[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ember-dragon":3,"chapter-ember-dragon-ember-dragon-chapter-342":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},1162008,1504,"Chapter 342: Crimson Edge (Part 5)","ember-dragon-chapter-342",342,"\u003Cp>Chapter 342: Crimson Edge (Part 5)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Cassius turned his gaze to Klein.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had felt an uncomfortable sensation, as though being observed, and now he had found its source.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mage allegedly associated with the Tower of Time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red dragon regarded the mage clad in blue-black robes, lowering his massive head slightly, his golden eyes glinting with fiery light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you doing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klein’s expression was one of abject terror. Never before had he encountered an enemy who rendered his proud abilities completely ineffective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, I can’t wait any longer. I must leave this place!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His usual calm and assured demeanor collapsed entirely upon hearing that voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klein raised his staff, chanting an incantation to activate a meticulously prepared spell model.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Weave rippled intensely, a complex magical circuit appeared in mid-air, causing the surrounding space to warp rhythmically before finally forming a circular portal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Festantilus’ Portal]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Roar—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the next instant, the red dragon tore through the air, appearing before Klein. The flames coiled around his wings obliterated the still-forming portal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did I permit you to leave?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius swiped his claws, aiming to seize the mage as he had done before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the dragon’s claw neared Klein, intense spatial fluctuations surged around the mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spell triggered almost instantly, transporting Klein dozens of meters away while generating waves of spatial disturbances, attempting to break free of the Material Plane’s constraints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the renowned Ninth Circle spell—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ilminster’s Evasion]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A refined contingency spell designed to teleport the mage to a predetermined safe location upon specific triggers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the overwhelming dragon’s aura emanating from Cassius disrupted the teleportation magic’s activation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This forced Klein to expend additional focus to stabilize the spell model.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Roar!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a low growl, Cassius flapped his wings and instantly closed the gap, preparing to unleash an anti-magic ray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In desperation, Klein retrieved a golden pocket watch from his robes and pressed it with gritted teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the winds ceased, sand and stones froze mid-air, and flowing rivers halted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything around him seemed to stop, except for the red dragon, which moved at an almost imperceptible speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Time Stop]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This spell didn’t halt time across the world but accelerated the caster’s actions to near-instantaneous speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What a terrifying dragon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klein wiped sweat from his brow, pocketing the golden watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with such a formidable foe, he dared not relax for even a moment, utilizing this precious time to raise his staff and begin chanting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding space distorted, and his figure became increasingly ethereal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klein planned to use the Astral Conduit to escape to a place he deemed the safest—a neutral negotiation ground adjacent to all Outer Planes, the Outlands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, in the Material Plane, Cassius watched Klein vanish and sensed lingering magical fluctuations in the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Time Stop?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn mages.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red dragon muttered, his expression tinged with annoyance. He disliked the feeling he had just experienced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Closing his eyes, he tapped into the power of his Cataclysmic Dragon Eyes, glimpsing fragments of the past and a sliver of what was yet to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius couldn’t decipher the spell’s spatial coordinates, but that didn’t stop him from using his Cataclysmic Dragon Eyes to track his prey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll catch you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A duck delivered to my doorstep won’t escape.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using sheer willpower to distort reality, Cassius crudely tore through space and pursued his target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such is the sorcerer’s philosophy: straightforward and effective, unlike the intricate precision of mages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Astral Plane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hah—what a terrifying dragon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klein sighed in relief near an Astral Pool, thankful to have escaped the red dragon’s clutches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in the next moment, the surrounding space twisted violently. A dimensional rift ablaze with fierce flames appeared, and the red dragon’s massive form emerged from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius looked down at him, spreading his expansive wings, casting a vast shadow over Klein.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Annoying mage, do you not understand the most basic etiquette?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who gave you permission to leave without notice?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klein’s face turned deathly pale, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, no—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He collapsed to the ground, scrambling backward in abject fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The legendary artifact [Timepiece] had exhausted its charges, and none of his means could affect the dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klein’s life seemed poised to end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This mage from the Tower of Time never imagined his journey to slay a dragon in the remote North would culminate in such a tragic demise. Despite his foresight into countless futures, he had never foreseen this outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius advanced deliberately, unhurried—waiting for a particular presence to arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Klein closed his eyes in despair, a youthful voice echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty Cassius, I implore you to show mercy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red dragon knew that the awaited arrival had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange dragon stepped out of the void, appearing behind Klein.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shimmering gray scales clung tightly to its elegant frame, smooth and devoid of ridges, and its horns were but budding stubs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was most striking was its immense size for a wyrmling, spanning over twenty meters—an extraordinary trait for any dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As expected, a Time Dragon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius uttered the name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time Dragons, the most powerful of legendary dragon species, were the hidden rulers behind the enigmatic Tower of Time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These majestic dragons wielded temporal power, commanding the past, present, and future, and were the only truly immortal non-deity dragons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life’s narrative, the Tower of Time had always been a mysterious entity, subtly guiding history’s flow from the Temporal River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the most knowledgeable players had only scratched the surface, serving as low-level Time Mages, unable to uncover the Tower’s deepest secrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You, you’ve come! Save me, please, get me out of here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I knew it, the Tower of Time wouldn’t abandon me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the Time Dragon, Klein clutched at this final lifeline, desperately pleading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the wyrmling ignored the human mage’s cries, instead bowing its head respectfully toward the red dragon. Its demeanor was courteous yet neither servile nor arrogant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We meet again, or perhaps I should say—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For the first time, Your Majesty Cassius.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Talin Archimonde greets you and extends the Tower of Time’s goodwill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1014,"2026-06-03T12:47:02.951Z","2026-06-03T12:47:07.061Z",1,"novelbin.me","c068eab13979cc186e2176ac07113f93a406cf3ad7ca719a8a5cb015cc54952a","ember-dragon-chapter-343","ember-dragon-chapter-341",603,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fember-dragon-cover.jpg"]