Ashen Dragon

"Boom!"

In the molten lava pool, two colossal beings churned the magma, raising towering waves hundreds of meters high. The terrifying aftershocks swallowed everything around, leaving not even the slightest bone fragment behind.

"Screech—"

Zareel's great sword pierced forward, ruthlessly stabbing towards Cassius's chest.

Cassius's body jerked sharply, sparking a series of fire, the hard scales emitting a piercing scraping sound as shattered scales and scalding dragon blood scattered in the air.

The great sword plunged into the Red Dragon's left chest, narrowly missing the fiercely pounding giant dragon's heart, failing to hit the vital point.

"Roar—"

Cassius's agonizing roar raised a magma tsunami hundreds of meters high, shattering clouds in the sky, even creating a fierce and unstoppable fiery storm.

Struggle, twist, collide.

The exceptionally wide and thick dragon wings swung in the magma, making his actions somewhat sluggish.

"Zareel, I will kill you! I will make you pay!" The Red Dragon's roar was more like a helpless venting.

At this moment, the Hell's song echoed louder in the sky, like the chant of cultists before apocalypse's arrival, dyeing the entire sky with blood-red light.

Even Cassius's Holy Day was enveloped by murky clouds, unable to let through any light, as if this world had utterly lost hope, becoming a paradise for Hell.

More and more cracks appeared on the ground, magma gushing out, splitting the earth into chunks that continued to sink endlessly.

Black sun.

Only the black sun still hung high in the sky, greedily devouring surrounding radiance, releasing countless blood-red rays, causing the world to be drenched in Hell's will, making all things tremble and fear.

Increasingly numerous spatial rifts appeared in the sky, through which masses of devils emerged, issuing greedy and ferocious growls.

Their target was Augustus; once the devils completely seized the city and activated the internal Hell array, Zareel's transformation would proceed even faster.

"Amanata above... please bless us, please save all Thrace People from the torment of Hell!"

"For Augustus, for Thrace!"

"Hold them back!"

The Thrace People gripped their longswords, battle axes tightly, raising those old rifles, fighting alongside the Devil Army for honor, for their shared home, and for their last glimmer of hope.

"Roar and struggle, Red Dragon, you are destined to meet your ultimate fate!" Zareel laughed maniacally, stirring her longsword within the Red Dragon's body, sending scorching dragon blood erupting like a fountain waterfall.

"Cassius, your death shall become Augustine's finest celebration of Hell's descent!"

As the black sun's shine enveloped the earth, the oppression of Hell grew stronger, Zareel's figure also became increasingly towering, her Burning Sky Wings overshadowing the sun.

At that moment, flames burst forth in Cassius's eyes, veins bulged on his arm, and his spiked dragon claw suddenly gripped Zareel's arm, its sharp points embedded with the Beheading Sword that could sever all things.

Instantly, the Red Dragon's entire strength erupted, muscles bulged, even the cracks between scales sprayed waves of scorching flame.

"Slash—"

The sharp claw, like a blade, carried a mighty force and swiftly slashed, severing Zarriel's arm gripping the great sword.

But within moments, Zareel's arm was reshaped by Hellfire, becoming even stronger and more powerful—nurtured by Aphernas's strength that reinforced this Hell Lord!

A twisted smile appeared on Zareel's face, "It's useless, Red Dragon, Augustus's downfall is already irretrievable, you will never defeat me!"

With a casual wave, the vast Power of Hell surged like a tide, condensing into a more terrifying Hell Greatsword.

As the great sword swept across, experiencing the terrifying law fluctuations, Cassius flapped his wings to ascend, yet the shockwave formed by Hellfire mercilessly plowed through the battlefield.

"Boom—"

Those battling against the Devil Army vanished without a trace, not evaporated by high heat, but torn apart by the concept of Judgment itself.

As long as they were in Aphernas, Zareel's will was supreme and unstoppable, and only beings like Cassius could barely resist it.

"See, in the face of Hell, you are so powerless, Cassius, surrender your soul, you have the privilege to become my eternal servant—" Zareel's voice resounded across the earth, cutting through like a fierce storm.

Cassius panted heavily, muscles tensed all over, the cracks between his scales emitting dense sulfur smoke.

Those pale golden vertical pupils revealed a strange excitement; he hadn't experienced this sensation of dancing on the edge between life and death for so long.

Cassius gazed at the sky; that black sun grew increasingly blurry, it seemed to breathe like a living thing, and on it arose a tightly closed eye, appearing particularly eerie.

Piere's extremely excited voice also rang beside his ears: "It's almost here, the moment, the chance to kill Zareel!"

Great.

As long as he survived this last stretch, he could collaborate with Piere on the inside and outside, assassinate this Hell Duke, and completely end this war.

If he couldn't kill Zareel, he'd have to burn the strength within him and use all means to escape.

Thinking of this, Cassius felt his breathing hasten, his heart flooded with dragon blood pounding fiercely.