Thrace's Defenses

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, we have strengthened our defenses in the northern border cities such as Leon City, Karel City, and Weilinster City, and we will absolutely not allow those Imperial People to take advantage of the situation," the mage in the long robe said, kneeling on one knee with some trepidation.

"Waste!"

A roar shook the entire hall.

On the golden throne, Wilhelm's handsome face was contorted with rage, his wings flapped behind him, and his holy golden eyes blazed with uncontrollable fury.

"That wicked dragon dared to project its blasphemous magical phantom into my airspace! Now panic is spreading like a plague, and the ignorant masses are rushing to the southern provinces like frightened deer. Even the great bell of the royal city cannot stop the fleeing footsteps!"

The golden scepter slammed heavily onto the ground, Mars flying and reflecting in the king's furious eyes. "And you slackers draped in the robes of the sun, have even your spells to dispel illusions been burned away by dragonfire? Tell me, what is the point of the kingdom funding your Arcane Legion with hundreds of thousands of Gold Coin every year?!"

"Bang!"

He stretched out one hand, and a blinding golden light swept across the hall, causing the sorcerer to fly backward and crash heavily into the exquisitely carved Zhu Zi behind him, spitting out a mouthful of blood mist.

If it weren't for the sturdy Otiluke's Sphere protecting him, that mage would probably have died on the spot in the hall, or at least suffered the fate of having all his Bone Powder.

The mage barely opened his eyes, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said in a soft, panting voice, "Your Majesty, that evil dragon is not just projecting Magic Image, but a creation containing the terrifying essence of Fire Elemental."

Our illusionist mages approached rashly, only to be instantly killed by an explosion. It took the combined efforts of twelve Archmage of energy manipulation to barely eliminate it.

Several mages behind him stepped forward tremblingly and explained in a low voice, "Your Majesty, we have truly given it our all."

They knew that although His Majesty Wilhelm appeared glamorous and seemed to have regained his power as the "son of a demigod," his nature had become even more cruel and violent.

It was commonplace for ministers to die in the palace, and the maids were even used to cleaning up the blood and brains splattered on the walls.

Therefore, the mages who come to pay homage will prepare Trigger Spell and protective spells in advance to prevent themselves from dying under the king's wrath—after all, there have been too many precedents for this.

Wilhelm glanced at them indifferently, said nothing more, and turned his gaze to the generals in armor.

General Dares, who was standing at the forefront, immediately stepped forward, knelt carefully before the throne, and reported in a low voice, "Your Majesty, your Holy Crusaders has displayed great Divine Might on the southern front, causing Kassand's troops to suffer repeated defeats and retreat to the south of the Kassen Mountains."

"It is only a matter of time before our Thrace Kingdom reclaims the Holy City and the supreme crown of Holy Fadlan."

Wilhelm nodded slightly, the anger in his golden eyes subsided somewhat, and a smile returned to his flawless face, "That makes more sense."

Remember, our Thrace Kingdom is the only successor to Holy Fadlan, and I am the rightful and only Holy Fadlan Emperor.

As for my brother,"Wilhelm's golden eyes revealed fine beads of blood, emanating a strange, cold light: "He is nothing but a blasphemer blinded by power. One day, I will personally cut off his head and use the blasphemer's blood to offer sacrifice to Father."

"Do you all understand?" That cold gaze swept over everyone in the hall, sending chills down their spines and making them tremble as if they were being brushed by invisible claws.

"Of course, you are the only Emperor of Fadlan!" The general kneeling at the front said, his head bowed and his voice trembling.

As the king's confidant, he knew perfectly well that beneath the king's glamorous, demigod-like exterior lay a soul corrupted by Hell, utterly filthy and twisted.

This general had seen the king's hideous face when he inadvertently revealed it. If the clever illusion were removed, the king's true face would probably be even more shocking than he imagined.

The courtiers behind him all echoed in unison, "You are the true Emperor of Fadlan!"

"The Thrace Kingdom is the true successor to the Kingdom of Fadlan!"

"The blasphemers of Kassand and Seleucia will be destroyed! And His Majesty Wilhelm will ascend the throne!" The ministers in the hall rushed to express their loyalty, afraid of being too late.

After all, His Majesty the King may not notice who has expressed loyalty, but he can certainly notice who has not. The former Chancellor of the Exchequer was put to death by the King because he was often taciturn.

Wilhelm's lips curled into an exaggerated arc, revealing an unusually eerie smile on his face, as if carved from a wooden mask, appearing somewhat stiff.

He bent down, patted the shoulder of the general who was too frightened to move, and ordered, "Karel, you did a good job in the south. Now I order you to take full charge of the northern border defense. Don't let those Imperial People appear on my land. Can you do it?"

"Of course, Your Majesty! With your renowned Holy Crusaders, those Imperial People are nothing to worry about!" Karel quickly replied.

Wilhelm laughed loudly, "Hahaha, of course! Only I, as the rightful heir, can train an army comparable to my father's Divine Descendant Legion!"

"Of course, Your Majesty, we are all waiting for the moment when you ascend the throne and restore the glory of Fadlan."

Although his words were full of praise, Karel knew all too well what the true nature of those "Holy Crusaders" was. These guys looked like angels with wings on their backs, holy and majestic, but in reality they were fallen half-demons who had made a pact with Hell.

But now that he was trapped inside, Karel couldn't escape either. To show his loyalty to the king, as Paladin who believed in Amanata, he even made a pact with a notorious devil. "Holy Sun God, I hope you can forgive my sins," Karel thought silently in his heart, his head bowed.

The gilded dome still reflected a dazzling light, and the crystal chandelier made the ministers' embroidered sashes and the generals' silver armor shine.

On the throne, the king, wearing the Holy Thorn Crown, held a golden scepter, his wings behind him spotless, as if bathed in eternal holy light.

But under the True Sight Eye, this place was already a terrifying scene of purgatory, with twisted symbols smeared with blood everywhere.

"When--"

Suddenly, the bells rang out, and hundreds of white figures burst through the painted dome. Their outstretched wings covered half the sky, and hymns and sword cries intertwined to create a chilling symphony.

But for some unknown reason, with the flapping of its wings, blood-stained feathers fell from the sky, emitting a pungent, fishy smell, and quickly burst into flames upon contact with the ground.

"That's the Holy Crusaders?" The tavern owner's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, his cloudy pupils reflecting the blood-stained feathers.

The blacksmith drew a circle in front of his chest with his bandaged hand. "May the sun's glory protect Thrace."

Outside the main hall, hundreds of "angels" took to the air at the king's command and flew in groups toward the north.

People in the city looked up, their eyes filled with reverence and admiration, but deep within those pupils also gleamed a nameless fear.

But were those really angels?

Many speculations arose in people's minds, but no one dared to speak out, since the king's personal guards could appear at any time to imprison those "slanders" in dark and sunless dungeons.

In the past year, too many strange things have happened in the August City. Twisted and eerie symbols can be seen everywhere on the walls, hundreds of people have disappeared one after another, and painful screams can often be heard at night.

The missing woman was found in the sewers, skinned and hanging in mid-air; the bloody sight was horrifying to everyone.

However, the kingdom's guards turned a deaf ear to this. Instead of investigating the situation, they strictly forbade all residents from discussing these strange events and even imprisoned those who spread the news in the dungeon.

Almost all the residents were in a state of unspeakable fear and panic, but they seemed to have a collective aphasia, and could only think wildly in their minds. A number of them committed suicide because they could not bear the pressure.

The once "City of Sunrise," Auguste, now seems to have become a huge, gloomy prison.

The Embers of the Burned Empire, the Anzeta Great Wasteland, the Dragon Blood Mountain.

Sulfur mist slowly rose from the mountain, and the enormous figure undulated in the mist, Mars flying from its body, like an active volcano.

—That was the emperor of the Embers of the Burned Empire, the overlord of the Anzeta Great Wasteland, the Ugo Great Prairie, and the North Aisel Plains, Keosius, who was regarded as a nightmare by all the major powers.

In Keosius's claws was a constantly trembling ball of crimson light—the divine power plundered from Gruumsh.

In front of the Red Dragon were more than a dozen humanoid corpses, all with ferocious faces and their bodies charred black.

"Give it to me! Please!"

"I beg you, Your Majesty Keosius, grant it to me! If you give me even one percent of it, I will become your most loyal servant!"

A heart-wrenching howl echoed from Dragon Blood Mountain, like the desperate pleas of a drug addict driven mad—it was the cry of the Chaos Evil Eye, and just hearing that sound was enough to drive any mortal into utter madness.

"Heh, bestowing the divine power of orcs upon a malevolent being born from the body of Gruumsh. Do you think I'm a fool?"

Keosius clenched his right claw, and the chains underground tightened abruptly, rattling loudly. Rolling dragon flames surged from all directions, wantonly burning the body of the Chaos Evil Eye.

A pitiful wail came from underground, but Keosius's tone remained indifferent. "Ivenis, stop pretending to be crazy and testing my limits. It's not fun, it only makes me more impatient."

Have you ever heard the proverb: Never provoke an angry Red Dragon? If you really anger me, even I don't know what I might do.

"Boom!"

The dragon flames underground intensified, with tongues of fire raging and spewing from the cracks in the rocks, as if to burn everything to ashes.

The crackling sound of burning objects rang out, followed by Chaos weakly pleading, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty Keosius, I will never dare to do it again. The fact that you were able to obtain divine power from my true form already proves your strength."

Keosius glanced at it coldly, then snapped his fingers with his dragon claw, weakening the flames that were scorching the Evil Eye underground, keeping it in a half-dead state so that its will wouldn't be extinguished.

Under the intensely eager and covetous gaze of Chaos, he grabbed the crimson orb of light. "Tell me, Ivenis, how do I create a subspecies of orc that is true to myself?"

Keosius was quite envious of the Green-skinned Orcs, whose reproductive capacity was terrifying and whose growth rate was astonishing, and he longed to build his own orc army.

To this end, Keosius combined dragon blood and the blood of Terrestrial Dragon Beast to create a body, and imbued it with the divine power of the "orcs" realm, experimenting with this method several times.

But each orc created would regard Keosius as an enemy, rushing at him madly, only to be burned to a crisp by the flames shooting from the surface of his scales.

Chaos Evil Eye cautiously said, "Your Majesty Keosius, my true form possesses the racial Divine Authority of the Orcs and controls the laws of the bloodline's origin. All Orcs born in the multiverse have their souls imprinted by him from birth."

Now, you have become His enemy. No matter what method you use, as long as what you create is still an orc, it will harbor an innate hatred for you. This cannot be changed unless my true self personally removes it."

"Damn old greenskin, how can he be so domineering?" Keosius cursed inwardly, but he was also somewhat envious of the other's power as the race's chief god.

Within the multiverse, any orc born will be branded with the mark of the other, unalterable and inviolable—what kind of immense power is that! The avatar of Gruumsh who fought against Keosius earlier probably didn't even have one percent of the power of the original, yet it was able to easily severely injure the Red Dragon and even threaten his life several times.

This is the difference between gods and mortals, an insurmountable chasm.

As the Third Era gradually comes to an end, the barrier Prime Material Plane will be shattered in the course of cataclysms. At that time, the gods will walk on the earth in their true forms, just as they did in ancient times! The sense of urgency in Keosius's heart is growing stronger. He must obtain Power of a God as soon as possible, or his fate will be absolutely miserable!

Seeing the Red Dragon deep in thought, the Chaos Evil Eye seized the opportunity to flatter him, saying, "Since this divine power isn't of much use to you, why don't you bestow it upon me? As a former part of Gruumsh's, I can harness its power."

"Boom!"

The cracked rocks closed again, and the flames underground grew even stronger. The Ancient Evil screamed in agony amidst the raging flames, its pupils radiating black mist formed from hatred, which was quickly burned away.

More crimson chains wrapped around it, binding Chaos's slanted eye layer upon layer, almost completely enveloping it.

"Well, just to be on the safe side, we need to reinforce the seal every time we come back, so we can't give this guy any chance."

Gazing at the completely closed Dragon Blood Mountain, Keosius strained to mobilize the power of the [Empire Domain] within his body, thinking to himself.

"Furthermore, it's time to confront those Three Great Kingdoms head-on." The Red Dragon stood atop Dragon Blood Mountain, spreading its broad wings and gazing southward, its pale golden pupils shimmering with light.