Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 160: Chaos Hydra Thal’Zor

"Yes, Master!"

Boom!

Seraphina nodded without hesitation and shot off toward the depths of Emerald Castle like a streak of lightning.

And just like that, within two or three hours tops, the six elite unit heroes of Emerald Castle—minus Cicero—had all returned. Seraphina, Elyra, Eldorin, Bromir, Lilith, and Elynn were back in full force!

Every single one of them gathered in the castle’s war room.

"So, you called us all back—does this mean we’re going to war?" Elyra asked eagerly the moment she stepped in, her white robes flowing behind her, the thunder-shaped unicorn horn on her forehead gleaming with energy.

She looked fired up, practically bouncing on her heels, ready to go.

She’d been roaming all over Sylvanwood lately, grinding monsters and leveling up nonstop. And now? She’d hit level 32.

Sure, level 32 wasn’t exactly god-tier, but it wasn’t low either—especially considering that Seraphina and Cicero were still in their twenties.

Her fast leveling wasn’t just because she wasn’t a Crimson Ultimate hero—meaning her XP bar was way shorter than Cicero’s or Seraphina’s. The real reason?

She worked her ass off.

Day in, day out, she pushed herself to the limit. And now, with her power surging, she was itching for a real battle—something epic, something worthy of Emerald Castle’s name.

Part of it was the thrill of showing off her strength, sure. But more than that, she wanted Ethan to see how far she’d come. She wanted him to notice the blood, sweat, and sleepless nights she’d poured into getting stronger.

She wanted his approval. His praise.

Because just like Seraphina and Cicero, Elyra wasn’t just any hero—she was one of the few Ethan had personally hatched and summoned from an egg. Her loyalty to him ran deep. Deeper than words.

She’d die for him without hesitation.

Not that Eldorin, Bromir, or Lilith weren’t loyal—they were. But there were levels to this.

To put it simply: if Emerald Castle were ever under siege, on the brink of falling, unless Ethan himself ordered them to retreat, Elynn, Seraphina, Cicero, and Elyra would fight to the bitter end. They’d burn through every last soldier, every last drop of mana, and when there was nothing left—they’d take their own lives before surrendering.

Eldorin, Bromir, and Lilith?

They might not make it that far.

That’s why, for Elyra, earning Ethan’s recognition wasn’t just a nice bonus—it was everything. A badge of honor. A mark of worth.

So any chance to prove herself, to shine in front of him?

She was going to grab it with both hands and never let go.

"Yeah, looks like we might be heading into a war," Ethan said, his tone calm but serious. "And the enemy could be pretty damn strong. That’s why I called all of you back. But for now, we still need to wait for Cicero’s report before we make any moves."

"Honored Master, I’m ready to fight for you!" Elyra burst out, practically glowing with excitement the moment she heard there might be a battle.

"Lord Ethan, I have something to report," Lilith said suddenly, her voice cool and composed.

Ethan turned to her. "What is it?"

"It’s about the dungeon entrance at Verdant Ravine," she began. "Lately, there’s been a noticeable uptick in activity coming from that dungeon zone."

She paused, then added, "And just a few days ago, I spotted them trying to attack the Phoenix’s Creature Dwelling. I didn’t get too close—I was worried they’d detect me, so I kept my distance."

"They tried to take the Phoenix’s dwelling?" Ethan’s expression darkened, his brows knitting together. "And? What happened?"

"They failed, I think," Lilith replied, shaking her head. Still, her face remained tense. "But, my lord, you know how dungeon armies operate. They don’t do anything halfway. If they want something, they’ll throw everything they’ve got at it until they get it. That’s what worries me..."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed, his gaze flickering with intensity. His jaw tightened.

"Damn it... when it rains, it pours."

He muttered under his breath, then exhaled slowly and shook his head. "Alright. I hear you. But we’ll have to put that on hold for now. We’ve got more immediate problems to deal with. Besides, the Phoenix’s forces aren’t exactly pushovers. They should be able to hold them off for a while, right?"

"Yes, my lord..." Lilith nodded, backing off without pressing further.

"Eldorin," Ethan said, turning toward him and Bromir. "What’s the situation on your end?"

He had tasked the two of them with leading scouting and expansion efforts to the northwest—mapping out new territory, gathering intel, and locating valuable resources like high-grade gold mines, rare materials, and powerful creature dwellings.

"Lord Ethan," Eldorin began, standing tall. "Over the past few weeks, we’ve discovered one Major Gold Mine, three Large Gold Mines, and five more of Medium and Small size. We’ve also located eight mid-tier resource points, eleven small ones, and nearly twenty 7- and 8-Tier Creature Dwellings. On top of that, we found six 9- and 10-Tier dwellings, two 11-Tier Psychic Elemental dwellings, and—most notably—one 12-Tier War Unicorn dwelling: an Upgrade Unicorn Glade."

"Upgrade Unicorn Glade?" Ethan blinked, then his eyes lit up with excitement. "You mean the Forest faction’s 12-Tier Royal Unit dwelling? The War Unicorn’s? An actual Upgrade Unicorn Glade?!"

"...A War Unicorn Creature Dwelling? An upgraded Unicorn Glade?!"

"That’s right," Eldorin nodded immediately.

"Damn, that’s some serious luck..."

Ethan couldn’t help getting excited. Sure, it wasn’t a Tier-13 Legendary Unit dwelling, but those were rare as hell—practically impossible to just stumble across.

And this? This was the next best thing.

A Tier-12 Royal Unit dwelling.

That was the real deal.

Even better—Elyra was a Unicorn Hero.

Her innate abilities gave a power boost to any unicorn-type unit. Which meant, whether it was a Tier-11 Unicorn or a Tier-12 War Unicorn, once they were under Elyra’s command, it was a win-win.

A total game-changer.

Honestly, no exaggeration—whether it was the Tier-11 Unicorns or the Tier-12 War Unicorns, once they were under the command of Elyra, a Legendary-tier orange-ranked Unicorn Hero, their combat power would skyrocket. They’d be punching at the level of hidden special units of the same tier.

The value here? Absolutely insane.

"Eldorin, where is it? Mark it for me. As soon as we’re done dealing with the current Behemoth group, we’re heading out to take that upgraded Unicorn Glade!" Ethan said decisively.

"My lord, I’ve already asked Elynn to draw up the map. Please take a look," Eldorin replied calmly.

"Here you go, Master."

At that moment, Elynn walked over to Ethan and handed him a rolled-up map.

"Thanks, Elynn," Ethan said as he took it from her.

"It’s my honor to ease your burdens, Master," Elynn replied with a soft smile. "Also, all of Emerald Castle’s elite forces have been fully assembled."

"How many do we have?"

"One Green Dragon, Tier-13. One Ancient War Tree, also Tier-13. Two Cyclops Kings, Tier-12. One Naga Queen, Tier-12. Five Unicorns, Tier-11. Three Psychic Elementals, Tier-11. Thirty Ancient Treant Soldiers, Tier-10. Fifty Elven Pegasus Knights, Tier-10. And five Sun Deer, also Tier-10..." Elynn listed them off like she had the numbers memorized.

Honestly? That force was terrifying.

Especially with the full stat boosts from their unit heroes, this army could easily tear through weaker, second-rate kingdoms like a hurricane of blood and fire.

And that’s not even counting the seven powerhouse unit heroes holding down the fort at Emerald Castle.

First off, Seraphina, Cicero, and Elyra—those three together could casually wipe out, or even straight-up slaughter, thirty to fifty Tier-13 Legendary Units in the wild.

Then there were Eldorin and Lilith. They were no slouches either. If they teamed up, taking on thirty to fifty Tier-13 wild Legendary Units wouldn’t be a problem.

And Bromir and Elynn?

Even solo, they could go toe-to-toe with Tier-13 wild Legendary Units.

This kind of power? It was already top-tier.

As long as they didn’t run headfirst into a swarm of over a hundred wild Legendary Units, they’d be just fine.

"So without even realizing it... my power’s already grown this much, huh?" Ethan murmured, a note of awe in his voice. Then he looked around at the others and said, "Until Cicero gets back with intel, I want everyone to stay put. Don’t go wandering off—remain inside Emerald Castle."

"As you command, my honored master!"

"Yes, sir..."

"Understood, Master!"

...

Night fell.

The winds howled across the Fury Wasteland, as bitter and cutting as ever—but tonight, they carried an extra chill. A deeper, more ominous cold.

"Chieftain, all our kin have gathered. We’ve got fifty-seven Tier-13 Hydras, and eleven Tier-14 Chaos Hydras ready to move!"

A harsh, guttural voice echoed through the pitch-black dunes. From the distance, a massive, grotesque Chaos Hydra slithered forward, leading a swarm of Tier-13 Hydras and the elite Tier-14 Chaos Hydras behind him.

His eyes were cold. His entire body radiated raw, violent energy.

And the one standing before him?

None other than the King of Hydras from Ashenwood—

The Tier-14 Mythic Unit: Chaos Hydra Thal’Zor.

Thal’Zor was a monster in every sense of the word.

In the southern reaches of Sylvanwood, his power was second only to one being—Balthazar, the King of the Behemoths. And between the two of them? There was nothing but blood and vengeance.

Balthazar’s father had been slain by Thal’Zor.

And Thal’Zor’s younger brother? Hunted down and killed by Balthazar after he came of age, in a brutal act of revenge.

Hydras had nine heads—eighteen eyes in total.

But Thal’Zor? Several of his eyes were already blind. And more than half of those injuries? Courtesy of Balthazar himself.

Add to that the humiliation of being second-best for millennia...

Always beneath Balthazar. Always overshadowed.

That hatred had festered into something monstrous.

Blinded eyes. A murdered brother. An eternity of being number two.

Balthazar owed him a blood debt.

And Thal’Zor was here to collect.

"Where’s Vorrak?" Thal’Zor growled, his voice low and laced with killing intent.

"No idea," replied the other Tier-14 Chaos Hydra. "But he said he’d bring his forces and strike the Behemoths at the critical moment. A fatal blow."

Thal’Zor was silent for a moment. Then he muttered, voice thick with menace, "Vorrak... you better not be playing games. Or I swear, I’ll make your death slow and agonizing."

BOOM.

As he spoke, Thal’Zor rose to his full, terrifying height.

A monstrous, grotesque mass of muscle and scale—like a living mountain cloaked in shadow.

BOOM.

A wave of killing intent exploded outward from him.

Cold. Suffocating. Absolutely lethal.

"Move out! Tonight, we wipe those damn Behemoths off the face of the earth—down to the last one!"

And as the Hydra horde slithered off into the night, a figure emerged from the shadows of the nearby dunes.

Cicero.

His expression was grim as he whispered to himself, "So it’s the Hydras of Ashenwood teaming up with the Venomspike Manticores of Obsidian Ridge? They’re planning to wipe out the Behemoth Lair? No... I’ve got to get back and warn the Master—now!"

BOOM!

With a surge of energy, Cicero vanished in a flash, racing back toward Emerald Castle at full speed.

...