Chapter 218: The End of the Battle
"Look quickly, what's that?"
"Whoa!"
The members of the [Royal Authority] guild, still en route, looked up in unison to see a red star flashing in the black night sky.
The Polar Night Demon Tower, their intended destination, shook violently, the tower's peak suddenly opened up, transforming into a vast platform.
Above, the red dragon they knew well hovered in the air, wings spread, staring down at the massive, twisted abomination that occupied most of the spire's summit.
"Roar———"
A tremendous roar echoed from the tower's peak, resounding through the clouds.
It made the mountains tremble, the earth quake, waking the slumbering birds and beasts, sending them fleeing in panic, and leaving the players standing below, gazing upward, bewildered.
"Is this a cutscene?"
"Are they treating us to a boss fight?"
"Whoa, what a grand scene."
"So, after all our preparation, are we still going into the dungeon or not?"
"Everyone, let's stay here and watch. It seems we came too late—this isn't a battle we could hope to take part in with our current power."
The leader of [Royal Authority], "Overlord," stared at the red dragon roaring skyward and the huge monstrosity waving its countless limbs on the ground, mumbling to himself.
Suspended in the sky, Cassius spread his wings, his chest's Eye of the Storm King shining brightly.
Eighth-tier spell—
[Control Weather]
As he slowly waved his wings, thick dark clouds surged in like a tide, gradually obscuring the night sky, and attempting to block the phantasm of the King-Slaying Star.
However, red light still faintly filtered through the clouds.
Cassius knew his spell wouldn't hold for long. Once the phantasm fully formed, even countless layers of storm clouds wouldn't be able to obscure the higher-level brilliance of the King-Slaying Star.
He had to kill Wagner now!
Fortunately, his opponent had already lost all sense, reduced to a mindless beast driven by pure instinct.
"Boom!"
Endless lightning roiled within the clouds, and several bolts as thick as bowls descended, striking the abomination like blinding spears, charring its flesh and severing several extended claws.
The creature let out an agonized wail, stretched its neck toward the sky, biting wildly, and continuously spewing frost breath.
But all these attacks were easily evaded by the red dragon.
He darted through the storm clouds like a red phantom, flying amidst endless lightning.
Cassius focused intently, gathering energy through his arteries into his lungs for a deadly breath. His chest scales even began to glow faintly with fiery light.
But as he focused on preparing his breath, a sudden attack came.
"Roar—"
The white dragon's head shot out from the clouds, snapping at Cassius, eyes filled with madness—it was Tinia!
This white dragon had evidently succumbed to the Dragon Madness, unable to tell friend from foe, her mind consumed only by a primal urge for destruction.
"Damn it!"
Mid-charge, Cassius had no time to dodge and had to endure the attack head-on.
Cassius hadn't anticipated Tinia's frenzy. Though it was just an ordinary bite, one he could easily withstand, being wounded meant he could no longer guarantee he wouldn't lose his mind and descend into madness.
He instinctively activated [Golden Scales], instantly hardening his scales to an adamantine state.
"Master, let me help you!"
It was Langpu, who had been maintaining his invisibility spell since the beginning. Not being a full dragon, he was less affected by the King-Slaying Star's influence.
He raised his staff, aiming it at the red dragon.
Tinia's bite clamped down on the hardened golden scales, unable to exert full force, before being deflected by an invisible shield.
"Roar!"
Several sharp teeth shattered, blood flying through the air.
Cassius finally finished accumulating his energy, flames rising in his chest.
In this crucial moment, he could no longer concern himself with his newly sworn follower's life. He summoned several lightning bolts to strike the frenzied white dragon, knocking her out of the sky.
"Boom!"
"Roar—"
The white dragon crashed to the ground, lying on her back, trembling. Her body was scorched black, looking more like a "black dragon," though she still clung to life, rendered temporarily immobile.
The abomination advanced on the red dragon, its countless grotesque limbs lunging forward, five heads roaring in unison.
Cassius used his warlock's metamagic abilities to instantly cast a sixth-tier spell.
He concentrated all his life force on a specific chest scale, designating it as his "reverse scale," which began to glow faintly.
[Undying Reverse Scale]
He would use this ability to ensure he remained unharmed and deliver the final blow to the monster.
Cassius spread his wings and, like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, suddenly dove from the sky.
With [Graceful Dragon] in effect, his massive dragon body transformed into a red blur.
The abomination's claws and breath repeatedly lashed out, accompanied by thick red mist.
However, under the effect of [Aerial Maneuverability], the red dragon twisted, turned, stopped abruptly, dodging left and right like a ghostly phantom, evading the barrage of attacks.
Finally, Cassius slightly parted his jaws, light gathering deep in his throat.
"Boom—"
In an instant, a pillar of blazing white fire pierced through several attacking limbs of the monster.
He arrived at the creature's chest—right where Wagner's main body was.
Seemingly sensing the red dragon's arrival, Wagner's eyes, filled with madness, flashed with a twisted smile. His right eye suddenly shot out an eerie red beam.
This was the last resort he had prepared for himself before succumbing to Dragon Madness—an eighth-tier triggered spell.
[Calamity Ray]
The beam, infused with a trace of the King-Slaying Star's energy, could utterly destroy a dragon's brain.
However, Cassius had already foreseen this attack with the Cataclysmic Dragon Eye's future sight, and without hesitation, he met it with his "reverse scale."
At the moment the red beam made contact, the scale shattered, a film of energy enveloped his entire body, rendering the red dragon nearly invincible for a brief moment.
"Boom—"
Cassius plunged through the beam, jaws wide open, unleashing his breath with all his might.
This breath contained all of Cassius's energy, along with several tons of elemental minerals from the Ember Kingdom's treasury—a terrifying breath unlike any other in his life.
Due to the extreme heat, the flames had nearly turned pure white.
The searing white pillar of fire instantly engulfed Wagner's human head, quickly piercing through the monster's massive body.
In the end, it created a charred, gaping hole through the creature's chest, front to back.
"Roar—"
The abomination struggled violently, but it was in vain.
After the core lost its life force, the stitched heads, limbs, and wings all went limp, and the massive twisted body collapsed, causing a tremor akin to an earthquake.
With the sound of metal snapping, the Polar Night Demon Tower slowly began to collapse, ultimately crumbling into ruins.
Hovering above, Cassius watched the scene unfold, then descended onto the fallen monster, planting his foot on the grotesque dragon head and letting out a roar.
"Roar—"
The clouds dispersed, revealing the night sky once more.
The phantasm of the King-Slaying Star in the night sky, no longer sustained by magic, grew faint and eventually vanished.
All those under the influence of the Dragon Madness Spell gradually returned to normal, their eyes becoming clear again.
According to some versions, the Platinum Dragon God Bahamut's true form was imprisoned within the King-Slaying Star—a detail that added grandeur to this celestial phenomenon.