Ember Dragon

"How could I ever repay such grace?"

"Let all the people worship together—glory to the great Red Dragon above!"

Stirred by a rousing melody, the air in Hektor City turned scorching. This city of iron and steel now resembled a colossal furnace.

Everyone lifted their heads to the sky. Flames swept across the heavens, gradually condensing into form.

First came the majestic head, then the body covered in hardened scales, the muscular limbs, the wings that blotted out the sun, and finally, the mountainous tail.

A crimson Red Dragon, hundreds of meters long, appeared above the city. With slow wingbeats, he cast an immense shadow over the entire square, radiating an overwhelming pressure.

The draconic might bore down upon every soul present, stirring reverence in their hearts, as if that dragon above was some divine being.

"It’s His Majesty Cassius!"

"Cassius above—His Majesty has truly appeared!"

"Praise the great Red Dragon! Loyalty! Devotion!"

Some pressed their hands together in devout prayer; others pounded fists to their chests in loyal salute; many fell to their knees in worship.

Whether human, ogre, hobgoblin, or tiefling—so long as they were citizens of the Empire—all wore expressions of reverence and fanaticism, their cries growing louder and more powerful.

"That’s His Majesty!"

"Long live the great Red Dragon!"

"Mama, is that... is that the Emperor Cassius, the Ember Emperor our teacher talked about?" Little Daniel timidly tugged at Irene’s dress, his face a swirl of fear, awe, and curiosity.

As a native citizen of the Empire, Little Daniel had heard about the Ember Emperor countless times through broadcasts, newspapers, and teachers’ praise. But this was the first time he had seen him in person.

Now, the image from his memory overlapped with the awe-inspiring being in the sky, branding an unforgettable mark in Daniel’s heart.

Irene too gazed skyward in reverence, silently praying "Bless us, His Majesty Cassius," while patiently explaining to her son, "Yes, child. That’s our Emperor. You must respect him, admire him, just like I do."

To citizens like Irene, long integrated into the Empire’s order, the Ember Emperor was more than just a ruler—he was the embodiment of the Empire itself, of victory, triumph, strength, and prosperity.

Even the citizens themselves didn’t realize it, but their faith in the Ember Emperor had already permeated every aspect of life—far more deeply than any god in the past thousand years.

From an unseen vantage, countless sparks of faith rose into the sky, converging on the dragon’s phantom form, making it glow holier, mightier, radiant with divine brilliance.

Upon the high walls of Hektor City, bipedal wyverns stood watch atop every tower. When they saw the Red Dragon’s form, they lifted their heads and howled in unison.

"Roooar—"

Amid praise, prayers, and the stirring rhythm of the "Cassius Anthem", the Red Dragon in the sky finally opened his mouth, his voice booming like thunder.

"My people! My loyal warriors! Right now, I stand beside the Empire’s glorious banner, gazing at the dark clouds rolling across the southern horizon.

The Thrace have shamelessly torn our peace treaty, their cavalry trampling our wheat fields, their blades piercing the throats of our border sentries. Their king even dared to claim—our Ember Empire shall be burned to ashes by the wrath of the Sun God, and our people are only fit to be their slaves!"

[Silver-Tongued Orator] skill activated, stirring the emotions of those in over a hundred cities and everyone present.

In truth, the so-called "Thrace invasion of the Empire" was merely a response to the Empire’s rapid expansion, which even the Thrace border guards couldn’t react to in time.

As for Wilhelm’s "blasphemous rant," that part was real—it had indeed been spoken in a fit of rage within the palace, eventually picked up by imperial intelligence and repurposed for Cassius’s speech.

As soon as Cassius finished that line, the crowd erupted in fury. People waved their arms, fired into the sky, and screamed in outrage.

The square descended into chaos, and the City Guard worked hard to maintain order.

"Damn southerners!"

"Shameless!"

"The Thrace have broken their word! They must pay!"

"That so-called king dared to insult His Majesty and shame our Empire—hang him!"

The Red Dragon in the sky swept his pale golden slit pupils across the crowd and solemnly asked, "Comrades, shall we sit idle—watching the Thrace ride upon our backs?"

"No! No!"

The crowd roared in response, the impassioned cries shaking the skies and echoing through the city.

Amid the growing uproar, Irene nervously clutched her young son, shielding him from panic. "Don’t be scared, child. They’re just expressing their anger."

But Irene was surprised to see Little Daniel shake his head firmly. "Mama, I know. Our teacher told us—all those southerners are shameless bastards."

His eyes sparkled. "One day I’ll be a great hero like Daddy, drive away all the bad guys! I’ll become a Dragonblood Noble and serve His Majesty Cassius!"

Then Daniel pumped his little fists and shouted in his soft voice, "No!"

Watching his clear young face twist into anger far beyond his years, Irene felt a mix of pride and sorrow.

Two kilometers away in the slums, children clung to fences with faces full of righteous fury, even throwing stones southward. "Make the Thrace pay!"

"Yeah! Fight them!"

"Burn those shameless bastards to ash!"

Through the Dragon Eye, Cassius looked down upon the furious crowds of hundreds of cities and nodded in satisfaction. "My people, I can no longer tolerate the arrogant Thrace!

They hoard rich lands, enjoy blessings others never touch, and hide behind their gods while pushing us to the world’s edge!"

Cassius’s tone shifted to even greater passion, igniting blood and fire in every listener’s heart.

"But now, times have changed! Airship fleets tremble the skies! Tank legions shake the earth! The Ember Empire’s firepower will blast away all that is old and rotten!"

"Look!"

"Cassius above!"

Cries of awe rose as Cassius spoke.

Across many cities, fleets of airships darkened the skies, casting immense shadows. Around them, wyverns clad in "Skyfire" armor spread steel wings, shrieking through the sky, trailing white lines.

Far across the wastelands, steam tanks rampaged like mobile mountains over the plains.

In the Storm Highlands, giant fences rose as earth dragons enhanced by genetic serums howled toward the heavens with thunderous roars.

"Roooar—"

Once no larger than twelve meters, these beasts now averaged twenty, with some nearing twenty-seven meters after biological modifications.

Every dragon-beast wore heavy bio-armor, belching thick steam, with terrifying cannons mounted on their backs—like walking fortresses.

At last, under countless eyes, the doors of the secret arsenal creaked open. Gigantic machine-golems crafted by the Machine God cult slowly marched out.

These towering machines stood nearly twenty meters tall, painted in all sorts of fearsome colors. They marched with steady steps, making the earth quake as they headed south.

"That’s our army? Is Daddy there too?"

Little Daniel pointed at the image of endless troops with sparkling eyes full of longing.

Irene didn’t have the heart to shatter his fantasy. She wove another sweet lie: "Yes, your Daddy is a proud soldier of the Empire—he’s in there."

Daniel grew more curious. "What does he do? Is he a Wyvern Rider? A tank commander? Or maybe he drives those big iron guys?"

Irene patted his head and smiled. "It’s been a long time since Daddy came home. Mommy doesn’t know what he does now."

Suddenly Daniel clapped. His eyes lit up. "I get it! Those big iron guys are the Empire’s secret weapons! Daddy must be part of that—that’s why he can’t visit us!"

"I told you Daddy’s a great hero! See those big iron guys? That’s my Dad!"

The nearby children looked on with envy and admiration, making Daniel stand proudly, hands on his hips.

Watching her ecstatic son, Irene forced a smile. She still didn’t know how much longer she could hide the truth of her husband’s death—but she hoped Daniel could grow up with hope.

"Holy crap, is that a Gundam?!"

"How are there so many?!"

"Am I in the wrong genre? Weren’t we promised swords and magic? Where the hell am I?!"

Even local citizens of the Empire, let alone the players, were stunned by the blend of magic and tech.

Empire researchers had spent years secretly developing these weapons. Most of the gold earned by arms sales worldwide had flowed into hundreds of military institutes.

These top-secret military projects were unknown to most players—only imperial officials of count rank and above got advance intel.

But now, to wage war against the Kingdom of Thrace, the Ember Empire finally revealed all its strength.

In the sky, the massive Red Dragon continued his speech, voice impassioned and majestic. He clenched his huge claw into a fist and swung it forward.

"My people, we wield unimaginable power. We will tear down all and rebuild a new order across this world! One where all imperial citizens can live good lives!

The tide of history surges forward! The age of the Empire is coming! We don’t just want land beneath the sun—we want a newborn world!"

At last, Cassius raised his head high, spread his vast wings, and roared, "Here and now, in the name of the Ember Emperor—I declare war on the Kingdom of Thrace!"

"War!"

"Long live the Empire!"

The Red Dragon’s voice turned into a thunderous roar, spreading across the Empire’s 15 million square kilometers, echoing over the continent of Faenso, the Underdark, and even through the multiverse.

At that moment, bolstered by Cassius’s charisma and the Empire’s terrifying military power, players and locals alike—humans and tieflings, dukes and commoners—

Regardless of race, class, or age, nearly every citizen of the Empire erupted into a passionate cheer—for their shared Emperor, and for the seemingly inevitable victory to come.

Even little Daniel jumped up, waving his tiny fists, cheering nonstop.

"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"

"Hail Emperor Cassius!"

"Long live the Ember Empire!"

After ten years of tireless ideological indoctrination by the propaganda ministry, something had already taken root in the blood of every imperial citizen.

And now, awakened by Cassius’s speech, that something—rooted in blood and bone—was unleashed.

In that instant, the entire Empire roared to life like a waking dragon!

Through hundreds of golden slit pupils, Cassius watched the jubilant crowd and felt endless power surge into his body—both spirit and faith.

Now, he stood only one step away from true godhood.

But Cassius knew—this final step was one countless others had sought for millennia and failed. He must prepare flawlessly to avoid sharing the fate of the Fadlan Emperor.

The Red Dragon lowered his head and extended a claw. In his palm appeared an image of the Tower of the Eternal Sun, radiant with holy light.

He murmured, "The legacy of Holy Fadlan... it will be mine."

Though he spoke of an "easy victory" in his speech, both Cassius and the Empire’s upper echelon treated the Kingdom of Thrace with grave seriousness, and had studied all three major kingdoms for years.

As the saying goes: "Despise your enemy strategically, but respect them tactically."

Though the Sun God’s power waned and Thrace was no longer at its peak, it remained a formidable foe.

Within its vast borders lay devastating weapons left by the Fadlan Empire, dozens of legendary-level champions, and even demigod-class entities.

Behind King Wilhelm lurked Zariel’s shadow. As ruler of Avernus and commander of the Blood War for nearly a millennium, she would be no easy adversary.

Yet to Cassius, while victory may not be easy—it was inevitable.

"Boom—"

Steam tanks and airship fleets roared. Portals opened. As the Ember Empire’s armies surged southward, Cassius soared over Dragonblood Mountain with a fearsome grin.

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