<
Chapter 559: Radiant Glory
"Roar—"
A long, resonant dragon's roar echoed across a hundred miles. The immense draconic pressure descended slowly, weighing down on the shoulders of the crowd, sparking a spontaneous reverence.
"Ssshh—"
The sound of air rupturing was followed by a howling gale.
The forty-meter-long Red Dragon beat his wings, stirring a scorching hurricane. Flames sparked as he soared atop the Isthalia Grand Altar.
Sunlight bathed his crimson scales, cloaking him in a faint, divine glow, like a god descending.
His broad wings blotted out the sun, casting massive shadows over thousands of imperial citizens below. Those beneath the shadow felt not fear, but excitement and pride.
In the Ember Empire, being under the wings of the Red Dragon symbolized glory and fortune—not death.
"Cassius above."
"Such an honor."
"His Majesty... he's right above me!"
Hundreds of thousands of eyes were fixed on that magnificent, imposing dragon body with awe and reverence.
Among the shadowed crowd was a hooded half-elf disguised as a merchant—the double agent Richard, spy for both the Empire and the Harpists.
At this moment, he stared blankly at the dragon in the sky, expression complex, as if he'd lost his soul.
"Cassius above..."
After years undercover in the Empire, the phrase had become his reflexive mantra.
Years ago, at that coronation which shook the continent, Richard had realized one thing—the Red Dragon, the Ember Emperor, was beyond mortal defeat.
He knew he'd never defeat this "enemy" in his lifetime, much less take revenge. His only wish now was to rescue Abil and live a quiet life with her in the south.
But just now, Richard witnessed something that crushed his last hope—
On the altar stood a familiar figure: tall, green-eyed, pointed-eared—
It was her. Abil. The elven ranger from Therenia. The one he'd dreamed of countless times.
But now she stood atop the Isthalia Grand Altar, looking up fanatically at the Red Dragon, awaiting the Emperor's blessing.
Richard dared not show his despair too plainly. He forced a smile—any slip might get him labeled a spy and sold for gold.
In the Empire, this had even become a profession. Spies were affectionately called "Fifty Golds."
"No... this can't be..."
Richard turned pale. His trembling voice was drowned in the crowd's cheers.
"Long live Emperor Cassius!"
"Long live the Empire!"
"For the Great Red Dragon!"
Amid the roaring crowd, Richard felt only silence. That distant figure blurred, and a buzzing filled his ears.
He saw the elf on the altar cheering too, her face flushed, eyes fervent, indistinguishable from the citizens around her.
According to the half-dragon herald, Abil was a "reformed example," the first elf to join the Empire.
She'd been brainwashed!
Richard recalled a quote he'd seen in the Empire Daily:
"The blessed shall have their soul sanctified, remaining loyal to the Empire for eternity, ever following the great Ember Emperor."
"No, Abil... you can't become his vassal."
Richard murmured, stretching out a hand as if to reach her, but she only gazed skyward in devotion.
He knew—if he disrupted the ceremony, he'd be imprisoned, and Abil would suffer too.
But if he stood idle, she'd become the Emperor's soul-slave, lost forever.
"Abil... don't."
A suffocating sense of helplessness overwhelmed him, like an invisible hand choking his throat.
Once, he'd been spirited, contracting with a wild fairy, believing himself a hero who'd save the world.
But now he knew—he was just a mortal with no power over fate.
Before the behemoth Ember Empire, before a godlike Emperor, he was but dust.
Raising his head to the sky, eyes filled with despair, he stared at the dragon's massive wings.
"No..."
Yet in this sacred moment, with everyone admiring their Emperor, no one noticed Richard's anguish.
The ceremony continued. The Emperor remained suspended above, like the sun, unmoved by mortal will.
"Roar—"
The Red Dragon roared again.
This time, the roar shook heaven and earth, echoing across all of Anzeta, making all beings tremble and gaze toward Isthalia.
Cassius spread his nearly sixty-meter wingspan. Flames burst from their edges, billowing outwards.
The sky seemed torn apart by the blazing wings spanning thousands of meters.
"Swoosh—"
He beat his wings slowly. Firelight poured across Isthalia, filling the air with searing heat.
"It is time."
Cassius summoned the full power of his bloodline. His burning heart pounded, ancestral dragonblood surged, and sulfurous smoke erupted from his vents.
Light gathered through his body, focusing at his chest, condensing into the Dragon Crystal.
Now the Red Dragon hung in the sky, casting radiant brilliance, eclipsing the sun, like a second sun itself.
The crowd squinted under the blinding glow, yet continued to pray with utmost piety.
"Cassius above."
"Praise the Ember Emperor!"
"His Majesty is the Empire's eternal sun!"
Then, Cassius's voice thundered across the world, echoing like a storm over the vast wastelands.
"As the Ember Emperor, I hereby declare—those who oppose the Empire, I shall grant them annihilation!"
"Swoosh—"
As he finished, a deafening blast rang out. Meteor-like flames descended into the crowd.
Several panicked "people" were hit. Their flesh ignited, revealing demon forms, which burned to ashes amid their screams.
The flames incinerated only hidden demons, sparing everyone else.
"There were demons among us!"
"Thank goodness His Majesty saw through them!"
"Praise His Majesty! Praise the Ember Emperor!"
They didn't know the truth: Cassius had allowed those demons into the city to stage this moment.
In the crowd, Richard wiped cold sweat. He feared the Emperor had sensed his rebellious thoughts.
But no, he was just overly nervous.
A being like that wouldn't care about a tiny ranger like him.
The thunderous voice continued. The air quivered. The slain demons were but a footnote.
"And those loyal to the Empire—I shall grant them supreme glory, eternal power!"
Beams of light shot from the sky like bridges connecting heaven and earth, enveloping those on Isthalia's altar.
"No..."
"Abil..."
Watching her figure blur, Richard collapsed into despair. His outstretched hand dropped, eyes dimming.
Cassius clenched his claw. Ancestral dragonblood power surged explosively.
He had refined much of this blood. This blessing would bring power unmatched—enough to make some vassals true dragons.
[Bloodline Blessing]
Instantly, through the beams of light, Cassius linked body, mind, and soul with his vassals.
"Ah..."
All on the altar dropped to their knees, curling into themselves.
Crimson scales surfaced beneath their skin. Sulfurous smoke erupted from mouths and noses. Horns sprouted from foreheads. Those with rich bloodlines changed dramatically.
Duke Dolo knelt, sweating as white steam rose. His back bulged like a volcano, ready to burst.
Gritting his fangs, smoke hissed between teeth as his transformation wracked him.
"Riiip—"
Skin tore. The hobgoblin arched his back, arms spread wide, roaring in agony.
New dragon wings burst from his back, soaked in blood, scattering droplets.
Panting heavily, the now nearly four-meter Dragonblood Hobgoblin rose, stirring scorching wind.
"Roar—"
A dragon-like howl.
The Dragonblood Ogre atop the altar also let out a deep growl, still half-kneeling, over three meters tall.
Langpu's body swelled with every breath, scales thickening.
Bulges formed on his back. Something stirred within.
Again, flesh tore. Two meaty wings sprouted, flapping with buzzing sound—but didn't lift him off the ground.
Now nearly ten meters tall, Langpu resembled a mountain.
Yet his wings were barely a meter long—more decorative than functional.
"Roar—"
Feeling his dragon power surge, the ogre opened his fanged maw and roared in joy.
But then he noticed his stubby wings and the airborne hobgoblin's ecstatic smile—and froze.
"Uhh..."
Beside him, Tiefling Medrolash also half-knelt, groaning.
Having missed a prior blessing, his dragonization lagged behind Dolo and Langpu.
Under the light, smoke poured off him. His red skin bulged with scales as infernal blood clashed with ancestral dragonblood.
His ram-like devil horns bent backward, morphing into swept-back red dragon horns.
His devil tail thickened, grew scales and ridges, transforming into a dragon tail.
"Roar—"
White Dragon Tinia howled.
She squirmed shamelessly on the ground, wings flailing wildly.
Worried the blessing would clash with her white dragon blood, Cassius had removed some of the fire traits.
Even so, the sudden influx of power made her scream in agony.
Her massive body ballooned, bulking up toward the form of a Red Dragon rather than a slender white one.
Her wing membranes turned bluish, like burning metal, wider and longer, connecting far down her legs and tail.
"Roar!"
"For the Ember Empire!"
Amid fire-lit brilliance, the dragonblood nobles roared, growing scales and horns.
Their forms drew ever closer to the supreme symbol of the Empire—the Ember Dragon, Cassius.
"Great Red Dragon..."
"Such noble appearance! These dragonblood nobles grow ever stronger!"
"Even the lowest barons live over two centuries!"
"Yes! This is His Majesty's blessing. I hope one day I stand atop that altar too."
The people looked on in awe and longing at the transforming dragonblood nobles.
For to become one meant lifelong wealth and privilege in the Empire.
But among the crowd, one hooded man was in despair, voice hoarse.
"No, no...
Abil... you shouldn't become this."
Richard stared at the figure within the light beam, watching her transformation.
Horns, scales, claws sprouted from the once-proud elf. The new dragonblood elf cried out to the Red Dragon, a stranger to Richard.
But he knew he couldn't stop it.
After this blessing, he could never return south with Abil to a quiet life.
Thus, he had no choice.
All he could do was continue as a double agent for the Ember Empire, secretly guarding her while seeking a way to break the "curse."
"Abil... I will save you from this."
With that, Richard pulled down his hood. His clenched fists had turned white.
"Such ancestral dragonblood... those two Dukes' blood pressure nearly rivals a true dragon."
High above, at the heart of the flame-spanning wings, Cassius narrowed his eyes. A glint of anticipation sparkled in his golden pupils.
Lowering his head, he looked at the invisible authority in his claw and murmured, "Time to test... this new power."
"Crash."
He clenched his claw, and from the invisible authority burst torrents of law-force, scattering countless crystalline shards.
[God-Granted Authority]