[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ember-dragon":3,"chapter-ember-dragon-ember-dragon-chapter-517":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},1162639,1504,"Chapter 517: The Beginning","ember-dragon-chapter-517",517,"\u003Cp>Chapter 517: The Beginning\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Savvedra Plains, the Empire’s Wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A piercing cold wind swept through, howling as it funneled into the fortress vents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vast wasteland was devoid of life, the sky dark and foreboding. Even the hawks soaring across the land seemed restless, as if sensing an imminent catastrophe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the bunkers, officers and soldiers bustled about, hurrying through corridors, moving between various sections. The voice of Imperial Marshal Dolo rang clearly through the loudspeakers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Soldiers, before us lies an arduous and painful trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You ask: What is our goal? I can answer in one word—victory. Victory at all costs!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For without victory, we do not survive. Understand this: without victory, there is no Ember Empire. There is nothing left of what we stand for!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twelve years ago, His Majesty Cassius personally founded Ember Nest. Over the years, from a nest to a kingdom, and now an empire, we have never been defeated!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And today will be no different!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twelve days ago, demons attacked the Trier Mines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nine days ago, demons struck the Storm Highlands Ranch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days ago, they assaulted Marl City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday, they ambushed the train to Isthalia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These Abyssal vermin have poured forth, seeking to tear apart our empire, to destroy everything we have built!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As warriors of the Great Red Dragon, as citizens of His Majesty Cassius, we will not tolerate this insult, nor allow these demons to invade unchecked!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The empire is vast, but we have nowhere left to retreat! Behind us stands Isthalia!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In one of the command bunkers, George flipped through a supply report while casually listening to the broadcast, muttering, \"Marshal Dolo still loves grandstanding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soldier knocked and hurried in, handing over an urgent message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Commander, high command sent a classified telegram—we might be the first defensive line to face the demon assault.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Make sure the men are mentally prepared. Keep them on high alert, and don’t let them take this war lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember, this isn’t some battle for personal glory—these demons aren’t those soft-bellied nobles from the North.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George set down the report, his voice steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rose from his seat, turning to the map pinned to the wall, his eyes scanning the dense array of markings. The corners of his lips curled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Though... whether they even reach our front line remains to be seen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George turned toward the ventilation window, gazing out over the desolate wasteland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His golden double-footed wyvern insignia, marking his rank as Colonel, gleamed under the bunker lights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empire’s Wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This colossal defensive line stretched for hundreds of miles, constructed from reinforced concrete, an unyielding bastion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was divided into the Hoxie Fortification Zone, the Ter Fortification Zone, and the Lower Valley Region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hoxie and Ter boasted the strongest fortifications, while the Lower Valley used the Inaki and Orel Rivers as natural barriers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The defensive line housed cannons, trenches, fortresses, kitchens, hospitals, and factories, all fully equipped. The larger fortifications even had steam locomotive tunnels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were 276 regimental command posts along the wall, all interconnected via communication networks. A total of 550,000 soldiers stood ready to defend it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an unprecedented war in Anzeta’s history. For a thousand years, the Scanians had never faced a battle of this scale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The empire’s years of military buildup had reached its peak, with emergency mobilizations sending steam locomotives loaded with troops and supplies southward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Counting logistical personnel, over a million people were involved in the war effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if indirect participants were included, one could say—the entire empire had been mobilized for this war of national defense. The war machine was in full motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But their enemy was formidable—the Abyssal Legions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had destroyed countless mortal nations and slaughtered unnumbered mortals across the ages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Abyssal Legions were true engines of destruction, reveling in rivers of blood, delighting in suffering and torment, existing solely to spread evil, terror, and chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clash between the Empire and the Abyss was about to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Commander, another report.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go ahead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At 9:45 PM yesterday, Leo Village’s frontline outpost lost contact. At 10:21 PM, Ander Village’s outpost went silent. At 11:45 PM, Arcad Village’s outpost fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As of now, nearly all Starfallen outposts have been overrun. Most of the Starfallen are reviving at the magic formations, leading to overcrowding and minor trampling incidents.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George frowned. \"That fast?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Starfallen might not be the strongest, but they numbered over a million, with outposts in over a thousand villages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you were butchering a million pigs, it’d take more than three days. But in a single night, their entire defensive line had crumbled?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only one conclusion—the Abyssal Legion’s strength far exceeded expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George drew his ornate pistol from his holster and wiped it with a handkerchief. \"How long until they reach the Empire’s Wall?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The adjutant swallowed hard, his voice heavy. \"According to command’s reports... Right now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The adjutant’s tense words lingered in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, George felt the bunker tremble slightly. The water in his glass rippled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood and looked out the window—then inhaled sharply, his expression darkening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a battle-hardened veteran like George had never seen such a sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By Cassius...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the distance, a churning tide surged across the wasteland, stretching across the horizon, staining the earth in a chaotic mass of color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was no flood—it was an army of demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lowest of their kind, cowardly dretches, pushed forward, their shrill, grating screams filling the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scrawny, red-skinned barghests darted among them like phantoms, their laughter echoing eerily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom! Boom!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Towering figures stomped across the cursed land, their every step shaking the earth. Their nostrils spewed thick smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their elongated, trunk-like arms swung with immense strength, and atop their broad shoulders sat gaunt demons wielding poisoned arrows and wands—like mobile fortresses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Berserker Demons, Bagura Demons, and other powerful mid-tier fiends roared as they charged toward the bunker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above, Quasits, Caz Demons, and Fro Demons flapped their wings, colliding midair with harsh screeches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demons darkened half the sky, swirling like storm clouds, casting chaotic shadows over the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire south was shrouded in darkness—the sun obscured by the demon tide, its light unable to reach the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this was just the beginning. From the distant snow-capped mountains, more demons poured forth like a relentless torrent, covering the land with no end in sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In George’s field of vision alone, there were already hundreds of thousands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in terms of individual strength, the thousands of Berserker Demon and Bagura Demon battalions alone outmatched ordinary imperial soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the greatest enemy the empire had ever faced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the first time, doubt crept into many soldiers’ minds—could they truly win? Could the empire withstand this demonic tide and even strike back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring at the abyssal flood, George’s expression remained firm. Memories of the Red Dragon spreading its wings and roaring years ago resurfaced in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, as a serf, George had once thought the Northern nobles’ armies were invincible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at his unsettled adjutant and continued polishing his pistol, speaking with unwavering conviction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Empire will triumph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as it always has.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1189,"2026-06-03T12:47:13.304Z","2026-06-03T12:47:20.796Z",1,"novelbin.me","1256b4c60e80c0a1789bbef92d398fb367b104f91b5d0f2ce6538aec160c41b5","ember-dragon-chapter-518","ember-dragon-chapter-516",603,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fember-dragon-cover.jpg"]