Chapter 508: Proclamation
The Red Dragon soared along the Aerial Path of Flame and Smoke, its massive form cutting through the sky under the collective gaze of hundreds of thousands. With a thunderous Boom, it landed upon the High Platform, shaking the very earth beneath it. The ground trembled as if struck by a Heavy Hammer, dust and debris erupted in all directions.
Though the High Platform stood fifty meters high, it seemed dwarfed beneath the colossal body of the Red Dragon. Only when standing directly before it could one truly grasp the scale of this Colossal Entity—the overwhelming, suffocating pressure of its presence, a force so immense it made breath feel shallow. Many in the crowd had never seen such a being up close. Their knees trembled; some even fainted.
“Kai, Kai Xiusu above!”
“Is this truly the Emperor’s Majesty? So awe-inspiring…”
Their minds raced with visions of being crushed beneath that monstrous frame—invincible, inevitable. If a Player were present, they might recognize this phenomenon as Megaphobia: the terror born of encountering an entity so far beyond mortal comprehension.
Yet for all its power, the fainting crowd was but a minor ripple in the sea of tens of thousands gathered.
Kai Xiusu stood atop the High Platform, his淡金色 eyes scanning the sea of faces below. His gaze swept over humans, Tieflings, Great Goblins, Half-Dragons, Ogres—each face different, yet all etched with the same feverish frenzy.
Good.
This was exactly what he wanted.
After a slow, deliberate survey, the Red Dragon opened its maw, and a voice like rolling thunder erupted from its throat, echoing across the entire plain.
“I believe you all know who our enemy is—Demons.
They come from the Bottomless Abyss.
They are the Destroyer of worlds—the embodiment of Evil, Chaos, and Fear.
Now… do you feel fear?”
“No!”
“We will crush the Demons!”
“Drive them back into the Abyss!”
The Empire’s Nationals erupted in fury. They spat curses at the Demons, some waving banners that read “Kill the Demons!”
Adroville, watching from the crowd, felt stunned. They weren’t afraid. Not even a little.
Kai Xiusu gave a slight nod, deliberately amplifying his voice.
“But they chose the wrong foe.
They dared to challenge the Empire of Ashen.
They attacked our cities. Spared no official. Schemed to unravel our Order.
But this is mere foolish fantasy.
Now—here I stand—Emperor of the Ashen Flame—and I declare holy vengeance!
I proclaim war!
The Empire of Ashen declares war upon the Bottomless Abyss!
Every Imperial Citizen bears the sacred duty to slay every Demon that dares step before us!
We will fight without mercy.
We will kill Demons in the Wasteland.
We will kill them in the Mountains.
We will kill them in the Sky!”
His passionate words thundered across the plain, reverberating through the entire Anzeta Great Wasteland.
Under the Red Dragon’s near-divine supernatural charisma, every soul present was swept into a consuming rage—burning hatred for the Demons. Even the Silver Dragon Adroville, lurking among the crowd, felt his blood surge, his heart pounding with fire.
“If Demons bring fear to the world… then the Empire will bring fear to Demons.”
At last, Kai Xiusu rose slowly, spreading his vast wings wide. His fangs glinted in the light, and a fierce, triumphant smile split his draconic face.
“Crush them!
For the Empire of Ashen!”
Dolo, standing atop a Steam Tank, raised his arm first, roaring at the top of his lungs. The Giant Ogre Infantry Battalion roared in unison behind him.
“For the Empire of Ashen!
For King Kai Xiusu!”
The chant surged like a wave, sweeping through the entire field. Civilians, soldiers, officials—everyone now shared one identity: Imperial Citizen.
“Long live Emperor Kai Xiusu!
For the Emperor of the Ashen Flame!
Loyalty! Faithfulness!
Kill the Demons!”
The roar was deafening. Tens of thousands of Empire Nationals, eyes wild with fervor, raised their arms, desperate to prove their loyalty before His Majesty.
High above, the Two-Headed Dragon let out a long, echoing roar, its voice shaking the sky. On the ground, the Dragon Beasts stamped in rhythm, unleashing regiment after regiment of scorching smoke emissions, their deep roars like the heartbeat of war.
The White Dragon, Tinia, soared into the air, scattering a few Wyverns aside, and took position as close to the Red Dragon as possible, her voice filled with excitement.
“Aaaaoowww!”
Farther away, portals of every hue began to open—swallowing the air, spewing forth armies from across the Empire.
“For the great Empire of Ashen!
Honor the Soul-Eating Dragon!
Sssssshhh! Hhhhhoo! (Fire Race Language: For the Empire!)”
Ash and ember sparks rained down as legions of elemental beings poured through—Fire Lizards, Flame Wyverns, Fire Dwarves—all born of flame and fury.
“Children of Fire, freed by King Kai Xiusu!
Now is the time to repay your debt!
Let the Demons taste true fire!
For the Empire of Ashen!”
Selkan Wood, Marquis and Colonial Governor of the Empire’s Fire Element, rode atop a multi-headed Flame Lizard, his long spear wreathed in fire. He raised it high, then placed his fist over his heart, offering the formal Loyalty Greeting to the Red Dragon upon the High Platform.
“Offspring of the Night…”
As the Lich whispered, the sky split open. A regiment of dark clouds gathered, casting massive shadows upon the earth. From the heart of the vortex—a Black Hole-like maw—a portal yawned open. The gateway to The Underdark.
Out slithered massive Bone-Blue-Footed Serpents. Then came legions of the Undead. Behind them marched Gray Dwarves, Underground Gnomes, Drow Elves—armies from the depths.
Hart, Marquis and General of the Empire’s Underdark Colonies, rode a two-headed skeletal dragon. In his hand, he held a bloodstained sword, its blade stained from countless massacres. His black eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction.
“For Emperor His Majesty!
Kill every Demon!”
Ingrid, former Honorary Bishop of the Amanatara Church and now Imperial Priest, raised her Scepter. With a sweeping motion, she traced a door in the air.
“Gate to Another Realm!”
Another portal burst open—this one leading to the wild, untamed realm of the Outer Plane: Wilderness Garden.
“Roar!
Howl!
The Army of Beasts! For the Empire!”
Ake Changya, Marquis, former Lizardfolk Chieftain and now Commander of the Empire’s Wilderness Garden Expeditionary Forces, raised his spear high.
Koda Heilin, Shaman, rode a Polar Bear, his gnarled staff raised, commanding a tide of beasts.
Thousands of Lizardfolk soldiers followed. Hundreds of Empire Druids summoned their animal allies—Arrow Hawks, Griffins, Rhinoceroses, Terror Beasts, Raptor Dragons, Frenzied Tigers, Stone Lizards—all poured from the portal, their eyes wide with awe at the Red Dragon’s presence. They bowed their heads in submission.
Among the frenzied crowd, Adroville stood frozen, mouth agape, watching as portals opened one after another—armies of every kind pouring into the arena.
What am I even doing here?
Does a nation like this really need help from Melward?
Suddenly, Jennyhis pointed at the sky, frowning. “Look there!”
Another portal split the heavens. From within, a swarm of massive, terrifying Blue Dragons emerged—led by a younger, slender female Blue Dragon: the heir of the Faria Family.
Jennyhis stared at the Blue Dragon above, then back at the Red Dragon on the High Platform. Her jaw clenched.
“No… we can’t lose. We won’t let Melward lose!”
Adroville blinked. “What?”
Swish!
Jennyhis leapt into the air. In a flash of silver light, she transformed—her body shifting into the elegant form of a Silver Dragon. With a powerful beat of her wings, she shot toward Kai Xiusu.
“…Huh?”
Adroville sighed, then followed suit. With a roar, he too transformed—his Silver Dragon form stretching wide, his wings like polished shields. He rose into the sky.
And under his command, ten more Silver Dragons rose from the crowd, ascending to circle the High Platform.
In stunned silence, the once-empty Military Exercise Ground became a battlefield of living legends. Fire Lizards, Skeleton Serpents, Blood-Red Tigers, Blue Dragons, Silver Dragons—beings of life and death, of good and evil, of flight and fury—filled the air, drawn by one leader, united for one war.
For years, the Empire had gathered its armies across the realms. Now, all of it was here—ready to face the Demons.
Kai Xiusu stood atop the High Platform, surveying the chaotic, vibrant sea of life below.
This war—this moment—had been years in the making. Even the moment he entered this world, he had sworn eternal enmity with the Demons who sought to control his fate.
The Red Dragon scanned the multitude of creatures, his eyes gleaming with predatory delight. A whisper, only for himself, escaped his lips.
“Jezarslak…
Have you prepared well?
The time for my revenge… has come.”
(End of Chapter)
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