Red dragon: in charge of natural disasters

“How can this kindness be repaid?”

“All people together worship the great red dragon in the sky!”

Accompanied by the impassioned music, the air within Hettock City became scorching hot. This city, forged from steel, was practically a giant furnace at this moment.

People all raised their heads, looking towards the sky, only to see flames engulfing the heavens, gradually condensing into a solid form.

First, a majestic head, followed by a torso covered in hard scales, strong and unmatched limbs, wings that blotted out the sun, and finally, a mountain-like, winding tail.

Just like that, a crimson red dragon, hundreds of meters long, appeared in the sky above the city. It slowly flapped its wings, almost completely enveloping the entire plaza in its shadow, giving people an extremely strong sense of oppression.

That dragon might that penetrated deep into the soul pressed down on the hearts of everyone present, making them unable to resist the urge to prostrate themselves in worship, as if that giant dragon phantom was some kind of sacred existence.

“It’s His Majesty Keirseyus!”

“Keirseyus is above! His Majesty has really appeared!”

“Praise the great red dragon! Loyalty! Devotion!”

Some clasped their hands together, praying piously; others placed their fists on their chests, performing the salute of loyalty; still others knelt on the ground, prostrating themselves in worship.

Whether they were humans, ogres, hobgoblins, or tieflings, as long as they were citizens of the empire, without exception, pious and fanatical expressions appeared on their faces, and the clamor grew even more magnificent.

“That is His Majesty!”

“Long live the great red dragon!”

“Mommy, is that, is that the Ember Emperor that the teacher talked about—His Majesty Keirseyus?” Little Daniel timidly tugged on Eileen’s skirt, his face a mixture of fear, curiosity, reverence, and other emotions.

As a native-born citizen of the empire, Little Daniel had learned about this Ember Emperor countless times from broadcasts, newspapers, and the teacher's praise, but this was the first time he had personally witnessed the Emperor's majestic figure.

At this moment, the image in his memory gradually overlapped with the enormous and majestic figure in the sky, leaving a deep mark in Little Daniel's heart.

Eileen also looked reverently at the sky, silently chanting “May His Majesty Keirseyus protect us” in her heart, while patiently saying to her son: “Yes, child, that is our Majesty, and you must respect him and revere him like me in the future.”

For nationals like Eileen who had long been integrated into the imperial order, the Ember Emperor was no longer just a specific ruler, but a symbol of the empire, an incarnation of many abstract concepts such as victory, triumph, strength, and wealth.

Even these imperial citizens themselves did not realize that their belief in the Ember Emperor had already been integrated into all aspects of imperial life—far surpassing any deity of the past millennium.

From a perspective that people could not observe, countless specks of light of faith rose into the air, gradually converging into that red dragon phantom, making it even more sacred, majestic, and even radiant.

On the towering city walls of Hettock City, a wyvern was stationed at the top of each turret, and upon seeing the red dragon phantom, the wyverns also raised their heads and let out a neat long howl.

“Roar—”

In a chorus of praise, adulation, and prayers, under the stirring melody of the “Keirseyus Anthem,” the red dragon in the high sky finally spoke, emitting a grand voice like thunderous rumbling.

The square suddenly became chaotic, and the city guards were doing their best to maintain order.

“Damn Southerners!”

“Shameless!”

“Those Thracians are treacherous, they should be punished!”

“That so-called king dares to insult His Majesty and humiliate the empire! He will be dragged to the gallows!”

The red dragon in the sky looked around with its pale golden vertical pupils, and asked in a deep voice: “Everyone, can we sit still and wait for death—and watch those Thracians ride on our necks?”

“No! No!”

People shouted one after another, and the excited shouts resounded through the clouds, echoing throughout the city like a tide.

In this increasingly chaotic situation, Eileen nervously hugged her young child, preventing him from being frightened: “Child, don’t be afraid, they are expressing their hatred for the enemy.”

But Eileen didn't expect that Little Daniel actually shook his head firmly: “Mommy, I know, the teacher at school taught us that those Southerners are all shameless bastards.”

His eyes sparkled: “I want to be a great hero of the empire like Dad in the future, and drive away all those bad guys! I also want to become a follower of His Majesty Keirseyus and become a powerful dragon blood noble!”

Afterwards, Little Daniel also waved his fist, making a childish voice: “No!”

Looking at that clear face also showing an angry expression, revealing resentment that did not match his age, Eileen felt complicated for a moment, not knowing whether to feel proud or lost.

In the slums two kilometers away, the children grabbed the railings, also with righteous indignation on their faces, even throwing small stones towards the south: “Let those Thracians taste our power!”

“Yes! Fight them!”

“Give them some color to see! Burn all these shameless guys to ashes!”

Through the dragon eyes, Keirseyus looked down at the excited crowd in hundreds of cities, and nodded in satisfaction: “My people, I can no longer tolerate those arrogant Thracians!

They occupy vast and fertile lands, enjoy blessings that others can hardly obtain, and even rely on the protection of the gods to force us to the corners of the world!”

Keirseyus paused, and then his voice became more impassioned, making everyone present feel enthusiastic and boiling with enthusiasm.

“But now, times have changed! The airship fleet makes the sky tremble, the tank clusters make the earth tremble, and the flames of the Ember Empire will blast everything old and decayed into slag!”

“Look!”

“Keirseyus is above!”

Along with Keirseyus's words, people exclaimed.

In the sky above many cities, airships appeared in groups, casting huge shadows on the ground. Around them, dragons wearing "Skyfire" armor spread their steel wings, making piercing screeches, leaving white lines on the sky.

And on the distant wasteland, steam tanks, like moving hills, charged straight ahead on the flat ground.

In the deep pastures of Stormwind Highlands, gigantic fences rose, and the terrestrial dragon beasts, catalyzed by gene serums, roared towards the sky, emitting thunderous growls.

“Roar—”

The original limit for terrestrial dragon beasts was only twelve meters, but after repeated screening and genetic modification by biologists, their average length had approached twenty meters, with extreme individuals even nearing twenty-seven meters.

Each dragon beast was covered in heavy biological armor, emitting thick steam, and equipped with terrifying heavy cannons on their backs, truly resembling mobile fortresses.

Finally, under the gaze of countless citizens, the iron gates of the secret armory slowly opened, and giant machine golems manufactured by the Church of the Machine God slowly emerged.

These robots were nearly twenty meters tall, sprayed with various coatings, each one awe-inspiring.

They stood on the earth, taking steady steps, advancing towards the south, each step causing the ground to shake.

“Is that our army? Daddy... is he in there too?”

Looking at the overwhelming army in the image, Daniel was filled with surprise, pointing his little hand towards the sky, his clear eyes full of longing.

Eileen couldn't bear to reveal the cruel truth and shatter her son's fantasy, so she continued to weave a beautiful lie, softly saying, “Yes, your father is a glorious imperial soldier, he is in there.”

Little Daniel became even more curious: “What does he do? Is he a knight riding a flying dragon? A tank commander? Or someone responsible for piloting those big iron men?”

Eileen touched his head and said with a smile, “Your father hasn’t come back for a long time, and Mom doesn’t know what he’s doing now either.”

Little Daniel suddenly slapped his head, his eyes shining: “I know! Those big iron men are a secret imperial project, Dad must be doing that, that’s why he doesn’t come to see us!”

“I knew my dad was a great hero! Did you see those big iron men? That’s my dad!”

The nearby children all showed envious and admiring expressions, making little Daniel put his hands on his hips, looking very proud.

Watching her cheering son, Eileen showed a somewhat forced smile.

She didn't know how much longer she could hide the news of her husband's death, but she still hoped that little Daniel could grow up in anticipation.

“Damn, Gundams?”

“How can there be so many?”

“Did I walk onto the wrong set? What happened to the sword and magic adventure story? Where did this come from?”

Not only the natives of the empire, but even the players were astonished by these magical and technological equipment.

For these armaments, the empire's researchers had been conducting secret research for several years.

Most of the gold coins the empire obtained from dumping arms around the world flowed into those hundreds of military research institutes.

And most players didn't know much about this core military intelligence; only imperial high-ranking officials above the rank of earl could receive the news in advance.

At this moment, in order to wage war against the Kingdom of Thrace, the Ember Empire was finally no longer hiding its strength, releasing the most advanced military equipment without reservation.

In the sky, the huge red dragon was still giving a speech, with cadence and excitement, he even grasped his giant claw clenched into a fist and waved it forward.

“My people, we possess extraordinary power, we will overthrow everything and rebuild, establishing a new order in this world! A new order that allows all imperial citizens to live a good life!

The tide of the times is rolling forward, the era of the empire is coming, what we want is not just the land under the sun, but a newborn world!”

Finally, Kael'thas raised his head high, spread his sky-covering wings, and roared: “Here, in the name of the Ember Emperor—I declare war on the Kingdom of Thrace!”

“Declare war!”

“Long live the Empire!”

The red dragon's voice turned into a soul-stirring roar, spreading throughout the empire's 15 million square kilometers of land, echoing in the Feian Suo continent, the dark region, and various parts of the multiverse.

At this moment, under the blessing of Kael'thas's extraordinary charm and the empire's terrifying military power, whether it was a player or a native of the empire, whether it was a human or a Tiefling, whether it was a duke or a commoner—

Regardless of race, status, age, almost all imperial citizens burst into enthusiastic cheers—for their common emperor, and for the imminent, readily available victory.

Even little Daniel, holding his mother's hand, jumped up excitedly, waving his little fist and constantly cheering.

“Long live Emperor Kael'thas!”

“Emperor Kael is awesome!”

“Long live the Ember Empire!”

Under the persistent ideological indoctrination of the empire's propaganda department, in just ten years, some things had already taken root in people's hearts, flowing in the blood of every imperial citizen.

And after Kael'thas's speech, those things buried in the blood, deep into the bone marrow, were completely awakened!

At this moment, the entire empire boiled, like a giant dragon awakening!

Through hundreds of golden vertical pupils, Kael'thas overlooked the cheering imperial citizens, feeling a continuous stream of power pouring into his body—that was spirit, and also faith.

Now, he might only be one opportunity away from true apotheosis.

But Kael'thas knew that this opportunity was something that countless people had sought until death without finding it.

He had to be fully prepared to avoid falling to the same end as Emperor Faderlan.

The red dragon lowered his head, stretched out his palm, and the image of the Eternal Sun God's Tower with holy brilliance appeared in his palm.

He murmured to himself: “The legacy of the Holy Faderlan... I must have it.”

Although the speech said this was a “readily available victory,” Kael'thas and the empire's entire high command took the enemy, the Kingdom of Thrace, extremely seriously, and conducted several years of continuous research on the three kingdoms.

This is the so-called “strategically despise the enemy, tactically value the enemy.”

Although the power of the Sun God was gradually fading and the strength of the Kingdom of Thrace was not as good as before, it was still a formidable opponent.

Within the vast territory of the Kingdom of Thrace, there were many powerful weapons left by the Faderlan Empire, dozens of legendary-level powerhouses, and even the existence of demigod-level beings hidden.

And behind that Majesty Wilhelm, there was also the shadow of Zariel, as the master of the Blood War for nearly a thousand years, that Lord of Avernus was by no means easy to deal with.

However, for Kael'thas, although victory was not readily available, it was definitely a must.

“Boom—”

Steam tanks and airship clusters roared, one teleportation gate after another opened, watching the overwhelming imperial army pouring towards the south, Kael'thas hovered at the top of Dragonblood Mountain, revealing a hideous smile. (End of this chapter)