Chapter 800: Confrontation Between Ancestral Dragons
Immediately, two Dragon Claws shot forth from the terrifying wounds, each gripping the edges of the fissure on opposite sides. Both massive claws exerted force in opposite directions—slow, deliberate, yet radiating a power capable of shattering the very fabric of reality. The massive muscles beneath their hides bulged and tightened like coiled steel, unleashing a low, thunderous roar that echoed through the Abyss like the world itself groaning in agony.
“Ssssshhhh—”
A horrific sound split the sky, a sound like the universe crying out in despair. The crimson gash widened further under the relentless tearing of the claws, violently distorting space. It was as if a thick curtain of reality had been torn apart by immense, opposing forces—ripped open into a gaping void. From within, a furnace-like golden glow burst forth, blinding and searing.
Ash drifted through the air, scattered like dying embers, drifting down like a funeral shroud.
“ROOOOAAARRRRR—!”
A roar that shook the spiritual soul dimension thundered from the rift, carrying the stench of sulfur and purgatory. From within, a colossal figure emerged—the manifestation of an ancient, terrifying might.
It was a Red Dragon, its body stretching nearly eighty meters in length—nearly twice the size of the Primordial Green Dragon. First came its massive, fearsome head, crowned with four retracted horns like a tyrant’s diadem. Its pale golden vertical pupils burned like molten lava balls, chilling the blood of any who dared meet their gaze.
Then came its thick, muscular neck, followed by a spine of towering, jagged spines, each one a vivid, dazzling hue, forming a vast, billowing sail of death.
But only when the full form of the Emperor of the Ashen Flame was revealed did the sheer scale of his presence truly inspire despair. Every scale on his body was forged like prison iron—deep red, nearly black, yet glowing with molten gold veins pulsing with internal heat. His mountainous torso, vast wings that blotted out the sky, and serpentine tail, coiling and undulating through the air—this was no exaggeration, but pure, undeniable truth.
As his broad wings flapped, waves of flame spread across hundreds of meters, rising and falling like a storm-wracked sea.
“God…”
“By Tiamat’s side!”
“Eternal Lord of Light, protect us!”
At that moment, followers of both the Sun God and the Mother of Monsters stood frozen in awe, their faces slack with disbelief. The sight before them—this living miracle descending from the heavens—had left them utterly stunned.
How could such a dragon exist in this world? He was the very embodiment of raw power and calamity. Even if Tiamat herself descended, she could not surpass this—such blasphemy flickered through the minds of many dragon cultists.
Some, overwhelmed by the dragon’s sheer might, fell to their knees in pious reverence, their hearts filled with worship. They were on the verge of abandoning their faiths to join the Ember Cult, so profound was their awe.
“Amanata above… I made the right choice,” Adrian murmured, watching the Red Dragon from the sky. Even he, who had once stood before the Emperor, trembled with fear—and yet, a flicker of relief stirred within him.
If this Emperor had sided with Tiamat… the people of Seleucus would have had no hope at all. We would have been crushed without mercy.
Meanwhile, the players from the Empire remained unmoved. They had witnessed Kai Xiusu descend countless times before. They were merely surprised by how much larger and more powerful he had become.
“Long live Kai Xiusu!”
“Tch, still showing off, huh? That entrance sequence’s getting more dramatic every time.”
“Long live the Emperor! Empire forever!”
Far above in the forest canopy, Erebus had already withdrawn all his strength. His narrow, vertical pupils fixed on the Sea of Flames, where the Red Dragon now stood. His gaze, cold and calculating, burned with ancient malice. Even after thousands of years, this Red Dragon ranked among the three largest beings he had ever encountered.
But the Emperor was in his prime—while the other two were ancient Red Dragons long buried in the Outer Planes, their lives near their end. Whether they still even lived was uncertain.
As a Primordial Green Dragon, Erebus knew: in this Third Era, where the Five-Colored Dragon bloodline had been reduced to its lowest point, achieving such a size was no small feat. His strength was undeniable.
From the sheer magnitude of the Emperor’s arrival, Erebus could already sense his immense physical power—and at least a Legendary-level spellcasting ability.
Yet, though he deeply respected the foe, Erebus felt no fear. He was confident—overconfident, even.
After all, he was Tiamat’s Chosen One. An Ancient Green Dragon blessed with a Divine Body, inheriting her cunning, cruelty, and malice. He believed his lineage and depth of power far surpassed that of this young Red Dragon, who had only recently emerged from obscurity—just a few decades old.
“Hybrid Dragon,” Erebus hissed, his voice a dry rasp, as if spoken from the deepest abyss. “You possess natural talent, a bright future… but tell me—do you truly wish to stand against Queen Tiamat? To become the enemy of the entire Five-Colored Dragon race? A traitor to your own blood?”
His words carried an aura of intimidation so potent, even the cultists trembled in fear, their hearts seized by panic.
“Hah…”
Kai Xiusu, however, showed no fear. Instead, he let out a mocking laugh—contemptuous, disdainful.
The colossal Red Dragon slowly flared his wings, moving forward with calm, deliberate grace. His towering form loomed over the Primordial Green Dragon, his golden eyes fixed upon the creature above the forest.
“Erebus… you’re wrong. I fight only for my Empire. I have never submitted to any power—neither the Five-Colored Dragons nor the Metal Dragons. And especially not—”
A cold, sharp glint flashed in his golden eyes.
“—you, a pitiful servant. Not even Tiamat herself, if she were to stand before me, would have the right to demand my submission.”
“SWOOSH—!”
The Red Dragon fully unfurled his wings. Instantly, a crushing aura of draconic might erupted outward—scorching winds, stretching for dozens of kilometers, instantly overwhelming the Primordial Green Dragon’s presence.
“You dare speak such blasphemy?” Erebus roared in fury. Poisonous mists swirled from his mouth, cold winds lashing forward, clashing against the Red Dragon’s blazing thermal column.
Two titanic forces collided. The clash was immediate, fierce, and utterly balanced. At their edges, flame and toxic smoke writhed together, mingling with mud and ash, producing eerie, unnatural spell reflections—emitting a sickly emerald-green fire.
Many humans fell silently to the ground, dead before they even realized what had happened.
And yet, the two mighty Ancestral Dragons—each a force of legend—remained separated by several kilometers, locked in a silent, unyielding stare. Neither would retreat.
Kai Xiusu laughed again, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “Blasphemy? My dictionary has no such word. I only know this: you seek to harm my followers. You seek to kill my Empire’s citizens.”
Erebus spoke coldly, “The Dragon Worship Church has never trespassed into the domain of the Ashen Empire. It is you who came from afar, supporting a group of traitorous rebels, undermining our leadership—and destroying the Mother Goddess’s altar!”
Kai Xiusu shook his head. “Rebels? Please. They are our allies. If you wish to eliminate them, you’ll have to ask my Empire first.”
Erebus spat, “Do not forget your nature, Kai Xiusu! No matter what, you are a Five-Colored Dragon—Tiamat’s bloodline. No matter how much you rebel, that truth will follow you for eternity. It cannot be erased!”
“Leave now, young Red Dragon. Queen Tiamat offers you a chance to repent. I still regard you as kin.”
“So you want to play the bloodline card?” Kai Xiusu’s lips curled into a cruel smile. He glanced at the Primordial Green Dragon with utter contempt. “When Tiamat sought to plunder my bloodline, she never thought I was her descendant. And especially not—”
He paused, his grin widening.
“You, you ugly, green-skinned lizard… do you really believe you’re fit to stand beside me? To call yourself my kin?”
“Y—you—” Erebus choked, his face darkening with rage. He had no words. His fury burned like a storm within, yet he could not strike back.
This was not how Ancestral Dragons spoke to one another! This Red Dragon was impossibly arrogant—so full of himself, so utterly dismissive!
These hybrid beasts should all be eradicated.
“Then let us settle this in battle,” Erebus growled, his eyes now ice-cold, filled with hatred and malice.
The exchange ended in silence—tense, heavy, suffocating. But Kai Xiusu’s true purpose was not to fight yet. He used this moment to study his enemy.
【Lord of the Mire – Erebus (Challenge Level: 35)】
The Green Dragon stretched forty-five meters long, its body emaciated and twisted, wrapped in mud and vines like an ancient, living tree. Among Green Dragons, this was already an extraordinary size—but in the presence of the Red Dragon, it was nothing.
In melee combat, Kai Xiusu had full confidence in crushing him.
But what truly intrigued him was Erebus’s spellcasting ability.
The Primordial Green Dragon gripped a massive Dragon Bone Staff in one claw. His claws, neck, and ankle joints were adorned with powerful magical gear—every scale’s gap filled with trinkets and relics. Dozens of items in total, at least two dozen, each of Legendary grade or higher.
Another wealthy old dragon.
Kai Xiusu could also sense a hidden profession within Erebus—similar to his own True Dragon Mage and Elemental Master. At the very least, he possessed Legendary spellcasting ability.
But the most valuable thing was the Eyes.
Those narrow, icy vertical pupils swirled with greed and cunning, their depths flickering with an unnatural green light—dark, corrupt, yet radiating a power of terrifying rank.
Undoubtedly, this was Divine Power.
As one of Tiamat’s anchor points in the mortal realm, these eyes continuously generated demonic divine energy. They granted Erebus the Essence of Immortality—making him a true Semi-God.
So long as his Primordial Source remained intact, untouched by higher-tier powers, he could rebuild his body even after being utterly destroyed.
Another tough opponent. A crafty old serpent.
But to Kai Xiusu, now, after battling countless Divine Avatars, this Primordial Green Dragon was no longer a true threat—just a slightly troublesome nuisance.
After a few breaths of silence, Erebus moved first.
He clenched his Dragon Bone Staff, pointing it toward the Red Dragon. His hollow eyes flared with immense magical power, rippling through the air, creating a violent spell turbulence that warped the surroundings.
With a mouth dripping with foul, acidic water, Erebus roared in ancient Dragon Tongue:
“Silence Breath (Dragon Tongue)!”
A roar split the sky. A torrent of undead energy poured forth like a hanging emerald-green waterfall, roaring toward the Red Dragon Emperor. Even a single wisp of its afterglow could erase a legendary warrior.
But Kai Xiusu remained calm. He swept his wings, summoning a storm of fire. The golden-red flames collided with the undead energy in midair—exploding violently, annihilating each other in a cascade of fire and smoke.
“ROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR—!”
Erebus roared again. The Dragon Bone Staff blazed with power. In an instant, a barrage of spells erupted:
【Wail of the Banshees】
【Energy Drain】
【Withering Spell】
【Greater Cursing】
【Undead Cataclysm】
The sky screamed with the banshee’s cry. Thousands were struck by agony, collapsing and dying in pain.
Dark, eerie spelllight wove through the air. From the swamp, undead rose—Bone Dragons, Skeleton Flying Dragons—crawling from the mud, howling in agony as they charged toward the Red Dragon.
But Kai Xiusu extended his claw. A beam of pure, orderly light erupted from his tip—cutting through the air like a sword. Magic Wastage.
It annihilated every necromantic spell in an instant.
As skeletons swarmed him from all directions, Kai Xiusu didn’t even glance. He simply clenched his right claw—releasing an invisible shockwave. The undead monsters shattered into dust, scattering across the ground.
“Such crude, brutal tactics,” Erebus muttered, not even disappointed. He merely sneered.
Of course. At this level, both sides had near-impenetrable spell resistance. Ordinary spells could never harm them. This was merely the opening probe—testing tactics, spellcasting, searching for weaknesses.
In the tiny cracks of error, the master would strike. That was Erebus’s standard method.
The Primordial Green Dragon raised his staff once more, unleashing a new volley:
【Mana Binding】
【Weaken Elemental Resistance】
【Annihilation of Treasures】
【Soul Sealing Mark】
【Shadow of the Wicked Soul】
A storm of spells shot forth. From the earth, monstrous, malevolent spirits rose—screaming, clawing their way toward the Red Dragon.
“Boring,” the Red Dragon Emperor scoffed. He flared his wings, his scales glowing with molten red light. Every spell that struck him shattered instantly, dissolving into nothing.
He advanced—unfazed, unbothered—charging straight toward the Primordial Green Dragon, ignoring the storm of magic crashing against him.
(End of Chapter)
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