Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory

The Dragonkin were infamous for their nearly impenetrable defenses.

You couldn't just go toe-to-toe with one and expect to win. Not unless you were suicidal.

The only way to take down a dragon… was to find the weak spot.

One clean hit. That's all it took.

Ethan had learned that little detail during a casual conversation with Seraphina and Cicero a while back. Sure, dragon bodies were built like tanks, but even they had a flaw—one critical vulnerability.

And if he could land a strike there…

He could flip the whole fight.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The battle between Ethan and Lilith exploded into a blur of motion—blades of energy, shockwaves, and raw power tearing through the air as they clashed again and again. Ethan was relentless, probing for an opening, waiting for that one perfect moment.

And finally—he found it.

A flicker in her stance. A slight misstep.

That was all he needed.

A surge of violent energy erupted from his body—

And he drove it straight into the weak point in Lilith's defenses.

"AAAHHH!"

Her scream tore through the battlefield as her body was blasted backward, spinning through the air like a broken doll. Cracks spiderwebbed across her skin, glowing with unstable energy.

Ethan didn't hesitate.

He charged in, closed the distance in a blink, and slammed his fist into her chest—right where her heart should've been.

THUD!

BOOOOOOM!

The impact shattered her chest cavity, sending shockwaves rippling outward. Even as she died, Lilith's eyes locked onto Ethan's, wide with disbelief—like she was trying to ask, How the hell did you know?

But she never got the chance to speak.

She crumpled, lifeless.

And with her death, Ethan felt a rush of power surge into him. His level spiked, and all of Lilith's Primordial Force flowed into his core, absorbed completely.

The sensation was… intoxicating.

Raw, overwhelming strength flooded his veins, and for a moment, he felt unstoppable.

But there was no time to bask in it.

The battlefield was still chaos.

"My Lord!" Feylora descended from above, landing beside him. Her eyes were locked on the still-floating, unmoving projection of the Holy Fox Sovereign. Her voice trembled with anticipation. "That thing… it's radiating an insane amount of Primordial Force. I want to try absorbing it."

"No!" Ethan's expression shifted instantly. "It's too dangerous!"

"But this might be our only shot!" Feylora insisted, eyes burning with determination. "He hasn't moved at all—there's gotta be a reason. Maybe he's weakened, or restrained somehow. This could be our chance! Please, my Lord… let me try."

Before Ethan could stop her, she was already gone.

"Feylora—!"

She shot forward like a comet, heading straight for the Sovereign's projection.

Ethan's heart dropped. He'd felt that power up close—it wasn't something you could just absorb. It was ancient, domineering, and laced with something… otherworldly.

But it was too late.

HUMMMMM—

Feylora made contact.

And immediately began drawing in the strange, radiant energy.

"What the hell…?" Ethan's eyes widened. For a second, it looked like it was working. If she could really absorb the Holy Fox Sovereign's Primordial Force, they might be able to end this war right here.

But then—

"AAAHHH!"

A scream ripped through the air.

Feylora's body convulsed violently. Cracks began to spread across her skin, glowing with unstable energy. Her body was breaking down—she couldn't handle the sheer force flooding into her.

She was about to explode.

"Feylora!" Ethan's pupils shrank. He bolted forward—

But Ataneya was faster.

She grabbed Feylora mid-air, trying to pull her away from the Sovereign's energy field.

SWOOSH!

CRACKLE!

Ataneya unleashed everything she had, pouring her power into the effort to yank Feylora free.

But it was no use.

The force had latched onto her like a black hole—unyielding, unrelenting.

Feylora was seconds away from being torn apart.

Ataneya didn't hesitate.

She did the only thing she could.

She began absorbing the Primordial Force herself.

"AAAHHH!"

Now she was screaming too.

The energy pouring from the Holy Fox Sovereign was beyond brutal—dense, ancient, and laced with a terrifying, divine aura. It wasn't meant for mortals. It wasn't meant to be touched.

At first, Ataneya's body began to crack just like Feylora's.

But then… something changed.

Her breathing steadied.

Her body stopped breaking.

She was adapting.

Somehow, impossibly, her body was syncing with the Sovereign's energy.

HUMMMM…

HUMMMM…

HUMMMM…

At the same time—

Behind Ataneya, her six tails shimmered and pulsed, now infused with the raw, chaotic energy she was absorbing. Waves of terrifying power rippled outward from them, distorting the very air around her.

"Am I really… able to absorb this?" Ataneya whispered, her breath shaky but determined.

She clenched her fists and unleashed her own power in full, channeling it into the torrent of Primordial Force pouring from the Holy Fox Sovereign. Her body became a conduit, drawing in the energy in a steady, relentless stream.

And slowly—Feylora's condition began to stabilize.

The cracks on her skin stopped spreading. Her breathing evened out.

But then—

A cold, mocking voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Hmph. Pathetic insects. You really think you can steal my power? Dream on."

The Holy Fox Sovereign had finally spoken.

His voice was laced with disdain, like a god sneering at ants.

BOOM!

The energy surged again—twice as violent, twice as overwhelming.

The torrent from the Sovereign intensified, flooding the space with blinding light and crushing pressure. It was like trying to drink from a collapsing star.

And Ataneya was nearing her limit.

If her body hit saturation, it wouldn't just be Feylora who exploded from the inside out—Ataneya would go with her.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!

Ataneya gritted her teeth, her entire body trembling under the strain. Her eyes flared with radiant light as she pushed herself further, refusing to let go.

Then—something changed.

A shift.

A breakthrough.

In a flash of blinding energy, a seventh tail burst from her back.

Seven tails.

Each tail doubled her capacity to withstand and channel power. And with this new tail, her strength skyrocketed.

Her Tier level surged.

Ethan immediately pulled up her status panel through the system interface. His eyes widened.

"She's at the peak of 16-Tier S-Class… and she's about to break into SS-Class!"

His heart pounded in his chest.

"Can she really pull this off?" he muttered, barely breathing.

He couldn't take his eyes off the Holy Fox Sovereign's projection.

And then—he noticed something.

The Sovereign's expression had changed.

There was something… off about it. A flicker of unease? Confusion?

More than that—the spatial rifts behind him, the ones that had been summoning wave after wave of Dungeon elites… had stopped.

Completely.

Ethan's pulse spiked.

"It's working… it's actually working!"

But just as that hope sparked—

The Sovereign's projection suddenly flared with blinding light.

In an instant, it transformed into a beam of searing energy and swept across the battlefield, swallowing every Dungeon warrior still fighting.

They vanished—consumed by the light.

And then that light condensed, twisted, and ignited—

Becoming a massive, burning sun.

A blazing inferno of divine fury.

The Sovereign's voice echoed again, deeper now, more furious.

"You lowly worms… you dare try to devour my power? Hah. Ants like you should know your place—kneel, obey, and accept your fate. But if it's death you seek…"

His voice dropped into a growl, thick with malice.

"Then I'll be happy to oblige."

...