The Radiant Giant

"Sinners!" Balaichir brandished his longsword, countless bolts of lightning exploding as the melodious hymn resounded once more.

The immense power of Heaven, like the receding tide, rapidly contracted, while the distant Destruction Storm gradually dissipated, the collapsing Heaven transforming into specks of light that slowly converged towards Barachiel. Finally, a magnificent, silver, and resplendent Heavenly Temple appeared behind him.

The star-studded night sky stretched for thousands of meters, radiating an aura of order that rivaled the overwhelming pressure of Keosius.

Bala Echir flapped his enormous wings, gathering the power of Mount Paradise. His dark purple eyes shimmered with tiny lights, and his entire body radiated a spiritual light that almost solidified, with countless halos slowly rotating behind him.

Each halo behind Him contains the power of Heaven capable of creating miracles, radiating the laws of order.

This is not a sign of discouragement or defeat, but rather a sign of truly taking it seriously and being thoroughly committed.

The original Celestial Phenomenon, though grand in scale, were more like a magnificent trial of the lower classes, creating a spectacle that outweighed their actual power.

During the battle, the Lord of Paradise gradually realized that the Embers of the Burned Emperor before him was not one of the sinners he could easily judge, but an opponent worthy of his full strength.

Looking up at the rampant, grinning Red Dragon, Barachiel knew that if things continued like this, they might lose!

His pride and self-respect as the Lord of Paradise would not allow him to lose to a being from a Material Plane —even an incomparably powerful dragon.

"In the last thousand years, since the calamity of the Abyss attacking heaven, you are the first enemy for whom I would fight with all my might, Keosius. You should feel extremely honored for this!"

Barachiel flapped its wings and let out a thunderous roar. It raised the bright silver longsword in its hand, and the boundless power of heaven surged forth, transforming into a radiant giant sword that stretched across the sky for a thousand meters.

Sword of Paradise

The giant sword, carrying a terrifying aura, tore through space in an instant, accompanied by a raging hurricane, and slashed fiercely towards the Red Dragon.

"You should feel honored! Your blood will be the key to unlocking New Era!"

Keosius roared and fearlessly spread his wings, flapping them fiercely.

His massive body accelerated instantly, transforming into a crimson afterimage trailing flames. He nimbly dodged the sword's cuts high in the sky and swooped down towards Bala Eichel and the others.

Bala Eichel and the others knew that if they were to engage in close combat with this fifty-meter-long Red Dragon, they would definitely not gain much of an advantage.

His eyes sharpened, and he slashed horizontally with his bright silver longsword. The thousand-meter-long star-shaped sword cleaved through the distant clouds and then attacked again along the trajectory of the Red Dragon's dive.

Walter also wielded the Sword of the Sun God, and countless light blades flew out into the air, attacking the Red Dragon.

The Ancient Gold Dragon Titus swung its scepter with its giant claws, and a dazzling wall of rainbow light appeared in the sky, blocking the opponent's space to dodge.

"Roar--"

The Red Dragon roared and spewed out surging dragon flames. Under the masterful manipulation of the Elemental Master, the flames condensed in mid-air into more than a dozen identical dragon shadows, making it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, beams of dark green anti-magic rays were released from the claws of the Red Dragon, easily piercing through the Prismatic Wall.

Bara Eichel's eyes flashed, and he instantly saw Keosius's true form. As the Lord of Paradise, He was born with Spell-like Abilities True Sight.

He gripped the sword with both hands and swung it fiercely, slashing at the true form of the Red Dragon. Stars flew out from the sword, shattering the Incarnation of Flame.

"Aww—"

With a soft whistle, Keosius flapped his wings and turned sideways with an extremely difficult maneuver, almost slicing through the air with his chest touching the blade.

Walter looked horrified and muttered to himself, "How can he be so agile!"

He had also fought against those powerful dragons, the Ancient Gold Dragon and the Great Wyrm Red Dragon. The larger the dragon, the clumsier it was. This was an almost unchanging rule.

But the Red Dragon in front of him completely refreshed his understanding. This Embers of the Burned Emperor not only had a size that far exceeded that of the Primordial Ancient Gold Dragon, but also had more agile and nimble movements than those slender Dragonkin!

"I will show you what the embodiment of power truly is!"

Keosius roared as he lunged at the enemy below, his sharp claws tearing through the air with a piercing crack.

During this process, Keosius also cast spells on himself such as Dragon Strength Spell, Steel Bones, and Bear's Strength. Although these spells had little effect on his current enormous size, they still provided some improvement.

A terrifying dragon's might, mixed with the smell of sulfur, swept over him. Facing the menacing Red Dragon, Walter was on high alert and quickly raised his longsword and shield to prepare for battle.

Titus also let out a long roar, raising the scepter in its claws and displaying the Ancient Gold Dragon dragon's innate spellcasting ability.

Dazzling sword lights and magical shields shimmering with various colors blocked the Red Dragon's path, but they were mercilessly torn apart by its giant claws, even bitten through, failing to delay it in the slightest.

Each of Keosius's claws gleamed with a cold light, possessing the effects of Decapitation Sword and Spellbreaker Blade, enough to destroy any magical effects in front of him.

"Evil dragon!"

With a shout, a halo of light suddenly unfolded behind him, releasing a dazzling light. Hundred-meter-long radiant wings spread out behind him, enveloping everyone.

"You think this will stop me?!"

Keosius's claws lashed out without hesitation, countless feathers bursting open and fluttering down from the sky, while a large chunk of the wings composed of heavenly radiance was torn off.

"Whoosh—"

However, the next moment, the huge wings, hundreds of meters long, suddenly unfolded, stirring up a gale with the power of order, which actually blew Keosius away. Dozens of golden feathers pierced his front, and hot dragon blood flowed out.

These feathers, imbued with the power of heaven, pierced through the protective magic on the Red Dragon's body like sharp awls, even penetrating its scales.

Keosius wiped the blood from his chest, a hint of surprise appearing in his pale gold eyes.

He was actually injured? Bala Eichel raised his silver longsword, and several light wheels behind him spun rapidly, releasing dazzling starlight and radiating a righteous aura that covered the entire battlefield.

An angry shout echoed through the sky, "Who gave you the courage to defy Heaven! To defy justice and order! And..."

The light gradually coalesced in mid-air, eventually forming a winged giant hundreds of meters tall.

The giant wore Crown of Glory, held a star-shaped sword spanning a thousand meters, and had layers of light halos floating behind him. His imposing aura was overwhelming, like the incarnation of True God.

At this moment, Barachiel has mobilized the maximum amount of Heavenly power that can be used in the Material Plane; He is now the embodiment of the Silver Heaven!

Barachiel's true form was located on the chest of the Radiant Giant, his gaze indifferent as he looked at the Red Dragon, and said, word by word, "Be my enemy!"

"On Amanata."

"O gods!"

The people on the ground looked at the giant in the sky, knelt down again, and kept praying.

In their eyes, Barachiel at this moment was no different from a true god; this overwhelming momentum was simply the descent of True God.

Moreover, the Crown of Glory on its head has a special function, radiating brilliant light, and anyone with a weak mind will submit to Barachiel from the bottom of their heart.

Keosius gazed at Barachiel's divine form, then looked down at the blood in his claws, and smiled with a hint of excitement, "Gigantic form? You think you're a giant of light? Ha, as if anyone can't."

But only in this way can this battle become a little more interesting!

The Red Dragon roared and flapped its wings again, unleashing a torrent of dragon flames that enveloped its body before swooping down. The wound on its chest had already healed completely without its notice.

Barachiel raised the Star Sword high and swung it down again, followed by several more holy Beams of light descending from the sky and hurtling towards the Red Dragon.

Holy Light Strike

Keosius flew nimbly through the air, dodging and weaving, before seizing an opportunity to bite the giant's arm.

"Sizzle—"

The flesh and blood composed of the power of Heaven were torn apart by the Red Dragon. Its huge mouth, filled with sharp teeth, was like a black hole, greedily swallowing the power of order into its belly, while huge mutilated wounds appeared on the giant's arm.

"Damn dragon, how dare you blaspheme the Lord of Paradise!"

Feeling the loss of his primal power, Barachiel roared in anger and attacked even more frantically. Huge light blades, dazzling meteors, dense stars, and terrifying lightning filled the sky, and various lights intertwined, almost blinding the soldiers.

His built-in Mass Heal was also healing his injuries at a visible speed.

However, thanks to his incredible speed and the ability to traverse space through the Flame Dimensional Door, Keosius constantly dodged and weaved, searching for an opportunity to attack.

Like a calm hunter, the Red Dragon will launch a swift dive once it finds an opening in its opponent, either to bite or strike, and then quickly retreat after the attack, never greedily taking a hit.

Walter and Titus also tried to launch a siege against the Red Dragon, but each time the dragon seemed to have a premonition, not only avoiding the trap but also leaving them battered and bruised.

Unable to bear it any longer, Barachiel unleashed heavy magical chains, sealing off the surrounding space.

Dimensional Anchor! "Lord Barachiel, watch out!" Walter cried out in alarm, but it was too late.

Taking advantage of the moment when the opponent was casting a spell, Keosius had already arrived behind Barachiel. He pierced through the huge golden wings with a claw, the tip of his claw carrying the chaotic flames that could annihilate everything, and actually tore it apart! A terrible wound appeared on the hundreds of meters long wings, and dark red flames were still burning at the edges of the wound, making it look particularly terrifying.

"Unforgivable crime—"

Barachiel roared to the sky, filled with shock and rage. Although its wings were rapidly regenerating at a visible speed, if it continued to fight like this, its power in the Material Plane would only weaken! The Red Dragon's arrogant voice still echoed in the sky, "Accept reality, Holy Fadlan is dead, and the Embers of the Burned Empire will become the founder of the new order!"

Walter gazed at the giant dragon rapidly circling high in the sky, his heart filled with anxiety, anger, fear, and even despair.

He knew that if Barachiel lost, he and the Ancient Gold Dragon would surely die, and North Aisel would be occupied by the Embers of the Burned Empire, and even the legacy of Holy Fadlan would be greedily devoured by them.

However, in the clash between the two beings who stood at the pinnacle of the Material Plane, he and the Ancient Gold Dragon were unable to intervene. They could only perform some simple magical assistance and even needed Bala Eichel to spare some attention for protection.

This made Walter feel extremely disappointed and frustrated.

As the former "Wings of Fadlan," who prided himself on being the guardian of the empire, he could only watch helplessly as the fate of the Fadlan Empire was in the hands of others, allowing the invaders to act with impunity, while he himself was powerless to do anything about it.

Gazing at the roaring dragon in the sky, Walter hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Perhaps I can change the outcome of this war, but at an unbearable price—my life."

As the lucky ones who have received the blessings of Amanata, each of the divine descendants contains a source of the sun's divine power within them, which is the spark that sustains their lives and the source of their immortality.

However, the descendants of the gods can also choose to unleash that divine power to its fullest extent, releasing Spell-like Abilities that surpasses even the ninth ring—[The Doomsday].

However, each divine descendant is extremely precious and a valuable asset to the emperor. Therefore, in the hundred-year history of Holy Fadlan, only a handful of divine descendants have ever used this ability.

Walter closed his eyes, and he recalled the grand ceremony from decades ago that he would never forget. On that day, the old emperor personally placed the sword on his shoulder, bestowing upon him the status of a divine noble, and Amanata also unleashed His great power.

Walter knelt on the ground, his face flushed with excitement, bathed in sunlight. Flags fluttered in the sky, and the cheers of the people of Fadlan filled his ears. With this thought in mind, Walter opened his eyes, no longer hesitating, his eyes flashing with resolute determination. "The Fadlan Empire is everything to me, and it is time to give my life for the Empire."

"Roar--"

The Earth-Shattering roar of the dragon interrupted Walter's thoughts.

Golden Dragon Titus raised his scepter again, casting a spell at the Red Dragon high in the sky, before turning back. "Duke Walter, this is a battlefield! What are you doing!"

"If it weren't for Lord Barachiel's selfless protection despite the loss of his strength, you would be dead!" Titus roared angrily, his face contorted in a grimace.

Barachiel used up an entire Heavenly Light Wheel to create a spherical shield around them, giving them a brief respite and making them temporarily invincible.

Walter said, "I apologize, Titus, Lord Barachiel, I was just lost in thought."

Let's proceed according to our final plan: raise the battlefield to an altitude of ten thousand meters, briefly immobilize the enemy, and perhaps I can kill that Red Dragon in one strike.

In an instant, Titus and Barachiel both turned around in surprise and looked at Walter —because the price of this final plan was his life.

Walter gripped the longsword engraved with the Sun God's Emblem, his voice strong and resolute, his eyes gleaming with an unusual light.

"Don't worry, the people of Fadlan will remember me."

For a moment, Titus and Barachiel remained silent, offering no words of dissuasion, for they both understood Walter's determination.

—This noble descendant of the gods has made a decision to sacrifice his own life to kill that terrible Red Dragon and achieve final victory.

This was his final gift to the Holy Fadlan Empire.

Of course, Duke Walter was unaware that his plan, which cost him his life, had already fallen into the enemy's ears and was known to them in detail.

Beside him, the Ancient Gold Dragon Titus revealed a barely perceptible smile.