https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-701-Field-Warfare-and-the-Holy-Guard/13677584/
Chapter 700: The Fall of the City
After a long silence, the soldiers of the Ember Empire erupted into frenzied cheers. Yet the garrisoned troops of Isengard were left reeling, their ears ringing, hearts gripped by panic.
"Gods above..."
"Amanata, no—how could this be?"
"Baron Hain... was eaten? He was blessed by the Sun God! How could he fall like this?"
"Could that evil dragon... be the Emperor of the Ashen Flame? By the heavens, I’ve seen the Image Projection—it’s really him!"
They looked up, staring at the colossal red dragon blotting out the sun, at the sky now dimming into twilight, overwhelmed by a despair so profound it felt like facing an earthquake or a tsunami—inescapable, inevitable. The army of the Ember Empire, though immensely powerful, was still mortal. It could be defeated—if one had courage enough, and sacrifice deep enough.
But this dragon?
He had swallowed the blessed Baron Hain whole. He had devoured their sun. He had consumed their last flicker of hope.
A crushing wave of despair and fear spread through the ranks. In the face of such overwhelming dread, all thoughts of resistance vanished. Only flight remained.
Under the gaze of tens of thousands, the red dragon in the sky carelessly spat out the body of an Angelic Divine Offspring, then idly licked its lips.
—After all, Kai Xiusu wasn’t fond of humanoid flesh. He only wanted to consume the divine power core—now on the verge of detonation.
Hain crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact, vanishing deep into the earth, his chest torn open into a gaping wound. His body dimmed, cracked like shattered stone, lifeless. Yet even in death, his face bore the frozen expression of shock and disbelief.
This divine noble had never imagined that his plan to die fighting alongside the Ember Empire would end not with a glorious stand—but with a sudden, monstrous maw emerging from the sky, swallowing him whole.
High above, the red dragon spread its wings, its golden vertical pupils scanning the iron fortress wall stretching across the valley. It opened its mouth, voice calm, almost indifferent—like a man stating a trivial fact.
"First encounter, descendants of Fadalan, followers of the Sun God. You may have heard my name. I am Kai Xiusu, Master of Anzeta, Emperor of the Ember Empire. The Empire shall liberate you from the cruel oppression and terror of the Thrace Kingdom—granting you true redemption."
His voice thundered across the skies above Isengard, echoing through the grand city. The people trembled—fearful, yet bewildered. Confused.
To them, this red dragon was a merciless tyrant, here only to plunder wealth and enslave their people. His monstrous army, they believed, feasted on human souls as delicacies.
And yet now, as he loomed above the city, he spoke not of conquest—but of salvation. The absurdity was staggering.
"What is he trying to do?"
"What is he saying?"
"What is the true purpose of the Ember Empire? They claim they’re here to save us?"
Kai Xiusu’s voice grew more resonant, more commanding:
"King Wilhelm of Thrace has conspired with hellish demons, seeking to steal the sun’s strength by sacrificing the life force of his people. For this, he has been cast out by the Deity. You must know his true nature. And you must understand—the Ember Empire is the rightful successor of Sacred Fedran! We are the true sun."
In stunned silence, the red dragon spread its wings. The dragon crystal on its chest flared to life—blazing with light so intense it rivaled the sun itself, radiating a thousand-zhang brilliance.
[Phantom of the Solar Radiance]
Fueled by the power of fire, the essence of heaven, and the might of the Sun God, the light emitted by the dragon outshone even Baron Hain’s divine radiance—more dazzling, more sacred, imbued with solemn majesty.
Beneath its glare, rivers evaporated. The air for miles around grew dry and scorching, as if the very heart of summer had descended upon the land.
"How... is this possible?"
"But that is the strength of King Amanatara..."
"This light... it’s familiar. Could it be...? Could he actually be telling the truth? Has His Majesty Wilhelm truly betrayed the Deity?"
Whispers spread like wildfire. Their entire worldview began to crumble. Had everything they’d fought to protect—was it all just a devil’s illusion?
Clearly, doubt had taken root.
Kai Xiusu pressed on, stoking the fire of doubt:
"Many of you have fought in the Holy War. You know what it was like—bitter, brutal. Comrades slaughtered one another in the name of faith."
The soldiers below nodded grimly. They remembered.
"But those arrogant kings? They never honored the Church’s vows. They never saw you as true children of the realm—only disposable tools. To gain power, they made pacts with devils, with demons, betraying your very souls. They have no right to claim succession to Sacred Fedran. Even the so-called Divine Offspring are nothing but thieves, stealing strength they do not deserve!"
The power of the Master Speaker surged—its charisma so potent it could distort reality itself, bending minds, making belief inevitable.
"Evil dragon! You’re lying!"
"Stop your deceitful words from corrupting our warriors!"
From the city walls came furious roars. A handful of surviving Angelic Divine Offspring took flight, bursting through the iron fortress skyward. They glared at the red dragon, lifting their silver swords in unison. The blades shimmered with golden light.
The beams intertwined in the sky, forming a massive sun disk. Rotating, it blazed with sacred radiance, shielding Isengard from the dragon’s presence.
At the front, one of the angels clenched his teeth, voice sharp as steel:
"Evil dragon! I don’t know how you stole this power—but as long as we stand, you will never set foot on Thrace soil! Comrades, join me in battle to the death! Even if we die, let him feel the might of the Divine Offspring!"
"Kill—!"
"For Thrace!"
"For Sacred Fedran!"
Nine Divine Offspring channeled their combined strength, erecting a sun disk hundreds of meters wide—enough to hold back even a semi-god long enough for relief forces to arrive.
But they had forgotten one thing: their enemy was no mere mortal.
He was Kai Xiusu, Emperor of the Ember Empire—the dragon who had once sent the Lord of Heaven to his grave, who had shattered the Divine Avatar.
The red dragon merely narrowed its golden eyes, then let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"Pathetic. Even the true Lord of Heaven could not stop me. What right do you, little winged birds, have to stand before me?"
A cruel, feral smile curled across its face.
"Then let me show you... what true sunlight is."
Kai Xiusu drew in a deep breath. Sun God power surged through his veins, blood boiling, fire gathering in his throat—amplified by the dragon crystal, forming a blazing fireball of divine fury.
He could have crushed them with a single claw, with a breath, with a thought. But he chose something far more humiliating.
[Solar Breath]
He would destroy them not just in body—but in spirit.
"Boom—"
The air split apart with a deafening crack. A beam of blinding light shot across the sky, piercing through thousands of meters of space, striking the golden sun disk dead center.
The fury of the sun—capable of destroying even itself.
The Angelic Offspring, despite their preparations, felt panic flood their hearts. Their faces lit up in pure terror. This was no dragon’s breath—it was the wrath of the Sun God.
Was this dragon truly the envoy of King Amanatara? Had divine punishment finally come to claim them?
It was the last thought they had.
In an instant, the light beam tore through the sun disk. The overwhelming divine energy consumed every last one of them—shattering their bodies, devouring their spiritual essence, reducing the winged beings to ash.
Then, the beam struck the unbreakable iron wall behind them.
"No—!"
"Run! The wall’s collapsing!"
The entire city trembled. The outer wall melted instantly, flowing like molten iron. The inner wall collapsed in a storm of steel and debris. The ground shook violently beneath the weight of falling towers and collapsing structures.
Even the rune-inscribed walls—strong enough to withstand arcane blasts—were useless against the power of the Sun God’s breath.
In the eyes of every soldier, a blinding flash of light filled the world. Then came the dust, the debris, and finally, a roar that shook the heavens.
Within seconds, a hundred-meter stretch of city wall—over twenty meters tall—collapsed entirely. Thousands were crushed or buried beneath the ruins.
"Amanata above..."
"Is this divine punishment? How could anyone defeat such an enemy?"
At that moment, it no longer mattered whether the dragon was truly the Sun God’s envoy—or whether the Ember Empire was the rightful heir of Fadalan.
Kai Xiusu had proven one thing: he could destroy Isengard in an instant.
The red dragon descended slowly, wings blotting out the sky, landing atop the city. With massive claws, it gripped the ruined wall.
“Whirr—”
A high-pitched shriek of metal under pressure echoed through the air. The iron fortress groaned, bending under the dragon’s weight.
Yet the soldiers on the wall stood frozen in terror, trembling, some even collapsing unconscious beneath the sheer pressure of the dragon’s presence.
"God... God help us..."
"Amanata, protect us..."
The dragon’s golden eyes—larger than a man’s—locked onto them. Its voice, calm, cold, and final:
"Submission... or death."
Clang—clang—clang—
Weapons dropped. First a few. Then more. Then a chorus of steel hitting stone.
The banner of the sun lowered from the city tower. The imperial banner—flame and vertical pupil—rose in its place, fluttering in the wind.
Airship clusters hovered above the city, casting massive, jagged shadows that seemed to swallow the entire metropolis. The sight was surreal, uncanny.
Giant armors marched through the streets, their towering forms moving like living mountains. Each step shook the ground. They passed through the low buildings, their armored shells gleaming under the sun, drawing stares of fear and awe.
Imperial infantry marched in perfect formation, following officers’ commands, swiftly securing ammunition depots, banks, and other key locations.
"Boom—"
Armored vehicles rolled down the roads, machine guns mounted on their turrets, megaphones blaring:
"Imperial Military Occupation. Please remain indoors. Stay calm. Do not wander."
"Mother... I’m afraid. What if the Empire soldiers really do eat children’s souls?"
"Don’t fear, child. That’s just a rumor."
"But I heard..."
Such conversations echoed through homes across the city. The people of Isengard—once sheltered, once untouched by war—now cowered in their homes, trembling.
After all, the official propaganda of Thrace had painted the Ember Empire’s soldiers as greedy, brutal monsters.
Isengard, though on the border between Thrace and the Northern Aether region, had long been deep within the kingdom’s heartland. For decades, it had known peace. Even the wars in the south, the rebellions in the north, had only brought heavier taxes—never direct flames.
Now, the Ember Empire had arrived. And everything had changed.
"Boom—"
The earth groaned.
Outside the city, steam tanks roared across the plains. Wyverns soared through the skies. The Imperial Army poured through the Elbert Pass like a floodgate released, marching in full force into Thrace.
Isengard fell.
The full-scale war between the Ember Empire and the Kingdom of Thrace had begun.
...
Thrace Kingdom, August.
"Breaking news! Breaking news! The Ember Empire has declared war on the Kingdom of Thrace! Isengard has been captured!"
"What? Isengard is fallen?"
"Amanata above!"
"That was the north’s only gateway! The impregnable fortress—how could it be taken so easily?"
The army of the Ember Empire surged through Thrace like lightning, ravaging cities with terrifying speed. In August, panic gripped the capital. The empire’s forces felt like a colossal blade hanging over every head.
For the first time in nearly a century—since the Three Great Kingdoms’ civil war—there was a true foreign enemy at the gates of Fadalan.
(End of Chapter)
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