Ashen Dragon

Several months later.

Ashen Empire, Anzeta Administrative Region, North and South Earth Province, Dragon Blood Mountain.

The area is enveloped in scorching steam and sulfurous mists, and from afar, the towering peaks stand tall and majestic, resembling a great dragon raising its head, howling at the sky.

At the same time, this place is a forbidden zone within the Empire's boundaries.

It is said that the Ashen Emperor Cassius slumbers here, and at the same time, there is an endless treasure of gold and jewels buried here, storing all the wealth of that emperor.

Many reckless adventurers have tried to enter this forbidden zone, yet no one has ever returned.

Even a notorious legendary thief from the Shadow Guild vanished without a trace after visiting this forbidden area, much to the pleasure of many nobles and wealthy individuals who had been victims of his visits.

To enter Dragon Blood Mountain, one must first cross the outermost patrol zone.

Within the patrol zone are hundreds of sentry posts equipped with energy sensors, air defense cannons, magic tracking cannons, and other advanced magic devices. Knights riding bipedal wyverns patrol this area tirelessly, mercilessly eliminating any reckless intruders.

Even if one is fortunate enough to break through the patrol zone, they would face a several thousand-meter-wide scorching belt, where magma spews from cracks in the ground, and the surging steam clouds and sulfur mists are enough to roast a mortal, with a power comparable to mid to high-level spells of the Fourth Tier or above.

Further inside is the so-called "Elemental Chaos Zone," the core area of Dragon Blood Mountain.

Karex's Ancestral Dragon Body and Cassius' Dragon Zone violently impact and alter the surrounding Magic Web, causing the elemental reactions here to become extremely turbulent, as if entering the Sea of Chaos.

Flame, lightning, gale, and radiance intertwine on this land, colliding with each other and erupting in countless terrifying magical reactions, releasing energy overwhelming like a tsunami, manifesting their power like a storm.

Some of these elemental reactions have power that can even reach the level of High-Tier spells of the Seventh Tier, easily capable of destroying a small town filled with mortals, an earthly scourge indeed.

At the center of this scourge is a colossal figure—a formidable presence coiled atop the peak of Dragon Blood Mountain, resembling a ferocious dragon's head, surrounded by blinding firelight and lightning, with sulfuric clouds spreading out from him.

Suddenly, the figure amidst the turbulent currents seemed to move.

In an instant, accompanied by a terrifying aura spreading out, smoke and clouds churned within a radius of several kilometers, dust and stones flew, thunder clapped, and flames shot across the sky.

Scarlet magma spewed from the rock fissures like the blood of Dragon Blood Mountain, splashing dozens of meters high, the scorching magma pouring down and scorching the ground into chaotic pits.

Yet that figure bathed in magma, slowly raised his head, letting out a majestic roar, his head adorned with backward-swept large horns commanding respect. This text was acquired from MVL0EMPYR.

"Roar—"

The roar echoed through the sky, and the figure used his powerful limbs to support his body, rising from the ground, and in the light of the flames, the silhouette of a mighty, ferocious giant dragon was outlined.

Scalding magma dripped from his chin, belly, and limbs, golden patterns floated on the surface of his golden-red scales, pulsating with his breath, as if a terrifying power capable of annihilating everything resided within him.

He is the Ashen Emperor, master of the Dragon of Calamity, the Northern Tyrant, the overlord of Anzeta and Thrace—Cassius Klaubow, Noricus.

After many days, having gone through another round of slumber, and after absorbing considerable strength from Dragon Blood Mountain, Cassius' true body finally awoke from dormancy.

During the period while his true body was asleep, Cassius had always been active throughout Fianso, under the identity of Titus, forging alliances and strengthening the influence of the "Dawn" Alliance.

Simultaneously, he frequently visited the Seleucid Region to investigate the Dragon Shaman Cult and Dragon Worship Cult's activities, engaging in multiple small-scale skirmishes with them.

Cassius opened his eyes, and his lava sphere-like vertical pupils revealed a breathtaking glow.

"Not bad, through this slumber, the concentration of the ancestral bloodline has increased significantly, and the physical strength has improved as well..."

Using the Heaven's Calamity Dragon Eye, he examined his awakened body.

The body, already far exceeding ordinary dragons, had expanded severalfold, measuring approximately eighty meters from head to tail, grand and magnificent like a small mountain, striving towards the hundred-meter class.

Eighty meters, what does that mean?

Even ancient dragons would need three dragon heads linked end to end to barely match his length, and the total volume and weight differences were terrifyingly several dozen times.

In the eyes of mortals, a giant dragon of this size is no longer something to be described as a "creature," and it's more fitting to call it a "mountainous beast" or "mobile calamity."

Humans, elves, dwarves, and other medium-sized humanoids are as insignificant as grains of wheat or even dust in front of him, and even towering cathedrals appear as stone-built blocks before this Red Dragon, easily toppled.

Even without any magical ability, simply with pure physical strength, this Red Dragon could easily destroy a city or even a medium-sized kingdom.

"What's this..."

Cassius lowered his head, looking at his forelimbs, seeing sturdy arms and massive claws covered with a layer of scarlet translucent crystals, rather heavy and containing high concentrations of energy within.