Chapter 743: Dragon of Hell
Kostchtchie roared hoarsely, wildly swinging his battleaxe down at the red dragon's head. The strike stirred a fierce wind, and dark, eerie light surged along the axe blade.
Countless massive, twisted demon shadows emerged in the sky, dragging at the red dragon's legs and wrapping around his body, trying to pull him into the Bottomless Abyss.
But massive arcane vortexes swirled in Cassius's claws, unleashing a powerful suction that devoured the abyssal force. At the same time, pale violet light shimmered across his body.
—This was his final Tier-10 spell slot as a Legendary True Dragon Sorcerer.
Eternal Freedom!
The red dragon suddenly spread his wings, launching into the air like a streak of blazing afterimage, breaking free from the chaotic fog and soaring into the skies at ten thousand meters.
Without hesitation, he cast Matalotok into an extradimensional space within his belly—no way would he let the Frost Giant reclaim it.
"Swoosh——"
Kostchtchie's axe slashed empty air, tearing open a spatial rift hundreds of meters long. From it surged tens of thousands of twisted, hideous demons, shrieking noisily.
Shrouded in thick black mist, Kostchtchie panted heavily, glaring at the red dragon in the sky with eyes full of hatred and rage.
"Insect——"
"Boom!"
A god-like pillar of flame descended from the heavens, blasting through the body of the Tannaric Frost Giant with annihilating force.
But soon, the abyssal fog poured into the wound, morphing into writhing flesh that filled the charred hole instantly.
The Tannaric Frost Giant remained unharmed, only more enraged, flames of fury burning in his eyes, his roars shaking all things.
Kostchtchie lunged again, but Cassius agilely dodged and unleashed silver Flame of Order from deep in his throat.
Silver-white flames engulfed the Tannaric Frost Giant, who let out painful, crazed howls. His flesh burned and regrew over and over.
"The nature of immortality."
Cassius, feeling the demigod-level abyssal pressure, frowned while staring at the massive, savage Frost Giant.
"Matalotok can only suppress that divinity for a moment."
"Even without his divine power temporarily, the Tannaric Frost Giant remains a demigod in essence. He can't be killed by ordinary means. I can't drag this out any longer," he thought.
"Since we're in Avernus..." The red dragon channeled the authority of Avernus within him. His claws drew a flaming longsword from the void and raised it high. "Then I'll use Hell's power to slay him!"
"Buzz——"
Power infused with the laws of Hell spread across the sky. Endless hellfire surged from the depths, converging upon the red dragon.
Cassius transmitted his voice toward the Deep Infernal Fiend: "Bael, I need your power. Only the complete authority of Hell can kill a demigod-level Frost Giant!"
Bael's expression darkened, his tone laced with anger: "Impossible! I am the rightful Lord of Avernus, acknowledged by Lord Asmodeus!"
Cassius dodged another furious blow from the Frost Giant and continued: "Think carefully, Bael! If we don't kill Kostchtchie now, once he regains his sanity and divine power, Avernus will fall!"
"The Ember Empire's roots lie in the Material Plane. Even if all of Hell is taken by the Abyss, I'd only lose a few outposts—it wouldn't hurt me."
"But if Kostchtchie takes Avernus, you'll become a homeless dog again! The entire multiverse will have no place for you!" Cassius's voice turned sharp.
Bael asked, "Then why not let me use Hell's full authority to kill him?"
"You're no match for him."
Bael clenched his jaw, his voice hoarse: "I don't trust you, Cassius. You're more greedy and shameless than any devil."
Cassius chuckled, dodging another falling axe. "We can sign a contract. The River Styx is always fair, isn't it?"
"Boom!"
The frenzied Kostchtchie split the earth with a single axe, the ground quaking and groaning beneath him.
After a moment of silence, staring at the insane, destructive Tannaric Frost Giant, Bael felt a chill in his heart and finally muttered weakly:
"Fine."
The contract was sealed. The Deep Infernal Fiend reluctantly tossed the infernal longsword into the air, and Cassius caught it midflight.
The two authorities merged, emitting a terrifying wave of energy. Raging hellfire swept across the sky, even making Kostchtchie wail in pain.
A kilometer-long infernal sword appeared in the sky, exuding monstrous pressure—this was the physical embodiment of Avernus's supreme authority, long coveted by all devils.
"Look!"
"That power... it feels like Zariel's!"
"Could that be the authority of the Lord of Hell? But why is it in the claws of the Ember Emperor?!"
"Yeah, shouldn't that belong to Lord Bael?"
Devils stared at the infernal sword in the sky, whispering among themselves. These cunning creatures seemed to realize something, casting sly glances at Bael.
Perhaps Bael wasn't the only leg they could cling to in Avernus.
Cassius reached out and grasped the infernal greatsword's hilt, feeling supreme power descend upon him.
The structure of the plane, the laws of the world, poured into his mind. The red dragon felt like he stood within a divine realm.
To him now, Avernus was like a game, and he had administrator rights—he could change everything and even fight gods.
This was the power of a Plane Lord!
This was the power of a Hell Lord!
"Such magnificent power."
Now, Cassius finally understood why Bael obsessed over the Iron Throne. This sense of dominion over everything—even he found it hard to resist.
But now, the most important thing was still to kill Kostchtchie and end this Abyssal invasion.
"Roar——"
The red dragon raised his head and let out a deafening howl. Hell's authority slowly merged with his massive body, and endless hellfire poured into him.
The blazing hellfire coalesced into flesh, scales, even bones.
At last, a massive dragon, over five hundred meters long and resembling an ancient Infernal Wyrm, appeared in the sky. His body was wrapped in flowing magma and roaring hellfire, like the incarnation of Purgatory.
Mere mortals, just glimpsing that majestic and terrifying form, would instantly envision all the evil and depravity in the world—murder, betrayal, lust, slaughter—and fall into them, never to escape.
Their souls would plunge straight into Avernus, becoming tainted supplicants of Baator, doomed to eternal torment.
"Roar——"
Another thunderous roar rang out, this time carrying supreme might.
Instantly, all hellish creatures—hellhounds, lemures, imps—felt an overwhelming urge to kneel and worship.
"Lords of the Nine Hells..."
"What is this..."
"Impossible! Is that red dragon the embodiment of Avernus's will?!"
"Such majestic form! Such overwhelming power!"
Hearing the devils' awe, Bael felt uneasy. He clenched his fists and muttered under his breath, "All of that... should've been mine. Mine!"
Under the full prayers of the Tannaric Frost Giants, Kostchtchie regained a sliver of sanity, and divine frost energy surged within him.
The Lord of Rage raised his head in disbelief, gazing up at the magnificent draconic form. His voice rasped: "No... impossible!"
"How could the Deep Infernal Fiend give you full authority? How could that old bastard Nessus allow a chromatic dragon to become a true Hell Lord?!"
Kostchtchie's eyes turned bloodshot, his hatred for the red dragon soaring.
"I see now..."
Standing upon the scorched earth, fire all around, the Tannaric Frost Giant raised his frost axe to the sky and roared, "Damned lizard! You're bluffing!"
"Die!"
Kostchtchie leapt high, releasing all his frost divine power through his axe.
His entire body radiated extreme cold and chaotic black mist. With one leap, he reached ten thousand meters, slashing toward the immense red dragon.
Cassius flapped his wings, summoning a scorching storm and growled deeply: "Kostchtchie, in the name of Avernus——"
"I sentence you to death!"
His massive maw opened wide, and dark red hellfire surged from his throat.
Within the flame danced strange and eerie demon shadows:
Wailing supplicants, giggling imps, seductive succubi, and ambitious Deep Infernal Fiends leading infernal armies...
This was the embodiment of all evil, greed, pain, and hatred in Avernus—an extreme order forged in the crucible of hellish suffering.
All of it gathered deep in Cassius's infernal dragon form's throat, forming a vile, profane hellfire.
This breath was infused with the laws of Baator—it could shatter even immortality—
Breath of Hell!
"Boom!"
The hellfire covered the sky, pouring down like a raging tsunami. Its tongues of flame danced like serpents, ravaging the world, crashing toward the midair Frost Giant.
Kostchtchie, suspended in the sky, felt the overwhelming divine law in the flame. Fear finally crept onto his hideous face.
That familiar power...
This was the true will of Avernus—no illusion!
Without hesitation, the Frost Giant swung his axe frantically, trying to slash open a rift to the Abyss to flee—abandoning tens of millions of demons and hundreds of his Tannaric kin.
But Cassius was ready. Dimensional chains formed by hellfire had already sealed Avernus. Not even a fly could escape.
"No——"
Kostchtchie unleashed his divine might. Frost winds howled, the ground quaked, magma froze.
With a deafening roar, glaciers surged from below, forming a massive wall of ice thousands of meters long before him.
Simultaneously, the abyssal mist became black armor, covering his body.
Kostchtchie roared, "Cassius! I am the King of Frost Giants, a true god, beloved by the Abyss!
I endured ten thousand years of torment to gain this power! What right do you have to oppose me?!"
Icy winds erupted, freezing everything inside, even space and time itself.
But the hellfire surged, melting glaciers, clearing snow. The world began to move again, turning into a sea of fire tens of thousands of meters wide.
Kostchtchie stood in the inferno, flames coiling around him, screaming in pain.
"No! I am the mighty Frost Giant King! The Lord of Rage!"
His chaotic mist clashed with the hellfire, but soon lost. The flames burned his flesh, corroded his demonic heart, even shattered his immortal essence.
"I am immortal!"
But soon, his screams were drowned in crackling fire.
Cassius unleashed the full force of his Breath of Hell. A hundred-meter-wide pillar of flame exploded from his throat, engulfing the Frost Giant.
Within the dark red fire, blurry figures writhed, their agonized screams piercing the soul.
Eventually, only a charred skeleton remained, still standing where he fell—blackened like a statue, frozen in the pose of the Frost Giant in life.
One knee down, right hand desperately reaching toward the red dragon, jaws open in a silent scream, empty sockets still filled with rage and hate.
The ancient demon lord, God of the Tannaric Frost Giants, Lord of Rage—Kostchtchie—was no more.
Consumed by hellfire, Kostchtchie's mighty body was destroyed, his soul torn to shreds.
As an immortal evil, he may someday resurrect in the Abyss's filthy blood pools, his hatred burning brighter—but only as a common demon-turned Frost Giant.
The sky of Hell returned to blood-red. The five-hundred-meter dragon unfurled his wings, vast enough to blot out the sun, surveying all below.
"Kostchtchie is dead!"
"By the Nine Hells! The Lord of Rage is dead!"
"When Emperor Kai moves, none can stand against him!"
From the Hell Army's front lines, devils and players cheered in awe, while demons looked terrified—especially the Tannaric Frost Giants.
"Lord Kostchtchie—he, he's really dead!"
"Impossible!"
"Quick, back to the Iron Glacier! He's immortal—he must be reborn in the Abyss!"
Chaos broke out. Tens of millions of demons scattered and fled, running aimlessly across the Avernus wasteland.
"Awoo——"
A long, echoing howl rang through the sky, reaching every creature in Avernus—Cassius had sounded the final horn of counterattack.