Ember Dragon

Chapter 618: Chapter 618: The Arrival of the Dragon

Chapter 618: The Arrival of the Dragon

"All peoples worship as one, the great Red Dragon in the heavens—"

Suddenly, a wave of heat swept across the land.

As the sun rose high in the sky, a voice suddenly came from afar. It was melodious like a hymn, solemn and grand as an opera, imbued with an aura of majesty.

Gradually, the soldiers turned their eyes to the northern sky. They couldn’t help but hold their breath, sweat streaming down their brows.

"Amanata above..."

Duke Walter felt a bit flustered, unable to resist praying silently in his heart.

Strange, this atmosphere was just too strange. It didn’t feel like a savage evil dragon was about to descend, but more like a god about to come down to the mortal world.

Above the clouds, the warriors from the celestial realm looked grave. Even the Lord of Silver Heaven frowned, a ripple of emotion finally appearing on that perfectly unperturbed face.

"Boom——"

The ground trembled. Grey smoke swept across the land, and countless steel behemoths drove over the earth, nearly filling the entire horizon.

Thousands of wyverns, fire drakes, chimeras, and even white dragons appeared in the sky, beating their wings like dense storm clouds, blocking out the sun and casting wild shadows over the land.

Behind the steam tank corps, armored vehicles hauled hundreds of giant cannons onto the battlefield, the black muzzles intimidating to behold. Following them, fully armed imperial infantry marched in orderly ranks.

Further back were hills and valleys teeming with players, each acting on their own, surging in from all directions, almost encircling the entire city of Collins.

Faced with this overwhelming display, the coalition soldiers grew tense, whispering to each other in nervous murmurs.

"Are they... really our enemies?" frёewebηovel.cѳm

"Gods, who would have thought such an army could rise in these barren northern lands? It’s unbelievable."

"Y-yeah, it’s these guys, they’re the ones who destroyed Saint Theo!"

Over the coalition’s formation, Walter looked out at the Ember Empire’s armies covering the sky and earth, gripping his longsword, a glint flickering in his pale gold eyes.

In just a glance, he sensed several powerful life forces, with a few reaching the legendary level, plus those terrifying weapons.

"Looks like I still underestimated them. No wonder they smashed through the Aetherian lines in just nineteen days... They even remind me of the old Fadlan."

Walter sighed softly, but his expression remained steadfast.

At this point, no matter how strong the enemy, he could only face it head-on, bravely confronting them with no retreat possible.

The rumble of steam engines, the tramp of boots on earth, and the beating of wyvern wings all intertwined, forming a pounding battle rhythm.

"No matter how the world changes, your majesty will never waver—"

Under these true drums of war, the music grew louder, the melody ever more stirring, this impassioned battle song roaring into its climax.

"O Cassius of the Myriad Armies, with endless awe and gratitude, we offer you our eternal loyalty—"

At the same time, the wyverns and drakes in the sky all lifted their heads and howled, sending out a resonant roar that shook heaven and earth.

"Boom——"

The earth gave a deep wail. Under that immense pressure, every soldier present could barely lift their head.

"Amanata..."

"Gods..."

People gaped, eyes wide with shock, looking up in terror.

A gigantic figure appeared in the sky, backlit by the sun. Sunlight outlined his form sharply; his vast wings shrouded the heavens like night, covering the land below.

That majestic head, crowned with four horns, alone was a hundred meters long. His wingspan reached nearly a kilometer. His winding tail looked like a mountain range.

This impossibly massive red dragon hovered high above, beating its wings, casting an unbelievable sense of oppression over everyone present—like a legend come true, the sky itself pressing down on the earth!

What a dragon that was!

How could the world have produced such a monster? frёewebnoѵēl.com

In that moment, nearly every soldier wondered the same thing—even Duke Walter was no exception.

For a moment, this experienced angel-blooded duke stood frozen, his lips moving: "What on earth is this..."

"An illusion. An extremely sophisticated spell."

At Walter’s side, the gold dragon flapped his wings, speaking in a deep, steady voice: "This is a pseudo-corporeal projection constructed purely from fire element, and it’s extremely well made. I have to admit, this evil dragon’s mastery of elemental magic is exquisite. Even archmages would struggle to spot the flaws."

"I see. Thank you for the warning, Lord Titus." Walter looked at Titus with gratitude, his trust in the gold dragon ally growing even deeper.

He realized he’d let himself get too tense, losing his composure to the point he hadn’t noticed the obvious logical gaps in the illusion.

After all, this was the Third Era—even those ancient dragon gods who’d survived from the distant past could hardly reach a thousand meters in size, much less actually descend bodily into the material world.

If a dragon several kilometers long really did step into the material plane, the world’s laws would instantly reject it, even causing space to collapse and shatter.

At that thought, Walter raised his sword and released a dazzling light.

"Soldiers! Do not fear, it’s nothing but a false illusion! Just the evil dragon’s shameful intimidation!"

The coalition soldiers listened to his powerful voice, looked up at his radiant figure, and finally managed to steady themselves, summoning up their courage once more.

"I knew it... There’s no way such a dragon could exist."

"Yeah, it really is the enemy’s trick."

"Fadlan won’t be cowed!"

Even though the terrifying dragon looked so real, as if it could crush them any second, Walter’s reputation was enough—the soldiers still believed him.

Walter brandished his longsword, the shining tip pointed toward the distant dragon, declaring forcefully: "Soldiers, I once followed His Majesty Aragon to conquer the multiverse, spreading Amanata’s light.

In countless battles, I’ve faced enemies far more fearsome than this: astral beasts, infernal devils, abyssal demons... But no one ever flinched, because—we are proud Fadlan folk!

Remember, this fight isn’t just for survival. It’s for dignity, for the blood and sweat of our ancestors, and so our descendants may soar beneath Fadlan’s peaceful skies."

"How laughable—"

A booming voice echoed from afar, cutting off Walter’s speech. The red dragon slowly opened its maw, a vicious grin spreading across its massive face.

The red dragon projection shook its head, sighing as it spoke: "Fadlan really was an empire worthy of respect. Pity—it’s been dead for a long, long time. Completely and utterly dead."

"Shut up! You shameless beast!" Walter shouted in fury, "You will never insult holy Fadlan! Nor steal our land!

We Fadlan are children of the Sun God—as long as the sun shines and Amanata’s light remains, the Empire of Fadlan will never fall!"

"The Sun God? You dare even mention Him?"

Cassius sneered, then said with biting sarcasm: "Haven’t you realized? Your Emperor Aragon—the so-called ’Son of the Sun’—committed the greatest blasphemy imaginable.

As for you, you’re just a pack of sinners abandoned by the gods, gnawing like wild dogs at the Empire’s corpse, pretending to be Fadlan’s heirs. How utterly ridiculous."

His words echoed across the northern plain, reaching every soldier’s ears. For some reason, his words sounded disturbingly convincing—almost persuasive.

By now, Walter was furious, his golden eyes seeming to catch fire, a torrent of rage erupting from within.

"Vile slander! Damn you, beast, how dare you defile His Majesty Aragon!"

His voice shook with rage, his whole body trembling violently. If before, he’d only seen the red dragon as an enemy out of duty as Duke of Northern Aether—

Now, his hatred was absolute! He wished he could cut off that massive head and hack off those four horns!

That red dragon dared to insult Aragon I, dared to insult holy Fadlan’s one true emperor!

He was attacking Fadlan’s very foundation! Denying the Empire’s legitimacy and rightful line!

Walter’s eyes blazed, teeth gritted: "Red dragon, you should count yourself lucky. Twenty years ago, His Majesty’s angelic host would have taken your head!"

"Long live His Majesty Aragon!"

"Beast! You’ll never slander the emperor!"

The soldiers, incensed, brandished their weapons, showing respect to their emperor.

"Damn humans! They’re insulting His Majesty Cassius!"

"Kill them!"

"I’ll raze this city and stomp the Fadlan emperor’s ashes into the dirt!"

The Empire’s soldiers grew restless too, launching into a furious barrage of insults with bullhorns, both sides exchanging fierce taunts across the battlefield.

But the red dragon didn’t get angry—he just stated, expressionless: "Your emperor has already turned to ash in the sun’s wrath, while I, Cassius, Emperor of the Ember Empire, stand before you, about to become master of Northern Aether.

A century ago, Fadlan used military might to destroy the Aether Kingdom and seize these lands.

Today, we’re doing the same. This is the course of history. By that measure, the Ember Empire is far more worthy to be Fadlan’s true successor.

You should be glad—at last, your Fadlan has a real heir."

"Never! Fadlan will never become your slaves! If you want Northern Aether, you’ll have to cross our corpses first!" Walter swung his sword again, voice steely.

"Vicious chromatic dragon! Your invasion will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history!" The gold dragon Titus raised his head and roared, condemning him righteously.

"Red dragon, I’ll make you understand the meaning of order and justice—in the name of heaven." Barachiel gripped his lightning blade, his voice thundering.

Cassius looked down coldly with those pale golden eyes, sweeping over the angel-blooded, gold dragon, and angel, then said calmly, "Agree or not—I don’t care, and I don’t want to know.

I’m just here to inform you: from now on, Northern Aether belongs only to the Ember Empire. Anyone who tries to stop that will be destroyed.

In other words—your destruction has nothing to do with me."

The red dragon’s voice grew louder, turning into an earth-shaking roar. The massive illusion swelled suddenly, painting half the sky red, transforming into a sea of raging flames.

Instantly, a heatwave like never before swept across the land, wild grass blazing, sparks and thick smoke spreading everywhere.

Right then, the music reached its final crescendo. The soldiers of the Ember Empire raised a storm of shouts and warcries, drowning out even the crackle of burning fire.

"Conquest—"

"Full charge!"

"For the Ember Empire! For His Majesty Cassius!"

Instantly, all those giant cannons fired in unison, shells tracing graceful arcs in the sky, forming a dense web of fire that rained down around Collins.

"Boom!"

The steel behemoths roared, thundering across the open plain like nothing could stand in their way, shaking and shuddering the earth with every charge.

Dragons in the sky spread their wings and dove for Collins, shrieking discordantly.

On the ground, skeletal dragon-serpents slithered, undead and skeletons marched beneath black clouds, the stench of death drifting on the north wind toward Collins.

Legions of fire drakes, fire lizards, fire dwarves, and fire giants, all elemental beings, advanced with the spreading wildfires and billowing smoke, attacking the coalition.

At the rear of the Ember Empire’s army, Cassius opened his pale golden eyes, propping up his fifty-meter-long body with strong limbs, then spreading his wings.

The red dragon lifted his head, gazing at the intensifying battle in the distance, spitting out a contemptuous puff of sulfurous smoke.

"Foolish creatures. Looks like this war will end soon..."

At his side, a silver-haired girl clutching documents hesitated, then came up to him and spoke softly: "Cassius, your actions just now were no different from those notorious evil dragons in the stories—it was exactly like the records say. Are you... still seeking justice and order?"

Cassius first smiled, then sighed, saying somewhat ’helplessly’: "Of course, Olivia. My original intent has never changed. It’s just that these people stand in the way of my new order, have become my enemies, and block the world’s progress—so I have no choice but to wipe them out."

Olivia said nothing more—she knew this emperor’s mind was made up, almost impossible to change.

After a moment’s silence, she pleaded in a low voice: "There’s another dragon among the coalition—a righteous gold dragon. He’s not your enemy, Cassius. Could you let him go?"

"Of course. You know\... I’ve always been the most compassionate to my kin."

The red dragon’s lips curled slightly, a strange light flashing in those golden, vertical pupils.