Chapter 460: Fury
Cassius flapped his wings, stirring up a scorching gale filled with ashes, and soared into the sky, confronting the fire elemental Pasha from afar.
Behind him, rolling clouds of steam surged, blinding lightning streaked through the air, and flaming rain descended from above.
The nearly tangible aura of dragon might spread out, dominating all living beings, and extending nearly a kilometer around him, making everything within this range feel an overwhelming urge to bow in reverence.
Fire elemental versus red dragon.
The two stood off in midair, the scene grand and imposing.
Cassius narrowed his golden eyes slightly as he scrutinized the distant fire elemental.
"So this is a Pasha, huh..."
"One of the strongest figures below the Sultan within the fire elemental empire."
This guy stood nearly ten meters tall and had a robust frame—his strength was definitely formidable, but in Cassius's eyes, it wasn't even worth noting.
As one of the Grand Sultan's direct servants and a peak figure in the fire elemental empire, this Pasha was clad in luxurious equipment that sparkled with gold.
Even the bracelets on his wrists were barely at the level of legendary-grade items, and his main weapon, a brass scimitar, was a legendary masterpiece at its peak.
What caught Cassius's attention most was the layers of orichalcum rings adorning the fire elemental's neck, inscribed with ancient and mysterious flame symbols.
Cassius even detected traces of divine-like energy fluctuations emanating from them!
"Just a servant, yet possessing such riches—truly enviable. As expected of a civilization with thousands of years of history and deep foundations."
Cassius couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
However, deep within his golden eyes lay an unconcealed greed.
Ismail Enver raised his head and glared angrily at the distant dragon, his rough, red face filled with rage.
But there was also a trace of fear in his flame-filled eyes.
"An ancient red dragon..."
"Damn it, how could that fool Hamid provoke something this troublesome!"
The Grand Sultan, preoccupied with dealing with the "Holy Flame Prince's" offensive, had paid little attention to the so-called "Spirit-Devouring Dragon."
But for the sake of maintaining stability in the rear, he had sent Ismail to handle the situation, and the Pasha had readily accepted the mission as one of the Sultan's direct subordinates.
However, Ismail never expected that what awaited him in Black Iron City would be an ancient-class dragon!
Even he wasn't confident he could defeat such a being.
Especially not a red dragon!
Just then, the dragon hovering above spoke.
"Heh, Pasha."
"Your Grand Sultan sure is rude, sending only a lowly servant to greet me?"
"I thought he'd come personally to apologize."
Cassius grinned, his tone dripping with undisguised contempt.
The fire elemental Pasha's face twisted, his eyes blazing with fury.
"Red dragon!"
"You've gone too far!"
His thunderous roar shook the heavens and earth.
As one of the six Pashas standing at the top of the fire elemental empire, Ismail had always taken pride in being a direct servant of the Sultan for thousands of years.
But this dragon dared to insult the Grand Sultan right in front of him and belittle his status as a Pasha!
Ismail raised his scimitar, pointing its blade at the dragon in the sky.
"Red dragon, are you declaring war on the Grand Sultan and the Fire Elemental Empire?"
"Declaring war?"
Cassius feigned confusion.
"Wasn't it your fire elemental officials who insulted and provoked me first? I'm simply retaliating to defend my empire's dignity."
"Besides..."
Cassius paused for a moment, then chuckled coldly.
"Your Grand Sultan just got stabbed by the Holy Flame Prince. He's probably lying in the Brass City right now. Does he really have time to fight me?"
"You—"
Ismail was momentarily speechless, growing visibly frustrated as he searched for a retort.
But the dragon above flapped his wings, summoning a scorching windstorm as he shot through the sky toward his opponent.
Cassius wasn't interested in further conversation—he was curious about what a "Pasha" might taste like.
The sound of fabric tearing through the air was followed by a sharp, piercing whistle.
"Swoosh—"
Within mere moments, Cassius closed the several-hundred-meter gap and loomed above the fire elemental.
Rolling storm clouds followed closely behind, accompanied by brilliant flashes of lightning.
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
Thunder roared deafeningly.
Bolts of lightning as thick as bowls struck down, illuminating the surroundings as they aimed directly for the fire elemental's head.
"Lightning?"
"How can this be—it's a red dragon..."
Ismail furrowed his brows and raised his left arm, holding a shield reinforced with metal studs.
It was a shield crafted from the thick hide of an ancient draconic beast—[Shield of the Ancient Beast]—a legendary item with exceptional magical resistance.
Magical runes flickered across Ismail's body, and a fiery shield formed above him, creating a massive dome that shielded him from the lightning onslaught.
"Crackle—Boom!"
Sparks danced as the fire shield flickered, each collision of energy creating intense explosions.
Though the lightning scorched the shield and left burn marks on the shield's surface, Ismail remained unharmed, even mustering the strength to roar back at the sky.
"Pathetic, feeble attacks!"
"Red dragon, you can't defeat the Grand Sultan's warrior!"
Ismail pounded the shield with the hilt of his scimitar, releasing a war cry as the flame patterns on his body glowed brightly.
"We fire elementals are the rightful rulers of the Fire Elemental Plane!"
"We always have been!"
Blazing light shot from the Pasha's eyes.
It was his noble birthright—a spell known as *Inferno Storm*!
As his gaze swept across the area, a violent wind erupted around the dragon, quickly swirling into a fearsome tornado.
Flames, ash, and smoke churned within, forming a monstrous vortex that threatened to incinerate everything within it.
The destructive power of the spell rivaled natural disasters, capable of reducing a human village—or even an entire mortal city—to ashes.
But Cassius remained unfazed amidst the raging storm, casually flapping his wings with an almost amused expression.
"Foolish fire elemental..."
"You think such a spell can harm a red dragon?"
"Utterly delusional!"
The red dragon let out a soft cry as he slightly opened his mouth, drawing in the raging flames around him. A vortex of fire and smoke swirled into his maw.
With each greedy inhale, the dragon's chest crystal grew brighter, and the cracks along his neck began to glow with fiery light.
"This... This can't be..."
Ismail looked up at the sky, his expression darkening.
He had momentarily lost his composure and forgotten that his opponent was a red dragon—whose fire resistance rivaled that of the fire elementals.
"Hiss..."
The last wisp of flame was sucked into the dragon's mouth.
Cassius flapped his wings and gazed down at the Pasha with his golden eyes, a sinister smile spreading across his face.
The crystal on his chest shone like the sun, and brilliant flames and steam erupted from the vents along his body, as if he were a living embodiment of destruction.
"He..."
"He absorbed my spell!"
Ismail stared at the dragon above, his hand trembling slightly as he gripped his shield. The flames and smoke above his head flickered erratically.
An overwhelming sense of dread suddenly gripped him.
Danger!
The red dragon opened his massive jaws once more, brilliant light radiating from between his fangs.
"Boom—"