Ember Dragon

"boom!"

Cassius flapped his broad dragon wings, and his huge body, as big as a hill, landed on the top of the city of Corinth, crushing the city wall and causing the ground to tremble.

As a former important military town in Fadland, the walls of Corinth are extremely majestic and solid. Built of rock and obsidian, they are dozens of meters high and can easily withstand invasions by hill giants and orcs.

But in front of this red dragon that was more than 50 meters long, Collins's walls looked particularly low, like a fragile toy.

"God."

"Amaunator, above."

A rustling sound was heard, and countless eyes were cast upward from bottom to top at this majestic red dragon inside and outside the city of Collins.

"Mom, that's"

"Shh, don't make any sound and don't look over there."

The adult blindfolded the curious boy and covered the mouth of the crying baby girl, not daring to make the slightest sound, for fear of accidentally arousing the wrath of the dragon.

People's faces were filled with tension and fear. They were like criminals about to face trial, quietly waiting for the verdict of their fate.

The Fadlanders had not felt this way in a hundred years.

They have always been the victors of foreign conquests and the defenders of justice. They have never thought that one day they would become victims of war, hiding in their houses trembling and daring not to make a sound.

"Boom boom."

Cassius strolled on the top of the city wall, stepping on the wall with his huge body in a very brisk posture. Every step he took caused rubble to roll down, making the wall make a dull sound as if it could not bear the weight.

The sound was like people's heartbeats, making people inside and outside the city even more nervous. They held their breath and sweated profusely.

Finally, the red dragon leaped to the top of the city wall and stepped on the Sun God's spire that symbolized the royal power of Fadlan.

Cassius lowered his head and looked around like a lion examining his territory, then he slowly spoke: "In the name of Emperor Burning Embers, I hereby declare that from now on, North Ethel belongs to the Burning Embers Empire!

And you, whoever obeys the Empire's management and accepts the new order, can become citizens of the Empire and be protected by the laws and armed forces of the Burning Empire!"

Cassius' voice was sonorous and resounding, and it echoed in the devastated city of Corinth and across the flat and open land.

This voice seemed to have some kind of mysterious magic, which made people feel convinced from the bottom of their hearts, as if this was the truth of the world - even if it came from a terrible red dragon.

The red dragon coiled on top of the city wall, slowly spreading its wings that covered the sky and the sun, casting a large shadow that enveloped many of the defenders and citizens of Collins City.

For some reason, although people felt extremely frightened to the point of trembling all over and swallowing hard when shrouded by the dragon's wings, they also felt a sense of inexplicable security.

Some old people even recalled the scenes from decades ago, when the Fadlan Empire occupied North Essel in such a forceful way, bringing them prosperity and a prosperous life.

And now that Holy Fadlan is dead, why can't the Burning Empire become the master of this land?
But at this moment, the air inside and outside the city of Collins was stagnant, and no one dared to risk becoming a traitor to humanity and speak first.

In the houses of Collins, people began to whisper and discuss their future in panic.

"It is said that the dragon's minions will slaughter cities and eat women and children."

"Lord Walter said that the red dragon is a well-known sex maniac who likes to transform into human form and commit inhumane acts."

"If we surrender, can they really guarantee our safety?"

Cassius lowered his head and looked down at the people on the ground. Under the sunlight, the majestic dragon face showed a self-proclaimed kind smile: "Humans, you still don't surrender? Are you determined to be the enemy of the empire?
If you are an enemy of the Burning Empire, there will be only one outcome - you will lose your life like your poor Duke, and not even a complete body will be left, turning into ashes. "

Although the red dragon's tone was exceptionally gentle, its content was shocking, revealing an undisguised threat and the terrifying dragon's might that descended, giving people extreme psychological pressure.

"Bang!"

The sword fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

The captain of the guards of Collins City fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face, his throat trembling and spasming: "I, I surrender!"

He buried his head deeply in the ground, as if afraid that the other party did not hear him, and repeated with sobs: "Your Majesty Cassius, I surrender!" This time it was smoother.

People at this moment are like a scattered flock of sheep. Now that there is the first "leader", there will naturally be a second, a third, and so on until all the lambs follow.
Suddenly, the crowd became restless.

The captain of the guards' actions seemed to have opened a floodgate, and people's emotions poured out like a flood, and the last straw in their hearts was completely crushed.

"I surrender too!"

"As long as you can let my relatives go, I'm willing to do anything!"

"I am willing to follow His Majesty Cassius and become a member of the Burning Empire!"

"I am willing to do so. Fadlan has been destroyed. Only the Burning Empire has the strength to protect North Ethel."

Suddenly, earth-shaking cries and pleas broke out from the originally silent crowd. Large numbers of soldiers dropped their weapons, collapsed to the ground trembling, and some knelt on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly in the direction of the red dragon.

On the positions of the Burning Empire, the soldiers also cheered. For a time, the voices of "Long live His Majesty Cassius!" and "Long live the Empire!" were heard continuously, lingering over the North Aysel Plain for a long time.

Cassius looked around at the scene with satisfaction, stretched his neck towards the sky, raised his head high, and let out a loud roar.

Suddenly, the white dragons, wyverns, and fire dragons in the sky, the terrain dragons, hill dragons, and multi-headed fire lizards on the ground all raised their heads and let out uniform dragon roars, the sound of which drowned out all the noise around them.

For a moment, it seemed as if the whole world was shaken by the dragon's roar, and all things submitted to the red dragon perched on the top of the city wall.

Everyone knew that the war was over. The Red Dragon Emperor from the north had won an exceptionally glorious victory and completely conquered North Aether - as for the subsequent digestion and management of the territory, it was simply a matter of time.

In the distance, the great wizard Zalan stared at the red dragon on the top of the city in despair. The hand holding the staff dropped down involuntarily. At this moment, his mood had sunk to the bottom.

"It's over, it's over, everything is over. The power of the Burning Emperor is far beyond the imagination of the City of All Laws." Zalan lowered his eyes and said in a bitter tone.

At this moment, a loud shout suddenly came from the coalition forces' position, interrupting Zalan's thoughts.

"Evil dragon, I will never surrender to you!"

Karen waved his wings, flew out from the crowd in golden armor, pointed the standard Apollo sword at the red dragon, and shouted angrily: "I will inherit Lord Walter's belief, lead the people of North Ethel, and fight you to death!" "Yes, Lord Karen!"

"As expected of the Marquis of Fadland, you are truly courageous."

"Marquis Karen, I am willing to fight alongside you!"

The soldiers of the coalition forces looked up at Karen's glorious back, their expressions were immediately moved, a feeling of admiration arose in their hearts, and some of them even managed to muster up the courage to draw their swords.

"Karen."

Zalan seemed to be hesitant to speak. He stretched out his hand as if he wanted to stop the other party's reckless behavior, but was afraid of being targeted by the red dragon.

At this time, Karen was blinded by anger. The sorrow and regret for the death of his comrades, the indignation and dissatisfaction at the shameless surrender of his compatriots, and the hatred for the invaders were intertwined in his heart, making him completely lose his mind.

"Fadlan is immortal!"

With a loud shout, the divine marquis, holding a long sword and dragging a golden light, swooped down towards the red dragon in the distance.

"idiot."

Cassius sneered and stared indifferently at the golden figure of the angel god: "In that case, I will fulfill your wish and send you to reunite with Duke Walter!"

The red dragon slowly raised its claws, and the several-meter-long huge claws swung down from top to bottom, tearing the air in an instant and hitting the angel's descendant heavily.

"boom!"

Karen was hit by the red dragon's giant claws and slammed hard into the city wall, sinking deeply into it, causing the bricks and stones of Collins' city wall to collapse, dust flying, and a dull roar.

Blood gushed out of his mouth, and his whole body was ravaged beyond recognition, with flesh and blood all over the place, bones broken, and even the wings behind him twisted. He looked extremely miserable.

Under the might of the red dragon, even the legendary angel gods and the Fadlan fighters who once fought in all corners of the world seemed so vulnerable and like playthings.

Cassius was not in a hurry. He just looked down at the descendant of God with contempt and said calmly: "You are an overconfident fellow. The Fadlan Empire has long been destroyed. Even the Duke Walter you followed is dead. What reason do you have to persist?"

Even so, Karen still did not give in, and even refused to lower his proud head.

Karen raised his bloody head, grinned miserably, and said with his last bit of strength: "Cassius, I curse you. One day, the empire you built will also collapse.

And now, let you invaders and rebels feel the wrath of the sun!"

The angel god was crying and laughing, almost crazy, with a dazzling light surging from his chest. It was obvious that he wanted to imitate Duke Walter and create a grand ending for himself.

"Ridiculous!" Cassius was already impatient. He suddenly stretched out his huge claws and pierced Karen's chest with the sharp claws.

"Thorn-"

Then, the red dragon skillfully picked out the opponent's source of divine power, swallowed it into its stomach under the gaze of countless eyes, and then raised its head with a smile.

"Have you seen it? This is the fate of those who overestimate their abilities." Cassius' voice was quite cheerful, perhaps because he had received an "extra meal".

Everyone couldn't help but look down at his feet.

——Karen’s body was deeply embedded in the city wall, his chest was roughly cut open, revealing large pieces of flesh and internal organs, and golden red blood was flowing.

Everyone couldn't help but gasp, some even shed tears, their faces filled with fear.

The descendants of gods who used to be so glorious, powerful and majestic were now displayed naked in front of everyone like prey, without any dignity or status.

"Hurry, hurry."

"It's too dangerous here. We must return to the City of All Laws."

In a corner of the coalition forces' position, Archmage Zalan clenched his staff with sweaty hands and chanted spells tremblingly.

Around him, the space gradually twisted and deformed, flashing with tiny bits of magical light, and the model of the teleportation spell was gradually being constructed.

On the city wall of Collins, Cassius' ears were filled with Trump's voice coming from thousands of meters away.

"Master, those mages from the City of Magic and the Arcane Hermitage are casting teleportation spells. There are more than a hundred of them, and they all want to escape from here.

Our large dimensional anchor is ready, why not leave them all here?"

Cassius heard the excitement in Trump's tone and couldn't help but twitch his mouth.

To the former ogre wizard, every spellcaster was a valuable asset. Not only could he obtain precious spell knowledge from them, but he could also use their heads to decorate his necklace.

But now, there haven't been new heads on Trump's necklace for a long time. He seems to have changed this "barbaric" habit, but he is still obsessed with capturing the wizard.

Thinking of this, Cassius shook his head and chuckled, "Let's follow the old method. Leave half of the mages here and let the other half go. Let them spread the name of the Burning Empire."

"Yes, Master."

In the coalition position, many mages, including Zalan, managed to leave Aesir, but some were locked in place and screamed in frustration.

The army of the Burning Empire was advancing steadily. Steam tanks slowly rolled across the land, leaving several deep ruts. They quickly took over the coalition soldiers who had become demoralized and dejected.

With Karen's death, the last little episode ended quietly without even causing a splash. Everything was settled and a foregone conclusion.

Cassius flapped his dragon wings again, stirring up a scorching gale, lifting his huge body into the air and climbing to a height of ten thousand meters.

He looked down at the devastated earth, watched the ant-like army, and frequently looked towards the east and west of Ethel.

As the blessed land of the former Thracian Kingdom, North Aysir is bordered by the Black Stone Mountains and the Ugo Grassland to the east, the Silver Moon Bay to the west, and the Central Plains to the south. It is a veritable strategic location.

After the war, the Burning Empire had completely established its foothold in the continent of Feansor. The empire could use North Aysir as its base and expand to the surrounding areas at will.

Thinking of this, Cassius's pale golden pupils once again revealed endless greed and ambition. (End of this chapter)