Brutality

"Cinder dragonflight! Surround this demon!" "Roaaar—" At the imperial officer's command, over a hundred wyverns shrieked and beat their wings furiously, converging on the balor from every direction. "Die! How dare you insult my master!" Tinia the white dragon was also among the flock. She spread her frost-white wings across the sky, lunging forward with bared fangs and brandished claws. "Ignorant reptiles..." Yet Leo merely growled, glaring disdainfully at the converging dragons before slowly opening his monstrous maw, from which white smoke and flames poured forth. In an instant, twisted whispers, despairing shrieks, and maddened howls erupted from within simultaneously. The chaotic cacophony echoed through the sky, making every living soul who heard it shudder in terror—these were the murmurs of the Abyss, blasphemous whispers! Blasphemy! At once, hundreds of wyverns threw back their heads in unison, thrashing in agonizing wails. They flapped their wings erratically, trying desperately to stay airborne, but under the influence of this horrifying sound, many lost consciousness and plummeted straight from the sky. "Damn it, wh-what is this?" Tinia wobbled through the high sky, her expression twisted in unbearable agony, her teeth gritted so hard they nearly shattered. In the end, she tumbled sideways as well, her massive draconic bulk crashing violently into an adjacent hillside and sending dirt and stone flying. "Charge! Dragon Roar Charge!" Several Redscale Conquerors wheeled through the sky, plunging through the gale and diving toward the balor. "Redscale Conquerors?" "More of these annoying flies..." Yet the colossal demon merely glanced up, raised the crackling storm greatsword in his grip, and swung it casually downward. "Boom!" Bolts of lightning as thick as wrists cascaded from the heavens, the blinding thunderlight instantly engulfing the wyvern knights. The next moment, charred, smoking corpses plummeted from the sky, dragons and riders fused into unidentifiable masses. "Hold Monster!" "Arrow of Purification!" "Crown of Stars!" Dozens of imperial spellcasters raised their staves in unison, unleashing a barrage of anti-fiend spells. Intense, brilliant radiance flooded the sky as orbs of light, rays, holy fire, chains, and over a hundred other spells converged on the balor. Meanwhile, magical beacons marked the balor's position, and the imperial artillery corps in the rear locked onto the target, unleashing a concentrated bombardment upon the coordinates indicated. "Swoosh—" Accompanied by the shrieking whistles of artillery tearing through the air, devastating armor-piercing shells, high-explosive rounds, and thermobaric bombs rained down like a deluge. Their trajectories converged in the sky, focusing concentrated firepower onto a single point. "Boom!" "Boom! Boom! Boom!" Instantly, explosive flames shot into the heavens, interweaving with the colorful magical auras into a dazzling conflagration. A colossal mushroom cloud billowed into the air. Scorching gales swept across the land as terrifying shockwaves shook the earth, while rolling plumes of smoke choked the sky. Imperial soldiers, officers, and spellcasters tensely looked up, watching the churning gray smoke with bated breath. "It... it must be dead, right?" "Is it over?" "Yes, it has to be! No creature could possibly survive an explosion like that!" "Cassius above... such a monster shouldn't even exist in this world." The imperial forces still felt a lingering dread, many of them trembling with weak knees. After all, the balor had exerted an overwhelming pressure upon them; the war machines the Empire took such pride in had seemed laughably fragile before this horrifying fiend. In mere minutes, this balor had inflicted over ten thousand casualties, obliterated over a dozen steam tanks, and slaughtered several land drakes. Looking up at the smoke blanketing the sun, Lonely as Snow couldn't help muttering, "Something's not right. According to the law of 'smoke means no damage'..." Sure enough, a low sneer echoed from the sky, growing louder and louder until it swelled into arrogant, raucous laughter. "Hahahaha!" "Feeble spells, laughable toys—is this all you have?" The smoke churned violently, and a colossal shadow emerged, finally revealing its true form: crimson skin, a hulking demonic physique, and massive horns—it was the balor! At that moment, a pitch-black film of light enveloped his body, roiling with the chaotic power of the Abyss, effortlessly snuffing out all the spells and explosions. Leo laughed maniacally as he flapped his enormous leathery wings, stirring up a scorching, foul wind. Hovering high above and looking down at the imperial thralls, his eyes shone with pure intoxication from power. "Do you see? This is the mighty power of the Abyss! And you—you aren't even worthy of being my enemies!" "Death—" The balor bellowed, beating his wings as he lashed out with his storm greatsword toward the heavens. "Boom!" Thunderous detonations echoed across the wasteland. A tempest of lightning raged through the clouds, instantly engulfing over a hundred wyverns in the sky. "Ruin—" He roared again, cracking his whip of fire across the earth and tearing deep, hideous fissures into the ground. A torrent of Abyssal fire ravaged the landscape, reducing thousands upon thousands of imperial soldiers and Starfallen to ash. The balor pressed forward relentlessly, crushing everything in his path beneath continuous explosions and searing flames. He raised his weapons high, winding the whip of fire around the storm greatsword as boundless power built within the sky. "Vengeance—" the balor roared. If this catastrophic strike were to land, the Wall of the Empire might very well be torn apart by its sheer might. "Hahahaha!" "These mortals are finished!" "We'll slaughter them all!" The demonic horde in the rear erupted into frenzy, watching the balor in the sky with eyes filled with fanaticism, envy, or jealousy. Strength. Tremendous strength. That was the only thing the Abyss valued. Demons surged toward the front lines in waves, launching another assault. They could already envision the defenses collapsing, cities reduced to ruins, and blood flowing everywhere. Such a sight was their true paradise. "The Dragon Lord Above All!" "Dragon-blessed paladins, the time has come to prove our loyalty! Stand firm against this demon who blasphemes the Dragon Lord!" Suddenly, a resounding battle cry rang out, followed by the synchronized thud of marching boots. Knights clad in red-gold armor and bearing massive tower shields appeared before the balor. Leo looked down at these resolute paladins, a raspy growl escaping his throat. "Heheheh... Dragon-blessed paladins, the faithful hounds of that red dragon..." Leo still remembered years ago, when he was still a mortal, it was these thralls of the evil dragon who had crushed the Lionheart Knights he had been so proud of—the very foundation of his realm. Deep hatred surged within the balor's eyes, fury blazing from his murky pupils. "Yet who gave you the courage—to appear before me?!" Flapping his wings, he raised his storm greatsword and dove downward, bringing with him a terrifying, shuddering aura of dread. Anthony gripped his banner-bearing spear, raised his greatshield, and shouted, "Dragon Bloodline Chains! Hold against this blow!" Instantly, blazing dragon bloodline chains linked the over one hundred dragon-blessed paladins present tightly together. Flames symbolizing the power of the red dragon coursed through the chains, surrounding them in a fiery aura. At that moment, they stood like a crimson fortress. Every dragon-blessed paladin braced their greatshield, standing firm with total concentration, ready to meet the balor's furious impact. "Boom!" Ear-splitting thunder cracked as lightning bolts as thick as wrists fell from the heavens, crashing directly onto the raised shields. Electric arcs danced across the ranks, but the paladins gritted their teeth and withstood the barrage. An instant later, the balor swung down the nearly ten-meter-long storm greatsword, releasing a devastating slash charged with endless lightning. "For the Dragon Lord!" Bracing his greatshield at the very front, Anthony bore the brunt, the dragon bloodline chains on him flashing with intense fiery light. "Boom!" The moment the lightning slash made contact, he and the elite paladins beside him were blasted backward. A terrifying thunderstorm swept around them, blinding light crackling against the dragon-blessed paladins and leaving charred marks. Yet the hundred and fifty men within the formation shared the lightning damage among themselves, miraculously withstanding the catastrophic blow. "How can this be?" Even the balor was taken aback. These insignificant mortals had actually managed to deflect his strike? But soon, a savage grin returned to Leo's face. He raised the whip of fire in his right hand and lashed it across the ground with a resounding crack. "Crack!" "Pathetic, lucky fools. You blocked one blow, but can you block a second?" Anthony drew the longsword from his back that symbolized the authority of the Dragon Oath Sanctuary, roaring at the top of his lungs as scarlet dragon scales bristled across his face. "Rule with an iron fist—" "The Dragon Lord above all—" "For the Lord of Cinders!" All the dragon-blessed paladins raised their weapons, bellowing the vows they had once sworn. Beneath their heavy visors, their gleaming eyes burned with devout piety—perhaps even fanaticism. "Roaaar—" A prolonged roar seemed to echo from ancient times, reverberating across the wasteland. Above the battle formation, surging flames converged into an ethereal silhouette of a dragon, slowly beating its wings and looking down at the balor below with pale-gold eyes. This was the Advent of the Dragon Lord! Leo looked up, an instinctive flicker of panic flashing across his grotesque face. "Cassius..." "No, that's not right! That's just an illusion! Do you really think you can bluff me with an image of that reptile? Damned mortals!" Shaking his head violently to clear his mind, the balor flew into a rage, roaring in fury. Anthony raised his fiery longsword high, channeling the collective will of the paladins, and bellowed: "Attack! The Dragon Lord has granted us invincible might!" Opening its gaping maw once more, the fiery dragon let loose an imposing roar, beat its broad wings, and soared toward the demon. "Did you think—a trick like this could stop me?!" "I will tear this laughable phantom apart first, and then I'll slaughter the original!" Bellowing with rage, the balor charged with his storm greatsword and whip of fire, unleashing scorching flames and terrifying lightning. But the red dragon phantom threw back its head and roared, its maw acting like a vortex that swallowed all the fire and lightning, swelling even larger and more solid. It puffed out billows of black smoke, purging them from its body—the foul impurities of the Abyss. The red dragon avatar produced by the Advent of the Dragon Lord possessed a portion of the Cinder Emperor's abilities and could even be regarded as his incarnation. And as a ruler of the elements, both lightning and fire only served to make it stronger. "Damn it..." The balor's expression twisted maliciously. He surged upward, swinging his storm greatsword in a savage cleave toward the avatar's neck. Yet the dragon avatar beat its wings and shot back over a dozen meters, easily evading the strike. "Roaaar!" Then it swooped down in a fluid dive, sinking its burning talons into the balor's shoulders and locking him in midair combat. The balor thrashed violently, beating his leathery wings and hacking with his weapons until he finally broke free from the melee. "Damned mortals!" "I will slaughter you all!" This time, Leo changed tactics. He bypassed the red dragon avatar entirely to strike at the ones who had conjured it. With a thunderous roar, the balor dove from the sky toward the Dragon Oath Paladin legion on the ground, the lightning around his storm greatsword blazing ever brighter. As long as he slaughtered these detestable mortals and crushed the red dragon's army, all his problems would be solved. Yet his desire was thwarted once more. "Roaaar—" A wave of frost struck from his flank, instantly freezing half of the balor's wing. A massive, muscular silver dragon soared in from the distance, beating wings that gleamed like polished plates as he opened his maw and exhaled a breath of sub-zero frost. The balor stoked the flames within his body, melting the frost instantly to regain his balance in midair. But the next instant, accompanied by ripples in space, a burly ogre mage appeared not far behind him, raising an adamantine staff and pointing it right at him. Trump unleashed the spell he had prepared long ago without hesitation. "Greater Hold Fiend!" A pale-red ray shot from the staff, striking the balor's body, the intricate dweomer binding the demon like a magical prison. Several magic circles lit up across the ground, and glowing chains surged forth to wrap around the balor's massive form. The balor was actually frozen in place, unable to move a muscle. —The Empire's spellcasters had prepared for this very moment for far too long. Trump shouted urgently, "Now! This demon is too powerful—I can't hold him for long!" Swirling flames and dancing sparks tore through space as fiery portals opened, and several Dragon-Pact Sorcerers appeared high in the air. Misha stared at the immobilized balor, her beautiful golden eyes burning with fierce flames and brimming with hatred. The surrounding Dragon-Pact Sorcerers chanted their incantations under their breath, funneling their energy into her body. "Leo Bosque..." "You are a thrall of the Demon of Vengeance. So are you ready—" Vast draconic wings of flame unfurled behind Misha, her crimson hair whipping wildly in the wind. "—to face mine?" She slowly raised her hand, a blinding radiance gathering in her palm like the sun. "Boom—"