Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 907: When the Sea Bowed

Varaxis's hand trembled slightly as he gripped the gemstone—but in his eyes, a fire had begun to burn. Wild. Unhinged.

He had no way back.

Without absolute power, the Empire would be torn apart in days.

No more hesitation.

Varaxis turned and bolted from the throne hall, heading straight for the forbidden core of the Nether Sea.

A place all living things avoided.

A place known only as a graveyard.

According to legend—

Anything that ventured near that cursed stretch of ocean would be dragged into the abyss by the ancient sea monster sleeping beneath the waves: the Kraken. Torn apart. Never seen again.

Varaxis had grown up hearing those stories.

Tales of a monstrous being slumbering in the deep, waiting to devour anything foolish enough to approach its domain.

He'd always scoffed at them.

Legends were for scaring children.

But the moment that blood-red gemstone landed in his palm, a cold, crushing resonance shot up his arm and pierced straight into his heart.

And in that instant, he knew—

This time, the legend might be real.

Varaxis took a deep breath and slowly raised the gemstone into the air.

It pulsed.

And then the sea tore open.

The once-still surface erupted into chaos. Black waves rose like mountains, crashing over each other. Storm clouds spiraled overhead, thunder rumbling deep within the sky.

A massive shadow began to rise from the depths.

Its full form hadn't even surfaced, but the pressure it exuded was already suffocating—so real it felt like the entire Nether Sea was trembling with each breath it took.

The Kraken.

Tentacles thick as mountain ridges burst from the water, splitting the sea with deafening cracks. Dark red scales shimmered beneath the churning waves, like some ancient catastrophe had just opened its eyes.

Varaxis's heart pounded, but he held his ground.

He gripped the gemstone tighter, locking eyes with the massive creature as its enormous gaze slowly opened.

"From this moment on," he said coldly, "I am your master."

"You will obey my commands."

"Or I'll crush this gem right now."

The gemstone's glow contracted sharply.

The Kraken froze.

In its eyes—clear hesitation. Fear.

Its massive body sank slightly, as if instinctively bowing to the power sealed within the gem.

The pact was sealed.

But—

Before Varaxis could even catch his breath, distant silhouettes began to appear on the horizon.

Multiple fleets, from different factions, were closing in on the core sea.

They'd clearly sensed the Kraken's awakening—and the terrifying energy it had unleashed.

Greed had drowned out caution.

A creature this powerful… if they could control it, they could rule the entire Nether Sea.

But as they drew closer, they saw the truth—

The Kraken was already bound.

And its master was waiting.

Varaxis turned slowly, a cruel smile curling at the edge of his lips.

"Perfect timing."

"Let me show you what the Kraken can really do."

He raised his hand—and pressed down.

The sea exploded.

Several of the Kraken's massive tentacles surged out like natural disasters, sweeping across the ocean with unstoppable force. Water surged hundreds of meters into the air. Warships were torn apart like toys—crushed, shredded, swallowed whole.

The screams didn't even have time to echo.

In seconds, the sea fell silent again.

The invading fleets—gone. Obliterated.

Varaxis stood amid the fading storm, chest heaving with exhilaration.

This—this was absolute power.

This was the right to rule.

Without hesitation, he continued to command the Kraken, letting it rampage freely across the Nether Sea, announcing to the world that a new king had risen.

…

Meanwhile.

Emerald Castle.

Even after Morvex's defeat, Ethan didn't allow himself to bask in victory.

If anything, a quiet unease had been gnawing at him ever since.

The system's scan of Morvex had made one thing clear: the Nether Sea and the Netherreach Empire weren't a single, unified force.

Which meant—

What they'd just faced was only a fraction of the enemy's true strength.

The real storm was still coming.

If they didn't secure more resources and reinforce their defenses in time, Emerald Castle wouldn't be able to hold out when the next wave hit.

He was in the middle of weighing which mineral zone to seize next—balancing energy needs against equipment losses—when the sharp echo of footsteps broke the quiet of the main hall.

"Lord Ethan!"

"Urgent report!"

"A large army has been spotted approaching from the east—fast. They're almost at the edge of our territory, and their combat strength is… significant!"

Ethan's eyes narrowed instinctively.

The scout footage confirmed it: the force heading toward Emerald Castle was sizable.

But the longer he studied it, the more something felt off.

This wasn't a proper army.

Their formation was loose. Gear was mismatched or broken. Many didn't even have full armor—just tattered clothes, like they'd been scavenged after a long, desperate journey.

"…A low-tier civilization's force?"

The thought barely formed before a wave of irritation surged in his chest.

At this stage, some backwater Plane World dared to march toward Emerald Castle?

Whether it was ignorance or something more calculated, it rubbed him the wrong way.

"Let's go."

"I want to see who's got the guts to pull this stunt."

When Ethan arrived outside the city walls, the reality hit harder than the intel.

There were a lot of them—but nearly all looked half-starved, barely able to stand.

Many leaned on each other just to stay upright. The man at the front was pale, gasping for breath, clearly at the edge of collapse.

This wasn't an invasion.

It looked more like a group of refugees driven to the brink.

"You're the lord of Emerald Castle?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The man lifted his head with effort, voice hoarse.

Ethan frowned slightly. "I am."

"Who are you people? Why are you here?"

The man's eyes lit up instantly, like he'd just grabbed the last thread of hope.

With a thud, he dropped to his knees.

"Thank the heavens… We made it…"

"If we'd gone on a few more days, we'd all be dead from hunger…"

He half-crawled, half-stumbled to Ethan's feet, voice shaking with emotion and exhaustion.

"My lord… we're from a small vassal state under the Phoenix Empire."

"We heard that Her Majesty, Phoenix Queen Ignara, had taken refuge here at Emerald Castle… so we came… we pushed ourselves to get here, just for a chance to see her…"

"Please… we beg you…"