Chapter 469: Departure and the Summit of New World Obsidian Peak
Zaman Ruur gazed into the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly as he pierced through the shimmering heat haze and distorted sky. Beyond the mirage, he saw the true scene tens of thousands of meters away.
“A remarkably powerful Red Dragon,” he murmured, gripping the Holy Flame Spear tightly in his hand. His voice was heavy, yet resolute. “An evil being—there’s the scent of Fire Giant about him. Clearly, a new enemy.”
The Holy Flame Prince felt no surprise at the Red Dragon’s arrival. Imix, the Evil Lord of Elemental Fire, commanded a following that included Fire Giants, Red Dragons, and any spellcaster drawn to flame magic. To Zaman Ruur, this dragon was merely a summoned servant—likely paid in gold coins by a Fire Giant slave master. A formidable addition to the War of Burning, yes—but still, nothing to fear.
No matter how powerful the foe, Zaman Ruur would not falter. Not now. Not after millennia of planning his revenge. For countless ages, he had dreamed of this moment—of driving the Holy Flame Spear into Imist’s chest, of ending his reign of evil. And now, with the Fire Titan Great Sultan wounded, victory loomed ever closer.
Yet, standing beside him, the Ancient Gold Dragon Goroslav Shuojin hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Your Highness… that Red Dragon may not be our enemy.”
“Oh? Why?” Zaman Ruur turned, his expression flickering with curiosity.
“Have you not heard the rumors of the ‘Soul-Eating Dragon’?” the ancient dragon replied, his brow furrowed. “The one in the sky… it is the very existence that killed Ismael Pasha.”
At these words, the Holy Flame Prince’s face lit up with sudden joy. His voice quickened.
“Ha! So he’s here to aid us? A champion of justice, opposed to the tyranny of the Fire Giants?”
“It’s not so simple,” the Ancient Gold Dragon said, offering a wry smile. “I know this dragon once fought and defeated my old friend Oszedro in battle. Yet, even after that victory, he refused Tiamat’s offer of allegiance.”
“By our kind’s standards, he cannot be neatly labeled as ‘good’ or ‘evil.’ We can only hope to sway him to our side.”
“Still, there are whispers… that he has secretly pledged an oath with the Fire Giant’s Great Sultan. We do not yet know its terms.”
Zaman Ruur’s expression shifted—his joy faded, replaced by solemn resolve.
He raised the Holy Flame Spear high, its tip pointing like a rifle toward the City of Brass. His voice rang out, firm and unyielding.
“Whatever evil stands before me—I will destroy it. No one shall stop the burning of the Holy Flame. No one shall block the Elemental Plane of Fire from returning to the embrace of Order and Goodness!”
“Your Highness,” the Ancient Gold Dragon nodded gently, his voice tinged with excitement, “I have already seen the fall of the City of Brass. Your dream is on the verge of becoming reality!”
Zaman Ruur raised his long spear high, letting the crackling hiss and snap of fire-lit language—Fire Race Tongue—echo through the air as he called out to the liberated slaves.
“Holy Flame! My faithful children! For justice and order in the Elemental Plane of Fire! For freedom and liberation of all elemental beings—seize the City of Brass! Overthrow the tyranny of the Fire Titan Great Sultan!”
“Holy Flame Prince!”
“Topple the Fire Giant Tyranny!”
The cheers rose like a tidal wave, surging through the ranks of the freed slaves as they surged forward, carrying their Lord of the Elemental Fire toward the City of Brass.
And above, in the sky, the Fire Giants, Devils, and Elemental Nobles within the City of Brass stood on high alert.
War was imminent.
High above, Kai Xiusu had just received Lanpu’s interdimensional teleportation coordinates. He was moments away from returning to the Material Plane.
“Better leave now.”
He smirked faintly. “That Holy Flame Prince probably holds no real grudge against me. But the other force coming from the City of Brass… that one feels oddly familiar.”
A subtle smile tugged at the corner of his draconic mouth.
With a courteous nod toward the City of Brass, he spoke calmly, “Good day, Your Majesty, Great Sultan. We meet again.”
“Kai Xiusu—”
“Leave this place!”
“What madness is this? How dare you enter the City of Brass! Do you wish to break our pact? I warn you—violating the Planar Law will bring punishment!”
“Get out of the Heart of Flame!!”
The enraged roar thundered across the Obsidian Continent like a storm. No wonder he was furious—just as the Holy Flame Prince was preparing to siege, a new, powerful Red Dragon had arrived. This could shift the entire battlefield.
Kai Xiusu spread his wings, feeling the spatial disturbances ripple around him.
“I have always honored our pact. I love peace, and I never intended to meddle in your war with the Holy Flame Prince. This visit was merely to experience the legend of the City of Brass… and to say goodbye.”
“Since you so clearly do not welcome me,” he added with a polite, toothy grin, “then I shall take my leave.”
In an instant, the fabric of space tore open. A gate to another realm formed before him—connecting to an Aetheric Conduit, leading back to the Anzeta Great Wasteland of the Material Plane.
“Then… farewell, Great Sultan.”
Kai Xiusu stepped through the portal. Space settled. The gate vanished. No trace remained.
“Damn, greedy dragon!” The Great Sultan’s fury echoed through the City of Brass, even reaching the battlefield beyond its walls.
“Hah! I rather like this dragon,” Zaman Ruur laughed heartily. “He’s the kind of beast that can drive a Fire Giant Sultan this mad.”
Suddenly, a strange flicker of fire drifted toward him—so subtle, yet unmistakable. To one as attuned to elemental mastery as Zaman Ruur, it sparked curiosity.
“What is this?”
Swish—
The flame unfurled midair, forming a row of common tongue letters:
“Holy Flame Prince, greetings. If you wish to purchase military arsenal or establish collaboration with the Empire, please proceed to the Bronze Fortress. —Kai Xiusu”
“Interesting fellow,” Zaman Ruur murmured, eyes narrowing. He absorbed the flame script effortlessly.
Meanwhile, deep within the Bronze Fortress.
A half-dragon clad in a fireproof suit stood in the palace of the Fire Dwarves, lecturing with fervor. He was an envoy dispatched by the Empire of Ashen—and atop his head floated the nickname 【Turbocharged Engine Warrior】—clearly a player of the Mechanical Divinity faction.
“Shalin, sir,” he said, “you know why the Bronze Fortress is so sparsely populated? It’s because your Fire Dwarf reproduction method is fundamentally flawed.”
Shalin’s lips twitched. “Your Honor, that’s the legacy of the Dwarf God—”
The envoy waved him off. “Don’t talk to me about heritage. Break the chains of tradition, or how can you have innovation? How can you progress?”
Shalin fell silent.
But the player continued, undeterred:
“Your forging efficiency is abysmal! It takes years to create a single new Fire Dwarf!”
“Just implement an assembly line die-casting system. Our Empire’s Technology Department can provide full technical support.”
“If your facilities aren’t ready, go with investment casting—produce an entire legion at once. How can you claim the Fire Dwarves can’t recover when you’re not even trying?”
“Sigh… You’ve already abandoned flesh bodies, begun your mechanical ascension. What a perfect foundation! And yet you’ve squandered it all!”
【Turbocharged Engine Warrior】sounded genuinely heartbroken, pleading with the Fire Dwarf noble.
Shalin scratched his head. “But according to our experience points… the body must be forged by the Fire Dwarf themselves.”
The player pointed at his temple. “You ancient relics! Your minds are too rigid. There are always loopholes.”
“Does pressing the casting switch count as ‘handmade’? Does pouring the mold by hand count?”
Shalin murmured, “But that’s not quite—”
The player grinned. “Then what about using a hammer? If you’re using a hammer, is that not ‘hands-on’?”
“Trust me. Give me three months. With ten years of mechanical automation experience, I’ll design a fully automated reproduction system for you.”
“And besides,” he added, eyes gleaming, “our Mechanical Divinity has many high-level players interested in your unique mode of existence. They’ll help you fix every deficiency.”
【Turbocharged Engine Warrior】was ecstatic.
Shalin swallowed hard, under the watchful gaze of the Empire’s guards. After a long pause, he finally nodded.
The gates of the New World were about to open before the Fire Dwarves.
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(End of Chapter)
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