Chapter 541: Entanglement
Against absolute power, the players' siege appeared utterly weak.
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
Brilliant lights intersected midair as explosions erupted again and again. Dozens more dragon-slaying arrows shot toward the abyssal dragon's chest.
Clearly, Singo wasn't the only one who noticed the abyssal dragon's "weak point," but they had all underestimated this boss's strength.
Bombs, arrows, or spells—before a mountain-sized abyssal dragon hundreds of meters long, all seemed laughable.
In these professional players' minds, the game developers wouldn't design an unbeatable boss.
Since they couldn't detect its challenge rating, they estimated it to be around level 20 based on average player power and past encounters—still within the realm of a fair fight.
But they didn't know: in Erezaghe, there was no "official" storyline. Only the ever-shifting fate.
Against this abyssal lord who had taken over the Destruction Dragon God's body, even millions of players would only face defeat.
"Roar—"
Jezal Slak howled to the heavens. A surge of black energy swept outward from him, annihilating everything.
The tens of thousands of dragon-slaying players were instantly wiped out without even a trace of bone left.
The abyssal dragon spread its sky-darkening wings and beat them slowly. For a moment, even the sky and earth seemed to tremble.
"Whoosh—"
"Whoosh—"
Gale-force winds screamed; sand and rocks flew.
Each wingbeat brought a sky-shaking wail.
Trees uprooted, boulders tumbled, remaining snow danced through the air, and even flying demons were swept skyward, powerless to resist.
Dozens of miles around were shrouded in surging black smoke. Black-red magma erupted from fissures as the world seemed infected by chaos, on the brink of falling into the abyss.
Black clouds churned. Hellfire raged.
And so the terrible abyssal dragon slowly rose into the sky, ascending to ten thousand meters, gazing disdainfully upon all below.
Its wings, spanning hundreds of meters, blotted out the sky like a black curtain over the ruined earth.
The surrounding space tore open. Black chaos smoke poured from the rifts, forming an abyssal vortex that converged around the dragon, a massive whirlwind ten kilometers wide.
"Boom, boom—"
Heavy breathing echoed like muffled thunder.
Each breath made green light pulse through its arteries, greedily absorbing nearby abyssal energy.
The abyssal dragon's body continued to grow, nearing three hundred meters long, drawing closer to the true body of Karex sealed in the Astral Realm.
"Vile filth! Get out of the Material Plane!"
Amid demon combat, an ancient silver dragon felt a dark shroud fall. He crushed the demon before him and looked skyward.
Shock, awe, fear—a mix of expressions tangled on his ancient face.
"Bahamut above... Such a sight—this hasn't occurred for ten millennia..."
In his thousand-year life, no creature had ever grown so massive. Even Bahamut's avatar was only a hundred meters long.
Such dragons only existed in the Dawning Era, when dragons ruled alongside gods.
Then, dragons and their clans ruled vast lands, warring for dominion over land, sea, and sky.
Their conflicts, and those of the Dragon Gods, birthed countless beings of immense power.
"Lord of the North Wind... can Emperor Cassius truly defeat Him?"
Pabliceko's voice trembled. It had been long since this ancient silver dragon felt fear.
Players within the chaos noticed the abyssal dragon too. But they felt more shock and excitement than fear.
"Holy crap, look there!"
"That's insane!"
"This boss is overpowered, right? Is this even something we can beat?"
"Heard God S and tens of thousands of elites attacked together and got wiped instantly!"
Even the celestials from outer planes were panicking.
A flawless astral envoy, white wings spread, stared grimly at the abyssal dragon: "That's no monster... that's divine abomination!"
"Oh gods... is this world truly ending? Must the Material Plane rely on an evil red dragon for survival?"
"Boom—"
Cassius spewed fan-shaped flame, setting a sea of fire and burning hundreds of demons to ash.
Tens of thousands more winged demons swarmed. Cassius tucked his wings, became a blazing chariot, and crushed them, leaving a trail of gray-black.
Then the massive red dragon beat his wings and soared upward on hot winds and spatial surges like a comet of flame.
"Buzz—"
Sonic booms rang out. Cone-shaped sonic clouds trailed behind, forming a straight streak.
In mere breaths, Cassius too reached ten thousand meters, facing the abyssal dragon.
But even at 40 meters, far beyond a red dragon's normal size, Cassius looked tiny next to the 300-meter giant.
Jezal Slak stared hungrily. Black smoke oozed from his fanged maw. A twisted smile lingered.
"Cassius—
Hahaha... so you finally realized and came to be devoured by me?"
Cassius's gaze turned cold. He beat his wings, golden eyes blazing.
"Heh. Jezal Slak, you celebrate too soon.
Years of planning and hoarded vengeance... you think I have no way to handle an abyssal bastard like you?"
The red dragon growled low. Energy gathered in his throat, dragon crystal glowing.
He became a second sun in the sky, pushing back chaos for kilometers.
"Boom—"
A blazing white pillar tore the sky, piercing the black mist toward Jezal Slak's chest.
"Arrogant... Far too arrogant!"
Jezal Slak swiped with his claw, channeling endless chaos into it.
Black torrents surged, blocking and snuffing the fire beam.
Then thousands of blood-drenched spears shot from his scales, flying toward Cassius.
Each spear, soaked in blood, trembled with a strange power.
These were the Spears of Vengeance!
For tens of thousands of years, this "Demon of Vengeance" had gathered his rage. Now it burst forth.
Thousands of spears rained down like a storm upon Cassius.
"Roar—"
Cassius roared, raised a massive flame shield, and darted through the storm of spears.
"Ignorant red dragon! You still don't understand the Abyss's greatness!
Fine then—I'll make you understand the world's essence and my goal!"
Jezal Slak flapped again, sending waves of chaotic mist.
Any creature touched by this chaos would go mad, lose reason.
Cassius spun midair, dodging hundreds of spears aimed at his heart.
But more mist surged, trying to awaken the abyssal curse within him.
Cassius beat his wings, summoning scorching winds to blow away the fog.
"Roar!"
A crown of gold appeared over his head, silver gems glittering.
The Crown of the Supreme Dragon—
Divine Wind!
"Shhh—"
A cold northern wind blew. Silvery light burst from the crown, cleansing the black mist.
Cassius raised the Elemental Authority, golden eyes blazing.
With a roar, lava-like light rippled along his scales.
Solar Flare, Meteor Burst, Scorching Cloud, Flame Storm, Burning Stone Haze...
Over a dozen high-level fire spells imbued with elemental essence burst out, lighting half the sky.
"Boom!"
Jezal Slak stretched his neck and spewed black smoke, sealing the space before him.
Fireballs, pillars, meteors, lava—all unraveled by abyssal power and surged back toward Cassius.
Cassius opened his jaws. Vortexes of absorption formed, neutralizing the energy.
It was Dragon Drain!
"Bahamut's divinity, Tiamat's bloodline, elemental authority...
Cassius, your little tricks are... unexpected.
But before Abyssal might, all you possess... is nothing."
Jezal Slak grinned savagely. He beat his wings, gales sweeping land and sky, pressing closer.
"Boom—"
Winds ravaged the Anstica Mountains. Wyverns flailed, even silver dragons staggered.
"Ahhh—"
"Where are we even going?!"
"Wait, I didn't cast fly! Damn it, I'm airborne!"
Starlings were hurled hundreds of meters up, colliding with branches, rocks, dust.
Cassius forced his wings through the wind, flying rapidly. Jezal Slak followed, spewing chaos.
Thanks to aerial techniques, Agile Flight, and his Cataclysmic Dragon Eye, Cassius danced unpredictably, dodging again and again.
Jezal Slak roared: "Cassius! You scurrying rat—your pathetic resistance ends now!"
"Roar—"
The abyssal dragon howled. A black curtain descended, trying to crush Cassius from the sky.
But Cassius dove instead, arcing toward Jezal Slak.
Jezal Slak laughed, eyes gleaming, seeing himself devouring Karex's heart and becoming the World-Ending Dragon.
"Shhh—"
Fire pierced the mist. A crimson blur slashed his neck, tearing flesh and scales.
Violet-black blood sprayed. Jezal Slak roared in fury, body trembling.
"You dare!"
But Cassius kept circling, waiting for a chance to strike again.
"Shhh—"
"Shhh—"
Sonic booms echoed. Clouds formed chaotic trails around Jezal Slak's vast form.
Cassius launched strike after strike, tearing bloody chunks away.
Not all dragons were this agile. Next to Cassius, Jezal Slak was a sluggish behemoth.
Chaos fire, abyss mist, bloodied spears, rotting demon flesh surged toward Cassius—but missed.
"Shhh—"
Another crimson streak cut Jezal Slak's back, flinging more blood and scale.
"Red dragon...
You must feel proud."
Suddenly, Jezal Slak grinned wide—so wide it nearly reached his ears.
"Roar!"
A sound of chaos spilled out, like abyssal wind, chilling all.
It was the Blasphemous Hymn!
Cassius's head throbbed. Red-black fire and overwhelming destruction filled his eyes.
The searing Karex Heart throbbed. His crown rang in alarm.
Resist. Resist!
Cassius nearly bit through his teeth, unleashing all of Bahamut's Wind. Silver light shielded him from the curse.
But the air shrieked. A massive claw swung, slamming into him.
"Boom!"
The blow sent Cassius hurtling into a mountain thousands of meters away. Rocks exploded. Boulders rained down.