Chapter 742: Bloody Clash
"That's... a legendary spell! That red dragon is a legendary spellcaster!" Within the ranks of Avernus, an elderly devil warlock with a goatee cried out in astonishment as he sensed the surge of magical power.
"By the Lords of the Nine Hells! A reckless creature like a red dragon actually became a legendary mage!"
A legendary spellcaster, capable of casting mighty and awe-inspiring spells, is treated as a noble guest anywhere across the multiverse.
And this spellcaster was a sixty-meter-long colossal red dragon! Dragons already possess innate spellcasting—stacked with legendary magic, his power was simply unfathomable!
Kostchtchie took a step, and in an instant, a massive floating glacier formed midair. With each step, the ice expanded madly. He ran after the red dragon, turning the sky into a frozen wasteland.
Amidst the howling cold winds, Cassius spread his wings and twisted reality with his will, reversing the weather. Once again, the battlefield turned into a scene of clashing ice and fire, shrouded in thick smoke.
Within the smoke, the red dragon and Frost Giant chased and tore at each other. Savage claws and thick arms occasionally emerged—they were battling for control of the fight.
"Roar——"
Cassius let out a thunderous roar, flames surging from his throat, creating a sea of fire in the sky, melting all the glaciers before him.
The red dragon raised his head and howled, calling down burning meteors that rained toward the Frost Giant.
Kostchtchie stood on the glacier and swung his battleaxe with a diagonal slash.
"Swoosh——"
A several-hundred-meter-long ice blade sliced through the sky, cutting apart the meteors midair. They exploded or were instantly frozen.
"Insect, is this all you've got?" The Frost Giant King roared. Cold currents spread, and foul black mist flooded the area. That chaotic aura surged like a tide, trying to erode Cassius's mind.
"I can't let that Abyssal Will corrupt me!"
Cassius soared thousands of meters higher, a regal True Dragon Crown appearing above his head, releasing divine light that dispersed the incoming chaos.
The red dragon extended his claws. Runes of elemental authority flickered in his palms, distorting the space around him, forming massive flame vortexes.
—Summon Elemental Behemoths.
"Roar!!!"
Over a dozen lava giants wreathed in blazing fire surged out from the vortexes, raising massive flaming fists and leaping at the Frost Giant with wild roars.
Each elemental behemoth radiated scorching heat and overwhelming fire element power. Their strength rivaled that of average Balor demons—if unleashed, they could easily destroy a material realm kingdom.
Unfortunately, their opponent was a demigod-level Abyssal Lord.
"Elemental Behemoths? Using these primitive things against me—laughable!"
An icy-blue light flickered in Kostchtchie's eyes. Frost and snow poured from his massive form, turning everything white.
In just a breath, the elementals were frozen midair, then turned into frozen rocks and shattered on the ground.
But Cassius never intended to kill Kostchtchie with them—he just needed a moment's distraction.
Now, his goal was achieved!
The Frost Giant raised his axe, roared, and prepared to charge into the sky for close combat—only to see the sky suddenly light up as if ignited.
Radiant light poured down, bringing warmth and illumination. Glaciers melted, snow disappeared, and even the blizzards faded under the sunlight.
The glacier beneath Kostchtchie melted into boiling water. He summoned his Ice Throne and stood atop it, expression dark as he stared skyward: "That damned insect... he still has something like that?"
"That... that's..."
"Look!"
"By the Lords of the Nine Hells! That thing actually showed up here! I've never seen it before!" Devils all looked up in awe. Even Bael was stunned, his mouth agape.
In the blood-colored sky of Avernus, appeared something that never belonged here, never even existed in Hell—
The Sun!
Many low-ranking devils had never left Avernus in their lives, let alone been to the Material Plane. This was their first time seeing such a magnificent sight.
Humans, devils, and demons all raised their heads. A blazing sun hung high in the sky, its light melting snow and clearing smoke and fog from the battlefield.
After absorbing the Solar God's essence from Wilhelm, Cassius's control over solar power reached a new level.
Now, he was a composite of Fadlan's divine bloodline. Though not a demigod, he held immense divine power.
He could now create actual miniature celestial bodies—not just illusions!
Eternal Sun!
With the sun at his back, the red dragon slowly flapped his vast wings. Under the light, his form blurred, outlined by radiant golden edges.
At this moment, Cassius seemed like the sun's avatar—majestic and sacred. Even his pale golden eyes gleamed with divine brilliance.
He slowly opened his maw, a blinding light surging from his throat, surrounded by streams of flame.
Greater Sun Breath!
"Boom——"
The world froze for a moment—then golden flame surged like a waterfall, splitting the sky. Carrying solar devastation, the breath shot toward the Frost Giant.
Faced with such an attack, even Kostchtchie grew solemn.
Powerful physique, vast spellcasting, mysterious divine force—this red dragon far exceeded his expectations. No wonder Jezal Slak was slain.
Moreover, this Ember Emperor seemed very young, rising swiftly in recent centuries. If left alive, he'd be a terrifying threat!
Even if he escaped to the Material Plane, Kostchtchie couldn't guarantee victory.
The battle had to end swiftly!
In a heartbeat, Kostchtchie made his decision. He must slay the red dragon here in Avernus, and root him out completely!
Ice-blue runes lit up all over his skin. Ice crystals formed armor, releasing chilling mist.
"Praise Kostchtchie!"
"Great Frost Giant King! He is the end of all frozen things, the sacred from the Abyss!"
Frost shamans and warriors prayed loudly. Their faith gathered and flowed into Kostchtchie's massive body.
That frost divine power rippled, then fully condensed into the axe Heart of Winter. Terrifying cold spread thousands of meters outward.
"Boom——"
The axe slashed the sky, unleashing a frost-white torrent thousands of meters long that collided with Cassius's sunfire.
Fire and frost clashed violently, unleashing energy storms and radiant light that disrupted everything within hundreds of miles.
This wasn't just a magic clash—it was divine power and law in direct collision, capable of reshaping the very plane!
Scalding mist filled the sky. The storm spread from the collision point, covering the entire wasteland.
"Run!"
"Lords of the Nine Hells!"
"Get in the trenches!"
"Holy shit, is this still a duel? This looks like a damn nuke!"
Players and devils screamed in terror, fleeing in chaos.
They hadn't expected that even retreating miles away wouldn't escape the shockwaves.
The demons had it worse—being closer, they couldn't hide. The storm swept over them like a blazing tsunami.
In moments, only mountains of charred remains and sticky, tar-covered skeletons were left. Only mid- and high-level demons barely survived.
"Cassius, feel honored! You'll die under divine power! You'll be forever sealed, a trophy in the Iron Glacier!"
Kostchtchie roared, gripping his axe, climbing toward the sky. Each step raised a towering glacier from the earth.
Though Cassius controlled solar power, it was taken from a divine bloodline and weakened through time—not equal to a true Sun God.
But Kostchtchie was a real demigod—and an Abyssal Lord, with incomparably powerful might.
High above, the red dragon's Sun Breath began to falter, pressed back by the frost torrent.
"In the name of the Tannaric Frost Giant God——"
Kostchtchie roared to the heavens. Centuries of stored frost power surged into his axe.
The freezing surge devoured the golden flames, rushing toward the red dragon, seeking to turn everything to ice.
Even with all his strength, Cassius couldn't turn the tide.
Under frost divine power, space itself stalled. The sky froze into a massive ice chunk. Even the blazing sun flickered, on the verge of extinction.
"Glory to the Frost Giant King!"
"Long live Lord Kostchtchie!" The Tannaric Frost Giants roared in fervent worship.
"Such terrifying frost divine power," thought Cassius. He spewed sunfire to resist the cold, but his wingbeats slowed, his body heat fading.
Eternal Freedom!
Pale violet magic light flashed over his scales, helping him resist all restraints.
But the frost power didn't only suppress Cassius's body—it froze the entire battlefield.
"Give up this futile struggle, Cassius."
Kostchtchie advanced step by step, radiating piercing cold, the embodiment of winter.
That heavy chaotic aura followed him, exuding terrifying pressure.
The Frost Giant sneered, "You chose the wrong opponent. A mortal is still a mortal—no matter what, you can't cross that line."
Convinced Cassius was finished, he advanced slowly, confidently.
"Now I just need... to wait for a chance," Cassius thought, feeling the cold invading his soul.
As Kostchtchie neared, Cassius felt his blood flow slow. Even his blazing dragon heart cooled—this was frost divine power. No mortal could resist.
His red scales were covered in frost, making him look like a malformed white dragon.
The golden sunfire in his throat had gone out, and the sun behind him dimmed. The Frost Giant grinned maniacally, raising his axe—
"Crack, crack!"
At that moment, cracks appeared in the frost on Cassius's body, making sharp sounds.
How?!
That red dragon was a lowly mortal! How could he escape the frost domain?!
Kostchtchie was shocked and quickly swung his axe, aiming to decapitate the red dragon before anything could go wrong.
But Cassius suddenly spread his wings, roared, and shed all the frost from his body. In his mouth appeared a simple, ancient warhammer.
—It was none other than the "Father of Frost," Matalotok!
Through experimentation, Cassius had discovered this hammer was Kostchtchie's divine conduit, capable of storing and controlling frost divine power.
Gripping the hammer in his jaws and driven by will, the red dragon frenziedly absorbed Kostchtchie's divine frost, forming a massive frost vortex in the sky.
Kostchtchie recognized it instantly. That was his favorite weapon, forged over millennia in the Iron Glacier—intended as his ascension relic!
Zariel!
This red dragon had killed Zariel and claimed her artifact!
The Frost Giant God's face twisted in rage. He roared, "Shameless thief! That belongs to me!!"
"No, stop!"
Ignoring him, Cassius used the Father of Frost to drain all surrounding frost divine power. Even the ice crystal armor on Kostchtchie was forcibly absorbed.
In an instant, Kostchtchie's divine power began to wither!
Rage blazed in his eyes. Chaos power erupted from his body. Madness and disorder twisted his face as festering boils oozing venom grew on him.
With no frost power left to suppress it, the chaos will within the Tannaric Frost Giant surged, nearly seizing full control.
"Insect, I'll kill you!" His roar echoed like a hurricane from the Abyss, chaotic and unending.