Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory

"What?!" Vulkrath's pupils dilated in shock. He hadn't expected Ethan to unleash such overwhelming power. Instinctively, he tried to retreat—but the moment he moved, the space around him locked down tight.

"Vulkrath," Ethan's voice rang out, calm and cold. "You've come this far. Why rush to leave?"

Vulkrath's breath hitched. His eyes narrowed in disbelief. Ethan had called him by name.

"Get the hell away from me!" he roared, unleashing a violent surge of energy that slammed against the spatial barrier around him, trying to break free.

It wasn't just Ethan's power that rattled him—it was the fact that Ethan knew his name. That single detail sent a chill down his spine. A name no one should know. A name he'd buried deep.

He was the Lord of the Fourth Layer of the Sky Citadel. No one in this world should've known who he really was.

To everyone else, he was simply the Skyfiend Lord.

But Ethan had spoken his true name—Vulkrath—like it was nothing.

Which meant…

Ethan had seen through him. All of him.

He had to get out. Now.

"Who the hell are you?!" Vulkrath shouted, backing away fast, his voice laced with panic. "How do you know my name?!"

A strange, dark aura pulsed from his body, thick with destruction. The kind of energy that made your skin crawl and your soul flinch.

BZZZZT!

But Ethan didn't flinch. Not even a little.

The Dragon God's power surged from him like a tidal wave, pressing in on Vulkrath from all sides, shrinking the space around him, suffocating him in divine force.

On his own, Ethan might not have been able to overpower Vulkrath. But right now, he wasn't alone.

He was fused with Idra.

And the power they unleashed together was monstrous—enough to crush even a Skyfiend Lord.

The dragon army that had followed Ethan into battle hovered in the air, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes and stunned expressions.

They knew exactly what kind of threat a Skyfiend posed.

And this one—Vulkrath—was on a whole other level. His power was terrifying, his presence oppressive.

But now?

Now he looked helpless. Trapped. Powerless in the face of Ethan's wrath.

It was unreal.

BZZZZT!

Just as Ethan was about to unleash the final blow—pour everything he had into one devastating strike to end Vulkrath once and for all—

Something shifted inside him.

A strange energy ripple surged through his body.

Idra suddenly separated from him, her form glowing faintly as she floated into the air.

She looked pale. Drained.

The long fusion had clearly taken a toll on her.

And the moment she fully emerged, her body went limp—collapsing straight into Ethan's arms.

"Idra!" Ethan's eyes went wide. "Shit!"

With Idra no longer fused with him, the godlike power he'd been wielding vanished in an instant.

He couldn't risk staying in close combat now.

He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and retreated—landing atop the walls of Emerald Castle.

The moment the soldiers saw him, they rushed to his side.

But Ethan didn't waste time explaining. He just pointed up at Vulkrath, still trapped in the air.

"Attack," he ordered, voice sharp. "All of you. Hit him with everything you've got. We can't let him live—he's too dangerous."

"Yes, My Lord!"

"RAAAAH! ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!"

The army didn't hesitate. Not for a second.

They surged into the sky like a tidal wave of fury.

Vulkrath, still locked in place by the spatial seal, could only watch in horror as hundreds of dragons closed in on him from every direction.

His fear hit its peak.

BOOOOOOM!

"Die, you bastard!" Elira was the first to strike, launching herself forward like a comet. Her power exploded outward in a blinding surge, tearing through the air with devastating force.

"What?! You're a Skytear Demon Moth?! And this strong?!" Vulkrath's voice cracked with panic as he hovered helplessly in the air.

Elira's strength was undeniable—she was a peak Tier 16 SS-class powerhouse, every bit as formidable as Vulkrath himself. And with the others backing her up, there was no question.

He was going to die.

That realization hit Vulkrath like a hammer to the chest. His face twisted in sheer terror, his body trembling, skin turning ashen.

And that was just the beginning.

One after another, the others joined the assault—Ataneya, Andona, Elira, Seraphina, Cicero, Namyanna, Feylora—each unleashing their full power in a relentless, coordinated onslaught.

They didn't give him a second to breathe.

Within moments, Vulkrath was overwhelmed—his body torn apart by the combined might of Emerald Castle's elite.

He was obliterated.

Ethan finally exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing. "It's done," he muttered.

With the threat eliminated, he gave the order for everyone to return to Emerald Castle. This battle had pushed them far enough. They needed time to regroup, recover, and prepare for the next phase of their assault on the Sky Citadel.

Especially Idra.

Though she'd proven herself incredibly powerful, she was still newly reborn—too young, too fragile. Her collapse during the fight had made that painfully clear.

He needed to find a way to help her grow stronger. Fast.

And so, time passed.

Weeks turned into months.

Emerald Castle rebuilt, trained, and fortified. The scars of battle faded, but the fire in their hearts only burned hotter.

Until one day—

BOOOOOOM!

A thunderous roar shattered the sky above Emerald Castle.

ROAR!

ROAR!

ROAR!

"Come out, you cowards!"

"You worthless trash! I'm here to crush you all!"

The sky darkened as a wave of terrifying energy swept across the land. Dozens—no, hundreds—of Sky Citadel Fiend-Dragons descended from the clouds, their presence warping the very air around them.

And at the front of the horde, three monstrous Skyfiends hovered like living disasters, their power radiating in crushing waves.

But they weren't the most terrifying thing.

Above them, higher in the sky, floated a lone figure—young, cloaked in golden runes that shimmered like fire.

He wasn't just a Skyfiend.

He carried the blood of dragons, demons, and something else—something ancient.

His power was immense. Tier 16 SS-class, pushed to the absolute limit.

He was on the brink of breaking into SSS.

A monster.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, his expression unreadable. "So… they're serious this time," he muttered. "That one… he's no joke."

The pressure this guy gave off—it reminded him of the Holy Fox Sovereign. That same suffocating, god-tier presence.

But they weren't the same people they were back then.

They were stronger now.

And they would win.

The heroes of Emerald Castle rose into the sky, forming a wall of power against the incoming threat. Ethan didn't hesitate—he shot forward, straight toward the golden-marked figure.

"So you're the so-called Lord of Emerald Castle?" the young man sneered, voice dripping with arrogance. "Didn't expect a human. But I'll admit… your power's interesting. Submit to me, and maybe I'll find you a place in the Sky Citadel."

Ethan's brow furrowed. This guy was seriously full of himself.

He casually glanced at the man's status panel, then let out a cold laugh.

"Zerathor," he said, voice sharp as a blade. "Don't think that just because you've got three bloodlines running through your veins, you're untouchable. You're not. You're not even the strongest thing I've seen. Hell, there are people in my army who could kill you."

Zerathor's eyes went wide.

He stared at Ethan like he was looking at a ghost.

His name—Zerathor—was a secret. A closely guarded one. No outsider should've known it.

And yet Ethan had said it without hesitation.

Before he could even react—

BOOM!

A streak of light slammed into the air beside him.

Idra.

She hovered in the sky, her silver-white hair flowing like starlight, her eyes locked on Zerathor with icy contempt.

"Skyfiends…" she said, her voice low and venomous. "My blood remembers you. I remember your kind groveling before my ancestors. You were nothing but rats, scurrying in the shadows. And now you dare show your teeth?"

Zerathor's face twisted—first confusion, then horror.

"You… you're—?!"

His pupils shrank to pinpricks.

"A pure-blooded Primordial Celestial Dragon… a Dragon God?!"

...