Ember Dragon

"Gorazdra is dead! The Blue Dragon Cult is dead! Gorazdra is dead! The Blue Dragon Cult is dead!"

"Praise be to the Emperor of Burning Ashes!"

A burst of fierce cheers erupted from the Allied positions, spreading wildly like a tidal wave across the vast battlefield.

Humans, dragons, dragonborn, and even the descendants of evil dragons all looked up at the sky, at the majestic red dragon on the yellow sand, heavily wounded with its bones and internal organs exposed. Their eyes revealed expressions of shock, fear, or reverence.

Beneath the red dragon, ashes filled the air, and scattered debris lay everywhere. A few dark blue scales, charred and shiny from the fire, could still be seen in the yellow sand.

To the many mortal beings, Gorazdra, the thunderous tyrant who ruled the desert, had died in the terrifying breath of the Red Dragon Emperor, leaving not even a complete corpse behind.

Even though the Five-Colored Dragon Queen personally intervened, she could not stop the Emperor from killing the Primordial Blue Dragon.

What a power this is!
Could this Red Dragon Emperor truly be invincible?

After Gorazdra's death, the Dragon Cultists collapsed, and even the fearless descendants of the blue dragons scattered like birds and beasts, resulting in a massive rout.

"This is impossible!"

"Lady Gorazdra is not dead! She is an immortal quasi-god!" A monstrous dragon priest, his face contorted in a hideous grimace, his scales bristling and his body crackling with electricity, brandished his dragon-headed scepter as if he had gone mad.

Bolts of lightning erupted from his scepter, indiscriminately striking the surrounding creatures, sparing even other Dragon Worshipers. The intense current pulverized the dragonborn clad in deep blue robes into charred remains.

But soon, a blazing golden-red flame descended from the sky, engulfing the evil dragon priest and turning him to ashes. Misha, flapping her dragon wings, hovered amidst the dark clouds, her cold voice echoing across the battlefield:
"His Majesty Caesus has decreed—slaughter these damned cultists and descendants of evil dragons without mercy! Leave no survivors!"

"kill--"

"Chase them down and destroy them! Don't let these cultists get away!"

The Imperial soldiers were completely engulfed in a frenzied atmosphere, relentlessly pursuing the remnants of the Church of the Dragon.

Almost everyone in the Empire knew that such opportunities to strike while the enemy was down were fleeting, and if they relaxed even slightly, the glory that was handed to them would be snatched away by others.

The players went even further, some even launching themselves into the air as human cannons to pursue the Dragon Worship Church's legion—because as soon as Misha finished speaking, a war mission called "Clean Up the Battlefield" appeared on their mission panel, with exceptionally generous rewards.

And so, countless shells rained down on the Dragon Cult's inevitable path, blasting many cultists and descendants of the evil dragon away. Bullets poured out like a storm, creating a dense maze of bullet holes in the enemy's back.

Many players also leaped into the air and charged into the densest area of ​​the Dragon Church Legion, wielding chainsaw swords and power swords, putting on a spectacular mowing-down-enemies show.

The allied soldiers—especially the native Seleucid soldiers—became exceptionally ferocious, cheering and roaring as they relentlessly pursued the Dragon Cult Legion.

"For Seleucia!"

Adrian roared and transformed into an angel with wings of the sun. He raised his longsword high, and a dazzling blade of light descended from the sky, cleaving several descendants of evil dragons in two.

"For those who died." Liam gazed with a deep look at the fleeing Byron Legion, as if he saw the phantoms of the soldiers who had died on the battlefield.

He drew several sharp, cold iron arrows from the bamboo tube on his back, skillfully bent the bow, nocked the arrows, aimed, and the arrows shot out from the bowstring like a storm, instantly piercing the chests of several Dragon Worshippers.

Some soldiers could even be seen brandishing longswords, recklessly throwing themselves onto the backs of the Storm Lizards, crying and laughing, shouting, "The Blue Dragon Cult is dead! The Blue Dragon Cult is dead!"

The longsword struck the storm lizard's hard scales again and again, sparks flying and even chipping the blade. The soldier was also blasted away by a lightning-fast breath from the enraged storm lizard, his body smoking.

But even on his deathbed, a fanatical, jubilant smile remained on his face. He showed no pain, only managing to utter a few words: "Father, did you see? The Blue Dragon Cult is dead."

Such scenes have occurred countless times on this vast battlefield.

The Seleucid soldiers' homeland had been destroyed by a dragon, their relatives and friends had been abducted by cultists, and everything they had was reduced to ashes in the brutal war waged by the Dragon Cult.

Now, the time for revenge has come!

Seleucia's soldiers wanted nothing more than to skin these Dragon Cult soldiers alive, pull out their bones, and tear their flesh apart, so how could they let such an opportunity pass?
Soon, the Bailong Legion was once again forced to the edge of the Locke Great Rift Valley. Hundreds of thousands of cultists and descendants of evil dragons crowded here, like a flood that had been blocked. Many people lost their lives as they fell on the loose rocks.

"Ow!"

"You bastard, get out of here!"

"Let me through quickly! I am a noble dragon descendant! My bloodline is of the highest purity!"

The soldiers of the Church of Bailong rushed onto the bridge, hoping to take this opportunity to cross the Locke Rift and escape the pursuit of the allied forces.

But things did not go as they had expected.

"boom!"

"Boom! Boom!"

With a deafening roar, Imperial engineers lying in ambush on the cliff face detonated bombs one after another. The bridges carrying tens of thousands of Dragon Worship Cult soldiers collapsed with a crash, and countless cultists and descendants of evil dragons fell to the bottom of the valley with screams of agony, almost filling the wide chasm.

The sky was clearly the territory of the dragons, where metal dragons such as gold, silver, and brass dragons held an absolute advantage. They roared and pounced on the five-colored dragons, spewing out flames, frost, and other colored breaths.

After witnessing Gorazdra's death, the five-colored dragons were terrified of the Red Dragon Emperor, flapping their wings wildly and fleeing for their lives.

"Come on!"

"Damn golden-skinned reptile, get out of here!"

"You filthy five-colored evil dragon, offspring of Tiamat, don't even think about getting away with this!"

"You will pay the price for your atrocities!"

The roars of dragons, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes low-pitched, sometimes angry, sometimes terrified, mingled in the sky.

The five-colored dragons were cunning and treacherous, and would never do anything that would lead to their deaths in vain. Even the blue and green dragons, who were most loyal to Tiamat, knew that they were no match for the terrifying red dragon emperor, and could only flee in panic. Having fought to this point, they believed they had done more than enough for the five-colored dragon queen, and if they continued to fight, it would be a blatant suicide, a loss that would not outweigh the gain.

“We won.”

Watching the five-colored dragons flee in disarray, the ancient golden dragon Dionysius smiled, revealing a smile unique to victors.

But when his gaze shifted, he saw the battlefield riddled with holes and devastated—and the Red Dragon Emperor standing in the center of the ruins.

Dionysius looked around at the scorched earth and collapsed mountains, and couldn't help but exclaim, "What incredible power! The aftershocks of the battle between these two dragons alone are enough to kill tens of thousands of innocent lives and plunge a country into deep disaster."

He then turned his gaze to the heavily wounded Red Dragon Emperor.

The red dragon stood in a pit thousands of meters in diameter, surrounded by ashes, flowing lava, and crystallized sand. Its crimson scales were incomplete, its broad wings were tattered, and a hideous wound ripped open its massive body, revealing its bloody internal organs and stark white bones. It looked extremely wretched.

For an ordinary dragon, this would be a fatal wound, but the Red Dragon Emperor's flesh and blood writhed, rapidly repairing the hideous wound that pierced his body at a speed visible to the naked eye, his entire body emitting scorching steam and white smoke.

Within its enormous dragon claw, the broken horn was radiating intense energy, releasing blinding arcs of electricity, as if containing the power to destroy the world.

Upon seeing this, Dionysius's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints, a wary glint appearing in his eyes, and his smile froze on his face.

"Horn of Tiamat"

He muttered to himself, his mind overflowing with countless thoughts that he could hardly contain.

This Red Dragon Emperor already possesses world-destroying power. If he were to master the power of the Horn of Tiamat, what kind of enhancement would he receive?

Dionysius could not imagine what a powerful and terrifying being would be born if the lightning of Gorazdra were combined with the flames of Caesus.

At that time, if the Burning Empire clashes with the Metal Dragon Clan, or if the Red Dragon Emperor becomes cruel and tyrannical like ordinary red dragons, can they really stop Kaisius with their strength alone?

Looking at the battered and bruised Red Dragon Emperor, a dangerous and audacious idea slowly rose in Dionysius's mind.

Not as good
Taking advantage of the Red Dragon Emperor's serious injury, we should forcibly seize the Horn of Tiamat and hand it over to His Majesty Bahamut for safekeeping. This would minimize the dragon's destruction of the world.

Did he have ulterior motives?
No, he didn't. Gu Jinlong simply wanted to better protect this world and prevent future risks.

He also knew that his actions were extremely risky, and that a slight misstep could lead to his death.

But once such a thought arises, it is difficult to take it back. Dionysius stared at the Red Dragon Emperor in the distance, his muscles tensed, his heart pounded, and his mind wandered.

Perhaps it is time to make some sacrifices for His Majesty Bahamut and for the order of this world.

After much hesitation, Dionysius finally gritted his teeth, flapped his dragon wings, and stirred up a hurricane carrying yellow sand, soaring into the air and flying towards the Red Dragon Emperor.

In the distance, the red dragon's body was wrapped in tattered wings, and thick, pungent white smoke emanated from its entire body. Only the massive figure could be vaguely seen rising and falling slowly with each breath amidst the swirling smoke, emitting heavy panting sounds.

Within a radius of several kilometers, scorching winds blew with his breath, and even the magma underground surged out and flowed back in rhythm with him.

He was very weak, and as long as he didn't make a mistake, he should be able to successfully snatch the dragon's horn, Dionysius thought to himself.

Even so, he was still uneasy. In the long life of the ancient golden dragon, which spanned a thousand years, he had never faced such a powerful enemy.

He tried his best to calm himself down, and then prepared many spell models such as [Energy Protection], [High-Level Monster Immobilization], and [Extreme Speed ​​Up]. He even took out the divine magic amulet and ring bestowed by Bahamut, ready to crush them at any time and teleport them to the divine realm.

Gazing at the enormous figure shrouded in smoke and clouds, Dionysius took a deep breath and thought to himself, "Success or failure hinges on this moment, for the peace of the Prime Material Plane!"

The next moment, the brilliance of numerous spells and divine arts shone upon his body, and the ancient golden dragon became extremely fast, as fast as lightning. He first transformed into a shimmering golden afterimage, and then concealed his form, swooping down towards the Red Dragon Emperor.

His goal was singular—the divine horn of Tiamat contained within the claws of the Red Dragon Emperor!

Dionysius felt the world around him constantly changing, as if everything around him was moving in slow motion. The scorching air and intense pressure rushed towards him, making his heart pound wildly. The hideous figure became larger and clearer in his eyes.

Gu Jinlong burst through the thick steam and smoke, only a hundred meters away from the seriously injured Red Dragon Emperor. Despite being extremely nervous, he still felt an irrepressible excitement and anticipation.

If Tiamat's divine body could be brought back to Mount Paradise, back to Bahamut's divine realm, he would surely become a hero of the entire divine realm—and even the entire Metal Dragonflight, shining brightly and remembered in history.

But at that moment, Dionysius suddenly froze.

In this slow-motion world, the Red Dragon Emperor raised his head at normal speed, his lava-ball-like eyes moving upwards to meet Dionysius's gaze across the void.

Bahamut, what a look that was!

Those pale golden vertical pupils, pulsating with firelight, revealed an undisguised disdain and indifference—as if they were watching a buzzing fly.

how is this possible
A tremendous shock and fear crashed into Dionysius's brain, leaving the ancient golden dragon dizzy and in excruciating pain, as if struck by a heavy warhammer.

Under his terrified gaze, the Red Dragon Emperor calmly extended his enormous dragon claw, then suddenly clenched it tightly.

"Shh-"

The next moment, countless cracks appeared in Dionysius's vision, and the slow-motion world created by divine magic suddenly collapsed.

Immediately afterwards, a powerful dragon's might descended from the sky, frantically washing over Dionysius's soul. The pressure was like a heavy, majestic mountain pressing down on the ancient golden dragon's shoulders, making him weak all over and unable to even lift his wings. He could only fall heavily to the ground.

"boom!"

Dust billowed into the sky as the ancient golden dragon, a messenger of Bahamut, was pinned to the ground, unable to move, like a lamb to the slaughter, utterly powerless to resist.

Who could have imagined that a single glance from the Red Dragon Emperor could transform Dionysius into this state?

Kaisius strode forward steadily, looking down at the ancient golden dragon, and said coldly, "It seems I need a reasonable explanation." (End of Chapter)