Ashen Dragon

"Aaargh——"

With a heartrending wail, the lion was completely consumed by the flames.

The lion spirit body was not only a weapon for offense and defense but also the embodiment of the Lionheart Knights' willpower.

At the moment the spirit body was destroyed, the Lionheart Knights suffered immense mental anguish, their heads splitting with pain. Some even trembled while holding their shields.

Cassius had not even used his Extremely Effective Spew yet; he had simply intensified the elemental reaction of his Breath using his formidable fire element control. This Flame Breath cost him virtually nothing.

"Boom——"

The Breath started as a conical spread, then gradually condensed into a pillar of fire.

The flames were first dark red, then orange, then yellow, and finally a blinding white.

The silver shields turned red, transmitting terrifying heat, even the handles behind the shields grew unbearably hot.

"Damn it!"

A Lionheart Knight couldn't hold on any longer, dropping his shield.

He was immediately turned to charcoal by the surrounding flames.
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Under the baptism of the white-hot fire pillar, the giant shield composed of dozens of silver shields was shattered beyond repair, its surface melting into liquid silver, flowing like a stream!

"Ah!"

"I'm going to be burned alive!"

"Damn it, it's melting!"

"Fire! Fire everywhere!"

Wretched cries echoed through the ranks of the Lionheart Knights.

Some were burned alive by the searing flames, some choked to death by the thick smoke, and some were engulfed by the flowing silver, cast into struggling silver statues.

Frederick barely maintained the Guardian Aura around him, struggling to fend off the frenzied fire elements.

"Worthy of the infamous 'Infernal Calamity,' truly a hellish sight..."

He looked up at the blinding white flames descending from the sky like divine retribution, watching his comrades die in agony, their faces contorted in horror, hearing their anguished cries...

The face of this "Black Lion Knight" exhibited an inexplicable calm, perhaps the last serenity before death.

"How can we win against such a monster... even someone like Tarik is dead."

"If it were Tarik, what would he do..."

Frederick bowed his head, as if lost in thought.

He realized suddenly that he had never been that kind of person.

Loyalty, courage, justice—they had never aligned with his gloomy and indifferent nature.

Yes, he was not the famed "White Lion Knight," not the one who single-handedly defeated hundreds of enemy heroes, even though he had become one of the Lionheart Knights' commanders, he could never follow in that deceased knight's footsteps. He was merely a poor imitation of Tarik.

"Why, I'm not dead yet..."

The Red Dragon in the sky looked down at the ravaged land, momentarily ceasing its furious flames.

"Those who last long under dragonflame, I admire you."

His powerful voice echoed over the land.

"Submit to me, serve the Ashen Kingdom, and I will grant you great power and long life!"

"Otherwise, only complete death awaits you!"

The remaining Lionheart Knights on the ground raised their heads, glaring at the Red Dragon in the sky.

As the most elite of the Boske Duchy, they were mostly nobles who had received the best knightly education from a young age and had sworn sacred oaths of loyalty. They represented not just themselves but the honor of their entire families.

To become retainers of an evil dragon was, to them, not only the erasure of individual identity but also an eternal disgrace to their families.

"You delude yourself, evil dragon!"

Adjudant Jaden, eyes bloodshot, stood with his sword pointed at the Red Dragon in the sky, firing a Guiding Light Arrow.

He knew this attack was futile, but it was his last act of defiance as a knight, representing the courage to charge against an invincible enemy.

Indeed, the light vanished before it even came close.

And a fireball followed, reducing Jaden to charcoal.

"Impressive courage, but your strength does not match it,"

Cassius said coldly.

Seeing Jaden's death, the knights did not feel fear, but rather became even more enraged.

"Evil dragon, your tyranny will end!"

"My death is not the end, rebels will never be scarce!"

"For the Boske Duchy! For Duke Leo!"

As the most loyal and powerful knights of the Boske House, they deemed being killed by a formidable foe as a badge of honor. Even in this fatal deadlock, they chose to become heroic martyrs, like Don Quixotes charging windmills, attacking the Red Dragon in the sky.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Fireballs shot from the Red Dragon's maw, landing precisely on those knights.

The sound of burning bodies echoed, sparse flames flickered on the wasteland, wails continued, and the Lionheart Knights perished one by one.

Soon, only the last Lionheart Knight remained—"Black Lion Knight" Frederick.

Unlike those noble knights who embodied the honor of their families, Frederick, who grew up in a monastery, had no kin. The only one he considered a brother was Tarik.

Just moments ago, Frederick had also tried to launch a fearless charge like his comrades, fulfilling his last duty as a Lionheart Knight.

But no matter what, he couldn't force his body to embrace death.

His nature was what it was, indifferent to loyalty, honor, and the so-called knightly spirit.

Frederick had spent his life following in Tarik's footsteps, but he had never experienced living for himself, even if it meant doing so as a retainer of an evil dragon.

"I am not Tarik, nor even a so-called Lionheart Knight."

"I am just myself."

"A petty man putting self-interest above all else."

Frederick mumbled, telling himself this.

The Red Dragon in the sky descended with a roar, raising dust and cracking the ground.

Cassius looked down at this lone "Black Lion Knight" with a playful glint in his golden eyes. He saw the knight's inner turmoil and confusion, finding it amusing.

But he said nothing more, nor needed to, simply stating flatly,

"Surrender, or die."

"I..."

"Surrender."

Frederick gritted his teeth and bowed his head.

Like a fateful decision, the once "Black Lion Knight" finally surrendered to the evil dragon, submitting to his former enemy.

The pocket watch inscribed with the crest of Heronis, the God of Bravery, fell to the ground, covered in a thin layer of dust, as if it had never truly belonged to Frederick, not even for a moment.