Chapter 120: Flames of War and Army-Breaker
The Battle of Terrell concluded, with Embers Nest suffering significant casualties, losing over ten thousand goblins and kobolds, but they retained a powerful fighting force and high morale.
Meanwhile, the allied forces of Lackman, Bosk, and Nort, totaling over thirty thousand, were utterly annihilated. All high-ranking generals from the Bosk and Nort duchies were captured and imprisoned in the dungeons of Dragon Valley.
Since the Lion Alliance Battle that altered Anzeta's political landscape thirty years ago, there hadn't been a war of this scale in decades. Thus, as soon as the flames of war ignited, every power across the Anzeta Wasteland eagerly awaited the final outcome.
When the news of the allied forces' complete annihilation spread, it did so rapidly.
The tale of Cassius, the "Hellish Calamity," destroying the allied forces with flames also spread far and wide.
The entire Northern Region was in an uproar, with shock waves rippling across the land. At first, no one believed that the combined elite armies of three duchies could be wiped out entirely.
Until brave rangers risked their lives to infiltrate Trier Valley.
They saw the charred brown earth and the heavy ash, all evidence confirming the reports' truth.
Suddenly, this once-obscure red dragon became a terror to quiet children's cries at night, the ultimate foe in countless bard tales, the greatest evil that adventurers sought to eliminate, and the target of intense scrutiny from every faction in the North, whether good or evil.
"If they want war, I'll give them war."
"Only, the end of this war is not for them to decide."
This quote from the red dragon had circulated widely within Embers Nest and even spread across the duchies of the Northern Kingdom.
Embers Nest's vast, menacing war machine was clearly far from having exhausted its might. The dragonblooded monsters were ready and eager, and after a few days of rest, they surged southward, extending the blazing flames from Trier Valley to the homeland of the Lackman Duchy.
But this time, whether it was the Bosk Duchy, nominal leader of the Northern United Kingdom, or the Nort Duchy, closely allied by marriage to Lackman, or any of the remaining ten duchies large and small, all trembled beneath Embers Nest's wings, feigning blindness and inaction.
The Nort Duchy even proactively sent an envoy, proposing to ransom their captives at a high price and sign a peace treaty.
Numerous nobles from the North, bypassing their lieges, sent envoys in secret to negotiate cooperation early on.
Even the Bosk Duchy used underground channels to subtly express their desire to ransom Andre and apologize for their actions.
Darenna, the pure-blooded serpent in charge of diplomatic affairs, welcomed this, yet the treaties offered by the northern nobles could not satiate her greed. She wanted to extract more benefits from them, ideally draining their blood entirely to nourish Embers Nest.
A thunderous, prolonged horn echoed, startling flocks of birds.
"March—"
Dolo rode atop a ground dragon beast, raising his blood-fire battle axe.
The massive dragon beast rumbled like an earthquake, wyverns filled the sky, kobolds and goblins covered the hills, while hobgoblins and lizardmen formed orderly formations. They would crush all enemies in their path with overwhelming force.
"For Embers Nest!"
The monsters' fanatical, chaotic roars filled the air.
Amidst the Northern Region's upheaval, Cassius, the culprit behind it all, lay weakly resting in a cave, his massive dragon body rising and falling with each breath.
"The consumption was too great."
"I probably won't be able to use it for several days."
Cassius slightly turned his head, gazing at the golden ring on his claw, inlaid with the blue amber-like " Storm King Eye," now dim.
Due to excessive magical conduction, the once indestructible structure of this golden metal had become somewhat brittle, nearly at its breaking point.
"Tsk, this vessel is still too fragile."
The calamity-level disaster this time was partially achieved through Cassius's use of the Storm King Eye, casting the eighth-circle spell [Weather Manipulation] to create a hurricane tornado. Combined with his dragon sorcerer's powerful fire element control, he created an endless sea of flames through breath and spell.
The two forces combined—wind fanning flames—produced the all-consuming fire tornado.
Yet weather itself is a complex system filled with vast and chaotic information. Even with the aid of equipment, casting the eighth-layer magic of Weather Manipulation was still a massive challenge for Cassius.
Each second of maintaining the spell put tremendous strain on his mind.
It could be described as spellcasting satisfaction in the moment, followed by a fiery graveyard.
But it was all worth it.
Cassius looked at the updated information on his panel, a sinister smile forming.
[You destroyed an army of ten thousand on your own, gaining the special achievement [Army-Breaker]]
Achievement [Army-Breaker]
"When individual power reaches its peak, the enemy's numbers become a meaningless figure. In other words, you alone are enough to easily destroy an entire army." —Military Historian Trimson
Passive trait acquired: [Army-Breaker]
Strength +1, Constitution +2
As a being who can single-handedly annihilate an army, any attack by multiple opponents excites you greatly. When facing multiple enemies, your Strength and Constitution will increase significantly.
(Note: Legendary dwarf berserker Kurthulf once smashed an entire demon army with his hammer. According to him, he didn't even blink. Scholars have tried to challenge this claim academically, but none dared to confront him face-to-face.)
Army-Breaker, a fearsome ability.
Not only useful in large-scale battles, but it also works exceptionally well against attacks from multiple enemies, especially adventurer teams.
Not to mention the bodily enhancements it provides.
Soon, Cassius felt a mysterious force reshaping his body. His already powerful muscles became firmer, tougher, his dragon body's strength and vitality raised to a new level.
A certain trait, as if it had been born within him, suddenly appeared in his dragon form—the ability to grow stronger when facing large numbers of enemies, a gift of [Army-Breaker].
"Still no mana fluctuations."
"Not even space is detectable…"
Cassius narrowed his eyes, shook his body, feeling the new power, thinking to himself.
He was already one of Anzeta's top combatants, but even so, he could detect no trace of this system, tempering his post-victory complacency.
After all, in this world, he was still far too weak.