Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory

"Shit… it's them…" Ethan's breath hitched, coming fast and shallow.

He hadn't expected the Sky Citadel Fiend-Dragons to show up here—out of nowhere.

Sycaron tensed immediately, and the Celestial Dragons behind him snapped into formation, ready for battle.

The two sides had long since passed the point of no return—this was a blood feud, no quarter given. So the moment they laid eyes on each other, there was no hesitation. They clashed instantly.

A full-scale war erupted.

"ROAR!"

"ROAR!"

"ROAR!"

…

"Kill them all!" Sycaron bellowed, floating midair as his power surged outward in a violent wave.

Ethan watched the chaos unfold, conflicted.

They were really going at it… but what about him and Seraphina? Luckily, it seemed like neither side had noticed them yet. Without wasting a second, Ethan grabbed Seraphina and vanished into the shadows, slipping into the Draconic Ascension Pool.

There, they began absorbing the raw, surging energy that pulsed from its depths.

Sure, the Celestial Dragons had started treating Ethan like their master—but none of them had actually formed a binding pact with him yet. And he couldn't be sure they wouldn't turn on him if things went south.

So for now, he stayed hidden.

Time passed—how long, he couldn't say.

The battlefield was littered with casualties on both sides.

Then, suddenly, Sycaron dropped down beside the Draconic Ascension Pool.

Whoosh!

"My Lord!" he called out, his voice strained but urgent. "You and Seraphina need to get out of here—now!"

"There are too many of them this time. We might not make it."

Ethan froze for a second.

He hadn't expected Sycaron to be this loyal.

But if he kept hiding now, what kind of leader would that make him? No—he couldn't just sit this out. A surge of raw, violent energy exploded from within him, and in the next instant, he rose into the air, floating above the battlefield.

BOOM!

Thunder cracked across the sky.

After absorbing the power of the Draconic Ascension Pool, Ethan's strength had skyrocketed. His entire power structure had undergone a complete transformation.

Before, he'd had all kinds of abilities—strong, sure—but they were scattered, clashing with each other, never quite syncing up. That had always held him back from unleashing his full potential.

But now?

Now he had the power of the Draconic Ascension Pool flowing through him.

And more than that—he had the power of the Dragon God.

It was like his body had become a perfect vessel, fusing all his abilities into one cohesive force. His strength didn't just increase—it multiplied.

In the past, he'd had to rely on his subordinates to fight his battles. But now? Now he was a force of nature in his own right. His power was on par with Elira's—maybe even greater.

"What the hell?! Who is that guy?!" one of the Sky Citadel Fiend-Dragons shouted, stunned.

They hadn't expected a human—of all things—to unleash that kind of power.

The divine glow of the Dragon God radiated from Ethan's body, blinding and awe-inspiring.

Even the Fiend-Dragons, who weren't pure-blooded dragons and carried the taint of Skyfiend lineage, felt it.

"Where the hell did you crawl out from?" the lead Fiend-Dragon snarled, his voice laced with contempt. "You seriously planning to go up against Sky Citadel? I'll give you one chance—get lost. Right now. Or I'll tear you to pieces and scatter what's left."

The power radiating off him was monstrous.

With just a single flap of his wings, the air around him shattered like glass, space itself warping and breaking apart under the pressure.

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK!

…

Ethan narrowed his eyes, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He stepped forward, and behind him, a massive pair of spectral wings unfurled. Golden runes shimmered into existence, swirling around him like a divine storm.

VMMM—

A massive energy sphere began to form in his palm, pulsing with raw, chaotic power. It was a fusion of every force he'd ever absorbed—unstable, violent, and utterly destructive.

"And who the hell do you think you are?" Ethan said coldly. "To me, you're nothing but a mutt with a few drops of dragon blood. Not even a real dragon. And you think you can threaten me? I'll turn you into paste."

Before the Fiend-Dragon could react, Ethan hurled the energy sphere straight at him.

BOOM!

It slammed into the creature's shoulder, detonating on impact. The force of it blew a gaping hole clean through his flesh, his aura collapsing in an instant.

"AAARGH!"

The scream echoed across the sky, raw and agonized. The other Sky Citadel Fiend-Dragons froze midair, eyes wide with horror. Not one of them dared to move.

But Ethan wasn't done.

He summoned another energy sphere—bigger, denser, even more unstable—and hurled it straight into their ranks.

VMMM—

BOOOOOOM!

The explosion tore through the sky like a wrathful god's judgment, obliterating everything in its path. A massive shockwave rippled outward, engulfing half the enemy force.

The Dragon God's power laced within the blast seeped into their bodies, targeting the fragile remnants of their dragon bloodline.

And it destroyed it.

The Skyfiend blood in them was strong, sure—but without the stabilizing force of their dragon heritage, their bodies began to break down. One by one, they dropped from the sky—some crashing into cliffs, others splattering on the rocks below.

Only then did the remaining Fiend-Dragons snap out of their daze.

They tried to rally, to fight back—but Ethan didn't give them the chance.

More energy spheres formed in his hands, one after another.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

He launched them like cannon fire, each one a miniature apocalypse.

"No way… how is he this powerful?!" Sycaron muttered, stunned. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The sheer force Ethan was unleashing, the divine aura radiating from him—it wasn't just Dragon God energy.

It felt like he was the Dragon God.

The remaining Fiend-Dragons didn't wait around to test their luck. Wings flapping in panic, they turned tail and fled, scrambling to escape with their lives.

Once they were gone, Sycaron dropped to one knee before Ethan without hesitation.

"My Lord," he said solemnly, "I acted in haste earlier and failed to form a proper pact. Please—grant me a drop of your blood. From this moment on, I am yours to command."

Ethan didn't say a word. He simply reached out and pressed a finger to Sycaron's forehead. A surge of Dragon God energy shot from his fingertip, flooding into Sycaron's body.

Sycaron's bloodline was already incredibly pure.

Now, with the Dragon God's power reinforcing it, he became something else entirely—stronger, more complete.

Ethan then sliced his fingertip, letting a single drop of blood fall onto Sycaron's brow.

VMMM—

A strange, ancient incantation suddenly echoed in Ethan's mind—complex, arcane, but somehow familiar. He began to chant it instinctively, and Sycaron joined in, their voices harmonizing in a deep, resonant rhythm.

Moments later, golden light burst from both of them, blinding and divine. A six-pointed star array formed beneath their feet, encircling them in radiant energy.

Dragon pacts were notoriously complicated.

Especially with high-tier dragons—those contracts were so intricate they could drive a lesser being mad.

But for Ethan, the words flowed effortlessly, as if they'd always been there, etched into his soul.

Like this was exactly who he was meant to be.

...