Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 869: Now You Have My Attention

Ethan’s voice thundered across the sky, echoing like a storm rolling through the clouds.

In an instant, the entire Emerald Castle snapped into combat mode.

Above, the Sky Fortresses slowly shifted position. Their armored hulls lit up with glowing energy circuits, and the Ultimate Annihilation Cannons began charging at high speed. A deep, resonant hum filled the air—like the heartbeat of some colossal beast.

On the ground and in the air, warriors unleashed their power all at once. Streams of energy wove through the atmosphere, forming a tightening net across the battlefield.

—Activate energy barrier.

In a flash, a transparent shield surged outward like a tidal wave.

And the moment the barrier fully deployed, every ounce of stored energy was unleashed in a single, devastating blast.

BOOM—!!!

Blinding torrents of light burst forth like a dam breaking, flooding the sky in searing gold and deep blue. The air itself rippled with visible shockwaves.

VMMM—

VMMM—

VMMM—

The energy tore through the atmosphere, shrieking with a piercing resonance.

The Vorgar Empire fleet had clearly never expected Emerald Castle to pull off a "reverse barrier detonation" tactic.

By the time they realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

"Shields up! All ships, defensive formation!"

The lead general’s face twisted in shock as he shouted the order.

But their reaction came a second too slow.

In mere moments, the outer edge of the fleet was swallowed by the blast. Over half the warships exploded midair, torn apart into flaming debris that rained down like molten metal.

The remaining ships barely held together—shields shattered, propulsion systems crippled.

And then—

Ethan struck again.

His aura surged, syncing perfectly with the Sky Fortress behind him. Man and war machine moved as one.

The Ultimate Annihilation Cannon locked onto a new target.

A tighter, purer beam of energy ripped through the sky and slammed straight into the enemy flagship.

BOOM—!!!

The flagship’s defenses shattered instantly. The entire vessel shuddered violently as its internal structure began to collapse.

The Vorgar fleet had never stood a chance. Their numbers were small to begin with, and they were nowhere near a match for Emerald Castle’s firepower. Under such overwhelming force, they crumbled.

The surviving ships broke formation and fled in panic.

"Pursue them."

Ethan’s voice was cold and sharp.

But just as the army prepared to give chase—

The world shifted.

A crushing pressure, impossible to describe, suddenly blanketed the entire battlefield.

The air felt compressed, as if squeezed by an invisible force. Even the light seemed to bend.

High above, a blurry figure slowly took shape.

"Well, well..."

A deep, commanding voice echoed like it came from the depths of the abyss. "A low-tier Plane World... with this kind of power?"

"I underestimated you."

"But I’ll remember this."

"And soon... I’ll come collect what’s mine."

The sheer weight of the voice made the sky rumble, as if the world itself was reacting to his will.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he unleashed a surge of energy straight at the figure.

But—

The attack passed right through.

Like striking empty air.

It was only a projection. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

A moment later, the figure vanished into the void.

Ethan slowly reined in his power, though the fire in his chest still burned hot.

He knew exactly what that was—

The will projection of Varkhan, supreme ruler of the Vorgar Empire.

"Cancel pursuit," he ordered calmly.

"Begin battlefield recovery."

Wreckage from the shattered warships was quickly gathered, sorted, and absorbed into the Powered Combat Armors.

Materials that couldn’t be integrated on the spot were sent to the labs for analysis.

The battlefield gradually fell silent once more.

Off in the distance—

Queen Seraphine hovered silently in midair, her gaze still fixed on the spot where the projection had just vanished.

Inside, waves of shock crashed through her heart.

She knew better than anyone how terrifying the Vorgar Empire truly was.

But what she’d just witnessed shattered everything she thought she understood.

A single Plane World faction...

Had actually crushed Vorgar’s vanguard fleet.

And not just barely—completely, decisively.

In that moment, she finally understood.

She might’ve truly found it—the power capable of standing against Vorgar.

After the battle, Ethan didn’t rest for a second. He returned straight to the main hall of Emerald Castle.

He needed to analyze every detail of the fight as quickly as possible.

Vorgar’s power was strange—unnatural.

It wasn’t just destruction, and it wasn’t quite life either. It felt like a fusion of forces that defied the laws of nature. When unleashed, it could destabilize an entire spatial layer.

And worse—

What they’d just defeated was only the vanguard.

The real Vorgar Empire hadn’t even shown its fangs yet.

If they couldn’t crack the structure of their energy, their combat logic, and their tactical systems soon... the next encounter might not end so well.

As Ethan bent over the data, running simulations and projections, a soft, radiant light quietly filled the hall.

Queen Seraphine stepped inside.

Light Force flowed naturally around her, spreading across the floor like the first light of dawn. The air itself seemed to grow warmer, clearer.

"Lord Ethan," she said, hesitating slightly. "I heard... many people here call you ’Master.’"

Ethan didn’t look up. His tone was calm. "Not everyone. But if you want to call me that, I won’t stop you."

"I do."

Seraphine stepped forward, her eyes steady and sincere.

"I want to truly join Emerald Castle. To fight for you."

She paused, as if gathering courage.

"And... if possible, I’d like to request a Powered Combat Armor of my own."

That finally made Ethan look up.

"You can," he said plainly. "But the standard models won’t be able to handle your energy level."

"If you’re willing to provide a portion of your Primordial Force, the lab can craft a custom armor tailored to your structure."

Seraphine’s heart tightened slightly.

Offering up her Primordial Force meant exposing her life structure, her power source, her very existence.

It was the ultimate act of trust.

She stood silent for a few seconds.

Then slowly closed her eyes.

A strand of pure, stable light essence peeled away from her palm, floating in the air like a warm golden crystal.

She held it out to Ethan.

No hesitation.

Ethan gave a satisfied smile and gestured to the side.

Two researchers quickly stepped forward, carefully sealing the Primordial Force inside a specialized containment unit.

"Rest assured, Master," one of them said, barely containing his excitement. "We’ll have a tactical armor perfectly matched to Queen Seraphine’s energy structure in no time."

With that, the two hurried off.

Seraphine finally let out a quiet breath.

Just as she was about to leave, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the hall.

Ataneya burst in with several warriors behind her.

"Master! The target zone has been completely cleared," she reported quickly. "But in my assessment, that was only the enemy’s outer vanguard. We need to prepare for the main force."

Ethan leaned back in his chair and exhaled slowly.

"Their main force already came to Emerald Castle."

"But we drove them off."

Ataneya froze for a beat.

"Double the perimeter scouts," Ethan added. "Full-spectrum scan of the surrounding space."

"Understood."

...