Free Web NovelDeep within the underground palace, the air was almost solidified and heavy.
A blood pool, a hundred meters in diameter, lay horizontally at the core of the underground area, its surface radiating a morbid yet sacred dark golden sheen.
All around the blood pool, five thousand burly figures knelt on one knee.
They once belonged to the three most core and untouchable forces of the Empire—the Imperial Capital's First Legion, the Dragon Blood Legion (symbol of the Empire's soul), and the Emperor's own Imperial Royal Guard.
But at this moment, they no longer possessed complete human outlines.
Heavy armor was no longer defensive gear; the exposed skin was a rough black-Gray covered in strange scales, beneath which faint dark red veins flowed, like magma slowly creeping beneath a cooling crust.
Unnatural joints bulged at their necks and spines, some having already burst through the skin, forming bony wing roots that had yet to fully unfurl.
Some had grown incomplete wings, and others' arms had mutated into scale-covered claws, but without exception, they all maintained the same posture, kneeling silently and motionless.
Like five thousand living stone statues.
In this inhuman hell, Lin Ze looked completely out of place.
He was still wearing his perfectly tailored black and white Chief Steward's formal attire, his coat tails spotless, standing at the edge of the blood pool, calmly glancing down at the pocket watch in his hand.
The hands ticked softly, and with that almost inaudible “click,” the air of the entire underground palace seemed to be suddenly squeezed by an invisible hand.
In the center of the blood pool, the dark golden liquid, which had been flowing slowly, suddenly stopped.
The next instant, ripples exploded.
Ring after ring of dark golden ripples suddenly spread outwards, violently striking the edge of the blood pool and splashing waves several meters high.
Accompanying this was a dull, massive sound.
“Boom—!”
Every pulsation was transmitted through the earth's veins toward the surface.
Immediately afterward, the blood began to recede, slowly yielding a blank space from the center of the pool outwards.
Some massive creature was rising from within it.
What appeared first was the back—a spine extending for dozens of meters, each segment covered in dark golden glazed scales, with crimson light slowly flowing inside, like magma that had not yet fully cooled.
Following that came the limbs, the torso, the unfurling wing bones... A giant beast, nearly a hundred meters long, slowly stood upright.
It was not one of the bloated, ugly Alchemical Wyrms of the Federation, but a true ancient form.
Its lines were simple yet full of power, its structure so rigorous it was almost cruel; every muscle, every bone segment, seemed born for destruction.
The five thousand Half-Dragon Guards lowered their heads simultaneously at this moment.
The massive dragon head slowly lowered, and its dragon eyes finally focused on the small yet upright figure at the edge of the blood pool.
Lin Ze did not retreat. He closed his pocket watch, raised his head, and calmly met the gaze of the dragon's eyes.
“Lin Ze...” the giant beast's voice was deep and slow, as if it were readjusting to this world. “Now, outside... what is the situation?”
Lin Ze put away his pocket watch, took a step forward, and performed a perfect bow.
His movements were meticulous, as if he were reporting on a pre-written annual account, rather than announcing the death of an empire.
“Your Majesty, the era has changed, and the Empire exists only in name.”
He raised his head, not meeting the gaze of the dragon eyes burning with dark golden light, but fixing his attention on a point in the void, as if reciting established facts.
“Second Prince Kalian, in the decisive battle against the Emerald Federation, led twenty legions... all were annihilated. He himself is confirmed deceased.
Furthermore, Fifth Prince Lampard has been personally executed by the newly emerged power in the North—Louis Calvin.”
He paused for a moment, as if giving the other party time to digest the information.
“In other words,” Lin Ze added softly, “all of your descendants have perished. And the Empire you personally founded... is now ravaged and exists only in name.”
The dark golden dragon eyes contracted slightly.
Then, a snort full of disdain and annoyance erupted from the Dragon Emperor’s nostrils, crimson sparks exploding in the air and melting mottled marks onto the nearby rock walls.
“...Trash.” ƒrēewebnovel.com
The massive dragon head slowly lowered, its shadow completely engulfing Lin Ze.
In those golden vertical pupils, there was no sadness over the severance of his bloodline, only the weariness one might feel upon seeing rotten flesh.
“I was only gone for less than a decade, and this defective bloodline couldn't even hold onto the house?”
It let out a nearly inaudible sneer.
“Of course, if the Empire is gone, it's gone. It was merely a stepping stone where I occasionally paused on my path to eternity.”
It looked down upon the entire underground palace, its voice filled with the negation of all worldly prosperity.
“In this world, apart from this singular supreme power, all order, civilization, and glory are mere illusions.”
The moment the words fell, the Dragon Emperor spread its wings, which blotted out the sky.
A roar came from the dome; the heavy rock began to crack under the immense power, and cold wind rushed in through the fissures.
“It doesn't matter. I return tonight to make the ants across this entire continent understand that their lifelong pursuits are more fragile than a piece of paper before a True Dragon.”
Under this declaration powerful enough to shatter the soul, Lin Ze still stood perfectly straight.
He did not kneel like the five thousand Half-Dragon Guards, nor did he tremble under the Dragon Might.
Instead, a meaningful curve appeared on his habitually calm face.
“As you wish, Your Majesty.” Lin Ze spoke, his voice still restrained. “The five thousand Dragon Blood Guards have yearned for blood for too long.
Your triumphant return will be the end of this world.”
The Old Emperor raised his dragon head.
The next moment, a dragon roar that pierced the clouds erupted thunderously from the depths of the underground palace.
The sound traveled to the surface, and all magical beasts simultaneously prostrated themselves, trembling.
A chilling terror emanating from the top of the food chain.
It was as if something ancient had finally opened its eyes from a long slumber.
“The mortals' side show...”
The final whisper echoed in the aftermath of the dragon roar.
“It ends here.”
...Southeast Province, Calvin Castle.
Sunlight passed through the ancient stained-glass windows, casting mottled shadows on the stone floor.
Louis slowly awoke on the wide bed.
The Southeast Province had just been pacified, and the new order was still being built. He himself was forced to remain in this castle, a symbol of the Old Calvin power, waiting for the next move in the game to take shape.
Emily was already on her way, but at the moment, he was the only true master of Calvin Castle.
Outside, the sun was bright, and even the flags in the courtyard unfurled in the gentle breeze, as if the world had returned to peace.
Yet, an untimely chill suddenly rose in Louis's heart.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand, and a pale blue light screen quietly unfolded before his retina.
【Daily Intelligence System update complete】
【1: The Emerald Federation Wyrm Mammon has finished feeding in the Crystal Rock Basin. Ten thousand knights under Kalian have been confirmed to be wholly devoured. It is confirmed to possess a high-intensity Metallic Attraction Field with a radius of approximately five hundred meters.】
Louis's breathing paused for half a beat.
Ten thousand knights were not defeated, but eaten.
This was no longer a matter within the scope of warfare.
Louis slowly sat up, leaning against the headboard, his gaze fixed on the cold line of text.
The core of the Red Tide Legion is steel and steam.
Tanks, artillery, armored trains, heavy engineering equipment—this entire system is built upon absolute reliance on metal.
If that Wyrm named Mammon could truly forcibly pull all metal within a five-hundred-meter radius... then, in its presence, the Red Tide's heavy armored units would no longer be an army, but a pile of snacks actively flying into the dragon's mouth.
“A natural predator specifically targeting industrial civilization...” Louis concluded inwardly.
It was very troublesome, and the kind of trouble that absolutely had to be solved.
But he did not let his thoughts linger on this point, forcing himself to continue reading down.
The second piece of intelligence surfaced.
【2: The Old Emperor, Ernst August, who disappeared ten years ago, has awakened in an ancient tomb outside the Imperial Capital. It is confirmed that he absorbed high-purity Dragon Essence Blood, completed Nirvana, and has become a True Dragon.】
This time, Louis's brows visibly furrowed.
When others mentioned dragons, their minds might conjure only legends, poems, or exaggerated silhouettes in murals.
But Louis was different; from the fragmented memories that did not belong to this era, he knew too clearly what that meant.
That was a walking natural disaster.
A True Dragon, in the truest sense, possessing complete intellect and power structure, was capable of reshaping the world's power dynamics single-handedly.
Louis quickly calmed down and began geopolitical deductions.
The closest place to the Imperial Capital was not Greyrock, the Southeast, or the Northern Territory, but the Emerald Federation.
“A greedy maw, an arrogant tyrant...” Louis calmly assessed in his mind.
If these two truly collided first, it would be best if they fought until both sides were severely wounded.
He couldn't help but mock himself internally: “Is this the Spiritual Energy Revival? Why are all the monsters starting to wake up?”
Despite saying that, he felt no relief whatsoever.
The crises were not appearing in isolation, but surfacing systematically.
His time for farming (development) was over.
He continued looking down; the third piece of intelligence quietly floated at the bottom of the interface.
【3: Supreme Mage will arrive at Calvin Castle within twenty-four hours to guide Louis to the Mage Forest to complete the Primal Mana Inheritance Ceremony.】
Louis's gaze lingered on this line of text for a longer time.
Finally, # Nоvеlight # a piece of news that wasn't so terrible.
He slowly closed his eyes, then quickly opened them again.
The first two pieces of intelligence made one fact clear enough... with the current technological and military level of the Red Tide, it might not be able to directly confront those two levels of existence.
Whether it was the steel-devouring Wyrm or the True Dragon Emperor who completed Nirvana.
He needed a higher level of power.
And the Mage Forest was likely the path toward completing himself.
Judging both by the resonance reaction of the primal heart and the long-term intelligence the system held on the Mage Forest, it was a faction leaning toward good order and naturally compatible with him.
Risk certainly existed.
But in the current situation, it was a controllable risk... Lambert thought Louis was going to celebrate the phased victory of taking the Southeast Province, but the moment he pushed the door open, he was stunned by the cold sense of oppression radiating from Louis.
Louis skipped the pleasantries, not even inviting him to sit: “I have some instructions. All frontline legions, heavy armored knights, immediately remove all full plate armor and switch to thickened Magical Beast Leather Armor. Execute this immediately, without delay.”
For a moment, Lambert even thought he had misheard.
For a knight, plate armor was a second life; losing it meant being naked before arrow rain, shrapnel, and explosive shells.
This was common sense understood even by the most reckless recruit.
His pupils contracted violently, and he subconsciously wanted to speak, but ultimately didn't utter a single word.
Because there was no hesitation in Louis's eyes, and Louis could not be wrong.
Louis spread out a map marked with dense annotations on the table, his fingertip slowly tracing the border of the Emerald Federation.
“Second, mobilize all low-purity iron filings and waste rust powder from the warehouse. Work with the alchemy team to create a new type of weapon, then bag it all up and distribute it to the troops.”
Lambert finally couldn't hold back, lowering his voice slightly: “My Lord... what can these things do?”
“Bait,” Louis said. “An anomalous individual has been confirmed to appear on the Emerald Federation side. It is massive—be careful—and it forcibly pulls metal on the battlefield.” freewebnøvel.coɱ
Lambert's breathing suddenly caught.
“Armor and weapons will be forcibly pulled away if they are within a certain range, so remember...”
Louis tapped the map lightly.
“The moment abnormal vibrations or irresistible suction appear on the front line, do not attempt to hold formation. Immediately scatter all the iron filings in the opposite direction.”
Louis's tone held a hint of cold mockery: “Don't think those iron filings are just waste. I've already ordered the Alchemy Workshop to mix in high-concentration Magnetic Storm Dust and Directional Disintegration Crystals.
Since that monster likes to devour steel, we'll give it a dessert potent enough to burn its stomach. The faster it absorbs it, the more violent the alchemical reaction inside its body will be.”
“The alchemy team is still conducting experiments. I want this pile of iron filings to become a fatal poisoned bait that the massive beast cannot refuse.”
After the commands were issued, Louis walked around the long table toward Lambert.
He placed his hand on the other man's shoulder armor; the force wasn't heavy, but it made Lambert instinctively tense up.
“I will be leaving for a period of time,” Louis whispered.
“In the coming days, you might see things you've never seen before. You have full command of the army, and Gray will be responsible for tactical coordination.
Remember one thing: do not hold the position to the death. If that thing appears, take the men and retreat into the deep mountains. Wait for my return.”
Lambert's chest shook. He pounded his chest heavily and performed a standard knight's salute: “Your command is obeyed.”
Louis nodded and dismissed him.
Afterward, people moved in and out of the office, and administrative orders were issued like flowing water.
Citizens within thirty kilometers of the border were systematically relocated inland.
All large metal processing workshops were closed, and wartime control took immediate effect.
Under the authoritative suppression of the Calvin Lord, the unrest was quickly quelled.
The entire administrative system of the Southeast Province was twisted into a taut rope, ready for action... Night fell, and a cold wind swept across the stone railing on the terrace of Calvin Castle.
Louis was standing in the darkness when Weil quickly approached: “Reporting, My Lord, the Supreme Mage has arrived.”
The next moment, the air vibrated slightly.
An old man draped in a mage robe stepped through the void, runes slowly circulating around him.
When he saw that Louis was already fully prepared, without even extra luggage, a clear look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
The explanations and groundwork he had prepared were all caught in his throat.
Louis gave him no chance to speak: “Let's go, Your Excellency the Mage. Time is not on our side.”
We've entered the final chapter of the story, brothers.
