Ember Dragon Novel Chapter 456: City of Black Iron

Chapter 456: Chapter 456: City of Black Iron

Chapter 456: City of Black Iron

Acacia Everfla Highlands.

This plateau was covered in wild, untad flas, with magma flowing through surface cracks and clouds of scalding steam rolling across the ground.

It was a death zone for creatures from the Material Plane but a paradise for the native inhabitants of the Fire Elental Plane.

In one part of the Acacia Everfla Highlands stood a sizable city—Black Iron City.

Within the city, the Shrine of Penance dedicated to the Evil Fire Prince Imix and the Temple of the Great Fla Lord Kossuth indicated clearly that this city belonged to the fire elentals.

"By the Great Fla Lord..."

"Imix..."

"How could there be such a massive dragon? When did we provoke such a monster?"

At this mont, fire elental officers and soldiers stood on the walls of Black Iron City, gazing into the distance with serious, even fearful expressions.

On the horizon, a dark silhouette flapped its wings through the scorching air, kicking up waves of ash.

"The Soul-Devouring Dragon."

A heavy voice rang out, accompanied by steady, powerful footsteps.

The soldiers on the wall parted, making way for a towering, burly fire elental flanked by guards.

He was the Emir of Black Iron City—Maceij Gallan.

Unlike Hamid, this Emir wasn’t an idle noble born into privilege. He was a seasoned Warrior, recently transferred from the front lines.

He had once been an honored "Kapikulu," a mber of the Sultan’s elite guard.

He wore a gilded, patterned face-veil helm with a leather neck guard attached at the back. A large feather from a phoenix adorned the crest of his helt.

In his hand, he held a crescent-shaped scimitar known as a shamshir, its blade razor-sharp and its surface shimring with magical light.

Upon hearing Maceij’s words, the fire elental soldiers on the wall erupted into fearful chatter.

"It’s—it’s him!"

"That’s the Soul-Devouring Dragon! It’s real!"

"They say that terrifying dragon devoured thirteen Emirs and over a thousand fire elentals! He was sent by the Sacred Fla Prince to punish us!"

"Silence—"

Maceij frowned and struck his bronze shield with his scimitar, producing a sharp, resonant sound.

The fire elental soldiers imdiately fell silent, waiting for the Emir’s address.

"By the Great Fla Lord, you cowards! Are you seriously scared of a dragon?"

"As far as I know, that dragon only allied with those filthy fire dwarves, sneaked into the City of Iron, destroyed half of it, and killed that useless fool Hamid."

"The so-called Soul-Devouring Dragon is just a myth! He is not an invincible enemy."

Maceij raised his scimitar high, its silver blade gleaming under the firelight.

"Shing—"

He slashed the air, the crescent-shaped blade leaving behind a trail of dazzling flas.

"We are noble fire elentals! The rightful masters of the Fire Elental Plane! We are the ones who plunder and destroy, instilling fear in others!"

"There is no reason for us to fear any living being!"

Maceij pointed his blade toward the distant silhouette.

"For the great Sultan—defend Black Iron City and slay that winged reptile!"

Fire elentals were a warlike, highly prideful race, and Maceij’s rallying cry reignited their fighting spirit.

"For the Sultan!"

"Defend Black Iron City!"

"No one can defeat us fire elentals on the Fire Elental Plane!"

The fire elental soldiers worked the winches, loading massive black tal bolts into their ballistae and aiming them toward the sky.

Below the walls, other fire elentals released the massive beasts caged within. The creatures exhaled scorching clouds of steam and let out low growls.

Maceij rely waved his hand, and a terrifyingly large fla wyvern clad in brass armor soared toward him.

"For the Grand Sultan!"

The fire elental noble roared and leapt onto the wyvern’s back, followed by over a hundred fire elental cavalry.

Unlike Maceij, most of these soldiers wore uniforms made of fla sheep’s wool or silk, wielding ten-ter-long bronze spears and carrying leather-bound, riveted shields.

To the vast fire elental kingdom, the City of Iron was a re border town—Black Iron City, however, was a significant military stronghold.

Several kiloters away, the red dragon flapped his wings again, stirring up a gust of hot wind filled with ash and embers.

Cassius narrowed his eyes, his golden pupils reflecting amusent.

"Interesting."

"Magic ballistae, elental beasts, fire elental cavalry—even the empire’s elite would struggle against this fire elental force."

"And these aren’t even their elites, just the city’s garrison. What terrifying power."

"Too bad they’re facing ."

Cassius flapped his wings forcefully, lifting his massive body into the air. He raised his head and let out a thunderous roar.

"Roar—"

"Boom!"

Thunder cracked loudly.

The steam clouds above quickly gathered, and bolts of lightning—alien to the Fire Elental Plane—flickered within the dark clouds.

Under the surge of Cassius’s power, the dense clouds spread rapidly, soon hovering above Black Iron City.

A colossal figure weaved and circled through the clouds.

"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom!"

Bolts of lightning struck down, killing several fire elental soldiers on the city wall, leaving only smoldering remnants of their elental flas.

"Lightning!"

"Quick! Get out of the way!"

"By the Great Fla Lord, what is that?"

"Damn it, shoot down that dragon!"

The fire elental soldiers panicked. Under the threat of death, they scrambled to aim their ballistae at the sky.

Massive bolts, trailing fiery tails, shot into the clouds but failed to hit their target.

"Boom!"

Thunder roared again, and an overwhelming aura spread, suffocating the fire elentals like an invisible boulder pressing down on them.

The giant beasts recently released trembled violently, their chains clanking.

The usually ferocious monsters now whimpered like newborns, retreating into their cages within the city.

"Boom! Boom!"

More bolts of lightning descended.

The massive shadow flickered within the clouds, striking fear into every creature present—even the fire elental Emir wasn’t immune.

"Awooo~~"

The fla wyvern beneath the fire elental noble shivered uncontrollably, while its companions had already fainted and crashed to the ground.

"Hold on, my old friend."

"It’s just a red dragon, Akriya. We once faced an ancient gold dragon together. This is nothing."

Maceij gently stroked the wyvern’s neck, speaking softly.

But as he lifted his head to gaze at the shadow within the clouds and the lightning-filled sky, his expression turned grim and heavy.

"How could this be..."

"By the Great Fla Lord, it’s supposed to be just a red dragon."

The battle-hardened fire elental noble tightened his grip on the Sultan’s gift, the enchanted shamshir, his entire body tense.