Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory
Chapter 341: It’s starting

Chapter 341: It’s starting

As the battle dragged on in a tense stalemate, Cicero finally shifted his focus—his attacks now zeroing in on the Dungeon Lords themselves.

"Vmmm!"

In a sudden flash, Cicero, now fully unleashing the power of the Sacred Realm, vanished from where he stood. A heartbeat later, he reappeared in the sky—right in front of a Venomspike Manticore Hero who had been about to strike Seraphina.

"Huh?"

The Manticore froze, caught completely off guard.

Before he could even process what was happening, Cicero was already charging straight at him. Instinct kicked in, and the Manticore lashed out with a swipe of his razor-sharp foreclaws, aiming to tear Cicero apart—

"Squelch!!"

But he never saw it coming. One of Cicero’s weapons pierced clean through his foreleg, blood gushing out in a violent spray as the blade lodged deep into his flesh.

Then, with a shudder that rippled through his massive green-scaled body, Cicero opened his jaws and unleashed a devastating blast of Venomous Dragon Breath right into the Manticore’s face.

"BOOOOOOMMMMMM—"

The Venomspike Manticore had already been badly wounded. That point-blank blast was the final nail in the coffin. In a split second, his body was torn apart by the sheer force of the attack, his death as brutal as it was immediate.

At that exact moment, Ethan heard the familiar chime of the system notification in his ear.

Ding!

"Congratulations, Player Valkarion. Your Hero Unit, Green Dragon Cicero, has reached Level 54!"

"Hell yes! Just one more level to go..." Ethan clenched his fist, muttering with excitement.

Cicero’s potential had always far outstripped Seraphina’s. If he could hit his second awakening—and get fully equipped with the four-piece Green Dragon’s Might set—his power would be absolutely monstrous. And right now, that kind of strength was exactly what Emerald Castle needed to survive.

After all, there’s a world of difference between having one Crimson Ultimate Hero who’s awakened twice... and having two.

Whoosh!

Without missing a beat, Cicero launched himself toward his next target, not even pausing after killing the Manticore.

At the same time, Seraphina, who had been holding back until now, finally let loose with a furious roar.

She was done playing defense.

"DIE!!"

Her voice thundered across the battlefield as her dragon claws ignited with blazing fire, morphing into the shape of a massive spear. She lunged at her enemy—a Dark Hydra Hero.

In one savage strike, all nine of the Hydra’s blood-soaked, grotesque heads were pierced clean through. Seraphina’s attack was like a sea dragon diving into the ocean—unstoppable, overwhelming. Her claws tore through the creature’s body with explosive force.

Then, with a final, brutal slash, she ripped the Hydra apart from top to bottom—splitting it open all the way down to its belly.

Another Dungeon Lord, dead. Reduced to nothing more than a mangled corpse.

Ding!

"Congratulations, Player Valkarion. Your Hero Unit, Green Dragon Seraphina, has reached Level 57!"

"ROOOAAARR!!"

The moment Seraphina unleashed her fury, the remaining Dungeon Lords snapped. Watching their comrades get slaughtered one after another was more than they could take.

But at this point, what did they have to lose?

Driven by their savage instincts and the desperation of certain death, they charged forward in a frenzy, determined to take Seraphina down with them—no matter the cost.

But before they could even get close—

Seraphina’s massive, terrifying form vanished into thin air.

Teleportation.

A unique ability granted by her Sacred Realm awakening—Seraphina could now blink across the battlefield in an instant.

"Squelch!"

At that exact moment, while the Dungeon Lords were still reeling in confusion, Cicero struck again. His Green Dragon Scepter, slick with fresh blood, appeared out of nowhere—driving straight through the chest of another Venomspike Manticore Hero.

"Aghhh—!"

The scream barely left his throat before his body went limp.

Even a Dungeon Lord couldn’t survive a sneak attack like that. Cicero’s strike was clean, brutal, and final.

And more importantly—this kill pushed him over the threshold.

He’d finally reached the level required for his second awakening.

Ding!

"Congratulations, Player Valkarion. Your Hero Unit, Green Dragon Cicero, has reached Level 55!"

Ding!

"Congratulations, Player Valkarion. Your personal Hero Level has increased to 59!"

The system notifications had barely finished chiming when Cicero suddenly disengaged from the battlefield. In a flash, he appeared behind Ethan, his eyes burning with excitement and purpose.

"Master," he said, voice low and intense, "I’m ready. I can undergo my second awakening now!"

"Right here... Everyone, fall back and protect Cicero while he awakens!" Ethan barked the order without hesitation, his mind made up in an instant.

Sure, he could’ve had Cicero retreat to a safer location to undergo his second awakening—but in truth, that would’ve been far more dangerous.

As long as they stayed here, the Shadow Dragon Vorundar would remain locked in combat with Green Dragon Thandor, keeping the threat contained. But if Cicero left the area, the battlefield would become too spread out, too unpredictable. Even Thandor, as powerful as he was, couldn’t guarantee he’d keep Vorundar pinned down in a moving fight.

No—staying put was the smarter play.

Sometimes, the most dangerous place... is actually the safest.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...

The moment Ethan gave the command, every Hero Unit and Ace Unit under Emerald Castle’s banner—Seraphina, Kyros, Auremax, Balthazar, Elyra, Zyraxis, and more—immediately disengaged from their battles and rushed back to form a defensive perimeter around Cicero.

They stood tall, weapons drawn, eyes locked on the horizon.

"Cicero, don’t worry about a thing. As long as I’m breathing, no one’s getting through," Seraphina growled, her voice fierce and unwavering. There was no hiding the concern in her tone, no attempt to mask how much she cared.

She might’ve had a sharp tongue, but her heart was loyal to the core. To her, Ethan was the master she respected above all, and Cicero... Cicero was her closest brother. There was no way she’d back down—not now, not ever.

Even if the enemy was a Dungeon King of terrifying power...

She would never flinch. Never compromise. She would stand her ground to the bitter end.

"Alright... I’ll be quick. Just hold them off for me," Cicero said, taking a deep breath. Without wasting another second, he closed his eyes and began the process of his second awakening.

Ding!

"Attention! Attention!"

"Congratulations! Player Valkarion’s Hero Unit, Green Dragon Cicero, has reached Level 55 and entered full maturity. Initiating Divine Core formation. Divine Power detected. Evolution process beginning!"

BOOM!

A thunderous shockwave rippled through the sky.

RUMMMMMMBLE...

A deafening roar followed as an overwhelming, indescribable force descended from above. It swept across the battlefield like a tidal wave, forming a massive storm of deep emerald energy that engulfed Cicero completely.

The storm stretched for miles in every direction—easily over a hundred thousand feet wide. The sheer scale of it was staggering.

"It’s starting," Ethan murmured, eyes locked on the swirling vortex.

"All units, hold the line! No one gets through to Cicero—no matter who it is!"

"YES, SIR!"

The response was immediate, unified, and absolute.

As the Divine Power surged, it poured into Cicero’s body, wrapping him in a colossal cocoon of radiant green light. The air around him shimmered with raw energy, the pressure so intense it made the ground quake.

But not everyone was impressed.

From across the battlefield, Shadow Dragon Vorundar let out a low, mocking laugh, his eyes narrowing with disdain.

"Heh... Awakening right in front of me? You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that..." he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.