The Dragon's Descent

"All people worship together, the Great Red Dragon in heaven—"

A wave of heat suddenly swept across the land.

As the sun rose high in the sky, a sound suddenly came from afar. It was as melodious as a prayer, as solemn and grand as an opera, and contained a certain majestic meaning.

Gradually, the soldiers turned their gaze to the northern horizon, and they couldn't help but hold their breath, sweat dripping from their foreheads.

"On Amanata."

Duke Walter felt a little flustered and couldn't help but pray silently in his heart.

Strange, this atmosphere is so strange. It doesn't feel like a ferocious dragon is about to arrive at all; it's more like a god is about to descend upon the world.

Above the clouds, the Fighter from the heavens looked solemn. Even the Lord of Paradise frowned slightly, and his usually calm and perfect face finally showed signs of emotion.

"Boom--"

The ground trembled, and gray smoke swept across the land. Countless steel behemoths could be seen moving across the land, almost covering the entire horizon.

Thousands of Wyvern, Flame Wyvern, Chimera, and even White Dragon appeared in the sky, flapping their wings and obscuring the sky like thick dark clouds, casting chaotic shadows on the earth.

Following the Steam Tank, armored vehicles towing hundreds of massive cannons appeared on the battlefield, their dark muzzles inspiring awe. Immediately afterward, fully armed Imperial infantry marched in with synchronized steps.

Further on, there were countless players, each fighting their own battles, surging in from all directions, almost surrounding the entire Collins City.

Seeing such a grand scene, the Allied soldiers became tense and couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"They... are our enemies?"

"Gods, it is incredible that such an army could be born in the barren the North."

"These are the guys! They destroyed the Saint Theo City!"

Above the Walter Alliance's army formation, gazing at the Embers of the Burned Empire's army that filled the sky and earth in the distance, he gripped his longsword tightly, a faint light gleaming in his pale golden pupils.

With just a glance, he observed numerous powerful life fluctuations, some even reaching the legendary level. Coupled with those terrifyingly powerful weapons, "It seems I underestimated them. No wonder they are the army that crushed the Aisel Front in nineteen days. They remind me of the Fadlan of yesteryear."

Walter sighed softly, but his expression remained resolute.

Now that things have come to this, no matter how powerful the enemy is, he can only face it calmly and fight back bravely; there is no way out.

The roar of the steam engine, the sound of boots on the ground, and the flapping of the Wyvern's wings intertwined to form a powerful drumbeat.

"No matter how the world changes, your majesty will never waver—"

Under the true drumbeats of war, the melodious music intensified, the tune grew more and more stirring, and the stirring war song roared into its climax.

"O Keosius of Armies, with boundless reverence and gratitude, we offer you our eternal loyalty—"

At the same time, the Wyvern and Dragonkin in the sky raised their heads and roared in unison, their roars resonating throughout the heavens and earth.

"Boom--"

The earth groaned heavily, and under the intense wind pressure, all the soldiers present struggled to raise their heads.

"Amanata"

"O gods!"

People gaped in astonishment, their eyes wide, and they looked up in fear.

A colossal figure appeared high in the sky, backlit by the sunlight, its outline clearly defined. Its broad wings, like a curtain of night, covered the sky and enveloped the earth.

Its head alone, with its four horns and imposing appearance, is a hundred meters long, and its wingspan is nearly a thousand meters long. Its winding tail is like a mountain range.

The enormous Red Dragon hung high in the sky, flapping its wings and giving everyone present an incredible sense of oppression—it was like the sky pressing down on the earth in mythology!

What a magnificent dragon it was!

How could such a monster be born in this world!

At that moment, almost every soldier had the same question in their hearts, and even Duke Walter was no exception.

For a moment, even the well-traveled and knowledgeable Divine Descendant Duke stood frozen in place, his lips moving as he murmured, "What exactly is this?"

"Illusion, an extremely sophisticated spell."

Beside Walter, the Golden Dragon flapped its wings and said in a steady and powerful voice, "This is a phantom that is constructed from pure Fire Elemental, and it is of extremely high quality."

It must be said that this dragon's ability to manipulate the elements is truly exquisite; even Archmage would find it difficult to discern its secrets.

"I see. Thank you for reminding me, Titus." Walter looked at Titus gratefully, his trust in this Golden Dragon ally growing even stronger.

He also realized that he was too nervous and even lost his composure, failing to see the obviously illogical parts of the illusion.

Keep in mind that this is the Third Era. Even those dragon gods who have survived since ancient times would find it difficult to reach a size of a thousand meters, not to mention that their true forms cannot descend into the Material Plane.

If a giant dragon thousands of meters long were to step into the Material Plane, it would likely be rejected by the laws of the world the next second, and might even cause the space to collapse and crumble.

With that thought, Walter raised the longsword in his hand, releasing a dazzling light.

"Soldiers! Do not be afraid, it is just a false illusion! It is the evil dragon's shameless threat to us!"

Hearing the powerful voice and gazing up at the majestic and radiant figure, the Allied soldiers finally managed to calm themselves down and mustered their courage once more.

"I knew it. How could such a giant dragon exist?"

"Yes, it was indeed an enemy plot."

"The Fadlanites will not be intimidated!"

Although the terrifying dragon looked incredibly real, as if it were about to crash down, the soldiers believed Duke Walter's words because of his prestige.

Walter brandished his longsword, pointing its gleaming tip at the distant dragon, and declared in a resounding voice, "Soldiers, I once followed His Majesty Aragon in his conquests of the multiverse, spreading the glory of Amanata."

In countless battles, I have faced enemies far more powerful than this: Astral Beast, Hell demons, Abyssal Devil. But none of them felt fear, for—we are the proud Fadlanites! Remember, this battle is not merely for survival, but for dignity, for the blood and sweat of countless predecessors, and for our descendants to soar peacefully under the skies of Fadlan."

"Ridiculous--"

A loud voice came from afar, interrupting Walter's speech. The Red Dragon slowly opened its mouth, and a ferocious smile appeared on its huge face.

The phantom of the Red Dragon shook its head and said with a sigh, "Fadlan was indeed a respectable empire, but unfortunately—it is already dead, utterly and completely dead, dead beyond dead."

"Shut up! You shameless dragon!" Walter roared indignantly, "You dare to insult the sacred Fadlan! And don't even think about seizing our territory! We Fadlanites are the children of the great Sun God. As long as the sun never sets and the glory of Amanata remains, the Fadlan Empire will live on forever!"

"The Sun God? You still have the nerve to mention Him?"

Keosius smiled dismissively, then said in a mocking tone, "Don't you know? Your Majesty Aragon, the emperor who calls himself the ' Son of the Sun,' has committed the heinous crime of blasphemy."

As for you, you are nothing but a bunch of sinners abandoned by the gods. You devour the remnants of the empire like a pack of greedy wild dogs, yet you call yourselves the successors of Fadlan. How utterly laughable!

His voice echoed across the North Aisel Plains, reaching the soldiers' ears. For some reason, they had a strange feeling— the Red Dragon's words seemed very persuasive and convincing.

At this moment, Walter was completely enraged. His golden eyes seemed to be burning, and a torrent of anger surged from them.

"Vicious nonsense! Damned dragon, you, you dare to slander His Majesty Aragon!"

His throat trembled with anger, and his whole body shook violently. If he had previously felt hostile towards the Red Dragon from the perspective of the Duke of North Aisel,

At this moment, his attitude towards the Red Dragon was pure and utter hatred! He wished he could cut off that enormous head and sever those four horns! This Red Dragon dared to insult Aragon I, the sole emperor of Holy Fadlan! He was shaking the very foundation of Fadlan! Denying the legitimacy and orthodoxy of the empire! Walter's eyes blazed with fury as he gritted his teeth and said, "Red Dragon, you should be grateful. If this had happened twenty years ago, your head would have already been chopped off by His Majesty's Divine Descendant Legion!"

"Long live His Majesty Aragon!"

"Evil dragon! You dare to slander the emperor!"

The soldiers were also filled with righteous indignation, waving their weapons in a show of respect for the emperor.

"Damn humans! They are insulting His Your Majesty Keosius!"

"Kill them!"

"I will raze this city to the ground and trample the ashes of the Emperor of Fadlan under my feet!"

The Imperial soldiers were also restless, attacking the Allied soldiers frantically, even using loudspeakers, and the two sides thus began a fierce war of words.

However, the Red Dragon was not angry. He simply stated expressionlessly, "Your emperor has already turned to ashes in the wrath of the sun, and I, the Embers of the Burned Emperor Keosius, stand before you, about to become the master of North Aisel."

A century ago, the Fadlan Empire, with its powerful military, destroyed the Aisel Kingdom and occupied this land.

And now, we will do the same thing; this is in line with the course of world development. From this perspective, the Embers of the Burned Empire is far more qualified than you to be the spiritual heirs of Fadlan.

Ah, you should be happy about this; your Fadlan finally has a truly qualified successor.

"Don't even think about it! The Fadlanites will never be your slaves! If you want to conquer North Aisel, you'll have to step over our dead bodies first!" Walter brandished his longsword again, his tone resolute.

"Brutal Chromatic Dragon! Your acts of aggression will be nailed to the pillar of historical shame!" The Golden Dragon Titus roared, issuing a righteous and indignant condemnation.

"Red Dragon, I will make you understand the importance of order and justice—in the name of Heaven." Barachiel held the Lightning Blade, his voice booming like thunder.

With his pale golden eyes, Keosius coldly surveyed the earth, his gaze sweeping over the gods, the Golden Dragon, and the angels, before calmly saying, "Whether you agree or not, I don't care, and I don't want to know."

I'm just here to inform you: from this day forward, North Aisel belongs solely to the Embers of the Burned Empire, and anyone who tries to stop it will be utterly destroyed.

In other words—what does your destruction have to do with you?

The Red Dragon's voice grew louder and louder, eventually evolving into an astonishing roar. The enormous phantom suddenly expanded, instantly dyeing half the sky red and transforming it into a raging sea of flames.

Suddenly, an unprecedented heat wave expanded rapidly, sweeping across the entire land, causing wild grass to burn, and Mars and thick smoke filled the air.

Then, the music finally reached its climax, and the soldiers of the Embers of the Burned Empire roared like a tidal wave, their battle cries and howls soaring into the sky, instantly drowning out the crackling sound of the flames burning.

"Conquer--"

"Charge!"

"For the Embers of the Burned Empire! For His Your Majesty Keosius!"

In an instant, the giant cannons standing on the ground opened fire in unison, and countless shells drew beautiful arcs in the air, forming a dense network of fire that fell around the Collins City.

"Boom!"

The steel behemoths roared and thundered as they galloped across the flat, open grassland, rampaging as if they were in an empty field, causing the earth to tremble violently and emit muffled groans.

The dragons in the sky spread their wings and swooped down toward the Collins City, letting out hoarse and noisy roars.

Numerous Skeletal Dragon Snake slithered across the ground, while ghouls and skeletons moved forward under the cover of dark clouds, and the aura of death drifted towards Collins City with the north wind.

Meanwhile, an army of Fire Elemental creatures, including Flame Wyvern, Fire Lizard, fire Fire Dwarf, and Fire Giant, marched relentlessly towards the allied forces, following the spreading wildfires and billowing smoke.

Behind the Embers of the Burned Empire's army formation, Keosius opened his pale golden eyes, supported his massive fifty-meter-long body with his strong Limbs, and then spread his wings.

The Red Dragon raised its head, gazing at the escalating war in the distance, and contemptuously exhaled a cloud of Sulfur Scent white smoke.

"What an overconfident fool. It seems this war will be over soon."

Beside him, the silver-haired girl holding the documents hesitated for a moment before leaning closer and whispering, "Keosius, your behavior just now was almost identical to those infamous dragons in my memory, exactly as recorded in our clan's records."

Are you still truly seeking justice and order?

Keosius smiled first, then sighed and said somewhat "helplessly," "Of course, Olivia, my original intention has never changed."

These guys just stood in my way as I pursued a new order, becoming my enemies and hindering the world's progress. I had no choice but to eliminate them.

Olivia said nothing more; she knew the emperor's mind was made up and almost impossible to change.

But after a moment of silence, she pleaded in a low voice, "There is another member of our kind in the allied forces—that righteous Golden Dragon. He probably didn't mean to stand in your way, Keosius. Can you let him go?"

"Of course, you know. I have always been the most considerate of my fellow tribesmen."

The Red Dragon's lips curled slightly upwards, and an unusual light flickered in its golden vertical pupils.