More importantly, Grand Duke Zurei had a thought he hadn’t dared voice out loud—but it was there, burning in the back of his mind.
He knew damn well he wasn’t as smart as Fiesto or Astharel. Not even close. But now? Both of them had already surrendered.
So why the hell shouldn’t he?
Thundervale Kingdom had been getting stomped on by both the Blazeblade Kingdom and the Greenwave Empire for years. Humiliated, exploited, pushed to the brink. And now, finally, there was a chance to flip the script—to change everything.
He wasn’t just willing. He was desperate for it.
As for Maelthorak?
Let that bastard worry about surviving first.
The guy was already seriously wounded, too scared to even show his face. And now he was up against three Crimson Ultimate heroes, plus two Mythic Ace Units—Gold Dragon and Archangel. That wasn’t a fight. That was a death sentence.
For Zurei, the choice was obvious. No hesitation. No second thoughts.
He was going with the winning side. Period.
Simple as that.
Not long after, under Fiesto’s guidance, Grand Duke Zurei and Thundervale’s strongest warrior—Thunderbird Cavalier Doralt—secretly arrived at the King’s City of the Blazeblade Kingdom, deep within the walls of Blazefang Castle.
And there, they t Ethan.
"Zurei of Thundervale Kingdom, pledges the loyalty of all Thundervale’s soldiers and citizens to Erald Castle. From this mont forward, we are yours. I, Grand Duke Zurei, greet you, my lord!" Zurei dropped to one knee before Ethan, his voice steady, his tone resolute.
No bargaining. No hesitation. Just total submission.
Thud!
Right beside him, Thunderbird Cavalier Doralt followed suit, bowing low and kneeling with solemn respect. "Doralt of Thundervale, Thunderbird Cavalier, greets the lord of Erald Castle!"
Ding!
"Accept..."
...
With a string of system prompts chiming in his ears, Ethan once again secured the loyalty of two powerful allies—for the grand price of one gold coin in recruitnt fees.
"Thunderbird Cavalier?" Ethan muttered, intrigued. "Is this so kind of hidden elite unit?"
Curious, he pulled up Doralt’s stat panel.
[Doralt]
One of the Five Sea Kingdoms – Thundervale’s strongest warrior!
Level: 72
Race: Beastkin – Bloodfang Ogre
Tier: Orange – Legendary Hero
Class: Thunderbird Cavalier
Unit Tier: 11
Attack: 356
Defense: 210
Spell Power: 32
Knowledge: 11
HP: 40,000
Damage: 533–699
Magic Damage: 33–73
Hero Skills: Offense, Armorer, Thunder Magic Mastery...
Hero Talents:
Thunderbird Taming – Can ta Tier 10 Thunderbirds as mounts, granting flight capability. Movent Speed 5, Flight Ability 10.
Bloodfrenzy – Under the influence of bloodlust, the Thunderbird Cavalier becos ferociously aggressive, unleashing devastating attacks. 10% Damage, 10% Critical Hit Chance.
Thunderbird Cavalier Training Master – Can fuse Tier 10 Thunderbirds and Tier 10 Bloodfang Berserkers into a unique Tier 11 unit: Thunderbird Cavalier.
Thunder Magic Mastery – Grants advanced control over Thunder Magic...
...
Overall Rating: A-Rank Orange Legendary Hero (13% Power Efficiency)
"As I thought... this really is a Tier 11 hidden special unit," Ethan murmured, eyes gleaming with interest. "And I didn’t expect it to be such a rare hybrid—both logistics and combat. That’s seriously hard to co by..."
He was clearly pleased.
A Hero Unit that could handle both logistics and frontline combat?
That was a hell of a find.
In fact, its value was nearly on par with Elynn—another hybrid logistics-combat hero—and far beyond what you’d expect from a typical Tier 11 Orange Legendary hero.
Turning to Grand Duke Zurei, Ethan asked, "Zurei, I want to know—what kind of military strength does Thundervale Kingdom actually have? How much core power can you bring to the table?"
Zurei didn’t hesitate.
"My lord, if we’re talking strictly about our own forces, Thundervale Kingdom can field around 5,000 units of Tier 11 Thunderbird Cavaliers, and another 20,000 to 30,000 units of Thunderbirds and Rocs."
Ethan blinked. "That’s it?"
Zurei gave a sheepish shrug, then nodded. "That’s... pretty much it, my lord. To be honest, the Tier 11 Thunderbird Cavalier is our main force. It’s the backbone of Thundervale’s army."
"But thanks to Doralt, our Thunderbird Cavaliers aren’t weak. Just three or four of them can go toe-to-toe with most Tier 12 units."
"As for the real Tier 12 units... well, to be honest, those are almost all from the Greenwave Empire. That’s why I didn’t ntion them."
"Oh, right—my lord, I do have one more... let’s call it a not-so-secret weapon."
"I’ve got 30 units of Behemoths."
"Behemoths?" Ethan’s eyes widened, then narrowed with interest. "You guys have a Behemoth Creature Dwelling?"
Fiesto had ntioned this before—among the Five Sea Kingdoms, Blazeblade, Storm, and Umagral didn’t have their own Tier 13 Legendary Unit dwellings.
Which ant...
It had to be either Gemspire or Thundervale.
"Exactly," Zurei confird with a nod. "Thundervale Kingdom does have a Tier 13 Legendary Unit dwelling—Behemoth Lair. But..."
He let out a bitter laugh, frustration written all over his face.
"The Greenwave Empire keeps a tight leash on it. They’ve been ’gifting’ us tons of Tier 14 Mythic Units—Sacred Kirins—just to drain our resources. Because of that, I’ve only been able to secretly stockpile 30 Behemoths. And honestly, that’s about the limit. Thundervale’s resources can’t support any more."
"My lord, to be real with you, the Behemoths are powerful, sure—but with so few of them, they’re not nearly as effective as my Thunderbird Cavalier army."
"Then hand the Behemoths over to ," Ethan said without missing a beat. "Don’t worry about the rest. Just keep playing your part in the show."
He wasn’t interested in the Thunderbird Cavaliers. Tier 11 units? Against Maelthorak?
They’d be cannon fodder. Useless.
But the Behemoths? Now those had potential.
Tier 13 Legendary Units could actually hurt Maelthorak. And besides, Zurei was still a key player in this whole performance. If Ethan pulled too many of his troops, it’d raise suspicion.
So this arrangent was perfect.
"Yes, my lord!" Zurei responded imdiately. "When do we move?"
"Wait for my signal. Should be in the next few days," Ethan replied. "But first, I need to pay Astharel a visit."
With that, they parted ways.
Soon after, Ethan and his entourage set off—boldly and without subtlety—heading straight for Gemspire Kingdom, Astharel’s domain.
And at the sa ti, word of this developnt quickly reached Grand Duke Opriston of the Umagral Kingdom...
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