Emerald Castle had finally birthed its own King-tier powerhouses—
and not just one, but two at once!
Think about it: Ethan himself had just hit level 73.
Sure, maybe he wasn’t quite as powerful as Seraphina right now,
but he definitely wasn’t any weaker than Malenthia had been before.
And hey, even if you’re just barely at the bottom rung of the King-tier ladder,
you’re still a King-tier powerhouse, right?
And that’s exactly where Ethan stood now—
a true force to be reckoned with.
Seraphina’s voice rang out as she blinked into place beside Ethan,
her face lit with a mix of excitement and emotion.
Truth was, she’d been under a ton of pressure lately.
The entire hope of Emerald Castle had basically been resting on her shoulders.
But she hadn’t crumbled.
and now, she’d made it.
And what she’d gained wasn’t just raw power.
It was the satisfaction of pushing through, the pride of achievement,
and the deep, soul-stirring honor of living up to the trust placed in her.
Seraphina had become the sharpest spear in her great master’s arsenal.
It was a story worthy of legends,
and her heart swelled with pride and glory just thinking about it.
"You’ve done well, Seraphina..." Ethan said softly, reaching out to gently pat her head.
He wanted to comfort her, to show her some appreciation.
He hadn’t meant to put so much pressure on her and the others,
but somehow, step by step, things had just ended up this way.
He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.
"Master, it’s my honor to share your burdens," Seraphina said quietly,
as if sensing his thoughts. "Don’t forget—you always told us we’re family. The closest kind."
Ethan froze for a second.
"We are family. The closest kind."
"Take your troops and clean up the battlefield. And you know the drill—tear that castle down."
"As you command, great Lord!"
"Head to Malenthia’s lair. If there’s any remaining forces hiding out, wipe them out completely."
"Understood, Master!"
"By your will, great Lord!"
Time always seemed to fly after a war.
Before long, Balthazar had already led his Behemoth army through the battlefield,
finishing the cleanup operation.
The once-mighty Axehold Castle was now nothing but rubble—
And the Castle Heart that had powered Axehold?
Balthazar and his troops found it, just as Ethan had ordered—
and destroyed it on the spot.
With that, the entire castle zone began reverting to its original state—
a wild, unclaimed land with no owner.
"My Lord, everything is complete," Balthazar reported, his deep voice steady.
"The Castle Heart has been destroyed. The battlefield is cleared.
We’ve also finished tallying the casualties from the war... though, I must say, the losses were... significant."
"How many did we lose?" Ethan asked calmly, his voice low and steady.
He’d already braced himself for the worst.
When they set out, he’d brought with him:
100 units of 14-Tier Ancient Behemoths
300 units of 13-Tier Behemoths
500 units of 13-Tier Green Dragons
300 units of 13-Tier Ebonite Colossi
Plus reinforcements from Isaryne’s side:
50 units of 14-Tier Phoenixes
200 units of 13-Tier Firebirds
He didn’t know the exact death toll yet, but as long as the losses didn’t exceed half the total force—or at least hovered around that number—he could live with it.
After all, what war doesn’t come with casualties?
Just look at the Sylvanwood campaign, or the naval war not long ago. And now this massive clash between the major factions on the continent—every single one of them was built on mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.
The rise of each new Crimson Ultimate hero across the factions?
Let’s be real—it was all paid for with the lives of countless ordinary units.
That’s the brutal truth behind these faction wars.
Forge a Crimson Ultimate.
If Ethan wanted to grow stronger—if he wanted Emerald Castle to rise to true power—then he had to accept that reality.
He had to play by the rules of this bloody game the factions had all agreed to.
"My Lord," Balthazar began, his voice deep and solemn, "we currently have about 130 Behemoths left, 70 Ancient Behemoths, 220 Green Dragons, and 180 Ebonite Colossi. As for the Phoenixes and Firebirds, their numbers are roughly in the same range. Overall, confirmed losses have exceeded 60%."
"...That many, huh?" Ethan paused, then let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head.
From 300 Behemoths down to 130.
From 100 Ancient Behemoths down to 70.
From 500 Green Dragons down to 220.
From 300 Ebonite Colossi down to 180.
Yeah, the numbers didn’t lie. Over 60% of their forces were gone.
The worst-hit were clearly the 13-Tier Behemoths and the Green Dragon corps—
both with casualty rates nearing two-thirds.
But when he thought about it, it made sense.
The Ebonite Colossi were defensive units—slow-moving, high HP, thick armor. Even when they were deep in enemy lines, they were never the first targets. No one wanted to waste time trying to take down a walking wall with a shield and a club. Fresh chapters posted on NovelHub(.)net
Defensive units like that?
They usually had the lowest casualty rates.
No one ever prioritized killing them.
As for the Ancient Behemoths?
Well, that was obvious.
They were 14-Tier Mythic Units—the strongest of the standard elite forces.
Powerful, intimidating, and built to survive.
If the enemy hadn’t fielded so many 14-Tier Black Dragons,
they probably wouldn’t have lost even that many.
Still, losing 30 units of 14-Tier Mythic troops in one battle?
Even Ethan felt that one in his gut.
"...But I guess it’s not all bad," he muttered to himself. "Even if I ignore the gains Seraphina and I made, the mission reward of 50 Mythic Units at Tier 14 should help me recover a bit..."
Yeah, the reward might’ve looked modest on paper—50 units of either random or chosen 14-Tier Mythic Units—but it was actually a damn good deal.
The 13-Tier Legendary Units? Losing those didn’t even count as a real loss.
With enough resources, Creature Dwellings, and recruitment slots, he could just replace them. Practically no different from taking zero losses.
But the 14-Tier Mythic Units?
Those were a different story.
Without a dedicated Creature Dwelling for 14-Tier Mythic Units,
every one that died was gone for good.
That was a real loss.
"So... which unit should I pick for the reward?" Ethan mused. "Maybe I should just go with Ancient Behemoths again. They really do seem to thrive in dungeon environments ..."
"Honestly, even Auremax’s Gold Dragon corps might not have performed this well here."
That thought lingered in his mind,
as he weighed his options carefully.