Ember Dragon

"How can I repay this kindness?"

“All nations worship together the great red dragon in the sky!”

Along with the passionate music, the air in Hetok City became hot. This city made of steel was like a giant furnace at this moment.

Everyone raised their heads and looked towards the sky, only to see flames sweeping across the sky, then gradually condensing and turning into a solid entity.

First, there is the majestic head, followed by the torso covered with hard scales, the powerful limbs, the wings that cover the sky, and finally the giant tail that winds like a mountain range.
Just like that, a hundreds-meter-long red dragon appeared above the city. It flapped its wings slowly, almost covering the entire square in the shadow of its wings, giving people a strong sense of oppression.

The dragon's might that penetrated deep into the soul pressed down on the hearts of everyone present, making them unable to help but feel like paying homage, as if the giant dragon's phantom was some kind of sacred existence.

"It's His Majesty Cassius!"

"Casius, His Majesty has really appeared!"

"Praise the great red dragon! Loyalty!"

They either put their hands together in prayer, or put their fists on their chests in a gesture of loyalty, or kneel on the ground in worship.
No matter if they were humans, ogres, hobgoblins or tieflings, as long as they were citizens of the empire, without exception, all had pious and fanatical expressions on their faces, and the waves of voices became louder and louder.

"That's your majesty!"

"Long live the great red dragon!"

"Mom, is that the Burning Emperor that the teacher mentioned - His Majesty Cassius?" Little Daniel timidly pulled Irene's skirt, with a mixture of emotions including fear, curiosity, and reverence mixed on his face.

As a native of the Empire, little Daniel had heard about the Burning Emperor countless times from the radio, newspapers, and his teachers' praises, but this was the first time he witnessed the emperor's majestic figure with his own eyes.

At this moment, the image in his memory and the huge and majestic figure in the sky gradually overlapped, leaving a deep impression in little Daniel's heart.

Irene also looked up at the sky devoutly, silently praying "May His Majesty Cassius bless you" in her heart, and patiently said to her son: "Yes, child, that is our Majesty. You must respect and adore him like I do in the future."

For citizens like Irene who have long been integrated into the imperial order, the Burning Emperor is no longer just a specific ruler, but a symbol of the empire, the embodiment of many abstract concepts such as victory, triumph, power, and wealth.

Even the imperial people themselves did not realize that their belief in the Burning Emperor had long been integrated into every aspect of their lives - far more than any god in the past thousands of years.

From a perspective that people cannot observe, countless points of light of faith rise into the sky and gradually converge into the phantom of the red dragon, making it more sacred, majestic, and even shining.

On the towering walls of Hetok City, there is a two-legged flying dragon stationed on the top of each tower. After seeing the red dragon's phantom, the flying dragons also raised their heads and let out uniform long roars.

"Roar--"

Amidst the praises, eulogies, and prayers, and to the stirring melody of the "Hymn to Cassius," the red dragon in the sky finally spoke, making a sound as solemn as thunder.

"My people, my loyal warriors! At this moment, I am standing beside the glorious imperial flag, gazing at the dark clouds rolling on the southern horizon.

The Thracians shamelessly tore up the peace treaty. Their cavalry trampled our wheat fields, their sharp blades pierced the throats of the guards at the border posts, and their king even arrogantly declared that our Burning Empire will eventually be destroyed by the wrath of the sun god, and the people of the empire are only worthy of being their slaves! "

The ability of [The Speaker] was activated, stirring the emotions of everyone present in the hundreds of cities where the speech was given.

In fact, the so-called Thracian "invasion of the empire's border" was entirely because the empire expanded too rapidly, and even the Thracian border cavalry could not react.

Wilham's "bold words" were not false. They were indeed spoken by him in the palace in a rage. As a result, they were passed on to the ears of the imperial intelligence personnel and became the material for Cassius' speech.

After he finished speaking, the imperial people in the audience were immediately outraged. They waved their arms, fired guns into the air, and shouted angrily.

The square suddenly became chaotic, and the city guards did their best to maintain order.

"Damn Southerners!"

"Shameless!"

"Those Thracians are treacherous, they should be punished!"

"How dare that so-called king insult His Majesty and humiliate the Empire! He will be dragged to the gallows!"

The red dragon in the sky looked around with its pale golden vertical pupils and asked in a deep voice: "Everyone, can we just sit there and wait for death - and watch those Thracians ride on our necks?"

"Can't! Can't!"

People rushed to shout, and the angry shouts resounded through the sky and echoed in the city like waves.

In this increasingly chaotic situation, Irene nervously hugged the young child to prevent him from being frightened: "Child, don't be afraid, they are expressing their anger towards the enemy."

But Irene didn't expect that little Daniel would shake his head firmly: "Mom, I know that our teachers at school taught us that those Southerners are shameless bastards."

His eyes sparkled. "I want to be a great hero of the empire like my father and drive away all those bad guys! I also want to be a follower of His Majesty Cassius and become a powerful dragon-blood noble!"

Then, little Daniel also waved his fist and said in a childish voice: "No!"

Seeing that clear face also showing an angry expression and resentment that was inconsistent with her age, Irene felt complicated for a moment, not knowing whether to feel proud or lost.

In the slums two kilometers away, children were clinging to the fences, their faces filled with indignation, and some were even throwing pebbles toward the south: "Let those Thracians have a taste of our power!"

"Yes! Fight with them!"

"Teach them a lesson! Burn these shameless guys to ashes!"

Through the dragon's eyes, Cassius looked down at the angry crowds in hundreds of cities and nodded with satisfaction: "My people, I can no longer tolerate those arrogant Thracians!

They occupy vast and fertile lands, enjoy the blessings that others can hardly obtain, and even rely on the protection of gods to push us to the corners of the world! "

Cassius paused, then his voice became more passionate, making everyone present feel their blood boiling.

"But now, the times have changed! The airship fleet makes the sky tremble, the tank cluster makes the earth tremble, and the artillery fire of the Burning Empire will destroy all the old and rotten things into slag!"

"Look!"

"Cassius above"

As Cassius spoke, people exclaimed in surprise.

Airships appeared in groups above many cities, casting huge shadows on the ground. Around them, flying dragons wearing "Skyfire" armor spread their steel wings, making shrill screams and leaving white lines on the sky.

In the wasteland in the distance, steam tanks were like moving hills, rampaging across the flat land. In the pasture deep in the Storm Hill, a giant fence rose up, and the ground dragon beasts catalyzed by the genetic drug howled to the sky, making a thunderous roar.

"Roar--"

The original maximum length of individual Terradramon could only grow to twelve meters, but after repeated screening and genetic modification by biologists, their average length has reached nearly twenty meters, and the maximum length of individual Terradramon is even close to twenty-seven meters.

Each dragon beast is covered in thick biological armor, emitting thick steam, and equipped with powerful heavy artillery on its back. It is simply a mobile fortress.

Finally, under the attention of countless citizens, the iron door of the secret armory slowly opened, and the giant mechanical golem made by the Mechanicus slowly walked out.

These robots were nearly 20 meters tall, painted in various colors, and each one was intimidating. They stood on the ground, took steady steps, and headed south, shaking the ground with every step.

"Is that our army? Dad, is he in there too?"

Looking at the overwhelming army in the image, Daniel's face was full of surprise. He pointed his little hand to the sky, his clear eyes full of longing.

Irene couldn't bear to reveal the cruel truth and shatter her son's fantasy, so she continued to weave beautiful lies and said softly: "Yes, your father is a glorious imperial soldier. He is in there."

Little Daniel became more and more curious: "What does he do? Is he a knight who controls a flying dragon? A tank commander? Or someone who is responsible for driving those big iron men?"

Irene touched his head and said with a smile: "Your father hasn't been back for a long time, and mother doesn't know what he is doing now."

Little Daniel suddenly slapped his head, his eyes shining, "I know! Those big iron men are the empire's secret projects. Dad must be working on that, that's why he didn't come to see us!"

"I told you my dad is a hero! Do you see those big iron men? That's my dad!"

The children nearby all showed expressions of envy and admiration, which made little Daniel put his hands on his hips, looking very proud.

Looking at her cheering son, Irene gave a somewhat forced smile. She didn't know how long she could hide the news of her husband's death, but she still hoped that little Daniel could grow up with expectation.

"What the hell, Gundam?"

"How come there are so many?"

"Have I walked into the wrong set? Where is the sword and magic adventure story? Where is it?"

Not only the indigenous people from all over the empire, but even the players were amazed by these equipment that were a mixture of magic and technology.

For these weapons, the Empire's scientific researchers have been conducting secret research for several years. Most of the gold coins obtained from the Empire's dumping of arms around the world have flowed into the hundreds of military research institutes.

Most players are not familiar with these core military intelligence, and only high-ranking officials of the empire above the rank of earl can get the news in advance.

At this moment, in order to declare war on the Kingdom of Thracian, the Burning Empire finally stopped hiding its strength and released its most advanced military equipment without reservation.

In the sky, the huge red dragon was still giving a speech, his voice was rhythmic and exciting. He even clenched his giant claws into fists and waved them forward.

"My people, we hold extraordinary power. We will overturn everything and establish a new order in this world! A new order that will allow all the people of the empire to live a good life!
The tide of the times is rolling forward, the era of empire is coming, what we want is not just the land under the sun, but a new world! "

Finally, Cassius raised his head high, spread his wings that covered the sky, and roared: "Here, in the name of the Burning Emperor - I declare war on the Thracian Kingdom!"

"Start the war!"

"Long live the Empire!"

The red dragon's voice turned into a soul-stirring roar, spreading across the empire's 15 million square kilometers of land, echoing in the continent of Feanso, the Underdark, and throughout the multiverse.

At this moment, under the blessing of Cassius's extraordinary charisma and the Empire's terrifying military might, whether it was players or the natives of the Empire, whether it was humans or tieflings, whether it was dukes or civilians—

Regardless of race, status, or age, almost all people in the empire burst into enthusiastic cheers - for their common emperor and for the upcoming victory that was within their grasp.

Even little Daniel, who was holding his mother's hand, jumped up excitedly, waved his little fists and cheered continuously.

"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"

"Emperor Kai is awesome!"

"Long live the Burning Empire!"

Under the persistent ideological indoctrination of the Imperial Propaganda Department, in just ten years, certain things have already been deeply rooted in people's hearts and flow in the blood of every Imperial citizen.

After Cassius's speech, those things buried in the blood and deep in the bone marrow were completely awakened!

At this moment, the entire empire was boiling, like a giant dragon awakening!

Through hundreds of pairs of golden vertical pupils, Cassius looked down at the cheering people of the empire and felt a constant flow of power into his body - that was spirit and faith.

Now, he may only be one opportunity away from becoming a true deity.

But Cassius knew that this opportunity was something that countless people had been unable to pursue for thousands of years until their death. He had to be fully prepared to avoid ending up like Emperor Fadlan.

The red dragon lowered its head and stretched out its palm, upon which appeared the image of the Tower of the Eternal Sun God with its sacred glory.

He murmured to himself, "The legacy of Holy Fadran. I'll take it."

Although he said in his speech that this was an "easy victory", Cassius and all the top leaders of the empire took the Thracian Kingdom as their enemy very seriously and conducted research on the three major kingdoms for several years.

This is what is called "despise the enemy strategically and take the enemy seriously tactically."

Although the power of the sun god is gradually fading and the strength of the Thracian Kingdom is not as strong as before, it is still an opponent that cannot be underestimated.

In the vast territory of the Thracian Kingdom, there are many powerful weapons left by the Fadlan Empire, dozens of legendary warriors, and even demigod-level beings hidden.

Behind His Majesty Wilham, there is also the shadow of Zariel. As the ruler of bloody battles in the past thousand years, the Lord of Avernus is by no means easy to deal with.

But for Cassius, although victory was not easy to come by, it was something he was determined to win.

"boom--"

Steam tanks and airships roared, and portals opened one after another. Looking at the overwhelming imperial army rushing to the south, Cassius hovered on the top of Dragon Blood Mountain with a ferocious smile. (End of this chapter)