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Chapter 500: The Dragon Awakens
The demon attack in Isthalia caused quite a stir, but fortunately, the fiend was swiftly dealt with before it could cause significant destruction to the plaza.
The Coronation Day celebrations continued, with people rejoicing in the streets, fully indulging in this rare day of revelry.
"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"
"Long live the great red dragon!"
"March south to Thrace, seize Fadlan!"
"The southerners are nothing but cowardly bastards! They don't deserve such fertile land!"
Drunken men waved imperial banners as they walked arm in arm down the streets, staggering yet loudly cheering.
They had even turned their chant of "Conquer the South" into a catchy tune, singing it in uncoordinated unison.
These people were known domestically as "Conquest Factionists" by scholars. As the primary beneficiaries of the empire's expansion, most held prominent positions within the empire, with many hailing from the military.
The Conquest Faction's ideology was straightforward: conquer the South, plunder its resources, flood it with imperial goods, and realize the great red dragon emperor's vision of world domination—an idea that had become the empire's prevailing doctrine.
Confidence, militarism, and arrogance defined their approach.
Compared to ordinary citizens, these individuals were even more radical. Some proposed enslaving all southerners, forcing them into servitude for the noble citizens of the empire.
Others took it even further, advocating for the complete extermination of the southern populace, claiming only imperial citizens were worthy of enjoying such sacred, bountiful lands.
As a result, they became the target of fierce criticism from domestic scholars and were publicly condemned in parliament by Lady Olivia of the Lower House, who spoke with great vehemence against them.
Lady Olivia openly denounced the Conquest Faction as "remnants of the Northern Nobility" and "a cancer upon the empire."
Some extremists even attempted orchestrated attacks against Olivia.
Yet, despite appearing frail and delicate, she mysteriously survived every single assassination attempt.
On the streets, the Conquest Factionists continued their raucous singing, their voices booming even over the roar of the steam locomotives.
"We must strike down those filthy southerners!"
"Rip the skin off that cunning little bastard and offer it to His Majesty!"
"Burn their homes, seize their lands, let the empire's banners fly over their ruins…"
Amid the fervent crowd, a goblin baron seemed to recall something. His bloodshot eyes widened as he suddenly erupted in curses, spewing saliva along with his drunken rant.
"And those damnable demons! How dare they attack the capital! Who gave them the gall?!"
"Exactly! That tavern was destroyed by the demon! I used to frequent that place!"
"They dare provoke the children of the great red dragon!"
The people around him echoed his sentiments, recounting the demons' misdeeds and angrily denouncing the imperial government's "weakness."
Suddenly, a bugbear roared, "Prime Minister Langpu has grown weak like the humans! He ignores the South and tolerates these threats! This is an insult to His Majesty Cassius!
Lord Dolo is the true leader we need! He has always pushed for tearing up treaties and mobilizing forces to the South. He is the true follower of the grand vision!
If you ask me, the empire should march into the Abyss and wipe out the demons completely!"
He climbed onto a platform beside the plaza, raising his fist in the air. The Conquest Factionists cheered in agreement, their voices rising into a frenzied chant.
"Invade the Abyss!"
"Flay those damned demons alive!"
"Eradicate the demons, destroy the Abyss! A blood sacrifice for His Majesty!"
Thousands of imperial citizens raised their arms, roaring, unleashing their unfiltered hatred for the demons.
The scene was fervent, stirring the onlookers' emotions, but in a city of five hundred thousand, sprawling over a hundred square kilometers, this was just a minor spectacle.
"Dong—"
The noon bell tolled, and the triumphant melody of "Hymn of Cassius" resonated through the city.
Regardless of race—human, goblin, tiefling, lizardman, or ogre—the imperial citizens instinctively looked up toward the grand Isthalia High Altar in the sky.
Some clasped their hands in prayer, others knelt, while some held up gold coins—all engaged in reverence.
Some prayed for their husbands to return safely from the Fire Elemental Plane, some prayed for their factories to secure more contracts, others prayed for their merchant caravans' safe passage.
Perhaps not all were devout believers, but under the empire's pervasive influence, this ritual had become habitual.
"Dong—"
"Dong—"
With the third chime of the bell, the entire city—and the entire empire—erupted into celebration.
Years ago, at this very moment, His Majesty Cassius had crowned himself, founding this vast and diverse empire.
Beyond Northwind Fortress, within the Iron Dragonwing Palace.
The once-magnificent mountain outside the palace had transformed—blackened rock now lay bare, molten lava slowly flowing through the valley.
Now, it resembled a volcano.
The air grew scorching, ashes and embers swirling in the sky. The northern winds carried fiery storms that ignited anything in their path.
The once-lush forest had been reduced to thick layers of ash and charred stumps. Deer, birds, and boars had long since fled.
Instead, creatures from the Fire Elemental Plane—steam bats, firebirds, flame sprites, and lava beasts—occasionally roamed the area.
A year ago, His Majesty Cassius had fallen into slumber. Though no catastrophe had struck, the surrounding environment was gradually reshaped.
At first, the palace guards noticed nothing amiss, but soon, they realized—the land itself was changing!
Three months later, the heat near the palace had risen beyond what normal beings could endure. Even the tiefling guards stationed at the gates had to be replaced with half-red dragon warriors.
Now, even those with high concentrations of dragon blood found the heat nearly unbearable.
Yet, driven by unwavering faith, they remained steadfast in their duties—among them, Udo Dekor.
Once a slave in the Swino Principality, Udo Dekor had been a gladiator, a plaything for nobles.
When the Ember Empire liberated him, he pledged his life to His Majesty Cassius and enlisted in the military without hesitation.
During the Northern War, he had fought like a berserk beast, single-handedly tearing a noble knight in half, earning the personal commendation of Lord Dolo.
He exchanged his battle honors for a Dragonblood Elixir, endured excruciating pain, and became a half-red dragon warrior.
Now, standing guard at the Iron Dragonwing Palace, stationed near the great red dragon, was the highest honor of his life.
"Have you heard? A demon attacked the imperial capital! And on Coronation Day, no less!"
"Outrageous!"
"Has the cabinet made any response?"
At the gates of the Iron Dragonwing Palace, many half-red dragon guards were furious.
But Udo remained still, rifle in hand, his expression cold and stern, standing like a statue at the entrance.
He spoke calmly: "Those demons are nothing but flies from the Abyss. Once His Majesty awakens, they will be eradicated completely. Their pathetic actions are like moths to a flame—insignificant."
Another half-red dragon guard sighed and said, "But His Majesty has been asleep for a year.
You know that dragons live for eons, and especially one as powerful as His Majesty—he could sleep for centuries. I just fear..."
Udo snorted disdainfully, "So what? As long as His Majesty sleeps, I will stand here. Sark, you lack..."
"Boom!"
The ground trembled, and the mountains quaked.
Ash and embers swirled chaotically in the air, forming thick clouds of smoke. The earth cracked abruptly, revealing jagged fissures glowing with fire.
The half-red dragon guards struggled to keep their footing, suddenly gripped by panic.
"What's happening?"
"Run!"
"A calamity! A catastrophe is coming! I heard from the former tiefling guard captain—this is the residual force of the Great Red Dragon.
But for us mortals, it is an apocalyptic disaster!"
The half-red dragon captain cried out in fear.
"It's His Majesty—His Majesty is waking up!"
Only Udo Deco gazed toward the Red Dragon's slumbering ground, his draconic face alight with joy and fervor.
In an instant, the thick smoke engulfed the land, darkening the sky, filling the air with sulfur and the stench of embers.
Even Northwind Fortress, dozens of miles away, felt its effects. The city's residents gazed southward in shock.
"Whoosh—"
Fiery meteors streaked across the sky, dragging brilliant tails of flame, tearing gashes through the darkened heavens.
Smoke billowed over the mountain, embers and flames dancing wildly, and searing gusts surged forth, forming a colossal tornado of fire and smoke that bridged the heavens and earth.
Everything nearby—stones, ashes, charred trees—was drawn into the vortex, becoming its fuel.
"The Ember Dragon..."
Udo lifted his head, gazing in awe at the cataclysmic spectacle, his throat trembling as he uttered that famed epithet.
The nobles of the North had coined the name out of fear, and indeed—it was fitting. A dragon capable of burning even ashes.
"Udo, get out of there!"
"Don't just stand there—you'll die!"
Another guard urged anxiously, but Udo seemed deaf to their cries, still gazing skyward in rapture.
What majesty.
This was His Majesty's power—capable of annihilating all mortals, incinerating every foe that dared stand in his way.
Years ago, he had personally witnessed the Red Dragon obliterate what had once seemed an invincible Northern United Army. His former nightmare—the earl of Angus, who had once kept him as a chained gladiator—was reduced to ashes.
From that moment on, the Red Dragon became his one true faith.
"Roar—"
At that moment, a deep and resonant roar shook the heavens.
Then, an invisible force radiated from the mountain's peak, spreading across a hundred-mile radius, kicking up a massive dust storm.
"H-His Majesty..."
Instantly, every half-red dragon fell silent, feeling the oppressive might surging through their very blood. One by one, they knelt in reverence toward the mountain.
"Boom!"
A colossal shadow burst violently from the rock, shattering the mountain peak as it soared into the firestorm above.
In that moment, it became the center of the world.
The thick smoke in the sky rushed toward it, the falling meteors transformed into flowing flames, all scrambling to be absorbed by its presence.
Ashes, embers, flames, and smoke—all converged upon it, forming a swirling vortex.
Then, the smoke cleared, and the sky was pristine once more.
The earth lay bare, scarred and ruined.
Yet, soon, the land began to shift—the magma-filled fissures sealed shut, and the craters left by meteors were smoothed over.
Under the dominion of an overwhelming force, the surrounding landscape mended itself, as though the catastrophe had never occurred.
And there, high in the sky, the massive Red Dragon spread its wings wide, golden slit-pupiled eyes gazing down upon the world below. Its shimmering crimson scales gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
Udo paid no heed to the dust and debris. He pressed his forehead against the ground, then raised his head, gazing devoutly at the dragon's magnificent form.
"Your Majesty..."
Udo could not help but whisper, his body trembling, overwhelmed with irrepressible joy.
He knew what this meant. This signified that the invincible Emperor Cassius would once again lead them to victory, burning every enemy that stood against the empire to cinders.
At last—
His Majesty Cassius had awakened.
The sole ruler of the Anzeta Wasteland, the Breaker of the Silver Wings, the Destroyer of Frost Giants...
The Abyss Demons' Nemesis, the Soul-Devouring Dragon, the Master of Guns and Cannons, the Supreme Ember Emperor—His Majesty Cassius, had returned!
At the mountain's summit.
"Huff—"
Cassius slowly beat his wings, landing atop the peak with a thunderous impact. He exhaled a breath of sulfurous smoke, observing his own form.
"Finally awake. This familiar feeling... Dragons truly are remarkable creatures—every time I wake, I feel stronger."
"Though, I sense a force repelling me."
Cassius tilted his head, his expression bemused as he snorted, releasing a plume of scalding white steam.
—It was the repulsion of the Material Plane.
To this world, a being of such overwhelming terror belonged beyond the Material Plane: in the Astral Realm, the Ethereal Plane, the Outer Planes, or the Inner Planes...
After a year of slumber, Cassius had grown even larger, his muscles more defined, exuding unparalleled power. From head to tail, the Red Dragon now measured roughly forty-five meters—far beyond the natural limits of his kind.
Due to the dilution of draconic blood and the Material Plane's restrictive laws, even ancient red dragons that had lived for over twelve hundred years rarely exceeded forty meters. Yet, Cassius had already surpassed them by a great margin.
His four spiral horns had grown, two of them now thicker and more imposing, resembling a regal crown.
Cassius's lower jaw had become more pronounced and massive—though not as extreme as "Deathwing's" iron-jawed visage, it still made his features exceedingly menacing.
Across his mountainous body, his back bore not only the usual spines of a red dragon but also a series of fiery molten crystals.
"This energy..."
Throughout his slumber, Cassius had devoured energy like a draconic black hole—insatiable, voracious, consuming everything around him, evident from the transformed environment.
Through this exchange and absorption, an immense quantity of pure fire elemental energy had accumulated within him.
Not just ambient energy, but even the elemental ores he had obtained from the Fire Djinn Empire's negotiations—enough to fuel an entire kingdom—had all been consumed.
The dragon crystal in his chest pulsed with flame, while flickers of fire occasionally burst from the gaps in his scales.
At this moment, Cassius contained within him an unimaginable force—akin to a living, mobile volcano, or perhaps something even more terrifying.