Ashen Dragon

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Imperial Senate Building, the Senate.

This special room was located at the top of the building, equipped with a one-way magic mirror that provided a panoramic view of the entire Isdalia, monitoring every corner of the city.

Compared to the Council Hall that could accommodate tens of thousands of people, the Senate was not very large, with only a round table and dozens of chairs.

But only the true high-ranking officials of the empire could participate in it, formulating various domestic policies and guidelines.

It could be said that the Senate was the real political center of the Ashen Empire, capable of deciding the empire's future fate.

At this moment in the Senate, three great Dukes—Lord Ramp, Duke Dolores, and Duke Mezulash—sat in the front row. Their importance as the "Pillars of the Empire" need not be mentioned.

Besides them, there were Jin Ya, the leader of the Kobold tribes; Guillermo, the Minister of the Department of Technology; Alger, the leader of the Red Scale Guard Station; Anthony, the Chief Knight of the Dragon Oath Sanctuary; Misha, the Dragon Pact Warlock of the Tower of Everflame...

Those present here were at least of Marquis rank, all "important figures" who could command wind and rain within the empire.

"Why has this Senate meeting been called so suddenly?"

"Yes, according to the usual practice, it should have been three days later."

"Could it be something major?"

"It wouldn't be..."

"Bang! Bang!"

Lord Ramp knocked the edge of the table with his wand, making a dull sound that instantly drew everyone's attention to him.

"Gentlemen—"

He cleared his throat.

"For the past year, the empire has become very conservative. I know many of you are dissatisfied. Now is the time to make a change."

"His Majesty has awakened from his slumber, and this is why I have urgently gathered you all."

Immediately, everyone in the chamber held their breath, their eyes fixed on the empty, luxurious throne at the end of the round table.

The diverse faces showed emotions of excitement, anticipation, and tension.

Because Prime Minister Lord Ramp had just brought them news—His Majesty had awakened and would soon arrive at the Senate.

"Swoosh—"

Under everyone's expectant gaze, the space in front of the throne began to fluctuate and distort.

Cassius, dressed in a deep red royal robe and wearing a crown, appeared before them, followed closely by Olivia holding a contract scroll.

"Your Majesty!"

Everyone in the Senate stood up in unison, bowing their heads towards the throne and placing their right fist over their heart in a standard loyalty salute.

Olivia quickly stepped aside, avoiding the direction of the salute, and hurried back to her seat in the second row.

Cassius naturally took a seat on the throne, pressing down with one hand, "At ease, please be seated."

He was still not quite accustomed to his human form, always feeling constrained. If it weren't for the narrowness of the Senate, he would have preferred to transform into his Red Dragon form.

Cassius rested his chin on his hand casually, speaking calmly, "It has been a long time. I believe you all are more aware of the recent major events in the empire than I am, such as..."

He deliberately paused for a moment.

"Abyssal demons."

Then, Cassius looked at everyone in the Senate, clearly inviting them to express their views and freely discuss.

"Clap!"

Duke Dolores slammed the table and stood up immediately, white smoke spewing from his mouth as he angrily cursed, "Those vermin from the Abyss have gone too far!"

He turned to look at Lord Ramp, pointing to the wound on his ear, "Your Majesty, look at the condition of Lord Ramp's ear.

They dared to openly assassinate the Prime Minister of the empire! This is a naked insult to our empire!

And yet, we have not retaliated. It's a disgrace! Do you know what the people of the empire are saying..."

"Those demons are too arrogant!"

"Yes, the city I govern has also seen demon attacks; they seem to be everywhere..."

Immediately, the Senate was filled with indignation, with many expressing their dissatisfaction with the rampant demons and voicing their agreement with Duke Dolores.

However, Lord Ramp did not show any embarrassment, sitting there leisurely.

Although it appeared that Dolores was "concerned" about Ramp's injury, he was actually accusing Ramp of weak policies to Cassius, trying to gain the support of others in the Senate.

Misha frowned slightly and stood up, saying, "The demons are indeed too rampant. It was I who killed that Seducing Demon in Isdalia, but... counterattacking the Abyss is somewhat unrealistic.

I have dealt with Hell Demons in the Fire Elemental Plane and learned a lot about the Abyss from them.

According to traditional knowledge, the Abyss has 666 layers, filled with filth and blood. The demons there are endless, ruled by different Abyssal Lords in various layers.

Unless we can occupy Pazunia, attacking the Abyss would be nothing but a waste, meaningless for the empire."

The faces of military senators like Dolores immediately turned a little grim, but those who were knowledgeable about the multiverse voiced their support.

After all, they knew very well that the so-called "counterattack the Abyss" was just an unrealistic slogan.

Ramp nodded appreciatively. He tapped the floor with his wand and said, "Our enemy is the so-called 'Vengeful Demon' Jezarslack, a lord of an unknown layer from ten thousand years ago.

Currently, the situation is that the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. It would be irrational to act rashly without intelligence. However..."

The Ogre Archmage grinned, a smile appearing on his grotesque face.

"Now that His Majesty has awakened, we can fully unleash our potential to deal with those demons.

Thanks to His Majesty's foresight, he used Divination to predict the demon invasion in advance, and I have been preparing for this."

Duke Dolores's face turned even more unsightly, while Ramp turned his eager gaze towards the emperor on the throne.

"Clap!"

Cassius did not speak but snapped his fingers.

A huge magic image appeared in midair, showing rolling mountain ranges, with towering snow peaks in the far distance.

"That's Mount Thierry!"

"I've been there."

Someone said, as Mount Thierry was the most famous peak in the Ancytica Mountains, known as the "Spine of the North."

Suddenly, a black giant claw tore through the sky, creating an abyssal rift hundreds of meters in diameter.

Countless grotesque and terrifying demons surged out like a tide, their ugly bodies even blocking the sky, casting chaotic shadows on the ground.

"Roar—"

The image cut off abruptly.

Cassius's calm voice echoed in the Senate.

"According to the Divination, the abyssal demons will invade Anzeta on a large scale, and the invasion time... is one month from now."

Saying this, Cassius casually picked up the Dragonhead Scepter draped over the throne and stood up, holding the scepter horizontally.

Everyone immediately stood up as well. All eyes, filled with anticipation, tension, or joy, were fixed on the emperor.

Among them were Half-Dragons gifted by the bloodline, Ogre Archmages, Goblin Warriors, Dragonsworn Holy Warriors, and Kobolds resembling upright Red Dragons...

They were the empire's top combat forces, with almost each having a challenge level above the tenth.

Cassius looked around, scanning everyone with a scrutinizing gaze, then slightly curled his lips and said in a deep voice:

"Gentlemen—

The new war has begun."

Under Lord Ramp's lead, everyone around the round table placed their right fist over their heart once more and said in unison, "For the empire."

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