Ashen Dragon

An Imperial soldier boldly stepped forward and placed his hand in front of the Orc's nose, exclaiming in surprise, "By Cassius, they aren't breathing!"

"What... Are all these Orcs dead?"

"Indeed, His Majesty is awe-inspiring! With a mere wave, tens of thousands of Orcs meet their demise!"

The surrounding Imperial soldiers erupted in excitement, astonished at the ease of the Orcs' deaths, and awestruck by Cassius' divine-like might.

It's important to know that this was a Beastman army numbering in the tens of thousands! These creatures were strong, resilient, and fearless in battle, even the Empire's elite would need time to defeat them.

Yet before the Ashen Empire's Emperor, these Orcs were like ants to be trampled, unable to offer any resistance and perishing silently.

Seizing the opportunity, a Paladin of the Dragon Oath Sanctuary preached, "This is the might of His Majesty Cassius! Anyone daring to offend or desecrate us will face the harshest punishment—death!

Praise His Majesty Cassius! Praise the Great Red Dragon!" The Dragonsworn Holy Warrior raised his flaming Great Sword and shouted fervently.

"Praise His Majesty Cassius!"

"Praise the Great Red Dragon!"

Instantly, the surrounding Imperial people knelt toward the Red Dragon, their expressions fervent and devout, their voices reaching the heavens.

Even the players were left dumbfounded, their expressions varied.

One player envied, their gaze burning, "Wow, what kind of group skill did Brother Kai use? Just one light and all the Orcs were dead!"

"Forget it, it must be some boss-exclusive skill; those damn developers wouldn't let us have it. They just want us to be cannon fodder like Black Slaves."

"Could that spear be the legendary Divine Artifact? If I could steal it, wouldn't I be invincible?"

"You're dreaming!"

"Whether you have the guts to steal it aside, even if you get it, you'll bear the grave sin of desecrating the Emperor, and then the Imperial Army's Tieflings guarding the Respawn Point will kill you—just wait for a reboot."

Another player looked pained, obviously obsessed with leveling up, "Tens of thousands of Orcs just got wiped out by NPC plot... Such a waste, truly a waste!"

Cassius grasped the blood-colored spear, formed from divine power seized from Gush, slowly flapping his wings, his entire body enveloped in a blood-colored divine light, overlooking the dead Orcs and the fervently devout Imperial soldiers below.

As for those players running their mouths, he deliberately ignored them.

In the state of wielding divine power, Cassius felt the power of faith emanating from the Imperial soldiers, seeing specks of light rise from their bodies—this was faith.

War, strength, victory, territory, industry...

Their "perception" of Cassius converged, transforming into divine power in various domains under the influence of divinity and divine position, granting Cassius unimaginable strength.

The God of War, God of Power, Empire and Territory God, Industry and Mechanics God—these powers of faith seemed to transform into golden thrones that symbolized divine authority.

It was so tempting, causing endless greed to emanate from Cassius' golden pupils.

"Ascension... is truly a madness-inducing temptation, but now is not the time." Cassius warned himself in his heart.

He knew the conditions for ascension weren't completed.

If he ascended without adequate preparation, he would end up like the "Instantaneous God" Karlsas and the old Emperor of Holy Fadlan, with his body destroyed and path annihilated.

"The most urgent task now is to eliminate the hidden threats left by the Fungus Lady and Beastman God."

Thinking of this, Cassius calmed his emotions, suddenly soared nearly a hundred meters on his wings amidst countless fervent and devout gazes, and his majestic voice echoed from his mouth.

"These Orcs are the source of the calamity, chaotic and reckless, prone to slaughter, and have committed the grievous crime of defying me by actively provoking the Empire!

In the name of the Ashen Emperor, I shall bestow upon these Orcs—complete extinction!"

This voice was extraordinarily majestic and grand, like a divine pronouncement, and echoed like thunder across the scarred wasteland.

"His Majesty Cassius!"

"Praise the Great Red Dragon!"

The Imperial people on the wasteland cheered enthusiastically, satisfied with the punishment their shared Emperor imposed upon the Orcs.

In the view of these Empire soldiers, any nation or race offending the Ashen Empire should be entirely obliterated, leaving none!

Cassius' words were not only meant for the subjects of the Ashen Empire but also a warning to the lurking observers in the shadows, cautioning them not to provoke the Empire lightly.

Since Gush's incarnation descended, the fluctuation of divine power had drawn the attention of countless forces: Amanata Church's divine envoys, angels of the Seven Layered Heaven, Prophet Mages of the City of Thousand Laws, Devil Lords of Barto Hell, Legendary Rangers of the Harpist Alliance...

Numerous strong entities observed the battle in secret, most hoping for mutual destruction between Gush's incarnation and Cassius, and if it came to it, they wouldn't mind stepping in to deliver the final blow.

But the end result surprised everyone—the Ashen Emperor actually allied with former adversary Du Masong to defeat the enemy, putting Gush at a significant disadvantage.

"Damn evil dragons..."

"He might have found our hiding spot, let's move!"

"That Red Dragon possesses such power, must immediately report back to our master!"