"Evolution progress at 75%... That ans just 5% more, and Orryn hits 80%! Once he does, I’ll give him that last piece of Zylarion’s Arcstone..."
Ethan muttered to himself, eyes gleaming with excitent.
"That’ll be enough to push him into becoming a Crimson Ultimate Hero. Another one! That’s damn near perfect."
The value of a Crimson Ultimate Hero? That went without saying.
They were worth way more—way, way more—than a single Zylarion’s Arcstone.
A powerhouse of that caliber, a Hero Unit on that level? You could never have too many. The more, the better.
And that’s exactly why Ethan had already made up his mind.
As soon as Orryn’s evolution progress hit 80%, he’d hand over the last piece of Zylarion’s Arcstone. Let him break through and ascend to Crimson Ultimate.
If it worked...
Erald Castle would gain its seventh Crimson Ultimate Hero.
Seventh.
Just thinking about it made Ethan’s heart race.
"Orryn, you’ve done well so far, but you’ve still got work to do," Ethan said, turning to face him. "I know you were jealous when Oakenmaw evolved into a Hero Unit before you. But I didn’t abandon you. Back then, Oakenmaw was just the better fit for the situation."
"My Lord, I understand," Orryn replied without hesitation, nodding firmly. "Honestly, I’ve always known I wasn’t as strong as Oakenmaw—then or now. He’s more powerful, more gifted, and even more driven than I am. I lost fair and square. I accept that."
He paused, then slowly lifted his head to et Ethan’s gaze.
"But, My Lord... even though I was jealous, I knew he earned it. And I also know that you gave that precious fragnt of Order Dragon Asha’s power—Class C—as a way to make it up to ."
"Your kindness and generosity... it makes feel ashad."
"I’ve let you down..."
"No." Ethan shook his head, smiling gently. "Orryn, what I want to see from you is your drive, your courage, your loyalty—and your confidence. Not this self-doubt."
"My Lord, I..." Orryn was stunned.
"Orryn, I’ve never once doubted your worth."
"In fact, I believe your future is just as bright as Oakenmaw’s. You can beco a Hero Unit too—no, a Crimson Ultimate Hero. I believe that. Do you?"
Orryn’s eyes welled up. He was overwheld.
"My noble, rciful Lord... thank you for your trust. And your praise. I believe you. And please, rest assured..."
As he spoke, Orryn lowered his massive dragon head and bowed low to the ground.
"By the Creator above, by the Dragon Gods who watch over us..."
"I, Orryn Verdantfang of the Green Dragon Clan of Olorun, swear this oath!"
"I will beco a Hero Unit. I will evolve into a Crimson Ultimate Hero! I will be your sword, My Lord—cutting down your enemies, expanding your domain... I will not let you down!"
Ethan couldn’t help but laugh. "Alright, alright. Get up."
"Yes, My Lord..." Orryn slowly rose.
"Auremax, how are things going over in the Plane World?" Ethan turned to ask, his tone calm but expectant.
"My Lord," Auremax replied promptly, "the excavation and exploration of the Plane World are basically complete. Based on the intel we’ve gathered so far, we estimate that the overall size of this Plane World is about seventy tis larger than Sylvanwood. However, its natural resources aren’t as abundant—probably only ten to twenty tis what Sylvanwood has. That said, there are a lot of Special Resource nodes—Bronzesteel, gold, diamonds, and even Ebonite Crystals. Quite a few, actually."
"That’s good news for us, My Lord," he added with a slight nod.
"I see..." Ethan nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "What about wild units? I didn’t notice any when I was in there. Are there really none in that Plane World?"
"Seems like it..." Auremax hesitated for a mont, then nodded. "After you and Prince Cicero left, I led the Gold Dragon army on another thorough sweep of the Plane World. We didn’t find any wild units at all. Once we confird there was no threat, I pulled the troops out."
He paused, then continued with a more serious tone, "But right now, the outer periter of Erald Castle is under a lot of pressure."
"Oh?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Auremax. "Soone got their eye on Erald Castle?"
"Looks that way..." Auremax frowned slightly. "Vaelric and I have been holding the east and west flanks with the Gold and Storm Dragon armies. But over the past few days, both of us have noticed sothing off."
"There’s been a huge spike in Infernal Legion activity around our borders—several tis more than usual, maybe even dozens of tis more. And they’re not weaklings either. We’ve seen a good number of Inferno Devils and even Inferno Arch Devils."
...
Ethan’s expression froze for a second.
Then, almost instinctively, he turned to glance at Cicero behind him.
Cicero gave a subtle nod, his eyes glinting. "My Lord, it’s likely because of the trail of bodies we left behind on our way back. We killed a lot of them. Now they’re probably testing us... or looking for revenge."
"Revenge?" Ethan let out a cold snort. "Sounds more like they’re lining up to die."
"My Lord, want to go deal with them right now?" Seraphina stepped forward the mont she sensed Ethan’s irritation, her eyes burning with fury. "Those damn Inferno Devils actually have the guts to stir up trouble at Erald Castle? They’re begging for death. Let show them what real wrath looks like."
"No. That’s not why I called you all back," Ethan said, shaking his head. "Seraphina, I’ve summoned you for sothing far more important."
"What is it?" Seraphina asked, curiosity piqued.
"Maelthorak," Ethan said slowly, his voice low and heavy with aning.
...
"Maelthorak?" Seraphina blinked, clearly caught off guard. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You an the Sea King of the Tidesworn, Maelthorak? My Lord... don’t tell we’re going after him?"
"That’s right," Ethan nodded, his tone steady and resolute.
Then he took a mont to recount everything that had happened—every detail leading up to this decision.
When he finished, he turned to Seraphina, whose expression had shifted from shock to sothing far more intense. Her face was lit with a fierce, almost feral excitent.
"So, Seraphina," Ethan said, locking eyes with her, "our target this ti is Sea King Maelthorak. What do you think? You up for it?"
"Absolutely," Seraphina answered without hesitation, her voice brimming with battlelust. "A half-crippled Sea King? Please. My Lord, you can count on us. We’ll crush him."
"Good." Ethan gave a satisfied nod, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Then he turned to Auremax. "Auremax, what about you? What’s your take?"
"I..." Auremax hesitated for a mont, then asked cautiously, "My Lord, who are you planning to bring with you this ti?"
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