Kostchtchie

The red dragon opened his bloody maw wide, and a torrent of dragonflame surged from the depths of his throat. The flames poured forth, blotting out sky and earth as if to incinerate all creation. More terrifying still, threads of silver-white inner flames flickered deep within the fire, radiating a sacred, majestic aura. —It was the fire of order, capable of wiping demons from existence entirely, leaving even the Abyss powerless to salvage their souls! Terror written across his face, Klemun collapsed to the ground in fright, scrambling backward on all fours as he shrieked, "Lord Kostchtchie! Lord Kostchtchie, please save me! I am your most loyal follower!" "Looks like he doesn't dare show his face. The so-called Lord of Wrath, the King of the Frost Giants—is nothing much after all!" Cassius sneered viciously. His dragon breath swept across the land, reducing hundreds of demons to ash in an instant. Tongues of fire leaped like ravenous beasts with bared fangs and claws, surging toward Klemun not far away. Klemun raised his warhammer with great effort, exhausting the power of his bloodline. Freezing winds howled into being, rays of extreme cold burst forth, and pillars of ice jutted from the ground, congealing into an impenetrable glacial rampart. Yet before Cassius's dragonflame, which possessed the might to incinerate all things, the ice and frost melted in an instant, first turning to white steam before vanishing without a trace. Just as the flames were about to engulf Klemun, a furious roar crossed layers of space. "Damned reptile! Who gave you the courage to stand against me—" The voice echoed across the hellish wasteland, striking primal terror into the souls of countless creatures. Even the demons, ever chaotic and unrestrained, fell into stunned silence. Amidst biting gales and the violent shuddering of the earth, several colossal icebergs rose slowly, barring the dragonflame. Mottled frost and snow infused with the power of chaos tumbled from the sky, gradually coalescing into a massive phantom. It was a hunchbacked, blue-skinned frost giant. Its figure was colossal beyond measure, easily several hundred meters tall. Armor stitched from the hides of dozens of white dragons wrapped around its knotted, muscular form. Unlike ordinary frost giants, its hair was not snow-blue, but a foul, soot-black gray. Most terrifying of all were its pitch-black eyes, flickering with brutal, savage light, as if eager to tear everything in sight to shreds. His identity was self-evident—the King of the Frost Giants, the Lord of Wrath, Kostchtchie! "Reptile, you have chosen the wrong foe. The great Kostchtchie shall turn Avernus into a paradise of the Abyss!" Gazing up at the towering phantom, Cassius narrowed his eyes, pupils constricting. He felt a familiar sensation. Immortality—the essence of immortality. Having interacted with gods many times, Cassius had long committed this trait to memory, etched deep into his mind. Indeed, just as Bel had said, this demon lord possessed quasi-divine traits—or more precisely, he was a tanar'ri demigod! Even the icebergs bore divine power from domains such as Strength and Cold, capable of freezing all things and turning an entire human kingdom into a snow-covered wasteland of death. Yet Cassius was no ordinary being. He let out a cold laugh. "Is this what you rely on...? Even a demigod demon is no match for me here in Avernus!" Before his words had faded, the red dragon flapped his wings, kicking up a scorching gale as he soared into the air, confronting the several-hundred-meter-tall frost giant phantom from across the sky. "Die!" Kostchtchie raised a hand. An utterly terrifying beam of glacial light burst from the void, shooting straight toward the red dragon's heart, while jagged, sharp icicles ruptured the earth and thrust skyward. Yet Cassius was completely unfazed. Beating his wings once more, he ascended thousands of meters high, looking down upon the demon frost giant phantom. The dragon crystal at his chest shone as brilliantly as the sun, unleashing radiant shafts of light. At the same time, endless hellfire swirled around his body, coalescing into an infernal greatsword—the manifestation of Avernus's authority! "The power of Avernus... You too are a Lord of Hell?" Kostchtchie furrowed his brow, lost in thought. Cassius showed no mercy whatsoever. Throwing his head back with a thunderous roar, he unleashed a column of flame brimming with boundless energy that pierced the sky, crashing down like divine retribution. BOOM! The earth shook and mountains trembled. A deafening roar split the heavens, and white mist billowed across the wilderness. The icebergs Kostchtchie summoned were impaled and shattered by the flame column, leaving a massive crater. Boiling, turbid water rushed down in torrents, converging into a raging river. The frost giant lord bellowed, and several beams of extreme cold shot from the void, clashing against the pillar of fire spewed by Cassius. BOOM! For a moment, extreme cold and extreme heat intersected. The collision of two diametrically opposed powers unleashed terrifying energy waves, forming storms of chaotic turbulence that caused the weather to wildly fluctuate—one second clear and bright, the next raging with torrential tempests, and then veiled in dense stormclouds. Yet Cassius quickly gained the upper hand, the column of fire pushing forward toward the frost giant. After all, Avernus was inherently a scorching, arid purgatory where cold and frost could never exert their full potential—not to mention the red dragon had the backing of the planar will. Staring at the advancing pillar of fire, Klemun could not believe his eyes. He muttered to himself, "Impossible, this is impossible! Lord Kostchtchie is invincible! How could a reptile like you..." Shivering in terror before the cataclysmic storm of energy, the demons scattered in disarray across the barren wasteland, desperate not to be swallowed by the aftershocks. And the devils' dread of the Cinder Emperor sank deeper into their very bones, impossible to dispel. Meanwhile, Bel stood atop the Bronze Citadel, observing this earth-shaking battle. Yet when his eyes caught sight of that familiar power, his expression darkened. "That power clearly belongs to me..." Bel gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, powerless to do anything about it. Without question, Cassius was exceedingly powerful, and Bel needed that power to maintain order in Avernus and ensure the demons did not overrun it. Despite the resentment burning within him, Bel was forced to admit the truth: right now, Avernus needed Cassius, and right now, he needed this formidable ally. Such was the conclusion he reached after weighing the pros and cons. "ROAR—!" Cassius released the power of Avernus coursing through his veins and bellowed, "Kostchtchie, had you come in your true body, I might have shown you a sliver of respect! "Yet you sent only an avatar! What gives you the nerve to act presumptuous before me?!" In the next breath, the screaming rush of wind split the sky. The hundred-meter-long infernal greatsword descended, cleaving cleanly through the frost giant lord from crown to base. Immediately after, torrential hellfire poured from the blade, immolating the body of Kostchtchie's avatar. White smoke billowed from the hundred-meter-tall frost giant. Its body gradually melted as turbid slush poured from its mouth and nose, the chaotic power within struggling futilely against the energies of Hell. "Cassius, Enemy of the Frost Giants... When my true body descends, it shall be your doom!" BOOM—! Leaving behind one final rasping roar, Kostchtchie's colossal form collapsed completely. Innumerable blocks of ice crashed down, transforming into an iceberg streaming with slush. "No! Lord Kostchtchie is invincible...!" Klemun surged to his feet, brandishing his warhammer and crying out to the heavens. Yet alas, beneath the sky-piercing pillar of flame, the frost giant's shouts and defiance were so tiny, fragile, and utterly insignificant. BOOM! With a blinding burst of fire, a colossal fireball hundreds of meters in diameter erupted across the land, swallowing everything nearby—including the frost giant warlord who had plagued the cosmos for millennia. Just like that, Klemun perished. Under the red dragon's onslaught, the nearly one million demons he commanded were either slaughtered or routed. The demonic host that had aggressively besieged the Bronze Citadel collapsed entirely. What a terrifying war machine. Gazing at the scarred, devastated land and the Abyssal death-mist drifting over the plains, the devil officers present could not help but marvel in unison. A frame as massive as a mountain, scales harder than steel, claws and fangs sharper than blades, and a breath weapon potent enough to annihilate everything... When a monster like this took to the field, he was an absolute nightmare for any foe. The devils had lost count of how many times they had felt intensely relieved. Fortunately. Fortunately, this monster was their ally! Not their enemy! Crisp applause rang through the sky. Flapping his wings, Bel appeared behind the red dragon amidst surging hellfire, wearing a hypocritical smile. "Heh heh, what a splendid performance, Your Majesty Cassius, my dear ally. You truly are the mightiest dragon of the Material Plane today, able to shatter a demonic army single-handedly..." Cassius turned around, nodding slightly, and returned an equally polite smile. "Naturally. After all, both of us were handpicked by Asmodeus to govern Avernus. It would hardly do to accomplish nothing." "You..." Bel's expression instantly soured. Lacking full authority over Avernus and unable to become a true Lord of Hell was Bel's greatest sore spot. His enemies had even fabricated rumors that "Bel is not valued by the Lord of the Nine Hells" and "Zariel will be revived," precisely because Bel was not the true master of Avernus in every sense of the word. Cassius continued, "Next... it's time you fulfilled your promise, Lord Bel." "What promise?" "The imperial concession. You said so yourself not long ago. Surely you won't back out now?" "Heh heh, of course, Your Majesty Cassius. Your army deserves a foothold in Avernus," Bel replied, sneering inwardly. It was merely a sliver of land. Did this greedy red dragon think he could occupy all of Avernus? "Very well. The concession I choose... shall be right here." Cassius circled in the sky several times before pointing casually to an outpost of the Legion of Hell stationed on the very front lines. "This tract of land will serve as the Empire's concession." "Agreed. Avernus will always keep its doors open to the Empire—a courtesy extended to our ally." I hope you won't regret this later. When that time comes... try not to weep too bitterly, Cassius mused silently, a faint, cryptic smirk playing on his face. The red dragon extended a claw, his entire being exuding a majestic force of planar law. Beside him, Bel's face shifted slightly, his pupils contracting. What was this greedy red dragon planning now? Why did he sense the aura of planar laws? Did Cassius want to usurp more of his authority, or even—become the true Lord of Avernus? At this thought, Bel's expression turned mercurial. A dangerous aura radiated from him, and a hellish sword materialized in his hand. He was ready to strike at any moment, honoring the time-honored devilish tradition of backstabbing to launch a sneak attack against the red dragon. RUMBLE—! The earth rumbled and quaked incessantly as dust and smoke billowed across the wasteland. A massive stone stele rose slowly from beneath the ground, standing tall and majestic upon the soil of Avernus. Inscribed upon it was a line of characters: Imperial Boundary Marker "What... what on earth is this?" Gazing at the mysterious monument, Bel was thoroughly bewildered and at a loss. Just then, accompanied by shimmering gleams of light, several humanoid figures appeared beside the boundary marker—strangely dressed humans manifesting near the stele. "First! I'm first!" "Where is this?" "No idea! I saw a new teleport point and snapped right here, but I wasn't fast enough for first place." "Look at that blood-red sky—looks like Baator! Could we be in Avernus?" Immediately afterward, more figures materialized beside the marker. At first there were only dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, and eventually tens of thousands, surging forth like a multicolored tide. Even the devils found it unbelievable. A stone monument with zero magical fluctuations had somehow summoned an army tens of thousands strong. What perplexed them even more was that the number of these "humans" was still skyrocketing with no sign of slowing down. This was a planar teleportation on the scale of tens of thousands! Shouldn't that require a circle of spellcasters of at least archmage caliber working together? This was absurdly casual! No, this made no magical sense at all! Crowded shoulder to shoulder in that cramped area, facing the harsh, unforgiving environment of Hell, they showed no trace of fear. Instead, their faces beamed with delighted surprise and curiosity. "Leave me some room! I'm getting squished to death!" "Holy crap, is this the legendary hidden dungeon?" "I read the guides! This must be Avernus! The devs put out a special quest to go to Avernus before, but my level was too low to meet the requirements." "The devils' gear looks pretty sick! Is that infernal iron armor? Lemme see if I can pickpocket it..." The players chattered excitedly, their noisy racket even louder than the demon horde from earlier. Suddenly, someone pointed at Cassius in the distance and shouted, "Look over there—it's Bro Cass!" "His true body, too! I've barely seen it a few times in the Empire!" "The 3D model is huge..." A commotion instantly swept through the crowd. The players were all too familiar with this legendary NPC—the Emperor of the Cinder Empire, the mighty dragon who wrestled with gods. "Awesome! Emperor Cass is here—there's definitely a can't-miss main storyline quest! We got in on the ground floor!" "Nice, nice, nice! I'm ready to be carried by Emperor Cass!" "Where Emperor Cass rides, not a blade of grass survives!" "His Majesty Cassius's physique is getting more and more captivating. If only I could touch it, hehehe..." "Hello? Is this the Imperial Decency Patrol? We've caught another pervert from the Dragon Lovers Association! Please execute them on sight to rid the public of this scourge!" "What pervert? This is faith! True faith!" That player gazed foolishly at Cassius, their eyes burning with fanaticism as they instinctively wiped drool from the corner of their mouth.