Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 46: Extremely dangerous suspect

"Of course!" Emily nodded without hesitation, grinning. "You think I’d be anything less? A genius like me—who wouldn’t want me on their side?"

"You’re getting way too full of yourself," Ethan scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Heh heh..."

Emily chuckled, unfazed. Then, her expression turned serious as she looked at Ethan. "Bro, I’ll probably be heading to Skyspire City with Selene soon and joining the Sixth Legion of the Scarlet Legion. It’ll take you at least a month to restart your account, so in the meantime, just play around and relax. Once your reset timer is up, delete your character and respawn in Skyspire City’s territory, okay?"

"I’m serious!" Emily locked eyes with Ethan, her tone firm. "Yeah, starting over means you’ll be a fresh account, but honestly, you’re basically starting from scratch now anyway. Plus, I already talked to Selene about it, and she agreed—once you hit level five and make it to Skyspire City, she can get you straight into the Sixth Legion. Bro, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Skyspire City—one of the twenty-nine count-level territories in the Unicorn Duchy.

More importantly, it was one of the core strongholds under the Scarlet Legion’s command.

"Join the Scarlet Legion?" Ethan was momentarily stunned before shaking his head with a chuckle. "Isn’t the Scarlet Legion all women? I’d stick out like a sore thumb."

"Bro!"

Emily’s voice rose, her excitement barely contained. "Can you stop being so stubborn? This is a golden opportunity! Once you’re in the Scarlet Legion, you’ll have real backing, and your future will be so much smoother! And... I... I just..."

Her voice faltered, and her eyes reddened. Tears welled up, threatening to spill.

Ethan froze, his heart clenching at the sight.

A warmth spread through him.

"Silly girl, do you trust me?" Ethan smiled, reaching out to gently ruffle Emily’s hair.

"Obviously!" Emily huffed, swatting his hand away, puffing up her cheeks. "You’re my brother! If I don’t trust you, who else would I trust?"

"Then listen to me carefully." Ethan’s tone softened, but his words were firm. "You don’t have to worry about me anymore. And don’t glare at me—let me finish!" He sighed, glancing at Emily, who was already glaring at him, arms crossed. "I had some unexpected encounters in Sylvanwood. Long story short, I’m not the same as before."

"Pfft!"

Emily burst out laughing at his serious expression, her face full of disbelief. "Not the same? Might as well say I won the lottery! You’re just making stuff up again..."

But mid-sentence, she suddenly stopped.

Because the look in Ethan’s eyes—

It was too serious.

She knew her brother well.

And that expression...

It wasn’t a lie.

And it definitely wasn’t just to comfort her.

"You’re really not lying to me?" Emily hesitated, eyeing Ethan suspiciously.

"I’m not!"

"Seriously?"

"As real as solid gold!"

Ethan reassured her three times before finally adding, "Don’t ask me for details just yet. Once I’ve taken care of a few things, I’ll come find you in Skyspire City."

After a brief pause, he smirked. "And just a heads-up—be ready, because I’ve got a huge surprise for you."

"Fine..."

Emily hesitated, but her curiosity got the better of her. She stared at Ethan with wide eyes. "Bro, can’t you give me just a little hint? Did you save some big shot from the Unicorn Duchy in Sylvanwood? Or maybe you found some super rare unit’s hatching egg?"

"You’ll find out when the time comes." Ethan kept his lips sealed, smoothly changing the subject. "You haven’t eaten yet, right? There’s not much left at home—let’s go out for dinner."

With that, he casually strolled toward the door.

"Bro, just a tiny hint! Come on, I’m dying of curiosity!"

"Bro—!"

...

As Ethan and Emily playfully bickered their way out the door in search of food, two figures clad in black stood atop a distant high-rise, their presence radiating danger.

"He’s finally out. Do we make a move?"

"Wait until he leaves the neighborhood. This place is high-end—lots of big names live here. If we cause collateral damage, we’ll be in deep trouble."

"Fair enough... So, what’s the plan? Are we really just gonna take him out?"

"No choice. The Vice Leader gave the order personally. Apparently, this kid pissed off Blake, the heir of the Sinclair Group. Tsk, tsk... So young, yet so reckless. He’s practically asking for death."

"What about the young girl with him? Word is, she’s some top-tier gaming prodigy—Harvard’s big shots have their eyes on her."

"...Forget about her. She won’t be able to stop us anyway. Just make it quick—one clean hit, take him out, and disappear."

"Relax. We’ve been working together for years. You still don’t trust my skills?"

...

A short while later, in a deserted alleyway somewhere in Boston.

"Bro, weren’t we supposed to be getting food? Why’d we end up in this creepy place?" Emily looked around, exasperated. "Did you forget? No one lives around here anymore—there aren’t any restaurants or diners!"

"You really haven’t noticed yet, huh?" Ethan sighed, tapping Emily lightly on the forehead.

At the same time, his eyes flashed sharply, narrowing slightly. "We’ve got flies following us."

"Flies?" Emily blinked in confusion.

Just then, Ethan spoke in a calm, almost indifferent tone. "How long do you two plan on hiding?"

A voice emerged from the shadows, laced with surprise.

"You actually noticed us?"

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Suddenly, from atop the towering skyscrapers, two massive, jet-black Obsidian Gargoyles tore through the sky like dark meteors, diving straight toward Ethan with terrifying momentum!

BOOM!

The moment the two Obsidian Gargoyles flapped their wings, visible shockwaves blasted through the air, slamming into the surrounding buildings. Glass windows shattered instantly, raining down in a storm of shards.

But that wasn’t all—under the force of the wind, the outer structures of the buildings lining the street began to warp and twist, their very frames bending under the pressure!

"Tier 4 Obsidian Gargoyles?!"

At the sight of the two monstrous creatures, Emily’s face paled. She immediately turned to Ethan, her voice urgent. "Ethan, get out of here! They’re after me..."

She was convinced that these attackers were targeting her.

But Ethan, sharper and more perceptive, quickly realized something—those killing intents, that oppressive aura...

They weren’t aimed at Emily.

They were aimed at him.

"So, I’m the target?"

"If that’s the case... then I already have a pretty good idea of who sent them. Well, this works out—I could use them to test my current strength."

A cold glint flashed through Ethan’s eyes.

Then, with a calm and deliberate motion, he gently pushed Emily aside and said in a low voice, "Let me handle this."

"You? Are you kidding me..."

"Move." Ethan’s voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

At that exact moment, one of the Obsidian Gargoyles had already dived down, closing in on them.

BOOM!

Its razor-sharp talons, gleaming with a chilling light, slashed downward, carrying a terrifying surge of energy as they aimed straight for Ethan!

But at that same instant—

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

And he threw a punch.

BANG!

A spiraling shockwave of raw power erupted from his fist, colliding head-on with the Tier 4 Obsidian Gargoyle.

A muffled explosion rang out—

And in the next second, the massive creature was blown apart.

Shattered.

Obliterated.

BOOM!

The force of the impact didn’t just stop there.

Behind the now-destroyed Obsidian Gargoyle, a skyscraper took the full brunt of the shockwave. With a deafening crash, a 200-foot-wide hole was blasted straight through the building’s structure—

The entire skyscraper was cleaved in half.

Even the sky above, far in the distance, had a massive, circular shockwave rippling through it, leaving a hollow ring in the clouds...

For a moment—

Everything fell silent.

Ethan froze.

Emily froze.

The second Obsidian Gargoyle froze.

And on top of a distant building, the two figures who had been watching the battle—

They, too, were completely stunned.

Gulp.

Both of them swallowed hard, their faces drained of color, their scalps tingling with disbelief.

"H-He just... one-punched a Tier 4 Obsidian Gargoyle?!"

"What level is this guy in the game?! This is insane!"

In this world, the attributes and abilities from the game could manifest in reality.

Summoning creatures required specific conditions—

But personal stats?

No restrictions. No requirements.

Which meant that top-tier players in the game... were literal superhumans in real life.

Possessing unbelievable strength.

And now, after witnessing Ethan obliterate their summoned creature with a single punch—

Their hearts sank.

Their faces turned ghostly pale.

No doubt about it—this was a huge problem.

Not only was their intel completely wrong, but they had just kicked a steel wall—no, scratch that—a freaking titanium fortress!

BOOM!

Just as the two assassins were still frozen in shock, fear, and sheer panic, another earth-shattering explosion erupted from the street below!

Ethan had struck again.

Another punch.

Another Tier 4 Obsidian Gargoyle—obliterated.

Whoosh!

And then—

Ethan launched himself into the air like a human missile.

With a single push of his legs, he shot up toward the skyscraper’s ledge where the two assassins stood, his speed blurring like a streak of light.

In the blink of an eye—

He was already on the rooftop.

Standing before them.

Smiling.

The two assassins trembled uncontrollably.

Killers?

With this level of strength?

Ethan shook his head. Not even close.

He was just about to finish them off when—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A sudden shift in the air—

From the distant sky, massive dark silhouettes streaked toward them at blinding speed, cutting through the air like thunderbolts.

At the same time—

A booming, authoritative voice rang out, echoing across the rooftop like a crack of thunder.

"EVERYONE, STAND DOWN! I REPEAT—STAND DOWN IMMEDIATELY! THIS IS THE HEROIC SENTINEL CORPS!"

The Heroic Sentinel Corps—

Essentially, an elite police force.

They were responsible for maintaining order among individuals with superhuman abilities in the real world.

Their numbers were small—

But their strength was immense.

Ethan’s gaze flickered across the incoming forces.

Tier 6 Royal Griffin.

Tier 7 Pegasus Knight.

Tier 7 Fire Elemental.

And even—

Tier 8 Energy Elemental.

...Interesting.

"Professor Reed! Professor Reed! Wait—he’s one of us! Don’t do anything rash!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out.

Emily had just arrived on the rooftop, frantically waving toward one of the Heroic Sentinel Corps members—a middle-aged man riding a Pegasus.

The man hesitated for a moment.

"Emily? What are you doing here?"

His brows furrowed in confusion.

Because aside from being a member of Boston’s Heroic Sentinel Corps, he was also a professor at Harvard University.

Which meant—of course—he knew Emily.

Emily took a deep breath, then glanced at Ethan with a complicated expression before turning back to the professor.

"He’s my brother."

"...What?"

Professor Reed blinked.

Then turned to look at Ethan.

And then—

Gasp.

His pupils shrank.

His face twisted in pure shock.

Because only now did he realize—

The "extremely, extremely, EXTREMELY dangerous suspect" they had been tracking—

Was just a young man?!

You’ve GOT to be kidding me.