Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 264: The forbidden zone

"Sylvanwood’s basically turned into a warzone now," Cicero said slowly, his voice low and grim. "Countless Dungeon creatures have swarmed out from underground, tearing through everything in their path—killing, destroying, spreading chaos everywhere... But that’s also why we’ve been able to grow stronger so fast this time." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Ethan’s brows furrowed even deeper at that.

"How’s the battle going?"

"Just barely holding the line..."

"But," Cicero added, his tone darkening, "a Dungeon King has already shown up on their side. A damn Shadow Dragon. Nasty piece of work—and powerful. There was even a moment when Seraphina almost didn’t make it out alive."

At that, a flicker of cold fury flashed deep in Cicero’s eyes.

"She almost didn’t make it?" Ethan’s whole body tensed. He immediately turned to Seraphina, concern etched across his face. "Seraphina, are you okay?"

"I’m fine, Master. Don’t worry." Seraphina shook her head gently, her eyes softening with a mix of gratitude and a faint smile. But even as she spoke, her brows drew together, troubled.

It was like she was reliving that moment.

After a pause, her gaze flickered, and she said quietly, "That Shadow Dragon... he’s no joke. Even if I awakened again right now, I still don’t think I could take him."

"Then how did you get away from him?" Ethan asked, eyes narrowing.

"I was saved by an Emerald Dragon King," Seraphina said softly.

"An Emerald Dragon King?"

Ethan blinked, stunned.

An Emerald Dragon King? That had to be a Tier 13 Legendary Unit—one of the Crimson Ultimate heroes from the Emerald Dragon race, right?

But where the hell did one of those come from?

"Master, do you remember that forbidden zone deep in Sylvanwood?" Cicero spoke up quietly.

"The forbidden zone?"

Ethan paused, then his eyes widened slightly. "Wait... you mean—?"

...

"Yeah." Cicero nodded. "There’s an Emerald Dragon King living in that forbidden area. And from what I’ve gathered, she’s been there for a long time. The other factions around here all seem to know about her."

"Is that so..." Ethan’s eyes flickered with thought, and he fell silent.

He did remember that forbidden zone deep in Sylvanwood. But he never imagined a Crimson Ultimate-level Emerald Dragon King was living there. Then again, thinking about it now... it kind of made sense.

Sylvanwood’s location was already unusual—right in the heart of the eight duchies that formed after the Holy Griffon Empire split apart. Under normal circumstances, there’s no way any of those powers would’ve tolerated Sylvanwood just sitting there like that...

But if a Crimson Ultimate hero was living there?

Yeah. That would explain everything.

It all added up.

Even at its peak, the Holy Griffon Empire probably wouldn’t have dared to mess with a fully matured Crimson Ultimate hero.

And now? With the empire long gone and only the fractured duchies left?

They’d have to be suicidal to try anything against Sylvanwood.

It’d be a death sentence.

And the fact that the Shadow Dragon from the Dungeon keeps targeting Sylvanwood?

That probably says a lot too...

For a Dungeon King—a Crimson Ultimate hero in their own right—to keep obsessively targeting one place, even going so far as to show up in person...

Well, there’s only one kind of presence that could draw that kind of attention and pressure: another Crimson Ultimate hero.

That had to be it.

And maybe that’s exactly why Sylvanwood ended up becoming one of the main battlefronts.

Which, in a twisted way, actually worked out in Seraphina, Cicero, and Elyra’s favor.

Because war meant enemies. And enemies meant endless waves of experience points. With the power they had now, as long as they didn’t run into a Dungeon King-level monster, even Dungeon Lords would have to kneel before them.

So this apocalyptic nightmare that had most people running for their lives?

For them, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rise—fast.

Exactly what Ethan had predicted. Exactly what he’d been hoping for.

He shook his head slightly, then asked, "What about the other regions? If Sylvanwood’s become a major warzone, then the eight duchies that came out of the Holy Griffon Empire’s collapse must be in the same boat, right?"

To him, Sylvanwood was home base. But the eight duchies beyond it? They were the outer ring. Whether he could seize this chaos to rise to power depended heavily on how things were playing out over there.

"Yeah..." Cicero nodded slowly. "We’re actually doing okay here in Sylvanwood. The Dungeon forces are overwhelming, sure, but thanks to the Emerald Dragon King in the central forbidden zone, we’re not really at a disadvantage. But as for the duchies outside Sylvanwood..."

He paused, his expression darkening.

"Things aren’t looking so good for them."

"Oh?" Ethan’s eyes narrowed. "The enemy’s that strong?"

"Seems like it..." Cicero nodded again, his gaze flickering. "Not long ago, Cain—the Wisdom Angel from the Castle faction—came to see me. According to him, the entire Sacred Continent has basically turned into a full-scale warzone."

"The entire Sacred Continent?" Ethan’s face changed.

The Sacred Continent was one of the four major continents in the main world—massive beyond belief. Sylvanwood, the eight duchies that formed after the Holy Griffon Empire fell apart, even the Empire itself at its peak—all of them were just pieces of this vast landmass.

And even at its height, the Holy Griffon Empire had only managed to control less than a third of the Sacred Continent.

That alone said a lot about how huge this place really was.

And now?

Now the entire Sacred Continent was engulfed in war—every inch of it caught in the flames of battle between the major factions.

That kind of scale... that kind of power...

Yeah, it was terrifying.

"Yeah..." Cicero nodded, eyes narrowing slightly. "He told me that just in the region he’s responsible for, three King-tier heroes from the Dungeon and Inferno factions have already shown up. The Light Alliance did send a Crimson Ultimate-level Arcane Eagle hero to back him up, but even with that, they’re still at a serious disadvantage."

Ethan’s eyes flickered at that, his brows drawing together.

"So that’s why he came to you?"

"He’s hoping you or Seraphina can hit second awakening soon?"

"That’s probably it," Cicero said, his gaze thoughtful. "Under normal circumstances, for Crimson Ultimate heroes like us to reach second awakening, we’d need years of battle experience and constant tempering. But during wartime—especially during a full-blown faction war—it’s different. The sheer scale of this conflict gives us the perfect environment to grow stronger, fast."

"Whether it’s me or Seraphina, if either of us can awaken again soon, it’d take a lot of pressure off their side."

"I don’t get one thing..." Auremax suddenly spoke up, frowning. "If they’re struggling that badly, why not go ask the Emerald Dragon King in Sylvanwood for help? Or is that Shadow Dragon hero in Sylvanwood not one of the three King-tier enemies from the Dungeon and Inferno factions?"

"Yeah..." Ethan nodded slowly. "That’s been bugging me too."

Compared to Cicero and Seraphina—who, let’s be honest, are still kind of green—the Emerald Dragon King in Sylvanwood should be a way more powerful ally, right?

Not to mention, Emerald Dragons are Legendary Units from the Forest faction, which is one of the three core factions in the Light Alliance.

Technically, she should be one of their own.

"I’ve got no idea..." Cicero shook his head, then glanced at Seraphina.

Seraphina shook her head too, clearly just as clueless.

Seeing that, Ethan fell silent for a moment, then sighed and waved it off. "Forget it. No point overthinking it right now. We’ve got more immediate problems to deal with."

"Like those monsters in the sea."

"That’s what we need to focus on right now." As he spoke, Ethan turned his gaze toward the vast, dark ocean stretching out before them—deep, cold, and endless. Somewhere out there, it felt like hundreds of icy eyes were staring right back at him, unblinking and merciless.

The pressure hit him like a wave.

"Down there, we’ve got 13-Tier Leviathans, and even 14-Tier Deep Sea Leviathans," Ethan said slowly, his voice heavy. "And among them... there’s a Crimson Ultimate-level Leviathan Sea Sage hero."

"Leviathan Sea Sage?" Cicero blinked, then turned to Kyros with a frown. "You mean the one from the Abyssal faction—the same civilization that’s challenged the Kirin clan’s dominance over the seas more than once?"

"Yeah..." Kyros nodded, his expression tense. "I dove down earlier to scout. There are at least 400 to 500 Tier-13 Leviathans, over a hundred Tier-14 Deep Sea Leviathans, and then that Crimson Ultimate Leviathan Sea Sage on top of it all..."

He exhaled slowly, the weight of the situation pressing down on him.

"This fight’s gonna be brutal."