https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-455-The-Alliance-of-the-Fire-Dwarf/13676886/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-457-Dragon-s-Assault-on-the-City/13676888/
Chapter 456: Black Iron City – Akasia Eternal Highlands
The Akasia Eternal Highlands stretched endlessly beneath a sky seared by fire. Wild flames surged like grass across the land, fissures in the earth pulsed with molten magma, and towering clouds of superheated steam roiled above the scorched ground. A death trap for beings of the Material Realm, yet a paradise for the native Fire Elementals.
Yet in one corner of this endless wasteland stood a city of no small scale—Black Iron City.
Within its walls stood the Temple of the Scorching Atonement God, where the evil Flame Prince Imix was worshipped as a divine being, and the Temple of the Flame Lord Kasus, both testaments to the city’s true masters: the Fire Giants.
“Lord of Flame above…”
“Imix, what madness is this?”
“How could there be such a colossal Dragon? When did we provoke such monsters?”
On the city’s black iron walls, Fire Giant officers and soldiers stood frozen, their expressions grim, their eyes wide with dread.
On the distant horizon, a hazy silhouette flapped its wings through the shimmering heat haze, stirring up waves of ash.
“Soul-Eating Dragon.”
A deep, rumbling voice cut through the air, followed by steady, powerful footsteps.
The soldiers parted like the tide. From the crowd emerged a towering figure—Macheyi Garan, the Emir of Black Iron City.
Unlike the idle nobles like Hamid, whose lineage was noble but whose spirit was weak, Macheyi was no pampered prince. He was a warrior, freshly returned from the frontlines, hardened by battle. Once a legendary Capkuru, the Sultan’s elite guard, he bore the scars of war—and the weight of command.
His helm, forged of polished iron and gold, bore intricate engravings and a leather neck guard. At its front, a massive feather—the Feather of the Phoenix—stood upright like a banner of power. In his hand, he gripped a Sheshir Crescent Blade, its curved edge gleaming like a new moon, its blade pulsing with arcane light.
When Macheyi spoke, the walls trembled with fear.
“Is it… it?”
“That’s the Soul-Eating Dragon! It’s real!”
“They say it devoured thirteen Emirs and thousands of Fire Giants! It’s the Holy Flame Prince’s punishment upon us!”
“Silence!”
Macheyi’s voice cracked like thunder. He struck his blade against his copper shield—clang!—a sharp, commanding sound. Instantly, the chaos stilled.
“Lord of Flame! You fools—cowardly lambs! Are you truly terrified by a single dragon?”
“From what I know, it merely allied with Fire Dwarf scum, infiltrated our city through treachery, destroyed half of Iron City, and killed that worthless Hamid!”
“Soul-eating? A myth! A lie spread by panic! It is no invincible foe!”
He raised his blade high. The silver edge flared under the blazing firelight.
Swish—
The crescent blade slashed through the air, carving a brilliant arc of flame.
“We are noble Fire Giants! Masters of the Elemental Plane of Fire! We are the ones who raid, who destroy, who make others tremble with fear!”
“Never have others made us fear!”
His blade pointed toward the distant silhouette.
“Brothers! For the Great Sultan—hold Black Iron City! Kill the sky crawler!”
The Fire Giants were naturally fierce, reckless, and brimming with arrogance. Under Macheyi’s fiery words, their spirits ignited.
“For the Sultan!”
“Hold the city!”
“No being in the Elemental Plane of Fire can defeat us!”
On the walls, they strained the winches, loading thick black-metal bolts into the massive siege crossbows. Their eyes locked on the sky, ready. Below, the gates swung open, releasing monstrous beasts from their iron cages. They roared, breathing forth scalding steam, their bodies radiating heat.
Macheyi raised a hand.
From the sky, a monstrous Flame Wyvern, armored in bronze, descended with a thunderous roar.
“For the Great Sultan!”
The Fire Titan Noble leapt onto its back. Behind him, a hundred more Fire Titan cavalry surged forward—warriors clad in flame-woven wool or silk, wielding spears over ten meters long, their shields reinforced with iron rivets.
Yet even for the vast Fire Titan Realm, Iron City was but a frontier outpost. And Black Iron City, though modest in scale, was a crucial military fortress.
Far above, the Red Dragon flapped its wings again, stirring a storm of ash and ember sparks.
Kai Xiusu narrowed his eyes. His golden vertical pupils—faint, yet piercing—gleamed with interest.
“Hmm… interesting.”
“Magical crossbows, elemental beasts, Fire Titan cavalry… even the Empire’s elite would struggle against such forces.”
“And this isn’t even their full strength. Just a garrison. What terrifying power they wield.”
“Too bad they met me.”
With a powerful beat of his wings, the dragon’s massive body soared into the sky. He reared back, head high, and unleashed a thunderous roar.
“Roar—!”
Boom!
The sky split with thunder.
Steam clouds gathered above, thick and dark. Then—lightning, blinding and unnatural, tore through the clouds, utterly foreign to the elemental fire of this realm.
Driven by raw power, the storm surged forward, swallowing the city in its fury.
And within the storm, a colossal form moved—shifting, circling, unseen but felt.
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
Lightning struck.
One bolt struck the wall—crack!—and a Fire Giant was vaporized, leaving only a wisp of Primordial Flame.
“Lightning!”
“Move! Get out of the way!”
“Lord of Flame—what is that?!”
“Damn it—shoot it down!”
The soldiers panicked. Arrows—massive, flame-tailed bolts—flew into the storm, but they vanished into the clouds, lost.
Boom!
Another thunderclap. A crushing aura spread—like a weightless monolith pressing down on their souls.
On the ground, the released beasts trembled violently. Iron chains rattled.
The once-frenzied monsters, normally roaring with rage, now whimpered like newborn hatchlings, scrambling back into their cages in terror.
Boom! Boom!
More lightning struck.
The shadowy form above danced in the storm, elusive, terrifying. Even the Fire Giant Emir felt a chill.
“Aaargh—!”
The Flame Wyvern beneath Macheyi shook uncontrollably. Its companions had already collapsed, falling lifeless from the sky.
“Hold on, my old friend…”
“It’s just a Red Dragon, Akrilia. We’ve faced an Ancient Gold Dragon before. This is nothing.”
Macheyi stroked the wyvern’s neck, whispering reassurance.
But his eyes lifted to the storm.
To the swirling, lightning-charged clouds.
His face darkened.
“Impossible…”
“Lord of Flame… it’s just a Red Dragon…”
The veteran Titan Noble gripped the Sheshir Crescent Blade—the one gifted by the Sultan—and every muscle in his body tensed.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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