Page 124

Chapter 124: The King's Arrival

Within Trow City, crucial locations such as the Lord’s Mansion, the military-political hall, and the armory were immediately seized by the hobgoblin army.

Sporadic skirmishes erupted, with city defenders who were loyal to the Count rising up in resistance. Hundreds cried out "For Count Dawson!" "For the glory of Trow City!" as they charged at the monster forces, but the hobgoblins only silently lined up, raising their spears.

"Bang!"

After the deafening gunfire subsided,

everything fell silent.

Smoke and the stench of blood filled Trow City.

The bodies of these resisters were hung on the city walls, becoming a terrifying sight for the city. People secretly observed the blood-soaked, perforated corpses, feeling even greater dread and unease.

"Don’t go outside."

"Don’t look..."

Residents shut their doors and windows, covered their children’s eyes, trembling and praying under their breath.

But soon, they were ordered to come out and gather.

Knocks thundered on the doors, and outside were the grotesque faces of hobgoblins and lizardmen.

Children cried out in terror, only to have their mouths covered by panicked adults.

No one dared resist.

Although hobgoblins and lizardmen were the most orderly and power-driven among the Ember Nest troops, people could still see the restrained savagery in these dragon-blooded monsters, eager for someone to rise up so they could tear them apart.

In this process, some may have been killed by dragon-blooded Scions unable to hold back, but no one noticed, nor would anyone hold them accountable.

Amid this atmosphere of terror, Trow City managed to maintain a basic level of order.

Everyone knew that the era of Trow City under the rule of a red dragon had begun.

But no one knew when this era would end.

Or what it would be like.

Driven by the monster forces, the residents were gathered in the central square, once the most bustling place in Trow City, now filled with an unspeakable horror.

Whether they were former nobles, soldiers, commoners, or beggars—whether dressed in fine robes, tattered clothes, or coarse garments—they were all herded here by the hobgoblins and lizardmen.

People were anxious, no one dared to speak. They stood as if awaiting a final judgment, like criminals sent to the gallows.

They waited in silence.

Suddenly, the formerly loyal city guards by the gate looked into the distance, their voices trembling, and the residents did the same.

"Oh my god..."

"What... what is that?"

"Gods help us."

Wyverns flew close together, forming a thick, dark cloud approaching from afar, almost obscuring the sun.

Yet the wyverns were merely the servants paving the way for the king.

They parted in the sky to open a wide path, and the massive red dragon slowly approached, beating its wings as it descended.

Cassius cast a huge shadow on the ground, nearly enveloping the crowd at one point before he landed with a thunderous crash in the central square of Trow City.

His enormous figure loomed in the square’s center.

Dust billowed.

When the smoke cleared, people could barely make out his form.

It was a terrifying red dragon.

Massive, powerful, a living embodiment of strength.

His enormous horns swept back like a majestic crown, and his golden eyes seemed to burn with roaring flames.

As that gaze swept down upon them, people felt an instinctual fear of this powerful being, unable to keep their heads raised. Those weak in body even collapsed to their knees.

The fearsome creature opened its mouth, and an intense, scorching breath washed over them, reminding the people of the rumor of a "living embodiment of flame."

"Greetings, people of Trow City."

His voice boomed like thunder.

Standing in front, Viscount Burton, who had managed to plaster on a smile, collapsed in terror.

Cassius merely stated calmly, "I know Trow City has a history of glory. Your ancestors once held off the white dragons and frost giants; you were known as the City of Valor."

He paused.

"But all of that is now over."

"This is my territory now."

"I will establish a new order here, an order belonging solely to Ember Nest. Any who defy it will face absolute destruction."

"I will rule here—who agrees, and who opposes?"

Cassius looked down at the tens of thousands of citizens, his golden, vertical pupils exuding an invisible pressure as he swept his gaze over nobles, soldiers, and commoners alike. No one dared to meet his eyes.

A heavy silence hung over the square.

Suddenly, a voice drew everyone’s attention, including Cassius's gaze.

Viscount Burton lay trembling on the ground, whispering, "Lord… Lord of Ember."

When he saw the red dragon looking at him, he shook even more, sweat streaming down his plump face. But he still summoned the courage to raise his arm and shout, "The old era is over! Hail… hail to the Lord of Ember’s rule over Trow City!"

Ignoring the disdainful stares around him, Viscount Burton staggered to his feet and continued to shout, "Lord of Ember!"

"Lord of Ember!"

"He will rule Trow City and the world beyond!"

First, the hobgoblins and lizardmen raised their weapons, cheering.

Soon, under the supervision of the monsters, the residents of Trow City were forced to join in this celebration, paid for with the city’s surrender.

Cassius watched the cheering monsters and humans.

He saw the suppressed bloodthirst in these dragon-blooded creatures: those reddened eyes, those steaming, gaping jaws, those menacing horns and scales.

They craved slaughter, needing to vent the boiling blood within.

Only under Cassius’s command did they manage to hold the line. If the red dragon hadn’t come personally, the city could have suffered a massacre as brutal as the "Tragedy of Northwind Fortress," something he had no wish to see.

The regime Cassius hoped to build was one of order, a diverse empire of multiple races.

One that would serve him, grow in strength, and flourish.

He did not want to create a chaotic, bloodthirsty force, which would only bring trouble everywhere, like those abyssal demons who were attacked wherever they went.

"This is the savage blood of the red dragon. These dragon-blooded Scions can only serve as swords in my hand, never the foundation for a new order."

"I need to control more players."

"And... I must find a way to suppress the chaos and brutality within the red dragon’s bloodline."

He thought to himself.

Cassius had long realized that the chaotic, evil nature within the boiling blood of the red dragon was already influencing his thoughts to some extent.

Brutal, arrogant, bloodthirsty—he often displayed these terrifying traits unconsciously, sometimes without even realizing it himself.

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