"Auremax!" Ethan shouted suddenly.
"At your command, my lord!" came the immediate reply.
"Go destroy the Castle Heart of the Umagral Kingdom!" Ethan ordered, his voice cold and resolute. Regnar XI and Opriston were both dead now.
All that remained was the Kirin Legion—and Maelthorak, still stubbornly clinging to life.
The entire Umagral Kingdom was defenseless at this point.
Which meant now was the perfect time to strike the Castle Heart.
No one was left to stop them.
"Yes, my lord!" Auremax nodded sharply, then launched himself toward the capital of the Umagral Kingdom—Dobanion. Moments later, a system notification chimed in Ethan’s ear.
"Congratulations, player Valkarion. Your Gold Dragon, Auremax, has successfully destroyed the Castle Heart of the oceanic realm, Umagral Kingdom! The Umagral Kingdom has officially been annihilated! You have received the following reward: Level +1!"
"Congratulations, player Valkarion. You have leveled up. You are now Level 59."
"Level 59, huh... Nice." Ethan muttered to himself, feeling a surge of raw power coursing through his body.
Without wasting a second, he vanished in a flash and charged straight at the remnants of the Kirin Legion. By now, their numbers had been slashed by more than half.
They were down to maybe 1,500 troops—tops.
And for Ethan at this stage?
Time passed, and the battlefield turned into a slaughterhouse.
The Kirin, Sacred Kirin, and the last of the Naga Swordsmen and Swordmasters were wiped out—completely—by Ethan, Auremax, and the Archangel Alvariel.
They tore through the enemy like a tidal wave crashing down.
"Congratulations, player Valkarion. You have leveled up. You are now Level 61!"
The experience rewards were massive.
He’d jumped straight from Level 59 to 61—two levels in one go.
"Now then... only one left."
Ethan’s gaze shifted toward the other battlefield.
There, Maelthorak was locked in a brutal clash with Seraphina, Cicero, and Kyros. The fight had reached its boiling point.
The three of them were working together, relentlessly attacking Maelthorak from all sides—but every time, without fail, they were beaten back.
Not only that—Maelthorak still held the upper hand.
"One of the Sea Kings, huh? No wonder. That kind of power is just insane," Ethan muttered, eyes narrowing.
He noticed something else—something important.
Maelthorak’s condition... had changed.
One of the Top Ten Sea Kings of the Main World!
Tier: Crimson Ultimate Hero
Physical Damage: 1032 ~ ???
Magic Damage: 1121 ~ ???
Overall Rating: D-Rank Crimson Ultimate Hero (due to current condition)
Primordial Force of this Crimson Ultimate Hero is on the verge of collapse.
Severely wounded—overall combat strength reduced by approximately 94% to 95%.
Originally, Maelthorak’s Primordial Force was only 85% damaged. But now? It had skyrocketed to 91%. That meant he was deteriorating fast—wounded on top of wounded.
And if this trend kept up...
Once he hit the tipping point, once that fragile balance shattered completely—
Maelthorak’s advantage would collapse like an avalanche.
And once Ethan realized that...
He didn’t hesitate anymore.
"Auremax, get ready to strike," Ethan said, his voice low and steady.
He was done watching.
It was time to end this.
"Yes, my lord!" Auremax responded without pause.
Ethan turned to Alvariel. "Alvariel, I appreciate everything you’ve done so far. This is the last enemy. I won’t force you to keep fighting—if you want to help, I’d be grateful. But if you’d rather not, I understand."
"Thank you—for everything."
Alvariel blinked, surprised for a moment, then shook her head and replied calmly, "We angels honor our promises."
"I gave you my word. I won’t go back on it—no matter what."
"Then I’m in your debt," Ethan nodded, then vanished in a flash—soaring straight toward the battle raging in the sky.
Seeing this, Auremax and Alvariel didn’t hesitate either. They launched into the air, wings unfurling, and joined the fight.
"Be careful, Master! He’s strong!" Seraphina appeared beside Ethan, her body covered in blood, her voice tight with worry.
She loved battle. Loved the thrill of it.
Even pain and injury excited her—made her blood boil.
But Ethan was different.
She didn’t want to see him hurt. Didn’t want him to take risks.
"Don’t worry. I’m fine," Ethan said with a grin. He gently wiped the blood from her face, his expression soft for a moment—then his eyes turned cold as steel as he looked up at Maelthorak.
"I want to see for myself just how powerful a so-called Sea King really is."
"Maelthorak," he growled, voice sharp as a blade, "you’re going to pay for this."
Just like Seraphina was worried about him, Ethan cared deeply for her too. Seeing her and the others so battered, bleeding, barely standing—it tore at him.
He was going to take it out on Maelthorak.
"Pay what, exactly?!"
"If you’ve got the guts, come at me!" Maelthorak roared, his voice like a crashing tidal wave. "The great Sea King fears no challenge! I’ll kill every last one of you—come on, fight me!"
He dove straight at Ethan, a living storm of fury and power.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum. The pressure coming off Maelthorak was insane—so intense it made his skin crawl, his scalp tingle.
But he forced himself to stay calm.
Then, with a flash of light, his wings of radiance unfurled behind him—and he launched himself straight at Maelthorak.
"You want a fight? Then I’ll give you one!"
Ultimate Skill—Diamond Starcrush Strike!
Right out of the gate, Ethan unleashed his strongest move—his most devastating single-target skill. His fist, glowing with blinding magical energy, tore through the air like a falling star at the end of the world. Follow current novels on n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net
It was like the fabric of reality had been ripped apart—like some massive sheet of the heavens had been shredded. A deafening roar echoed across the battlefield.
A shockwave blasted out in all directions, a storm of raw force ripping through the air.
Ethan was sent flying like a missile, slammed backward by the sheer impact.
Seraphina appeared behind him in a flash, catching him mid-air before he could crash into the ground. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, her voice trembling with worry.
"Master! Are you okay?!"
Ethan’s fist was soaked in blood. His head was spinning, vision swimming. It took him a few seconds to even register what had happened.
Then the pain hit—sharp, searing, and deep.
He winced, gritting his teeth.
"...Damn. He’s strong."