Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 1016: A Crack in Perfection

Almost the instant that Energy Greatsword finished taking shape, Ethan forcibly opened a system scan.

Pale-blue streams of data spread across his vision, like countless fine beams of light sweeping back and forth over the little boy—Khar'vathis—mapping his body from the surface inward.

The system returned something vanishingly rare: the power structure inside him wasn't a single energy source at all. It was a highly unified composite—so seamless it was almost impossible to find any fault lines.

Within it was not only this world's core Primordial Force…

…but also another kind of power—mysterious, violent, and terrifyingly unstable.

Ethan only needed one glance for a chill to creep up his spine.

He understood perfectly: if that Energy Greatsword truly came down, then forget the frontline in front of them—Emerald Castle's entire army would take a catastrophic hit in an instant.

And worse, the usual method for dealing with enemies like this—finding a point where the energy could be analyzed, then unraveling the structure from there—was completely useless against Khar'vathis.

His power was one whole.

No breaks. No weak points. At least, none on the surface.

Ethan's breathing sped up despite himself.

And then, in that suffocating moment, the system interface suddenly changed. The steady scrolling data froze, and a rapid series of sharp, urgent alert tones screamed out—like some hidden module buried deeper down had finally been forced awake.

Ethan's eyes lit up.

He didn't ask questions. He didn't hesitate.

The next second, before anyone could even react, he shot into the sky.

It wasn't a normal leap. He looked like a bolt of white lightning that had been fully unleashed—carrying a reckless, all-in resolve—as he slammed straight into the Energy Greatsword hanging above.

"BANG—!"

The impact exploded between heaven and earth.

Nearly everyone's face changed in that instant.

"My Lord!"

Someone screamed it first, and then a chain of shocked cries burst out almost simultaneously—because everyone had seen it clearly. Ethan hadn't hit the flat of the blade. He hadn't clipped the edge of its aura.

He'd rammed the sharpest, densest, most lethal part—

the sword's edge.

That weapon was condensed from world-origin-grade Primordial Force.

Ramming it with flesh and blood—

was basically suicide.

"Master!"

Another voice shouted, raw with panic.

Then the people of Emerald Castle surged forward on instinct, trying to drag Ethan out of that annihilating energy. But it was too fast. He moved like a streak of light nobody could grab, too quick for anyone to catch.

Across from them, Khar'vathis even showed something close to mocking delight.

"HAHAHAHA—!"

His laughter echoed in the high sky, dripping with undisguised contempt.

"Overestimating yourself. You dare smash your body into my Energy Greatsword? Fine—now I'll teach you what it means to not know your place."

As he spoke, the power inside him surged again.

Massive Primordial Force and that berserk, alien might poured into the Energy Greatsword at the same time. The already terrifying blade immediately became even more solid. Patterns across the sword's body lit up layer by layer, as if coming alive, and then—carrying pressure like it could cleave the world apart—it slammed downward.

"THOOM—!"

In that instant, it felt like every heart on the battlefield got clenched in a fist.

But what happened next dropped the entire battlefield into a stunned, momentary silence.

That Energy Greatsword—something that looked capable of cutting anything—

cracked.

Not knocked away. Not blocked.

From the exact point where Ethan had struck, a hair-thin fracture shot up and down. Then, in the blink of an eye, it spread across the entire blade. Like a massive crystal hit by a hammer, it shattered—violently, completely.

Countless shards of origin-light burst apart in the sky.

And Ethan's body—

punched straight through the broken greatsword, momentum still howling off him, as he continued charging directly at Khar'vathis.

Khar'vathis's expression finally changed.

Not into anger—into real, genuine shock and fear.

"Y—"

He barely got the first sound out before Ethan was already on him.

"Khar'vathis!" Ethan barked, his voice edged with naked pressure and sharp intent. "You really think that piece of trash can kill me? You're not there yet!"

The next instant, massive amounts of white lightning condensed in Ethan's palm.

This lightning was different from every previous time—compressed deeper, brighter yet quieter, like pure destruction with every last impurity stripped away. Ethan raised his hand and slammed it straight into Khar'vathis.

"THOOM!"

Violent force exploded outward.

Khar'vathis was blasted back, thrown into a tumbling spin through midair before he barely managed to stabilize himself.

And on his shoulder, a visible crack slowly surfaced—like a flawless structure had finally been genuinely broken for the first time.

Khar'vathis's breathing instantly turned ragged.

He dropped his gaze to the fracture, and for the first time, true fear appeared in his eyes.

"That's impossible…" His voice tightened. "My body is condensed from this world's Primordial Force. And inside me is supreme Infernal Primordial Power… How could you possibly injure me?"

Ethan only looked at him coldly.

He didn't rush to answer. Instead, he slowly lifted his hand and released his power again—completely, without restraint. Sheets of white lightning spread from his body like an expanding thunder prison, swallowing Khar'vathis inside it.

"Just with that pathetic little scrap on you—"

Ethan's voice dripped with ridicule.

"—you think you're qualified to say you control The Infernal Abyss's Infernal Primordial Power?"

He stepped forward, his eyes carrying an almost dismissive, top-down chill.

"Today, I'll show you what the real The Infernal Abyss looks like."

The moment the words landed, Ethan's white lightning abruptly changed.

The shift wasn't dramatic—but it was unmistakable.

The blinding white began to lose its surface brilliance, fading little by little toward an almost transparent texture. And at the same time, the pressure it gave off spiked by several times over.

It no longer felt like ordinary lightning.

It felt like killing force refined to the absolute extreme—nothing left but essence.

Khar'vathis's pupils shrank hard.

His aura destabilized in an obvious way. Even the steady flow of his origin power seemed to be naturally suppressed by something it couldn't resist.

That transparent lightning seemed to appear and instantly step past defenses and appearances, pressing down on something deeper.

He started backing up, step after step.

With each step, the crack on his shoulder widened another fraction, and the aura around him weakened accordingly. The trembling that came from the very source of his power made it almost impossible for him to maintain that earlier, lofty calm.

"That's impossible…" he stared at Ethan, his voice no longer steady. "You're just a human—just flesh and blood. How could you control power on this level?"