Chapter 536: Slaughter
The resurrected Balor looked down at his unharmed body, his voice trembling with excitement. "Just as I expected! I knew it! That great one would never let me die! I am His vessel in the Material Plane, His executor! He will not allow me to perish!"
The Balor lifted his gaze, his expression twisted with hatred as he stared at Cassius. Baring his jagged fangs, he exhaled scorching smoke and roared, "Cassius! Do you see this? You cannot kill me! Hahaha! The great Abyssal Lord stands behind me! Tremble before me! No matter how strong you are, you are just a dragon of the Material Plane—you can never defy those who truly govern the world!"
Billowing waves of chaotic abyssal mist surged around the Balor, forming swirling black vortices. Behind him, the specter of the Vengeance Demon continued to grin enigmatically.
"Are you... trying to provoke me? Is this the task your Abyssal Lord assigned to you?"
The Red Dragon tilted his head, his golden eyes flickering as he scrutinized the Balor. There was both amusement and menace in his gaze.
"Jezal Slakz..."
Cassius murmured the name, his searing gaze piercing through the chaotic mist, as if looking beyond the Balor's eyes to the demon lurking behind him.
"Leo Bosk, my old friend, you are as confident—and as ignorant—as ever."
Cassius's voice grew louder, rising to a deafening roar that echoed across the battlefield, shaking the millions of beings present with terror.
"Do you truly believe... that I fear the Abyssal Lord behind you?"
The Red Dragon lifted his arm, his razor-sharp claws pointing at the Balor. Manifested flames of elemental authority gathered in his grasp.
Cassius flared his mighty wings, and behind him, a stream of fire hundreds of meters wide erupted.
[Master of Flames]
At that moment, the entire world seemed to boil. Countless embers and plumes of smoke rose from the earth.
Dozens of fiery meteors streaked across the sky, leaving behind crimson scars.
Columns of flame burst from the ground, thick volcanic ash darkening the sky, while searing fire clouds churned above.
In an instant, the Material Plane transformed into a domain of apocalyptic fire, incinerating every Abyssal being in sight.
"No—!"
"Lord Leo, save us!"
"It's too hot! It burns!"
"Why... why is a Red Dragon like this in the Material Plane?!"
"We are demons! Born to thrive in fire! How can fire be killing us?!"
The demons and Abyssal creatures wailed and screamed, some even falling to their knees in supplication toward Cassius. But their pleas could not change their fate—obliteration by his flames.
Not only were their grotesque bodies reduced to ash, but even their souls were evaporated, consumed by the annihilating essence of the inferno.
Meanwhile, the Imperials stared in awe at the apocalyptic scene, their faces illuminated by the fire, filled with fervor.
"Glory to the Dragon Lord!"
"Glory to the Ember Empire!"
"By Cassius! Is this truly His Majesty's power?!"
Soon, some Imperial soldiers realized that this was the perfect moment to retaliate against the demons and avenge their fallen comrades.
"Slay them all!"
"These vile demons killed our captain—avenge him!"
They raised their weapons high, following the path of fire, charging once more into the now-crippled demon horde, which had already begun to rout.
"Lord Leo, save us!"
"Commander Balor!"
"Quick! Summon the Abyssal Lord—only He can oppose such a being!"
"My lord, open the Abyssal portal! We must return to the Abyss!"
The more intelligent demons struggled amid the flames, desperately begging the Balor for salvation.
They had thought this invasion would be another feast—a battlefield of ruin and helpless mortals crying in despair.
But instead, what awaited them was endless artillery, rampant dragonfire, and—a titanic forty-meter-long Red Dragon.
And yet, even their supposed savior, the Balor they had placed their hopes in, was himself in mortal peril.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion shattered the air.
It was the Solar Flare!
"Ahhh!"
A blazing column of fire pierced through the Abyssal energy, effortlessly carving a gaping hole through the Balor's chest, charring it black and killing him once more.
Yet the roiling chaos mist did not cease. It surged toward the Balor's corpse, repairing his wounds, even regenerating a new, beating demonic heart.
"You truly dare to kill me?!"
The Balor revived once more, his terrified gaze fixed on the Red Dragon. His massive body quaked uncontrollably.
Again and again!
Just like years ago, when the dragon was not even as powerful as now, it had descended like a god, effortlessly obliterating everything he held dear.
And now, that nightmare was unfolding once again.
The Balor looked down at the battlefield, at the demons writhing in the fire, at the Imperials cutting them down. He was reminded of that fateful day when his Northern Army was annihilated.
Within his heart—once Leo Bosk, now a demon—an overwhelming sense of helplessness, even despair, surged forth.
His crimson eyes flared with rage as he mustered his courage and roared at the Red Dragon, "Cassius! Think carefully! If you kill me, you will invoke the wrath of a true Abyssal Lord!"
"Crack!"
A flaming whip, wreathed in chaotic fire, lashed toward Cassius's head.
Cassius bared his fangs in a cold grin, exhaling a puff of hot smoke.
"Even if that so-called Vengeance Demon descends personally, I will not fear! Leo Bosk, you think you can wield your master's name as a shield? How pathetic!"
With a mighty roar, the Red Dragon flapped his wings, unleashing scorching winds. He effortlessly caught the incoming flaming whip with his claws and yanked the Balor toward him.
Instantly, terrifying dragonfire surged along the whip, racing toward the Balor's hand.
"Damn it!"
The Balor's eyes widened in panic. He frantically released the whip and tried to flee.
But Cassius moved far faster than he could imagine.
"Whoosh—"
A deafening gust roared as searing heat surged from behind, engulfing the skies.
As the Balor turned his head, the colossal Red Dragon had already appeared right behind him.
The demon's pupils shrank in horror. The crimson figure loomed ever larger, consuming his entire vision.
"What—?!"
Cassius's massive, muscular arm flexed, veins bulging, as he prepared to strike.
Like swords gleaming with cold light, the razor-sharp claws tore through space, carrying a scorching hurricane as they slashed down viciously.
"Swoosh—"
"You dare—"
First came the sharp whistle of air being sliced, followed by the sound of claws rending flesh, and finally, a wretched howl.
Dark purple flesh and shattered innards splattered through the air, raining down upon the battlefield.
Under the crushing power of the red dragon, the massive, muscular body of the Balor was torn asunder midair, split cleanly in half at the waist.
Cassius flapped his wings, hovering quietly in the sky, watching with amusement as the Balor's mangled remains plummeted to the ground.
He murmured, "Leo Bosk, I want to see how many times you can revive. Or perhaps, just how far must I go before the Vengeance Demon behind you finally descends to face my wrath."
As expected, before Cassius' voice had even faded, chaotic mist surged like a raging tide, frantically rushing into the Balor's upper body, eagerly reconstructing its demonic form once more.
"I... I told you! Cassius, you... you can never truly kill me!"
The Balor was resurrected yet again, continuing to shriek at the red dragon.
But after suffering multiple deaths, his grip on the storm greatsword trembled violently, his voice lacking confidence, even tinged with fear.
Even he was uncertain whether the Abyssal Lord behind him would continue reviving him, or if his next death would be his last.
Yet before the Balor could react, the red dragon, with a thunderous roar, swooped down from the sky. His colossal claws plunged into the demon's chest, rending him apart once more.
The Abyssal current surged, reviving the Balor again.
"You—"
Before he could utter another word, a pillar of searing white flame shot through the air, disintegrating his head into dust.
Yet soon, the chaotic storm howled once more, and the Balor was reborn within a swirling black vortex.
"Impossible to kill..."
Cassius gazed at the resurrected Balor, his floating Draconic Eye of Calamity gleaming with brilliance.
With the Abyssal power wrapping around and distorting reality, the red dragon could not predict the Balor's next move, nor could he sense the demon's soul.
Under normal circumstances, when a demon perished in the material plane, its soul would detach from its body and be summoned back to the Abyssal blood pool.
Yet within Cassius' imperial domain, such foul, wicked souls were intercepted, eradicated, and converted into pure spiritual energy.
But despite slaying Leo multiple times, Cassius had never once detected the Balor's soul.
This was highly unusual.
Cassius whispered to the void, "Yet another tedious trick... Heh, Jezal Slak, you resemble a Hell Duke far more than a demon lord."
Even as he spoke, he did not cease his movements. With a mighty flap of his wings, he surged forward, the raging wind propelling him closer to the Balor once more.
This time, Cassius intended to crush the demon into pulp and see how the Abyss could possibly resurrect him.
"Come, Leo, my old friend. How many times have you died beneath my claws now? I've lost count."
The red dragon's mocking voice echoed through the sky, sending chills down the spines of the demons below.
The highest-ranking demons of the Abyss, the commanders of the Abyssal legions, the almighty Balor, was being slaughtered like a lamb awaiting execution.
"Cassius the Invincible!"
"This is beyond overkill!"
"Why are we even fighting? Just declare victory already!"
"Cassius! The epitome of masculinity! The ruler among dragons, the true sovereign!"
The players were awestruck, staring in disbelief at the "overly extended cutscene" playing out in the sky.
They watched, enthralled, as the very Balor who had once slaughtered them so effortlessly was now being mercilessly butchered by their faction leader. Some clapped in delight, while others began recording videos—one of them being Mantou.
He had already decided on the perfect title: "Cassius' Battle Log—100 Ways for an Abyssal Boss to Die."
"Damn this red dragon! We can't let this continue!"
The Balor clenched his teeth, his eyes brimming with terror and hatred.
Seeing the red dragon charging toward him once more, he dared not hesitate. He chanted an ancient and chaotic Abyssal incantation.
Dark light flickered over the Balor's body, space around him twisting as his form grew increasingly ethereal.
Cassius immediately sensed something amiss. In a low voice that only he could hear, he muttered:
"Abyssal teleportation... but the destination isn't the Abyss, it's—"
The red dragon paused, hovering midair, his golden eyes narrowing as he traced the spell's trajectory.
"The Anstica Mountain Range, Thierry Peak."
He spoke the name—the place that had appeared in countless prophecies, the very location where the demonic invasion had begun. It was the stage he had meticulously prepared.
"Excellent. It seems Jezal Slak is waiting for me there."
The red dragon watched in silence as the Balor distorted space, vanishing from sight, leaving behind nothing but venomous curses.
"Cassius, savor these last moments! You and your Empire are doomed! Hahaha! I will witness your downfall and relish every moment of my vengeance!"
Cassius could have disrupted the spell and prevented Leo from escaping, but he chose not to, merely watching as the Balor teleported away.
"Long live Emperor Cassius!"
"Victory!"
"The great dragon, undefeated in battle!"
"Once again, His Majesty has led us to glorious victory! Long live the Ember Empire!"
The Imperial soldiers cheered ecstatically, unaware of the greater scheme at play. All they knew was that their emperor had utterly crushed the Balor, securing an overwhelming triumph.
But figures like Langpu and Misha, watching the magical fluctuations in the sky, felt unease.
By all logic, His Majesty would never have let the Balor escape. He would have annihilated him completely.
If Leo Bosk had fled, it could only mean one thing—the war was far from over.
In fact, this was merely the beginning of an intense battle reserved solely for their emperor, a duel of magnitude beyond mortal interference, much like his clash with the Ancient Silver Dragon.
Cassius gazed into the Abyss, his golden pupils flickering with steely resolve.
"A trap again? But this time, who is the hunter and who is the prey? That remains to be seen."
"It all began in Anstica, and it shall all end in Anstica. From this moment, fate itself is undone."
"What an... interesting conclusion."
A deafening rift tore through the sky as the space around them quivered violently. Many wyverns flapped their wings in terror.
"This is—"
"By Cassius!"
"His Majesty is going after the demon?!"
As they realized what was happening, millions of eyes turned skyward, locking onto the massive red dragon.
They watched as Cassius tore open a burning spatial rift with his claws, then folded his wings and dove into it.