Ashen Dragon

"Swish, swish, swish—"

Accompanied by the crisp sound of air being stirred, the Red Dragon waved its wings, slowly descending from the sky, gazing down upon the battlefield's beings.

"Long Live the Empire!"

"Long Live His Majesty Cassius!"

The cheers of the empire's officers and soldiers resembled a continuous wave, growing stronger as the Red Dragon descended.

Farther away in the Flying Dragon City, countless soldiers fired salutes, and the Bipedal Wyverns spread their wings, stretching their necks, and roared loudly.

The Red Dragon cast a ferocious, gigantic shadow upon the earth, which grew larger as it neared the ground, enveloping hundreds of orcs including Solo.

The overwhelming Dragon's Might descended, pressing on the heart of every orc like a heavy mountain, making their hearts pound and rendering them breathless.

Solo knelt on the ground, his head bowed low, feeling the oppressive presence washing over him, suddenly chilled as if plunged into an ice cave, his whole body trembling violently, cold sweat pouring like rain.

This is impossible!

The Red Dragon actually won!

How could it be? Solo's powerful, invincible Father God—lost to the Emperor of the Ashen Empire!

"Father God!"

"Father God, please give us shelter!"

"The Red Dragon has returned! Father God, act quickly and kill it!"

He prayed and roared wildly in his heart, but no matter what, that familiar voice did not resound again, with only silence answering him.

At this moment, Solo finally believed—that Father God had completely abandoned them, the orcs of the Wuge Prairie, leaving them carelessly unattended.

With this thought, the orc chieftain's eyes became empty, staring blankly as if struck by lightning, unmoving as he knelt on the charred ground.

The whistling artillery fire and the cheering of the Imperial Soldiers engulfed him like a tide, making his ears buzz with a piercing hum.

Scenes of the past also flashed through his mind: the death of the former chieftain Batu, the collapse of the Red Blood Tribe, receiving Father God's blessing, nurturing the newborn orcs...

Solo murmured: "I am the Great Chief of the Red Blood Tribe, chosen by Father God, the hero destined to lead the orcs to rise up..."

He was supposed to have a brilliant future, he was meant to stir a massive Beast Tide, conquer the North of Fianso, but it was all destroyed by the Red Dragon!

After a moment of silence, he suddenly raised his head, looking at the Red Dragon waving its wings in the sky, eyes glaring, teeth clenched, burning with endless rage.

It was this Red Dragon that destroyed everything he had! Turning his hopes, his future, his ambitions to ashes!

No, he still had one last chance, as long as—he killed that damned Red Dragon!

Suddenly, in extreme anger, Solo's Beastman Spore was awakened!

This nearly six-meter-tall orc's muscles bulged all over, his face flushed red, eyes wide open, the veins on his forehead pulsing with deep breaths, his eyes shooting out boundless fury.

He picked up the spear from the ground, held it in his hand, then raised it, stomping the earth, jumping high with a somewhat frantic and angry roar: "I will kill you!"

Though the orc was tall and burly, compared to the enormous sixty-meter-long Red Dragon, he looked like a leaping green-skinned grasshopper, particularly insignificant and ridiculous.

"Look, that green-skin dares to challenge His Majesty!"

"Such overconfidence."

"Indeed, even their god fell to His Majesty Cassius, how dare he..."

Seeing this scene, the surrounding Imperial Soldiers discussed feverishly, most with a mocking tone, while some were disgruntled, considering it an insult to His Majesty Cassius.

But no matter who— even among the orc soldiers—believed that Solo's "assassination" would not succeed.

Against the visible vast disparity in power, no amount of combat skills or abundant courage could change anything.

"Overconfident."

Cassius gazed coldly at the orc leaping toward him.

Then, as if something occurred to him, a slightly mocking smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

"Since that's the case, let me test the item snatched from the old green-skin—let's see if it does work!"

The Red Dragon extended its huge claw, spreading its five sharp fingers, the blood-colored sphere in its palm suddenly changed, condensing into a bloodstained spear.

The overwhelming pressure spread tumultuously, causing creatures within a hundred miles to involuntarily tremble, submit, and panic in their hearts, not due to Dragon's Might— but due to the divine power of war, strength, chaos, and orcs.

Upon seeing the bloodstained spear and feeling that familiar aura, Solo's eyes widened in shock, his body stiffened, massive shock and fear striking his heart like a heavy hammer.

"This, this is... Father God's aura?"

Solo's voice turned hoarse, trembling, filled with disbelief.

For a moment, chaotic thoughts flooded his mind: could it be that Father God's supreme divine power had been usurped by this greedy Red Dragon? Then, what of himself, who claimed to be the Divine Favored?

But Cassius gave him little time to ponder, the Red Dragon still smiling mockingly, holding that bloodstained spear, manipulating a trace of divine power.

"Boom—"

Accompanied by a roar in the sky, the blood-colored divine light spread.

In an instant, all the orcs felt an intense fear of having their body, mind, and even soul gripped by another, threatening to shatter at any moment—even Solo in mid-air was no exception.