[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ember-dragon":3,"chapter-ember-dragon-ember-dragon-chapter-197":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},1162441,1504,"Chapter 197: The Red Dragon's Gaze","ember-dragon-chapter-197",197,"\u003Cp>Strands of psychic chains extended from Wagner, binding Singo’s soul tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes turned vacant, the light in his pupils replaced by a dim red glow. His movements became stiff, like a puppet on strings, falling into a state of enthrallment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wagner chuckled softly and issued a command with his will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With just a simple order, an overwhelming psychic force surged along the chains into Singo’s mind. His body moved involuntarily, shuffling obediently to Wagner’s side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wagner stroked Singo’s arm, covered in scales, marveling:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly… a masterpiece of creation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The perfect fusion of scales and muscle. I’ve only ever seen this on true dragons. How have I never created such a marvel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bring him here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wagner gave the command effortlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Singo, like a marionette, obeyed and carried the unconscious Born Battle Maniac to Wagner’s side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wagner led them forward, the urn containing Mantou’s soul floating behind. Thick metal doors opened one by one as they approached, and they arrived at a platform engraved with dragon scales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intricate gravity spell runes activated, lifting the platform layer by layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On each level, grotesque monsters sensed the vibration and let out chaotic howls, shaking and ramming their cages. Wagner, however, paid them no mind; to him, they were insignificant failures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, they reached the topmost level of the black tower—Wagner’s most prized laboratory, the Dragon’s Domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shattered flesh and scales, severed limbs, and sticky blood covered the floor. Bloodied instruments, broken syringes, and sharp tools were scattered everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wagner took a deep breath, reveling in the thick scent of blood in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tie him down.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Wagner’s control, Singo secured Born Battle Maniac to a metal bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wagner observed Born Battle Maniac’s robust physique intently. His fanatical eyes seemed to peer through scales and skin, visualizing every muscle and vein filled with viscous blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s red dragon power—the purest dragon blood flows within this humanoid body.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do they not experience rejection? I’ve experimented dozens of times. Even the resilient body of a frost giant couldn’t handle white dragon blood—it failed completely. And yet, this volatile, exclusive red dragon bloodline works?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And these organs… a dragon head perfectly fused with a human body. Even my greatest work, Valenna, was merely stitched together. But they achieved natural integration.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wagner reluctantly tore his gaze from Born Battle Maniac and looked into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes pierced through the cold, thick metal walls, through layers of mountains and the expansive Storm Highlands, reaching a massive red dragon deep within its lair. His gaze burned with fervent intensity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cassius Claudius Norrixius, the anomalous red dragon who rose so rapidly in just ten years… you must hold many secrets.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You intrigue me more and more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Northwind Fortress, inside the council hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius was experimenting with magic when his floating 【Cataclysmic Dragon Eye】 reacted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fragmented images appeared in its view: players fighting gnolls, a mysterious and perilous tower, grotesque stitched monsters, and finally, a pair of fanatical eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—It was the special ability of the Calamity Dragon Eye, 【Past Vision】.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius immediately recognized Mantou, someone he’d been observing. But those eyes—those were not a player’s. Moreover, the glow of high-level magic power flickered in “Mantou’s” gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The black tower, the monsters, the magic…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, it’s Wagner. He dared to possess a player and brazenly spy on me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a reckless lunatic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red dragon sneered coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wagner was infamous even in his previous life, especially for turning his daughter into a monster and conducting inhumane experiments. His actions had united players in fury, culminating in a massive effort that cost countless lives to finally obliterate the “Dragon-Mad Black Mage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being targeted by such a lunatic was extremely troublesome. Wagner wasn’t just a high-level mage; he was an expert in dealing with dragons. Though Cassius feared no one, he had no desire to entangle himself with Wagner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once involved, the only solution was to completely eradicate him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius would not risk the consequences of letting a high-level mage escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exhaling a sulfurous breath, Cassius decided to teach Wagner a lesson before settling other scores later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah. If you enjoy spying—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then feast your eyes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red dragon lifted his head slightly, meeting Wagner’s distant gaze. A sinister smile spread across his face, his golden pupils blazing with awe-inspiring magical light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he now bore the Dragon Queen’s favor, he allowed himself a bit of indulgence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixth-circle spell—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Tiamat’s Terrifying Illusion】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The illusion crossed the Storm Highlands and pierced through the mountains, instantly reaching Wagner within the tower and appearing before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Roar—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening dragon roar accompanied the nightmare apparition. A monstrous form with the body of a dragon, supported by four limbs and crowned with five writhing necks, appeared. Each head represented a chromatic dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five-headed dragon spread its enormous wings, casting a shadow that engulfed the sky. It gazed down at Wagner with an indescribable terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tiamat! It’s Tiamat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Five-Headed Dragon Queen, the Evil Dragon Goddess, Tiamat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wagner trembled uncontrollably, exclaiming in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His shaking wasn’t solely from fear but also from excitement and fervor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such… greatness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wagner’s face flushed, and his speech grew incoherent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For centuries, he had pursued dragon power. The legendary Dragon Queen Tiamat, progenitor of all chromatic dragons, was the pinnacle of his quest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was merely a fragment of Wagner’s soul, incapable of discerning illusion from reality. Overwhelmed by terror and exhilaration, he instinctively perceived 【Tiamat’s Terrifying Illusion】 as the descent of a true god.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with his intellect, how could he not suspect it was triggered by spying on the red dragon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five chromatic dragon heads in the sky looked down indifferently, unleashing fire, frost, acid, lightning, and poisonous gas from their mouths—punishments from the dragon goddess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To witness Tiamat’s majestic form and feel her unparalleled power… my existence is fulfilled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet, you truly are exceptional…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Red dragon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wagner murmured as he gazed upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next instant, the overwhelming breaths shattered his fragment soul, erasing it completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, with its final strength, the soul fragment cast a spell, transmitting a faint stream of information back to the main body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*************************************************\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you want to read more chapters, you can Read (339) chapters ahead on Patreon:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tier 1: $1\u002Fmonth for an additional 5 chapters. 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