Ember Dragon

Chapter 846 Breakthrough and Advancement

Southwest of Seleucia, the doomsday zone.

"Roar--"

A furious roar shook the heavens and earth, echoing across the land and stirring up a fierce wind that sent sand and gravel flying and dust billowing everywhere.

On this wasteland covered in lava, an enormous python coiled its body, roaring to the sky. It was nearly a hundred meters long, with jagged scales and horns, and its body was covered in hard rock. From a distance, it looked like a winding, undulating mountain range.

Around it, tens of thousands of players surged like a tide, wielding all sorts of strange and unusual weapons, surrounding it like an ant colony.

Among those players, quite a few were even bold enough to cling to the monster's body, climbing, running, dodging, and weaving on its hard scales.

"Hurry up and output the output!"

"Don't just stand there, give him a good back scrub!"

"Where's the Dragon Slayer Cannon? Bomb it!"

"The explosives are all installed, stuffed into the gaps between the scales. I'm about to detonate them!"

"Don't detonate yet, I'm still within the blast radius, wait a minute—"

"boom!"

"Boom! Boom!"

Explosions erupted repeatedly from the giant python's body, the resulting flames and smoke nearly engulfing its massive form. The python roared and howled, twisting its body madly, instantly crushing hundreds of players around it into mincemeat.

But the players still enthusiastically crowded forward and attacked the giant python. Bullets, shells, arrows, fireballs, beams of light, and rockets rained down on its body like a storm, leaving the incredibly resilient python battered and bruised.

"Roar!!"

The giant python roared again, its eyes bloodshot, its pupils blazing with furious fire. The ground seemed to ignite, and scorching lava burst forth, shooting into the sky and instantly engulfing thousands of players.

But the distant Arcane Armor raised its arm, and beams of dazzling, highly destructive light crisscrossed in mid-air, striking the giant python's massive head, causing it to tilt violently backward and let out a miserable howl.

"The boss's health is low!"

"Of course not many. We've been grinding for almost two hours with tens of thousands of people. This thing is just amazing. It's made of stone from head to toe, and every part of it is like a dung monster."

"Hurry up and deal damage! Our Mechanicus Cult accounts for 27% of the damage output. If we widen the gap with them, we can grab the best rewards!"

"Blow it up!"

"boom!"

With a muffled roar, the giant python crashed to the ground, creating countless deep cracks. Hot blood gushed from its wounds, like boiling magma, burning countless unsuspecting players to a crisp.

"Won!"

"Finally, it's all gone."

"Holy crap, how come this dung monster has a death explosion effect? ​​My teammates were all burned to death by it."

Amid cheers and chatter from the players, the terrifying fire elemental serpent died, its body coiled up, perhaps forming a small hill in the not-too-distant future.

This giant python also has another identity: it is the largest and most greedy of the Kazul Favored Ones—the Mountain-Swallowing Serpent Nasu.

It is said that Nassus was once a greedy noble official who, after receiving the blessing of Kazur, ate day and night, devouring all his relatives, friends, and servants in his mansion, and was driven to the wasteland.

He fed on endless volcanic rocks and spent hundreds of years transforming into this form.

And now, this legendary giant serpent has died under the siege of hundreds of thousands of players—but this is not the first Kazul Favored to be killed by players.

In recent days, more and more players have teamed up to challenge the Forbidden Zone of Doom, and have already killed a total of five Kazul Favored Ones.

At this moment, the players are standing on Nassus's massive corpse, frantically mining monster materials like a group of sharks that have smelled blood.

"mine!"

"This boss is made entirely of stone, it's incredibly hard. Looting its corpse is like mining. Who on earth dug up some rare materials?"

"Hehe, I just dug up a core with a high concentration of fire element, it's only worth a dozen gold coins."

"Get out of here, you lucky guy!"

"That bastard was detonating explosives again, almost killing me! Get out here!"

Over the next two weeks, lured by the high rewards, millions of players flocked to the Doomsday Forbidden Zone. The charred corpses caused the ground within the zone to rise several feet, excavating through the rock strata.

With the overwhelming and relentless human wave tactics of the players, this restricted area, spanning hundreds of kilometers in width, was completely breached.

The twelve Favored Ones of Kazul—Grimagos the Crimson Eye, Nath'th the Mountain-Eating Serpent, Jel the Bursting Wing, and Tara the Flaming Death Star—were successively killed by the players, despite the hundreds of thousands of casualties they suffered.

With each death of a Kazul follower, this doomsday forbidden zone crumbles a little. And once all the followers who maintain the calamity are killed by the players, this doomsday forbidden zone ceases to exist, and the mountains return to their former tranquility.

The ash clouds that had shrouded the sky all day dissipated, and the sun reappeared, showering the earth with its radiant light. Even the volcanoes, which had been constantly erupting and were extremely violent, came down, like tamed wild beasts.

Under the sunlight, hundreds of thousands of the empire's main forces gathered at the southern border. This army stretched for more than ten kilometers, like a mottled torrent, while steam tanks, armored vehicles, and AoE armored units guarded the sides of the army. The imposing force caused the earth to rumble incessantly.

In the sky, massive aerial warships cast enormous shadows, while countless bipedal dragons and fire dragons flapped their wings haphazardly, resembling dense dark clouds. The Seleucia Kingdom's legion followed closely behind, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, but their equipment was uneven, a mixture of features from various regions of Seleucia, far inferior to the Imperial main force's superior weaponry.

The goblin Doro rode on the back of the largest two-legged dragon, holding a megaphone in his left hand and a thick stack of speech manuscripts in front of him. His powerful voice resounded for miles around.

"Soldiers of the Allied Forces, for years we have been troubled by the problem of the Church of the Dragon, which has plunged the entire Seleucia region—and even the entire southern part of the continent—into chaos."

Even more heartbreaking is that the people living in Seleucia suffered inhumane treatment, with over a million people forced to leave their homes and countless others dying in the rampaging evil dragon scourge.

Our Empire has always been committed to resolving a series of conflicts and problems through peace. His Majesty Caesus has made several attempts to negotiate with the Queen of the Five Colors and has made unremitting efforts for peace in the Seleucia region, but unfortunately, all these efforts have failed to change the reality.

On the contrary, these followers of the Dragon Worship Church have become increasingly cruel, tyrannical, and unscrupulous. Not only us, the people of the Empire, but any civilized race that seeks freedom, justice, and order can no longer tolerate this! Therefore, the Allied Forces were born!

In the year the Allied Forces were formed, we fought bravely and reclaimed vast territories, driving these cruel thugs out of civilized land and forcing them to huddle in the southern part of Seleucia.

However, they were still not resigned to their fate—these people, blinded by faith, wanted to summon their gods to descend upon the earth and bring heavy disaster to the entire city of Feanso. To this end, they did not hesitate to sacrifice millions of people in southwestern Seleucia, burying them forever in lava and ashes.

Any intelligent being with a conscience should be shocked and outraged by this! No one can tolerate such a thing happening! Our Imperial people's love of peace and our unwavering commitment to patience are not acts of weakness or being bullied!
Today, the atrocities committed by the Dragon Cultists continue and have become even more heinous. The evil dragonborn have descended upon the border and slaughtered several more villages. Our allied forces must unite and march south together.

Our common goal is:

First, wipe out the remnants of the Dragon Worship Church and completely annihilate this group of thugs!
Secondly, we must properly handle all issues in the Seleucia region to ensure that this long-suffering land is no longer ravaged by war!

As the commander-in-chief of the allied forces and a soldier of the empire, I am keenly aware of the importance of this war. I am willing to give my life to fight for my people and for their glory. Hereby, I solemnly promise: even if the gods of the Dragon Worship Church descend, we will never yield!

Countless patriots before us have traversed a difficult path to dismantle the rule of the Church of Palembang, and their sacrifices and dedication are the driving force that propels us forward today.

At this point, under the watchful eyes of countless people, Dolo looked around and his voice became impassioned:
"Finally, I would like to conclude my speech with a quote that His Majesty once used to inspire me."

As long as our will remains steadfast, nothing can stop us. The coalition's iron will and strength will overcome all difficulties and challenges, and destroy all obstacles in our path!
"Move out! The allied forces will surely win!"

Before the words were finished, wave after wave of earth-shattering, sky-high shouts erupted from the torrent below, including the excited cries of the Imperial soldiers and the blood-and-tears cries of the Seleucids.

"The Allied Forces will surely win!"

"Destroy the Dragon Cult! End the war! For Seleucia!"

"For the Emperor! For the Burning Empire!"

Looking at the overwhelming and awe-inspiring scene, Dolo nodded in satisfaction. After the victory in this war, the empire would have an absolute advantage on the continent of Feanso.

At that time, the Burning Empire will surpass the former Holy Falden and establish its own great achievements, and Doro will become a powerful figure etched in the annals of the goblin race.

High in the sky, Kaisius flapped his broad wings, looking down at the earth. The million-strong allied army seemed as small as a group of migrating ants to him.

Several days ago, Kaisius arrived here from Dragonblood Mountain to keep a close eye on Seleucia's situation.

After all, this concerns the arrival of Tiamat's true form, which could affect the situation on the continent of Feanso and even the fate of the entire Arezegai. Even he dared not underestimate it.

If Kazul were to proceed with the ritual directly, he would definitely tear apart this so-called "absolute zone," advance unimpeded, and prevent Tiamat's arrival.

Kaisius's eyes were indifferent, ignoring the vast army. Instead, he raised his chin and looked at the distant mountains. His sharp eyes seemed to pierce through hundreds of miles of space, and he saw the capital of Seleucia—Sunset City.

"Such a powerful fluctuation of divine energy!"

An unusual light flickered in his narrow, vertical pupils, which resembled molten gold.

In Kaisius's eyes, the magnificent city in the distance, which had endured thousands of years of hardship, was shrouded in dark clouds that blotted out the sun, as if a violent storm was about to descend upon it. He could feel Tiamat's extremely evil and violent divine power surging in the sky and on the earth, making his scalp tingle and his hair stand on end.

However, Caesus merely observed and did not act rashly. After all, the Dragon Queen was a complete schemer, and her grand display was likely a trap to lure him there.

Tiamat has long coveted Cassius's body, and it would be a great loss if she were to sacrifice herself because of momentary doubt.

Kaisius could also vaguely sense that many naked and undisguised gazes, symbolizing great will, were being cast down from the outer plane.

Among those that Caesus could sense were: Bahamut, the white gold dragon king; Sahani, the silver moon goddess; Tyr, the god of justice; Ilmat, the goddess of weeping; and Kalecgos, the god of war.
It's no wonder that this is the case, since for tens of thousands of years since the Second Era, the gods have been bound by the Supreme Will and not allowed to enter the material plane, but could only continue to develop their faith.

If Tiamat were to descend, the situation of "separation of heaven and earth" and "distinction between gods and humans" that has existed for tens of thousands of years would be completely broken, and the entire situation in Erezega would undergo earth-shattering changes. The ancient era in which the gods walked on the earth would reappear in the world.

Almost every deity was silently watching Tiamat's arrival. Some supported her, some tried to stop her, and some even wanted to use Tiamat as a scout, letting this five-colored dragon queen personally test the changes in the laws of the world.

Moreover, although Tiamat is a lesser deity, her true form is a dragon, possessing power far exceeding that of ordinary gods. She was once hailed as the "enemy of the gods," and her strength and uniqueness are self-evident.

It can be said that within the multiverse, countless mortals and deities are closely watching the battlefield and the war.

But to Kaisius’s surprise, besides Tiamat, he also sensed a familiar aura, emanating the essence of destruction and chaos. Clearly, that aura originated from the Lord of Flames, the Nothingness, the Purifier of the World—Karix.

Kaisius sneered, his eyes immediately darkening.

"As expected, they still want to seize Karix's divine position. It seems that I am the last sacrifice chosen by Tiamat."

"But I'd like to see if you have the ability!"

The Red Dragon Emperor's gaze sharpened, and he flapped his wings, stirring up gusts of wind as he continued to circle high in the sky. On the vast, scorched earth, the allied forces, like a flowing river, surged southward.

Their goal was singular—the capital of the Seleucid Kingdom, an ancient city thousands of years old, the city of sunset.

(End of this chapter)