[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ember-dragon":3,"chapter-ember-dragon-ember-dragon-chapter-142":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Ember Dragon",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1162308,1504,"Chapter 142: The Voice of Night (Part One)","ember-dragon-chapter-142",142,"\u003Cp>Cassius flew through the castle, pursuing the black mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw the runes inside the iron cages flickering as countless blood thralls wailed before exploding into ghostly black mist, surging toward a specific destination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"These blood thralls were all sacrificed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Their destination must be the outside world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this realization, Cassius ceased his chase, flapped his wings, and soared upward. His massive dragon body relentlessly smashed through stone walls and ceilings, tearing through the underground fortress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, amid the collapsing structures behind him, Cassius burst into the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the scene before him had drastically changed compared to earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no moon or stars in the sky now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a night devoid of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky above was shrouded in dense shadows, resembling a deep, black dome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding colors seemed drained, reduced to dull shades of black and white, and a towering black mountain loomed in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above the Twilight Forest, clusters of shadowy essence coalesced into a vortex of black mist, spinning continuously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring at the blackened sky, Cassius muttered to himself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the projection of the Shadowfell.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, that old bat has breached the veil between the Shadow Plane and the Material Plane.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shadowfell, also known as the Plane of Shadow, was a dark and foreboding dimension that mirrored the Material Plane. It was a realm of toxic shadow and enigmatic power, desolate and distant, filled with shadowy entities born of essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swirling black mist in the sky was clearly an interplanar vortex, linking the Shadow Plane to the Material Plane, summoning unknown shadowy entities from that realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I must stop this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius finally understood the meaning of the vampire's dying curse—\"You will all die.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Shadowfell's curse of shadow invaded, Northwind Fortress would become a dead city overrun by shadow creatures, consumed by endless, all-devouring darkness. Even Cassius himself might be transformed into an undying shadow dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Encased in a shimmering barrier, Cassius boldly charged into the vortex, attempting to sever the connection breaching the planar boundary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Anti-Magic Field】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this had no effect. The vortex was a phenomenon far beyond the fifth tier, immune to Cassius's otherwise reliable spell-nullifying field, which could only smooth the most superficial disruptions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius unleashed a torrent of fiery breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blazing flames engulfed shadowy entities, eliciting shrill, anguished wails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the vortex, now spanning nearly a hundred meters in diameter, had amassed too many shadowy beings. Even the red dragon's endless fire could not burn it all away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Such intense magic weave fluctuations.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This scale…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What in the Nine Hells did that old bat summon?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bone-deep chill crept through Cassius as he realized that whatever emerged from the vortex into the Material Plane was far beyond his ability to defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Determined, he began flinging fireballs, walls of fire, and lightning bolts into the vortex without restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire, lightning, and radiant energy clashed and roared within the vortex, yet they failed to stop the black mist from amassing and expanding, obscuring the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This can't drag on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius thought grimly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dreadful pressure emanated from the vortex, making even the red dragon shudder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a naturally powerful creature, Cassius rarely experienced this kind of primal fear. But now, he felt it deeply—and it was overwhelming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Roar—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A low growl accompanied the emergence of a dragon-shaped projection from the swirling mist, its form visibly solidifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A powerful entity from the Shadowfell was gradually manifesting in the Material Plane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its twenty-meter-long body was covered in dull, charcoal-like scales, its wings transparent and ghostly, resembling spiritual membranes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most terrifying were its eyes—bleak gray and devoid of pupils or light, like an abyss that could consume souls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those gray eyes locked onto Cassius, and a raspy voice echoed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A fellow dragonkin?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A young red dragon? I was wondering who drove my poor contractor to such desperate measures.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I must thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive dragon—no, the shadow dragon—licked its intangible lips, black mist dripping like spectral saliva.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Soon, I'll return to the Material Plane. This feels wonderful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius strained to maintain his airborne stance, staring up at the far larger and more menacing shadow dragon projection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Based on your abilities, the following information is available.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Voice of Night - Mortifer】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Basic Abilities: ???\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Challenge Rating: 21 (33,000 XP)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Description: Mortifer has resided in the Shadowfell for seven centuries, relishing its desolation and bitterness, cursing all light and life, and yearning to spread the darkness and corruption of his realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Often assuming the guise of a \"Voice of Night,\" Mortifer would forge contracts with humanoids, luring them into darkness. Entire villages and towns were reduced to haunted wastelands, their souls harvested to fuel his power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A legendary foe…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius's expression darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Challenge Rating 21—an unquestionably legendary-tier entity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And due to the nature of dragons, Mortifer's actual strength would likely exceed the numbers on paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In essence, only a fully prepared legendary adventurer party could hope to face such an opponent—perhaps even triggering a plane-wide catastrophe!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since arriving in Erezaghe, Cassius had never faced a foe of this magnitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mortifer, the Voice of Night—Cassius recalled hearing this name in his past life. It was the final boss of the high-difficulty side quest \"Dragonshadow City\" in the 4.0 expansion of 【Planes Expedition】.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Cassius had never imagined encountering such an enemy now. To him, the Anzeta Wasteland was a barren frontier unworthy of such attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, his assumption was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This shadow dragon had great interest in sowing darkness and death across the wasteland, turning it into a lifeless expanse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, after Duke Brad's ascension ceremony failed catastrophically, he vanished without a trace—likely consumed by Mortifer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can't let him fully manifest in the Material Plane!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Cassius's sole thought at that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*************************************************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you want to read more chapters, you can Read (284) chapters ahead on Patreon:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tier 1: $1\u002Fmonth for an additional 5 chapters. 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