As space rippled violently, an enormous, phantasmal crimson silhouette appeared where he had been, rapidly solidifying until it became a red dragon once more.
Cassius looked around at the razed expanse engulfed in abyssal flames.
"Death Throes..."
"Quite the destructive force."
Although the battle had been fairly easy for him, part of that was due to counter-abilities.
Had the red dragon not intervened in person, this balor could have single-handedly annihilated half the Kingdom of Cinders. At least for now, none of the kingdom's upper echelon possessed the power to withstand such a demon; even Trump could only barely hold his ground. Such was the terrifying might of the Abyss.
And if the Abyss sent true high-tier powerhouses to pin him down, pitting the Kingdom of Cinders' current forces against an abyssal demon legion would result in a pyrrhic victory at best.
Fortunately, he had wiped out the demon lair Koman spent years developing in one fell swoop, destroying the legion of over a thousand demons. At least for the brief period before an abyssal portal could be opened, it would be difficult for them to amass such a formidable force again.
Cassius glanced at his status panel again, which had refreshed with numerous notifications.
[You have slain a barlgura. Gained 1,800 XP.]
[You have slain a vrock. Gained 2,300 XP.]
[You have slain a glabrezu. Gained 5,000 XP.]
[You have slain a hezrou...]
...
[You have slain Newborn Balor - Koman (Challenge Rating: 18). Gained 20,000 XP.]
"Three years have passed, and I've finally saved up enough experience to level up," Cassius mused with satisfaction.
As the possessor of a special template, in addition to reaping energy from slaying foes, he could also passively accumulate that peculiar power during his slumbers. After three years of steady accumulation combined with the spoils of annihilating a demon legion, he was finally able to step into a new tier.
[You have chosen to advance True Dragon Sorcerer to Level 13.]
[Due to racial innate casting, your current caster level is: 18.]
Yet Level 13 was more of a transitional phase for a class, bringing no qualitative leap—only granting a few additional spells. Cassius could only pray to the gods of fate that his draconic heritage would yield something worthwhile.
Fortunately, his luck had never been bad.
[You have acquired bonus dragon spells: Mind of the Labyrinth, Treasure Ward.]
Mind of the Labyrinth
8th-Circle Enchantment [Mind-Affecting]
Duration: Until expended
Your eyes narrow to slits, and a foul-smelling black energy hovers over your head, drinking in light and stray thoughts.
You twist your mind into a magical maze that confounds unsuspecting casters. If an enemy casts a mind-affecting spell or ability on you, the labyrinthine layout of your consciousness leaves them bewildered.
"Mind of the Labyrinth..."
Cassius showed a hint of pleasant surprise.
He had always lacked this sort of crowd-control spell, often having to rely on Terrifying Vision of Tiamat to pin enemies down in battle.
Yet that was not without cost. Even though this power was not a divine boon bestowed by Tiamat, the more frequently he used spells associated with a deity, the deeper the invisible bond forged between him and Tiamat became. In the end, it might even forcibly bind him to the Dragon Queen's chariot—an outcome Cassius absolutely refused to entertain.
Now that he had obtained a draconic mental spell from his heritage—and an eighth-circle one at that—another of his shortcomings had been shored up, allowing him to fight with far greater ease.
Treasure Ward
4th-Circle Abjuration
This spell targets a single, continuous hoard of treasure within range. If any item is removed from the hoard, the carrier is afflicted with nausea and vomiting unless their fortitude is strong enough to resist.
A creature suffering from nausea must relinquish the item, or the effect intensifies, rendering them unable to move. Note: Every 10 gold coins' worth of treasure is treated as a single "item."
"A chicken rib—flavorless to eat, yet a pity to throw away."
"Still, better than nothing."
That was Cassius's verdict on Treasure Ward.
This sort of spell was clearly the handiwork of dragons, a vivid testament to their greedy, miserly nature—actually designing a spell specifically to safeguard their hoard.
In Cassius's eyes, however, it seemed more like the neurotic byproduct of dragons worrying excessively over their riches. After all, beings capable of stealing from his hoard were unlikely to be affected by such a spell, while weaklings who could be affected wouldn't even catch a glimpse of his vault before being caught by watchful wyverns and tiefling guards.
At best, it might foil a rogue specialized in stealth yet physically frail.
The vast stream of knowledge containing the two spells flooded into Cassius's mind, but he was already well accustomed to the sensation.
A caster level as high as 18 allowed him to easily comprehend everything pertaining to eighth-circle spells; after all, his will was already capable of reaching the ninth tier of the Weave.
Cassius finally opened his eyes, turning his attention back to the devastated surroundings.
The demons had left few remains behind. Upon their deaths, their chaotic essence would return to the Abyss, its substance reforming into new demons.
And the former demon lair, shattered by the balor's dying Death Throes, had been reduced to scorched wasteland. More than half the mountain peak had been obliterated by the horrifying blast; abyssal fire burned throughout the cratered caverns, and the passages leading into the mountain's depths were buried under collapsed rock.
"Where did Koman's power truly come from, then?"
Cassius gazed at the ruined cave, narrowing his eyes slightly as doubt flickered in his pale golden pupils.
"He was merely a young frost giant. There is no way he could have grown to such heights in three short years on his own."
"And the Cassius of old, as a wyrmling robbed of his mother's protection, could never have grown into the 'Wrath of the Mountains' that made the Northlands tremble in a mere ten years—a duration no longer than a nap to dragons—without outside interference."
*Behind them both, there is very likely a demon lord,*
Cassius reasoned.
He parted his jaws slightly and released a blast of scalding fire breath. The flames easily melted and bored through the piled rubble, bringing the deep, pitch-black passage back to light.
Suddenly, the red dragon's frilled ears twitched, and his brow, studded with protruding bone spurs, furrowed slightly.
He seemed to hear some kind of...
Call.
Yes, a call.
It did not transmit through physical matter, but influenced and linked to his consciousness on a higher spiritual plane. This put Cassius on immediate alert, causing him to instinctively raise mental bastions.
Yet the deep voice still drifted from the void, finding every crack and seam.
"Come..."
"You will come here and embrace the Abyss."
Chapter 259