Ashen Dragon-Chapter 429 - 351 The King’s Surprise (4k)_2

Chapter 429 -351 The King’s Surprise (4k)_2

Although it was not a Ninth Tier Spell, due to the characteristics of its spell combination and its exaggerated scale, the mental exhaustion it caused was no less than that of a Ninth Tier.

Any physical attack would have difficulty breaking through — even lethal cannonballs.

“Long live the Kingdom of Cassandra!”

“It’s Master Stergen!”

“As expected of the Grand Master of the Arcane Legion!”

Cheerful shouts came from the high walls of Theodivacan, and the soldiers felt a sense of safety and excitement due to the indestructible barrier.

But Stergen, who was the focus of everyone’s attention, showed no joy. Instead, he gripped his staff tightly, his expression particularly serious.

“Gaius Hurst…”

He slowly uttered the name.

That was the Legendary Spellcaster serving the Thrace Kingdom, and he was also Stergen’s former classmate.

The two had once been close confidants, both serving the Holy Fadlan Empire, yet now they could only meet on the blood-stained battlefield because of their respective loyalties.

Stergen knew that his old friend would definitely make a move.

“Whoosh—”

A piercing whistle rang out.

Bright green streaks of light fell from the sky, heading straight for the force field wall below.

“Meteor Burst?”

“No, that’s Disintegrate!”

The force field wall could block most attacks and spell effects, reaching even the Ethereal Plane, but it could be destroyed by Disintegrate.

This was the contest between mages.

Only by knowing one’s own spells and those of the enemy in detail, understanding the countering relationships between spells, could one maximize their effectiveness.

The “meteors” hit the barrier.

In the instant the two spells came into contact, the invisible force field wall disintegrated, creating gaps that eventually shattered completely.

Following that, bright red meteors fell from the sky — these were the real Meteor Bursts!

At this moment, Stergen no longer had time to rebuild the defense.

And using [Time Stop] was clearly not worthwhile; for him, Meteor Burst was not a fatal spell, and he had countless ways to dodge it.

But for the mortal soldiers, it was a complete scourge.

“Boom!”

The meteors exploded the moment they hit the ground and the walls, creating massive explosions. Raging tongues of flame devoured everything around.

The lives of over a thousand mortal soldiers of Cassandra vanished in that splendid yet horrifying moment, accompanied by the simultaneous sound of explosions.

The lives of mortals were as insignificant as grass in this war.

“Fire! It’s all fire!”

“It hurts!”

“No, stay away!”

“Help me! I’m burning!”

The walls were engulfed in flames, and the previously spirited Cassandra soldiers were mercilessly incinerated by the spell.

“Gaius, stop!”

“Don’t fight for the rebels any longer!”

Stergen gritted his teeth, raising his mithril staff high again, causing a twisted space to appear at its tip.

[Mana Absorption]

Instantly, the scorching energy from the Meteor Bursts around was drawn in, stored within the twisted space, transforming into energy for Stergen’s next spell.

He stepped forward, releasing the stored energy in a massive beam of light, shooting toward the distant Thrace Army.

[Sunflame Burst]

“Boom!”

A charred mark appeared on the ground, and the pillar of fire instantly swallowed countless mortals, turning them into ashes.

“Arcane Legion!”

“Support Master Stergen!”

Meanwhile, both sides’ Arcane Legions simultaneously cast spells, filling the battlefield with dazzling radiance, blazing flames, crackling electricity, and icy hail, as various elemental energies clashed wildly.

“For the Thrace Kingdom!”

“For the Cassandra Kingdom!”

“Kill the rebels, reclaim the Holy City, and restore Fadlan’s glory!”

“Defend the Holy City! Revive Fadlan!”

“We are the true Fadlan! Only His Majesty Audis can revive the former glory!”

“Praise the Sun God Amanata! Punish the Cassandra rebels!”

The Titan Divine Descendants and Angel Divine Descendants occupied the ground and the sky respectively, shouting their slogans, battling unceasingly in the wilderness, clashing fiercely.

The mortal troops of Thrace continued to reload ammunition, bombarding the towering white walls and turning multiple towers into ruins — regardless of the Sun God’s Holy Emblem also present on the walls.

The Spellcasters and Divine Descendant Legion unleashed their full power, fully engaging in the battleground that had witnessed countless bloodshed, where mortal lives were as insignificant as grass.

This was the feature of the Fadlan military system.

Because they relied on divine favor to rise, the upper echelons and lower tier forces of the army were extremely disconnected. Mortals often became mere expendables, while only the Divine Descendants and Spellcasters could determine the course of the war.

And with the advent of Thrace’s cannons, the lives of Cassandra’s soldiers became even cheaper — these unfortunate mortals not only had to dodge spell strikes and the aftermath of Divine Descendants’ battles but also had to constantly be on guard against cannonballs from the sky.

For the two great kingdoms at that time, losing tens of thousands or even breaking the hundred thousand mark in casualties in a single battle was quite common. A battlefield with Divine Descendants, Legendary Spellcasters, and cannons was a complete meat grinder.

The brutal battle lasted two days and nights.

The land became pocked with craters, the Holy City’s walls were studded with cannonballs, the ground of the wilderness was leveled by several feet, and the flowing blood stained the soil red.

After paying a heavy price and leaving thousands of corpses in front of the walls, the Kingdom of Cassandra, with its superior strength, finally defended the “Sunshine City” Theodivacan.

But there was no victor in this battle. Both Cassandra and Thrace paid the price of tens of thousands of casualties, including dozens of noble Divine Descendants each.

…

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The center of Theodivacan.

Sunshine Palace.

Everywhere there were crumbling walls, but the bas-reliefs and walls revealed the palace’s former grand magnificence and extravagance.

This was once the residence of “Sun Emperor” Aragon the First, who built a grand palace complex here through multiple large-scale constructions, which had once amazed and garnered praise from beings of Heaven.

But as the flames of war reached Theodivacan, this palace changed hands several times, becoming the dilapidated state it was in.

However, the main hall of Sunshine Palace — Hadrian’s Palace, had been restored multiple times by the Kingdom of Cassandra, regaining much of its former splendor and opulence.

And the King of Cassandra, who claimed to be the rightful heir of Fadlan, Audis Aragon, lived here for a long time.

In the depths of the palace, on the enormous and exquisite golden throne, sat a man in luxurious heavy armor, holding a golden scepter.

He was exceptionally tall, nearly two meters even while seated on the throne. His appearance and stature were like those of a master’s sculpture, with skin as flawless as marble, showing not a single blemish.

Behind him was a halo emitting sunlight, and his pupils bore a sun pattern, a trait derived from the divine blood of Supreme Heaven — this was Audis Aragon.

As the eldest son of Aragon the First, he was over a hundred and ten years old and had received several blessings from the Sun God. Amanata had granted him strength rivaling Supreme Heaven, and he was thus known as “the man closest to the Sun Emperor”.

At that moment, Audis sat in his predecessor’s place, holding the golden scepter that symbolized ultimate power, listening to the reports of his subjects below the steps.

“…”

“Your Majesty, that’s the situation.”

Stergen extended his staff, and a magic image appeared in the palace — showing hollow metal capable of firing iron balls and short rods that shot projectiles.

“These blasphemous creations allow mortals to harm noble Divine Descendants, causing us significant trouble.”

“To my knowledge, the Holy Fadlan Empire’s army does not possess such relics. Therefore, I suspect they found these weapons in some ancient ruins.”

“This…”

At that moment, Naven Bassarius, who was standing by the sides of the hall, suddenly cried out.

Audis turned his head.

“Naven, do you have any insights?”

Naven stepped out from the ranks of ministers, hurriedly bowed his head, and reported:

“Your Majesty, I have seen similar things in the Ashen Empire! These seem to be their primary armaments!”

Audis leaned slightly forward, his golden pupils contracted, a barely noticeable trace of surprise flashing through them.

“Are you saying… the Ashen Empire in the Anzeta Great Wilderness?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Although there are subtle differences in appearance and structure, it is clear that Thrace’s weapons came from the Ashen Empire.”

Naven Bassarius replied with conviction.