Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 1021: A Crack in the Void

The air in the hall turned even heavier.

No one knew how much time passed before Zyraeth finally shifted a little on his throne. The motion was tiny, but it still made everyone unconsciously hold their breath.

"Your body was only just remade," he said at last.

"And you reached this place through the star-void passage in soul form. You haven't truly witnessed how terrifying the Oblivion Sea and the dimensional turbulence are."

There was no overt scolding in his tone. If anything, that calmness made it feel even more like an unchallengeable verdict.

"There will be plenty of chances to wage war."

Zyraeth's gaze settled on Khar'vathis, so deep nobody dared meet it.

"But—not now."

Khar'vathis's expression stiffened immediately.

He clearly wasn't willing to accept it.

But no matter how unwilling he was, he didn't dare go against Zyraeth's will at a moment like this. So he lowered his head, forced down the emotions boiling in his chest, and retreated back to his place.

Just as the hall was starting to quiet under Zyraeth's decision, Kelaric suddenly stepped out from the ranks.

He didn't move in a rush, but his expression carried a visible mix of excitement and hesitation—like even he still hadn't fully digested what had happened.

The shifting light of the hall fell across him, making the edges of his Elysion war-armor glint faintly, and drawing every gaze toward him.

"When I went out there—" Kelaric began. He paused, as if reorganizing an experience that even he found bizarre. "I accidentally tore open a spatial rift, and then… I went straight to Emerald Castle."

The moment those words left his mouth, the suffocating atmosphere in the hall changed sharply.

A lot of faces went rigid at the same time. Even the high-tier existences who'd been maintaining restraint couldn't help lifting their heads.

Because in Elysion, "the road to the outside" was never a topic you talked about casually—much less something just anyone could touch.

Kelaric clearly understood what it meant, too.

But since he'd already said it, he continued.

"That place is insanely energy-rich—far stronger than ordinary planes." His voice sank, and a trace of genuine battle-memory surfaced in his eyes. "And their lord is very strong. If we really want to beat them… it won't be easy."

This time it wasn't just the lower commanders. Even those silent existences near the throne all turned to look.

Because in Elysion's understanding, normal back-and-forth travel between here and the outside basically didn't exist.

For outsiders to enter Elysion, they had to cross the Oblivion Sea, then survive the dimensional turbulence. If they wanted a shorter, more hidden route, the only way was to put the body into a soul state and force passage through the Gate of the Star-Void.

And that passage—

was in Zyraeth's hands.

Only he could let someone pass through safely.

Yet now, in front of everyone, Kelaric was saying he hadn't crossed the Oblivion Sea, hadn't used the Gate of the Star-Void, and still somehow tore open a rift straight out of Elysion—went to the outside—and returned unharmed.

That wasn't "a coincidence."

Even Zyraeth, who'd been sitting steadily on his throne, abruptly rose to his feet.

The movement was so fast there was almost no warning.

In the next instant, he was in front of Kelaric. His five fingers clamped down on Kelaric's shoulder, and in those eyes—once so calm they were nearly empty—the star-darkness finally showed a clear, violent ripple for the first time.

"You're saying—"

Zyraeth stared at him, voice low and crushing.

"—you went to Emerald Castle through dimensional space?"

Kelaric was clearly startled by the sudden intensity of Zyraeth's reaction.

He tensed on instinct, then nodded quickly.

"Yes." He hesitated, like he was afraid he hadn't been clear enough, and added, "But I didn't even know exactly how I got there at the time."

His brows drew together. Even to him, the experience had been a mess.

"I only remember that while I was moving through space, the energy around me suddenly went chaotic. And then I just… dropped into that place." He took a breath and continued, "After that, I realized the spatial passage around me hadn't fully closed yet, so I immediately pulled back. If I'd been even a little later—I'd probably have been trapped there."

When he finished, the area fell into dead silence again.

But on Zyraeth's face, something finally showed—an excitement so intense it was almost burning.

This wasn't the thrill of some lucky find. It felt more like a deadlock that had plagued him for ages had finally revealed a hairline crack—tiny, but real. He didn't give anyone in the hall time to react. He grabbed Kelaric by the arm, turned, and strode out.

"Take me there," Zyraeth said, his voice heavier than before—and faster. "Now. Take me to the place where you tore open dimensional space."

Kelaric didn't dare hesitate. He immediately led the group out of the hall.

They moved through Elysion's landscape—an impossible patchwork of turbulence, floating cliffs, and broken structures—until they stopped at a remote, abandoned altar.

It looked like time had forgotten it. The area around it was empty and dead silent. Only shattered stone pillars leaned at crooked angles out of the ground, the runes on them incomplete, so eroded you could barely imagine what they'd once been.

No matter how you looked at it—

this didn't seem like a place that still held any power at all.

Kelaric stood at the altar's edge, his expression turning awkward. He lifted a hand and scratched the back of his head, like he was a little embarrassed to have brought everyone to such a wreck.

But under all those eyes, he still stepped into the center.

The next moment, he raised his arm, released his power without holding anything back, and slammed his palm down onto the ground.

"Vmmmm—"

A deep resonance sounded from beneath the altar.

Then the dim, broken runes actually began to light up—one after another. The glow wasn't complete. Some sections flickered and cut out. But the altar still looked like it had been briefly awakened, starting to turn with a slow, reluctant rhythm.

A few seconds later—

a tiny dimensional rift opened in the air above the altar.

It was no bigger than a fingernail. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

But it was real. A genuine tear in space.

At that sight, everyone's spirits lifted. Even Khar'vathis—standing in the back—had a flash of near-fanatical light in his eyes.

Because if this could be used, it meant Elysion wouldn't be forced to rely solely on those few insanely dangerous routes anymore. It meant they might finally be able to bypass the Oblivion Sea and the dimensional turbulence—and strike straight into Emerald Castle.

But the excitement didn't last.

The rift existed for only an instant.

Then, as if something inside it had been forcibly pinched out, it suddenly snapped shut—leaving not even a trace of residual fluctuation behind.

The atmosphere around them locked up.

The hope that had just risen—

was doused in a single breath.