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Chapter 552: The Audience with the Ancient Silver Dragon
After organizing the abundant spoils from the recent battle, Cassius coiled atop the smoke-covered Dragonblood Mountain, his massive body rising and falling with each breath.
"Huff, huff."
In front of his blood-filled maw filled with fangs burned a cluster of silver-white flames, continuously purifying and refining the purple-black flesh, driving out the chaotic black mist.
As a force capable of reducing entropy and decreasing systemic chaos, the Breath of Order consumed an astronomical amount of energy.
Even someone like Cassius, practically a dragon-shaped reactor, had to exert himself fully to maintain the silver-white flames and refine [Pure Ancestral Dragon Blood].
"Pssh."
The red dragon exhaled hot white smoke from his nostrils and jaws, while the core vessels inside him pulsed with faint light, his massive, powerful body like a constantly burning furnace.
Eventually, the flames slowly faded, and a drop of crimson blood hovered in midair before Cassius swallowed it.
[Ancestral Dragon Bloodline Purity +0.0001%]
Compared to the mountainous corpse hundreds of meters long, this bit of flesh was but a drop in the ocean.
But to Cassius, whose lifespan was long, the time spent was negligible. In the near future, he would digest the entire dragon corpse and become a true ancestral dragon.
Suddenly, Langpu's magical projection appeared before the red dragon, the ogre's hideous face displaying a flattering smile.
"Master, the silver dragons from the Melward Clan are still requesting an audience. They have nine adult silver dragons and four young ones.
The leader is said to be an ancient-class silver dragon, rumored to be the brother of Oszedro, quite formidable. Shall we—"
"Annoying bunch. Those Melward silver dragons always love to meddle."
"But I suppose they've earned some credit this time."
Cassius snorted, spewing more hot smoke, and shook his massive head, showing a hint of impatience.
He had just been enjoying the thrill of a bloodline breakthrough and power boost, and being interrupted at this critical moment was not a pleasant experience.
Langpu sensed the emperor's irritation and cautiously asked, "Then shall I bring them before you, master?"
"No, Langpu. Don't forget, Dragonblood Mountain is a forbidden zone."
"If they're that eager to see me—"
Cassius pushed his heavy body up with his strong limbs, stretched his back, and swayed his long, thick tail.
"Then I shall appear before them."
"Shua—"
The red dragon lifted his claw and effortlessly tore open the space before him, creating a flame-wreathed spatial rift, then lowered his head and stepped through.
At the edge of the Anstica Mountains, the silver dragons flew in formation, flapping their wings, fully alert.
Pabliceko stood on all fours nearby, nervously watching the ogre.
"Lord Langpu, did His Majesty agree?"
Pabliceko had come not only to repel abyssal demons but also to fulfill his brother's task—probing the Empire's future intentions.
According to the silver dragons' investigations, the Ember Empire's military was developing rapidly. Its devastating weapons alone signaled its grand ambitions.
They likely wouldn't be satisfied with just the remote Anzeta Wasteland.
But the ogre archmage quietly replied, "His Majesty agreed to your audience, but... he should be arriving any moment now."
Pabliceko was a bit surprised and quickly asked, "You mean—"
"Shua—"
A massive, sharp dragon claw reached out from the void, gripping both sides of the spatial rift and forcefully tearing it open.
Instantly, flame flowed around the rift, sparks danced in the air, scorching winds roared, and a tremendous pressure swept across miles.
"Awooo!"
At once, the flying silver dragons were pressed down as if by an invisible hand, yelping as they crashed to the ground.
These normally powerful adult and young silver dragons now lay groaning like helpless chicks, unable to move.
"What is this..."
Even the ancient silver dragon felt an intense wind pressure and a deep stirring in his bloodline, forcing him to lower his majestic silver head.
As the winds subsided and the pressure lessened, Pabliceko finally raised his head to behold the towering figure, struck with awe.
"By Bahamut..."
Observing from afar and standing close were vastly different.
Standing before the massive red dragon, Pabliceko could now truly feel his terrifying presence and power.
A body over forty meters long—nearly fifty—twice Pabliceko's size.
And this Ember Emperor was even more muscular than typical red dragons, with bulging iron-ball-like muscles beneath crimson scales and pillar-like limbs.
Yet despite his bulk, the red dragon's proportions were perfect, without a hint of awkwardness.
Standing before him, even an ancient silver dragon felt small and weak—like a lamb before a tiger.
"What? Not happy to see me? I heard you were dying for an audience."
Cassius's deep voice echoed across the plains, sending a shiver through Pabliceko, who quickly responded, "Of course not."
The ancient silver dragon lowered his head, tucked his wings, and slightly bent his forelegs.
Only then did he respectfully greet, "Good day, Your Majesty."
Pabliceko paused, then continued with a gentle smile, "I witnessed everything you accomplished. I must say—it was a magnificent battle.
On behalf of the Melward Clan, I congratulate you on repelling the abyssal invasion and achieving yet another glorious victory."
"You're the old guy's little brother? Pabliceko, was it?
Tch, what a mouthful of a name."
Cassius sized up the ancient silver dragon, raising his brow with scaly ridges.
It really was Oszedro's brother. From a draconic perspective, they looked alike—with sharp silver faces like they were carved from blades.
But this one was clearly smaller than Oszedro, about twenty-four meters long, without the heavily armed gear or runes etched all over his body.
Just an ordinary silver dragon.
That was Cassius's evaluation.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Hearing the red dragon's question, Pabliceko twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth but answered honestly—he didn't want to offend the emperor over titles.
Cassius said casually, "Speak. What do you want? My time is precious."
Pabliceko hesitated a moment, then cautiously said, "Your Majesty Cassius, we of the Melward Clan would like to know your views on the situation across the Feanso Continent.
And whether the Ember Empire will get involved in the ongoing conflict."
Cassius narrowed his eyes, his pale-gold pupils fixed coldly on the ancient silver dragon, "That's the Empire's internal affair. What does it have to do with the Melward Clan?"
Pabliceko quickly shook his head, explaining, "We mean no offense. But the Empire's stance is important to us. It affects the entire Feanso landscape."
The silver dragon turned to gaze over the vast wilderness, seemingly admiring Anzeta's grandeur.
Then, he sighed casually, "Your Majesty Cassius, you already possess vast lands, millions of loyal subjects, and the world's wealth concentrated here. If I were you, I'd be content and wouldn't want to disrupt the south's order."
Cassius bared his teeth and sneered coldly.
"Heh."
The red dragon caught the implication. The ancient silver dragon clearly meant: you already have so much, why remain greedy for southern territory?
Cassius extended a claw, conjuring a magical image of flames in his palm.
Burning cities, displaced civilians, weeping mothers, wailing children, shattered corpses, heavy smoke, rivers of blood... these horrific scenes flashed across the image.
—This was the war-torn border between the Kingdom of Therese and the Kingdom of Kassand, the most brutal battlefront.
The war had lasted three years. After endless bloodshed, hatred had replaced kinship—both sides saw each other only as enemies.
And enemies were no longer seen as people. Civilians died by the millions under artillery, divine legions, and arcane armies, their lives as insignificant as grass.
Cassius said mercilessly, "This is the order your Melward Clan worked so hard to maintain?
If this is what you call 'order,' you might as well go to Hell and invite Asmodeus, Lord of the Nine Hells, to rule you."
Pabliceko replied, "But your empire sells weapons..."
Cassius sneered, "Even without our guns and cannons, do you think they wouldn't kill each other? I see the divine legions are having quite the time."
Pabliceko was speechless, but forced himself to continue, "Your Majesty, that's a war among mortals.
They fight over wealth, land, and power. Right or wrong doesn't apply. Even we of Melward can't stop it, and certainly won't interfere.
But order between dragons and humanoids—humans, elves, etc.—we've maintained for a thousand years.
For millennia, dragons haven't meddled. Even when Tiamat incited violence, we quickly stopped it.
You are our ally, and we don't wish to see you stand against our clan."
Pabliceko spoke persuasively, watching the emperor's expression—but saw a trace of mockery on that draconic face.
"But our treaty says nothing about the Empire submitting to Melward's order."
Cassius lowered his head, grinning at the seemingly scrawny ancient silver dragon before him:
"Such arrogance. What gives you the right? Just because you're dragons, we must obey your rules?
His voice grew deeper and louder, finally thundering like a storm.
Do you realize—even Tiamat and Bahamut, even the lofty dragon gods, can't control me!"
"Boom!"
His broad wings suddenly spread, unleashing a crushing pressure.
Violent gales raged around his massive body, and a soul-crushing oppression flooded the silver dragons' minds.
In that instant, all fell silent.
"W-What was that?!"
Pabliceko froze, trembling, voice shaking.
In his eyes, he saw dragon silhouettes thousands of meters long—the mythical beings created by His Majesty Io himself!
The ancient silver dragon trembled violently, gripped by bloodline-deep fear.
But centuries of discipline gave Pabliceko mental fortitude, keeping him from collapsing. He barely stayed standing.
"T-They..."
Though weak under the pressure, Pabliceko could still glance around.
All the adult and young silver dragons were stunned, bodies rigid, eyes dim—utterly crushed by the pressure.
"By Bahamut... such dragon might..."
In a thousand years, Pabliceko had never seen a dragon defeat adult silver dragons with mere presence—not even ancient golds could.
Only true dragon gods could match that.
But what happened next shocked and horrified him more.
The red dragon folded his wings, calmly opened his mouth, and commanded: "Circle."
Instantly, the silver dragons obediently spun in place like trained hounds, chasing their own tails.
Until the next order came, they would keep circling as if forever.
In mere moments, relying only on ancestral bloodline might, Cassius had controlled multiple silver dragons!
This was the power of [Ancestral Dragon Majesty]!
Pabliceko stood slack-jawed at the sight, never having seen dragons so massively dominated before.
Cassius, amused, watched them circle and spoke in a deep voice across the plains:
"I don't intend to harm you, my dear 'allies.' Our pact to resist the Abyss still stands.
But know this—if I wish it, the Melward Clan cannot affect the Empire's actions in the slightest."
The dragon might vanished. The silver dragons regained their senses, dazed and confused.
"What just happened?"
"Ugh, my head hurts."
"What did that red dragon do?!"
Pabliceko stood stiffly, terrified, unable to speak.
Cassius paced before the ancient silver dragon, speaking leisurely, "Also, if you've researched my past, you should know...
I am the kindest of dragons, filled with compassion for all. I can't bear to see serfs suffer or the people of Fadran ravaged by war."