Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 143: Their plan

At the same time, Ethan brushed the dust off his shoulder, sheathed Holy Armament and Celestial Fire, and looked at Xavian with a calm, almost indifferent expression.

"Now that you’ve seen my strength, is that enough for you?"

Xavian Serpentis was as pale as a corpse, too terrified to utter a single word.

The truth was, after Seraphina had taken down the Infernal Lord Malphas, along with those Tier 13 Inferno Devils, the Tier 12 Efreet Sultan, and the Tier 11 Efreet, Ethan’s hero level had already shot up to 38.

On top of that, he had the full attribute boost from his Strategic Artifact, the sheer destructive power of Holy Armament and Celestial Fire—both Tier 3 Magic—and the overwhelming suppression of a Purple Epic Hero.

With all that combined, a Wyvern—an absolute disgrace among Tier 11 Royal Units—never stood a chance against him.

Meanwhile, Xavian Serpentis’ face went through an entire spectrum of colors—turning green, then white, then red, and finally, an ominous shade of black.

Sigh...

In the end, he could only let out a long, defeated sigh in his heart. Then, with a mix of reverence and fear, he lowered his head and spoke with utmost respect.

"Mr. Ethan, please forgive me. I was out of line. I sincerely apologize."

Ethan hadn’t even moved from his spot. He had stood there, taking the combined assault from both Xavian and the Wyvern head-on without flinching. Then, with a single swing of his sword, it was all over.

If Xavian still couldn’t grasp the gap between their strength after that, he might as well bash his head against a wall and end it himself.

What was even more terrifying was that Ethan hadn’t summoned a single unit. Not one.

No unit heroes, no troops—nothing.

He had crushed Xavian entirely with his own strength.

If he had actually deployed his forces?

The thought alone was horrifying.

And that was exactly why, after realizing this, Xavian had no choice but to accept reality. He was utterly convinced. Completely and utterly convinced of Ethan’s power.

At the same time, the other guild leaders—Caesar, Theron Voss, and the rest of the top ten—were all frozen in shock, their eyes filled with sheer disbelief.

No troops. No unit heroes.

Just raw personal strength.

And he had taken down Xavian Serpentis and a Tier 11 Wyvern.

Anyone with a shred of common sense knew exactly what that meant.

"H-He’s... a Purple Epic Hero!?"

Rising Empire’s guild leader, Conqueror Xavier, trembled as he blurted out the words, his voice filled with disbelief.

The moment those words left his mouth, the entire room fell into a stunned, deathly silence.

A Purple Epic Hero?

Could that... really be possible?

Until now, not a single player in the world had ever become a Purple Epic Hero!

Even in Europe, the Middle East, and Russiania, the strongest players had only managed to reach SSS-rank Blue Rare Hero at best.

And the power gap between a Purple Epic Hero and a Blue Rare Hero?

To put it bluntly—comparing a lion to a house cat wouldn’t even be an exaggeration!

The most obvious difference was in their level caps. A Blue Rare Hero maxed out at level 50, while a Purple Epic Hero could go all the way up to level 60!

A Blue Rare Hero gained only one attribute point per level.

A Purple Epic Hero? Two attribute points per level!

When that difference was stretched to the limit, it meant a staggering 70-point attribute gap!

Seventy points!

In Glory Lords X, if two heroes had a mere 10- to 20-point difference in attributes, the weaker one would already be getting steamrolled.

A 30-point gap? That was a straight-up death sentence. No chance of winning.

But seventy?

At that point, it wasn’t even a question of how big the power gap was anymore.

They weren’t even playing in the same league!

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

Between Blue Rare Heroes and Purple Epic Heroes, there was something even more terrifying—Tier Suppression.

And in the world of Glory Lords X, what was the most broken, most nightmarish mechanic of all?

Answer: Tier Suppression.

No one could fully explain how it worked, but one thing was certain—it was absolutely brutal. It crushed you so hard you wouldn’t even have the will to fight back.

Realizing this, none of them even considered testing Ethan’s strength anymore.

What would be the point?

Even if they confirmed it, what could they do?

Other than making themselves feel worse, there was literally no benefit.

But at the same time, now that they had fully accepted their place as the weaker side, a different emotion started creeping in—excitement.

Because without a doubt, the Global Battlefield Intercontinental Finals in three days?

That was already in the bag.

Hell, even the Global Battlefield World Championship—Greater America might as well start celebrating now.

That trophy was theirs.

"Alright, gentlemen, I’ll be heading out. See you in three days."

Ethan gave them a casual smile, then summoned an 11-Tier Unicorn, soaring into the sky before disappearing from sight.

"A... Unicorn...?"

A shiver ran through the crowd. Their expressions grew even more complicated.

So it was true.

This guy definitely had Tier 11 units.

And judging by how casually he summoned one, he probably had way more than just one...

"I suddenly feel kinda bad for Vishnu, Amaterasu, and Demon King Faker."

"North America’s international standing... we’re rising fast!"

"A Purple Epic Hero... this has to be the first one in the world, right?!"

"In three days, those guys from Europe, the Middle East, and Russiania are gonna start panicking. Hahahaha!"

The top ten guild leaders, the military guild generals—Nathaniel included—fell silent for a moment.

Then, all at once, excitement exploded in their eyes.

Pure, uncontainable exhilaration.

...

That night, at exactly 10 PM, the western gate of Dunmire, the capital of the Unicorn Duchy, was packed with people. The streets were bustling with movement, yet an eerie silence hung over the crowd—no one spoke, not a single murmur.

Because on the open-air balcony of a tavern near the city gate, a middle-aged man with curry-colored skin stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing expressionlessly toward the entrance in the distance.

Beside him, an elderly man with silver hair—barely taller than a Dwarf—sat drinking alone. His hooked nose and razor-sharp eyes, like those of a hunting falcon, gave him an aura so intense it was downright terrifying.

And he was practically the only one in the entire place who moved freely, as if completely unaffected by the suffocating tension in the air.

Inside the tavern, hundreds of players sat in silence, each radiating an overwhelming presence. Just one look was enough to tell—they were all top-tier experts. The kind of players who, even in the most elite guilds, would be considered core members, the absolute best of the best.

But something was off.

They didn’t look like North American players.

If anything, they seemed more like players from India or Japan.

"Who the hell are these guys? Indian and Japanese players usually operate in Ravenmark Duchy and Ironhorn Duchy, right? What are they doing here?" someone finally whispered, unable to hold back their curiosity any longer.

In Glory Lords X, the Holy Griffon Empire had fractured into eight major duchies: Eldoria Duchy, Ironhorn Duchy, Stormwing Duchy, Shadowfang Duchy, Ravenmark Duchy, Staghelm Duchy, Unicorn Duchy, and the most powerful of them all—Griffonhold Duchy.

For North American players, their main strongholds were Unicorn Duchy and Eldoria Duchy. Some had a presence in Ironhorn Duchy, but their overall influence there was weak—barely worth mentioning.

Excluding the native factions, Ironhorn Duchy was dominated by Indian players, while Japanese players had firmly established themselves in Ravenmark Duchy.

Chinese players controlled Shadowfang Duchy.

Korean players were concentrated in Staghelm Duchy and Stormwing Duchy.

And as for Griffonhold Duchy, the strongest of them all? No one had managed to gain a foothold there—at least, not yet.

Every other duchy, though, had been painstakingly built up over time. These were the players’ home turf, their deeply entrenched strongholds.

And for the most part, players from different regions stuck to their own territories. There was an unspoken rule—stay in your lane. They rarely crossed paths, almost as if they existed in separate worlds.

Which is why the sudden appearance of these elite players from other regions and countries in Dunmire had the North American players on edge.

Why were they here?

What were they planning?

"Wait a second... Shit—look at that guy. Doesn’t he look like Vishnu, the number one player from India?" someone suddenly gasped.

"Vishnu?! From India?!"

The name sent shockwaves through the room.

In this era, the true global top players were legendary figures. Their names weren’t just well-known—they were household names.

As the number one player in the Indian region, Vishnu’s name carried immense weight. Being the top player of an entire country’s server was no small feat—it was the equivalent of holding the #1 spot on North America’s Monarch Leaderboard.

Compared to a player of his caliber, even the leaders of first-rate guilds, CEOs of trillion-dollar corporations, or the top 20-30 ranked players on North America’s Monarch Leaderboard were nothing more than small fry in his eyes—utterly insignificant.

This was a man who could go toe-to-toe with Overlord Caesar and Xavian Serpentis, standing at the absolute pinnacle of the game.

In fact, in Global Battlefield, North America and Asia were grouped together under the GB Intercontinental Top Power Ranking—a ranking that determined the strongest players across both continents.

And Vishnu?

He was ranked sixth.

Just behind Xavian Serpentis (#5), Japan’s Amaterasu (#4), Overlord Caesar (#3), China’s strongest player—Skylon (#2), and the reigning champion of Korea—Demon King Faker (#1).

But before the shock of Vishnu’s presence could even settle, the silver-haired old man, barely three feet tall, slowly rose from his seat and walked over to stand beside him.

Despite his short stature, no one dared to underestimate him.

The moment people recognized him, their faces drained of color. Pupils shrank in sheer disbelief.

"Am... Amaterasu?!"

The fourth-ranked player on the GB Intercontinental Top Power Ranking.

Japan’s undisputed #1 player.

In some ways, Amaterasu was even more terrifying than Vishnu—a player on par with North America’s strongest, Overlord Caesar.

And then—

A sudden commotion erupted at Dunmire’s western gate.

A group of Chinese players appeared, moving in tight formation, surrounding a single figure like stars orbiting a sun.

At the center of it all was an elderly man in a gray robe, his body thin and wiry, yet exuding an overwhelming presence.

His physique, though lean, seemed as if it had been forged from solid steel. Even the faintest glimpse of his muscles hinted at terrifying explosive power.

He walked barefoot, gripping a staff, moving through the crowd with an unshakable aura.

And the moment people saw him—

Gasps of pure disbelief filled the air.

"Heavenbreaker Skylon?!"

The second-ranked player on the GB Intercontinental Top Power Ranking.

The strongest player in China.

Skylon’s raw power was said to surpass even North America’s #1, Overlord Caesar.

But what made him truly terrifying was his unique unit—a 10-Tier Venom Wyvern, a creature so powerful that it was almost on par with an 11-Tier Wyvern.

It was this monstrous advantage that had allowed Skylon to dominate Asia’s second seat for years, his position completely unshakable.

And now—

Vishnu.

Amaterasu.

Skylon.

All three of them had gathered in Dunmire.

What the hell was going on?!

A player in the crowd stammered in shock, his voice barely above a whisper:

"Th-this... Skylon, Vishnu, and Amaterasu... all in Dunmire at the same time? What the hell is happening? Don’t tell me... Demon King Faker is coming too?!"

The entire tavern fell into stunned silence.

No one could believe what they were witnessing.

...