Victory Within Reach

"How can I ever repay this kindness?"

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

Accompanied by rousing music, the air in Hetoke City became scorching hot; the city, forged from steel, now resembled a giant furnace.

People all looked up at the sky and saw flames sweeping across it before gradually coalescing and solidifying.

First came its majestic head, then its torso covered in hard scales, its incomparably strong Limbs, its wings that Sky-Shading the sky, and finally its massive tail that snaked like a mountain range. In this way, a crimson Red Dragon hundreds of meters long appeared in the sky above the city. It slowly flapped its wings, almost casting the entire square in its shadow, giving people an extremely strong sense of oppression.

The dragon's might, penetrating to the very soul, weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone present, making them feel an irresistible urge to worship, as if the phantom of the giant dragon were some kind of sacred being.

"It's His Your Majesty Keosius!"

"By Keosius, His Majesty has truly appeared!"

"Praise be to the Great Red Dragon! Loyal! Sincere!"

They either clasped their hands together in devout prayer, placed their fists in front of their chests in Loyalty Salute, or knelt on the ground in worship. Whether human, Ogre, Hobgoblin, or Tiefling, as long as they were Imperial Citizen, without exception, their faces showed piety and fanaticism, and the roar of their voices grew ever stronger.

"That is His Majesty!"

"Long live the Great Red Dragon!"

"Mom, is that... is that the Embers of the Burned Emperor that the teacher mentioned— His Your Majesty Keosius?" Little Daniel timidly tugged at Ailin's skirt, his face a mixture of fear, curiosity, and reverence.

As a native of the Imperial People, Little Daniel had learned about the Embers of the Burned Emperor countless times from radio, newspapers, and his teachers' praises, but this was the first time he had witnessed the emperor's majestic figure in person.

At this moment, the image in his memory gradually overlapped with the huge and majestic figure in the sky, leaving a deep imprint on Little Daniel's heart.

Ailin gazed devoutly at the sky, silently praying, "Your Majesty Keosius protect us," while patiently saying to her son, "Yes, my child, that is our Majesty. You must respect and revere him as I do from now on."

For citizens like Ailin, who have long been integrated into the imperial order, the Embers of the Burned Emperor is no longer just a specific ruler, but a symbol of the empire, an embodiment of many abstract concepts such as victory, triumph, power, and wealth.

Even these Imperial People themselves did not realize that their faith in the Embers of the Burned Emperor had long been integrated into every aspect of Imperial People lives—far surpassing any deity in the past thousand years.

From a perspective unseen by people, countless points of faith rose into the air, gradually converging into the phantom of the Red Dragon, making it even more sacred, majestic, and even radiant.

On the towering walls of Hetoke City, atop each tower stands a Wyvern. Upon seeing the phantom of the Red Dragon, the Wyvern raise their heads and let out a unified, long roar.

"Roar--"

Amidst a chorus of praise, hymns, and prayers, and to the stirring melody of the "Keosius Anthem," the Red Dragon high in the sky finally spoke, uttering a thunderous and solemn sound.

"My people, my loyal Fighter! At this moment, I stand beside the glorious banner of the Empire, gazing at the rolling dark clouds on the southern horizon."

The Thrace shamelessly tore up the peace treaty; their cavalry trampled our wheat fields, their blades pierced the throats of border guards, and their king even arrogantly declared—"Our Embers of the Burned Empire will ultimately be destroyed by the wrath of the Sun God, and our people deserve only to be their slaves!"

The ability of the "Eloquent Speaker" was activated, stirring the emotions of everyone present in the hundreds of cities where the speech was being held.

The so-called Thrace ' "invasion of the empire's borders" was actually due to the empire's expansion being too rapid for even the Thrace border cavalry to keep up.

Wilhelm's "outrageous remarks" were not fabricated; they were indeed uttered in the palace in a fit of rage, and eventually reached the ears of the Empire's intelligence agents, becoming material for Keosius's Speeches.

After he finished speaking, the imperial people below the stage were immediately enraged. They waved their arms, fired shots into the air, and shouted angrily.

The square immediately descended into chaos, and the City Guard did their best to maintain order.

"Damn Southerners!"

"Shameless!"

"Those Thrace are treacherous; they should be punished!"

"That so-called king dared to insult His Majesty and humiliate the Empire! He will be hanged!"

The Red Dragon in the sky surveyed its surroundings with its pale golden vertical pupils, and asked in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, can we sit idly by and watch those Thrace ride on our necks?"

"No! No!"

People shouted excitedly, their furious cries echoing through the city like waves.

Amidst the increasingly chaotic situation, Ailin nervously hugged the young child to prevent him from being frightened. "Child, don't be afraid, they are expressing their resentment towards the enemy."

But to Ailin's surprise, Little Daniel shook his head firmly. "Mom, I know. Our teachers at school taught us that those Southerners are all shameless bastards."

His eyes gleamed. "I want to be like my father in the future, a great hero of the empire, and drive away all those bad guys! I also want to become a follower of His Your Majesty Keosius and a powerful Dragon Blood Noble!"

Then, Little Daniel waved his fist and said in his childish voice, "No!"

Seeing that clear face also display an angry expression, revealing resentment beyond her years, Ailin felt a mix of emotions, unsure whether to feel proud or disappointed.

Meanwhile, in the slums two kilometers away, children clung to the fence, their faces filled with righteous indignation, even throwing pebbles southward. "Let those Thrace taste our might!"

"Yes! Let's fight them!"

"Give them a lesson! Burn these shameless bastards to ashes!"

Through the dragon's eye, Keosius looked down at the enraged crowds in hundreds of cities and nodded with satisfaction. "My people, I can no longer tolerate those arrogant Thrace!"

They occupy vast and fertile lands, enjoy blessings that others can only dream of, and even rely on the protection of their gods to drive us to the corners of the world!

Keosius paused, then his voice became increasingly impassioned, making everyone present feel their blood boil and their bodies throb with excitement.

"But now, times have changed! Airship Fleet make the sky tremble, tank formations make the earth shake, and the cannons of the Embers of the Burned Empire will blast everything old and decaying into dust!"

"Look!"

"Keosius above"

As Keosius spoke, people gasped in surprise.

In the skies above many cities, swarms of airships appeared, casting huge shadows on the ground. Around them, Wyvern clad in "Skyfire" armor spread their steel wings, emitting piercing shrieks and leaving streaks of white in the sky.

In the distant wilderness, Steam Tank, like moving hills, rampage across the flat land.

In the pastures deep within the Storm Highlands, giant fences rose, and the Terrestrial Dragon Beast, catalyzed by gene-enhancing drugs, roared to the sky, emitting muffled thunderous howls.

"Roar--"

The original maximum length of the Terrestrial Dragon Beast was only twelve meters, but after rigorous selection and genetic modification by biologists, their average length has reached nearly twenty meters, and the maximum length of the individual is even close to twenty-seven meters.

Each dragon beast was covered in thick bio-armor, emitting thick steam, and was equipped with terrifying heavy cannons on its back, making them practically mobile fortresses.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of countless citizens, the iron gate of the Secret Armory slowly opened, and a giant mechanical golem created by the Church of the Machine God slowly emerged from it.

These robots, nearly twenty meters tall and painted with all sorts of colors, were awe-inspiring in every single one. Standing firmly on the ground, they took steady steps southward, each step causing the ground to tremble.

"Is that our army, Dad? Is he in there too?"

Looking at the overwhelming army in the image, Daniel was full of surprise, pointing to the sky with his little finger, his clear eyes filled with longing.

Ailin couldn't bear to reveal the cruel truth and shatter her son's illusion, so she continued to weave a beautiful lie, saying softly, "Yes, your father is a glorious Imperial soldier, and he's in there."

Little Daniel grew increasingly curious. "What does he do? Is he a knight who rides Wyvern? A tank commander? Or the one who drives those giant iron men?"

Ailin patted his head and said with a smile, "Your father hasn't been back for a long time, and Mom doesn't know what he's doing now."

Suddenly, Little Daniel slapped his forehead, his eyes lighting up. "I know! Those giant iron men are a secret project of the Empire. Dad must be working on that, that's why he doesn't come to see us!"

"I told you my dad is a great hero! Did you see those giant iron men? That's my dad!"

The children nearby all looked on with envy and admiration, which made Little Daniel stand with his hands on his hips, looking very proud.

Looking at her jubilant son, Ailin gave a somewhat forced smile. She didn't know how much longer she could keep the news of her husband's death a secret, but she still hoped that Little Daniel could grow up with anticipation.

"Holy crap, a Gundam?"

"How can there be so many?"

"Did I wander onto the wrong set? What happened to the sword and magic adventure story I was promised? What am I doing here?"

Not only the native inhabitants of the empire, but even the players were astonished by these magical and technologically advanced equipment.

For these weapons, the Empire's researchers have been conducting secret studies for several years. Most of the Gold Coin obtained from the Empire's arms sales around the world have flowed into those hundreds of military research institutes.

Most players are unaware of this core military intelligence, and only high-ranking imperial officials of the Earl or above can obtain the information in advance.

At this moment, in order to wage war against the Thrace Kingdom, the Embers of the Burned Empire finally stopped hiding its strength and released its most advanced military equipment without reservation.

In the sky, the enormous Red Dragon was still giving a speech, its intonation and rhythm exciting. It even clenched its giant claws into fists and waved them forward.

"My people, we possess extraordinary power. We will tear everything down and start anew, establishing a new order in this world! A new order where all Imperial People can live a good life! The tide of time is rolling forward, the era of the Empire is about to begin. What we want is not just land under the sun, but a new world!"

Finally, Keosius raised his head high, spread his wings that Sky-Shading the sky, and roared, "Here, in the name of the Embers of the Burned Emperor —I declare war on the Thrace Kingdom!"

"Start the war!"

Long Live the Empire!

The Red Dragon's voice transformed into a majestic roar, echoing across the empire's more than 15 million square kilometers of land, reverberating throughout the Feanso Continent, the Underdark, and the entire multiverse.

At this moment, bolstered by Keosius's extraordinary charisma and the Empire's terrifying military power, everyone—whether player or native inhabitant of the Empire, human or Tiefling, duke or commoner—

Regardless of race, status, or age, almost all the Imperial People erupted in a fervent cheer—for their common emperor and for the impending, readily attainable victory.

Even Little Daniel, who was holding his mother's hand, jumped up excitedly, waving his little fists and cheering continuously.

"Long live His Your Majesty Keosius!"

"Ke Emperor is awesome!"

"Long Live the Empire!"

Under the persistent ideological indoctrination of the Imperial Propaganda Department, in just ten years, certain things have already taken root in people's hearts and flowed in the blood of every Imperial People.

After Keosius's speech, those things buried in his blood and deep in his bones were completely awakened!

At this moment, the entire empire was in an uproar, like a giant dragon awakening!

Through hundreds of Golden Vertical Pupils, Keosius looked down at the jubilant imperial people and felt a continuous surge of power flowing into his body—it was spirit, and it was faith.

Now, he may only need one more opportunity to truly achieve godhood.

But Keosius knew that this was an opportunity that countless people had sought until their death over the centuries, and he had to be fully prepared in order to avoid ending up like the Emperor of Fadlan.

The Red Dragon lowered its head, extended its palm, and in its palm appeared the image of the Eternal Sun God Tower.

He muttered to himself, "The legacy of the Holy Fadlan. I'm going to have it."

Although he described the victory as "easy to win" in his speech, Keosius and the entire high command of the empire took the Thrace Kingdom as an enemy very seriously and conducted years of research on Three Great Kingdoms.

This is what is known as "strategically despising the enemy, but tactically taking the enemy seriously."

Although the power of the Sun God is gradually fading and the Thrace Kingdom is not as strong as before, it is still a formidable opponent.

Within the vast territory of the Thrace Kingdom, there are many powerful weapons left behind by the Fadlan Empire, dozens of legendary-level powerhouses, and even hidden demigod-level beings.

Behind His Majesty Wilhelm, there also lurks the shadow of Zariel. As the ruler of the Blood War of the past thousand years, the Lord of Avernus is by no means an easy opponent.

However, for Keosius, although victory was not easily obtained, it was certainly something he was determined to achieve.

"Boom--"

Steam Tank and airships roared, and portals opened one after another. As the Imperial army surged southward, Keosius hovered atop Dragon Blood Mountain, a ferocious smile on his face.