The Ember Dragon Chapter 718: Zaril's Private Chambers - Novel Cool

Chapter 718: Zaril's Private Chambers

Boom!

Two Colossal Entities churned the molten lava pool, stirring the magma into a violent maelstrom, launching waves a hundred meters high. The aftermath was apocalyptic—everything in the surroundings was utterly consumed, leaving not even a single bone fragment behind.

"Spines!"

Zaril’s Greatsword ripped through the Spines, driving the blade with brutal force toward Kai Xiusu’s chest.

Kai Xiusu twisted violently, sparks of ember erupting across his body. The hardened scales on his hide screeched under the assault, cracking and flaking away as molten dragon blood arced through the air in a fiery spray.

The blade plunged into the Red Dragon’s left chest—grazing the pulsating, monstrous heart—but missed the vital core.

"Roar—!"

Kai Xiusu’s agonized roar tore through the sky, triggering a tsunami of molten lava that shattered the clouds above and summoned a storm of searing flame, powerful enough to rend the heavens.

Struggle. Twisting. Collision.

The dragon’s massive, thick wings swung through the magma, but their movements were sluggish, weighed down by the infernal mire.

"Zaril! I’ll kill you! You’ll pay for this!"

The Red Dragon’s roar was less a battle cry and more a desperate, helpless lament.

At that moment, the Song of the Abyss echoed louder across the sky—like the chant of cultists on the eve of apocalypse. The entire heavens turned crimson, bathed in blood-red light.

Even Kai Xiusu’s Sacred Day was swallowed by thick, murky clouds, its radiance extinguished. The world seemed utterly bereft of hope, transformed into a wasteland of eternal hellfire.

Cracks split across the Earth, gushing molten rock. The ground fractured into floating chunks, sinking endlessly into the abyss below, as if the world itself were dying.

The Black Sun hung high above, relentless and ravenous, devouring all nearby light, spewing forth endless crimson glow. The world was drenched in the will of hell, trembling beneath its oppressive weight.

More and more spatial rifts tore open in the sky. Legions of demons poured forth, their greedy, ravenous cries filling the air.

Their target: August.

Once the city was fully under demonic control, and its inner hellish array activated, Zaril’s transformation would accelerate—unstoppable.

"Amanata above, bless us! Save all the Thracians from hell’s torment!"

"For August! For Thrace!"

"Hold them back!"

The Thracians gripped their longswords and battle axes, raised their antiquated rifles. For honor. For homeland. For the last flicker of hope. They would fight to the death, refusing to yield to the demon army.

"Roar, struggle, Red Dragon! You shall meet your final end!"

Zaril laughed maniacally, twisting her longsword within the Red Dragon’s body. Molten dragon blood erupted like a geyser, cascading down in a torrential fountain.

"Kai Xiusu, your death will be the grandest feast as August falls into hell!"

As the Black Sun’s light engulfed the Earth, the oppressive pressure of hell intensified. Zaril’s form swelled, her blazing sky wings now vast enough to blot out the sun.

Then—Kai Xiusu’s eyes flared with inner fire. His arms tensed, veins bulging. The spined claw on his arm locked onto Zaril’s wrist with iron grip. The claw’s tip bore a blade sharp enough to sever reality itself.

In an instant, the Red Dragon unleashed every ounce of strength. Muscles rippled beneath his scales, each gap in his hide spewing streams of white-hot flame.

"Shua—!"

The claw descended like a scythe, a flurry of slashes severing Zaril’s arm from the Greatsword.

But in mere seconds, her arm was reborn—reformed by hellfire, stronger than before. The power of Avernus was feeding her, empowering her.

Zaril’s face twisted into a grotesque smile.

"Useless, Red Dragon. August’s fall is inevitable. You can never defeat me!"

With a flick of her wrist, a torrent of hellish energy surged forth, condensing into a far more terrifying Greatsword.

The weapon swept across the battlefield. Kai Xiusu felt the chilling pull of its destructive law and leapt into the air, wings flaring. Yet even so, the hellfire shockwave carved through the battlefield like a blade, leaving nothing but void.

"Boom—!"

Men who had been fighting the demon army vanished without a trace—not vaporized by heat, but torn apart by the very concept of judgment.

Where Avernus reigned, Zaril’s will was absolute. Only Kai Xiusu, a being of near-legendary existence, could barely resist.

"Look, Red Dragon—how powerless you are before hell! Surrender your soul! You are worthy to be my eternal servant!"

Zaril’s voice rang across the Earth like a storm wind.

Kai Xiusu gasped, muscles taut, scales leaking thick, sulfurous smoke. His pale golden vertical pupils gleamed with an eerie euphoria. He hadn’t felt this exhilarating sense of danger—teetering on the edge of death—since long ago.

He stared upward. The Black Sun had grown hazy, almost alive. It pulsed like a heartbeat. And on its surface, a single, massive eye slowly opened—watching.

A voice, wild with excitement, echoed in his mind:

"It’s almost time. That moment… that chance to kill Zaril!"

Good.

If he could just hold on a little longer, he and Bair would strike together. Kill the Duke of Hell. End this war.

If not… he would burn every last ounce of strength within him and flee—no matter the cost.

His breath grew urgent. His heart, pumping dragon blood, thundered in his chest.

"Roar—!"

The Red Dragon roared again, jaws wide, blood-stained maw gaping. He plunged toward Zaril in a deadly dive.

But Zaril suddenly pulled back, letting the dragon’s fangs sink into her left shoulder.

"Crack!"

As the dragon’s teeth pierced her armor, her hand shot up—slamming onto Kai Xiusu’s forehead. The inverted pentagram runes flared from her palm, spreading across his dragon scales.

"Do you think I desire your death? No… I want your submission."

Zaril sneered.

Under hell’s corruption, the Red Dragon writhed in agony. His will, his soul, fought desperately against the taint of Avernus. The dragon crystal in his chest blazed with a light ten thousand zhang high.

Zaril unleashed her Dominion Will. Her eyes flickered with madness, glowing with endless hunger.

She drove her Greatsword into the ground. Thick, black hell chains erupted from the magma, wrapping around the Red Dragon’s neck and wings.

Then, from beneath the earth, massive stone pillars rose—thick as ancient trees—forming a monstrous claw, ready to crush the dragon.

"Now… you have only one choice," Zaril whispered, her sword tip pressing against the dragon’s heart. "Fight for me… or feed my blade with your dragon soul."

With Avernus’s will amplifying her, Zaril was now utterly arrogant, mad with power. She sought not just victory—but to turn Kai Xiusu into her slave.

"Roar—!"

The Red Dragon bellowed, trembling violently. Hellfire began seeping from his scales, the signs of possession growing clearer. He was on the verge of becoming a prisoner of hell, a chained fire-ancient dragon.

But Zaril did not see it.

Deep within Kai Xiusu’s eyes—no sign of submission. Only anticipation. Only euphoria.

He had faced the will of the Bottomless Abyss before. How could he fear a mere soul enslavement?

He was waiting.

For the perfect moment.

And then—the eye on the Black Sun opened.

The world fell silent.

Then—a deafening hum.

The will of the Material Plane surged like a beast whose young had been stolen. It roared in fury, unleashing every ounce of strength against Avernus.

From the sky, a colossal figure emerged—tethered by chains, towering ten thousand meters high, his form shimmering and ethereal. He seemed determined to drag August from the depths of hell.

But the avatar of Avernus—its black, monstrous beast—devoured the city without mercy. The eye on the Black Sun now bled, its pupils red with rage.

The sky split open in terrifying rifts. The Earth trembled.

To suppress the rebellion, the will of Avernus had to withdraw its power from Zaril.

The Duke of Hell shrank instantly—her vast form collapsing, reducing to the size of a fallen angel.

That was the moment.

Kai Xiusu raised his head, his gaze locking onto Zaril with the cold, calculating look of a predator. He even licked his lips.

"Boom—!"

Dozens of spells activated simultaneously. Flames erupted from Kai Xiusu’s eyes—two blazing beams of crimson fire. His body became wrapped in a vortex of crimson dragon flame, swirling, coiling, rising.

The Red Dragon’s body swelled, expanding until it reached two hundred meters in length. A golden crown formed atop his head, radiating a terrifying aura of intimidation.

Each slow, deliberate beat of his wings sent storm winds across the Earth—like walking cataclysms.

Now, Zaril stood small before him. The Red Dragon loomed like a mountain of fire.

After enduring Avernus’s oppression for too long, it was time to unleash the rage he had held back.

A smile spread across Kai Xiusu’s face. He stared at Zaril and growled:

"I told you I’d make you pay!"

Before the words faded, a sonic boom tore through the air. Wind pressure surged. Kai Xiusu launched forward like a crimson comet.

"Boom!"

Zaril’s face darkened.

"Damn it… not now!"

She snapped her blazing wings open, channeling her hellish power to leap skyward, forming a thick, swirling column of hellfire smoke to evade the strike.

But Kai Xiusu’s crimson form tore through the sky. His massive claw slashed through the air—crushing down upon Zaril mid-flight.

"Boom!"

Zaril was driven deep into a stone wall, cracking it apart. Debris rained down. Burning feathers fell from the sky, reduced to ash.

She unfurled her wings, unleashing a searing flame shockwave. The cliff behind her melted into flowing magma, disintegrating completely.

But the dragon’s claw came down again—crushing her into the earth, then seizing her in a vice-like grip.

The tide had turned.

"Hahaha!"

Zaril spat dark red blood, but still laughed—wild, unhinged.

"Useless! Foolish Red Dragon! You can’t kill me! I am the Master of Avernus! When Avernus claims victory, when August is consumed by hell—I’ll make you suffer the worst torment imaginable! Kill me! Go ahead! Hahaha!"

Even now, trapped, she mocked him.

For beings from another realm, death in the Material Plane was not true termination.

"Is that so?"

Kai Xiusu smirked, tightening his grip.

"If you’re not afraid of death… Bair, it’s time!"

"Kill her!"

Bair’s voice crackled with ecstatic fury.

Hearing that name, Zaril’s face paled. Fear—real fear—flooded her eyes for the first time. She thrashed, shaking violently.

"No! No! I am the Duke of Avernus, appointed by the Lord of the Nine Hells! You cannot kill me! You will be at war with all of hell!"

Kai Xiusu squeezed harder.

"No matter. Soon, it won’t be. My beloved allies will reclaim the Iron Throne. And you will be replaced."

---

Avernus. Inner Ring of the Bronze Fortress.

Disguised as a Devil Attendant, Langli BaiTiao stared intently at his character sheet.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"It’s happening! The special quest—'Barge Into Zaril’s Palace, Summon the Great Demon Bair'!"

"Let’s go!"

Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang roared, downing a potion, roaring as his avatar swelled into a towering half-dragon giant—ramming the city gate with a thunderous "Boom!"

The four-member party burst into the inner ring of the Bronze Fortress!

"Seize the mortals!"

"Enemy!"

Devils armed with pitchforks swarmed in, screaming—but Avernus’s main forces were already deployed to the Material Plane. The fortress was dangerously underdefended.

Meanwhile, hundreds of other players across the fortress, having accepted the quest, shed their disguises and advanced toward the Inner Ring.

"Boom—!"

Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang smashed through the palace’s front doors like a living battering ram.

Langli BaiTiao and Lucky Emperor unleashed spell after spell, repelling demons from every direction.

Night Wolf arranged a ritual: mermaid oil candles, soul coins, hellstone eggs, and skulls were laid upon the ground. Lucky Emperor drew a hexagram ritual circle.

"Soul of Sin… shall fall into hell—"

"He is Lord of Avernus, mortal nightmare, the fire that extinguishes all hope—"

As the candles flared to life, the four chanted in unison, invoking the demon’s true name.

The wails of sin-spirits echoed through the palace—like a grand opera. Their runes on arms and chests blazed to life.

"Hahaha… finally! After centuries of humiliation… I am reborn!"

Hellfire roared to life. Flames surged upward, forming a towering, monstrous figure.

The demon was covered in crimson scales. Massive bat-like wings stretched behind him. Green poison dripped from his mouth, hissing as it hit the ground.

At his waist, a belt of twelve screaming angel heads pulsed with agony. In his hand—burning with hellfire—was a Greatsword.

This was Bair, the mighty Deep Hell Forgemaster, former Lord of Avernus.

"Mortal!"

"This… is…"

The invading demons froze in shock.

"Foolish traitor."

Bair snapped his fingers.

Lower-ranking devils were instantly consumed by hellfire, reduced to ash.

He grinned—a terrifying, toothy smile. Sulfur-white smoke poured from his mouth. His eyes—molten lava balls—burned with fury.

"Zaril… I’ve waited so long to take your life!"

"Boom—!"

With a roar, the Great Demon shattered every restriction, rampaging through the familiar palace, heading straight for Zaril’s private chambers.

(End of Chapter)

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