[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ember-dragon":3,"chapter-ember-dragon-ember-dragon-chapter-550":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},1162672,1504,"Chapter 550: Endgame","ember-dragon-chapter-550",550,"\u003Cp>>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 550: Endgame\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Red dragon! Such audacity! Are you threatening us? Threatening three true deities?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thunderous boom exploded like a clear sky lightning strike. Around Tyr’s incarnation, a terrifying pressure surged, the veins bulging on his lone arm gripping the steel-gray warhammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing this seemingly enraged divine avatar, Cassius fearlessly stepped forward again, using the power of his Imperial Domain to resist the pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red dragon raised his head, arching his brow scales, and softly spoke toward Tyr’s avatar in the sky: \"Lord Tyr, this is not a threat. It’s merely a friendly reminder.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The storm howled, clouds surged, and the clash of their auras generated wave-like shockwaves in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ilmater squinted slightly, his head lowered in sorrow, his expression still one of compassion, unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bahamut slowly flapped his wings within the clouds, looking down from above at the red dragon perched atop the mountain. His aged dragon face was expressionless, seemingly in deep thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long pause, the platinum dragon god finally spoke: \"Cassius, conduct yourself well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aargh—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bahamut raised his head, letting out a long, distant roar that echoed across the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The platinum dragon’s entire body shimmered with a bluish glow. His long, serpentine form gradually faded, eventually merging with the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We respectfully see off Lord Bahamut!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Praise the Platinum Dragon God.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Glory to the Lord of the North Wind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the distance, gold, silver, and brass dragons all lowered their heads respectfully toward the direction of Bahamut’s departure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Jezal Slak is dead. The mortal realm needs rest. This war should come to an end.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ilmater slowly straightened, his tormented throat issuing a hoarse, tearful voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The sky collapses, the earth crumbles, mortals weep, and endless suffering falls upon the world. Transfer all wounds and pain unto me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hummed a sorrowful hymn as he limped through the wounded land. Finally, accompanied by a gentle warm breeze, his scarred figure faded away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Praise the Crying God.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Lord of the Rack.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The solemn chants of metallic dragons and celestial beings echoed across the ruined mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the most devout followers of the Empire could not bear to speak ill of the god who bore mortal suffering. They simply watched him leave in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the sky above, within the rolling cloud layers, the avatar of Tyr—clad in light armor and wielding the steel-gray warhammer—began to shimmer and fade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tyr’s incarnation looked toward Cassius, white light gleaming from his hollow eye sockets, and let out a cold snort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let us hope you’re truly as strong as you boast, and not merely a slave to power.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mighty rumble shook the heavens and earth. Starlight spread across the sky, countless bolts of lightning fell, and blinding white light bathed all beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tyr’s incarnation finally faded completely, leaving only the residual pressure behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Farewell, Your Majesties.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius quietly looked up at the still-surging clouds, finally revealing a relieved smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything had gone according to the plan he laid out years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The abyssal invasion was thwarted by the Empire. Jezal Slak was slain by his hand, and Karrikex’s intact corpse fell under his control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Roar—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius stood atop Dragonblood Mountain, raised his head, extended his neck, and let out a long roar, proclaiming the red dragon’s supreme dominance over the Anzeta Wasteland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, gods—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Praise Cassius.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Long live the Ember Empire! Long live Emperor Cassius!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds of thousands lifted their heads. Angels, metallic dragons, and red dragon bloodlines all gazed toward the mountaintop, countless eyes focused there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red dragon hovered midair, his pale golden eyes bright with majesty and power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sunlight cast a faint halo upon his forty-meter-long body, his crimson scales gleaming resplendently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Winds howled, clouds churned, and even Dragonblood Mountain beneath him—shaped like a ferocious dragon—seemed to bow in worship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Somehow, people felt a peculiar force from it—divinity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius looked down calmly at the beings below, slowly flapping his wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt their gazes—fervent, devout, fearful—narrowing his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The long-unused interface appeared before him, displaying information he hadn’t yet checked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You have slain an Abyssal Lord. Legendary Achievement Acquired: [Demon Slayer]]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Cassius’s battle with Jezal Slak, the once snow-covered Anstica was now a devastated wasteland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Collapsed peaks, melting snow, and molten lava bubbling from fractured terrain filled the region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the newly risen Dragonblood Mountain stood tall, as if it had always been there for tens of thousands of years, a testament to Cassius’s power and deeds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the departure of the \"Three Saints of Justice,\" the Empire, despite minor frictions, compensated the distant reinforcements with some gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The celestial beings watched their gods depart, felt the Empire’s unfriendly stares, and began collective planar teleportation, leaving the material realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Metallic dragons also opened portals, taking gold coins bearing Cassius’s face and leaving Anzeta for their own realms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These beings from across the multiverse had witnessed Cassius and Jezal Slak’s battle. Surely, this legendary conflict would be recorded in history and spread far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An Abyssal Lord had been slain—an event shocking enough to shake the multiverse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius’s name would soon echo louder across the entire multiverse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, countless eyes—from Mount Celestia, Ysgard, the Hells, the Abyss, and even the depths of the Astral Plane—were all turning toward this remote land of Anzeta.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragonblood Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master, an ancient silver dragon from the Melward Clan seeks an audience, along with the blue dragons of Faria and envoys from the Kingdom of Thrayce...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let them wait. For the next ten days, no one is to disturb me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius coiled atop the peak formed from Karrikex’s skull, exhaling sulfurous steam and letting out an annoyed growl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, Master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ogre mage nodded repeatedly, waved his staff, and vanished in haste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius muttered, \"Tch, such trouble. The moment this war ends, every power rushes in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he lowered his head and began reviewing the documents Langpu had submitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In this war, under the leadership of Emperor Cassius...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In resisting the Abyssal invasion, the Ember Empire had achieved a bloody but glorious victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite pre-established defenses and heavy bombardments, demons still caused significant disruption to the Empire’s lines in later trench battles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty-one southern cities were destroyed by the demons, tens of thousands of civilians perished, and 140,000 Imperial soldiers and retainers died on the southern front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more players perished—countless numbers. The Abyssal invasion caused losses exceeding tens of millions of gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius could have flown directly to Anstica, crushed the demons, and killed Jezal Slak solo, preventing all losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he chose not to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The prolonged war tempered the Imperial army, tested and improved its tactics, and forged the Ember Empire in blood and fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Cassius, demons were not just monsters of chaos and death—they were mountains of experience!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Langpu’s stats, over 30 million demons were slain in this months-long war, much of it thanks to the Starfallers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Cassius’s faction panel, the average level of the 3 million players in the Ember Empire faction rose by five whole levels!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of these were newcomers who joined during the \"War of Kings\" expansion and were level 1 or 2 before the war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The war granted them massive XP, and some even reached level 7 through demon-slaying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veteran players from the beta who had joined Ember Nest early broke the level 10 threshold, becoming true transcendents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Empire’s mid-tier strength was massively bolstered, with five-figure numbers of mid- to high-level Professionals joining the Ember Legion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to these real gains, the southern losses seemed trivial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the heavy use of armaments in the war had revitalized the Empire’s military industry, injecting new vigor into a stagnant economy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The more we fight, the stronger we grow\" was no empty slogan—it was a reality for the Ember Empire war machine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Cassius, the greatest reward was his personal power gain and the priceless progenitor dragon corpse beneath him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Years of planning... all for this moment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red dragon narrowed his eyes, a satisfied grin curling his snout, his menacing face brimming with the joy of triumph. The interface lit up before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Achievement: [Demon Slayer]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They say only demons can slay demons. Even gods can only seal them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To truly kill a Demon Lord, you must be even more ruthless and brutal than them—an almost impossible feat. —The Battle of Blackthorn, Arm’s Scroll of Darkness\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passive Trait Acquired:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Demon Slayer]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Constitution +1, Charisma +1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With an unshakable yearning for order, you personally slew a Demon Lord and received a response from the world itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You have acquired the following traits: [Chaos-Resisting Body][Orderbound Breath]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Chaos-Resisting Body]: You now possess resistance to all Abyssal powers and are nearly immune to corruption by Abyssal Will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Orderbound Breath]: After consuming massive energy, your breath will gain miraculous powers of restoration and rectification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the interface, the black-gold trophy glowed faintly, then slowly merged with Cassius’s vast body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius closed his eyes, allowing the invisible force to reshape him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With each breath, his muscles tightened, and the scorching heart in his chest beat stronger. His constitution was greatly enhanced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whirling wind surged around him. Elemental particles danced. His charisma reached a new peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whoosh...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Steam hissed from between his scales, nostrils, and fangs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Roar—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red dragon let out a low roar, spreading his wings and stretching his limbs, feeling euphoric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This feeling of base stat enhancement had become familiar—he even enjoyed it now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what intrigued him more were the new traits from [Demon Slayer]—those chaos-countering powers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Cassius stared hard at the interface and muttered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is... Entropy Reversal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke a word that now felt somewhat distant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jezal Slak hadn’t been wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in the world of Erezaghe, things tend toward chaos—what people of his past life called \"entropy increase.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a world with the Abyss and demons, this trend manifests as demonic invasion and destruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the power Cassius had gained could reduce systemic chaos and completely annihilate demons as extensions of Abyssal Will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Buzz—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, the world fell silent. It felt like the world whispered, and everything held no more secrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw magma beneath the earth, portals to outer planes, and the parallel Elemental Planes...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mount Celestia, Ysgard, Mechanus, Chaos Sea, Outer Realms... these planes branched like twigs before Cassius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Mechanus—a clockwork realm shaped like a droplet—countless interlocking gears slowly turned in the void, casting faint light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Click.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cassius felt a strange sensation, a silver spark blossoming within him, granting newfound power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eager, he activated this newborn strength. Silver glints flashed in his golden eyes. Then he opened his mouth and breathed scorching dragonfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Orderbound Breath]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A silver pillar of flame erupted. Instantly, the surrounding weave of magic spun with precision, everything falling into perfect order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the power to obliterate chaos—the blade of a Demon Slayer!\u003C\u002Fp>",1797,"2026-06-03T12:47:13.304Z","2026-06-03T12:47:20.796Z",1,"novelbin.me","474e788a26245b3ea7e416d81c3e2946a917d0504fae994771f29e7d3b9f0d9f","ember-dragon-chapter-551","ember-dragon-chapter-549",603,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fember-dragon-cover.jpg"]