"Haul it to the top of the altar!"
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"
Accompanied by heavy panting, eight burly, muscular ogres appeared at the end of the road, struggling under the weight of an immense metal chest.
Step by step, they climbed the stairway until they reached the highest tier of the altar. Together, they pried open the chest and immediately dropped to their knees in veneration.
At once, a brilliant golden light burst from within the chest, drawing gasps of awe from the surrounding crowd. Resting quietly inside was a crown wrought entirely of adamantine, encrusted with magnificent gems of every hue that shimmered dazzlingly beneath the sunlight.
It was the Crown of the Supreme True Dragon.
Suddenly, a question arose in the hearts of the watching spectators. By tradition, an emperor had to be crowned by another. Even Aragorn I, the "Sun King" of the Holy Fadlan Empire, had been crowned by the contemporary archbishop of the Church of Amaunator.
Who present was qualified to crown this "Cinder Emperor," Cassius?
Recalling the ruler's moniker of "Dragon Prince," a familiar name immediately sprang to mind, yet none dared speak it lightly aloud.
At that moment, an immense shadow fell over Isdalia. An unimaginable pressure flooded every heart, stirring an instinctual terror.
"Gods above..."
"What is that...?"
People looked up into the deep heavens, only to find a nightmarish monstrosity blanketing the earth.
It possessed a colossal, monstrous draconic body and wings like storm clouds. Churning and writhing upon its frame were five serpentine necks and five heads, their terrible slit pupils focusing their gazes directly upon Cassius.
Though merely Her projection upon the Material Plane, it was enough to make everyone present tremble with dread.
"It's Her!"
"Tiamat!"
Someone cried out the name in panic.
A stir swept through the crowd once more. They had never imagined that Tiamat would favor this red dragon to such an extent that She would personally descend as an avatar.
"Her Majesty the Dragon Queen! She came in person!"
Christina looked up at the sky, her expression overwhelmed with excitement.
*So She really came...*
Cassius raised his head without hesitation, meeting that gaze directly as thoughts raced through his mind.
He had anticipated this long ago.
Given Tiamat's nature, the moment he held a coronation, She would undoubtedly show up immediately. On the surface, She was bestowing "divine favor" upon Cassius; in truth, She sought to bind his empire firmly to the war chariot of the chromatic dragons.
If he truly allowed Tiamat to crown him, it would be equivalent to formally taking a side, declaring war against the metallic dragons and all other forces of good.
With that in mind, Cassius bowed slightly and tucked in his wings to show respect toward the deity.
"Good day, Your Majesty the Dragon Queen."
"Cassius, you have done well."
All five of the Dragon Queen's heads peeled back their lips simultaneously, revealing a gruesome, chilling grin.
"Well enough... to warrant My personal congratulations."
"If only there were more exceptional children like you, why should we worry that chromatic dragons will not rise again, or that the rule of dragons will not be restored across this land?"
"You flatter me, Your Majesty,"
Cassius replied, neither servile nor haughty.
He marveled inwardly at how, in just a few words, Tiamat had framed the Kingdom of Cinders—or rather, the Empire—as the collective property of all chromatic dragons.
And so he responded politely, "My realm cannot yet compare to Your grand designs."
With that subtle reply, Cassius once again drew a line between the two concepts.
High above, Tiamat's illusory form betrayed neither anger nor pleasure, merely narrowing Her eyes slightly. "Cassius, you require a coronation ceremony grand and solemn enough for your station."
"Such as being crowned by the hand of a god."
Faced with this seemingly alluring proposal, Cassius did not answer immediately. He merely inclined his head slightly, appearing lost in thought.
In truth, he was waiting—waiting for a special guest to arrive.
A freezing north wind suddenly began to howl.
Tiamat's expression changed abruptly.
The crowd looked up toward the heavens once more, only to see an azure glow flashing on the horizon like a midsummer sky. A slender, serpentine silhouette of a platinum dragon materialized across the expanse.
"That is..."
"His Majesty Bahamut?"
The silver dragons Olivia and Cruzelay exclaimed in unison, their spirits instantly soaring.
Olivia was especially thrilled, already imagining Cassius turning from evil to good and embracing faith in Bahamut.
The expressions of the blue dragons turned extraordinarily complicated.
The surrounding onlookers stood dumbfounded, numb with shock. Never in their wildest dreams had they expected both the legendary "Dragon Queen of Chromatics" and the "Platinum Dragon King" to appear simultaneously at this ceremony.
Yet the people from across Feanso also keenly sensed just how important this red dragon had become.
"Good day, Your Majesty Bahamut."
Even evil dragons often showed deference to Bahamut's wisdom and might, and Cassius was no exception.
Tiamat snarled furiously,
"Bahamut! Your Chosen has already been defeated by My scion! How dare you show your face here!"
Bahamut spoke in an even, tranquil tone. "I rejoice for any dragon of great potential, so long as they are willing to turn back from a lost path."
"You speak utter nonsense!"
Two magnificent divine powers clashed in midair, unleashing violent ripples that stirred the clouds and winds into a tumultuous tempest.
Cassius gazed at the chaos unfolding in the sky, his composure entirely unshaken.
Months ago, when he purged the lingering trace of Bahamut's aura from that gem, he had simultaneously transmitted a certain message—an invitation.
The other party had understood the implicit gesture and arrived as promised. Perhaps the Platinum Dragon King had no real intention of taking Cassius under his wing, merely seizing the opportunity to spite Tiamat—but that was more than enough.
The older and more powerful a dragon grew, the clearer they saw the true nature of these dragon gods; the most ancient wyrms rarely obeyed them blindly.
Cassius had no desire to become Tiamat's pawn, nor did he wish to fall entirely under the Dragon Queen's thumb. He preferred to sway between factions, extracting the greatest benefits for his own empire.
Yet because of his past victory over the silver dragon and Tiamat's deliberate orchestration, more and more people across the continent viewed him as Tiamat's Chosen, or even Her direct offspring.
He refused to let that narrative stand.
Back when he lacked sufficient strength, Cassius might have borrowed Tiamat's name as a tiger's pelt to intimidate foes.
Now that he possessed adequate power, such a title would only invite needless enemies and trouble.
Not to mention that Tiamat was a notoriously stingy deity who rarely bestowed genuine blessings, preferring to exploit Her followers to the fullest to achieve Her own ends.
Clouds churned and thunder crashed across the sky. The mere projections of these two deities exerted an unimaginable pressure.
In the venue below, the blue dragons and silver dragons stood with weapons drawn and muscles taut, primed for battle at a moment's notice.
Amidst this tense, chaotic atmosphere, Cassius spoke first, finally breaking the stalemate.
"To be crowned beneath the personal gaze of both Your Majesties—"
He paused briefly.
Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of thousands, the red dragon strode briskly to the metal chest. Without the slightest hesitation, he extended his talons, lifted the crown, and set it firmly upon his own head.
"—is truly my greatest honor."
At this moment, Cassius's voice was exceptionally calm and resolute.
The momentum generated by the two deities was enough to propel the prestige of the Cinder Empire to its absolute zenith.
Long before this coronation ceremony began, Cassius had already made up his mind: as the emperor of the newborn Cinder Empire, its supreme and absolute sovereign, he needed no one to crown him—not even the gods.
Chapter 374