Prince of Sacred Fire

The red dragon spread his wings. Amid the roaring gale, his crimson silhouette streaked across the sky like a comet. Cassius looked down upon the sweltering, magma-streaked earth. "Finally here..." "Now that I've come to the Elemental Plane of Fire, of course I have to witness the legendary City of Brass, and... the Burning War." Plumes of scorching steam billowed over the burning earth. Rivers of fire and magma coursed across the warped, hideous terrain, occasionally cascading off sheer cliffs to form vast, spectacular waterfalls of fire. The realm was bathed in perpetual brilliance; the ground, the air, the structures, and even some of the local inhabitants constantly emitted flames. Yet what impaired vision was not the dazzling light, but the sweltering heat and the perpetual haze of the smoke-filled atmosphere. The heat caused the air to shimmer and waver, so that all dancing at the edge of an observer's sight were mirages, while the true environment in the distance remained concealed. This was the very center of the Elemental Plane of Fire, the hottest region where elemental reactions were at their most violent—known to the local inhabitants as the "Heart of Fire." Far in the distance, however, stood a majestic and magnificent city. It rested atop a brass hemisphere forty miles in diameter, floating above a cracked obsidian continent at the center of the Elemental Plane of Fire. Stairs of burning basalt and rivers of fire led into heavily guarded city gates. Within the city, vision was normal, and the plane's agonizing environment was suppressed by the will of the Grand Sultan. This was the City of Brass, the home and capital of the efreet. It was the most famous realm on the Elemental Plane of Fire, and the place travelers from the Material Plane were most likely to visit. At the city's center stood its tallest tower and greatest fountain of flame. It was also the site of the Burning Palace, where the Grand Sultan ruled all efreet from the Charcoal Throne. Rumor had it that within that palace lay incredible wonders and incalculable treasures plundered by the efreet from across the multiverse over millennia. Yet none had ever succeeded in taking away even a single gold coin; all uninvited guests were burned to ash by the Grand Sultan's wrath. At this moment, however, the City of Brass was far from peaceful. Upon the ramparts stood thousands of efreet warriors clad in brass armor, holding scimitars and spears, manning massive flaming ballistas, braced for battle. Outside the gates sprawled a motley army composed of well over a hundred thousand salamander slaves, thousands of flame drakes, dozens of pyrohydras, and other creatures. Legions of devils from the Hells marched forth from portals. Elder fire elementals, Magma Generals, and Smoke Dukes dispatched by Imix, the Prince of Evil Fire, had also answered the summons, arrayed before the battle line. A red-skinned giant over ten meters tall—an efreet pasha—held aloft his scimitar of honor, bellowing shout after shout. These wicked fire-elemental creatures roared and howled. Cries of "For the Empire of the Efreet!" "For the Grand Sultan!" and "Sacrifices for the Lord of Flames!" shook the heavens. And opposite them, across that cracked obsidian continent, stood the rebel army resisting efreet rule—the Sacred Fire Legion. Its ranks were remarkably diverse: liberated slaves of fire dwarves, humans, elves, and other races; flaming angels and armored celestials from the Upper Planes come to offer aid; and elemental apostles and elemental nobles following the benevolent fire elemental lord. And most dazzling of all was the presence standing atop the obsidian peak—the legendary benevolent fire elemental lord, revered as the "Prince of Sacred Fire," the "Rekindled Ember," and the "Unquenchable Flame of Rebellion": Zaaman Rul. This elemental lord possessed a tall, imposing stature, standing over ten meters in height, yet in appearance he resembled a spirited genasi youth. Fierce light blazed from his eyes, and his beard and hair were made entirely of raging fire. Bracing his spear against the ground, Zaaman Rul stood resolute upon the mountain's peak, his eyes wide with fury as he glared at the efreet who enslaved the people of the Elemental Plane of Fire. The razor-sharp tip of the spear glinted in the firelight, bearing faint traces of blood and exuding a perilous aura capable of destroying all things. This was the legendary Sacred Flame Spear, the artifact that had pierced the Grand Sultan's chest mere months ago. As a fire elemental lord, even one aligned toward the good faction, Zaaman Rul still embodied all the perilous traits of fire: manic, violent, incinerating everything. His eyes burned constantly with a vengeful fire that seemed as though it would never die out—a rage directed at all evil creatures, and above all, Imix, the Prince of Evil Fire. The feud between Zaaman Rul and Imix went back ages, existing from the moment of his birth—for he was the son of Imix and Brisia Pel. Known as the "Princess of Eternal Flame," Brisia Pel had once been a fire elemental lord, murdered ten thousand years ago during the war between chaos and order. From then on, Zaaman Rul had taken up his mother's legacy, dedicating himself to slaying Imix and restoring order and goodness to the Elemental Plane of Fire. Until several decades ago, Kossuth perceived the ambitions of Imix and the Grand Sultan, bestowing Zaaman with even greater power to spark this colossal Burning War. Beings of the good alignment had gathered here. At Zaaman Rul's side, there was even an ancient gold dragon from Mount Celestia fighting as an ally. Flapping his wings, Cassius hovered high in the air a dozen-odd li away from the City of Brass, observing the entire spectacle with Cataclysmic Dragon Eye. Through his vision, the battlefield was dotted with light clusters of immense density, shining like stars. "So that is the Prince of Sacred Fire, Zaaman Rul... worthy indeed of an elemental lord of the good alignment." "Truly terrifying power." "That body is practically a walking volcano, teeming with violent energy." Cassius remarked to himself. [Prince of Sacred Fire - Zaaman Rul] [Challenge Rating: ???] For Cassius to be unable to gauge his overall power at his current level meant only one thing: this good elemental lord's Challenge Rating had already surpassed level 30—an absolute quasi-deity. Even through pure instinct, the red dragon could sense that wildly violent, incomparably scorching fire element, vastly superior to the meager elemental authority he currently wielded. And on the obsidian slopes, there were also ancient gold dragons, solars, empyreans, and other mighty creatures of the good alignment, several of whose power even approached Cassius's own. The efreet side was no different; the greater devils from the Hells and the elemental nobles under Imix were by no means inferior. Cassius's expression grew solemn. With such enemies, the Grand Sultan of the Efreet was likely far stronger than he had imagined. Fortunately, the sultan was gravely wounded, and Cassius had not fought him to the bitter end. Gazing at both sides of the battle formation, he could not help but click his tongue in awe. "Hiss... What a high-tier lineup. Kossuth's handiwork does not disappoint. If my imperial legions were thrown into a battlefield like this right now, I doubt they'd even make a splash." "Wait—" Suddenly, the red dragon felt several extremely perilous gazes converge upon him all at once, making his breath quicken and his massive heart thud violently. "This is getting dangerous..." "They've noticed me! No, not just him!" He could sense that this scrutiny came not only from the obsidian peak, but from deep within the City of Brass as well.