Ember Dragon

Chapter 752: Red and White

"Such powerful draconic pressure..."Tinia stared at the distant red dragon, feeling a pressure similar to her own, and her heart immediately grew heavy and tense.

That aura felt oddly familiar to her.

Ancestral dragon pressure.

On the Feanso Continent, although ancestral dragons were rare, they hadn’t completely disappeared—this uninvited guest was one of them.

And she was a red dragon, Tiamat’s favored, the incarnation of flame, the strongest and highest-ranking among the chromatic dragons.

Gazing at that muscular, agile red body, Tinia even felt a surge of inexplicable jealousy and hostility. If only she were a red dragon herself...

With that thought, Tinia’s expression turned hostile. She asked coldly, "Who are you?"

"Dracarys."

The red dragon looked down at her and spoke her name plainly, without title or flourish.

An indescribable arrogance radiated from Dracarys’s eyes. She didn’t care about the other dragons at all, treating them like air.

Tinia continued, "Why have you come?"

"I wish to meet the Ember Emperor, His Majesty Cassius," Dracarys replied.

When she spoke the name "Cassius," her tone finally changed, carrying a trace of reverence and admiration.

Dracarys looked toward the teleportation scroll on the white dragon’s chest, her gaze burning. In her molten gold slit pupils, flames swirled—filled with determined ambition.

"As expected of the Rampaging Scorchflame!"

"See that, white dragon? Lady Dracarys was once favored by Her Majesty the Dragon Queen!"

"Even she has come. That white dragon is doomed! Her Majesty Tiamat’s divine decree is sure to succeed now!"

"Lady Dracarys, please lead us to meet Lord Cassius!"

Seeing that they could not defeat the white dragon, the chromatic dragons pinned all their hopes on the red dragon. They jeered at Tinia and flattered Dracarys with all they had.

One black dragon even flew beside the red dragon, growling fiercely at Tinia: "White dragon, if you know what’s good for you, surrender now! Lady Dracarys isn’t someone you can defeat! She’s the undying flame of disaster that razed cities—the Queen of Mount Katla..."

The black dragon ranted on, lavishing praise, completely unaware that Dracarys was frowning beside her, face full of impatience, a trace of fury in her eyes.

The next moment, Dracarys raised her arm and clamped it around the black dragon’s neck. Against the red dragon’s muscular arm, the black dragon’s neck seemed slender and fragile.

The black dragon writhed and flapped her wings, struggling frantically. Her eyes widened as she whimpered hoarsely: "L-Lady Dracarys... why... I was helping you..."

Dracarys glanced sideways at her and said coldly, "Lesser dragon. Who gave you permission to speak in our conversation?"

"Helping me?" The red dragon let out a cold smile. Veins bulged on her arm as the black dragon’s eyes rolled back, nearly suffocating. "You think you’re qualified to say that?"

Under the shocked, terrified gazes of the dragons, the black dragon passed out. Dracarys tossed her aside like a rag, slamming her into the ground, leaving a crater—her life or death uncertain.

"Th-this..."

The chromatic dragons collectively drew a sharp breath. They had heard tales of Dracarys’s "madness," but never expected it to be this extreme.

She treated her allies more brutally than her enemies!

This was the arrogance of Dracarys.

In truth, in her eyes, Tinia barely qualified as an "enemy"—just a white dragon, lowly by nature.

As for those weak-blooded chromatic dragons, they were nothing more than filthy, feeble reptiles—not even worthy of being the same species, much less called "allies."

Dracarys no longer looked at the pathetic black dragon. Instead, she swept her gaze coldly over the crowd of chromatic dragons.

"You weaklings with your pathetic bloodlines dare dream of possessing Lord Cassius’s blood? What a delusion!"

"Get out of my sight. Or... end up like that black dragon." Her eyes gleamed murderously. Draconic pressure exploded across the sky, making the chromatic dragons gasp for breath.

Warned by the black dragon’s fate, the others fled in panic, not even daring to whimper, terrified of catching the mad red dragon’s attention.

Even Tinia was stunned, frozen in place.

What kind of approach was this?

But she quickly turned her gaze to the red dragon, forcing herself to stay strong: "I am His Majesty Cassius’s vassal, Duchess of the Empire—Tinia. Come. Only by defeating me can you earn an audience with His Majesty."

"White dragon, you’re not bad. Far better than those pathetic lizards. I hope you don’t bore me," Dracarys said as she examined Tinia.

Tinia sneered, "You’d better worry about yourself. Being frozen solid doesn’t feel so good."

"Then..." Dracarys grinned savagely, madness flaring in her eyes. "Let’s see what you’re made of!"

In the next instant, she struck.

A wave of powerful draconic might mixed with sulfurous smoke surged forward. Dracarys spread her wings and dove toward Tinia.

When she was less than two hundred meters away, she opened her massive jaws, and deep crimson dragonfire surged from her throat.

"Boom—"

With a crack of air and roar of flame, the terrifying breath spread into a cone-shaped inferno across the sky.

Though far inferior to the Ember Emperor’s, this breath was enough to make mortals weep in despair and reduce cities to ash.

A single lick of it could char a fully armored knight into cinders, melting his armor into molten slag.

Feeling the heat radiating from the breath, Tinia dared not slack off. She roared skyward, unleashing a cold torrent like an inverted waterfall.

Ice clashed with flame. Two opposing elements shrieked as they collided, generating churning smoke that stretched hundreds of meters, nearly covering the sky.

But Tinia remained vigilant. She knew the red dragon’s strength was far greater than that.

This was only the opening move.

And indeed, a thunderous roar split the clouds as a huge shadow burst through the smoke—Dracarys, charging straight at her.

"Die!"

Tinia fully activated the power of Matalotok within her. She raised her claws, flapped her wings, and unleashed a ferocious hailstorm that swallowed the red dragon.

Ice Storm!

The intense wind pressure made the sky tremble. The hurricane howled, sucking up trees, soil, and stones, freezing them into shards.

Any mortal caught in the storm would be frozen in seconds, then torn apart into shards of ice.

"Roar—"

Dracarys let out a thunderous roar, louder than the storm itself, shaking even Tinia’s mind.

Her wings, wrapped in blazing streams, flapped violently. The hurricane howled, and all hail and snow melted, leaving only heat within the storm.

Using the storm’s updraft, Dracarys soared upward, then hurled her massive tail down.

The tail whipped the air so violently it ignited flames.

"Ssshhk—"

Even the hurricane split from the force, forming a visible rupture.

This strike came down with terrifying power, aiming straight for Tinia’s skull. Dracarys’s face lit with savage delight.

"What a powerful strike!" Tinia’s expression turned grim.

This was a fatal blow!

If it landed, even her sturdy body would be crushed—her skull shattered, brain splattered—straight to Tiamat’s embrace.

In a flash, Tinia reacted. She shifted position and raised her claw above her head while dodging.

Frost divine power flowed through her arm and gathered in her palm. Moisture condensed into a thick, smooth crystal shield above her head.

Empowered by divine power, the ice was extraordinarily hard and emitted a biting chill that could freeze anything it touched.

Due to Tinia’s movement, Dracarys had to adjust her strike, reducing its force.

"Boom!"

The massive tail slammed down, sending shards of ice flying. Cracks spread across the shield like a spiderweb until it shattered with a crisp crack.

But the cold clung to the red dragon’s tail, numbing it and coating it in frost.

Flames flared visibly within Dracarys’s body, surging toward her tail and melting the frost before it could spread.

"This is..." Dracarys raised a brow, intrigued. "Frost divine power? Interesting. A white dragon with this strength—no wonder you’re His Majesty Cassius’s pet."

Lies don’t hurt—truth cuts like a blade.

"I am his most trusted, most beloved vassal!" Tinia snapped, slashing her claws as three ice blades flew toward Dracarys’s neck.

"You should feel honored." Dracarys calmly raised her claw, summoning a thick wall of flame. The ice blades melted into wisps of smoke.

"Know your place, white dragon. To be His Majesty Cassius’s pet is every dragon’s dream. Only noble-blooded red dragons like me barely qualify for his favor."

As she spoke, Dracarys lunged again, slamming her flame-cloaked claw toward Tinia’s head.

She was met with Tinia’s freezing claws, equally fierce, tearing through the air.

"Boom!"

A blast erupted as the two forces collided. Flame and frost exploded, releasing a shockwave that spread across the sky.

"Such strength!"

Tinia was shocked and immediately lost control of her body.

Dracarys’s frame was larger than Tinia’s.

As a red dragon, her muscle density was greater—her body stronger, her brute force superior.

The blow twisted Tinia’s wrist unnaturally. With a sickening crack, her forearm snapped.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Dracarys slammed forward, her massive body crashing down like a mountain.

"Bang!"

The impact traveled through Tinia’s body, launching her into a mountainside beside the lake.

The mountain collapsed, rocks shattered, debris flew, dust filled the air.

In midair, Dracarys’s expression turned serious. The icy blue light wrapped around her claw like a curse.

"Such terrifying frost power!"

Dracarys was shocked. That power suppressed her burning blood and even threatened to extinguish her flames.

And that white dragon’s physical strength was far beyond her expectations—to think she could resist her in close combat.

Among all dragons below ancient wyrms, Dracarys had never faced one who could match her in melee.

Anyone she closed in on either died or was crippled.

An ordinary white dragon would’ve been torn apart and killed by now.

She couldn’t underestimate her anymore.

With no hesitation, Dracarys dove toward where Tinia had crashed.

Her face twisted with rage, her eyes murderous, wreathed in fire—she clearly intended to end it in one blow.

But just then, the ground quaked violently. From the dust rose a massive silhouette—an iceberg sharp as a blade!

Danger!

Dracarys’s pupils shrank. Her expression changed, and for the first time, panic appeared in her eyes.

At this speed, crashing into the ice would skewer her!

But using her powerful muscles and body control, she flapped her wings hard, twisted midair, and barely grazed past the iceberg.

But more ice spikes burst from the ground, rising furiously, stabbing toward the red dragon with terrifying cold.

This time, even Dracarys couldn’t dodge. One sharp spike pierced her left shoulder, and another grazed her head, slashing her cheek.

"Awoo—"

A pained howl echoed across the sky.

Dragon blood barely had time to spray before freezing. The chill spread rapidly, slowing half of Dracarys’s body.

A murderous glint lit Dracarys’s eyes.

She forcibly ripped the ice spike from her body, then used its rising force to launch back into the sky.

Flames surrounded her again. Scorching ancestral blood surged through her veins, healing wounds and purging the cold.

But it was clear—her left wing now flapped more sluggishly, clearly affected by the injury.

On the ground, as the dust cleared, Tinia raised her head and smirked at the red dragon. "Told you—it doesn’t feel good, does it?"

Dracarys flapped her wings, looming above. Her golden eyes no longer held contempt—only fighting spirit.

"Heh. Not bad."

She licked the blood from her cheek, her pupils glowing with red dragon madness. "Now then..."

"Come!"

The red dragon with ancestral blood and the white dragon spoke in unison—charging at each other at the exact same moment.