"Level 54? That’s awesome!"
The moment Ethan saw that Seraphina had hit level 54, he practically lit up with excitement, pumping his fist hard. That meant she was just one step—no, one level—away from her second awakening as a Crimson Ultimate Hero.
They were finally here. So close. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud, the thrill bubbling out of him.
"Haha! We’re almost there! Hahahahaha..."
Just as Ethan was grinning like a maniac, Seraphina flew over to him, her expression a mix of excitement and frustration.
"Master, I feel like I’m right on the edge of evolving—like, seriously, just a tiny bit more! But I can’t quite get there... Ugh, why is it always ?!"
"Hey, hey, it’s okay. Don’t stress it," Ethan said with a reassuring smile. "You’ve come this far, right? The second awakening’s practically within reach. Just a little more effort and you’ll be there. No worries, alright? Deep breaths..."
At the same time, Auremax, Zyraxis, and Elyra also flew over to Ethan. Auremax glanced toward the battlefield in the distance, where the last of the fighting was wrapping up, and let out a low, thoughtful sigh.
"My Lord, it seems our crisis has been temporarily resolved. Taking down the two strongest Dungeon Lords in one go... that’s a massive blow to the Dungeon army’s strength."
Originally, Skarvex, Xenodrath, and Drexon—the three major Dungeon Lords—had under their command nearly 150 units of Tier 14 Mythic troops, 300 units of Tier 13 Legendary troops, and over a thousand Tier 12 Royal troops.
Honestly, even with two of the Dungeon Lords already dead, that kind of force was still insanely powerful.
Under normal circumstances, even someone like Isaryne—a Crimson Ultimate Hero who’s already undergone her second awakening—would need to bring hundreds of Firebirds and still pay a heavy price in time and casualties to wipe them out completely.
After Seraphina and the others took down Venomspike Manticore Skarvex and Dark Hydra Xenodrath, the Dungeon army’s numbers had dropped drastically.
It’s actually a built-in safeguard for Hero Lords.
When a Hero Unit who serves as a Lord dies in battle, their regular troops automatically retreat into the Hero’s personal domain. It’s a way to preserve strength—those units are pulled back into the Hero’s Lord Space the moment their commander falls.
From there, they follow the fallen Hero’s soul back to the Hero Altar in their Castle, safely escaping the battlefield.
However, until that Hero is fully resurrected, those troops remain sealed away in the Lord Space. They can’t return to the battlefield until their commander is brought back to life.
It’s one of the core mechanics of the world of Glory Lords X—a kind of divine insurance policy for Hero Lords. If a Hero Unit dies and their entire army gets wiped out too, it’s game over. The loss would be catastrophic.
So yeah, while losing a Hero Unit is still a huge blow—arguably worse than losing regular troops—at least this way, you don’t lose everything. You keep a spark alive. Something to rebuild from. A chance to rise again.
But this kind of protection only applies to Hero Lords. Regular Heroes—even Crimson Ultimate ones—don’t get that luxury in most cases.
And in certain special or high-level zones, even Hero Lords don’t get that safety net.
But here, in a standard Dungeon map? No such restrictions.
Skarvex and Xenodrath were both Dungeon Lords, so of course they got the full treatment. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on noᴠelfire.net
In other words, the Dungeon army they were facing now—what was left of it—was basically just the forces under Venomspike Manticore Drexon.
The other two Dungeon Lords’ armies?
The moment their Lords were killed, their troops had been pulled back into their respective Lord Spaces, vanishing from the battlefield entirely.
So yeah, if Isaryne had to take on the full might of 150 Tier-14 Mythic Units, 300 Tier-13 Legendary Units, and over 1,000 Tier-12 Royal Units all at once? That would’ve been a serious challenge, even for her.
But now? With the enemy forces cut down to a third—or even less—of their original strength?
That was a whole different story. Practically a cakewalk.
Which was exactly why, while the others were busy taking down Venomspike Manticore Skarvex, Isaryne had been tearing through the remaining Dungeon troops like a wildfire. She didn’t even need that much time—by now, most of the enemy army had already been wiped out.
"Yeah..." Ethan nodded, though there was a hint of regret in his voice. "Still, it’s a shame one of them got away. If we’d taken out all three, this would’ve been a total victory."
And he wasn’t exaggerating.
If they’d managed to kill all three of the top Dungeon Lords in one go, it would’ve been a game-changer—something that could flip the entire war on its head.
More than that, it would’ve massively boosted the final evaluation of his mission to eliminate the Dungeon Lords.
Sure, taking down two of them was already a huge win. No doubt about that. But if they’d managed to finish off all three?
That would’ve been perfection.
And with that kind of performance, the mission rewards would’ve been on a whole other level.
So yeah... it stung a little.
A burst of crimson light flared in front of Ethan, and in a flash of blazing fire, the Firebird Hero, Isaryne, reappeared before him.
She held her head high, eyes gleaming with pride as she swept a cool, assessing glance over Seraphina, Elyra, Zyraxis, and Auremax—one by one—before finally turning her gaze to Ethan.
Her voice was calm, but carried a sharp edge. "Don’t forget what I said earlier—we’re even now."
Seraphina’s eyes flared with anger the moment she heard that. She stepped forward, glaring daggers at Isaryne as she growled, "Watch your tone, you scruffy bird! If you keep disrespecting my master, I swear I’ll make you regret it!"
Isaryne didn’t even flinch. Instead, she let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"You? Please..." she said with a smirk. "Talk to me after you’ve had your second awakening. Right now? I could fight you with one hand tied behind my back and still win. Got it?"
Seraphina was practically shaking with rage, her wings twitching, fists clenched tight.
"Enough, Seraphina," Ethan cut in, his voice calm but firm.
He gave her a quick glance, signaling her to stand down, then turned his attention to Isaryne. His eyes narrowed slightly, though his smile remained.
"Lady Isaryne," he said evenly, "I never expected you to be all warm and friendly with Emerald Castle, but I did think you’d at least show a little respect to someone who just helped save your ass."
Isaryne froze for a moment, her expression unreadable. She stared at Ethan in silence, her gaze cold and sharp.
Then, after a beat, she let out a quiet huff and said flatly, "You’re right. My bad."
The moment the words left her mouth, everyone around them—Seraphina, Elyra, even Auremax—stared in stunned silence.
Did... did she just apologize?
The proud, arrogant Firebird Hero... actually said sorry?
No way. Did they hear that right?
Ethan chuckled softly, then looked back at her with a calm, knowing expression.
"Honestly, we got lucky this time," he said. "Right place, right time. If we hadn’t stumbled into this battle when we did, I doubt your odds would’ve looked so good."
He paused, letting that sink in, then added with a slight smile, "But that’s exactly why this is the perfect opportunity. Lady Isaryne, I think it’s time we talked about working together."