Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory

VMMM!

VMMM!

VMMM!

The air trembled with energy as Ethan raised his hand and sliced through the void with a single motion.

In an instant, several swirling vortexes of light burst into existence—but these weren't portals.

They were like mirrors, suspended in midair, each one reflecting a different view of the Adamant Dragon Plane World. Through them, Ethan could observe everything happening inside the realm in real time.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh…

Inside the shattered Plane World, the Celestial Dragons and other dragonkin had already begun their frenzy.

The moment they stepped foot into the ruined realm, they dove headfirst into the thick, lingering Adamant Essence that saturated the air—greedily absorbing it like starving beasts.

Some of them, especially those with strong bloodlines, immediately began to show results. The moment the essence entered their bodies, their energy surged. Their auras flared brighter, and their Tiers began to climb rapidly.

But others weren't so lucky.

Dragons with weaker bloodlines—or those still stuck at lower Tiers—started to suffer the moment the Adamant Essence entered their systems. Their bodies couldn't handle it.

The power began tearing them apart from the inside.

Screams echoed through the realm.

"AAAHHH!"

Some collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony, their scales splitting open, blood spraying as the essence ravaged their flesh.

It was clear—if they kept going, they'd be shredded into pieces.

Ethan didn't hesitate.

Expression cold and unreadable, he raised his hand and instantly teleported the struggling dragons out of the Plane World, pulling them to safety.

If they couldn't handle it, then that was that.

No point in forcing it.

As he watched, a few familiar figures approached from behind—Seraphina, Cicero, and several other Hero Units from the dragon clans. Their eyes were fixed on the mirror-like vortexes, curiosity gleaming in their gazes.

"Master," Seraphina asked, tilting her head slightly, "can we give it a try?"

"Of course," Ethan nodded without hesitation. "Go ahead."

Without another word, they leapt into the portal, disappearing into the Adamant Dragon Plane World.

But unlike the others, these Hero Units were already incredibly powerful. Their energy signatures were stable, their elemental affinities long since crystallized. The Adamant Essence, while potent, wasn't a perfect match for them.

And because of that, the boost they received was minimal.

Unless the essence was uniquely compatible with their core attributes, it wouldn't do much.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before Seraphina and the others returned—looking… unimpressed.

Their expressions were calm, but it was obvious from their body language: the results were underwhelming.

Ethan let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Figures…"

It was a shame.

But just then—

A few more figures suddenly darted into the Adamant Dragon Plane World!

Ethan squinted for a better look—

Wait, was that… Elira and Ataneya?!

"What the hell?" Ethan's eyes widened in disbelief. The Adamant Essence was packed with insanely potent draconic energy. Even actual dragons were struggling to absorb it—what were those two doing jumping in there like it was nothing?

But then again… Ataneya was a whole different story. A full-blown Tier 16, SSS-rank powerhouse. She'd already devoured the power of the Adamant Dragon Sovereign once before. For her, this was child's play.

As for Elira…

She wasn't exactly lagging behind either. Her strength was terrifying in its own right—already standing at the threshold of Tier 16, just one step away from breaking through.

Sure, on the surface, her power didn't seem to have much in common with the Adamant Dragons' energy…

But somehow, she was totally fine.

In fact, she was absorbing the Adamant Essence—and the Primordial Force left behind by the Adamant Dragons—like it was made for her.

"She can actually handle it?" Ethan muttered, stunned.

He watched closely. The moment the Primordial Force entered her body, there was no backlash, no pain—nothing. Instead, it shimmered with a terrifying brilliance, resonating with her own power and merging seamlessly.

It was like the two forces were made to fit together.

"So this power… isn't exclusive to dragons after all?" Ethan finally realized, the pieces clicking into place.

He'd been thinking too narrowly.

And now that his mind had opened up, a new idea sparked to life.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and then he raised his voice, commanding with authority:

"All Hero Units and regular troops under Emerald Castle—listen up!"

"Everyone, enter the Adamant Dragon Plane World immediately. Try to absorb the Adamant Essence. Do it now—right away! If you can handle it, great. If not, don't push it. Back out immediately!"

…

"ROAR!"

"RAAAHH!"

"GRRRRAAAHH!"

…

BOOOOM!

"Yes, my Lord!"

"Understood!"

…

In an instant, the Hero Units and regular troops of Emerald Castle erupted with excitement. Without hesitation, they surged forward, charging into the Adamant Dragon Plane World like a tidal wave.

They'd all seen what happened earlier.

Sure, some had failed—but others had succeeded. The dragons who'd entered had, to varying degrees, absorbed the Primordial Force within the Adamant Essence.

Their physical strength, their Tier levels—everything had spiked.

It was like a shortcut to a massive power-up.

And for soldiers, that kind of opportunity was irresistible.

Even better, the entire Plane World was under their Lord's control. If anything went wrong, he could pull them out in an instant.

With that safety net in place, they had nothing to fear.

So they charged in, fired up and eager to test their luck.

BZZZZ!

BZZZZ!

BZZZZ!

…

RUMBLE!

And just like that, with so many people flooding in at once, the energy flow within the Adamant Dragon Plane World surged dramatically.

The Adamant Essence began pouring into their bodies in waves.

Of course, not everyone was lucky.

Some succeeded—but many didn't.

In fact, the failure rate was over 80%.

At first, Ethan was visibly concerned.

That was a pretty damn high failure rate. If this ended up triggering some hidden side effect or backlash, it could be a disaster.

But thankfully, things didn't spiral out of control.

Despite the high number of failures, the ones who did succeed gained a lot.

Take Sacred Kirin Kyros, for example—

And the rest of the Kirin clan under him…

No one had expected it, but they turned out to be incredibly compatible with the Adamant Dragons' Primordial Force.

Their success rate was off the charts, and their power levels shot up like rockets.

Ethan finally exhaled, relief washing over him.

And not just relief—he was getting excited.

If things kept going like this, it wouldn't be long before his entire army leveled up across the board.

But just as he was starting to feel good about it—

Something went wrong.

...