https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-832-Awakening-in-the-Volcanic-Depths/13677774/
Chapter 831: Followers of the Dragon
[Your Life Force form has been greatly enhanced, advancing toward transcendence beyond the material realm. You have gained Semi-God Abilities: Divine Perception, Faithful Prayer, and Divine Bestowal.]
Divine Perception: A Semi-God can perceive all observable events occurring around their Followers through the threads connecting them.
Faithful Prayer: Often mistaken by ignorant Mortals as a true Deity, many Semi-Gods walked the Earth during the Second Age, drawing worship from countless Followers. Because you receive their prayers, you gather Faith Power—and in return, you are able to grant them a response.
Divine Bestowal: Through the bond of Faith, you may bestow up to a Second-Level Divine Spell and protective blessings upon your Followers.
"Still just a Semi-God," Kai Xiusu muttered, staring at the information on his Character Sheet. "Only capable of granting second-tier Divine Spells."
Second-Level Spells—such a distant concept to him now. In the battles he now faced, against Semi-Gods with Challenge Ratings exceeding thirty, even eighth- or Ninth-Ring Level spells often failed to make a difference. But for Mortals, their enemies were mere bandits, beasts, and harsh natural forces. For them, a Second-Level spell could mean the difference between life and death—perhaps even the turning point of fate.
"Then let me try," Kai Xiusu calmed himself, focusing his will, and began to activate the three new Semi-God abilities.
Instantly, countless threads of shimmering light—thin, glowing filaments of Faith—sprang into existence within his mind, cascading like willow branches toward every corner of the Empire. Some blazed brightly, others flickered faintly, their intensity determined by the strength of Faith and emotion behind each connection. Each thread led to a living, breathing Follower.
Kai Xiusu selected one of the brighter, pulsing threads—its light flashing with urgency—and willed his consciousness into it.
A desperate cry, a fervent prayer, flooded into his mind.
---
At the same moment, deep within the Anzeta Great Wasteland, Eastern Northern Lands.
"Kai Xiusu above!" A howling gale, the Northern Wind, sliced through the air like a blade of ice, lashing the exposed skin of a lone man, leaving stinging wounds in its wake.
"Damn this weather! If Emperor Kai Xiusu were here, he'd banish this blizzard in an instant!"
The man had no power to fight back. He could only bow his head and pray to the one who, in his heart, was truly omnipotent—the Emperor.
His name was Benni, a merchant from the northern reaches of Anzeta, who traded coal with factories in the city. But after a sudden blizzard, his caravan had been wiped out—only this single wagon remained.
Crouched in the lee of the wagon, Benni trembled, his fingers numb, barely able to grip his whip. He peered out through the storm, breath ragged, his mouth exhaling clouds of white vapor. Fear clawed at his chest.
Far off on the snow-dusted slope, a pair of glowing green eyes fixed on him. A chorus of chilling howls rose from the wind, and a foul, sickly stench seeped through the storm's veil, pressing forward like a living thing.
The horse reared, neighing in panic.
Frost Wolves. Monsters born of the blizzard itself. To the people of the Northern Regions, they were reapers of the snowstorm.
Benni’s heart stopped. Blood seemed to freeze in his veins. He shot upright, pressing his spine against the cold, hard wood of the carriage—his only shield, his only hope.
"No... not like this," he croaked, voice raw and cracked. Despair threatened to swallow him whole.
From the ridge, the largest frost wolf raised its head and let out a long, echoing roar. The others answered instantly, charging forward across the snow, surrounding him and his horse in a tightening ring. Their triangular eyes gleamed with hunger and greed.
Benni knew—he would be devoured. But what could he do?
Flee? The wheels were buried in frozen ground, as hard as iron. The wind blinded him. Where could he run?
Fight? His weapons were buried under snow. All he had was a whip. How could he face these brutal beasts?
Now, all he could do was pray.
Benni was a devout believer of the Emperor of the Ashen Flame. He had once witnessed, with his own eyes, the Emperor perform a miracle—dispelling darkness and cold, bringing warmth to a winter night no one had ever known before.
Before every journey, he would visit the Oath of the Dragon Sanctuary in the northern city, offering prayers to the Emperor, the protector of trade.
Now, with the last of his strength, he collapsed to his knees on the icy ground, ignoring the biting cold, hands clasped together, eyes shut tight. His voice, hoarse and desperate, sounded like a dying beast’s final cry.
"Praise the Emperor of the Ashen Flame!"
He flung his arms wide toward the storm-wracked sky—the vast, frozen expanse ruled by the Crimson Dragon Emperor, a being almost divine.
"Great Red Dragon, Supreme Emperor! I will give you everything—my life, my soul—just give me a way out! A path to live!"
The wind howled on, drowning his voice. The wolves no longer hid. They bared their fangs, snarling, lunging forward.
Benni closed his eyes, resigned to death. His wife’s smile, his child’s laughter—images of what he’d lost—flooded his mind, filling him with regret.
Maybe I shouldn’t have gone on this adventure...
He let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. King Kai Xiusu is Supreme. He rules ten million subjects. Why would he care about someone like me—a mere civilian?
Then—miracle.
No. More accurately, a miracle.
Deep within the fabric of fate, an invisible force descended upon Benni. Warmth surged through his body. The ice clinging to his clothes began to melt.
He slowly opened his eyes.
The wind had stopped. Time itself seemed to freeze.
Above him, a vast, hazy crimson silhouette hovered in the sky—its vertical pupils radiating dignity, like two regiments of golden fire, cutting through the cold wind.
He looked around.
The wolves—once frenzied, snapping and charging—were now frozen in place. Snarling mid-lunge. Leaping. Howling. All preserved in ice, transformed into statues draped in frost.
This... is true miracle.
The thought exploded in his mind like thunder. Excitement surged, overwhelming fear and despair. A regiment of Faith-fire ignited in his chest.
"It’s the Emperor!" he roared inwardly.
Then the wind returned. The wolves charged again, jaws wide, eyes blazing with fury.
Benni’s heart pounded. He felt it—the Emperor had granted him strength. A warm current pulsed through his fingertips.
Without thinking, he thrust his hand forward.
Boom!
A searing beam of light erupted from his palm, scorching through the air. It tore through the hides of several wolves, piercing their bodies, sending them howling in agony.
Second-Level Divine Spell—Scorching Ray.
The largest wolf, the so-called Wolf King, was struck directly in the head. Its skull cracked open, a blackened hole smoking from the impact. The beast collapsed, lifeless.
Benni stared at his trembling fingers, eyes wide with awe.
"You damned monsters! Look! The Emperor is protecting me! You’ll never feast on me!"
The wolves hesitated. Their eyes flickered with shock, fear. After a tense moment, they turned and fled—vanishing into the storm.
Benni collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, muttering again and again: "King Kai Xiusu blesses me. Thank you, Your Majesty."
Then, silence.
The storm ceased. The heavy clouds split apart.
A single beam of pale, crystalline dawn light pierced through the gray sky like a spear from the gods, slicing through the heavens and bathing the ravaged snowfield in radiant light.
Where it touched, frozen mud softened. Snow glinted blindingly white.
In the distance, the silhouette of a low ridge emerged beneath the morning glow.
And there, in the light of dawn, Benni slowly rose to his feet, facing south. His expression was one of pure piety. He had made his decision—he would spread this miracle far and wide, so that others might feel the Emperor’s grace.
"Praise the Great Red Dragon, Supreme Emperor, Guardian of Industry and Trade—Kai Xiusu!"
---
Anzeta Great Wasteland, Dragonblood Mountain.
Kai Xiusu felt one of the Faith threads grow brighter, pulsing with a deep red glow—evidence of overwhelming devotion. The Faith Power flowing through it surged, stronger than before.
He gave a slight nod, a satisfied smile forming on his lips.
"Not bad. Seems my Divine Bestowal still has value."
By using these Semi-God abilities, Kai Xiusu deepened his understanding of Divine Authority, nurturing his own Faith. With time, this could lead to the ultimate achievement—True Godhood.
He paused, then selected another thread—one tied to his Imperial Prime Minister, the Dragonline Ogre Lanpu.
In Thrace Governorate, Akalia City’s High Platform, Lanpu suddenly stood upright, his expression turning grave.
"This..." he murmured, unaware why, yet certain he’d heard a familiar voice from afar.
He scanned the empty sky, the wind, the ground—but saw nothing. No trace of the Red Dragon Emperor. No magical residue.
But then—power.
A Supreme, undeniable force descended upon him, instantly recognized.
Divine Power.
And within it—familiar, comforting, deeply personal.
"Master?" Lanpu’s eyes widened. His voice trembled. "You... you’re communicating with me like this? Have you transcended the Material Plane?"
Kai Xiusu’s voice echoed in his mind:
"I am still only a Semi-Deity. But what I stole from Tiamat has granted me great power. You must continue spreading Faith throughout the Empire. Expand my Church."
"Yes, Master!" Lanpu nodded fervently, his voice filled with emotion. "I will devote myself completely. I will make the Empire your theocratic realm. The Great Blueprint… it’s within reach!"
He was euphoric—already envisioning the day when Emperor Kai Xiusu would be deified, and the Empire ascended to radiant glory.
But Kai Xiusu only smiled.
"By the way, Lanpu… have you ever considered turning an Almost-God-level soul framework into a magical artifact?"
"What?" The Dragonline Ogre froze, stunned. After a long pause, he whispered, disbelief in his voice: "You mean… a Quasi-God’s spiritual soul?"
"Exactly. I’ll send the remaining fragments of Gorazdra’s soul to the Arcane Research Institute. You know what to do."
Lanpu’s eyes gleamed with a hunger not of flesh, but of knowledge—of power. To use a Quasi-God as a test subject? This was the dream of every spellcaster in history.
He suppressed his excitement, voice steady:
"Of course, Master. Myself and the scholars at the Imperial Arcane Institute will pour every ounce of effort into this. We will unlock the Mysteries of the Gods—and we will not fail you."
"Good," Kai Xiusu replied. "I expect great results."
He severed the connection.
Returning his focus to his Character Sheet, Kai Xiusu noticed another shift—his Elemental Control Ability had also advanced.
After consuming the Horn of Tiamat and claiming the strength of Thunder Tyrant Gorazdra, the ancient blue dragon, he still remembered the terror of that lightning breath. Even now, the memory sent a shiver down his spine.
But now—he possessed it.
Kai Xiusu clenched his Dragon Claw, and with a single thought, dark clouds swirled and twisted above, forming a monstrous, spiraling vortex that swallowed the sky.
Boom!
A deafening roar split the air. From the heart of the storm, a thick, suffocating bolt of electric light erupted—like a wrathful god swinging a sword, cleaving the earth.
The Red Dragon Emperor’s wings snapped open in the lightning’s glow. Every scale on his body sparkled with crackling arcs of electricity, blue light dancing across them. The air around him became a storm-lit forest of lightning, interwoven with raw, terrifying power.
Dozens of new lines of information flashed across his Light Screen.
[You have plundered the Divinity Aspect of Thunder Tyrant-Gorazdra. You now wield the unique, Destructive Thunder and Storm Power of the Ancient Blue Dragon.]
[Your Specialization Storm Giant’s Power ascends to a Legendary Feat: Mastery of Storms.]
Mastery of Storms
- Lightning Spear: Any spear or rifle in your hand becomes a thunderous weapon. You can also gather lightning into pure elemental energy weapons, dealing devastating blows.
- Command Storms: As master of storms, you can summon a massive, powerful storm (up to fifty kilometers in diameter) and control its movement.
- Stormwalker: You may freely fly through storms, untouched by wind, rain, waves, or any storm-born omens—lightning, thunder, divine wrath—none can harm you.
- Thunder Hell: Within a 300-meter radius around you, you create a purgatory of concentrated thunderbolts. Any creature entering this zone will be struck down by lightning or severely wounded.
- Electromagnetic Tyrant: As sovereign of storms, you command high-voltage currents, electromagnetic waves, and magnetic forces at will.
Lightning Breath: You can now unleash a powerful beam of lightning from your mouth—equal in strength to the full Thunder Breath of the Ancient Blue Dragon Thunder Tyrant-Gorazdra, with world-destroying power.
(End of Chapter)
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