Surrender and Aftermath

"Boom!"

Keosius flapped his broad Dragon Wing, and his massive, mountain-like body crashed down on the top of Collins City, crushing the city walls and causing the ground to tremble.

As a former Fadlan Army, Collins' walls are exceptionally magnificent and sturdy, constructed of both rock and obsidian, reaching heights of tens of meters, easily repelling invasions by Hill Giant and orcs.

But in front of this Red Dragon, which was over fifty meters long, Collins's city walls looked exceptionally low, like fragile toys.

"God."

"On Amanata."

A rustling sound arose, and countless gazes from below and above the Collins City were cast toward the magnificent Red Dragon.

"Mom, that's..."

"Shh, don't make a sound, and don't look over there."

The adults blindfolded the curious boy and covered the mouth of the soon-to-cry baby girl, daring not to make the slightest sound, for fear of accidentally provoking the dragon's wrath.

People's faces were filled with tension and fear; they were like criminals about to face trial, quietly awaiting their fate.

For a century, the Fadlanites have never felt this way.

They have always been victors in foreign conquests and defenders of justice. They never imagined that one day they would become victims of war, hiding in their houses, trembling with fear, afraid to utter a sound.

"Boom!"

Keosius strolled across the city walls, his massive body moving with surprising ease. With each step, loose stones tumbled down, causing the walls to groan under the weight of the weight.

The sound was like the thumping of people's hearts, making people inside and outside the city even more nervous. They held their breath and were covered in sweat.

Finally, the Red Dragon leaped to the very top of the city wall and trampled the Sun God Spire, a symbol of the Fadlan imperial power, under its feet.

Keosius lowered his head, surveying his surroundings like a lion surveying its territory, before slowly speaking, "In the name of the Embers of the Burned Emperor, I hereby declare—from this day forward, North Aisel belongs to the Embers of the Burned Empire!"

And you, all who submit to the Empire's rule and accept the new order, will become citizens of the Empire, protected by the laws and armed forces of the Embers of the Burned Empire!

Keosius's voice was powerful and resounding, echoing throughout the ravaged Collins City and across the flat, open land.

The voice seemed to possess some kind of mysterious magic, inspiring genuine conviction in people, as if it were the truth of the world—even if it came from a terrifying Red Dragon.

The Red Dragon coiled atop the city wall, slowly unfurling its Dragon Wing that Sky-Shading, casting a vast shadow that enveloped many of Collins City's garrison and inhabitants.

For some reason, while people felt extremely fearful and trembled and swallowed hard when enveloped under the Dragon Wing, they also felt a strange sense of security.

Some of the older people even recalled scenes from decades ago when the Fadlan Empire so forcefully occupied North Aisel, bringing them prosperity and a life of abundance.

Now that Holy Fadlan is dead, why can't the Embers of the Burned Empire become the master of this land? But at this moment, the air inside and outside Collins City was stagnant, and no one dared to risk becoming a traitor to humanity by speaking first.

Inside the houses in Collins City, people began to whisper and discuss their future with trepidation.

"It is said that the dragon's retinue will slaughter cities and devour women and children."

"Lord Walter said that the Red Dragon is a notorious lecher who likes to transform into human form and commit inhuman acts."

"If we surrender, can they really guarantee our safety?"

Keosius lowered his head, looking down at the crowd on the ground. In the sunlight, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his majestic Dragon Face: "Humans, won't you surrender? Or are you determined to be enemies of the Empire? There will only be one outcome for those who are enemies of the Embers of the Burned Empire —you will end up like your poor duke, losing your life and not even leaving behind a complete corpse, turning into ashes."

Although the Red Dragon's tone was exceptionally gentle, its content was shocking, revealing an undisguised threat and a terrifying dragon's might that exerted immense psychological pressure on the listener.

"Clang!"

The longsword fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

The captain of the city guard of Collins City fell to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face, his throat trembling and convulsing. "I... I surrender!"

He buried his head deep in the ground, as if afraid the other person hadn't heard him, and repeated in a choked voice, "Your Majesty Keosius, I surrender!" This time it was much smoother.

At this moment, the people were like a scattered flock of sheep. Once there was a first "leader," there would naturally be a second, a third, and so on, until all the lambs followed. Suddenly, the crowd became restless.

The captain of the guard's actions were like opening a floodgate, and people's emotions poured out like a torrent, completely crushing the last straw in their hearts.

"I surrender too!"

"I'm willing to do anything as long as you spare my family!"

"I am willing to follow His Your Majesty Keosius and become a member of the Embers of the Burned Empire!"

"I am willing too. Fadlan has perished, and only the Embers of the Burned Empire has the strength to protect North Aisel."

Suddenly, the previously silent crowd erupted into Earth-Shattering cries and pleas. Large numbers of soldiers dropped their weapons, collapsed to the ground trembling, and some knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly toward the Red Dragon.

Meanwhile, on the battlefields of the Embers of the Burned Empire, soldiers also cheered. For a time, shouts of "Long live His Your Majesty Keosius!" and "Long Live the Empire!" echoed endlessly over the North Aisel Plains.

Keosius surveyed the surroundings with satisfaction, stretched his neck toward the sky, raised his head high, and let out a loud roar.

Instantly, the White Dragon, Wyvern, and Flame Wyvern in the sky, Terrain Dragon Beast, hill Dragonkin, and Multi-Headed Flame Salamander on the ground all raised their heads and let out a unified dragon roar, the sound of which drowned out all the surrounding noise.

In an instant, it seemed as if the whole world was shaken by the roar of the dragon, and all things submitted to the Red Dragon that was coiled on the top of the city wall.

Everyone knew that the war was over, and the Red Dragon Emperor from the north had achieved an exceptionally glorious victory, completely conquering North Aisel —as for the subsequent assimilation and management of the territory, it was simply a matter of time.

In the distance, Archmage Zalan stared in despair at the Red Dragon atop the city wall, his hand holding the staff falling limply to his sides. At that moment, his spirits had sunk to rock bottom.

"It's over, it's all over, everything is finished. The power of that Embers of the Burned Emperor far exceeded the imagination of the City of Myriad Laws." Zalan's eyes were lowered, his tone bitter.

Just then, a loud shout suddenly came from the Allied forces' position, interrupting Zalan's thoughts.

"Evil dragon, I will never submit to you!"

Kallen flapped her wings, emerging from the crowd clad in gleaming golden armor. Pointing her standard Sun God's Longsword at the Red Dragon, she roared angrily, "I will take up Lord Walter's mantle and lead the people of North Aisel to fight you to the death!"

"It's Kallen Karen."

"As expected of a Marquis of Fadlan, a descendant of gods, his courage is truly commendable."

"Kallen Karen, I am willing to fight alongside you!"

The soldiers of the allied forces looked up at Kallen's glorious figure and were immediately moved. A sense of admiration arose in their hearts, and some even mustered their courage to draw their swords.

"Kallen."

Zalan hesitated, reaching out as if to stop the other's reckless behavior, but fearing being targeted by the Red Dragon.

At this moment, Kallen was blinded by rage. The sorrow and regret for the deaths of his comrades, the indignation and dissatisfaction with the shameless surrender of his compatriots, and the hatred for the invaders were all intertwined in his heart, causing him to completely lose his mind.

"Fadlan peace will never perish!"

With a loud shout, the Marquis of the Divine Descendants, sword in hand, streaking with golden light, swooped down toward the Red Dragon in the distance.

"Idiot."

Keosius sneered, gazing indifferently at the golden figure of the Angel Divine Descendant: "Since that's the case, I'll grant your wish and send you to reunite with Duke Walter!"

The Red Dragon slowly raised its claws, and the huge claws, several meters long, swung down from above, tearing through the air in an instant, and slammed heavily onto the Angel Divine Descendant.

"Boom!"

Kallen was struck by the Red Dragon's giant claw and slammed into the city wall, sinking deep into it. This caused the bricks and stones of Collins City to collapse, dust to fly up, and a dull rumble to the wind.

He spat out blood, his body was ravaged beyond recognition, his flesh was a bloody mess, his bones were shattered, and even the wings on his back were twisted, making him look utterly wretched.

Under the might of the Red Dragon, even the legendary Angel Divine Descendant, the once-conquering warriors of Fadlan, appeared utterly vulnerable, like mere playthings.

Keosius was not in a hurry. He simply looked down at the progenitor with disdain and said calmly, "You overconfident fool. The Fadlan Empire has long been destroyed. Even Duke Walter, whom you followed, is dead. What reason do you have to persist?"

Even so, Kallen did not yield, and refused to lower his proud head.

Kallen raised his blood-soaked head, a cruel smile twisting his face, and with his last breath said, "Keosius, I curse you! One day, the empire you have built will crumble!"

Now, let you invaders and rebels feel the wrath of the sun!

The Angel Divine Descendant cried and laughed, almost to the point of madness, and a dazzling light surged from his chest, clearly intending to emulate Duke Walter and create a grand finale for himself.

"Ridiculous!" Keosius, already impatient, suddenly stretched out his giant claws and pierced Kallen's chest with the sharp claw tips.

"Sizzle—"

Then, the Red Dragon skillfully extracted the source of the other party's divine power and swallowed it under the watchful eyes of countless people. Then, it smiled and raised its head.

"Have you seen it? This is what happens to those who overestimate themselves." Keosius's voice was rather cheerful, perhaps because he had just received an extra treat.

Everyone involuntarily looked down at his feet.

—Kallen's corpse was deeply embedded in the city wall, his chest brutally ripped open, revealing large patches of flesh and internal organs, with golden-red blood flowing freely.

Everyone gasped in shock, and some even shed tears, their faces filled with fear.

The once glorious, powerful, and majestic descendants of the gods are now displayed like prey, naked and exposed before everyone, utterly devoid of dignity and status.

"Hurry, hurry up!"

"It's far too dangerous here; we must return to the City of Myriad Laws."

In a corner of the allied forces' position, the Archmage Zalan gripped his staff tightly with sweaty hands and chanted incantations with trepidation.

Around him, space gradually distorted and shimmered with fragmented magical light, and the model of a teleportation spell was being gradually constructed.

On the tower in Collins, Keosius heard Lang Pu's voice coming from thousands of meters away.

"Master, those mages from the City of Myriad Laws and the Arcane Hermit Order are casting Teleport. There are more than a hundred of them, all trying to escape from here."

Our large Dimensional Anchor are ready; should we leave them all here?

Keosius caught the excitement in Lang Pu's tone and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

For the former Ogre Archmage, every spellcaster was a precious treasure, not only from whom he could obtain valuable magical knowledge, but also from whose heads he could use to adorn his necklace.

However, no new heads have appeared on Lang Pu's necklace for a long time now. He seems to have changed this "barbaric" habit, but he is still obsessed with capturing mages.

Thinking of this, Keosius shook his head and chuckled softly, "Let's stick to the old method: leave half of the mages here and let the other half go, so they can spread the name of the Embers of the Burned Empire."

"Yes, Master."

On the allied positions, many mages, including Zalan, successfully escaped from Aisel, but some were locked in place, letting out frustrated cries.

The army of the Embers of the Burned Empire was advancing steadily, Steam Tank slowly rolling across the land, leaving deep ruts in their wake. They quickly took over the coalition soldiers, whose morale had collapsed and who were now dejected.

With Kallen's death, the last little episode also quietly came to an end, without even making a ripple. Everything was settled and the matter was settled.

Keosius flapped his Dragon Wing again, stirring up a scorching gale, lifting his massive body into the air and soaring to a height of ten thousand meters.

He looked down at the ravaged land, at the army that looked like ants, and frequently glanced at the east and west sides of Aisel.

As the blessed land of the Thrace Kingdom, North Aisel is bordered by the Black Rock Mountains and Ugo Prairie to the east, Silver Moon Bay to the west, and the Central Plains to the south, making it a truly strategic location.

After the war, the Embers of the Burned Empire had firmly established itself on the Feanso Continent, and the empire was able to use North Aisel as its base to expand freely into the surrounding areas.

Thinking of this, endless greed and ambition resurfaced in Keosius's pale golden eyes.