Chapter 233: I know what I need to do

Words : 1203 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Chapter 233: I know what I need to doFirst off, Cicero might be a slacker, but the guy’s sharp as hell. Usually, he’s the one pulling fast ones on others—trying to trick him? Good luck with that. Besides, tagging along with the Unicorn Duchy’s forces while they sweep through Inferno Devil territory? That’s actually a pretty sweet way to grind levels. Right now, the only real "leveling hotspot" he’s got access to is the Eastern Front. But that place? Elyra’s basically taken it over. And Seraphina’s still "waiting in line." So unless the Dungeon army suddenly bursts out of the underworld and launches a full-scale invasion, there’s no way Cicero’s getting a spot to farm monsters there. Given all that, getting to "freeload" XP while riding with the Unicorn Duchy? That’s a damn good deal. And one more thing—Cicero’s not just clever, he’s got that teleportation ability in his Sacred Realm. That makes him a hell of a lot safer than most. Sure, any partnership comes with risks. But in this case? The risk is seriously low, and the payoff is huge. Totally worth it. "Keeping him safe? Of course!" Marquis Lucan nodded without hesitation, his face lit up with excitement. "Count Valkarion, you have our word—His Highness Cicero’s safety is our top priority. The Unicorn Duchy will protect him with everything we’ve got! And as for the Crimsonstar Kingdom? If they try anything funny, we won’t hold back. We’ll show them what pain really means!" "Good. The sooner we start, the better." "Looking forward to working together!" ... Not long after, Ethan left the grand conference hall inside Coral Fortress and went to find Cicero. "Cicero, you’re heading out with the Unicorn Duchy’s forces. Your mission is to wipe out the Inferno-aligned factions within their territory." "Wipe out Inferno forces in Unicorn Duchy territory?" Cicero blinked, caught off guard. "But Master, what about you? Where are you going? What if you run into danger?" "Me?" Ethan chuckled, full of confidence. "Don’t worry. I’ll have Auremax with me the whole time. And I’m taking all eight of the Tier 14 Sacred Kirins. Besides, you know my strength—I’m no pushover." And he wasn’t just talking himself up. He meant it. For starters, he was already level 45. And not just any hero—he was an orange-tier Legendary Hero. Level 45 Legendary Hero. You know what that means? Just look at Lilith and Eldorin. No exaggeration—two or even three Tier 14 Mythic Units teaming up might still not be enough to take him down. On top of that, he was equipped with a partially completed Level 4 Strategic Artifact—the Divine Angel Set. And he had access to pseudo-Tier 4 magic: Holy Armament. If he went all out, no joke—even a top-tier Mythic Ace Unit like Auremax would have a hard time taking him down quickly. So yeah, when he said "I’m not weak," he had every right to say it. "But..." Cicero started to protest, but Ethan cut him off with a smile. He crouched down, threw an arm around Cicero’s shoulders, and looked up at the clear blue sky. "Elyra’s about to hit her second awakening. Seraphina’s pushing herself hard too. You really wanna get left in the dust?" Cicero froze for a second, then quickly shook his head. "No... I..." "This is your shot," Ethan said, his tone shifting. "The Inferno faction’s trying to invade the main world. That means the Unicorn Duchy is crawling with Inferno Devils, Inferno-aligned troops, and even Inferno Hero Units. Taking them down is your best chance to grow stronger, faster. And besides..." He paused, then added, "Emerald Castle won’t stay hidden in Sylvanwood forever. When the time comes for us to step out into the world, the Unicorn Duchy will be our first target. I don’t want to see it reduced to rubble. I don’t want everything there to need rebuilding from scratch." "And more than anything, when the Infernal Legions come swinging their scythes, and the Dungeon army bares its fangs, I don’t want Emerald Castle to be powerless to stop them. You get what I’m saying, Cicero?" Yeah, the Inferno and Dungeon factions were definitely planning to attack the main world. But they weren’t looking to conquer it—they wanted revenge. Destruction. Total annihilation. Win or lose, they’d eventually retreat back to Inferno and Dungeon. And when that day came, the world would have to rebuild from the ashes. Everything would start over. But until then, this was Emerald Castle’s chance to rise—maybe even soar. And to do that, they needed power. Real power. The kind of power only a Crimson Ultimate Hero—or better yet, a second-awakened Crimson Ultimate Hero—could bring. Which is why Ethan knew he had to push Cicero now. He couldn’t let him keep slacking off. Not anymore. ... "Whew..." At the same time, Cicero’s whole body trembled, his pupils contracting sharply. Then he took a deep breath—like he’d just made up his mind about something big. He gave a firm nod and said, "Don’t worry, Master. I know what I need to do." Smack! "You’ve got this!" Ethan gave him a solid slap on the back. He knew—those few words were all Cicero needed. That fire inside him was lit. Not long after, Cicero left with Roland and Marquis Lucan, heading off on his mission. Meanwhile, Ethan officially merged Draven’s pirate crew into the Stellamaris Kingdom, putting them to work supporting the kingdom’s expansion plans. Before, they’d been lying low, too scared to make a move—worried the Crimsonstar Kingdom might come knocking. But now? They had backup. No reason to hide anymore. And honestly, Stellamaris wasn’t starting from nothing. Far from it. With six or seven purple-tier Epic heroes and over a dozen orange-tier Legendary ones, all they really needed was a solid base of regular troops. That alone was enough to meet the bare minimum for founding a kingdom. Give them a little time to grow, and they’d be a force to reckon with—maybe even surprise everyone. As for little Kyros, the baby Kirin, Ethan didn’t leave him behind in Stellamaris, nor did he send him back to Emerald Castle. He kept him close, right by his side. Partly to keep him safe, but also to build a bond. Because that’s how real loyalty is forged—by spending time together, by being there. If you think you can just hatch a creature like that and expect instant, unwavering loyalty without putting in the effort? That’s just wishful thinking. It doesn’t work like that. You get out what you put in. And that goes for relationships too. Ethan believed it with all his heart: as long as he did his part now, gave Kyros the care and attention he deserved, the little guy would never let him down. Just like Cicero and Seraphina hadn’t. And so, with that in mind, Ethan set out. He brought Kyros with him, along with Auremax, eight Tier 14 Sacred Kirins, twenty Tier 13 Kirins, fifty Tier 12 Naga Swordmasters and War Unicorns, and a hundred Tier 11 Naga Swordsmen and standard Unicorns. They all boarded Draven’s dark-gold Tier 2 warship. Quietly, without drawing attention, they slipped out of Stellamaris Kingdom’s pocket dimension and set sail toward the Greenwave Sea. ...

Chapter 233: I know what I need to do

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