Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 912: Beyond the Horizon

Ethan didn't waste a single motion.

His hand clamped around Varaxis's throat—and squeezed.

With a sharp, sickening crack, Varaxis's neck snapped cleanly to the side.

Just like that, the newly crowned Emperor of the Netherreach Empire, ruler of The Nether Sea, was dead—his body limp in Ethan's grip, his reign ended in full view of the battlefield.

For a moment, silence blanketed the sky.

Then—

A roar of triumph erupted from Emerald Castle's forces.

The tension, the fear, the pressure that had been building for so long exploded into raw, unrelenting battle fervor. Countless figures surged forward, energy flaring like a broken dam, crashing down on the enemy lines.

The Nether Sea fleet fell apart almost instantly.

With their supreme commander gone, their comms chain fractured, and their formation unraveling, chaos spread like wildfire. But more than that—it was Kraken's death that shattered their will.

Many of them had been conscripted into this war.

It was never their fight.

And now, with their last pillar of strength gone, they had no reason left to keep dying.

Surrender signals began to flicker across the battlefield.

"Lord of Emerald Castle! We surrender!"

"We were forced into this! We never meant to harm your people—please, spare us!"

One after another, the cries came.

And finally, The Nether Sea's army gave up the fight.

Soldiers slowly descended from the air or dropped to their knees on the ground, weapons discarded, hands raised high in submission. The threat was gone. The killing intent faded, leaving only the lingering hum of spent energy and scorched air.

But high above it all, Ethan barely acknowledged any of it.

His mind was still submerged in the vast, surging power he'd just absorbed.

The bone-white will inside him was quietly drawing in the leftover energy from Kraken's collapse. Only a fraction of it actually returned to Ethan, Idra, and Auri—but even that was enough to cause a visible shift.

Their auras surged.

Power coursed through their bodies, energy structures compressing and stabilizing. Even their previously stagnant Tier levels began to loosen, showing signs of real advancement.

It wasn't a temporary boost.

It was growth—tangible, lasting, and earned.

After a long pause, the layered voice echoed again in Ethan's mind, this time with a hint of dry amusement and faint regret.

"Tch. Shame. That energy wasn't nearly enough to fully wake me up."

"Looks like I'll be stuck inside you a while longer, kid."

A beat.

"But hey—lucky you."

"As long as I'm here, you'll keep getting stronger."

With that, the pale energy receded like a tide, slipping back into the depths of Ethan's body.

The crushing presence vanished.

Control returned to Ethan's limbs. His posture relaxed. He exhaled slowly, heart still pounding, but steadier now—grounded.

He didn't know yet if Lily's presence was a blessing or a ticking bomb.

But one thing was certain: she'd saved his life. Twice.

That alone was undeniable.

More importantly, he could feel it—his power had stepped into a whole new realm.

After steadying his breath, Ethan took a step forward, eyes locking onto the surrendered enemy soldiers still hovering in the air, waiting for orders.

"You chose to surrender," he said, voice calm and clear. "So I'll give you that chance."

"All of you—disarm immediately. Then send a team to guide us."

"Our destination—The Nether Sea."

The moment the command dropped, a wave of restrained cheers broke out among Emerald Castle's forces.

For so long, they'd been locked inside their walls, focused on defense, on survival, on building strength.

But now, for the first time, they had a path forward.

A real campaign.

For many, this wasn't just a military operation—it was the beginning of something bigger. A step into the wider world.

The Nether Sea was far from Emerald Castle. The journey would take them through unknown regions, uncharted realms, and dangerous routes.

But that unknown?

That was exactly what made it so damn exciting.

Ethan didn't waste a second.

Once the defensive lines were confirmed stable, he immediately ordered a rapid reorganization. Troops were given a brief window to regroup and resupply, while he handpicked an elite squad and several high-ranking commanders to board first—this would be the vanguard.

The massive warship docked at the skyport slowly revealed its full silhouette under the shifting light.

Modeled after the captured Doomsday Ark and enhanced with tech from multiple civilizations, the vessel was a fortress in motion—its hull thick and seamless, every line exuding power and precision.

Layer upon layer of defensive plating covered the exterior. Energy shields shimmered faintly across the surface, pulsing with a steady, reassuring rhythm.

Even dormant, the ship radiated a sense of unshakable security.

This was Emerald Castle's flagship—built for one purpose: true interdimensional warfare.

Ethan's pulse kicked up the moment he saw it.

He hadn't expected the lab to finish it so soon, let alone with full spatial traversal capabilities. This wasn't just a performance upgrade—it was a strategic leap forward.

When he stepped into the command deck, his attention was immediately drawn to the glowing blue sphere at the center console.

It pulsed slowly, faint light swirling inside like a sealed star core.

Ethan placed his palm against it.

A moment later, his power flowed through his hand, feeding into the console. Runes and energy circuits lit up one by one, humming softly as the air around them began to vibrate.

The atmosphere thickened.

Outside the command deck, the space in front of the ship twisted violently—like an invisible hand was tearing open the void. A jagged spatial rift formed, its edges rippling with distorted light.

With a deep, resonant rumble, the warship surged forward into the breach.

A brief moment of weightlessness hit.

Light stretched into long, narrow streaks. Direction and time warped, folding in on themselves as the world compressed into a narrow corridor of motion.

Then—suddenly—the turbulence vanished.

Stability returned.

And when the external view cleared, a vast, unfamiliar sea spread out before them.

—The Nether Sea.

But this wasn't any ordinary ocean.

The water shimmered with a deep, cold blue-violet hue, like the night sky had been poured across the surface. Light refracted strangely off the waves, scattering into eerie, fragmented glints. The entire sea seemed to breathe—slow, rhythmic, alive.

The air buzzed with a strange energy. Just breathing it in made your body feel lighter, like your power was being gently stirred awake.

Gasps of awe rippled through the bridge.

What had started as a "scenic detour" for some now felt like something else entirely. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

This wasn't just a journey.

It was a threshold.

Ethan quickly pulled himself back to focus and activated the ship's scanning systems, sweeping the surrounding sea for signs of life and activity.

Energy echoes began to form on the display—scattered signals, faint at first, then gradually resolving into the outlines of multiple population zones. One cluster stood out: a dense concentration of energy along the coast, centered around a large structure.

A castle—clearly once a seat of power.

Ethan didn't hesitate. He adjusted the ship's heading and moved in fast.

But as the warship descended and the area came into full view, the mood on the bridge shifted.

What they saw wasn't an imperial city.

There were no towering walls. No bustling ports. No grand architecture to mark the presence of a ruling class.

Instead, they were met with a bleak, crumbling labor zone.

The land was scarred and gray. Countless figures moved sluggishly across it, hauling massive stones and materials with visible strain. Their clothes were torn, their bodies thin and worn down, movements slow and mechanical.

Many bore open wounds—some already festering—yet they were still being forced to work.

The air reeked of sweat, blood, and rot.

And the contrast between that stench and the haunting beauty of the sea behind them was jarring—like two worlds colliding in the same breath.