Reactions from All Sides

News of the Empire's victory over the Abyss Legion and the Embers of the Burned Emperor's killing of a Devil Lord has spread throughout the world, causing a great uproar on the Feanso Continent.

The shockwaves from this news were even greater than those from defeating "Silver Wing" Oszedro.

Even if the Ancient Silver Dragon was powerful, he was still just the Grand Elder of Mellward, a highly respected figure in the Lawful Good alignment, while the Abyss Lord was a being capable of threatening the entire Prime Material Plane, yet he was killed by that Red Dragon alone.

Doesn't this prove that the Embers of the Burned Emperor also has the ability to easily destroy a country, or even threaten the entire Prime Material Plane? The Magic Image of that terrible battle that destroyed Anstika also appeared in the hands of the high-ranking officials of various forces, causing them immense shock and terror.

—The hundred-meter-long dragons were locked in a fierce battle, and the fight between the two savage beasts caused the sky to tremble, mountains to collapse, and the earth to crumble.

In the Third Era, when gods and mortals were separated, no one had ever witnessed such a grand battle, making people doubt their own eyes.

Is this an illusion?

Or perhaps some images from ancient times?

However, everyone who witnessed the war and whose mind was deeply etched with the earth-shattering scenes gave a negative answer.

—This is the real battle that took place in the Third Era on the Anzeta Great Wasteland.

Deep in the High Forest, in the eastern part of the Feanso Continent.

The air was filled with a faint fragrance of flowers and the scent of damp earth. The dense canopy of trees shimmered with a verdant luster, and sunlight filtered through the gaps, casting dappled shadows.

Hidden deep within the dense forest, surrounded by ancient and towering trees, and adorned with aesthetically pleasing reliefs, lies the Serenia Royal Court, the ancient capital of the Elven Kingdom, a city with a history spanning millennia.

On a window sill deep within the royal court, a beautiful Elf woman gazes into the distance.

Her long, light golden hair cascaded down her shoulders, and the sheer robe woven from grass could not conceal her graceful figure. Her clear, watery eyes revealed a hint of worry.

The golden crown adorned with dewdrops on her head, and the hint of purple in her pupils, both reveal the identity of this Elf.

—The nominal monarch of Serenia, the seventeenth queen of the Elven Kingdom since its inception, Catherine Moonchaser.

The Elven Queen gazed up at the azure sky above the High Forest and murmured to herself.

"The Three Great Kingdoms are at war, the Abyssal Devil are constantly making moves, and a powerful dragon is rapidly rising in the north. It is truly a crazy era."

At this point, Catherine lowered her eyes and gave a self-deprecating smile.

"However, I am nothing more than a caged canary. What right do I have to care about these things?"

Decades ago, the Council of Elders, backed by the Fadlan Empire, sidelined the then-young Elven Queen and completely seized control of Serenia's political situation.

They revered the "ancient and noble traditions of the Elf," isolating Serenia from the outside world.

They forbid any conflict in the Elven Kingdom world, and also forbid the Elven Queen from accessing the magical knowledge passed down from her ancestors.

These elders, who colluded with humans, even Lieutenant General gifted beautiful Elf women to the nobles of Fadlan as their playthings.

—The renowned Half-elf Paladin, "Twilight Blade" Rhea, was the illegitimate child of an Elf woman and a nobleman from Fadlan.

"Your Majesty, you need not belittle yourself. This situation is about to end, and the Elven Kingdom will soon return to your rule."

A cool, steady female voice came from behind Catherine, and Half-elf Paladin dressed in dark gold light armor and holding a longsword stepped out.

"Rhea, you're back?"

Catherine quickly turned around, her beautiful face beaming with barely suppressed joy.

Rhea stepped forward, knelt before Catherine, and said in a deep voice, "Yes, Your Majesty Catherine."

Now that the Fadlan Empire has crumbled and the old men in the Senate have lost their backing, the opportunity to overthrow their corrupt rule has arrived.

"Get up first, Rhea."

Catherine quickly stepped forward and helped the Half-elf Paladin who had returned from his travels to his feet.

She turned around and looked at the Moonlight Holy Tree, which symbolized the highest power of the Elf race but was now occupied by the Council of Elders.

"You're right, Serenia shouldn't just give up like this."

It should never be controlled by those scoundrels. I will restore the Elven Kingdom to the civilized and great nation I remember.

This queen, who was regarded by the elders as an easy-to-control "canary" and had always been gentle and kind, now revealed an unprecedented determination in her beautiful, watery eyes.

"As you wish."

Rhea gripped her silver sword tightly, her voice firm and resolute.

"By the way, Rhea."

"What's wrong?"

Catherine took a crystal ball out of her bosom.

The crystal ball projected Magic Image of two mountain-sized dragons battling—the battle between "Embers of the Burned Emperor" Keosius and the Abyssal Dragon.

Catherine to the dragon in the picture with her slender finger and asked softly, "Do you know this Embers of the Burned Emperor?"

Rhea nodded slightly. "Of course, Your Majesty, I saw that video at the Harpers headquarters."

It must be admitted that the Red Dragon was incredibly powerful, to an unbelievable degree, and definitely not something that could be Contend Against head-on.

Catherine was a little curious.

Is it possible for us to cooperate with him?

"Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty, but in my experience, trying to cooperate with a Red Dragon is like asking a tiger for its skin, not to mention that the dragon race has a history of enmity with the Elf."

Do you know what's ranked highest on the Red Dragon's menu? Elf, preferably a young Elf.

Rhea blinked, startling Catherine, while the Half-elf chuckled. Their relationship was more like that of close friends than that of a monarch and her subjects.

However, the Elven Queen, who had been confined to the royal court for many years, had far too many questions about the outside world and about that mysterious north.

Catherine repeatedly asked Rhea about the situation in various parts of Fei An Suo, and the Half-elf Paladin patiently provided answers without getting impatient.

"By the way, didn't you travel around the Anzeta Great Wasteland for a while? It's said that... you even killed a Red Dragon, and they all call you the 'Dragon Slayer Hero'."

Rhea shook her head and chuckled, a hint of helplessness showing on her resolute and beautiful face. "Your Majesty, if we had faced Red Dragon like this back then, I'm afraid I wouldn't be standing there now."

This Embers of the Burned Emperor rose to power far too quickly, almost unlike a typical dragon. Many Dragon Scholar suspect he is Progenitor Dragon sealed away in underground ruins, dormant for tens of thousands of years, similar to the mother dragon I encountered...

Suddenly, Rhea paused, turning her head again to stare intently at the Magic Image in the crystal ball.

The scales on the massive Red Dragon's body gleamed with a metallic sheen, as if gold had been mixed into them—just like the strange Wyrmling she had encountered years ago.

Rhea's heart sank, and fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead, wetting her silvery-white hair.

She recalled what she had said ten years ago when she released that Wyrmling: "Perhaps we can show kindness to our common enemy."

At that time, Rhea hoped that this Lawful Neutral Red Dragon would not bring disaster to the world, otherwise she would have personally destroyed it.

That's impossible.

That's absolutely impossible.

Rhea thought to herself.

What a joke! A Wyrmling grew into a behemoth that surpassed even the Ancient Dragon in just ten years, becoming the emperor who ruled Anzeta.

The absurdity of this event was beyond legendary tales; it was downright fantastical! Even mythology didn't contain such an outlandish plot! But the sense of destiny stirred within the Half-elf's mind, causing her to tremble and feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

Rhea recalled the Red Dragon's activity time in the Harpers, and its extremely obvious characteristics that were identical to those of the strange Wyrmling.

Suddenly, she realized that this seemingly absurd story, which sounded like child's ramblings, might very well be true! "That makes sense."

Rhea frowned and muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear.

I see. This answers the questions of the Dragon Scholar and the concerns of the Harpers.

That colossal dragon, even larger than the Great Wyrm Red Dragon, was neither a sealed Progenitor Dragon nor a offspring of Tiamat, but rather possessed a clearly defined growth trajectory! It was very likely the strange Wyrmling that he had released ten years ago.

"What's wrong? Rhea, did you think of something about that Red Dragon?"

No, Your Majesty.

I was simply thinking about our plan to reclaim the Moonlight Holy Tree.

The Half-elf stood with her hand on her sword, gazing into the distance. A glint of light flickered in her beautiful eyes, and it was impossible to know what she was thinking at that moment.

Rhea pursed her lips slightly.

Since some things are choices we make ourselves, we should just bear the consequences.

The naive yet persistent queen before me shouldn't have gotten herself involved in the trouble she caused. After helping Catherine overthrow the Council of Elders, she might need to leave Serenia to face some... destined events.

Inside the magnificent palace of the Thrace Kingdom, the "City of Sunrise".

The ministers on both sides of the steps looked at each other, then lowered their heads and remained silent, making the atmosphere in the palace exceptionally tense.

From the golden throne, modeled after "Sunlit City," came a deep, magnetic male voice.

"Gentlemen, please share your thoughts."

The man was clad in magnificent silver armor, his skin was flawless and white, and a thin white halo covered his body, making his perfect face indistinct.

What is most eye-catching is his back, where three pairs of broad, white wings emerge from behind, making him look like an angel descended to earth.

This was the third son of Aragon I, a strong contender for the throne of the Fadlan Emperor, the ruler of the Thrace Kingdom, and the leader of the Angel Divine Descendant Legion.

—Wilhelm Aragon, who was revered as the "Angel King".

At this moment, the king, who looked like an angel, was supporting his head with his hand, staring at the Magic Image displayed in the center of the hall with a livid face.

In that Magic Image, two giant dragons, each a hundred meters long, were fighting fiercely, causing the sky to collapse and the earth to split.

Were you all scared out of your wits by him?

"Does my vast Thrace Kingdom only contain a bunch of cowards who dare not face dragons?"

Looking around and seeing the ministers' panicked reactions, Wilhelm's voice finally betrayed a hint of anger.

"."

Upon hearing the king's second question, no one in the hall dared to raise their head.

After all, that dragon was far too terrifying for ordinary people to withstand.

If I were to actually boast to the king and be sent to the north, I would be facing a hundred-meter-long Red Dragon.

Meanwhile, those Angel Divine Descendant who have always been arrogant and fearless of powerful enemies are still fighting on the southern battlefield, clashing with the Titan Divine Descendant of Kassand.

Seeing that no one spoke, Wilhelm looked at the man huddled in the corner.

"Duke Luton, you escaped from the Red Dragon, what special insights do you have?"

After being summoned by Wilhelm, Luton, who had been made Duke of the the North, stood up tremblingly, and then knelt down with a thud.

He pleaded tearfully, "Your Majesty, you mustn't hit him!"

That Red Dragon, he, he's a demon! No, he's more evil than a demon! He'll kill us all!

Upon seeing the image, Luton was terrified. He recalled the Hell scene when the Red Dragon descended years ago, and the guillotine where blood flowed freely. These scenes had appeared countless times in his nightmares.

This is further illustrated by his "just disclosure" of the Red Dragon in various publications over the years.

Immediately, the Duke Luton's legs trembled, and his luxurious trousers were soaked, filling the hall with a foul stench.

"He really is a coward."

Wilhelm looked down at him with some disgust and casually ordered, "Guards, the Duke Luton's mental illness has flared up again. Drag him away."

Two soldiers in silver armor immediately stepped forward and dragged the trembling Duke Luton away.

Before leaving, Luton was still wailing, "Your Majesty, you mustn't hit him!"

Wilhelm, who was already in a bad mood, looked even worse after this ridiculous farce, and he called out one of them again.

"Duke Sashisai, you were once an envoy to the Embers of the Burned Empire. What are your thoughts on this matter?"

The Foreign Minister, dressed in magnificent robes and holding a scepter, stepped out from the crowd, came down the steps, and bowed his head in deep thought.

After a long while, Sashisai respectfully said, "Your Majesty, that is just a greedy and short-sighted Red Dragon, no matter how powerful he is."

I admit that the Embers of the Burned Emperor was powerful enough to change the course of the world, but all he cared about was the treasure in his own treasury—as evidenced by the fact that the Embers of the Burned Empire sold us their most advanced weapons.

In its pursuit of profit, that Red Dragon cared about nothing.

Therefore, we have no need to fear the Red Dragon at all; we can even make him our ally, all we need to do is—satisfy his greedy appetite.

"Oh?"

Wilhelm nodded slightly, stroking his chin, seemingly pondering Sashisai's words.

The ministers unanimously agreed with Sashisai's statement, believing that a solution that avoided confronting the terrifying dragon was undoubtedly the best one.

Seeing the king deep in thought, Sashisai quickly pressed on. "Your Majesty, if you could give me ten million Gold Coin, I am confident that I can keep that dragon in the north in check."

Suddenly, an anxious voice came from the crowd. "No, Your Majesty, that emperor is not as simple as Duke Sashisai makes him out to be!"

Everyone turned their heads and looked sideways, focusing their attention on the person who had spoken.

—The speaker was none other than Dayev, a diplomat from the Thrace Kingdom and an underling of Sashisai.