Chapter 457: The City-Wrecking Dragon
"Boom!"
Another bolt of lightning struck, turning three or four fire elemental soldiers on the metal wall into wisps of flame.
"By the Great Flame Lord..."
"This..."
As natural masters of the Fire Elemental Plane and elite elemental beings, fire elementals were relatively few in number.
Even under the vast dominion of the Fire Elemental Sultan, there were only around a hundred thousand fire elementals and over a thousand "Maliks"—fire elemental nobles.
The majority of their population consisted of a massive number of slaves, including native species like fire dwarves and fire lizards, as well as outsiders like humans and orcs.
As such, every fire elemental who could be considered a "citizen" was exceptionally valuable to their kingdom.
Seeing his soldiers die one after another, Maceij's face filled with alarm. He pointed his scimitar toward the sky.
"Red dragon! We have never provoked you! Why are you targeting us fire elementals?"
"Aren't you afraid of the Grand Sultan's wrath?"
Within the clouds, the massive wings occasionally emerged, and Cassius's golden pupils glimmered like two radiant stars.
"Fire elementals—"
"Blame the Emir your Grand Sultan sent—Hamid Abdul!"
"He hunted down my vassal, killed my soldiers, and even dared to insult me and my empire to my face!"
"If Hamid truly represented the will of the Grand Sultan, then your fire elemental kingdom has declared war on the Ember Empire!"
Cassius's thunderous voice echoed over Black Iron City, causing all the fire elementals to tremble.
"Hamid!"
"That damned fool!"
Maceij cursed viciously, his entire body shaking with rage.
In his mind, he had already sent Hamid to the endless flames of hell countless times, subjected to every imaginable torture.
His arrogance and ignorance were one thing.
But to bring such a terrifying enemy upon the fire elementals—unforgivable!
No matter what, the Grand Sultan's honor must not be tarnished, and the fire elementals' reputation must remain intact.
With this thought, the fire elemental noble raised his scimitar once more and shouted, "Red dragon, there's still room for negotiation between us!"
"Surrender now, and I will personally petition the Grand Sultan for a ceasefire with your empire!"
"You?"
A sonic boom rang out, and the massive shadow descended from the sky, crashing down onto the metal wall.
"Boom!"
"By the Great Flame Lord!"
"Help! It—it's coming down!"
"That's the Soul-Devouring Dragon!"
With the screech of metal scraping against metal, the wall caved in deeply, sending shards of iron flying everywhere.
Cassius casually walked along the wall, his enormous body trampling any fire elemental soldier who stood in his way.
His thick tail swung like a hammer, and with just a flick, it sent dozens of fire elemental soldiers screaming through the air.
"No—"
"By the Great Flame Lord, what kind of power is this?!"
His claws casually swiped through the air, the shimmering force field slicing haphazardly along the walls.
"Slash—"
The harsh screech of metal resounded again as several fire elemental soldiers, along with their bronze shields, were sliced in half.
Deep claw marks were left on the wall, resembling gaping wounds.
This was the power of a red dragon. They weren't called "war machines" for nothing.
And as an enhanced red dragon with an ancient dragon's physique and various magical abilities, Cassius's power was even more overwhelming.
Cassius slowly opened his jaws, the dragon crystal on his chest flickering as he unleashed a breath of intensely scorching, high-magical dragon fire.
"Boom—"
The dragon fire engulfed the area, consuming the fleeing fire elementals and melting the iron walls into streams of molten black metal.
"Quick! Now's our chance!"
"Shoot him down!"
"Aim for the dragon's chest—hit his heart!"
Maceij waved his scimitar frantically, shouting commands.
Based on his military experience, heavy ballistae were the best way to deal with such colossal creatures.
Although they were immensely powerful and could crush everything, their movements were often slow, making them easy targets.
"Hurry! Obey the Emir's command!"
"Do you want to live? If we don't kill this dragon, we'll be the ones to die!"
On the metal wall, fire elemental officers roared as they watched the slowly advancing dragon slaughtering their comrades.
Fire elemental soldiers loaded the massive bolts, straining to turn the winches and aim the ballistae.
"Fire!"
"Kill him!"
The ballistae, infused with fire magic, unleashed a terrifying burst of energy, spewing flames.
The three-meter-long bolts, trailing fiery tails, shot through the air with devastating force.
"Whoosh—"
The ballistae, crafted meticulously by fire dwarves, were indeed capable of killing an adult red dragon.
All the fire elementals present held their breath.
"Boom—"
A shockwave rippled through the air as the red dragon stomped on the wall, launching himself into the sky with incredible speed.
"What?"
"How is this possible?"
The fire elementals gasped, looking up nervously.
In mere moments, Cassius had ascended over a hundred meters.
His wings spread wide in the sky, flames trailing behind him as his massive form became a crimson streak.
"Boom!"
Another powerful shockwave erupted.
Cassius dove down, crashing into the ground and crushing the fire elemental soldiers and several ballistae into rubble.
Scattered arrows and spears flew toward him, but they bounced off the invisible energy scales protecting his body.
As smoke filled the walls, Cassius's enormous form emerged from the haze.
The fire elementals, who had once been so arrogant, now prayed to the Great Flame Lord as they retreated, terrified of being devoured by the dragon.
Their scimitars clattered to the ground, making crisp "clang" sounds.
"Fire elementals—"
"You still haven't recognized your place."
Cassius spoke in a calm tone: "I told you—you're not qualified to negotiate with me."
"Now, die!"
"For the Grand Sultan!"
Suddenly, a blood-curdling battle cry echoed from behind Cassius.
Maceij, riding his flame wyvern, dove down and swung his scimitar toward the red dragon's thick neck.
Cassius turned his head indifferently.
"Clang—"
The ear-piercing clash of metal rang out.
The scimitar struck the dragon's tough red scales but was immediately deflected and shattered into fragments midair.
Maceij's arm went numb, and his face twisted with shock.
This was the scimitar personally gifted by the Grand Sultan, with strength comparable to rare enchanted gear!
What he didn't know was that Cassius's scales were literally "paid for with gold."
Over the years, the red dragon had devoured hundreds of thousands of gold coins, enhancing the gilded properties of his scales to their peak—each scale tougher than rare armor.
Cassius looked at the airborne fire elemental noble with indifference and said softly:
"Where does your confidence come from?"
His massive claw slashed through the air, dragging the precious flame wyvern into the extradimensional space of the "Sheltering Egg."
Maceij tried to escape the dragon's grasp, but his lower body disintegrated into smoke and ash.
A shadow flickered, and Cassius caught the struggling fire elemental noble in his claw, rendering him immobile.
Maceij thrashed and roared desperately, "If you kill me, the Grand Sultan won't let you go! I'm his personal guard! A noble Kapikulu!"
Cassius shook his head in mild disappointment and sighed softly.
"I was hoping to ask you if you could grant me three wishes with just one wish, satisfying my curiosity."
"But it seems I'll have to put that aside for now."
Torrents of dragon fire surged along Cassius's arm, engulfing the fire elemental noble's massive body and consuming him entirely.