Chapter 458: Dragon's Roar
"Oh gods, even Emir Maceij was eaten!"
"No, that can't be!"
"He was a noble Kapikulu, a personal guard of the Grand Sultan!"
"By the Great Flame Lord, the rumors were true! That really is a Soul-Devouring Dragon!"
"That... that's an apostle sent by the Great Flame Lord to punish sinners. He's here to bring retribution upon us!"
Seeing Maceij barely put up any meaningful resistance before being consumed by the dragon fire, the fire elementals on the city walls cried out in terror, completely losing their composure.
A valiant Emir had been "eaten," the entire flame wyvern cavalry was annihilated without even engaging the enemy, and the magical ballistae were utterly ineffective—everything happening here had far exceeded the fire elementals' expectations.
Though fire elementals were indeed a fanatically warlike race, brave on the battlefield, they weren't foolish enough to rush to their deaths.
In the face of such a scenario, nearly all of them made the same choice—
Flee!
Get out of here immediately!
Leave this place occupied by the terrifying Soul-Devouring Dragon.
"Run!"
"That dragon is the embodiment of sin!"
"Head to the Brass City! We must survive to report this to the Grand Sultan!"
The fire elementals shed their silk battle robes and discarded their bloodstained brass armor.
They transformed their lower bodies into gray smoke and ash, desperately flying away, with many already casting teleportation spells.
As the masters of this city, there were only around 500 fire elementals in Black Iron City.
However, within the city, there were nearly 40,000 slaves from various races and planes, most of whom had been plundered by the fire elementals.
The city's fire lizards, fire dwarves, firelings, and even human and giant slaves raised their heads, the scorching iron chains on their bodies clinking as they moved.
"That's…"
"Oh gods, it's the fire elementals!"
"They—they're fleeing! The dragon is devouring the elementals!"
These slaves, who had been toiling day and night under the fire elementals' flaming whips, their bodies covered in wounds and burns, were now witnessing something they had never imagined.
Normally, they were no match for the physically powerful and highly skilled elemental beings.
Over time, some of the slaves had even come to regard the fire elementals as invincible deities, branding their submission deep within their souls.
But at this moment, their worldview was shattered.
"So these elementals aren't invincible after all!"
"They can run too!"
"And they can die!"
The once-arrogant and domineering fire elementals now scurried like lambs pursued by wolves, utterly disheveled.
There was no trace of their former dignity and pride as the "upper-class beings of the Fire Elemental Plane."
The massive red dragon ascended the city wall, stepping on the brass spire of a high tower. He spread his broad wings and let out a long roar.
"Roar—"
"Fire elementals! You will pay for your arrogance!"
"You think yourselves the masters of the Fire Elemental Plane, the favored children of flame, but your long-standing arrogance has made you forget how to fear a dragon!"
Cassius bellowed the lines he had made up on the spot with overwhelming momentum and eagerly opened his giant maw.
"Boom—"
The sound of tearing fabric echoed as torrents of flames burst from his mouth, rapidly expanding and filling half the sky.
"By the Great Flame Lord!"
"What is that?!"
"No—"
The fleeing fire elementals darted through the air in panic, but they couldn't escape the searing flames chasing them.
These elementals, who had burned down countless homes, now experienced firsthand what it was like to be consumed by flames, meeting their end within the dragon fire.
Cassius vigorously flapped his wings, sending out scorching gusts of wind that formed a terrifying wingstorm, sweeping through the surroundings.
The sky turned into a sea of fire.
Buildings and structures on the ground were overturned by the powerful gusts, and the terrified slaves scrambled into corners to hide.
Rocks, sand, ash, and shards of metal swirled through the air.
The fire elementals hovering in the sky struggled and screamed, using every bit of their strength, but they were still dragged back by the immense force.
"What incredible power!"
"This storm…"
"No, I'm a fire elemental!"
A sinister smile spread across Cassius's lips as he opened his blood-red maw.
The fiery ocean engulfed the fire elementals once more, and a vortex of magical energy, like a black hole, appeared within his mouth, drawing the precious elemental spirits into his body.
"This trip to the Fire Elemental Plane wasn't a waste—I've already accumulated 70 to 80 percent of the energy needed for my next hibernation."
Cassius licked his lips, which had grown warm, as he spoke.
But his goal went far beyond merely absorbing energy.
Just a few days ago, "Prince of Sacred Flame" Zaman Ruhl had led the Elemental Apostles in a surprise attack on the Brass City, liberating over 100,000 slaves with the help of tunnels secretly dug by the fire dwarves. The Grand Sultan, furious, had nearly mobilized his entire force to suppress the rebellion.
The Sultan prayed to the "Prince of Evil Flame" Imix, seeking support from the malevolent elemental lord.
But Zaman Ruhl wasn't intimidated. He continued raiding fire elemental cities, freeing long-oppressed slaves from their heavy chains.
Many enslaved fire dwarves, fire lizards, firelings, elemental apostles, and even humans were ignited by the eternal Sacred Flame, joining the Prince of Sacred Flame's cause. His righteousness and defiance even attracted celestial beings like gold dragons, seraphim, and star emissaries, who received tacit approval from the good-aligned gods to aid him.
The holy flames illuminated the Fire Elemental Plane.
The Grand Sultan's kingdom seemed to be teetering on the brink of collapse.
But Cassius knew that, under the control of the mighty Flame Lord Kossuth, this war between good and evil would never truly end, and neither Zaman nor Imix would emerge as the victor—just like the eternal, unquenchable flames.
This was a golden opportunity.
Under normal circumstances, his current strength was far from being a match for the Grand Sultan, who seemingly possessed quasi-divine power.
But with the Prince of Sacred Flame posing a significant threat, the Sultan wouldn't dare act rashly or leave the safety of the Brass City.
Cassius had entered the Fire Elemental Plane at this critical point in the Burning War, aiming to carve out a piece of the chaotic fire elemental kingdom following the largest uprising led by the Prince of Sacred Flame.
"Heh..."
"Two Emirs dead, hundreds of fire elementals gone—the Grand Sultan of the Brass City must be losing his patience by now..."
"If that's the case, let the storm rage on even harder!"
Cassius's golden pupils narrowed slightly, flames flickering within them.
With that thought, the red dragon lightly tapped the city wall and soared into the sky. Hovering over the war-torn city, he spread his massive wings and let out a roar that echoed throughout Black Iron City.
"Roar—"
Instantly, every slave in the city raised their eyes to the sky, from fire dwarves and fire lizards to half-orcs.
Their eyes, glowing with different lights—whether fiery, coal-black, or dim yellow—locked onto the massive dragon, the flames reflecting in their pupils.
"I, Cassius, Emperor of the Ember Empire, hereby declare!"
"Submit to the Empire, and I will grant you the status of free citizens—forever!"