Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory
Chapter 426: The more tempting it sounded

Chapter 426: The more tempting it sounded

"Doregar, we’ve got three thousand Cyclops Kings at our command! Three thousand! Add you into the mix, and even the Crimson Ultimate heroes would think twice before messing with us! So I figure, once they see this, they’ll have no choice but to drop their ridiculous, unrealistic plans... Don’t you think so?"

Grand Duke Fiesto spoke again, turning to look directly at Doregar as he asked, his expression deadly serious.

Doregar opened his mouth, as if to respond, but in the end, all he could do was let out a bitter smile.

"Your Grace... I hope you’re right."

Of course he understood.

Three thousand Tier-12 Cyclops Kings.

Plus himself.

That was a hell of a force.

It was one of the main reasons the Blazeblade Kingdom was considered the strongest among the Five Sea Kingdoms. Their military might wasn’t just for show—it was the real deal.

And more importantly, when it came to facing enemies at the level of Orange-tier Legendary heroes, he had nothing to fear. With his own power, backed by an army of towering, unstoppable Cyclops Kings, he could go toe-to-toe with anyone.

No exaggeration—

No matter who they were up against, they had a real shot at winning.

But even so... comparing themselves to a Crimson Ultimate hero? Worse, one who’s undergone a second awakening?

That was just asking to get humiliated.

And it wasn’t like the enemy only had one Crimson Ultimate hero, either...

Doregar shook his head, frustration and helplessness churning in his chest.

Then suddenly—

"They’re here!"

Grand Duke Fiesto’s body tensed as he muttered the words, his voice low but sharp.

Doregar’s head snapped up, eyes locking onto the distant coastline.

And there they were.

A sky-filling swarm of golden dragons and radiant archangels, so familiar it made his blood run cold.

His expression hardened as he gave a grim nod.

"Your Grace... yeah. It’s them. They’ve arrived."

But right now, Grand Duke Fiesto’s face had gone pale.

Doregar had been right—he really had been holding onto a sliver of hope, thinking he could give Ethan and his people a good scare. Just a show of force to make them back off.

Because from their perspective, three thousand Tier-12 Cyclops Kings wasn’t just a powerful army—it was a nation-level deterrent. A force capable of leveling cities, even wiping out entire regions.

But now, seeing those Gold Dragons and Archangels with his own eyes...

It hit him like a slap to the face.

He’d been way too naive.

If the enemy had that kind of overwhelming power, why the hell would they be intimidated by a mere three thousand Cyclops Kings?

Three hundred versus three thousand?

On paper, sure, the numbers favored them.

But if it was three hundred Gold Dragons and Archangels versus three thousand Cyclops Kings?

Tier-14 versus Tier-12?

That wasn’t a battle. That was a massacre.

"Doregar... do you think I made a mistake?" Fiesto asked with a bitter smile.

"Not necessarily," Doregar replied, shaking his head, his eyes glinting with thought. "Like you said, showing our value... maybe that’ll make negotiations with the lord of Emerald Castle go a little smoother. Because if we don’t even have value to offer, then our fate might be a whole lot worse."

Fiesto stiffened at that, his expression darkening. "So what—you’re saying we should just surrender?"

"Your Grace..." Doregar looked him in the eye, his voice calm. "If it came down to it, I’d fight and die by your side. But what would that even accomplish? Don’t tell me you still feel some kind of loyalty to the Greenwave Empire?"

Fiesto blinked, then scoffed and shook his head without hesitation. "Of course not!"

"Exactly." Doregar nodded slowly, his gaze sharp. "We don’t owe the Greenwave Empire anything. If anything, they’ve always kept us at arm’s length, never fully trusted us. So maybe... this is actually an opportunity."

He paused, then looked at Fiesto with a meaningful expression.

"Even the Greenwave Empire only has one Crimson Ultimate hero. But Emerald Castle? They’ve got three. You know what that means. And on top of that, they’ve got Archangels—Mythic-tier Ace Unit Archangels. I’m starting to think..."

He didn’t finish.

Fiesto cut him off, his face twisting with a strange look. "You think they’re backed by the Castle faction?"

"It’s just a possibility," Doregar said seriously. "But I’ve lived a long time, and I’ve never seen anyone outside the Castle faction field Archangels—especially not Mythic-tier Ace Unit Archangels. That kind of power is their crown jewel. They’d never let it fall into someone else’s hands."

"True..." Fiesto muttered, letting out a dry laugh as he nodded slowly.

He was no fool. He was cautious, calculating. He knew exactly what it meant if someone outside the Castle faction had access to that kind of unit.

Mythic-tier Archangels weren’t just rare—they were sacred. Untouchable.

The Castle faction would never, ever allow outsiders to control them.

So if Ethan had one... even if he’d brought a Tier-13 Legendary Ace Unit Angel instead, Fiesto would’ve questioned its authenticity. Suspected it was a bluff, a trick using the Castle faction’s name to intimidate him.

After all, in the world of Glory Lords X, that kind of thing had happened before.

There were still a few rogue lords out there who had managed to get their hands on a handful of Tier-13 Legendary Ace Unit Angels... even Crimson Ultimate Angel heroes.

But this?

This was a Tier-14 Mythic Ace Unit Archangel.

As far as Fiesto knew, there was no precedent for that. And if there ever had been, the Castle faction would’ve quietly erased it.

Which meant... this wasn’t a bluff.

Emerald Castle—and its mysterious lord—might actually be working with the Castle faction.

Which raised a terrifying possibility:

Was this whole thing the Castle faction’s way of bringing them into the fold?

That thought made Fiesto fall silent.

Because if that were true...

Then maybe this wasn’t such a bad outcome after all.

The Castle faction was far more powerful than the Tidesworn.

And Emerald Castle’s strength and potential... it clearly dwarfed anything the Greenwave Empire could offer, even with their one Crimson Ultimate hero.

The more he thought about it...

The more tempting it sounded.

...