Chapter 407: Tearing the Earth
"Orest, come with me."
"Bring Marquis Hart as well."
Cassius flapped his wings, effortlessly tearing open the space before him and creating a massive spatial rift. He signaled the lich to follow and stepped inside.
"Yes, Master."
Orest followed behind, mumbling nervously.
But seeing the red dragon's menacing grin, the lich had a bad feeling—every time this "Master" smiled, it always led to some form of brutal exploitation.
Yet with his phylactery in Cassius's hands, Orest had no choice but to obey, trailing closely into the rift.
Hart followed behind, gripping his longsword tightly, his gaze on the lich full of caution.
"This should be the place."
Cassius surveyed the surroundings, pressing his claw firmly into the ground as he spoke.
The sun was setting, casting its golden glow across the land. The area was a wide, open plain with towering mountains in the distance, sprawling valleys, and sturdy stone fortresses.
Wyverns soared through the skies while lizardfolk rode land dragons across the plains, herding large herds of oxen toward the grazing fields.
This was the Storm Highlands.
The birthplace of the red dragon's rise and once the core region of the Ember Nest.
Now, this barren expanse served as the empire's frontier, primarily used as breeding grounds for wyverns and land dragons, as well as pastures for oxen and horned sheep.
What was once the "Giant's Maw Cave," now renamed the "Dragon's Cave," had been left uninhabited after Cassius moved to the royal palace. The cave had since been converted into a shrine-like site with a golden plaque reading "Former Residence of His Majesty Cassius" hanging at the entrance. A dozen down-on-their-luck hobgoblins stood guard outside.
Every morning and evening, hundreds of creatures would gather here, kneeling at the cave entrance and tossing in copper coins, praying that His Majesty would bless them—perhaps transforming them into noble dragon-blooded beings with purer bloodlines.
"Ah, the memories."
"It's hard to believe it's been over a decade."
Cassius gazed at the transformed landscape, lost in nostalgia.
Orest and Hart, the two undead servants, stood quietly to the side. The lich, stealing a glance at Cassius's sentimental expression, quickly lowered his head, not daring to interrupt.
However, the casual remark left Orest internally shaken.
A decade!
For both liches and dragons, this was as fleeting as a yawn.
But judging from Cassius's words, it seemed that this red dragon had reached his current level of power within just a few short years!
Realizing this, Orest silently congratulated himself for choosing wisely. A normal red dragon could never grow so rapidly.
He had likely found a patron with boundless potential, possibly destined for godhood.
Cassius's voice interrupted the lich's thoughts.
"However, I'm not here for a stroll down memory lane—I'm here to reclaim what's mine."
"Time to get to business."
"Roar—"
Cassius raised his head and let out a powerful roar, flapping his massive wings and gradually ascending into the sky.
Under his control, the overwhelming power of the [Imperial Domain] descended upon the plain, causing the surrounding magic web to tremble for miles.
"What's—"
"What is he doing?"
Orest lifted his head in terror. As a necromancer, he could sense the terrifying magnitude of the energy being unleashed.
"Boom!"
The ground rumbled, and mountains shook as the entire plain quaked violently.
Wyverns screeched and flapped their wings in panic, flying chaotically into the sky. Oxen scattered in every direction, trying to escape the danger. Even the bulky land dragons fled clumsily, emitting anxious grunts.
The ground, mountains, rivers—
The entire Storm Highlands, no, the entire region seemed to be quaking.
"This level of energy surpasses ninth-tier magic."
"It's—it's a legendary spell! He can cast legendary spells! That kind of power hasn't been seen since the Netheril era!"
Orest once again felt immense relief—an entity capable of wielding such power could easily destroy him without effort.
"Is His Majesty already this powerful…"
Hart murmured to himself.
Then, under the stunned and bewildered gazes of the lich and the ghoul king—
The earth split open.
A massive fissure, resembling a giant maw, appeared across the flat plain.
The edges formed sheer cliffs, and peering down revealed a bottomless abyss. Pebbles occasionally tumbled down, taking several moments before their impact echoed back.
Within the fissure lay an enormous underground cavern. The dirt and rocks appeared to have been reshaped by some force, creating a space resembling a man-made hall.
"Alright, follow me inside."
Despite the spectacle he had created, Cassius spoke as though it were a minor task.
The red dragon flapped his wings and gently descended into the cavern. Orest hesitated briefly before stepping onto a cloud of negative energy to follow, bringing Hart along.
"This place is…"
The lich was once again stunned.
The cavern floor was littered with massive, ancient skeletons—he recognized them as belonging to green-footed drake serpents.
Scattered across the ground were various remnants: broken statues, fragments of grand structures, indecipherable inscriptions, tattered books, and ancient, shattered weapons.
Clearly, these artifacts had been buried beneath dirt and stone until now, when they were exposed to the open air once more.
Indeed, this was the resting place of the storm giant elder Randerta, a long-buried tomb containing relics from the Giant Empire, now unearthed by the red dragon's raw force.
Even the wise Randerta could never have predicted that this unexpected intruder would be so greedy.
Not only had Cassius taken his "eye," but now he intended to plunder every relic Randerta had spent his life collecting, including the treasures of the Giant Empire.
"Randerta, did you miss me?"
"I'm back."
Cassius grinned, his pale golden eyes gleaming with insatiable greed.
The [Eye of the Storm King], which he had risked his life to obtain, remained on him to this day—a crucial piece in his rise to power. Now, revisiting this place, he intended to "properly thank" the elder giant.
Of course, his idea of gratitude was to ensure that every last item in this tomb was put to use.
Not far away, the lich gripped his staff tightly as he stared at the scattered skeletons—he had a bad feeling.
Surely, he wasn't expected to resurrect all these behemoths, right?