Page 274

Amidst the anguished cries of the undead shadows, the pitch-black dome dissipated rapidly, and the distant black peaks gradually vanished.

All the shadowy creatures of Dragons Shadow City—shadow gnawers, shadow displacers, shades, and even shadow dragons—seemed to sense their master’s death, letting out cries of terror and frantic howls.

Mortifer, the “Voice of Night,” who had entrenched himself in the Underdark for seven hundred years, was now truly dead.

Under the absolute annihilation of Chaos Fire, even the goddess of the night could not claim his soul, leaving him to be reduced to disordered matter.

“Roar—”

An exhilarating roar echoed once more.

Cassius’s bloody maw dripped saliva and flames, his expression grotesque, his eyes still bloodshot, and his body still wrapped in a crimson glow.

“Not enough, still not enough.”

“Slaughter... destruction... purification!”

The red dragon suddenly flapped his broad wings, creating a gale that swept across the city, his massive form ascending into the sky.

He gazed down at the tens of thousands of living beings in Dragons Shadow City, his lips curving into a cruel smile. Deep within his eyes, the fire of destruction burned fiercely, as if it would never be extinguished.

“Look! The shadow domain has disappeared.”

“Mortifer is dead!”

Ferriton looked at the rapidly receding black dome, his face flushed with excitement, his words almost incoherent.

That shadow dragon had cast a shadow over his entire life, destroying everything he held dear, and the unending oppression of darkness still suffocated him.

Now his enemy was slain, even though not by his own hands, the joy was indescribable, bringing tears to his eyes.

He patted Danyal’s shoulder, as if urging him to join in this “victory” celebration.

But the drow elf’s face remained grave, sweat even beading on his brow.

Ferriton noticed his companion’s unease, immediately feeling confused.

“What’s wrong, Danyal? Mortifer is dead. Isn’t that something worth celebrating?”

“Don’t rejoice too soon, Ferriton.”

Danyal slowly raised his head, looking up at the sky where the black mist was fading.

“I just feel... that it’s not over yet.”

Thinking of the raging red dragon, Ferriton’s heart grew uneasy.

“It shouldn’t be... The enemy of our enemy is our friend. If we just declare ourselves as rebels, he shouldn’t trouble us...”

Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind swept over, nearly knocking them off their feet. Ferriton instinctively raised an arm to shield himself.

“F-Ferriton, look up.”

Danyal’s voice trembled, his shaking hand pointing to the sky.

Slowly, Ferriton looked up to where the drow was pointing, and his expression changed dramatically.

“Roar—”

A colossal red dragon appeared in the sky once more, its broad wings casting a massive shadow over the city. Its pale golden eyes brimmed with the desire for destruction, and a cruel smile twisted its draconic features.

The immense aura of dragon fear descended, making every being in the city gasp for breath.

The crystal embedded in the dragon’s chest emitted a blinding light.

Slowly, the red dragon opened his maw.

Dark red flames poured out like a waterfall, descending upon the city.

All of Dragons Shadow City burned. Everything—stone buildings, flesh, and bone—anything touched by Chaos Fire could not escape destruction.

This was Karrix’s Purifying Fire, the pure embodiment of destruction and power.

The dark red flames spread through the city at unimaginable speed, turning half of it into a sea of fire within moments.

“No—”

“It’s burning!”

“It’s coming! I don’t want to die!”

Screams and cries of agony echoed through the inferno, but they were brief, disappearing almost as soon as they began. Men, women, children, humans, drow elves, duergar—any living being touched by the dark red flames disintegrated into pure chaos.

Fleeing was futile; resistance, useless.

Cassius hovered over the city, his wings beating slowly, following the spread of the flames like an emissary of doom, the embodiment of Purifying Fire.

Ferriton leaped onto the roof of a building, waving his arms desperately toward the sky.

“We are the rebellion!”

“Great red dragon, please stop! We are also enemies of the shadow dragon!”

Sweat streamed down his forehead as he shouted.

The drow elf stiffly extended his hand, patting the human warrior’s shoulder, his voice bleak: “Stop it, Ferriton. It’s useless.”

Danyal looked at the dragon in the sky with despair, muttering to himself:

“I’ve heard tales recorded in ancient elven history...”

“It is the symbol of destruction.”

“It is the purifier of the world.”

But before he could finish speaking, the blazing Chaos Fire had already spread, consuming both the drow elf and the human.

Cassius spread his wings, soaring through the sky, his expression indifferent. He did not seem to notice the humans calling out below, or perhaps he simply disdained to pay attention.

All the beings within Dragons Shadow City—whether they were good or evil, whether they belonged to any faction—were merely the bearers of his desire for destruction, part of a cold statistic.

Finally, amidst the roaring flames, Dragons Shadow City—a city with over a thousand years of history—was reduced to ashes, leaving not even ruins behind.

“Crackle... crackle...”

Chaos Fire still smoldered across the scorched earth.

The thick ashes were perhaps the only evidence that this city had ever existed.

Dragons Shadow City’s trade prosperity during the drow era, the dark oppression under the shadow dragons, and the resistance of countless residents—all vanished into nothingness with the blaze.

Cassius finally emerged from his state of “Bloodscaled Fury.”

His ferocious draconic visage still bore the bloody glow of slaughter and destruction, excitement simmering even in his pale golden eyes.

Notifications from the system continued to refresh before him.

[You have slain 【Voice of Night - Mortifer (Challenge Level: 21)】, gaining 33,000 xp]

[You have slain 【Shadow Dragon】, gaining 10,000 xp]

[You have slain 【Undead Shadow】, gaining 800 xp]

[You have slain 【Shade】, gaining]

...

[You have slain 【Drow Elf】, gaining 15 xp]

[You have slain 【Human Merchant】, gaining 5 xp]

With just this one city massacre, his experience had almost reached the threshold for his next advancement.

Staring at those enticing numbers, an odd thought suddenly arose in Cassius’s mind.

“If I killed every living being in the Material Plane... just how powerful would I become?”

“Comparable to the gods?”

“Or perhaps... surpassing them?”

Once the thought emerged, it spread through his mind like an uncontrollable tide, flowing wantonly.

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