Ashen Dragon

Then, Little Daniel also raised his fist and shouted in a childish voice, "No way!"

Seeing that clear face also showing an angry expression, revealing a hatred beyond his age, Erin's mind was complicated for a moment, unsure whether to feel proud or disappointed.

And in the slum two kilometers away, children gripped the fence, their faces equally filled with righteous indignation, even throwing small stones towards the South: "Let those Thrace people taste our power!"

"Yes! Fight them to the end!"

"Give them a taste of their own medicine! Burn those shameless guys to ashes!"

Through the Dragon's Eye, Cassius overlooked the enraged crowds in the hundreds of cities, nodding with satisfaction: "My people, I can no longer tolerate those arrogant Thrace people!

They occupy vast fertile lands, enjoy blessings unreachable by others, and even, under the protection of the Divine, push us to the corners of the world!"

Cassius paused, then his voice grew more impassioned, making everyone present feel their blood boiling, their whole bodies surging.

"But now, times have changed! The airship fleet makes the skies tremble, and the tank formations make the earth quake, the artillery fire of the Ashen Empire will blast everything old and decayed to smithereens!"

"Look quickly!"

"Cassius above..."

Accompanied by Cassius's words, people exclaimed in astonishment.

They saw that over many cities, airships appeared in flocks, casting huge shadows on the ground. Around them, Wyverns wearing "Heavenly Fire" armor spread their steel wings, issuing piercing screeches, leaving behind white streaks in the sky.

In the distance on the plains, steam tanks charged across the flat ground like moving hills.

In the pastures deep within Stormy Ridge, giant fences rose, and the Land Dragon Beasts, catalyzed by genetic potion, roared up to the sky, issuing thunderous roars.

"Roar——"

The original limit for individual Land Dragon Beasts could only grow to twelve meters, but through rigorous selection and genetic modification by Biological Soldiers, their average length now approached twenty meters, with the limit individuals even nearing twenty-seven meters.

Each Dragon Beast was clad in thick biological armor, emitting dense steam, and mounted with terrifyingly powerful heavy artillery on their backs, essentially becoming moving fortresses.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of countless citizens, the iron doors of the secret arsenal slowly opened, and giant golems manufactured by the Mechanical God Cult slowly emerged.

These robots stood nearly twenty meters tall, sprayed with various paintings, each one imposing and fearsome. They stood tall on the ground, taking steady strides, advancing toward the south, each step causing the ground to shake.

"Is that our army? Is Dad... is he in there?"

Watching the overwhelming army in the images, Daniel was full of amazement, pointing to the sky with his small hand, his clear eyes brimming with longing.

Erin couldn't bear to reveal the cruel truth, to shatter her son's illusion, so she continued weaving a beautiful lie, softly saying, "Yes, your dad is a glorious Imperial soldier, he's right there among them."

Little Daniel grew more curious, "What does he do? Is he a Knight riding a Wyvern? A tank commander? Or someone piloting those giant robots?"

Erin patted his head, smiling as she said, "Your dad hasn't been home for a long time, even Mom doesn't know what he's doing now."

Suddenly, Little Daniel slapped his head, his eyes shining, "I know! Those giant robots are the Empire's secret project, Dad must be working on that, so he hasn't come to see us!"

"I told you my dad is a great hero! Did you see those giant robots? That's my dad!"

The nearby children all showed expressions of envy and admiration, making Little Daniel puff out his chest proudly.

Watching her jubilant son, Erin forced a smile. She wasn't sure how long she could hide the news of her husband's death, but she still hoped Little Daniel could grow up full of expectation.

"Holy crap, are those Gundams?"

"How could there be so many?"

"Did I wander into the wrong set? What happened to the promised sword and magic adventure story? What's all this?"

Not only were the native Imperials, but even the players were astonished by this blend of magic and technology.

For this armament, the Empire's researchers had conducted years of secret research. Most of the Gold Coins earned from exporting military supplies worldwide flowed into the hundreds of military research institutes.

Most players were not aware of this core military intelligence, only the Empire's high-ranking Earls or above could get the news in advance.

At this moment, to declare war on the Thrace Kingdom, the Ashen Empire finally revealed its strength, unleashing its most advanced military equipment without reservation.

In the sky, the huge, unparalleled Red Dragon continued his speech with emotional, stirring tones. He even clenched his giant claw into a fist and waved it forward.

"My people, we possess extraordinary strength, and we will overthrow everything, establishing a brand-new order in this world! A new order where all Imperial People can lead good lives!

The tide of the era surges forward, the era of the Empire is about to arrive, we want not only land under the sun but a world reborn!"

Finally, Cassius raised his head high, spreading his wings that blocked the sky, roaring, "Here, in the name of the Ashen Empire's Emperor—I declare war on the Thrace Kingdom!"

"To war!"

"Long live the Empire!"

The voice of the Red Dragon turned into an evocative roar, echoing across nearly eight hundred square kilometers of Imperial land, resounding in the Fianso Continent, the Gloomy Region, and everywhere in the Multiverse.

At this moment, under Cassius's Extraordinary Charm and the Empire's terrifying military power, whether players or native Imperials, whether Human or Tiefling, whether Duke or Commoner—

Regardless of Race, regardless of status, regardless of age, almost all Imperial People erupted in enthusiastic cheers—for their common Emperor and for the imminent victory at hand.

Even Little Daniel, holding his mom's hand, jumped up excitedly, waving his little fist and cheering incessantly.

"Long live His Majesty Cassius!"

"Emperor Kai is awesome!"

"Long live the Ashen Empire!"

Under the Empire's propaganda department's consistent ideological indoctrination, within just ten years, something had taken root in people's hearts, flowing in the blood of every Imperial citizen.

And after Cassius's speech, those deeply embedded things in their bloodline, to the point of being ingrained in their bones, were fully awakened!

At this moment, the entire Empire was boiling, like a waking giant dragon!

...

Through hundreds of golden vertical pupils, Cassius overlooked the jubilant Imperial People, feeling a continuous stream of strength flowing into his body—that was spirit, that was faith.

Now, the distance between him and truly becoming a god might be just one opportunity away.

But Cassius knew that this opportunity was something that countless people had pursued to their deaths over the centuries yet never found. He must prepare thoroughly to avoid ending up like the Fadlan Emperor.

The Red Dragon lowered his head, extending his palm, within which appeared the image of the Eternal Sun God Tower shining with holy radiance.

He murmured, "The legacy of Holy Fadlan... I must have it."

Although he called it an "easy victory" in his speech, Cassius and the entire Imperial high command took the Thrace Kingdom seriously as an enemy and had conducted continuous research on the Three Great Kingdoms for several years.

This is the so-called "strategically despise the enemy, tactically regard the enemy seriously."

Even though the Sun God's power was gradually waning, and the strength of the Thrace Kingdom was much diminished, it was still a formidable opponent.

Within the vast territory of the Thrace Kingdom, many powerful weapons left by the Empire of Fadlan existed, along with dozens of Legendary Level experts, and even some hidden Demigod Level beings.

And behind His Majesty Wilhelm, there was also the shadow of Zarriel, a Master of Avernus, a being who had dominated the blood battles for nearly a thousand years, not an opponent easy to deal with either.

However, for Cassius, although victory was not easy, it was definitely a must-have goal.

"Boom——"

Steam tanks, airship fleets roared, and Portals opened. Watching the all-encompassing Imperial Army surging southward, Cassius hovered atop Dragon Blood Mountain, revealing a sinister smile.