Ember Dragon

Adrian did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Duke Hawke and asked coldly, "Did you send them? You—have you truly betrayed the Allied Forces?"

His gaze was sharp, like scorching sunlight, as if it could burn through the other person's fat and bloated body at any moment.

Duke Hawke, hiding behind the towering Titan descendant, wore an expression of fear and rage, and exclaimed angrily, "His Majesty Otis contacted me first! Everything I did was for the sake of the Seleucia Kingdom!"

"For Seleucia?"

Adrian sneered, looking at the duke with disdain: "I think it's all for your ducal title."

"So what? Aren't all of you here former nobles?" Duke Hawke retorted loudly, spreading his arms wide.

"Haven't you realized yet? Those imperialists have no intention of restoring our former status! That red dragon is urinating everywhere like a dog in heat, trying to turn the Seleucia Kingdom into their territory!"

Duke Hawke launched into a tirade, spitting as he spoke, while his opponents in the hall argued their case forcefully.

"You're talking nonsense!"

"Federico Hawke! You're nothing but a spoiled brat who only stands here because of his former noble title. What right do you have to spout such nonsense!"

"Idiot! How could you bring in these shameless Kassanders!"

Faced with the accusations of the crowd, Hawke revealed a strange smile: "I just did the same thing as you, choosing to side with the stronger. At least I didn't choose to be a dog of a beast like your Duke Adrian."

He then turned around and looked at the woman in the priest's robes with a fawning gaze: "Madam Gaunt, I think that the nobles led by Adrian have been bewitched by that evil dragon. We should eliminate them as soon as possible. You know, the Empire's chief minister will be visiting in a few days."

Gunter completely ignored Duke Hawke, staring intently at Adrian with indifferent eyes, raising his golden scepter, and said coldly:
“Adrian, this is your last chance. Submit to the Church, and we will forgive and forget everything that happened in the past. We may even make you an apostle of the sun and let you enjoy unparalleled glory.”

"If you refuse, not only will your strength and life be taken away, but your comrades and subordinates will also be..."

Seeing this, Duke Hawke knelt at Gaunt's feet and pleaded, "My lord, Lord Gaunt, this fellow has long since betrayed us and joined the Burning Empire. He is not trustworthy at all."

"boom!"

Gunter simply gave a wink, and the Titan descendant beside him kicked Hawke away.

The obese duke crashed against the wall, blood spurting out, and lost consciousness, eliciting gasps of alarm from the nobles, but the Titan descendants ignored him.

In their eyes, mortals are nothing but lowly dust, and even nobles are no more than that.

Only Adrian, who possessed the power of the sun god, could be considered an equal to them.

"Abandon darkness and embrace the light, Duke Adrian. His Majesty Otis awaits you. You will become the hero of Seleucia—and indeed, of all of Fadland."

Adrian, however, gazed thoughtfully at the holy emblem on the other's robes, and asked in a hostile voice, "Who exactly is the sun god you worship?"

Amanatha, a fair and tolerant judge.

His followers are often strict and rigid, yet conservative, but they treat ordinary people with the gentleness of the morning sun, and would never be like the person in front of me who looks down on all living beings and is arrogant.

Their attitude even reminded Adrian of those dragon worshippers who valued bloodlines above all else.

As a former believer, Adrian could sense that the eyes of these Titan descendants and that woman seemed to contain a raging fire, as if it could be unleashed at any moment, burning fiercely and mercilessly destroying everything in the world.

The sun emblem, carved with a human face, also displays a distorted and ferocious expression, glaring angrily, sending chills down one's spine.

In the original doctrine, the sun is just and selfless, the guardian of the seasons and a symbol of the power of nature, and certainly not the wildfire-like, raging, and uncontrollable entity before us.

Amanatta.

That just and dignified sun god shouldn't be like this.

Upon hearing Adrian's words, Gaunt smiled contemptuously, then raised his scepter high. A huge fireball appeared in mid-air, and the light it emitted made everyone in the hall unable to open their eyes. They felt the air was hot, and the sweat that had just seeped out of their skin evaporated instantly.

"Of course, it is the great god of the sun, the newborn flame of vengeance, the ruler of fire and the sun—Tescano!"

A solemn female voice echoed in the empty hall, her tone revealing an undisguised fervor and piety. However, the pupils of the former believers of the Sun God shrank in disbelief.

Tezicano?

When did that deity appear?
Isn't the sole faith of Holy Fadlan that of the "Lord of Eternal Radiance," Amannatha?

"Sure enough."

Although Adrian had expected this, he still gritted his teeth, gripped his longsword tightly, leaned forward slightly, and let out a low growl from deep in his throat:
"Heretics, no, despicable and shameless heretics! It was indeed you Kasanders who caused that great catastrophe! You betrayed His Majesty Amannata!"

"pagan!"

"We thought they were messengers from the Church of Amannata, but it turns out they are cultists who insulted the sun god!"

The nobles in the hall all drew their weapons and looked warily at the Titan descendants, and the atmosphere between the two sides became tense.

Gunter tapped the ground lightly with his scepter, and golden light spread out in circles throughout the hall like ripples, washing over everyone's bodies and burning their eyes and skin.

In just a few breaths, more than a dozen nobles collapsed to the ground, including some extraordinary warriors.

Legendary priest.

Feeling the intense pressure, Adrian gripped his longsword tightly, sweat beading on his pale fingers.

Even in a one-on-one fight, he wasn't confident he could defeat a powerhouse of that level. Although this distance gave him, a paladin, a considerable advantage, the four Titan descendants acting as guards were clearly not easy to deal with either.

It seems that the Cassanders have been planning this day for a long time, just waiting to behead these Seleucid high-ranking officials.

After all, the delegation from Isdalia would arrive in a few days, and many of the Empire's powerful figures would gather here; this might be their last chance.

"Let's go!"

"We shouldn't stay here any longer!"

"Damn Duke Hawke, he actually brought this kind of person in here. He shouldn't have rescued him from the Church of the Dragon in the first place!"

The nobles helped each other up, crawling laboriously on the ground, trying to leave. But the moment they reached for the open door, the young baron's hand was burned to ashes, leaving only a charred surface. He howled in agony, his face filled with terror and despair.

"how so!"

"Damn it, it's a barrier! Those Kasanders have set up a barrier here! It's a trap!"

It turned out that the entrance to the hall had been blocked by an invisible barrier.

This barrier had clearly been set up for a long time; the fire magic filter was enough to incinerate any substance that tried to pass through into ashes. Even a god-chosen person like Adrian would have to put in a lot of effort to break it.

Gaunt didn't look at the young baron, but simply said, "Leaving the banquet without the host's permission is extremely impolite. Don't you Seleucid nobles have any sense of propriety?"

"Do you want to start a war?"

Adrian mobilized the divine power within him, and golden light also spread from his body. Compared to Gaunt, the light was more peaceful, yet equally oppressive, exuding a certain unwavering strength.

Behind him, flames coalesced into angelic wings, and burning feathers fluttered through the hall, making the air even hotter. This was the power of the "Son of the Sun" who led the Seleucids in their rebellion against the Church of Tiamat.

Two beams of light, both imbued with the power of the sun, collided, sparks surging at their edges, space distorting, and the glass in the hall shattered under the turbulent shockwave, turning into countless crystalline fragments.

Faced with Adrian's threat, the woman in her priestly robes remained fearless, her expression indifferent, and she strode forward with a composed and dignified demeanor.
"Going to war? It's just about taking back the spoils we've won."

"Recognize reality and stop making futile resistance, Adrian. We are the true inheritors of the great will of the Sun God."

She took another step forward, slowly raised the scepter of the blazing sun in her hand, and sighed deeply as if telling a myth:

"Years ago, the arrogant and unruly Fallanders betrayed Amanatha. The selfless god bore the sins of all beings, resulting in the fall of the sun, the plunging of the world into darkness and desolation, the fragmentation of the once vast empire, and the loss of its glory. Every one of us who survived carries a profound original sin."

Gunter's voice gradually became more impassioned: "And so, the great Tezicano was born from the unwilling corpse of Amannata! He returned to the world and will illuminate it with endless flames."

He has forgiven the sins of the world with His boundless compassion—a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid, even in countless lifetimes! Therefore, all living beings must offer Him their humblest form of repayment, presenting His heart as a sacrifice, while any heretic who betrays His Majesty Tezicano shall be consumed by flames, tormented for eternity—this is the Day of Wrath, the Fire of Vengeance!

Upon hearing this doctrine, Adrian fell silent, his hostility growing stronger.

"enough!"

He roared, his fiery wings flapping behind him, whipping up a scorching gale. "Stop preaching your blasphemous doctrines! Heretic!"

Regardless of who that sun god is, He is definitely not the Amanata from this paladin's memories! This is absolutely a shameless imposter!
The true essence of the Church of Amannata lies in worshipping the sun, respecting the law, and giving thanks with hope for the abundant gift He bestows upon humanity—sunlight.

It is by no means an eternal fire of revenge, a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid, or beings born with the original sin of causing the sun to fall that should be burned to ashes!
Their Church of the Sun God did not offer such primitive and brutal sacrifices as hearts; that's something only an evil god like Tiamat would do!

"presumptuous--"

Gaunt's gaze toward Adrian instantly turned icy cold, filled with murderous intent and rage: "Ungrateful mortals, you have already betrayed the gods once, do you still intend to refuse His Majesty Tezcano's kindness?"

As His voice rang out, the temperature suddenly rose, and everything in the hall seemed to begin to melt.

"You're nothing but an apostle of an evil god, yet you dare to call yourselves followers of the sun! How utterly laughable! Die along with your impersonating gods!"

Adrian stomped on the ground, his fiery wings flapping behind him, and swung his longsword through the air, transforming into a radiant afterimage as he attacked Gaunt at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow.

At this distance, as a legendary paladin, he was confident he could behead his opponent.

However, just as he flew to the priest, Gaunt's lips curled into a contemptuous smile, and the scepter in his hand shone brightly, with complex arrays appearing on the ground.

It turns out they had prepared the corresponding spells long ago! They were just waiting for Adrian's arrival.

The Scorching Sun Strangulation Array!

A dozen thick, burning flaming pythons suddenly sprang up from the ground, hissing and growling as they coiled around Adrian's strong body, wrapping themselves around his neck, arms, chest, and thighs several times.

With a series of roars, the giant pythons continued to tighten their bodies, trying to strangle the paladin.

"As expected of a foolish brute. Heh, since you're so ungrateful, then return that power to me."

A confident smile appeared on Gaunt's face. With a light wave of his scepter, the flames in mid-air condensed into a lizard-like head, which opened its blood-red maw and bit into Adrian's heart.

That is where the power of the Amanata resides; if they can devour it, the blessings of the sun god will belong to them.

"In the name of the Sun God—"

Entangled by more than a dozen giant pythons, Adrian mustered all his strength and let out a roar. The power of the sun god within him suddenly erupted, and countless sharp and fine light blades flew out from his body, instantly severing the giant pythons that were coiling around him.

"Cultists, die!"

Flames erupted in Adrian's eyes, and he was like a fireball slicing through the sky, hurtling towards Gaunt with unparalleled force.

But the four Titan descendants stepped forward without a word to stop him, their massive bodies forming a towering wall that protected the legendary priest.

They swung their heavy hammers in unison, sending terrifying shockwaves crashing down towards Adrian.

That was a unique ability possessed by the Titan descendants, a power capable of causing landslides and earthquakes—

Shockwave attack!

Adrian did not back down, but instead wielded his longsword with all his might, imbuing the blade with all the power of the sun god within him, causing a dazzling light to burst forth from his hand.

"boom--"

With a deafening roar, flames erupted, dust billowed, the air trembled violently from the powerful shockwave, and countless ravine-like cracks appeared on the ground.

The walls and pillars suddenly cracked, and the magnificent ducal mansion collapsed like a fragile glass shattered by the tremor, turning into ruins.

Adrian was sent flying more than ten meters away, his sword deeply embedded in the ground, barely managing to avoid being blasted out of the fire barrier's range.

The four Titans also looked quite disheveled, their armor tattered, with charred wounds on their chests, and even their heavy hammers were partially melted. (End of Chapter)