Chapter 196: They had to die

Chapter 196: They had to die"ROOOAAARRR!" A thunderous roar exploded through the air like a bolt of lightning out of a clear blue sky—deafening, earth-shaking, and soul-piercing. It hit like a shockwave, slamming into everyone on the opposite ship. In that instant, every single person across from them—Pirate King Draven, his elite unit commanders, even the high-tier troops—froze in place, eyes wide, jaws dropping in sheer disbelief. "Holy shiiiiiit—!" The last remaining hero unit standing beside Draven looked like his face had been twisted by terror itself. He was so scared, his features literally contorted. His voice cracked and warped with panic. THUD! He collapsed to the deck, legs giving out, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. His face had gone ghost-white. "Is that... is that a Crimson Ultimate Hero?!" No. No way. That’s impossible! A Crimson Ultimate Hero? That’s the absolute pinnacle of unit heroes in Glory Lords X! A being so powerful, so rare, they’re practically divine. The kind of existence that only shows up once in a billion lifetimes. They’re not just strong—they dominate everything in sight. And the scariest part? If a Crimson Ultimate Hero actually has time to grow and reach their full potential... Forget regular kingdoms—even the most powerful empires, the top-tier factions that rule over the Glory Lords X world from on high—they rely on Crimson Ultimates as their core strength. To those factions, these heroes aren’t just assets—they’re the unshakable pillars holding everything up. And now, one of those god-tier heroes was standing right in front of them. None of them—not a single person on that ship, not even the elite hero units or the high-tier troops—had ever seen a Crimson Ultimate Hero in the flesh. The only ones who might’ve glimpsed one were the Inferno Devils or Inferno Arch Devils soaring in the skies. But now, for the first time in their lives, they were seeing one. And this was how it happened? "We’re screwed. We’re so screwed. Boss, we need to run. Now. That’s a Crimson Ultimate Hero—we don’t stand a chance against that thing!" The lone surviving hero next to Draven was shaking like a leaf, his voice barely holding together, cracking with fear. It was like his soul had been rattled loose. He was done. No fight left in him. Just pure, primal terror. All he wanted now was to run. Meanwhile, Pirate King Draven stood frozen, silent for a long moment. His face shifted from pale green to deep purple, cycling through shades of disbelief, rage, and dread. THUD! Suddenly, Draven’s legs gave out beneath him. He collapsed to the deck with a heavy crash, his face pale as death, eyes wide with panic. He scrambled forward on his knees, groveling, his voice trembling as he begged for mercy. "P-please! M-my lord, honorable sir... I didn’t know! I swear I didn’t know you had a Crimson Ultimate Hero!" "I was wrong! I’m sorry—I was so wrong! Please, just give me one chance! I’m begging you!" THUD! THUD! THUD! With every word, Draven slammed his forehead against the metal-plated deck, over and over again. The sound echoed—sharp, brutal, metallic. Blood splattered across the floor as his skin split open, crimson streaks running down his face. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! And even that wasn’t enough for him. He paused for half a second—then raised his hand and started slapping himself. Hard. Again and again, each blow louder than the last. In just moments, the entire left side of his face was swollen and red, a grotesque mask of pain. Five-finger welts stood out like brands, angry and raw, blood seeping from the broken skin. A couple of teeth even flew out with one particularly savage hit. That’s how hard he was going on himself. It was clear—this man wasn’t just ruthless to others. He was ruthless to himself. Unlike the pampered nobles of the Unicorn Duchy or the Light Alliance—those born with silver spoons in their mouths, raised in luxury and privilege—Draven had clawed his way up from nothing. He was born a nobody. A slave. An orphan. Dirt beneath society’s feet. The first half of his life had been nothing but pain, struggle, and survival. And that kind of life? It teaches you to bend when you have to. Teaches you that pride means nothing if it gets you killed. So what if he had to kneel? So what if he had to humiliate himself? None of that mattered. As long as his army was still intact... As long as his hero units were still breathing... Then he was still Pirate King Draven—the terror of the seas, the storm that made nations tremble. But first, he had to survive this. And he had to pray—pray—that Ethan wouldn’t decide to wipe him out completely. Because if that Crimson Ultimate Green Dragon Hero went all in? It would be a massacre. Everything Draven had built—his troops, his heroes, his fleet—would be reduced to ash. And that kind of loss? That wasn’t just a setback. That was the end. Sure, in Glory Lords X, heroes and units could be revived. But resurrection came at a steep price—an astronomical cost. And for Draven? That kind of money was way out of reach. After all, when it came down to it, he was just a pirate—one who spent his life dodging and hiding across the open sea. All that talk about being a "Sea Overlord" or "Pirate King"? Just hype. Titles puffed up by rumors and self-promotion. The image was way bigger than the reality. Sure, he had a massive army under his command, and yeah, he was powerful—no denying that. But when it came to actual wealth? He was nowhere near the level of a regular kingdom like the Unicorn Duchy. Not even close. He was leagues behind. Which meant... if Ethan really wiped out all the heroes and troops he’d brought with him this time— It’d take him ages to recover. A long, painful stretch just to get back on his feet. And during that time, Draven would be at his weakest—completely exposed. The perfect window for someone to swoop in and devour him whole... or just crush him outright. That kind of outcome? He couldn’t afford it. So he had no choice but to drop to his knees and beg—grovel, really—hoping Ethan might show mercy and let him off the hook this once... "Wh-What the..." Watching this unfold, Marquis Lucan stared in disbelief. The Pirate King Draven—once so arrogant, so untouchable, the sworn nemesis of the Lucan family—was now on his knees, trembling, begging for his life like a beaten dog. The sight sent a chill down Lucan’s spine. He gasped, his face a storm of emotions, completely speechless. Buzz! At that exact moment, the seven Legendary Units—Inferno Devils—and the two Mythic Units—Inferno Arch Devils—suddenly flared with light in their eyes. They were trying to teleport away—space magic! Ethan’s eyes narrowed, catching on instantly. "Cicero! Can you stop them?!" "I can!" Cicero gave a sharp nod—and let out a thunderous dragon’s roar. "ROOOAAAR!" BOOOOM! In the blink of an eye, a terrifying surge of energy exploded outward, forming a massive domain barrier that slammed down over the area. The space around the devils, already starting to ripple and twist, was instantly locked in place—frozen solid. This was Cicero’s innate ability: Sacred Realm. As the wielder of the Sacred Realm, Cicero had full control over everything inside it—time, space, all of it. Of course, that kind of power demanded an insane amount of energy to maintain. And truth be told, Cicero wasn’t quite there yet—not at the level where he could fully master it. But this? This was just a basic spatial lockdown. A simple, entry-level use of the Sacred Realm. Any Crimson Ultimate hero who’d awakened their Sacred Realm could pull it off. So for Cicero, it was no big deal. Thud! The Sacred Realm locked the space down tight—completely shutting off any chance of teleportation. The Inferno Devils and Inferno Arch Devils? Their spatial blink failed on the spot. Out on the sea, both Marquis Lucan and Pirate King Draven watched in stunned silence. They sucked in sharp breaths, eyes wide—not just with shock, but with something else too: envy. Pure, burning envy. With all their power, all their status... When had they ever witnessed something like this? No exaggeration—these days, they lived in constant fear of the Inferno Devils. Always on edge, always watching their backs for a sudden assassination or sneak attack. Spatial teleportation was a nightmare. A god-tier escape and ambush skill rolled into one. And they had no real way to counter it. That helplessness? It terrified them. It was part of the reason they’d been forced to submit. But Crimson Ultimate heroes? Whole different story. Inferno Devils? Spatial blink? Doesn’t matter. Once a Crimson Ultimate made their move—no one was getting away. "Cicero, kill them," Ethan said calmly, his voice low but sharp as a blade. His eyes gleamed with cold fire. "Especially those two Tier-14 Inferno Arch Devils. Don’t let them escape." He hadn’t forgotten—one of the core materials needed to build the Twinfold Arcane Gate was the heart of an Inferno Arch Devil. And the Twinfold Arcane Gate? That thing was priceless. If he could pull off its construction, then once his second base—his second castle—was up and running, it could instantly link with Emerald Castle. Instantaneous support. Zero delay. Two fronts, one system. A seamless, fortified network. It would be like forging an unbreakable wall around his entire empire. For Emerald Castle’s future, this wasn’t just important—it was everything. The kind of strategic advantage you couldn’t even put a price on. So yeah, the Tier-13 Inferno Devils? Whatever. Let them rot. But those two Tier-14 Inferno Arch Devils? They had to die. Ethan needed their hearts. This was practically a gift-wrapped delivery of portal materials—how could he possibly pass that up? "Auremax," Ethan added, just to be safe, "go help out. Don’t let any of them get away." ROAR! Buzz! BOOOOM! In an instant, the air behind Ethan twisted and cracked open, golden light flooding out like a sunburst. Whoosh! A massive golden dragon burst from the rift, soaring into the sky like a divine spear. Without a word, without hesitation, it launched itself straight at the Inferno Arch Devils. Hissss... Draven and Marquis Lucan both shuddered as they watched the scene unfold, their bodies stiffening with a jolt of fear. They sucked in sharp breaths, eyes wide with disbelief. "Th-That’s... a Gold Dragon? A Mythic Unit Gold Dragon?!" Marquis Lucan muttered, his voice trembling as if the words themselves were too heavy to speak. He could feel it—this Gold Dragon’s power was on a whole different level. It wasn’t just stronger than the Inferno Devils—it completely outclassed the two Tier-14 Inferno Arch Devils from the enemy’s side. Which meant... could it be? Was this Gold Dragon not just a unit, but a hero? A Crimson Ultimate hero born from a Mythic Unit? No... no way. That couldn’t be. A Crimson Ultimate hero with a Mythic origin—that was practically a divine being. A living god. Even among the major factions and top-tier powers, those were rare beyond belief. Someone like that wouldn’t just show up here. Not in a place like this. Not in a battle like this. ...Right? But even if it wasn’t a hero, even if it was just a unit— This Gold Dragon was no ordinary Mythic Unit. It was elite. A top-tier, battle-hardened monster. An elite Mythic Unit like this? Even in the most powerful nations or among the great faction forces, you could count them on one hand. And now it was here—under Ethan’s command. So this was the true strength of Count Valkarion. Overwhelming. Terrifying. Unreal. Gulp... Marquis Lucan swallowed hard, again and again, his throat dry from the sheer pressure of what he was witnessing. Only now did he truly understand—really understand—just how terrifying Ethan’s power was. Only now did he realize that everything Ethan had said before... wasn’t arrogance. Wasn’t bluffing. Wasn’t empty talk. He meant it. Because he could back it up. He had the power to end it all. To control it all. BOOOOOOM! Suddenly, the sky exploded with a deafening roar. The air cracked, the clouds split, and the heavens themselves seemed to tremble. The battle had begun.