Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 459: Emerald Castle can’t be allowed to exist any longer

Ethan had been racking his brain for a while, trying to figure out where that sudden 8% jump in Orryn’s evolution progress had come from... The only possible explanation he could think of was the mission reward they’d received after taking down Maelthorak.

But the problem was—Orryn hadn’t even been there for that fight, had he?

How the hell do you get a mission reward without even showing up?

Ethan shook his head. "Whatever. Not gonna overthink it. It’s a good thing either way. If Orryn’s already over 80% evolved, then..."

He reached into his inventory and pulled out the last piece of Zylarion’s Arcstone, handing it over to Orryn. "Here, take this. It’s a Zylarion’s Arcstone. It’ll give your evolution progress a direct boost—should help push you into Hero Unit territory. With your current strength and this thing, you should be able to make it. Go on, it’s yours."

"My Lord... this—this is really for me?!" Orryn froze for a second, then lit up like a kid on his birthday.

Ethan chuckled. "I’m literally handing it to you, aren’t I?" He tossed the Arcstone to him with a grin. "Orryn, next time we meet, I want to see you as a Crimson Ultimate Hero. Make it happen."

"Honored and mighty Lord, thank you for your gift! I swear I won’t let you down!" Orryn said solemnly, clutching the Arcstone like it was the most precious thing in the world.

"Go on..." Ethan waved him off, then turned to the others, his expression sobering. "Let’s head back. This was probably just a probe, a test run. But next time? It won’t be that simple. We need to be ready before that happens."

"Yes, Master!"

"Understood, my Lord!"

With that, the group began making their way back to Emerald Castle.

...

Back at Emerald Castle.

...

Thick, sulfurous smoke hung in the air, stinging the nose with its acrid stench. Rivers of molten lava bubbled and churned, radiating an oppressive heat that made your scalp prickle.

BZZZZT. BZZZZT. BZZZZT...

The air shimmered with spatial distortion, and within moments, a swarm of high-tier demons began to materialize—13th Tier Inferno Devils, followed by towering 14th Tier Inferno Arch Devils.

Among them stood a familiar figure—the same 14th Tier Mythic Ace Unit, the Inferno Arch Devil Azareth, who had previously appeared in Sylvanwood.

But this time, the usual elegant smirk on his face was gone.

In its place was a cold, grim expression.

"Azareth. You’ve returned?" a voice echoed from the void, deep and resonant.

Azareth snapped to attention, his gaze lifting toward the sky. "Lord Malgrath!"

FWOOOM.

The air twisted violently as a massive figure emerged from the smoke-choked heavens—an ancient, terrifying presence that radiated pure malice and power. His expression was stone-cold, his eyes like burning coals.

This was no ordinary demon.

This was Malgrath—the Inferno faction’s King-tier powerhouse.

A 13th Tier Legendary Unit.

A Crimson Ultimate Hero.

An Inferno Devil of terrifying renown.

"Is the mission complete?" Malgrath asked, his voice like a blade of ice.

Azareth bowed his head slightly, his eyes flickering. "I’m afraid... the mission may have failed, my lord."

"Failed?"

Malgrath’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of something unreadable passing through them. "Even with you personally involved... it still failed?" He shook his head slowly, his tone flat. "Explain."

"The Emerald Castle’s defenses were far stronger than anticipated," Azareth said, his voice low. "I encountered a Gold Dragon—also a 14th Tier Mythic Ace Unit. And... he was stronger than me."

"Is that so?"

Malgrath paused, his expression unreadable.

But in his eyes, a flicker of surprise finally broke through.

Even though Azareth was technically his subordinate now, Malgrath knew better than to treat him like just another underling.

Because the truth was—Azareth had a background so powerful, so dangerous, that even Malgrath himself... couldn’t help but feel a twinge of unease around him. Maybe even fear.

Azareth liked to say it often, almost like a mantra: "I am the descendant of a god."

And the thing was—he wasn’t bluffing.

He wasn’t boasting.

He wasn’t delusional.

He was telling the truth.

Azareth really was the bloodline descendant of one of the Inferno faction’s most ancient and terrifying divine beings.

And that wasn’t all.

As a 14th Tier Mythic Ace Unit—an Inferno Arch Devil—Azareth wasn’t just riding on his lineage. His own power, his evolution progress, his combat ability... they were all top-tier.

He was strong.

Very strong.

Sure, he hadn’t yet reached the threshold to evolve into a Hero Unit—but that didn’t change the fact that, among Ace Units, Azareth was a monster.

One of the best.

In fact, Ace Units of Azareth’s caliber were rare even within the Inferno ranks.

So rare, in fact, that there might actually be fewer of them than Crimson Ultimate Heroes.

Because while Crimson Ultimate Heroes were undeniably powerful and rare, they were a broader category—encompassing both 13th Tier Legendary Units and 14th Tier Mythic Units.

Especially those Crimson Ultimate Heroes who came from the 13th Tier Legendary Units—like the D-rank or C-rank ones—they weren’t exactly common, but they weren’t unheard of either in the Inferno faction.

But someone like Azareth?

A 14th Tier Mythic Ace Unit?

That was a whole different league.

Among all the 14th Tier Mythic Ace Units in the entire Inferno faction, Azareth’s strength and evolution progress easily ranked in the top 1%—maybe even the top 0.1%.

That was no small feat.

It was a staggering level of power.

And yet... here he was, admitting that someone else was stronger than him.

What did that mean?

It meant that Gold Dragon—whoever the hell he was—had an evolution progress that likely surpassed Azareth’s.

Higher than his.

And that was saying something.

Everyone knew the pecking order when it came to raw power at the same Tier level across factions: Angels, Devils, and Black Dragons were always at the top. The rest—Legendary or Mythic Units from other factions—were generally a step below.

But now?

Now there was a Gold Dragon whose strength outclassed Azareth’s.

There was only one explanation for that.

His evolution progress wasn’t just higher—it was significantly higher.

There had to be a real gap between them for Azareth to feel it so clearly. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Malgrath’s eyes narrowed instinctively at the thought, a cold gleam flashing in their depths.

If that Gold Dragon was already this strong now...

Then letting Emerald Castle continue to grow was a risk they couldn’t afford.

His voice dropped, low and icy.

"In that case... Emerald Castle can’t be allowed to exist any longer. We need to crush them—before they become a real threat."

...

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