"My Lord, what should I do next?" Astharel finally couldn’t hold back and asked.
"Same as always. Watch and wait," Ethan said quietly, his eyes glinting. "But in the meantime, you might want to try turning a few of the other Five Sea Kingdoms to our side. Honestly, it’s not just your Gemspire Kingdom—if the Holy Griffon Empire rises again and Greenwave Empire shifts its policies to match, the other four kingdoms are just going to end up as cannon fodder on the front lines."
"I understand..." Astharel nodded slowly.
"Tell me, Astharel—how many troops does Gemspire Kingdom actually have at its disposal right now?" Ethan asked, his tone deliberately heavier on that last part.
Astharel immediately caught the implication behind Ethan’s words.
But her brow furrowed slightly, and she hesitated. "My Lord, if we’re talking about units we can fully trust, then forget about the 14-Tier ones. All the 14-Tier Sacred Kirins I have are on loan from Greenwave Empire. Even among the 13-Tier Kirins, more than a third of them are theirs too."
"Greenwave Empire loaned them to you?" Ethan blinked, then narrowed his eyes.
"They have 14-Tier Creature Dwellings?"
"Yeah..." Astharel nodded, her expression full of frustration. "Greenwave Empire has one Crimson Ultimate hero and a single 14-Tier Sacred Kirin dwelling. But from what I’ve heard, that dwelling was actually a gift from the Tidesworn faction."
"The Tidesworn gave it to them?" Ethan looked stunned.
"Mm-hmm..." Astharel nodded again, her voice tinged with helplessness.
"All the major factions keep a tight grip on their 14-Tier Creature Dwellings. Without their explicit permission, there’s no way anyone can own one. And if they catch someone with an unauthorized dwelling, they’ll wipe them out—no questions asked."
"So yeah, I can’t give you any 14-Tier Sacred Kirins. And even if I could, you wouldn’t be able to use them anyway."
Ethan fell silent at that.
A heavy sense of frustration settled in his chest.
When it came down to it, this was just the major factions monopolizing the 14-Tier Creature Dwellings.
If they cut off the path to directly recruiting from those dwellings, and you can’t get your hands on trustworthy 14-Tier Mythic Units, then no matter how much potential you have, no matter how powerful your rising faction might be—it’s all meaningless. You’ll just stagnate, stuck in place with nowhere to go.
Because the road ahead is blocked.
The path upward is completely sealed off...
Unless—unless you can find another way. A hidden route. A new, undiscovered Creature Dwelling. Or maybe even a 14-Tier Mythic Unit dwelling that the factions haven’t found yet.
Only then would there be a chance to break through that sealed ceiling.
That might be true, Ethan thought, but let’s be real—this path isn’t exactly easy.
Finding a new, undiscovered 14-Tier Mythic Unit Creature Dwelling? Sure, that’s slightly more doable. But the real problem is keeping it hidden.
Because the moment the major factions catch wind of it... it’s game over. Total catastrophe.
"Whatever," Ethan muttered, shaking his head. "That’s not something I need to worry about right now. I’ll deal with that headache when it comes..."
He turned back to Astharel. "What about the rest?"
"The rest..." Astharel paused, thinking for a moment before answering slowly. "Right now, I can spare around fifty 13-Tier Kirins, thirty 13-Tier Gem Dragons, a hundred and fifty 12-Tier Naga Swordmasters, and about five hundred 11-Tier Naga Swordsmen. Any more than that, and the entire Gemspire Kingdom might start to destabilize."
"Send me the Gem Dragons," Ethan said without hesitation. "The rest—Kirin, Naga Swordmasters, and Swordsmen—leave them behind. Hand them over to Cicero. Paxton, you and Kyros team up with Cicero. Take Crimsonstar Kingdom as fast as you can, then come reinforce me."
"Yes, my Lord!" Paxton responded immediately.
"Cicero!" Ethan called out toward the palace entrance.
A moment later, Cicero stepped inside. "Master..."
"You heard all that, didn’t you?" Ethan said, locking eyes with him. "Gemspire Kingdom’s with us now. Take Crimsonstar Kingdom, stabilize the region, then come back me up. I’ll be waiting in Sylvanwood."
"I live to serve your will, Master," Cicero said, eyes gleaming with resolve. "I’ll return as soon as the job’s done."
Not long after, Ethan departed from Stellamaris Kingdom.
Using the Twinfold Arcane Gate,
He returned to Emerald Castle in Sylvanwood.
And with him came the Mana Crystal Dragon Zyraxis, the Gem Dragon Seran, sixty 13-Tier Gem Dragons, and a hundred 12-Tier Mana Crystal Dragons.
In the council chamber of Emerald Castle, a heavy silence hung in the air.
Elven Pegasus Knight Elynn sat quietly in the central seat of honor, his expression unreadable. Flanking him on either side were Seraphina, the Unicorn Elyra, Treants Bromir and Eldorin, the Bronze Golem Karnak—Emerald Castle’s core Hero Units—as well as Balthazar, Auremax, and the Green Dragon Orryn, all elite Ace Units.
After a long pause, Elynn finally lifted his head and looked toward Seraphina. His voice was low, but steady.
"Seraphina, how much longer can you hold the front?"
Seraphina’s eyes flashed coldly. "Hard to say. But I’m pretty sure I’ve been marked. Every time I enter the battlefield now, at least three enemy heroes come straight for me. If this keeps up, I don’t think we can hold out much longer."
Balthazar gave a weary nod. "That damned Shadow Dragon’s forces have at least ten heroes under their command—and they’re all strong. They won’t face us head-on, but they’re masters of flanking and guerrilla tactics. And no matter what we try, they won’t take the bait."
Elynn rubbed his temples, his voice tight. "What about the northern snowfields? Any movement there?"
Right now, of the four major powers in Sylvanwood, the eastern Kingdom of the Elementals under Thalor had already fallen. The western Kingdom of the Night Elves—its king, Vaelion—had long since fled.
Only two remained: the northern Archmage Eldrin, and Emerald Castle itself.
But judging by how things were going, Eldrin’s fate didn’t look promising either. And if he fell, Emerald Castle would lose its last buffer. After that, they’d be forced into a final, all-out war with the Dungeon army.
And if it came to that... with their current strength, the odds were grim.
"We got word yesterday—Archmage Eldrin is still holding the city," Auremax said, his tone grim. "But we’ve also received another report. At least five Dungeon heroes have already been spotted in the north."
"In other words," he continued, "they’re planning to crush Eldrin first... then come for us."
The intel came from his Gold Dragon scouts—14-Tier Mythic Units, fast and nearly impossible to intercept unless a Hero Unit personally intervened. Which meant the information was solid.
And that only made the pressure worse.
Because after all these battles, they’d come to understand just how terrifying the enemy was. That damn Shadow Dragon had at least ten Hero Units under their command—each one a powerhouse. Most of them were orange-tier Legendary heroes. Some were even strong enough to rival Dungeon Lords themselves.
They couldn’t win in a straight-up fight. And even if they tried other tactics, time was running out. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on nοvelfire.net
Judging by the enemy’s movements, once Eldrin fell...
Their next and final target would be Emerald Castle.
"If Archmage Eldrin goes down... then we’re probably next..." Bronze Golem Karnak muttered, unable to hide the dread in his voice.
"Enough. Shut it." Seraphina snapped, her voice sharp as a blade.
Karnak flinched and immediately fell silent. But even so, the tension in the chamber didn’t ease. It was like a storm cloud had settled over them, heavy and suffocating.
Loyalty was one thing.
Strength was another.
And right now, Emerald Castle was undeniably at a disadvantage.
No one could pretend otherwise.
But just then—suddenly, as if cutting through the gloom like a blade of sunlight—a familiar voice drifted in from the grand doors of the council chamber. Light, teasing, and unmistakably confident.
"Wow... you all look like you’re at a funeral."
"But hey—don’t worry. I’m back."