In an instant, a tsunami of black mist poured from the Abyssal dragon's jaws, spreading rampantly over the ruins of Anstica as if to swallow the world.
"Boom!"
The power of the Abyss formed a wall thousands of meters high, shrouding and obscuring the phantoms of the three gods, throwing all into chaos and disorder.
Yet this came at a cost.
The laws of chaos and Abyssal energy swirling around Jerlazax were heavily depleted, leaving only about thirty percent.
The mountain-sized dragon form dimmed considerably, no longer flickering with that chilling, eerie glow, and the oppressive Abyssal aura was no longer as overwhelming as before.
Jerlazax turned his head, staring at Cassius with near-mad eyes, bottomless greed shining in the depths of his pupils.
"Heh... The Wall of Chaos can only hold the gods in the Astral Plane for a short time, keeping them from descending in avatar form.
"However... if I devour you, Cassius, I will complete Garyx's body and become the true Dragon of World's End.
"When that time comes, not even the true bodies of the gods will be able to stop me!"
Jerlazax had expended most of his Abyssal power to stall the impending descent of the Triad of Justice, confident that he could devour the red dragon with his own physical might alone!
What was more, in Jerlazax's mind, even with only thirty percent of his Abyssal power remaining, he was far beyond what a mere red dragon could match.
That red dragon was nothing more than a pawn in his grand design—a tool to help break his seal and house the Heart of Garyx.
Instantly, within Garyx's body, scalding dragon blood surged and burned, a mighty pressure flooding the four directions as the progenitor dragon god's power was finally unleashed in full.
The Abyssal dragon's expression grew increasingly savage, his tone ever more fanatical, finally descending into snarling roars.
"Cassius, my dear collaborator, consider it an honor to become part of the great World-Ender—"
Beating ragged wings that blotted out the sky, the Abyssal dragon bared monstrous fangs and claws, lunging toward the red dragon.
Gales ran wild; space shuddered.
In Jerlazax's mind, Cassius, as a mortal creature, was nothing more than a slightly stronger bug—incomparable to an abomination like himself.
The fully unleashed pressure of a progenitor dragon left the red dragon stiff and trembling all over.
Yet Cassius gave a long roar, beating his wings with all his might against the gale whipped up by the Abyssal dragon, taking flight toward the highest peak of the Anstica Mountains—Thierry Peak.
Through disaster after disaster, this King of the Snow Mountains still stood proud and unbroken, having suffered merely several dozen massive avalanches.
Jerlazax followed closely behind. Owing to his colossal size, every sweep of his wings carried him kilometers forward, stirring up tempests that swept across heaven and earth.
One after the other, the red dragon and the Abyssal dragon gave chase—yet Jerlazax was steadily closing the gap!
"Hahahaha! Cassius, you're afraid—"
The Abyssal dragon's maniacal laughter echoed among the peaks, making the mountains tremble and sending thick snow cascading down.
"Flee all you want! Soon you will understand that your struggles are utterly meaningless!"
Jerlazax beat his wings again and again, progenitor dragon blood rushing through his body to bestow terrifying power, thick black smoke billowing from his jaws and nostrils.
Several times, those savage talons and fang-filled maw nearly closed around the red dragon's body to end his life.
*Whoosh—*
Cassius suddenly accelerated once more. Pulling ahead, he transformed into a crimson meteor streaking across the sky.
With the booming roar of displaced air, vapor cones formed in clusters around him, trailing dazzling plumes of light and flame behind him.
In mere moments he covered more than a dozen kilometers, sweeping past the ravaged mountain range to arrive at the foot of the magnificent Thierry Peak.
"Hah... hah..."
"It is time to begin—the vengeance I have planned for so long."
Cassius panted softly, the scalding Heart of Garyx thumping hard within his chest. His pale-gold eyes held no fear, but rather... an ecstasy pushed to the absolute extreme.
Yes, ecstasy.
Incomparable power surged around him—the power of laws, or more precisely, the authority of the Imperial Domain!
After the prophecy had appeared, Cassius had sent his simulacrum to lie dormant near Thierry Peak for years, continuously converting the surrounding environment into his Imperial Domain.
To put it more accurately, he had been engineering the battlefield for his final showdown, setting the stage for a vengeance years in the making!
Jerlazax flew in from afar amid howling tempests, laughing wildly: "Cassius, have you finally realized your own insignificance and decided to give up?
"Good, very good! Become the final piece of my body, and together we shall tear this world apart!"
Facing the charging Abyssal dragon, the red dragon perched atop the mountain's summit, digging his claws into the rocky cliff. Stretching his neck, he threw back his head, parted his massive jaws, and loosed an imposing roar.
"Come, Jerlazax! Let us end it all on Thierry Peak!"
"Roar—!"
Instantly, a bloody glow surfaced across his scales, and the Heart of Garyx in his chest pounded violently, pumping the power of progenitor bloodline through every vein.
Veins bulged along knotted cords of muscle, and Cassius's draconic form grew even sturdier, even more massive.
He had actually activated the power of a Bloodscaled Fury!
Immediately after, the air warped as vortices of flame erupted around him, countless surges of fire elemental energy pouring forth to continually reshape Cassius's body.
Cassius shifted himself into a semi-elemental state. His body swelled relentlessly, the root-like fundus vessels within flashing with brilliant firelight, channeling long-accumulated energy into every part of his frame.
Finally, accompanied by the violent tremors of Thierry Peak, the red dragon expanded to over a hundred meters in length, nearly taking up the entire mountain summit.
Jerlazax narrowed his eyes, breaking into a grin of pure ecstasy. "Cassius, you actually used that power!
"As long as you continue wielding the power of a Bloodscaled Fury, you will become the avatar of the will of the Abyss—and harmonize even better with my body!"
Sure enough, a faint bloody haze surfaced in the red dragon's pale-gold eyes, and billowing black smoke poured from his body, identical to that on the Abyssal dragon's hide.
It was the will of destruction influencing his mind!
Right at that moment, the Crown of the Supreme True Dragon atop Cassius's head flared with brilliant silver radiance, like a silver moon illuminating the sky, dispersing the chaotic black mist.
The red dragon's pupils cleared, regaining their lucidity, returning once more to the hue of molten magma.
Jerlazax had already reached Thierry Peak. Flapping his tattered wings, he soared toward the summit where Cassius stood.
"Pointless, Cassius! What little remnant divine power Bahamut has left cannot hope to stop the descent of the great will of the Abyss!"
Indeed, black smoke continued to pour from between the red dragon's scales, tainting his hundred-meter-long frame, attempting to warp him into an avatar of the god of destruction.
Cassius sneered as he watched the Abyssal dragon close in, now less than a thousand meters away, and said in a low voice:
"And what about... this power?"
"Boom!"
Instantly, the full might of the Imperial Domain was unleashed—an absolute order, an authority bound by no restraint!
The violent gales dispersed in an instant; the black mist enveloping his body was obliterated on the spot; everything within several li fell beneath Cassius's control. That was law—and even more, supreme authority.
Cassius beat his wings and rose into the sky, radiant brilliance bursting from his pale-gold eyes.
Supreme Imperial Authority.
Jerlazax raised his head. His pitch-black eyes reflected an image like a miniature sun, and his three-hundred-meter dragon frame trembled faintly.
Gone was his usual mockery and disdain; across that hideous draconic face crept expressions of wariness—even fear.
Pressure. An abomination of his caliber was actually feeling oppressive pressure. It was inconceivable!
"A divine realm? How is that possible...
"This is the Third Age, when the gods are cut off! How could an entity exist who can establish a divine realm on earth?!"
Chapter 539