The clouds rotated slowly, and the lingering energy turbulence drifted like aftershocks that refused to fade.
His brow remained furrowed.
He knew all too well—
Arkhadon wasn't the kind of man to swallow defeat quietly.
And he definitely wasn't the type to shoulder the consequences alone.
Once he returned to the Narlost Imperial Palace, everything that happened today would be laid bare before the Narlost Sovereign.
And when that happened—
It wouldn't just be one or two elites coming next time.
It would be the will of an entire empire.
Right now, Emerald Castle wasn't ready to withstand that kind of force head-on.
Even if they'd just driven back the First Champion—
That was only a localized victory.
If this escalated into full-scale war—
Even the smallest gap in preparation could mean total annihilation.
Ethan slowly exhaled.
"Time…"
He muttered under his breath.
"…is running out."
. . .
Far away—
The Narlost Imperial Palace.
A colossal temple forged from dark gold and obsidian loomed over the capital like a mountain pressing down on the city itself.
Beneath its towering dome, the throne sat alone at the top of a long flight of steps.
Aurelkar sat upon it.
His gaze alone made the air in the grand hall feel thick and suffocating.
Not a single courtier dared lift their head to meet his eyes.
"How rare."
Aurelkar spoke slowly, his voice low and cold.
"My First Champion of Narlost—"
"Arkhadon."
"Returning to my throne… in defeat."
Below the throne—
Arkhadon knelt on one knee, his forehead nearly touching the floor.
He had never felt pressure like this.
It wasn't the failure itself that terrified him.
It was the fact that this failure came while carrying his title.
"Your Majesty."
His voice was tight, restrained.
"Our assessment of Emerald Castle was… severely flawed."
"They are not low-tier rabble."
"Especially their lord… his power is enough to face me head-on."
The hall fell into dead silence.
Then—
Aurelkar slowly rose to his feet.
BOOM.
A wave of pressure burst outward, thick and tangible.
The air trembled.
Space groaned.
The palace's defensive runes flared to life all at once, barely holding back the force spilling from him.
This was—
The true presence of an emperor.
"Even you… couldn't suppress him?"
Aurelkar's gaze narrowed.
This was no longer about underestimation.
This was—
A threat.
After a long pause, he raised his hand.
"Send the order."
"Mobilize the full army."
"Activate—Doomsday Ark."
The moment the words fell—
The entire hall froze.
Several high-ranking commanders looked up at once, eyes wide with barely concealed shock.
That wasn't a conventional weapon.
It was—
The Narlost Empire's ultimate war construct, designed to erase civilization-level targets.
It was never deployed—
Unless the threat was truly apocalyptic.
Arkhadon's head snapped up.
"Your Majesty…"
"You would mobilize the full might of the Empire… just to crush Emerald Castle?"
"Isn't that—"
He didn't finish.
Aurelkar was already staring down at him, eyes cold.
"Even a lion doesn't hunt with half its claws."
His tone was calm—but absolute.
"If the enemy has proven themselves a real threat, then probing and attrition are no longer options."
"Sending more men to die one by one—"
"That would be true stupidity."
The light from the throne stretched long across the steps.
"What I want is—"
"Total annihilation."
Silence fell over the hall once more.
No one dared speak.
Because they all understood—
This wasn't a border skirmish anymore.
This was—
An imperial war.
And it was about to begin.
