The Battle of Trier had come to an end. The Cinder Nest had suffered no small amount of casualties, with over ten thousand goblins and kobolds falling in battle, yet they still maintained formidable fighting strength and high morale.
In contrast, the coalition army of the three principalities—Lakeman, Bosque, and Knott—totaling over thirty thousand troops, was utterly wiped out. The senior commanders of the Principalities of Bosque and Knott were captured in their entirety and locked away in the dungeons of Dragon Valley.
Not since the Battle of the Lion Coalition thirty years ago, which had reshaped the geopolitical landscape of Anzeta, had a war of this scale been fought here. Ever since the first clashes began, every faction across the Great Anzetta Waste had been craning their necks in anticipation, waiting for the final outcome.
When the battle concluded, news of the coalition's annihilation spread with staggering speed.
Rumors that the "Infernal Calamity," Cassius, had destroyed the coalition in a tempest of roaring flames spread far and wide.
The entire Northlands erupted in turmoil, with uproar spreading everywhere. At first, no one believed that an army gathering the finest elites of three principalities could suffer such absolute destruction.
That was until brave rangers risked their lives to slip into Trier Valley.
Seeing the scorched, brown earth and the thick blankets of ash, they found undeniable proof of the reports' truth.
Almost overnight, the once-obscure red dragon became a terror capable of silencing crying children in the night, the ultimate villain of countless Northland bardic tales, the greatest evil that adventurers sought to vanquish, and the target of intense scrutiny from factions across the Northlands, whether good or evil.
"Since they want war, I shall give them war."
"As for when this war ends, that is not for them to decide."
These words of the red dragon quickly circulated within the Cinder Nest and even spread to the various principalities throughout the Northern Kingdom.
The Cinder Nest, a colossal and gruesome war machine, had clearly not yet unleashed its full might. The dragon-blooded monsters rubbed their hands and braced their claws, eager for action. After only a few days of rest and reorganization, they surged south impatiently, allowing the raging flames of war to spread from Trier Valley into the heart of the Principality of Lakeman.
Yet this time, whether it was the Principality of Bosque—the nominal leader of the Northern United Kingdom—or the Principality of Knott, closely tied to Lakeman by marriage, or the remaining ten principalities great and small, all trembled beneath the shadow of the Cinder Nest's wings, turning a blind eye and remaining idle bystanders.
The Principality of Knott even took the initiative to dispatch an envoy, offering a substantial ransom for the prisoners alongside a peace treaty.
Many nobles of various ranks across the Northlands bypassed their own overlords, secretly sending envoys to discuss cooperation ahead of time.
Even the Principality of Bosque resorted to underground channels, dropping hints about ransoming Andre and expressing apologies for their actions.
Delenna, the yuan-ti pureblood temporarily overseeing diplomatic affairs, welcomed these overtures. However, the proposals offered by the Northland nobility were far from enough to satisfy her voracious greed. She intended to squeeze far more concessions out of them—ideally bleeding them dry to serve as nourishment to feed the Cinder Nest.
The resonant, thunderous blast of a horn echoed through the air, startling countless birds into flight.
"Advance—!"
Duoluo rode atop a massive land drake, brandishing his Bloodfire Battleaxe high in the air.
The colossal drake produced earth-shaking thuds with every step. Wyverns spread their wings across the sky, while kobolds and goblins blanketed the hills and plains. Hobgoblins and lizardfolk marched in neat, disciplined battle formations, prepared to crush any enemy in their path with irresistible momentum.
"For the Cinder Nest!"
The fanatical, clamorous roars of the monsters shook the heavens.
***
Just as the Northlands were reeling in shock, Cassius, the culprit behind it all, lay resting weakly inside his cavern, his gargantuan draconic form rising and falling with his breath.
"The drain was simply too massive."
"I won't be able to use it casually for the next few days."
Cassius tilted his head slightly, gazing at the adamantine ring slipped over one of his claws. Embedded within it was the Eye of the Storm Sovereign, which looked like blue amber, its glow currently faint and dim.
Due to excessive magical conduction, the normally indestructible structure of the adamantine had turned brittle, on the verge of fracturing under the strain.
*Tsk, this vessel is still far too fragile.*
This apocalyptic disaster had been possible because Cassius used the power of the Eye of the Storm Sovereign to cast the eighth-tier spell Control Weather, conjuring a hurricane-force tempest, while also relying on his peerless mastery of fire elements as a True Dragon Sorcerer to summon a boundless sea of fire with his breath and spells.
Combining the two, wind fueled fire, culminating in that fire tornado capable of consuming all things.
Yet weather itself was essentially a chaotic system, carrying vast and tangled streams of information. Even with the aid of legendary equipment, manipulating the eighth layer of the Weave to cast Control Weather remained a monumental challenge for Cassius.
Every second he maintained the spell, his mind bore terrible, crushing pressure.
Truly, casting the spell had been sheer bliss in the moment, only for the aftermath to be pure agony.
Still, it had all been worth it.
Cassius looked at the newly refreshed information on his status panel, a vicious grin spreading across his maw.
[You have destroyed an army of ten thousand on your own. Special Achievement: Army Breaker unlocked.]
[Achievement: Army Breaker]
"When an individual's mighty power reaches its zenith, the enemy's numbers become nothing more than a meaningless figure. In other words, you alone are enough to effortlessly destroy an army. —Trimson, War Historian"
[Gained Passive Trait: Army Breaker]
Strength +1, Constitution +2
As a being who destroyed an army alone, any encirclement will fill you with exhilaration. When facing multiple enemies, your Strength and Constitution will increase substantially.
(Note: The legendary dwarven berserker Kuzalv once crushed a demon army with his iron hammer. And according to his own words, he didn't even bat an eye. Some scholars attempted to question this from an academic perspective, but not one dared confront him face-to-face.)
Army Breaker—a truly terrifying trait.
Not only would it shine in wars against massive armies, but it would also work wonders when facing encirclement by several foes, especially against adventuring parties.
Not to mention the direct physical enhancement it provided.
Soon, Cassius felt an inexplicable surge of power remodeling his body. His already bulky muscles grew firmer and tougher, directly elevating his strength and vitality to another level.
And a certain trait appeared abruptly and seamlessly within his draconic form, as though he had been born with it: the ability granted by Army Breaker to grow stronger when outnumbered.
"Still no magical fluctuation."
"Not even a spatial ripple can be detected..."
Cassius narrowed his eyes, shaking his body to acclimate to his newfound power as he pondered in silence.
He was already among the pinnacle combatants across Anzeta, yet even so, he could not detect the slightest trace of this system. That realization dispelled what little complacency he felt after his resounding victory.
After all, in the grand scheme of this world, he was still far too weak.
Chapter 119