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Chapter 609: The People's Choice
At the pinnacle of the Isdalia Grand Altar, Kai Xiusu sat upon a newly constructed marble throne, expanded to accommodate his growing form, exhaling a plume of scorching white smoke.
“Enough has been said. You all know what must be done.”
Beneath the throne, hundreds of Familiar Chieftains from across the Empire—Ogres, Great Goblins, Tieflings, Lizardfolk, Wyverns, and more—gathered in solemn assembly. White Dragons, Chimeras, and other beings of unique status crowded the altar’s edges, claiming their places among the elite. Even the Player Representatives numbered in the dozens.
The Empire’s population now neared ten million, and its internal ethnic structure had grown increasingly complex, its administrative machinery creaking under its own weight. Those present were almost exclusively members of the Imperial Senate—each holding a noble rank of Baron or higher—true powerbrokers shaping the fate of society. Yet, one being alone held the final authority over the Empire’s destiny: the Emperor of the Ashen Flame.
“RUA! Kill them all! Seize their gold! Let these damned humans witness your might! Oh, and don’t forget—seize their frozen meat from their homes!”
Kai Xiusu didn’t even need to look. He already knew who had spoken.
Sure enough, White Dragon Ti Nina swayed her tail, lifted her head high, and roared with ecstatic fervor, eager to fly south and plunder at once.
The Red Dragon ignored her, scanning the crowd with a calm, unblinking gaze.
Pausing in thought, Marshal Dolo—commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army and head of the Military Bureau—stepped forward and knelt upon the ground.
“Your Majesty, though Lady Ti Nina’s words are exaggerated, they are not without merit. You once said: ‘Truth lies only within the range of the cannon.’ This operation marks the Empire’s first public appearance on the Feiansuo Continent. We must leave them with an impression—a profound one. We must crush their armies, hang every rebel from the gallows, reduce their cities to ruins shrouded in gunsmoke, and make these provoking homes feel fear—from the heart!”
Dolo’s voice rang with ironclad conviction, radiating both confidence and ruthless determination. The entire chamber felt the weight of his resolve.
Kai Xiusu merely glanced at him—neither approving, nor rejecting.
Dragon-blooded monsters. That was the true foundation beneath the Empire of Ashen’s gleaming façade.
Their inner beasts had been imprisoned for too long within the Empire’s iron cages, suppressed by steel and order. Only in war could they be fully unleashed—free to vent their brutal, destructive desires.
But Lanpu stepped forward without hesitation, standing firm despite Dolo’s dark glare.
“Master, I believe Duke Dolo has gone too far. His emotions have clouded his reason. His extremism would harm the Empire’s long-term interests and disqualify him from leading this campaign.”
“Lanpu, you—”
“Duke Dolo. Observe protocol. Speak in turn.”
Before Dolo could defend himself, Lanpu raised his hand, and the air around the Duke froze—crackling with suppressed power. The man couldn’t even utter a sound.
“Destroying everything in Northern Aether sounds satisfying,” Lanpu continued, “but it will only provoke hostility from the major powers of Feanso. It may even unite them against us—against this ‘monstrous, evil empire.’ Our goal is not destruction. It is presence. We must establish the Empire’s strength on the continent.
So we must use our mechanical might and arcane-enhanced forces. Strike with lightning speed—before anyone can react. Annihilate the power entrenched in Northern Aether. Then seize every city. Let the others have no choice but to accept our existence—grudgingly.”
“But that damned human insulted His Majesty! He insulted the Empire!”
“We cannot let this pass!”
“Let them pay! Let them witness—firsthand—the Steel Tide of the Empire!”
Great Goblins and Bear Goliath officers waved their weapons, shouting in unison. This was the new spirit of the Empire of Ashen.
To these extremist war factions, any act of rebellion—any refusal to submit—was an unforgivable insult to the Empire, to King Kai Xiusu. And such insults demanded a catastrophic price.
Among the Imperial elite, there were no more Dove factions. Only Hawk factions—some extreme, others merely less so. Figures like Olivia, the peace advocate, had long been pushed to the margins, excluded from the heart of power.
“This is not in the Empire’s interest! It only satisfies your bloodlust!”
“We demand the Empire’s interests! The sacred, inviolable authority of King Kai Xiusu! Anyone who dares challenge it—must be crushed into dust!”
“You’re blinded by greed! You claim to defend His Majesty’s dignity, yet all you care about is hoarding shells and profiting from gold! King Kai Xiusu said: ‘Pointless massacres only bring trouble.’ He seeks an ordered kingdom—not a nest of beasts!”
Thus, the debate raged on the Grand Altar of Isdalia. Spittle flew, voices rose in fury. Both sides quoted Kai Xiusu’s own words, accusing each other of disloyalty, of failing the Empire—each one claiming to be the true steward of his vision.
But Kai Xiusu had had enough.
He simply lifted his gaze.
The entire chamber fell silent. The clamor ceased instantly. The air grew still as a mouse.
All eyes turned to the towering Red Dragon, his overwhelming presence casting a shadow over the assembly.
Kai Xiusu spoke, his voice calm, yet carrying the weight of a decree.
“Three days. In three days, I want to see the Empire fully at war readiness.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Ogres, Great Goblins, Humans, Tieflings—even the massive monsters and dragon-beasts—knelt in unison, heads bowed, voices rising as one in obedient affirmation.
In the Empire of Ashen, the Emperor’s words were law—studied, revered, dissected. Publishers churned out books of Imperial Edicts, which sold like wildfire throughout the realm.
Three days.
That was Kai Xiusu’s deadline.
For any normal nation, such a task would be impossible. But the Empire of Ashen was not normal.
To enter war mode was as simple as flipping a switch—activating a machine. Because, in truth, the Empire had never truly known peace.
Military factories never stopped producing weapons and ammunition. The Imperial Army trained ceaselessly, ready to be deployed via the vast, interconnected rail network stretching southward.
It was a monstrous, meticulously engineered machine—crafted by Kai Xiusu and the Imperial elite for war. Every citizen, willingly or not, was a cog in its endless mechanism.
And now, with the Emperor’s command, the machine was about to awaken—spewing smoke, roaring to life, and unleashing its fury across the vast expanse of the Feiansuo Continent.
Isdalia City was in chaos. Even from hundreds of meters above, the frenzied cheers of the populace echoed through the air, mingling with the passionate, soaring melody of the Hymn to Kai Xiusu.
On the grand staircase of the Great Altar, Olivia strode forward in a sharp black dress, arms full of thick documents, hurrying toward the peak of the Empire.
But instantly, a line of fully armored Tiefling Guards stepped forward, their long spears crossing in front of her, blocking her path.
“Apologies, Lady Olivia. His Majesty is in private conversation with Lord Lanpu. Without his direct command, we cannot allow you entry.”
“But I have urgent matters to discuss with His Majesty!” Olivia’s voice was urgent, her expression grim. Even her silver hair seemed disheveled with stress.
She pushed forward, ignoring the guards’ resistance. “King Kai Xiusu—”
“Let her through.”
A familiar voice echoed from above.
The guards immediately lowered their spears, clearing the way.
Olivia stepped forward, her heart pounding. Before her stood a Red Dragon far larger than she remembered—coiled atop the altar like a statue in a sacred temple, worshipped by all.
Something in her chest tightened. The Red Dragon felt… distant now. Not the Kai Xiusu she once knew—a companion, a confidant—but a being of myth, of arrogant supremacy, existing beyond mortal reach.
Though they shared the same world, they now seemed to inhabit different dimensions—parallel, near, yet utterly unattainable.
All the words she’d rehearsed on the way vanished. She could not speak.
She bit her lip, trembling, then summoned what courage she had.
“King Kai Xiusu… you’ve lied to me again.”
“You promised me, once, that the Empire of Ashen would only trade weapons, bring better lives to its people. That it would never invade, never start wars. I believed you. I joined the Imperial Parliament, fought for the people, gave my all—because I believed the Empire could become a better, more ordered kingdom.”
She lifted her head, tears welling in her eyes, her voice breaking with emotion.
“You betrayed me again. You said the Empire would never start a war. And now? I saw your Declaration of War—no, your declaration of conquest!”
Kai Xiusu smiled, calm and serene.
“Olivia, the Empire of Ashen has always pursued peace.”
Her anger flared. “Peace? Your soldiers are gathering on the railways! Armies of terror are being shipped south! You’re about to unleash hell upon Northern Aether!”
“Hell?” Kai Xiusu chuckled. “I don’t see hell. I see peace. I’m bringing peace to Feanso.”
He rose slowly, stretching his massive frame, tilting his head with a relaxed, almost playful air—nothing like the grimness of war.
“Olivia, do you know how long the War of the Three Emperors has raged? Three years. And still, it continues. According to our statistics, at least eight and a half million people have died. Countless others have been displaced, suffering. All for the selfish desires of three kings. I’ve had enough of this endless war. I want to bring peace and order to the millions who live in Fadalan. I want to give them real peace.”
Olivia shot back, her voice laced with scorn. “So your peace is built on conquest?”
To her surprise, Kai Xiusu nodded.
“War is the necessary path to peace. It is not the goal—only the means. After the fall of the Three Great Kingdoms, the Empire will bring true order to the Feiansuo Continent—peace that will last for centuries. Just as Sacred Fedran once did.”
“You… you still want to destroy the Three Great Kingdoms?”
“Of course,” the Red Dragon declared, voice unwavering. “They are the source of all this war. It is these so-called divine offspring—these self-proclaimed heirs—who have ruled over the people with arrogance, waging endless conflict over the legacy of a dead emperor. They are the ones who have brought tragedy upon this land.”
His words rang with conviction, as if he were the voice of justice—not a war criminal.
Olivia trembled with rage. “This is sophistry! I’ve had enough of your empty words. Stop disguising your greed with noble language! You’re not fighting for peace—you’re fighting for territory, for expansion! This is naked aggression! You’re sacrificing your own people, using their life force to fuel your empire!”
Her emotions burst forth—raw, unfiltered.
As an innate being of kindness, she could not bear the thought of war. And worse—she was part of it. This was unbearable for any Metal Dragon.
“One man’s greed?” Kai Xiusu smiled again, shaking his head with quiet confidence, exhaling a thick plume of sulfurous smoke.
“No, Olivia. You’re wrong.”
With a sudden motion, he extended his massive claw, engulfing the silver-haired girl in his grip—her human form still intact. Then, with a mighty beat of his vast wings, he launched into the sky, creating a powerful gust that swept across the altar.
“Kai Xiusu, what are you doing?” Olivia cried, panic-stricken. She forgot her formal address—her voice shrill with fear. But she was powerless against the Red Dragon.
“I just want you to see,” he said, gently, as they soared above the city.
Below, Isdalia teemed with life. Tall chimneys belched black smoke. Steel beasts roared to life. Streets, plazas, even the outskirts of the city—packed with people. Civilians in rough clothes, armored guards, noble scholars in long robes.
“Conquer those damned southerners! Destroy their armies!”
“Long live Emperor Kai Xiusu! Conquer! Conquer! Conquer!”
“For the Great Blueprint of the Empire of Ashen!”
Regardless of status, every person was frenzied, euphoric. They waved the Empire’s banners, shouting crude, fiery slogans. Even children took to the streets, selling newspapers, singing songs in praise of war.
Olivia stared down, her mind reeling.
She saw faces—different, yet all burning with the same fervor. A strange mix of awe, pride, and something darker—fearless excitement.
Was she truly fighting for the people?
Or was she merely satisfying her own moral vanity?
Was she the one blocking history’s tide—driven by selfish ideals?
Kai Xiusu flapped his wings, smiling softly as he held her in his claw.
“I want you to understand one thing, Olivia.”
“Understand what?”
Below, the city roared on. The Empire was alive. And it was hungry.
“The war,” Kai Xiusu said, “is not my doing.
It is not my desire.
It is the People’s Choice.”
(End of Chapter)
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