Boom!
Another lightning bolt struck, blasting three or four efreet soldiers on the metal battlements into wisps of flame.
"Lord of Flames..."
"This..."
As natural rulers of the Elemental Plane of Fire and the preeminent beings among elemental creatures, the efreet were not numerous.
Across the vast realm ruled by the Efreeti Sultan, there were barely more than a hundred thousand efreet and only a thousand or so maliks—the efreet nobility.
Far more numerous in this empire were its colossal masses of slaves: native species like fire dwarves and salamanders, along with otherworldly races like humans and orcs.
Thus, to the efreet realm, every single efreet entitled to be called a "citizen" was exceedingly precious.
Seeing his subordinates perish one after another, Maciej's expression tightened with shock. He leveled his scimitar toward the sky.
"Red dragon! We never provoked you! Why target us efreet like this?"
"Have you no fear of the Grand Sultan's wrath?"
Amidst the clouds, massive wings drifted in and out of sight, and pale gold pupils gleamed like twin stars.
"Efreet—"
"If you want someone to blame, blame Hamid Abdul, the Emir sent by your Grand Sultan!"
"He hunted my vassals, slaughtered my soldiers, and dared insult me and my empire to my face!"
"If Hamid truly represented the Grand Sultan's will as he claimed, then your efreet realm has declared war on the Cinder Empire!"
A voice like rolling thunder reverberated over the City of Black Iron, striking dread into the hearts of every efreet below.
"Hamid!"
"That damned fool!"
Maciej spat a vicious curse, trembling with rage.
In his mind, Hamid had already been cast into the depths of an endless fiery hell and subjected to every imaginable agony countless times over.
It was bad enough that the wretch was ignorant and arrogant—
To think he had provoked such a terrifying enemy for the efreet!
Even so, the Grand Sultan must never be disgraced, and the glory of the efreet must never be tarnished!
At that thought, the efreet noble raised his scimitar once more and shouted, "Red dragon, there is still room for compromise between us!"
"Surrender now, and I will petition the Grand Sultan for an armistice with your empire!"
"You?"
A sonic boom cracked through the air. A colossal black shadow plunged from the heavens and slammed violently onto the metal ramparts.
Boom!
"Lord of Flames preserve us!"
"Help! It—it's landed!"
"It's the Genie-Devouring Dragon!"
Amid the screech of rending metal, the battlements caved in deeply, sending iron shavings and fractured plates flying in every direction.
The red dragon stalked along the wall as casually as taking a stroll, using his colossal draconic bulk to ruthlessly crush any efreet soldier standing in his path.
His thick, massive tail slammed down like a sledgehammer; with a single flick, a dozen efreet soldiers were hurled through the air with agonizing shrieks.
"No—"
"Lord of Flames, what monstrous power!"
His great talons slashed with casual swings, sending shimmering claw-shaped force fields flying chaotically across the walls.
Shnk—
Another ear-splitting scrape of severed metal rang out as several efreet soldiers were sheared in half along with their bronze shields.
Deep, terrifying furrows were left gouged into the ramparts like hideous wounds.
Such was the might of red dragons; they were not called "war machines" in vain.
And as a red dragon blessed with cheat-like power, boasting the physique of a great wyrm and an arsenal of spells, Cassius's might was even more staggering.
Cassius parted his jaws slowly. The dragon crystal embedded in his chest flared with fiery light, unleashing a breath of extreme heat and heightened magical essence.
Boom—
Draconic flames swept over the battlements, engulfing the fleeing efreet. Even the wall of black iron began to melt, black molten iron trickling downward.
"Quick! While we have the chance!"
"Shoot him!"
"Aim for the dragon's chest! Aim for his heart!"
Maciej swung his scimitar, shouting in frantic urgency.
From his military experience, heavy ballistas were the ideal weapon against gargantuan creatures.
Though such behemoths possessed unmatched strength capable of crushing all before them, they were usually slow and cumbersome—little more than living targets.
"Move! Obey the Emir's command!"
"Do you want to live or not? If we don't kill this dragon, we're all dead!"
Along the metal ramparts, watching the red dragon approach step by deliberate step as he slaughtered their ranks, the efreet officers roared and urged their men on.
Several efreet soldiers loaded massive bolts, cranking the winches with all their might while wheeling the ballistas around.
"Fire!"
"Kill him!"
The ballistas, imbued with elemental fire magic, unleashed terrible energy as billowing flames spilled from their mechanisms.
The colossal bolts, nearly three meters long, tore through the air, trailing plumes of fire with frightening momentum.
Whistle—
Crafted with meticulous skill by fire dwarf smiths, these efreet ballistas were indeed potent enough to slay an adult red dragon.
Every efreet present held their breath.
Boom—
A massive shockwave surged, denting the metal battlements once more as the enormous red dragon kicked hard against the wall, soaring into the air with inconceivable speed.
"What?"
"How is that possible?"
Cries of disbelief rose from the efreet as they craned their necks in panic.
In the span of just a few breaths, the red dragon had ascended a hundred meters.
Cassius spread his wings high in the sky, brilliant trails of light and flame igniting behind him as his draconic form blurred into a crimson afterimage.
Boom!
Another colossal shockwave erupted.
The red dragon dove straight down, crashing into the ground and pulverizing the efreet soldiers and several ballistas beneath him into scrap.
Stray arrows and spears clattered against him, but before the weapons could even touch his flesh, they were deflected by invisible Energy Scales, bouncing away harmlessly.
Thick smoke drifted over the ramparts, and the red dragon's massive frame slowly emerged from within.
The efreet had shed every shred of their earlier arrogance. Clinging to prayers to the Lord of Flames, they retreated in frantic terror, fearful of being consumed by the monstrous dragon.
Scimitars slipped from trembling hands, clattering onto the ground with sharp metallic clangs.
"Efreet..."
"You still fail to recognize your place."
Cassius spoke in a calm, measured voice. "I already said... you are in no position to negotiate with me!"
"Die!"
"For the Grand Sultan!"
Suddenly, a bloodcurdling battle cry erupted from behind the red dragon.
Maciej came diving down atop a flame drake, fiercely swinging his scimitar toward the dragon's thick neck.
Cassius turned his head with an impassive gaze.
Clang—
A piercing shriek of clashing metal echoed.
The scimitar struck the impenetrable crimson scales, only to be deflected violently and shatter into flying shards in midair.
Maciej's arm went numb from the shock, his face contorting into an expression of sheer bewilderment.
This scimitar had been personally bestowed by the Grand Sultan! It possessed the durability of a rare magical weapon!
What he did not know was that Cassius's scales had quite literally been bought with a fortune.
Over the years, the red dragon had devoured over a hundred thousand gold coins. His Gilded Scales trait had long since peaked, making every single scale harder than rare armor.
Cassius regarded the hovering efreet noble with cool detachment and murmured,
"Where did you find such confidence?"
The red dragon's massive talon tore through the air, seizing the rare variant flame drake and dragging it directly into the extradimensional space of the Egg of Refuge.
Maciej scrambled into the air, desperate to escape the dragon's clutches, his lower half dissolving into smoke and ash.
Yet a dark shadow flashed, and the red dragon's claws clamped shut around him, pinning him completely fast.
Maciej struggled with every ounce of strength, roaring at the top of his lungs, "If you kill me, the Grand Sultan will never forgive you! I am his royal guard! I am a noble Kapikulu!"
Cassius shook his head with mild regret and sighed softly.
"Well, I was going to ask if you could grant three wishes with a single wish, just to satisfy my years of curiosity..."
"Looks like that will have to wait."
Surging dragon fire rushed down his arm and pooled into his claws. The flames closed in, wrapping around the burly efreet noble and swallowing him whole.
Chapter 453