Ember Dragon

Chapter 869 The Calamity of the Evil Dragon
Kaisius hesitated, "Tiamat, do you mean to—"

“Cassius, I will slaughter your people! I will strip you of your source of power and reduce you back to a lowly, insignificant mortal! I have said it before—you will pay the price for your arrogant folly!”

Tiamat laughed wildly, flapped her dragon wings, unleashing a terrifying storm of divine power, and flew northward with overwhelming killing intent.

Although Caesus could suppress Tiamat within the Empire's territory, he could not prevent the true god from forcibly escaping and could only pursue her closely.

However, at this moment, his expression became somewhat strange.

Is Tiamat planning to... massacre the entire city?
It must be said that killing believers and eliminating the source of faith is indeed a viable method.

However, most of Kaisius's faith comes from the Anzeta Wasteland, and even Tiamat would have to go to great lengths to reach it without the ability to travel through space.

With Tiamat under siege by the allied forces of the gods, time was of the essence, and it seemed that her only target was the Thracian governorate.

However, the Burning Empire's conquest of Thrace was only a few years ago. This vast land could at best be called a "conquered territory," and was by no means the core territory of the empire. Southern Thrace was still in a state of autonomy, with only troops stationed in various places, barely maintaining the empire's nominal rule.

Even if Tiamat massacres most of the people in Thrace, Cassius's faith power will probably not be affected much.

"Cassius! I want you to witness the destruction of your kingdom!"

Roar--

The three-headed dragon roared to the sky, its furious cries shaking the heavens and the earth, and also disturbing the people of Hengguang City not far away.

Located on the border between Thrace and Seleucia, this city was constantly ravaged by war and was reduced to ruins. It was only after the empire occupied it a few years ago that it gradually recovered and is now in a period of great need for reconstruction. The city has a population of over 80,000.

The tentacles of imperial rule have not yet reached this small border town, which is still governed by the former Thracian nobleman, Count Josh Evans, except that the military forces within the town are controlled by the empire.

The dragon's roar shook the entire city, and the crowd screamed in terror. The windows of the Earl's mansion shattered, waking Earl Evans from his sleep, who was embracing a blonde girl.

"Guards! Guards! What's going on?"

"The Earl of Evans shouted impatiently."

"Sir, it's not good!"

"You, you must go out and see!" The guards' voices trembled slightly.

The city echoed with people's terrified shouts, panicked howls, and desperate cries, and the faint sound of prayers could also be heard, which made the count realize that something was wrong.

Could it be that the Dragon Worship Cult has launched an attack?

Or has it been invaded by demons from the abyss?

"Damn it, didn't those imperial people say they would protect us?" Earl Evans muttered under his breath, throwing down the trembling girl he was carrying, getting out of bed, dressing, and going outside to look in the direction the soldiers were pointing.

The next moment, his expression froze. On that fat face, impatience, anger, and complaints all disappeared, replaced by a soul-deep fear of a higher being.

"Amannata above."

A sandstorm swept across the land, and a black shadow thousands of meters long obscured the distant sky. The shadow was terrifying, with three ferocious heads, and it even seemed to devour the sunlight.

"Then, what is that?"

"O gods!"

"Its target is us! Get out of here! Escape this city!"

"Come on!"

"God, who can save us! How could such a monster appear here!"

The city's residents crowded the streets, pushing and shoving each other without regard for anything else; the city's order had completely collapsed.

Soon, the rapidly spreading sandstorm enveloped the entire city. The wind and sand filled the sky, and people were blown about, unable to see the sky clearly. They could only see the blurry, enormous black shadow growing larger and larger in their field of vision.

Suddenly, the sky was lit up.

The monster opened its enormous, blood-red maw, and scorching flames poured down its throat like a waterfall, instantly engulfing the entire city.

In an instant, the ancient and heavy city walls were melted, and the city inside seemed to burst into flames. Then, they collapsed with a crash, and thick smoke shot into the sky. Everything inside the city seemed to be burned to ashes, leaving only ashes flying everywhere.

Amidst the thick fog and raging fire, people in the city died one after another, turning into charred remains—even the noble Earl Evans, who possessed divine lineage, was no exception.

The dragon flames fell into the city like a mischievous child pouring hot water into an ant nest. In just a moment, thousands upon thousands of humans, like ants, died, and their proud city crumbled.

It cannot be defied, it cannot be stopped.

This is the breath of Tiamat, this is the power of the true God.

In this terrible catastrophe, no mortal could survive. Even the extraordinary warriors stationed in the city were reduced to ashes by the dragon flames containing divine power, dying silently without even being able to struggle.

In the sky, Tiamat didn't even look at the ruins before turning her head and roaring, "Cassius! Do you see? Your people are being slaughtered by me! Once I've wiped them all out, you won't be able to escape either!"

"I want you to witness the collapse of the Burning Empire with your own eyes! To repent for your ignorance and foolishness!"

Kaisius's expression grew increasingly strange.

In his perception, he had only lost a few thousand shallow believers, and the power of the imperial domain had not been affected much at all.

After all, this was the southern border of Thrace, and the empire's influence over the area was quite limited.

But soon, Caesus keenly realized that while the Tiamat massacre was undoubtedly a catastrophe for the local people, it was a good opportunity for the Burning Empire to exert influence over conquered territories such as Thrace and Seleucia.

Shared hatred is always more effective at uniting people than shared love.

Of all the catalysts that can foster unity, the easiest to use and the easiest to understand is hatred, and Tiamat today can undoubtedly serve as this so-called "common hatred."

Humans always define themselves through others.

The concept of "you" must come first, and then the concept of "I" will be generated accordingly, and then "we" will be defined through "you all"—this is the human psychological pattern.

Now that the people of the empire have a common target of hatred, their sense of belonging to the Burning Empire will naturally arise.

With this in mind, Kaisius released a Heavenly Tribulation Dragon Eye, transmitting the images to Istalia and, through the bloodline connection, telepathically speaking to the chief minister thousands of miles away: "Langpu, start the live broadcast immediately. Make sure these images spread throughout the empire—especially the Thrace region."

"Yes, Master." Without saying much, Langpu immediately understood and used the Empire's latest technology to transmit the magical image that Cassius had given him.

The dragon-blooded ogre summoned a high mage and said coldly, "Send orders to the Imperial Spellcasters' Associations throughout the land. Within three minutes, the people of the Empire, especially those unruly Thracians, must see this magical image."

Soon, thanks to the spellcasters' tireless efforts, huge magical images appeared in the skies above cities throughout the empire, attracting crowds of onlookers—it was the scene of Tiamat's massacre.

"That's... Hengguang City?"

"God, that monster has destroyed the entire city!"

"My father is still in that city! Damn evil dragon! How could he go to such lengths!"

"By Amannata! Hengguang City isn't far from us. Could we be its next target?"

People were talking and chattering, their voices clamoring, and fear, panic, and despair filled everyone's hearts. Then, Trump's voice came from the magical image.

"This is the incarnation of Tiamat, the Mother of Dragons, our empire's most terrifying and powerful enemy. This evil god has mercilessly slaughtered millions! If we sit idly by and wait to die, we ourselves could very well be the next ones to be slaughtered!"

"Tiamat destroyed our cities and slaughtered our people, treating us Imperial citizens like beasts to be killed at will."

Upon hearing Trump's words, the Thracian people were even more terrified, fearing that they would be targeted by that evil god. At the same time, a feeling of grief and indignation welled up in their hearts.

Why should they be allowed to be slaughtered?
Why should they, as citizens of the Empire, be used as tools for that terrifying evil dragon to kill and have fun?

Unbeknownst to many, the identity of "Imperial" has gradually been implanted in people's minds.

But then Trump changed the subject and continued, "Fortunately, our great and supreme Burning Emperor, His Majesty Caesus, stepped forward and saved the people from suffering, and shielded us from the invasion of the evil dragon."

Before the words were even finished, the figure of Kaisius appeared in the magical image.

At this moment, the Burning Emperor was blessed by the Imperial Domain, his whole body was covered in radiance, and golden patterns appeared on his scales.

Majestic and holy, like a deity descended to earth, capable of saving all things in the world, and also capable of killing that terrifying evil dragon for them.

Soon, people began to pray to that majestic figure and the statues that stood in the city, hoping that His Majesty could bring them peace and tranquility.

"Praise be to His Majesty Caesus, praise be to the Emperor of the Burning Flames."

"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"

The sounds started out scattered, but gradually gathered together and grew louder and louder. People began to shout and yell with great passion, their voices flowing like a rushing river, inspiring and uplifting people.

On the battlefield in southern Thrace, Kaisius also felt torrents of faith rising from those towns and flowing toward him. The power of faith within him increased rather than decreased, becoming even more abundant.

"Indeed, this is the effect of 'shared hatred'."

Kaisius thought to himself that sacrificing some insignificant people would bring a sense of identity and belonging to the empire to the entire Thrace region.

Although this deal sounds somewhat cold-blooded, Emperor Burning Emperor couldn't have been more worthwhile.

From this perspective, Tiamat seems to have done Cassius a great favor.

But Cassius still feigned anger and embarrassment, his face contorted with rage, and roared towards Tiamat, "Damn old hag! Stop it!"

With a roar, a scorching pillar of fire erupted from the depths of his throat, piercing the sky and tearing through the heavens as it hurtled toward the three-headed dragon.

Tiamat flapped her dragon wings, and a thick, black fog instantly enveloped the sky, engulfing the pillar of fire. She let out a sinister, malevolent laugh:

"Casius, so this is your weakness—these lowly mortals, as insignificant as ants! How utterly laughable! It seems I truly overestimated you!"

Tiamat flapped its dragon wings and flew hundreds of kilometers in an instant, soon arriving at another city in southern Thrace—Knar, the city of yellow sand.

This city, located next to the Taliro Desert, is named for its yellow sand and is a well-known military stronghold.

Tiamat lowered its blue dragon head slightly, looking at the desperate and terrified people in the city with a mocking gaze. It took a deep breath, and a dazzling burst of lightning erupted from deep within its throat.

"I will make sure you remember this moment for the rest of your life!"

boom--

With a deafening roar, dark clouds rolled and surged, and a bolt of lightning nearly a hundred meters thick descended from the sky, sweeping across the city.

boom! boom! boom!
Countless bolts of lightning struck, followed by a series of explosions. The dazzling flashes of light instantly illuminated the sky, enveloping the entire city in a chilling white inferno of thunder, from which there was no escape.

Electric arcs, like countless rivers, crisscrossed and flowed through the city, crackling and exploding as they electrocuted terrified humans into charred remains.

In just a short time, the city of yellow sand was reduced to ruins, leaving only charred remains and flickering arcs of electricity.

Tens of thousands of residents in the city also perished without exception.

Amidst the magical images projected across the empire, the people were filled with righteous indignation, their fear and hatred of Tiamat reaching its peak.

"By Cassius! What a damned evil dragon!"

"Kill Him!"

"Your Majesty Caesus, we beg you to avenge our fallen comrades!"

Much of this deep hatred and sense of powerlessness transformed into faith in Kaisius, bringing a purer and more powerful force of faith to this Emperor of the Burning Flames.

Kaisius let out a deep, furious roar: "Evil Dragon! You have slaughtered the people of the Empire and committed countless atrocities. You have violated my personal domain and deserve the most severe punishment!"

Even if you are a true god, I will make you pay the price!

The Emperor of Burning Flames suddenly spread his wings, and countless golden rays burst forth, dispelling the dark clouds that shrouded the sky and bringing forth boundless brilliance.

His imposing figure battling the evil god also appeared in the magical footage broadcast live across the empire.

At this moment, the emperor carried the earnest expectations and faith of countless people, and his figure became incomparably majestic and towering, like a true deity.

Many people in the empire were deeply moved, their eyes filled with tears.

For our sake, His Majesty Caesus was willing to become an enemy of a true god! What selflessness! What nobility!
(End of this chapter)