Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory
Chapter 351: Diplomacy

Chapter 351: Diplomacy

"Master, Seraphina’s gotten even stronger! And that Magic Immunity of hers—she’s basically every mage’s worst nightmare... There’s just no way to fight her! A mage forced into close combat with Seraphina? That’s suicide!" Elyra shivered as she spoke, her voice laced with fear.

At her words, every mage-type hero present—Zyraxis included—nodded in grim agreement.

Their eyes turned toward Seraphina, who was still dominating the battlefield with terrifying ease. The expressions on their faces were a mix of awe and dread, like rookies staring up at a god-tier player. There was nothing they could do but tremble. And honestly, who could blame them? Seraphina was built to counter them completely.

Because let’s be real...

If any of them had to go toe-to-toe with her, they wouldn’t last more than a few minutes before getting wiped out.

Which, in hindsight, made Firebird hero Isaryne’s performance kind of impressive. She’d been taking a beating for nearly twenty minutes now. Not bad for a Crimson Ultimate hero.

"ROOOAAARRRR!!"

Suddenly, Seraphina let out a thunderous dragon’s roar that shook the air. Her entire body erupted in a swirling storm of toxic green energy—deadly, corrosive, and violently beautiful. The storm spun tighter and tighter, condensing into a massive surge of magical power at her mouth.

"Come on, Isaryne! Fight back already!" Seraphina bellowed, eyes locked on her opponent. "If this is all you’ve got, how am I supposed to enjoy myself? I know you’re holding back—don’t insult me. Show me your trump card. Just one move. Let’s settle this!"

"Tch... You asked for it."

Isaryne’s eyes darkened, her expression twisting into something fierce and unrelenting. Then, in the blink of an eye, a terrifying surge of magical energy exploded from her body.

In that instant, everyone—everyone except Seraphina, thanks to her Magic Immunity—felt it.

Their pupils shrank.

Their hearts skipped a beat.

"What the hell is that power...?" Ethan whispered, eyes wide as he stared at Isaryne.

At the same time, flames erupted from Isaryne’s body—wild, boiling, and utterly unrestrained. The firestorm she unleashed was like a volcanic apocalypse, hundreds of eruptions crashing together into a single, devastating inferno that surged toward Seraphina with unstoppable force.

...

"Doomfire... Cataclysm!"

"Ugh. So loud." Seraphina growled under her breath, her eyes beginning to shift, glowing with intensity. Even with her Magic Immunity, the sheer force of Doomfire Cataclysm made her feel something she hadn’t in a long time—threatened. Maybe even... in danger.

But fear? No.

She was fired up.

"Venomous Dragon Breath!"

With a roar of her own, Seraphina unleashed her ultimate ability—Venomous Dragon Breath. The two titanic forces collided mid-air, and the world itself seemed to scream.

The sky trembled.

The earth cracked.

Scorching heatwaves and toxic shockwaves tore through the valley, ripping everything apart in their path.

The ground beneath them buckled and groaned, as if the entire canyon was about to collapse.

Charred earth. Melted stone. Acid-burned craters. The aftermath was pure devastation—chaotic, violent, and impossible to ignore.

But when the dust finally settled...

Seraphina was the one who had lost.

That devastating Doomfire Cataclysm finally overwhelmed Seraphina’s Venomous Dragon Breath. After crushing her attack, the inferno surged forward again, slamming into her with a deafening explosion that swallowed her whole.

But somehow... it barely seemed to faze her.

"ROAR!!" With a furious cry, Seraphina shot into the sky, wings slicing through the smoke. She exhaled another blast of venomous dragon breath, her body twisting mid-air. Her claws crackled with raw magical energy as she slashed downward—tearing straight through the heart of the Doomfire Cataclysm like it was paper. She burst out of the inferno, completely unscathed.

"Holy crap..." Ethan muttered, eyes wide with disbelief. "She just tanked that like it was nothing..."

There was no denying it—Seraphina’s power had reached a terrifying level.

"Seraphina! Isaryne! That’s enough!" Ethan called out, raising his voice to cut through the chaos.

"Yes, Master!" Seraphina responded immediately, no hesitation in her tone. She glanced down at Isaryne with a smug, victorious smile before turning and flying back toward Ethan.

"See? I told you I’d win," she said proudly, landing beside him. "She was never a match for me."

"Yeah, congrats, Seraphina. You definitely won..." Ethan chuckled, though his tone was a little wary. "But damn, did you have to go that hard on her? You two got beef or something?"

"Hmph! She looked down on us before, remember? This was just a little payback. Honestly, I went easy on her," Seraphina huffed, crossing her arms.

Ethan gave her a look, half amused, half exasperated. "You’re something else..."

Then he lifted off the ground and flew toward the shattered valley where Isaryne was still standing—or trying to.

"Isaryne, you okay?" he called out.

"I’m not dead yet, if that’s what you’re asking... cough, cough... damn it..." Isaryne stood up slowly, trying to keep her cool, but the coughing fit betrayed her. She looked like hell—burned, bruised, and barely holding it together.

Ethan winced. Judging by how wrecked she looked, her HP had to be well below a third by now.

"Seraphina got a little carried away," he said gently. "Don’t take it personally."

But before he could finish, Isaryne cut him off.

"She beat me fair and square. I’m not the type to cry over a loss," she said flatly, her voice hoarse but steady. "You don’t have to sugarcoat it."

"Alright then..." Ethan shrugged, respecting her pride. "So, what now? The Dungeon army’s retreated back into the depths. You heading home, or sticking around?"

At that, Isaryne paused. She looked at him for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly. She could tell—he was trying to recruit her. Subtle, but clear.

But Isaryne wasn’t the kind to bend the knee so easily.

"Now that those filthy, disgusting Dungeon creatures have been pushed back, I’ve got responsibilities elsewhere. My people need me," she said, turning away. "Valkarion Lord... maybe we’ll meet again."

And with that, she started walking off, her silhouette framed by the scorched, broken landscape behind her.

"Wait up!" Ethan called out just as Isaryne was about to take off.

She paused mid-step, turning her head slightly, her voice still cool. "What is it now?"

Ethan smiled, not pushing, just speaking from the heart. "If you ever have some free time, you’re welcome to drop by. I know you’re not interested in joining us, and that’s fine—I won’t force it. But after everything we’ve been through... I’d like to think we’re friends now, right?"

He looked at her with a warm, genuine expression.

"I’d be glad to call you a friend, Isaryne. And the gates of Emerald Castle will always be open to you."

Isaryne blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice. Her eyes lingered on Ethan for a moment, then flicked past him to Seraphina, who was still glaring at her like she was ready for round two.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Isaryne’s lips.

"...Maybe I’ll stop by sometime," she said quietly. "We’ll see."

Fwoosh!

With a flash of flame and a powerful beat of her wings, she launched into the sky, disappearing into the clouds in a streak of fire.

Ethan watched her go, then let out a small sigh and shrugged. "Well... guess that’s a no for now."

Still, there wasn’t much disappointment in his voice. In fact, he looked pretty relaxed about it.

Truth was, with the current lineup of Hero Units under his command at Emerald Castle, he wasn’t exactly desperate for another Crimson Ultimate hero. Sure, having someone like Isaryne on the team would’ve been a huge boost—but it wasn’t a dealbreaker.

Besides, he knew better than to force these things. Even with his god-tier skill, Diplomacy, recruitment was never guaranteed. Sometimes it came down to timing, chemistry... and a little luck.

And judging by the way Isaryne left—calm, not hostile, even a little amused—he had a feeling this wasn’t the last he’d see of her.

Maybe she just needed time.

His thoughts drifted back to his skill—Diplomacy.

Diplomacy (Advanced)

A high-level charisma-based skill that significantly increases the chance of recruiting wild units and Hero Units into your army. Also reduces surrender costs and lowers the level requirement for heroes to access the Sage’s Library.

Wild units have a 15% chance to join your army voluntarily.

Surrender costs reduced by 30%.

For Tier 13 Legendary Units, effectiveness is halved.

For Tier 14 Mythic Units, effectiveness drops to one-third.

Wild Hero Units have a 10% chance to join your army.

Surrender costs for Hero Units reduced by 20%.

For Orange-tier Legendary Heroes, effectiveness is halved.

For Crimson Ultimate Heroes, effectiveness drops to one-third.

Currently provides no bonus when recruiting A-rank or higher Crimson Ultimate Heroes.

Skill Level: 3 / 5