Ashen Dragon

"Boom!"

Cassius flapped his wings and bowed his head. From his chest burst forth countless dazzling points of light, a terrifying energy accumulated in his throat. Accompanied by the sound of air shattering, all of it poured out.

Primordial Breath!

A massive pillar of fire tore through the sky, its outer flames shimmering in magnificent blue, while its inner flames shone with the purest white brilliance. The temperature had reached tens of thousands of degrees, enough to vaporize any ordinary mortal caught in its shockwave.

But as a manifestation of war itself, as a divine being waging battles from ancient times until now, Gush had slain countless giant dragons. He was all too familiar with their breath weapons—even if this breath's power was unimaginably great.

"Buzz—"

A sharp ringing resounded as the scarred, battle-worn black plate armor of the orc lit up with countless intricate runes, dozens of high-circle Divine Arts enhancing his form.

"Do you think—with this pitiful breath—you can defeat a divine being?"

Gush, shrouded in waves of black smoke, ascended into the air. With a stretch of his left hand, he pulled from the void a colossal shield, its surface engraved with the insignia of the One-eyed God, forged by his Divine Power projection. He raised it before him.

Instantly, the blue-white pillar of fire was blocked, even reflected, its scorching heat morphing into an overwhelming sea of flames before the giant shield, nearly tearing the space into nothingness.

Yet Gush remained unfazed. His Divine Power transformed into a blood-red radiance, coating his body and shield's surface. The impregnable divine barrier was unyielding.

His sole eye glared ferociously at the Red Dragon from a distance, filled with a murderous light. From his pupil radiated blood-tinged brilliance, striking fear deep into Cassius's heart—that was the Unblinking Eye!

"No!"

Cassius quickly turned his head, consciously avoiding eye contact, but blood-red brilliance erupted from the single eye and engulfed him entirely.

In an instant, Cassius seemed to return to the Ancient Battlefield, where mountains of corpses of elves, dwarves, and orcs loomed before him. Rather than call it an illusion, it was as though Gush's divine power had dragged the Red Dragon back tens of thousands of years, reconstructing the world of that era!

Atop the heap of corpses, the true form of Gush sat high, clutching the Blood Spear, looking down on him with supreme arrogance, his voice roaring like thunder: "Blasphemer, your heart shall be pierced by this spear!"

Meanwhile, in the Material Plane reality, Gush's right hand gripped the Blood Spear firmly. His arm bulged with terrifying veins, gathering an overwhelming force, the spear tip aimed directly at Cassius's heart.

The sharp edge of the Blood Spear emitted an aura wrapped in black radiance, faint shadows surrounding it, exuding a deadly killing intent—that was the Dragon Slayer Power!

For any being bearing the "essence" of dragonkind—even just a trace of it—this power could inflict immeasurable harm. In ancient wars, Gush had used this power to slay several renowned Ancient Dragons.

And as a bearer of the ancestral bloodline, Cassius's "dragon" essence was so pure and potent that it was nearly synonymous with the term itself.

Seizing the moment Cassius was briefly dazed by the Unblinking Eye's deception, Gush launched his attack.

"Blasphemer, your heart shall be pierced by this spear!"

Gush thundered as he used all his strength, sneering hideously while hurling the Blood Spear. Charged with Dragon Slayer Power, the spear tore through the air, heading straight for the Red Dragon's heart.

Simultaneously, the figure of Gush in the Ancient Battlefield rose from the sea of corpses, roaring with fury as he threw the Blood Spear toward Cassius.

In that moment, Cassius's body, spirit, and soul were simultaneously under attack. The Blood Spear, brimming with Dragon Slayer Power, was set to completely destroy him, eradicating his every trace from this world!

"No, this isn't right—this is a trap! It's an illusory realm!" Cassius roared internally.

The next instant, flames surged out of the golden vertical pupils of the Red Dragon. The Ancient Battlefield before him ignited in blazing fires, shattering and disintegrating like a broken mirror. Even the Blood Spear abruptly fragmented.

The godly realm constructed by divine power crumbled in an instant!

Gush froze momentarily, then sneered: "You managed to break free… but it's too late now!"

The Blood Spear had already pierced through the heavens, transformed into a streak of black light, appearing right before Cassius, on the verge of impaling his heart.

Sensing the highly targeted Dragon Slayer Power, Cassius's expression shifted dramatically, realizing the lethal danger.

"Such methods… truly worthy of a divine manifestation!"

From deep within, Cassius felt an instinctual shudder—a mix of fear and fury. He could almost hear the ancestral dragons of his lineage—those colossal beings stretching hundreds, even thousands of meters long—raising their heads and roaring in lamentation.

For the first time since ascending into a Subancestor Dragon's realm, this unsettling sensation struck him. No matter the toughness of his scales or the thickness of his hide, they couldn't defend against an attack that pierced directly into his essence.

He must evade! Even at the cost of everything, he had to dodge!

Cassius roared internally, his mind flooded with thousands of chaotic thoughts. In an instant, dozens of spells were rapidly invoked, layering onto his form with the power of the Magic Tide.

The inscriptions etched into the Red Dragon's scales lit up one by one, manifesting the radiance of various spells across his massive body. Scores of defensive spells overlapped and surged on his surface, while Transformation Magic enhanced his speed and constitution to their limits. Space-warping turbulence now surrounded him in a chaotic mix.

At this moment, Cassius appeared like a moving fortress of magic, his wings beating furiously, poised to transform into a scarlet blur.

But Gush's single eye was brimming with confidence and disdain. In his sight, the spells of mere mortals were meaningless, fragile as paper—they could never withstand this strike.