"Hey! What the hell did you just say, you damn bird? You’re the crazy one!" Seraphina snapped, clearly pissed off.
But this time, Firebird Isaryne didn’t even bother responding to her. Googlᴇ search novęlfire.net
Instead, her eyes locked onto Ethan, who was standing there with that calm, easygoing smile on his face. She stared at him in silence for a long moment before finally letting out a slow breath.
"My lord," she said carefully, "are you absolutely sure you know what you’re getting into? A King-tier powerhouse is no joke. At the very least, we’re talking about a top-tier Intermediate Deity—maybe even a Greater Deity. I’ll admit, Seraphina’s stronger than me, but even so... you really think she can take on a Dungeon King? That’s suicide."
"That’s why I came to you for help," Ethan replied with a relaxed smile. "With you on our side, I think we’ve got a real shot."
"But..." Isaryne started to protest.
Ethan cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"Isaryne, listen to me. You know Malenthia, right?"
"Malenthia..." Isaryne blinked, her brow furrowing as her eyes flickered with recognition. "You mean the Shadow Matriarch from the third layer of the Dungeon? The 12-Tier one?"
"Exactly," Ethan nodded. "That’s the one. So if you know who she is... think about it. Malenthia might be a Dungeon King, sure—but she’s a Dungeon King who started out as a 12-Tier unit. That doesn’t sound so unbeatable, does it?"
In the world of Glory Lords X, the single most important thing—above all else—is Tier.
Titles like "King-tier" or even "Divine Power" sound impressive, but when it comes down to it, they all bow to Tier superiority.
In other words, if two people are both King-tier...
But one is 13-Tier, and the other is 12-Tier...
Then the difference in power between them is massive. No contest.
That’s where Ethan’s confidence came from.
Sure, Seraphina wasn’t technically King-tier yet. Hell, she wasn’t even an Intermediate Deity.
But that didn’t change the fact that her Tier was insanely high—almost maxed out for her race.
On one side, you had a Crimson Ultimate Hero at 13-Tier, B-grade (96%).
So... is it really impossible?
Meanwhile, Isaryne had gone quiet, her eyes flickering as she processed everything.
To be honest, in her mind, 13-Tier Legendary Units were basically the standard for King-tier powerhouses. So when Ethan said he wanted to take on a Dungeon King, she’d automatically assumed he meant going up against a top-tier Intermediate Deity—or worse, a Greater Deity.
And if that were the case, there was no way in hell she’d agree. That’d be a death sentence.
Ethan was saying this Dungeon King was only 12-Tier?
She had to admit, that changed things.
A King-tier fighter stuck at 12-Tier? That wasn’t nearly as scary.
So maybe... just maybe... this was doable.
With that thought, Isaryne looked up again—first at Ethan, still wearing that calm smile, then at Seraphina, who looked like she was ready to punch someone.
She sighed, clearly resigned. "I can give you fifty 14-Tier Phoenixes and two hundred 13-Tier Firebirds."
"My Phoenixes’ Creature Dwelling still needs guards, and after that last war—you both know—we took some serious losses. We haven’t fully recovered yet. That’s all I can spare."
"That’s more than enough," Ethan said with a grin. He stepped forward and held out his hand. "Isaryne, looking forward to working with you."
"Likewise," she said, shaking his hand firmly. Then her expression turned serious. "So, my lord, what’s the plan? Are we going in head-on? I mean, sure, Malenthia might not be all that powerful, but she’s still a Dungeon King. She won’t be a pushover. If we go in guns blazing, we could take some heavy losses."
"No..." Ethan shook his head, then casually pulled out a map that Lilith and the others had drawn. "Take a look at this—this is the plan."
"What’s this?" Isaryne leaned in.
"It’s a map," Ethan said as he spread it out on the table. "A direct route to the third layer of the Dungeon—straight into Malenthia’s territory."
He pointed to the markings and symbols on the parchment. "Along this path, there are two Castles and three teleportation gates."
"These two Castles exist for one reason: to guard and control those three gates. They’re basically the lifelines of Malenthia’s domain. So that’s where we strike."
"Two Castles... so we’ll need to split up?" Isaryne’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Exactly," Ethan nodded. "Our scouts gathered intel. Each Castle houses around 300,000 units of Tier 1 to Tier 6 troops. Then there are over 30,000 Tier 7 Medusas and Tier 8 Medusa Queens. About 10,000 Tier 9 Minotaurs and Tier 10 Minotaur Kings. And roughly 1,000 Tier 11 Manticores and Tier 12 Venomspike Manticores. On top of that, each Castle has 3,000 Shadow Matriarchs."
"That many?" Isaryne blinked, her expression tightening with concern.
Sure, the hundreds of thousands of low-tier cannon fodder were barely worth noticing for her and her kin. But 4,000 high-tier monsters like Manticores, Venomspike Manticores, and Shadow Matriarchs?
That was a serious problem.
Sometimes, even a swarm of ants can bring down an elephant.
And these weren’t ants—they were a pack of vicious, bloodthirsty beasts.
"My lord... if we split our forces, can we really pull this off?" Isaryne asked, unable to hide her doubt.
"Absolutely!" Before Ethan could even respond, Seraphina jumped in without hesitation.
"I’ll take the Green Dragon clan and Orryn. We’ll hit one of the Castles. The other one—Isaryne, Balthazar, Kaiin—you guys take the Phoenixes, Firebirds, Behemoths, and Ebonite Colossi. We’ve got this."
As soon as she said that, Isaryne clenched her jaw. "I don’t need anyone’s help. I’ll take it down myself."
She’d always seen Seraphina as her rival. And now, being brushed aside like that? It stung. She wanted to prove herself—no backup, no hand-holding.
"Isaryne," Ethan said gently, turning to her with a calm smile. "Seraphina didn’t mean anything by it. Don’t take it the wrong way. We’re allies now, and our real goal isn’t just these two Castles—it’s taking down Malenthia, the Dungeon King."
"Working together is the only way we win. You don’t want your people dying for nothing, do you?"
"I..." Isaryne opened her mouth, but in the end, she just let out a cold huff and looked away, silently conceding.
She was proud, yes—but she was also responsible for her people.
If the Phoenix clan could take a Castle on their own, she’d never back down. But the enemy was too strong. She had to be smart. She had to cooperate.
"Alright then, I’ll go with your group," Ethan said suddenly. "Seraphina, you and Orryn will handle the other Castle on your own."
"Huh? Why?" Seraphina looked at him, surprised and a little hurt. "Master, did I do something wrong? Why aren’t you coming with us?"
"You..." Ethan reached out and gently tapped her forehead, sighing with a smile. "I’m sending you on your own because I trust you. You need this kind of experience—leading an army, taking a fortress. There’ll be plenty more battles in the future."
"So Seraphina, it’s time you start learning how to command."
"...Alright, I get it, Master. Don’t worry—I’ll crush this mission!" she said, puffing up her chest, though her voice still carried a hint of pouty reluctance.
Watching the exchange, Isaryne felt something stir inside her. She didn’t quite understand it—was it confusion? Uncertainty? Or maybe... envy?
"Let’s move," Ethan said, refocusing everyone. "That’s the plan. We split up, take the Castles, and then regroup here—at this teleportation gate."
He pointed to a specific spot on the map, his eyes gleaming with determination.
This gate was the only one on the route that led directly into the third layer of the Dungeon. But it wasn’t just an entrance—it was also the only exit.
Under normal circumstances, Malenthia could only reach the second layer, the first, or even the surface world through this gate.
So if they could seize it, they’d be cutting off her throat—choking her supply lines and escape routes. After that, all they had to do was push through the gate and launch the final assault.
That was the whole plan.
Take out the outer defenses one by one.
Then unite their forces for the final strike.
Whether they succeeded or failed...
It all came down to this.