Chapter 534: Brutal "Ember Dragon Swarm! Surround this Demon!"
"Arooo—!"
Under the command of the Imperial Officer, over a hundred Wyverns roared in unison, flapping their wings furiously as they surged from every direction toward the Balor Fire Demon.
"Die, you insolent vermin who dared insult Master’s Home!"
White Dragon Ti Nina surged among the dragon horde, her frost-white wings unfurling in the sky as she lunged forward with fangs bared and claws extended.
"Naive Crawlers."
But Leo merely growled low in his throat, disdainfully eyeing the encroaching dragons. Slowly, he opened his maw—a monstrous, jagged gape from which white smoke and crackling fire billowed.
From within, a cacophony erupted: the distorted whispers, the shrieks of despair, the wild, frenzied roars—each sound weaving together into a single, soul-shattering chorus.
The air itself trembled. The sound was Whispers of the Abyss—blasphemous, unholy, forbidden.
Blasphemous Utterance!
Instantly, the hundreds of Wyverns recoiled. Heads thrashed, wings flailed wildly. Some screamed in agony as their flight faltered, their minds shattered by the psychic onslaught. Dozens plummeted from the sky, crashing into the earth in silent, lifeless heaps.
"Damn it... what is this?!"
Tinia, still wobbling in midair, gritted her teeth so hard her jaw ached. Her body shook violently—she was on the verge of collapse.
In the end, she lost control. Her massive dragon form tumbled sideways, slamming into the mountainside with a thunderous crack, sending rocks and dirt flying in all directions.
"Charge! Dragon Roar Charge!"
A dozen Crimson Scale Conquerors hovered in the sky, cutting through the hurricane winds as they dove toward the Balor Fire Demon.
"Crimson Scale Conquerors? Again, those annoying flies."
The massive Demon barely glanced up. With a casual flick of his wrist, he raised his sizzling Storm Greatsword and brought it down.
Boom!
Wrist-thick bolts of lightning rained from the heavens—blinding, searing arcs that struck the dragon riders head-on.
In an instant, the air exploded in fire. The two-headed dragons and their riders were consumed, reduced to charred, smoldering remnants that fell from the sky like ash.
"Beast Paralyze Spell!"
"Purification Arrow!"
"Crown of Stars!"
Dozens of Empire spellcasters raised their staves in unison, unleashing a barrage of holy magic. Glowing orbs, radiant beams, divine flames, and chains of light—hundreds of spells streaked toward the Balor Fire Demon.
At the same time, the Spell Beacon marked the Demon’s position. The Empire’s artillery corps, hidden in the rear, had already locked on. With a thunderous crack, a barrage of shells exploded at the designated point.
Zzzzz—
Zzzzz—
The shriek of artillery fire split the air. Armor-piercing bullets, high-explosive rounds, and thermobaric shells poured down like a storm, their trajectories converging into a single, devastating point of fire.
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosion erupted skyward—a violent fusion of fire and spell-light. A massive mushroom cloud rose into the heavens, a storm of heat and shockwaves rippling across the wasteland. The ground trembled violently, and thick, choking smoke filled the sky.
Imperial soldiers, officers, and spellcasters stood frozen, their eyes raised in tense silence, watching the swirling gray smoke.
"It should be dead..."
"Is it over?"
"Yes! Of course! No living creature could survive that!"
"By Kai Xiusu, such monsters—they shouldn’t exist in this world!"
Even the Empire’s most loyal followers trembled. Many felt their legs give way. The sheer pressure of the Balor Fire Demon had been overwhelming. Their prized war machines—so proud, so powerful—had been rendered utterly useless before this abomination.
In just minutes, the Demon had claimed tens of thousands of lives, destroyed over a dozen Steam Tanks, and slain several Earth Drakes.
Lonely Like Snow stared up at the sky, now darkened by the smoke. His voice was a whisper.
"Something’s wrong... the Smoke Without Injury rule… it doesn’t hold."
Sure enough, a low, mocking chuckle echoed from the clouds. Then it grew—deepening, swelling—until it erupted into a wild, triumphant laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"Pathetic spells. Ridiculous toys. Is this all you have?"
The smoke parted. A monstrous shadow emerged, then solidified—its crimson skin, massive demonic frame, and towering horns unmistakable.
The Balor Fire Demon stood once more.
His body pulsed with a dark, luminous membrane, swirling with chaotic Abyssal Power. Every spell, every explosion—crushed beneath its influence.
Leo laughed, flapping his massive meaty wings, sending a wave of scorching, foul wind across the battlefield. He soared high, overlooking the shattered remnants of the Empire’s forces, his eyes alight with the intoxicating thrill of raw strength.
"Do you see it?
This is the might of the Abyss! And you—you don’t even deserve to stand against me!"
"Death—"
With a thunderous roar, the Demon slashed his Storm Greatsword through the sky.
Boom!
A storm raged across the wasteland. Thunder roared in the clouds. The sky swallowed the hundreds of Wyverns whole in a flash of lightning.
"Annihilation—"
He swung his Flame Whip across the earth, carving deep, jagged cracks into the ground. Rivers of Abyssal Flame surged forward, consuming thousands of Imperial soldiers and Stellarfallen alike, reducing them to ash in seconds.
The Demon advanced, its passage a path of fire and ruin. With each step, the earth cracked, buildings collapsed, and life was erased.
It raised its weapons—Flame Whip coiled around the Storm Greatsword, gathering power in the sky.
"Revenge—"
The Demon roared again.
If that strike landed, the Imperial Wall would shatter like glass.
"Hahahaha!"
"Those mortal wretches are finished!"
"We’ll slaughter them all!"
The demonic horde behind him screamed in ecstatic frenzy—some with hunger, others with envy, all drunk on the intoxicating scent of power.
Strength. That was the only value in the Bottomless Abyss.
The demons surged forward, relentless, eager to breach the front lines, to see cities reduced to rubble, rivers flowing red with blood.
This was their paradise.
"The Dragon Lord Above All!"
"Dragon-Bound Holy Knight! Prove your loyalty now! Stand against this blasphemous Dragon Lord!"
A piercing battle cry split the air. Uniform marching steps echoed in response.
Before the Balor Fire Demon stood a line of knights—dressed in crimson-gold armor, wielding massive shields. Their leader, Anthony, gripped a long spear bearing a fluttering banner.
Leo stared down at them, his voice a guttural rasp.
"Hah... Dragon-Bound Holy Knights. The loyal hounds of the Red Dragon."
He remembered—years ago, when he was still mortal—these knights had been the ones who destroyed his pride, his beloved Lionheart Knights.
A deep, burning rage flared in his eyes. Fire erupted from his pupils.
"Who gave you the nerve—to stand before me?"
He spread his wings, raised his Storm Greatsword, and plummeted from the sky, radiating an aura so terrifying it made the earth tremble.
Anthony tightened his grip on his shield, raising his voice.
"Dragon Vein Chain! Hold the line!"
A surge of intense heat flared as the Dragon Vein Chain linked all hundred Holy Knights together. Crimson flame pulsed through the chains—symbolizing the Red Dragon’s power. A blazing aura enveloped them.
For a moment, they stood as one: a crimson fortress of faith and steel.
Every knight raised their shield, bracing themselves, ready to face the Demon’s fury.
Boom!
Thunder roared. Wrist-thick lightning bolts struck their shields. Electric arcs danced across their bodies, but they held firm—teeth clenched, eyes locked.
Then, the Storm Greatsword came down—a blade of thunder and fury.
"FOR THE DRAGON LORD!" Anthony stood at the front, his shield taking the brunt. The chain flared with light.
Boom!
The impact sent him and the elite paladins flying backward. Lightning crackled across their armor, scorching their flesh.
Yet, out of 150 men, the damage was shared. They held.
"How... is this possible?" Leo’s eyes widened—even he was surprised.
But only for an instant. A cruel grin spread across his face.
He raised his right hand, flicking his Flame Whip against the ground.
Snap!
"Unlucky, pitiful fools. You held this time. But can you hold again?"
Anthony drew his longsword—its hilt glowing with the sacred seal of the Dragon Sanctuary. His face twisted, crimson dragon scales rising from his skin.
"Enforcement of Order by Iron Hand—
The Dragon Lord Above All—
For the King of the Burnt!"
All the Dragon-Bound Holy Knights raised their weapons, roaring their ancient oath.
Beneath their heavy helms, their eyes burned with holy fire—fervor, devotion, even madness.
"ROOOOAAAAAARRRRR—"
The sound echoed from the depths of time itself, reverberating across the wasteland.
Above the battlefield, flames swirled, coalescing into a towering, spectral shape. A massive, shadowy dragon emerged—its pale golden eyes fixed on the Balor Fire Demon.
This was The Dragon Lord’s Descent.
Leo’s face paled. A flicker of fear crossed his features.
"Kai Xiusu?"
No—wrong. It was just a phantom.
You think this illusion will scare me?
Damned mortals!
The Demon shook his head violently, clearing his mind. Then he roared in fury, eyes blazing.
Anthony raised his flaming sword, channeling the will of his brothers.
"Attack! The Dragon Lord has granted us invincible strength!"
The phantom dragon roared again—a sound like the world cracking open. It spread its wings, its maw a vortex that sucked in every bolt of lightning and flame, growing larger, more solid.
It exhaled black smoke—the filth of the Abyss, purged.
This incarnation of the Red Dragon, born from The Dragon Lord’s Descent, wielded powers akin to the Emperor of the Ashen Flame. It was, in essence, a living avatar.
And as the master of elemental energy, fire and lightning only fueled it—making it stronger, more radiant.
"Damn it..."
Leo snarled, lunging forward, swinging his Storm Greatsword in a brutal horizontal slash.
But the phantom dragon flapped its wings, backflipping ten meters with effortless grace—dodging the strike.
Roar!
It dived, claws blazing with fire, impaling the Demon’s shoulder in midair. The two locked in combat, claws and blades clashing in the sky.
Leo thrashed violently, beating his wings, swinging his weapons—finally breaking free.
"Damned mortal entities! I will kill you all!"
This time, Leo changed tactics. He bypassed the phantom, turning instead toward its creator—Anthony and the Holy Knights below.
With a roar that split the sky, he dove toward the ground, his Storm Greatsword crackling with ever-brighter lightning.
Kill the knights. Destroy the Red Dragon’s army. Then the problem would vanish.
But his plan failed again.
Fwoosh—
A wave of frost swept past him—freezing half his wings solid.
From the distance, a massive Silver Dragon approached, its wings like polished plates, its maw open, unleashing a breath of soul-freezing, frost-white cold.
Leo roared, channeling his inner fire. The frost melted instantly, and he regained balance in midair.
But before he could recover—
A ripple in space.
A monstrous figure stepped from the void behind him—Lanpu, the Cannibal Magician. His body was thick with power. He raised his ethereal golden staff.
Without hesitation, he unleashed his spell.
"High-Level Demon Binding Spell!"
A faint red beam shot forth, striking the Balor Fire Demon’s body. The complex sigil of the spell formed a prison around him.
On the ground, glowing chains burst forth from hidden formations, wrapping around the Demon’s massive frame.
Trapped.
Unable to move.
The Empire’s spellcasters had prepared for this moment for months.
Lanpu’s voice was urgent.
"Now! It’s now! This Demon is too powerful—I can’t hold it much longer!"
Flames danced in the air, embers swirling. A series of Flame Portals ripped open in the sky. Five Dragon Oath Mages emerged from the rifts.
Misha stood at the center, her golden eyes blazing with fury, her heart filled with hatred.
Around her, the other Dragon Oath Mages chanted in unison, channeling their power into her.
"Leo Bosk."
"You serve the Revenant Demon. Then prepare yourself—"
"Are you ready to face my revenge?"
Behind her, her wings unfurled—massive, fiery dragon wings, red as the sun. Her crimson hair whipped wildly in the wind.
Slowly, she raised her hand.
At her palm, a sun-like light blazed—blinding, radiant, inevitable.
Boom—
(End of Chapter)
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