Chapter 336: Dragon's Fury
Amid the grandest battle, in the pure clash of dragon breaths, Cassius began to gradually fall into a disadvantage.
"Boom—"
The Silver Dragon's breath contained a trace of Bahamut's divine power—an essence of absolute holiness and order, and the aura of the "Lord of the North Wind."
This divine power suppressed the magical fission of the Red Dragon's primal breath, weakening the blue-white high-temperature flames. The extreme cold brought stillness to the surrounding space and time.
The point of collision was gradually descending toward the ground, and the pure white breath was getting closer and closer to Cassius.
If this continued—
The Red Dragon might be engulfed by the Breath of Bahamut, stripped of all personality, and forced into complete "purification."
But there was no fear on Cassius's ferocious dragon face. Instead, his pale golden pupils brimmed with exhilaration.
His entire body trembled with excitement, and the fiery glow surged through the blood vessels within his dragon form.
"Sizzle… sizzle…"
The sound of burning and cracking emerged as a deep crimson glow appeared in the dragon crystal at the Red Dragon's chest. Beneath his hard scales, blood-colored light began to shine.
Immediately, the red glow rapidly spread to his breath.
It was the ultimate divine power representing chaos and destruction—Karrikex's World-Scorching Flame.
[Breath of Chaos]
Cassius exerted all his willpower to maintain his composure, avoiding acts of slaughter for days, just to escape the influence of the "Heart of Karrikex."
Yet, when a tense battle arrived, and when the clash of power placed him at a disadvantage and his life in jeopardy, that seductive and immensely powerful force surged forth uncontrollably.
"Boom!"
Another explosion rang out. The crimson flames of chaos shattered the order of Bahamut's breath, breaking the equilibrium.
The fiery pillar crushed the white cascade of ice, pushing it back rapidly.
Oszedro's expression changed drastically.
Bloodshot veins appeared in Cassius's pale golden slit pupils. A manic grin spread across his mouth, and his body radiated a bloody glow.
The Red Dragon flapped his massive wings, stirring up a chaotic storm. While spewing the scorching pillar of fire, he began to rise into the air, slowly approaching the ancient Silver Dragon high above.
Cassius looked up at the astonished Silver Dragon, and a thought surged in his mind.
Kill him.
Kill him, kill him.
Then I will gain even greater power and the ultimate thrill.
The battling dragons noticed the shift in the tide. The Blue Dragons raised their heads and howled excitedly.
"Lord Cassius!"
"He's going to win!"
"As expected of His Highness, the 'Dragon Prince'—even an ancient Silver Dragon is no match for him!"
"Oszedro should have died long ago!"
"Kill him! Tear that old geezer apart!"
Christina's eyes shone with admiration, fueling her fighting spirit. She struck down the Silver Dragon in front of her with a single swipe of her claws.
"No, no, no…"
In mid-air, Olivia shook her head incessantly, tears welling up in her eyes as she muttered in despair.
Looking at the approaching Red Dragon spewing chaotic fire, she recalled the dreadful gaze filled with a lust for destruction and the traumatic experiences she could never forget.
She knew what it meant.
—Cassius was about to be consumed by power, reduced to a beast of destruction.
"Roar—"
Cassius continued flapping his wings, closing in. At this moment, he was less than a hundred meters away from the ancient giant dragon.
His scorching heart beat violently.
It seemed to be rejoicing over the imminent hunt of a powerful prey.
The burning chaos fire finally devoured the white cascade of ice, transforming the sky into a realm of flames.
The blazing embers splattered onto Oszedro, leaving burn marks across his massive silver body and emitting a charred stench.
The divine forces of destruction and chaos disrupted the surrounding magic net, creating a chaotic torrent of spells that rendered the Spell-Eater Dragon's magic unusable. He could barely maintain his footing in the air.
At this moment, the ancient Silver Dragon appeared utterly miserable, in a pitiful state.
His tattered silver wings struggled to flap, the gaps in them producing piercing wind whistles.
"Awooo—"
Oszedro let out a sharp, high-pitched howl.
The metallic disc on his chest began to spin slowly, rising into the air. It emitted waves of holy radiance, forming a shield in front of him with a diameter of a hundred meters.
However, the Red Dragon let out a frenzied roar, surrounded by chaotic flames, repeatedly crashing into the metallic disc.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The chaotic flames burned on the disc, steadily eroding the remaining order and divinity on it.
Finally, with a crisp sound, web-like cracks appeared in the center of the disc, which then shattered into fragments, scattering as silver debris.
The silver-white gem symbolizing divine grace, "Wind of Bahamut," fell to the ground with the disc's collapse.
"I will kill you!"
Cassius roared, breaking through the stubborn barrier, charging directly at Oszedro with crimson flames gathering in his throat again.
Facing the final moment of his life, Oszedro became calm instead.
His mercury-like pupils reflected the approaching Red Dragon without rippling, revealing only a deep sigh.
The ancient Silver Dragon began to reflect on his life—a millennium of existence, witnessing countless vicissitudes, even becoming hypocritical and decayed over time. Ending his life with a magnificent and fierce battle seemed a fitting conclusion.
Oszedro thought so.
"No—"
"Stop, Cassius! That's not who you are!"
"Don't let that power control you!"
Olivia flapped her wings desperately, screaming hoarsely, trying to stop him.
However, the violent storm generated by the clashing energies blew the ten-meter-long Silver Dragon around in the air, leaving her struggling helplessly.
Olivia couldn't even maintain basic balance in the air, let alone stop the Red Dragon's assault.
But her efforts were not in vain.
The Red Dragon seemed to hear her cries.
A trace of reason emerged in Cassius's destruction-fueled mind—not entirely due to the Silver Dragon's influence, but also the result of months of searching for ways to maintain his willpower and building a fortress of his psyche.
Olivia's calls appeared to have triggered this self-defense mechanism.
"This ancient Silver Dragon is Bahamut's chosen one, an elder of Melward."
"Killing him would mean turning against Bahamut entirely, becoming an enemy of all metallic dragons, and cutting off all escape routes, leaving only Tiamat's embrace."
The lingering rationality told him: Do not kill Oszedro.
But the "Heart of Karrikex"'s will repeatedly tried to invade his mind, awakening the bloodline's deep-seated lust for slaughter and destruction.
"Kill him!"
"I will gain supreme power!"
The chaotic fire in the Red Dragon's mouth was about to erupt, ready to reduce the ancient Silver Dragon to ashes.
At the last moment, Cassius's gaze flickered slightly. He slightly turned his head, and the crimson fire pillar grazed past the ancient Silver Dragon's heart, piercing through his left wing.
"Awooo!"
Oszedro let out a mournful wail.
His broad left wing was instantly incinerated, and the crimson chaotic flames continued spreading along the wing, eroding his body.
The massive ancient Silver Dragon fell helplessly from the sky.
Such injuries, involving severed limbs and imbued with chaotic divinity, might take centuries to heal. Unless a god intervened, even a ninth-circle divine spell would struggle to restore him.
But at least Oszedro survived, retaining his precious life.
"Elder—"
"Uncle!"
"Hurry and save him!"
"Let's get him out of here quickly!"
The Silver Dragons of Melward rushed over anxiously, their silver wings flapping chaotically as they scrambled to protect their respected elder.