A Victory Within Reach

"How could such grace ever be repaid?" "Let all the people worship together the great red dragon in the heavens!" Accompanied by the stirring, impassioned melody, the air within Hector City grew scorching hot. At this moment, the city cast of iron felt like a colossal furnace. Everyone raised their heads in unison toward the sky, where flames swept across the heavens before gradually condensing into physical form. First came an awe-inspiring head, followed by a torso clad in impenetrable scales, limbs of unmatched strength, wings that blotted out the sun, and finally a colossal tail that wound like a mountain ridge... Just like that, a crimson red dragon hundreds of meters long materialized high above the city. He slowly beat his wings, casting nearly the entire plaza into their shadow and radiating an overwhelming sense of oppression. A soul-crushing draconic aura weighed upon every heart present, compelling them to fall to their knees in worship as if that phantom dragon were a divine entity. "It's His Majesty Cassius!" "Cassius above, His Majesty truly appeared!" "Praise the great red dragon! Loyalty! Honor!" Some clasped their hands in fervent prayer; others pressed their fists against their chests in the salute of loyalty; still others knelt upon the ground, prostrating themselves... Whether humans, ogres, hobgoblins, or tieflings, every imperial citizen without exception wore an expression of devout fanaticism. The roaring tide of voices swelled ever louder. "That is His Majesty!" "Long live the great red dragon!" "Mama, is... is that His Majesty Cassius, the Cinder Emperor the teacher told us about?" Little Daniel tugged timidly at Irene's skirt, his face a swirl of fear, curiosity, and reverence. As a native of the empire, Little Daniel had heard of this Cinder Emperor countless times through radio broadcasts, newspapers, and the praises of his teachers, but this was the first time he had witnessed the Emperor's majestic form with his own eyes. Now, the figure etched in his memory merged with the towering, magnificent presence in the sky, leaving an indelible imprint on the boy's young heart. Irene also gazed up at the heavens devoutly, silently chanting, *May His Majesty Cassius protect us*, as she spoke patiently to her son. "Yes, child. That is our Emperor. You must respect and revere him just as I do from now on..." To citizens like Irene who had long been absorbed into the imperial order, the Cinder Emperor was no longer merely a flesh-and-blood ruler. He was the very symbol of the empire, the living embodiment of abstract concepts like victory, triumph, power, and wealth. Without even realizing it, the people of the empire had woven their faith in the Cinder Emperor into every facet of their daily lives—far surpassing that of any deity worshipped over the past thousand years. From a vantage point invisible to the mortal eye, countless motes of light born of faith soared into the air, steadily converging into the red dragon's projection and rendering it all the more divine, awe-inspiring, and resplendent. Along Hector City's towering ramparts, a wyvern stood guard atop every watchtower. At the sight of the red dragon's phantom, the wyverns raised their heads and let out a unified, resounding cry. *Roaaar—!* Amidst the chorus of praise, adoration, and prayer, and under the surging rhythm of the Hymn of Cassius, the red dragon high above finally spoke, his voice booming with the gravity of thunder. "My people, my loyal warriors! At this very moment, I stand beside the glorious banner of our empire, gazing upon the rolling storm clouds over the southern horizon. "The Thracians have shamelessly torn up the peace treaty! Their cavalry trample our wheat fields, their blades pierce the throats of our border guards, and their king has even dared to brazenly declare that our Cinder Empire will inevitably be consumed by the wrath of the Sun God, and that the subjects of this empire are fit only to become their slaves!" The power of Silver Tongue took effect, stirring the passions of every single person present across the hundreds of cities broadcasting the speech. In truth, the so-called Thracian "invasion of imperial borders" was entirely due to the empire's breakneck expansion, which had moved faster than Thracian border cavalry could even react to. Wilhelm's "brazen declaration," however, was no fabrication. He had indeed uttered those words in a fit of rage within his palace, and after circulating through various channels, they had reached the ears of imperial intelligence operatives to serve as raw material for Cassius's speech. As soon as those words fell, the imperial populace below erupted in fury. They pumped their arms, fired rifles into the air, and shouted in outrage. The plaza instantly plunged into chaos, with the city watch working feverishly to maintain order. "Damned Southerners!" "Shameless!" "Those Thracians broke faith! They must be punished!" "That so-called king dares insult His Majesty and humiliate the empire? He belongs on the gallows!" In the sky, the red dragon swept his pale-gold vertical pupils across the surroundings and asked in a low, resonant voice, "My people, can we simply sit by and wait for death—watching idly as those Thracians ride roughshod over our necks?" "Never! Never!" The crowd scrambled to shout back, their impassioned cries piercing the heavens and echoing through the city like a crashing wave. Amidst the mounting pandemonium, Irene nervously held her young child close to shield him from fright. "Don't be afraid, darling. They are only expressing their hatred for the enemy..." To her surprise, Little Daniel shook his head with firm resolve. "I know, Mama! Our teacher taught us that those Southerners are all shameless bastards." His eyes shone. "When I grow up, I'm going to be a great imperial hero like Papa and drive all those bad guys away! I'm going to become His Majesty Cassius's follower and turn into an awesome dragonblood noble!" With that, Little Daniel thrust his small fist into the air and cried out in his childish treble, "Never!" Looking at the earnest anger on that pure face, a fierce resentment so unfitting for his age, Irene felt a complicated swirl of emotions, torn between pride and sorrow. Two kilometers away in the slums, children clung to fences, their faces burning with righteous indignation as they flung small pebbles toward the south. "Let those Thracians taste our wrath!" "Yeah! We'll fight them to the end!" "Teach them a lesson! Burn those shameless scum to ashes!" Through his draconic eyes, Cassius looked down upon the furious throngs across hundreds of cities and gave a satisfied nod. "My people, I can no longer tolerate those arrogant Thracians! "They occupy vast, fertile lands and enjoy blessings denied to others, yet relying on the protection of their deities, they drove us into the corners of the world!" Cassius paused, and when he spoke again, his voice turned fiercely stirring, sending waves of boiling heat through the veins of everyone listening. "But now, times have changed! Our airship fleets make the very heavens tremble, our armored tank divisions shake the earth, and the artillery of the Cinder Empire will blast everything ancient and rotten into dust!" "Look!" "Cassius above..." Cries of astonishment rippled through the crowd following his words. Above countless cities, fleets of airships appeared in formation, casting massive shadows over the ground. Flanking them, wyverns clad in "Skyfire" armor spread their steel wings and let out piercing screeches, drawing trails of white vapor across the sky. Out on the distant barrens, steam tanks prowled across the flat plains like moving hills, crushing everything in their path. Deep in the pastures of the Storm Heights, gigantic iron gates rose, and land drakes spurred by genetic elixirs threw back their heads and roared like rumbling thunder. *Roaaar—!* Normally, the largest land drakes reached a maximum length of only twelve meters. Yet through generations of rigorous selection and genetic modification by biomancers, their average length was now nearly twenty meters, with the largest specimens pushing twenty-seven. Every single drake was encased in thick bio-armor venting heavy steam, their backs mounted with terrifying heavy artillery—veritable moving fortresses. Finally, under the watchful gaze of countless citizens, the ironclad doors of secret armories ground open, and colossal machine golems constructed by the Machine Cult strode forward. Standing nearly twenty meters tall and painted with various coats of camouflage, each machine inspired sheer awe. They stood firmly upon the earth, marching toward the south with deliberate strides that shook the ground with every step. "Is that our army? Is Papa... is he in there too?" Staring at the sweeping military might shown in the projection, Little Daniel pointed a small hand toward the sky in utter amazement, his clear eyes filled with longing. Unable to bear shattering her son's dreams with the brutal truth, Irene continued to weave her gentle lie. "Yes, sweetheart. Your papa is an honorable imperial soldier. He's right in there." Little Daniel grew even more curious. "What does he do? Is he a knight riding a wyvern? A tank commander? Or is he one of the pilots driving those giant iron men?" Irene stroked his hair and smiled softly. "Your papa hasn't been home for a long time. Mama doesn't know what he's doing right now either." Little Daniel suddenly clapped a hand to his forehead, his eyes lighting up. "I know! Those giant iron men are an imperial secret project! Papa must be working on that, which is why he hasn't been able to visit us! "I told you my papa is a great hero! Did you guys see those giant iron men? That's my papa!" The nearby children looked at him with envy and admiration, prompting Little Daniel to rest his hands on his hips in smug triumph. Watching her son dance with joy, Irene managed a strained smile. She had no idea how much longer she could keep her husband's death a secret, but she wished for Little Daniel to grow up with hope in his heart. "Holy crap, Gundams?" "How are there so many?" "Did I walk onto the wrong set? Where's the promised sword-and-sorcery adventure? Where the hell did I end up?" It was not just the native inhabitants across the empire who were stunned; even the players were left flabbergasted by this equipment blending magic and advanced technology. Imperial researchers had spent years conducting secret research for these war machines. The lion's share of gold the empire earned from dumping weapons across the world had been funneled straight into those hundreds of military research institutes. Such core military secrets remained unknown to most players; only high-ranking imperial figures of count rank or higher could learn of them in advance. Now, to wage war against the Kingdom of Thrace, the Cinder Empire was finally dropping all pretense of holding back, unleashing its most advanced military arsenal without reservation. In the sky, the colossal red dragon continued his cadence, his speech passionate and heart-pounding. He even raised a massive claw, clenching it into a fist and thrusting it forward. "My people, we command power beyond imagination! We shall tear down the old and start anew, forging a brand-new order in this world—a new order where every imperial citizen can live a prosperous life! "The tide of the era rolls forward, and the age of the empire is at hand! What we seek is not merely land under the sun, but a world reborn!" Finally, Cassius reared his head high, spreading the sun-blotting wings behind him, and roared, "Here, in the name of the Cinder Emperor, I declare war—upon the Kingdom of Thrace!" "War!" "Long live the empire!" The red dragon's voice erupted into a soul-stirring roar that rippled across fifteen million square kilometers of imperial territory, echoing through the Feanso Continent, the Underdark, and corners throughout the multiverse. At this moment, propelled by Cassius's extraordinary charisma and the empire's terrifying military might, players and imperial natives alike, humans and tieflings, dukes and commoners— Regardless of race, status, or age, nearly every citizen of the empire burst into deafening cheers—for their shared Emperor, and for the imminent victory well within their reach. Even Little Daniel, holding his mother's hand, jumped with excitement, waving his little fists and cheering nonstop. "Long live His Majesty Cassius!" "Emperor Kai is badass!" "Long live the Cinder Empire!" Under the relentless ideological conditioning of the imperial propaganda department, in just ten short years, certain beliefs had taken deep root, flowing in the very blood of every citizen. And after Cassius's speech, everything buried deep within their veins and etched into their bones was thoroughly awakened! In this instant, the entire empire boiled over like an awakening dragon! ... Through hundreds of pairs of golden vertical pupils, Cassius looked down upon the cheering imperial populace and felt an endless stream of power surging into his body—power born of spirit, and of faith. Now, he stood perhaps only a single turning point away from true apotheosis. Yet Cassius knew that this turning point was something countless beings over thousands of years had pursued until their dying breaths without ever finding. He had to be thoroughly prepared to avoid meeting the same fate as the Emperor of Fadlan. The red dragon lowered his head and extended his palm, where an image of the radiant, sacred Tower of the Eternal Sun God materialized. He muttered softly, "The legacy of Holy Fadlan... is mine for the taking." Although he had referred to it in his speech as "a victory within reach," Cassius and the empire's upper echelon took the Kingdom of Thrace with utmost seriousness, having spent years analyzing all three kingdoms. This was the principle of scorning the enemy strategically while respecting them tactically. Even though the Sun God's power was gradually waning and Thrace's strength was nowhere near what it once was, it remained an opponent that could not be taken lightly. Within Thrace's vast territory lay numerous devastating weapons left behind by the Fadlan Empire, dozens of legendary powerhouses, and perhaps even hidden demigods. Behind King Wilhelm also loomed the shadow of Zariel. As the master of the Blood War for nearly a thousand years, that Lord of Avernus was certainly no easy adversary. Still, for Cassius, even if victory was not simply within arm's reach, it was an absolute certainty. *Rumble—!* Steam tanks and airship armadas roared as portal after portal snapped open. Watching the imperial armies flood toward the south like an overwhelming tide, Cassius circled above the peak of Dragonblood Mountain, a ferocious smile spreading across his maw.