Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory

"This kind of seal... it's not just me," the old Sovereign rasped, his voice hoarse with pain and resignation, "even someone stronger than I am—once these chains bind them here, the curse of our people will drag them into the abyss. There's no escaping it."

But—

Now that Ethan understood how it worked...

He wanted to try breaking it.

He took a deep breath.

In the next instant, his power exploded outward, flooding the entire cave.

BOOM!

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...

Ethan wielded the power of the Dragon God, along with the strength of countless dragon bloodlines. On top of that, he carried the forces of darkness and destruction. Maybe—just maybe—he could absorb the curse into himself and neutralize it.

As he channeled his energy, drawing in the cursed power around him—

His body suddenly convulsed violently.

Cough cough!

"AAAH!"

The moment the cursed energy entered his body, it began tearing through his flesh like a thousand blades.

In an instant—

A wave of pain unlike anything he'd ever felt before tore through him.

It nearly knocked him out cold.

"Enough. Stop it," the old Sovereign said with a sigh, his voice heavy with helplessness. "I told you, this is the work of the Skyfiend Overlord. You're strong, no doubt—but you're not strong enough to undo this. Not yet. Let it go."

He stared at Ethan, and the sheer determination in the young man's eyes—so fierce it bordered on suicidal—made something stir deep inside him. After a long pause, he gave a bitter smile and murmured, "This kid... reminds me of myself back in the day."

Then, after a moment, he shook his head and chuckled softly. "I'm already as good as dead. Even if you freed me now, I wouldn't last much longer... But the Primordial Force of the Adamant Dragon Sovereign still slumbers within me. It's enough to purify this seal—and it might just help you survive the curse."

"What?" Ethan froze, stunned. "Wait—what do you mean?!"

The old Sovereign laughed, a low, weary sound. Then he reached out and placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Kid, take it. I know what you're after. I can't help you anymore... but what little power I have left—that, I can give you."

"If I'm going to die anyway, I'd rather pass this strength on than let it rot away in this prison."

"I'm giving you everything I've got…"

"But in return—you have to save our Adamant Dragon clan. Promise me that."

As his words fell—

BOOM!

RUMBLE!

RUMBLE!

The old Sovereign's power surged into Ethan like a tidal wave.

Pure Adamant Dragon energy, laced with the surrounding curse and the overwhelming aura of ancient dragons, poured into him all at once. Ethan's body trembled violently under the pressure.

The pain was unbearable. The raw, chaotic power threatened to tear him apart—but under the protection of the old Sovereign's Primordial Force, he somehow endured. Not only that—his strength skyrocketed to a level he'd never imagined.

DING!

"Congratulations, player Valkarion. Your Tier has reached SSS-Class, Tier 16!"

System notifications chimed one after another, echoing in Ethan's ears—

And with each one, his body underwent a complete transformation.

Buzz!

Buzz!

Buzz!

…

No one knew how much time had passed. The old Sovereign's body had withered to the point of collapse, and even the cursed energy embedded in the chains and walls had been completely absorbed into Ethan.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

The old Sovereign hacked violently, then collapsed to the ground, barely clinging to life.

"Old Sovereign!" Ethan rushed forward, trying to help him up—but the moment he touched him, the old dragon's arm crumbled into ash.

"What the—?!" Ethan's eyes widened in shock.

"Hahaha… Go," the old Sovereign laughed, his voice weak but full of pride. "I've given you everything I had. I just hope you can save the Adamant Dragon clan. But if… if my people have already fallen under the control of the Skyfiends from Sky Citadel, if they've gone too far to come back—then I beg you, kill them. Don't let them become pawns of those monsters."

Shhhhhh…

As his final words faded, the old Sovereign's body began to dissolve, scattering into ash and drifting away on the wind.

"…Damn," Ethan muttered, exhaling a long breath. He didn't know what to say. There was no time to mourn. Not now. Not when he had this power. Not when the Skyfiends were still out there.

"Father, let's go kill them!" Idra said urgently, her eyes burning with fury. "With our strength now, we can take them!"

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. Let's end this."

…

The moment they burst out of the abyss, they were surrounded.

From all directions, Adamant Dragon warriors surged toward them, bloodlust blazing in their eyes like wildfire.

One massive dragon roared, "There they are! The intruders—crush them!"

BOOM!

The entire swarm of dragons charged like a hurricane, the air itself trembling under the force of their assault.

Ethan didn't flinch. He hovered midair, calm and cold.

Then—he opened his mouth and let out a roar.

A true Dragon God's roar.

It cracked like thunder across the battlefield, shaking the heavens.

An invisible wave of pressure slammed down like a mountain. The ground split open beneath it, and the air warped under the sheer force.

The Adamant Dragons froze mid-charge. One by one, they dropped from the sky, knees buckling, eyes going from blood-red to blank. The sickly black-gold flames that had been clinging to their bodies flickered and dimmed.

"You think you can kill me?" Ethan's voice was ice.

Before they could even react, he shot forward.

One punch.

He slammed his fist into the ground, and the shockwave exploded outward like a bomb.

Every Adamant Dragon in the area was knocked unconscious on the spot.

Two of the weaker ones didn't even get that far—their bones shattered, skulls bursting open in a spray of blood and gore.

Buzz!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

…

The chaos didn't go unnoticed.

The tremors shook the entire region, and soon, the main forces of the Adamant Dragon clan were on the move.

And with them—came the Adamant Dragon Sovereign himself.

And worse…

Vorath.

The Skyfiend Overlord from Sky Citadel.

But something was off.

Vorath's power—it had grown. A lot.

And Ethan could feel it—he was using Adamant Dragon energy.

He'd devoured them.

He was feeding on the very dragons he'd corrupted.

Ethan's eyes narrowed, a storm of fury brewing behind them.

"You sick bastard…"

BOOM!

Power exploded from Ethan's body like a tidal wave.

He didn't hesitate—he launched himself forward and threw a punch straight at Vorath.

"You're dead!"

Vorath sneered. "Fool."

He met Ethan's punch head-on.

CRACK!

BOOOOOOM!

Their fists collided with a deafening shockwave. The impact twisted the air, warping space itself. Cracks spiderwebbed through the sky like shattered glass.

Ethan's eyes narrowed further. The energy inside him surged wildly.

He raised his hand.

The Dragon God's power and the old Sovereign's Primordial Force clashed inside him like two raging beasts—then fused.

In his palm, a sphere of light began to form.

It started small, the size of a fist—but it grew fast, swelling with blinding energy. The heat distorted the air, and sharp crackling sounds echoed as it reached critical mass.

Ethan roared, "DIE!" and hurled the orb forward.

At the same time, Vorath didn't retreat. He smirked, his body flickering like a shadow, becoming a twisted mirage of dark energy. Blood-red power oozed from his skin, spiraling into a vortex that met Ethan's golden light head-on.

BOOOOOOM!

The two forces collided midair—

And the world exploded in light.

...