Ashen Dragon

The sound of air bursting.

A pillar of blue-white flames spewed from the red dragon's maw, descending like heavenly punishment, straight towards the Fire Giant Pasha.

The terrifying temperature distorted the surrounding space, even the Fire Elemental Plane couldn't withstand it.

[Primordial Flame Breath]

"Lord of Flames..."

The light from the flames turned his face pale, and he couldn't help but pray, then he raised his shield with all his strength.

To be hit by such a breath—

Would mean death!

Even if Ismail was a fire elemental spirit, he was unable to withstand such a high-level energy.

The ring and necklace on his body glowed simultaneously, several protective spells were activated in succession, and layers of spell hemispheres appeared above the Fire Giant.

"Boom!"

Energy collided, causing an explosion.

Flames burst forth, and frantic waves of elemental energy surged around.

However, the stalemate only lasted a few seconds; the next moment, the blue-white pillar of flames pierced through several layers of spell defense, striking directly at the giant's shield.

"Red Dragon—"

Ismail raised the shield, muscles bulging in his arms, astonishingly withstanding the pillar of fire.

But his entire body was oppressed by the powerful force, causing the ground to crack and reveal flowing magma.

While blocking the breath, the Fire Giant moved along the ground, looking for a chance to counterattack.

However, an inconspicuous dark green light flashed by.

The Fire Giant didn't notice—high above, Cassius had just extended a clawed finger, aiming at him.

"Bang!"

The dark green beam hit the shield, releasing a ball of disintegration magic field.

The [Ancient Beast Shield] instantly dimmed, cracks appeared on it, then it shattered, turning into a puddle of dust.

"This is—"

"No good, Great Disjunction!"

Ismail's expression changed abruptly, but with his rich combat experience, he reacted immediately as the disjunction field made contact with his other equipment.

[Antimagic Field]

The silver ring on his finger lit up, the antimagic field suddenly appeared, blocking the disjunction field.

There was a 1% chance that the Great Disjunction could destroy antimagic fields and divine artifacts, but the Fire Giant wasn't that unlucky.

For powerful warriors, protective magic equipment was standard.

Ismail rolled forward, then pierced through space, appearing several hundred meters away.

"Dragon Sorcerer..."

"This is a bit tricky."

Ismail looked up at the dragon in the sky, his expression becoming increasingly serious.

Just a regular red dragon was already a natural-born fighting machine.

Their scorching breath, sharp teeth, and powerful tail were all formidable weapons, not to mention their innate spellcasting abilities.

And a Red Dragon Sorcerer, besides the regular inherited spells, could learn even more unexpected spells, making it even more terrifying.

Engaging in a long-range spell duel with a sorcerer who often acts as a "cannon"—

Didn't seem like a good idea.

But Cassius didn't give Ismail much time to think, soon turning his head towards him.

The pillar of flames plowed through the ground, creating deep ravines, mercilessly sweeping towards the Fire Giant Pasha.

At this point, he had already lost the legendary [Ancient Beast Shield] and could only flee in panic across the earth.

"No, this can't go on!"

Rolling forward again to evade the sweeping flames, Ismail gritted his teeth, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He had no other choice.

The red dragon's breath was simply too terrifying, with various sorcerer tricks up its sleeve; continuing like this, he would only face defeat.

Or even death!

The Fire Giant Pasha roared angrily:

"Red Dragon, I intended to use the power granted by the Great Sultan to fight against the Prince of the Holy Flame!"

"But—you've angered me!"

Ismail howled towards the sky, the mithral ring on his neck constantly rotating, releasing some kind of powerful energy.

The ground trembled.

The surrounding flames danced.

The entire Fire Elemental Plane seemed to be rejoicing, steam surging, flames flickering, and clusters of ash falling from the sky.

They seemed to resonate with the Fire Giant Pasha in some strange way.

The plane's natural rulers, each giant spirit had an inherent connection with their plane.

And the strongest of the giant spirits could utilize this power.

Cassius had no habit of waiting for others to transform; he continually spewed extremely cold icefalls, flickering lightning, and blazing white flame pillars.

But these breaths were blocked by the Fire Elemental Plane's rule power, unable to penetrate the barrier of flames, ash, and steam.

Of course, Cassius could use even more powerful abilities.

But there was no need.

He gazed at the roaring Fire Giant in the distance, a hint of interest gleaming in his pale golden pupils.

"So this is the Great Sultan's power..."

"Tsk, I was wondering, no wonder the system assigned him a challenge level of 24. Such a guy—is indeed interesting."

Ismail's chants echoed across the ground.

"Lord of Flames, in the name of the Child of the Elemental Plane, I pray to you..."

"I pray you grant me... the power to repel this intruder!"

"Boom!"

A pillar of fire shot into the sky!

Amidst the dazzling firelight, enveloped in steam clouds, Ismail's body expanded rapidly, becoming increasingly colossal.

Eventually, a giant nearly thirty meters tall stood on the magma-flowing, flame-covered earth, letting out a thunderous roar.

"Red Dragon!"

"You have angered the enemy you should never provoke!"

"I, the noble Fire Giant Pasha Ismail, in the name of the Great Sultan, bestow upon you your end!"

Ismail raised the brass curved sword high, glaring angrily at the distant red dragon.

Flames coiled around his body like flowing silk, magma rippled underfoot, and the space around him fluctuated with his movements.

The Fire Elemental Plane was the essence and embodiment of flames.

And as the essence of the fire element, priding himself as the ruler of the Fire Elemental Plane, the Fire Giant Pasha now temporarily grasped a trace of "Plane Power."

"Ismail."

"Now you are worthy of me taking you a bit more seriously!"

Cassius exhaled sulfuorous heat, gazing excitedly at the massive giant standing on the ground.

He slowly flapped his wings and took to the sky once more.

[Undying Reverse Scale]

[Agile as a Dragon]

[Immune to Energy Damage]

[Advanced Energy Scales]

...

The red dragon's body shimmered with intertwined magical auras, various enhancement spells covering every inch of his form.

And now Cassius was even more expansive; not only did he possess his own dragon spells, but even the gaps between his scales were embedded with magical equipment offered by the Empire's citizens.

His wing membranes were also adorned with various spells like [Orthluck Antidemons Barrier] and [Shining Patterns].

—This was something Cassius had learned from that "Wings of Silver" Osedro.

"Damn reptile..."

Ismail, feeling the abundant power within him, glared hatefully at the distant red dragon, wishing he could tear him apart alive.

This was a power he could only use once in a century.

He had originally intended to use this power to make a grand impact in the Burning War and build great achievements.

But the sudden arrival of the red dragon ruined his plans, even threatening his life.

"Red Dragon! You are powerful!"

"But you can never defeat a noble Fire Giant Pasha within the Fire Elemental Plane!"

"Boom!"

Ismail roared loudly, stomping the ground until it cracked, and his massive body suddenly leaped hundreds of meters.

The Fire Giant Pasha dragged ash and smoke behind him, swinging the curved sword with all his strength, charging alone towards the red dragon in the sky.

The brass curved sword cut through the air, its surface covered with a burning glow.