Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory
Chapter 385: Because he was right

Chapter 385: Because he was right

Word is, Oislor’s been getting real close with Byolarn lately.

Like, seriously tight. And Byolarn... well, he’s no ordinary player. He’s one of the Legendary Units from the Tidesworn faction’s Tier 13 lineup—a hidden elite class, part of the Abyssal Hydra bloodline, and a Crimson Ultimate hero.

Not just that—he’s also one of the Tidesworn’s top ten Sea Kings. Power-wise, he’s somewhere in the middle of the pack. Still, he’s a notch below Sea King Maelthorak at his peak...

But here’s the kicker—

Whether it was back then or now, Maelthorak and Byolarn have always been at each other’s throats. Like, full-on hate-each-other’s-guts level. If one of them dropped dead, the other would probably throw a party.

That thought alone made everyone in the room exchange uneasy glances.

Grand Duke Zurei couldn’t help but mutter, "So that’s why you didn’t bring Fiesto into this... makes sense now."

Given the current situation—

If Fiesto caught wind of this, it’d be as good as handing the info straight to the Greenwave Empire... or worse, directly to Sea King Byolarn. And let’s be honest, Byolarn would probably love nothing more than to see Maelthorak dead.

If he found out what was going on...

Yeah, no one even wanted to imagine how that would play out.

"Everyone,"

Grand Duke Opriston gave a tight smile, his expression turning serious. "We all served under Sea King Maelthorak. Back in the day, we thrived under his banner, grew strong thanks to his protection. Now it’s our turn to give something back. That’s why I called you here in secret. Honestly, you three are the only ones I can still trust."

"Where is Sea King Maelthorak now?"

"Can we see him?" Regnar XI asked, unable to hold back.

But all he got in return was a faint smile and silence from Opriston.

Seeing that, Regnar XI let out a dry chuckle and sighed. "Opriston, you know how serious this is. I appreciate your trust—really, I do. But how are we supposed to trust you?"

"Maybe this’ll help."

Grand Duke Opriston raised his hand, revealing a glowing blue orb in his palm.

From within the orb, a familiar pressure radiated outward—an unmistakable aura that every one of them recognized instantly.

The power of a Crimson Ultimate hero.

"This is definitely Sea King Maelthorak’s energy... no doubt about it," Grand Duke Zurei murmured, eyes narrowing as he fell silent.

And he wasn’t the only one. Regnar XI and Astharel both went quiet too.

They weren’t fools.

They understood exactly what this meant. If this went sideways, they could end up caught in the crossfire of a war between two Sea Kings.

But honestly, if that were the only issue, they wouldn’t be this rattled.

They’d lived long enough, seen enough power struggles—

Even battles between Sea Kings weren’t anything new to them.

That’s just how it was in the Tidesworn faction—or really, in any major faction. The bigger the power, the more internal conflict there was.

And that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Comfort breeds complacency.

But conflict? Rivalry? Even greed and envy? Those were the things that pushed people to grow stronger.

No one wanted to be the weak link.

Especially not in the Tidesworn faction, which was already scraping the bottom of the power rankings.

Infighting and power plays were just part of life for them...

But the real problem now? Even without being told, they could all guess—Sea King Maelthorak had to be seriously injured.

Like, bad.

Otherwise, why else would he be hiding in the shadows, too weak to even show his face?

Why else would he send Opriston to speak for him...?

A Sea King Maelthorak, wounded so badly he doesn’t even dare show his face...

Versus a Sea King Byolarn, still in his prime, at full strength.

Who’s gonna win?

That’s not even a question.

There’s zero suspense here.

And yet, here they were—Sea King Maelthorak, reaching out to them through Grand Duke Opriston...

What the hell was he thinking?

Was he asking for help?

Or worse—was he trying to force them to pick a side?

If it was the former, that wouldn’t be too bad...

After all, most of their Legendary Units—and even some of their Mythic Units—had originally come from the Tidesworn faction.

They were just leasing them, really.

If they had to return them to Maelthorak, so be it. No big deal.

...

No matter who came out on top in the end, they could always rent those units again later.

At most, it’d cost them some gold and resources.

A loss, sure—but one they could afford.

But if it was the latter...

Now that would be a problem.

Sure, they hadn’t gone as far as The Emerald Emperor Oislor—who’d already started cozying up to other Sea Kings—but let’s be honest: even with Maelthorak still technically alive, none of them had much faith in his future.

Not anymore.

And if he was really trying to force them to take sides now, in this mess?

Then they’d have no choice but to—

"I know what you’re all thinking... I feel the same way."

Grand Duke Opriston’s voice cut through the tension, calm but firm. He looked around at each of them, his gaze steady.

"But you need to understand something. Even if you do betray Sea King Maelthorak and throw your lot in with another Sea King, you’ll never be truly trusted. You’ll always be the traitors. And traitors don’t get rewarded—they get used. Exploited. Is that really what you want?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, everyone froze for a moment—then fell into silence.

And right then, Grand Duke Opriston gave a faint smile and kept going.

"Zurei, Regnar, Astharel... you all know this as well as I do—we’re not like the Greenwave Empire."

"Sure, we’re kings in name, rulers of our own domains. But let’s not kid ourselves—there are plenty of others waiting in the wings to take our place. If we’re not valued by the powerful Sea Kings, we could be replaced at any moment. Is that really the kind of life you want? Living every day looking over your shoulder?"

"Power is the only thing that lasts. But if we don’t have it, then we’ve got no choice but to gamble. You’ve all been through it—seen it firsthand. Lord Maelthorak might not have treated us like favorites, but he wasn’t unfair either... and more importantly, he always kept his word. You can’t deny that, can you?"

At that, the others exchanged glances—but no one spoke up.

Because he was right.

Over the years, Maelthorak hadn’t exactly gone out of his way to favor them, but he hadn’t screwed them over either. And when it came to keeping promises? No one doubted him.

In fact, that was something the entire Kirin bloodline was known for. No matter how ruthless or cold they might be, they always honored their word.

It was practically etched into their DNA.

And now, with Grand Duke Opriston calling it out so directly—

Yeah, it hit home. It carried weight.

...