Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 216: Real target

An SS-rank mission—just seeing that prefix was enough to know how insanely difficult the final stage of this chain quest was going to be.

But even though the pressure was intense, Ethan couldn’t help feeling a little thrill of excitement.

Because for him, a high-difficulty mission didn’t just mean a tough challenge—it also meant the rewards would be off the charts. We’re talking treasure beyond imagination...

"Declaration of war..."

At that moment, the Naga Swordsman hero, Tarneth, stood trembling, his face twisted in rage as he glared at Ethan.

He stayed silent for a long moment.

Then finally let out a cold, heavy snort. "Hmph!"

"In that case, we’ll settle this on the battlefield. I hope the next time you see the Crimsonstar Kingdom’s army, you’ll still be standing tall... still smiling like that. Let’s go!"

Splash!

With that, Tarneth turned and dove into the sea, vanishing without a trace.

The thirty 14-Tier Mythic Units—those Sacred Kirins—followed right behind him.

Once they were gone, the sea surrounding the island outside the dimensional rift fell completely silent. The raging waves and crashing tides disappeared as if they’d never been there.

But in everyone’s hearts, a heavy weight remained.

No one could calm down.

"My Lord... are we really going to war with the Crimsonstar Kingdom?!" Draven asked, his face pale as a sheet.

There was a clear flicker of fear in his eyes.

"What, you scared?" Ethan asked with a smirk.

"It’s not that, it’s just... with our current strength, we’re no match for the Crimsonstar Kingdom!" Draven said, clearly worried. He knew exactly what kind of power that kingdom held.

"No match for them, huh?" Ethan chuckled, not taking it too seriously. "Tell me, Draven—how much do you actually know about the Crimsonstar Kingdom?"

"How much?" Draven blinked, then answered without hesitation. "Everything you’d want to know, I probably know."

As a former Pirate King, Draven had connections everywhere. The guy was practically a walking encyclopedia. Honestly, it wasn’t just the Crimsonstar Kingdom—he had the scoop on every nation across the surrounding seas.

That was the real reason he’d been able to rule the waves for so long, free and untouchable.

Sometimes, intel was more powerful than any army.

"You know everything? Good. Let’s start with their heroes," Ethan said.

"Right. From what I know, the Crimsonstar Kingdom has three orange-tier Legendary heroes, and over ten purple-tier Epics. The strongest among them is a 12-Tier Naga Swordmaster named Thalric."

"A 12-Tier Naga Swordmaster?" Ethan paused, his brow furrowing slightly.

In the world of Glory Lords X, a unit’s tier was practically a direct reflection of their power. For example, a hero born from a 13-Tier Legendary Unit might not necessarily be a Crimson Ultimate hero, but they’d definitely be among the top-tier orange Legendary class.

Likewise, a hero born from a 12-Tier Royal Unit might not be unbeatable among Legendary heroes, but they sure as hell weren’t weak.

From his experience, a 12-Tier unit-based hero would at least rank as a B-tier, maybe even A-tier orange Legendary.

And that... was definitely not good news.

"Mmm..."

Draven nodded, eyes flickering with fear. "Thalric awakened a second time a while back—his power’s off the charts. And that’s not all. The Crimsonstar Kingdom has nearly sixty 14-Tier Sacred Kirins, and hundreds more 13-Tier Kirins..."

"Wait—how the hell does Crimsonstar Kingdom have Mythic Units?" Ethan cut in, frowning. "Don’t tell me they’ve got a Sacred Kirin Creature Dwelling too?"

"Of course not..." Draven shook his head quickly. "Most of their Sacred Kirins were either bought, or handed over as rewards from the Tidesworn faction. Some were even strategically placed there."

Tidesworn...

As soon as Draven said the name, Ethan froze for a second—then it all clicked.

So that’s what was going on. The Crimsonstar Kingdom was backed by the Tidesworn faction. Their relationship was probably similar to the one between the Unicorn Duchy and the Castle faction—just without the same level of oppression.

"My Lord, aside from all that, Crimsonstar also has thousands of Royal Units—almost all of them naval forces. If it really comes down to a fight... our chances of winning are slim."

Draven’s voice was heavy with concern. "Maybe we should just cut our losses and get out of here. I mean, sure, this place has a Legendary Unit Kirin Creature Dwelling, but it’s not worth going head-to-head with Crimsonstar. If we push this too far, the consequences... the consequences could be..."

He trailed off.

He’d been about to say "the consequences could be catastrophic," but the words caught in his throat.

Because suddenly, he realized—he might’ve said too much.

...

But Ethan didn’t respond to Draven’s nervous silence. Instead, his eyes gleamed as he muttered under his breath, almost in awe, "Three orange-tier Legendary heroes... nearly sixty Mythic Units... hundreds of Legendary Units... and thousands of Royal Units... Yeah, that’s one hell of a naval powerhouse."

Then he turned to Draven again, his tone shifting slightly. "Draven, tell me—what’s the relationship like between the Crimsonstar Kingdom and the Unicorn Duchy?"

"Their... their relationship?" Draven blinked, caught off guard. Then he hesitated for a moment before answering, "It’s... okay, I guess. But the Crimsonstar Kingdom controls the key sea routes that connect the Unicorn Duchy to the Seven Seas. Because of that, the Duchy’s been completely blocked from establishing any real maritime trade. So... maybe their relationship is worse than I thought."

As he said that, Draven’s eyes suddenly lit up.

It was like a switch flipped in his head—he finally realized what Ethan might be planning.

"My Lord... you’re not thinking of—?"

Ethan just smiled and asked calmly, "What about other enemies? Besides the Unicorn Duchy, who else is Crimsonstar at odds with?"

"Oh, plenty!" Draven perked up, clearly more energized now. He nodded quickly. "To the southeast of Crimsonstar’s territory, you’ve got the Storm Kingdom, Gemspire Kingdom, Blazeblade Kingdom... basically the core of the Five Sea Kingdoms in the Second Sea Region."

"Because their borders touch and they’re constantly fighting over resources, Crimsonstar’s relationship with them is terrible. They’re practically always at war."

"That so?" Ethan’s smile widened. "Then this might just work."

He already had a full plan forming in his mind.

A moment later, he spoke softly, but with purpose.

"Draven."

"Here!"

"You’re going to head to the Five Sea Kingdoms as an official envoy of Emerald Castle. Don’t overcomplicate it—just tell them one thing: Emerald Castle has officially declared war on the Crimsonstar Kingdom." Ethan’s voice was calm, but there was steel behind it.

"Yes, sir!"

Then Ethan turned his gaze toward Auremax, who stood not far away.

"Auremax, go with him. Make it quick—go and come back fast."

Why bring Auremax along?

Simple.

As a Mythic Ace Unit, Auremax was a walking symbol of power. Ethan didn’t expect the Five Sea Kingdoms to throw their full weight behind him—but if they could just put a little pressure on Crimsonstar at the right moment, that would be more than enough.

Because Ethan’s real target... was the Unicorn Duchy.

With that thought, Ethan quietly left the Arcane Mistsea—the dimensional rift zone—along with Cicero and Queen Thalassa. They returned to the mainland, heading straight for the Unicorn Duchy.

...