Grand Opening

"Boom!"

The steel behemoth roared and thundered as it rampaged across the chaotic battlefield, unleashing deadly shells. Like a raging giant, it mercilessly tore several allied legions apart.

—That was the "Great Red Dragon" class tank, the largest Steam Tank in the Embers of the Burned Empire, which shone brightly in the war to conquer North Aisel.

Behind the Steam Tank, George was leading his infantry regiment at a rapid advance.

They charged into the Allied positions through the gaps created by the tank advance, wiping out the remaining Allied forces and covering the tank charge.

"Commander, look over there!"

The adjutant exclaimed in surprise, and George quickly looked in the direction he was pointing, his expression changing drastically.

A celestial Fighter was seen kneeling on the ground, barely supporting himself with his sword. His delicate face was deathly pale, and blood was trickling from his mouth.

His armor was tattered and studded with shrapnel, while his white wings, stained with dust and blood, drooped limply to the side.

Seemingly having heard their voices, the celestial Fighter raised his head, glaring angrily at George, his golden pupils gleaming.

"Mortals, leave this place! I may spare your lives."

In an instant, all the soldiers present felt a strong pressure descend, and a scorching wave of air rushed towards them.

"Angel."

George instantly understood what had happened. This was a Celestial Fighter who had fallen due to injury, and he was definitely a powerful being!

If this had happened a decade or two ago, George would never have imagined that he would encounter angels, beings that only appeared in the mouths of priests, let alone that he would have to be an enemy of these beings.

But now, George's hand holding the gun trembled slightly, not from fear, but from extreme tension and excitement.

The wounded angel before me is a figure of extremely high status in the Celestial Legion, and to lead the army to kill him would be an immense achievement.

The angel seemed to sense George's thoughts and said with grief and indignation, "Ignorant mortals, you have all been bewitched by the evil dragon! Do you know who you are facing? I am Barni, the captain of the guard of the Silver Heaven and the enforcer of justice!"

"Soldiers, don't be intimidated by his bluff. He's an enemy of the Empire!" George drew his gun, ruthlessly interrupting the man.

Then, George deliberately drew out his words: "Do you know what it means to kill a high-ranking Celestial Fighter?"

Instantly, all the Imperial soldiers present were filled with fervor, their breathing quickened, for they knew what this meant—glory and status! Their commander, the Earl of Dragonblood, George, had risen to the rank of Baron by killing an enemy general, thus embarking on this glorious path.

If George can do it, why can't they?

"For the Empire!"

"Kill him!"

The soldiers shouted enthusiastically, but did not make any rash moves. They were well aware of the importance of discipline, and it had long been a habit.

Under George's orders, they dispersed, forming a huge semi-circular encirclement, and gradually approached the Celestial Fighter.

The angel lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, "You will regret this."

"Whoosh—"

His broad wings suddenly unfurled, and countless blood-stained golden feathers flew out like sharp arrows, attacking the surrounding imperial soldiers.

George reacted with lightning speed, dropping to the ground and shouting, "Danger! Get down!"

Upon hearing the order, large numbers of Imperial soldiers did not hesitate for a moment and reflexively dropped to the ground.

However, dozens of people were unable to dodge in time. They were pierced by the dense feathers, their bodies riddled with holes, and then they collapsed to the ground one after another.

"What a terrible attack!" George, lying on the ground, looked at the fallen soldiers and was shocked.

This angel's strength far exceeded his expectations! If he wasn't careful enough, his entire army could be wiped out!

Thinking of this, he immediately pulled out his walkie-talkie and whispered, "The enemy is strong, calling for artillery support! Coordinates."

Barni, supporting himself with his sword in the distance, slowly rose from the ground and said breathlessly, "I don't like to harm mortals. I forgive your ignorance and stupidity and always give you the greatest tolerance. But now, I see a fact clearly—followers of the dragon, you are beyond redemption and unforgivable!"

"Clang—"

With a crisp sound, Barni drew the longsword stuck in the ground with one hand and pointed it at the sky.

Instantly, a blinding light, like the sun, emanated from the tip of the sword, illuminating everything around it. A stirring, operatic melody rose up, as if a verdict had been handed down to a sinner.

"Whoosh—"

Just then, accompanied by a piercing whistle, a shell came hurtling down from the sky and struck the angel with pinpoint accuracy.

Barni's expression changed drastically. He laid his longsword horizontally and swung it fiercely. A blade of light ripped through the sky and shattered the cannonball in mid-air.

"Boom!"

However, immediately afterward, more shells rained down from the sky, creating a series of violent explosions.

Barni was well aware of the power of these weapons, so he could only drag his injured body and dodge back and forth on the ground.

With flapping wings, countless golden feathers flew into the sky, and streaks of light crisscrossed, blocking the dense barrage of shells.

George saw his chance and waved his hand, ordering, "Fire!"

George raised his pistol, closed one eye to aim, and then pulled the trigger. The bullet shot out of the chamber and struck the angel's head.

Meanwhile, the other Imperial soldiers could no longer contain themselves. Those wielding semi-automatic rifles fired incessantly, throwing grenades toward the angels.

Several machine gunners lay prone on the ground, guns firing, muzzles flashing, bullets pouring out like a tidal wave, hot cartridge cases falling to the ground one by one.

"Damn accomplice of the evil dragon!"

Barni let out a sharp shout, then raised his sword and held it horizontally. The golden light transformed into a shield, blocking the dense barrage of bullets.

But the cannonballs rained down from the sky as if they had eyes, and the Steam Tank not far away also received George's plea for help and sped toward the angels, firing continuously.

Left with no other choice, Barni had to abandon his defenses. Ignoring the dense barrage of bullets coming from afar, he suddenly flapped his blown-off wings and took to the air, dragging his heavily wounded body.

The next moment, the place where he was standing was engulfed by the flames from the explosion, with flying shrapnel, dust and rocks everywhere.

Under the relentless fire of the Imperial infantry, blood blossomed on Barni's body. The specially Blossom Shell tore through his skin and flesh, creating horrific wounds.

"Ah--"

Barni raised his head, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, and let out a roar, or rather a wail, like a predator being hunted.

In just a few moments, hundreds of bullets were embedded in his body.

Light and flames from heaven surrounded the angel, constantly healing his wounds, but the Imperial soldiers created wounds far faster than they healed.

Despite the hail of bullets, Barni raised his longsword and shouted, "The guilty shall be punished!"

Immediately, the longsword swung down, and a golden blade light, several meters long, sliced through the air, carrying an overwhelming momentum as it attacked the empire's soldiers.

"Whoosh—"

The hard ground was split open, revealing a deep crack, and dozens of imperial soldiers died on the spot before they could even scream, their deaths gruesome.

Thanks to the reflexes and physical abilities granted by the dragon's blood, George rolled to the side the moment the angel swung his sword, narrowly dodging the attack.

Barni coldly looked down at the soldiers on the ground, gripping his longsword tightly with one arm, releasing golden flames.

But George was not afraid; instead, he became even more excited, his breathing becoming rapid. "Don't be afraid, my soldiers! He's at his last gasp! Kill him! The invincible Your Majesty Keosius is protecting us!"

George picked up a heavy machine gun from the ground, lifted it high with his arms that were dripping with dragon blood.

Ignoring the recoil of the machine gun, he used his strong body as a support, leaned back slightly, and pulled the trigger towards the sky, shouting angrily, "For the Empire!"

The gun muzzle spat out a scorching tongue of fire, a spent cartridge was ejected, and bullets surged toward the angels high in the sky like a flood.

The Imperial soldiers around them seemed to be encouraged by their commander, and they all stood up and opened fire on the sky.

The wind howled incessantly, and a powerful pressure swept over, giving all the imperial soldiers an inexplicable urge to bend their knees.

Barni's eyes were sharp, his tone icy. "I will grant you a just judgment—death!"

"Whoosh—"

With an unstoppable momentum, the celestial judge spread his wings and swooped down from the sky, tearing through the air in an instant and becoming a trailing afterimage of light.

Under the force of this tsunami, many imperial soldiers' legs went weak and they fell to their knees in fear.

But George remained standing there, completely unfazed by the oncoming blast of air.

"Good timing!"

He grinned excitedly, red scales appearing on his forehead and cheeks. This was not only a charge that could take his life, but also a good opportunity to kill the angel! He continued to pull the trigger, spraying the blurry figure with the machine gun, not caring that the barrel and bolt were getting hot and red.

A barrage of bullets rained down on the angel, many of which were blocked by the Protective Radiance him.

But soon, under the overwhelming firepower, the inspiration shattered.

Immediately afterwards, blood blossomed on Barni's body. His neck, abdomen, Limbs, and even forehead were hit by bullets, and his internal organs were mangled beyond recognition—even the power of heaven could not save him from such injuries.

"Trial."

Barni stared intently at the Half-Dragon in the distance, clenching his teeth and practically spitting out those words.

He wanted to use his last bit of strength to kill the most evil Red Dragon's servant.

But at this moment, Barni's vision was gradually darkening, his hand holding the longsword was loosening, and the wings on his back were falling down uncontrollably.

"Boom!"

Finally, just four or five meters from George, the angel suddenly fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

The pure white wings fluttered down everywhere, and blood gushed from Barni's body, which was almost riddled with bullets. His wings fluttered weakly twice and then fell silent.

The silver sword from heaven fell from the sky and plunged deep into the ground.

This former Silver Heaven Inquisitor, a high and mighty angel, died at the hands of a group of mortals, who were merely the most ordinary infantry regiment of the Embers of the Burned Empire.

"Finally dead."

George stepped forward, drew the Sword of Paradise with one hand, and raised it high.

"Remember, His Your Majesty Keosius is watching us. Fight bravely and you will gain unparalleled glory! For the Empire!"

"For the Empire!"

The surrounding soldiers shouted in unison, excited. Having killed a real angel together, they were now fearless!

On the distant city wall, Zalan, who was casting a protective spell, witnessed this scene firsthand.

"Your Excellency Farni"

Looking at the ecstatic mortals, the Archmage was initially shocked, but then a great sense of absurdity arose in his heart—these were clearly just a group of mortals, how dare they kill the judges of Heaven? At this moment, he was already somewhat desperate; such an army was simply not something that a hastily assembled coalition could defeat.

All he could do was lead his colleagues in the City of Myriad Laws to provide the magical support they could, but he could not change the fact that the allied forces were gradually collapsing.

Zalan looked into the distance and saw a huge Ogre hovering in mid-air, wearing a rather short robe, its eyes coldly staring at the human Archmage.

Zalan felt a chill run down his spine, his hair stood on end, his thoughts almost froze, and his heart sank to the bottom.

"Legendary Mage."

"What a fantastic battle."

Keosius the hillside, overlooking the increasingly clear battlefield, and clapped his hands with his forepaws, expressing his heartfelt appreciation.

The once- Embers of the Burned Legion only dared to act arrogantly under his protection, and was utterly unable to stop a legendary figure.

Now, after multiple modifications, the Embers of the Burned Legion works in perfect harmony and possesses immense destructive power, making it a force to be reckoned with even on the entire Feanso Continent.

The roar of cannons never ceased, steel behemoths roamed the wasteland, and the corpses of Celestial Being and Wyvern fell from the sky.

At this moment, the Embers of the Burned Legion pressed forward relentlessly, advancing the battle line to within a few hundred meters of Collins City, leaving the remaining tens of thousands of allied troops huddled in narrow positions behind the river.

Looking at the ravaged earth, Olivia shook her head and let out a sorrowful sigh, "Keosius, this kind of war is too cruel, even if it is for the purpose of pursuing justice."

For the people of North Aisel, and for this tormented land, please give them a quick end to all of this.

The silver-haired girl looked up, gazing into the Red Dragon's pale golden eyes, and pleaded sincerely.

Keosius nodded slightly, turned his head, and said softly, "Olivia, you're quite right."

The Empire needs a rich and stable North Aisel as a base for establishing a just order throughout Fei An Suo, not a ruined wasteland.

It's time to end all of this!

Keosius flapped his broad wings, stirring up a powerful hurricane that swept across the land, and then soared into the air, suddenly reaching a height of hundreds of meters.

The enormous Red Dragon raised its head and roared loudly from its throat, its sound echoing throughout North Aisel as if to tear the entire world apart.

"Roar--"

In an instant, all the noise—whether it was the roar of artillery fire, the rumble of engines, or the wails of soldiers—was drowned out by this Earth-Shattering dragon roar.

In an instant, the gaze of every creature on the battlefield of North Aisel was focused on the high northern sky.