"Who’s the lord of Emerald Castle? Get your ass out here!"
The shout exploded from Thalric’s mouth—cold, harsh, and dripping with arrogance.
The moment the words left his lips, the voice seemed to echo from every direction, sweeping across the sea like a storm. At first, it sounded calm, almost indifferent—but in the next instant, it hit like thunder out of nowhere, slamming into everyone’s ears with a deafening roar.
Ethan hadn’t even reacted yet—
But Seraphina, standing right beside him, was already furious.
"You little bastard—what did you just say?!"
A thunderous dragon’s roar tore through the sky.
In a flash, Seraphina transformed—unleashing her full battle form. Her body stretched for thousands of feet, a massive, awe-inspiring dragon that burst out of Coral Fortress like a living mountain. She coiled in the sky like a storm cloud, her eyes locked on Thalric, blazing with murderous rage.
A terrifying pressure poured from her, crashing down on the sea below.
The ocean, already churning with waves, now surged even more violently, as if the sea itself was recoiling in fear.
"Another Crimson Ultimate hero?" Thalric froze for a second, then his face twisted in shock.
His expression darkened, eyes narrowing into icy slits as he stared up at Seraphina.
But deep in those eyes, behind the cold fury, was something else—disbelief. Panic. A creeping realization that things were spiraling out of his control.
A second Crimson Ultimate?
No way. That’s impossible.
But the shock didn’t last long. He quickly masked it, forcing his face back into a calm, cold mask. He turned his gaze toward Ethan and spoke in a low, threatening voice. Latest content published on n0velfire.net
"Lord of Emerald Castle. Hand over the Stellamaris Kingdom—and the Kirin egg. Do that, and we can still avoid a war. Otherwise, Crimsonstar Kingdom won’t be so polite."
He tried to sound confident, like he was still in control.
But the truth was, he wasn’t.
Because never in his wildest calculations did he expect Emerald Castle to have not one, but two Crimson Ultimate heroes. If both of them reached their full potential... even if Crimsonstar managed to steal the Kirin egg and hatch it, would they even stand a chance?
The thought made his gut twist.
For the first time, he felt a flicker of regret.
But it was too late now. The arrow had already left the bow—there was no turning back.
A calm voice cut through the tension, laced with mockery.
"Oh, Thalric... why don’t you tell me exactly what kind of ’not polite’ you had in mind?"
Thalric flinched. His whole body tensed as if struck by lightning. His face went pale, then twisted into a grimace as he whipped his head toward the voice.
Thalric’s jaw clenched so hard it looked like it might crack. His eyes locked onto a figure standing on the sea’s horizon, and his expression turned downright ugly.
They were old rivals. Thalric had always had the upper hand in power, always kept Roland beneath his boot.
But right now? In this moment?
Roland was the last person he wanted to see.
"Why the hell are you here?" Thalric took a deep breath, eyes locked on Roland, his voice tight with tension.
"Thalric," Roland shot back coolly, "shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?"
Standing tall on the deck of a Tier 2 warship, Roland suddenly unleashed a crushing wave of power. He stepped off the ship and onto the surface of the sea itself, his gaze sharp as a blade, his tone ice-cold.
"This is Unicorn Duchy’s territory, Thalric. You do realize Crimsonstar Kingdom just crossed the line, don’t you?"
Thalric’s face twisted even further, a flicker of panic flashing in his eyes.
Technically, the Arcane Mistsea—where the Stellamaris Kingdom’s dimensional rift was located—was within the coastal waters of the Unicorn Duchy. But in practice, no one really cared about the Arcane Mistsea. It was a no-man’s-land, a forgotten zone. No one enforced borders here.
But if Roland wanted to play that card... it wasn’t entirely wrong.
And that, to Thalric, was a very bad sign.
It meant one thing: the Unicorn Duchy had allied with Emerald Castle.
"How the hell did it come to this..."
Thalric’s expression darkened, and he couldn’t stop himself from cursing under his breath.
Suddenly, the sky erupted with thunderous blasts. A swarm of Angels and Archangels burst into view, their radiant wings slicing through the clouds. Thalric instinctively looked up—
And the blood drained from his face.
13th-Tier Angels. 14th-Tier Archangels. He couldn’t even count how many.
But it didn’t matter.
This was the final straw. The one that broke the camel’s back.
The unexpected arrival of the Unicorn Duchy’s full military force hit him like a punch to the gut. For the first time, Thalric felt something he hadn’t felt in years.
"Attack. All units—move in!"
Ethan’s voice rang out across the battlefield, calm but commanding—like a war drum pounding straight into Thalric’s chest. He flinched, his face twisting in alarm.
"No—wait!" Thalric shouted, panic rising in his throat.
"You dare speak to my master like that?! You’ll pay for it with your life!"
Seraphina’s furious roar split the sky. The moment Ethan gave the order, she launched herself forward like a living storm, her massive form tearing through the air as she dove straight at Thalric, fury blazing in her eyes.
At the same time, Roland’s eyes flashed—and he moved.
He shot forward, joining Seraphina in a coordinated assault, both of them bearing down on Thalric like twin harbingers of death.
"For the glory of Emerald Castle! For the honor of our Lord! CHARGE!"
At that very moment, Cicero, Elyra, Auremax, Balthazar, and Draven—along with the warriors of the Stellamaris Kingdom—poured out of Coral Fortress like a tidal wave.
They surged into the sea, weapons drawn, battle cries echoing across the waves as they clashed head-on with the Crimsonstar Kingdom’s forces.