Chapter 625: Chapter 625: Radiant Giant
Chapter 625: Radiant Giant
"Sinners!" Barachiel swung his longsword, countless bolts of lightning bursting forth, and the solemn hymn echoed once more.
That overwhelming power of heaven rapidly receded like the tide, while the distant storm of destruction gradually faded away.
The collapsing heavens turned into specks of radiance, gathering toward Barachiel’s direction. In the end, a gorgeously adorned silver and golden heavenly temple appeared behind him.
The starlit night stretched for thousands of meters, radiating the spiritual light of order, matching Cassius’s overwhelming presence.
Barachiel swung his massive wings, gathering the power of the Heavenly Mountain. Fragments of light flickered in his dark purple eyes, and his entire body radiated a spiritual brilliance that nearly condensed into substance, with countless halos slowly turning behind him.
Each halo behind him contained miracle-making heavenly power, radiating the laws of order.
This was not discouragement or surrender, but a true sign of seriousness and earnest effort.
The previous heavenly vision, though grand, was more like a magnificent judgment aimed at the lesser beings, with a momentum that surpassed its actual might.
But in the heat of battle, the silver lord of heaven gradually realized—the Ember Emperor before him was not one of those sinners he could easily judge, but a rival worthy of his full strength.
Staring up at the wildly grinning red dragon, Barachiel knew that if this continued, he might actually lose!
As the Silver Lord of Heaven, his pride and dignity would not allow him to lose to a creature of the material plane—even if it was an immensely powerful dragon.
"In nearly a thousand years, since the disaster when the Abyss attacked Heaven, you’re the first enemy worth my all, Cassius. You should—feel immensely honored for this!"
Barachiel flapped his wings, letting out a thunderous roar. He raised his bright silver longsword, heavenly power surging forth, transforming into a radiant greatsword a thousand meters long, spanning the sky.
[Sword of Heaven]
That greatsword, carrying a terrifying aura, ripped through space in an instant, accompanied by a furious hurricane, and slashed fiercely toward the red dragon.
"The ones who should feel honored are you! Your blood will be the key to opening a new era!"
Cassius roared, fearlessly spreading his wings and beating them with force.
His massive form accelerated instantly, turning into a blazing crimson streak, dodging the sword’s slash nimbly in midair, then diving at Barachiel and his allies.
Barachiel and the others knew that if they fought this fifty-meter-long red dragon up close, they would stand no chance.
His gaze sharpened, and he slashed horizontally with his bright silver longsword. The thousand-meter starlit greatsword split distant clouds and once again followed the red dragon’s diving path.
Walter also swung the Sword of the Sun God, sending countless blades of light flying at the red dragon.
The ancient gold dragon Titus wielded a scepter with his massive claws, conjuring a brilliant, dazzling wall of rainbow light high in the sky, blocking the dragon’s escape route.
"Roar—"
The red dragon let out a furious roar and spewed a torrent of dragonfire. Under the Elemental Master’s skillful control, the flames formed over a dozen identical dragon shadows midair, making it impossible to tell which was real.
Immediately afterward, jet-green anti-magic rays shot out from the red dragon’s claws, easily piercing through the rainbow wall.
Barachiel’s eyes flashed, instantly spotting Cassius’s true body—being the Silver Lord of Heaven, he naturally possessed a truesight-like ability.
Gripping his sword with both hands, he swung violently at the true dragon, while stars burst out of the sword, shattering the fire avatars.
"Aaargh—"
With a soft cry, Cassius beat his wings, twisting in midair with an extremely difficult maneuver, his chest nearly grazing the blade as he shot past.
Walter’s face showed horror, mumbling, "How is he so agile!"
He had fought many mighty dragons before—ancient gold dragons, ancient red dragons—the bigger a dragon, the clumsier its movements. That was the iron rule.
But this red dragon completely overturned his understanding. The Ember Emperor possessed a body far larger than any ancient gold dragon, yet was more nimble than any slender lesser dragon!
"I’ll show you—what it means to be the incarnation of strength!"
Cassius roared, pouncing down at his enemies, his massive claws tearing through the air with ear-splitting detonations.
In the process, Cassius cast Dragon Power, Iron Body, Bear’s Strength, and other spells on himself—even though, at his immense size, they barely had any effect, they still gave a slight boost.
The overwhelming dragon’s might, mixed with a whiff of sulfur, swept over. Facing the charging red dragon, Walter raised his sword and shield, ready for battle.
Titus also let out a long howl, raising the scepter in his claws, displaying the ancient gold dragon’s innate spellcasting.
Brilliant sword lights and multicolored magical shields blocked the red dragon’s path, only to be ruthlessly shredded by his claws, some even bitten apart, barely slowing him down at all.
Every talon of Cassius flashed with a cold light, carrying the effects of Decapitation Blade and Spellbreaker, enough to destroy any magical barrier in front of him.
"Vile dragon!"
Barachiel shouted, a halo behind him suddenly expanding, releasing dazzling light and unfurling radiant wings a hundred meters long, wrapping everyone inside.
"You think this will stop me?!"
Cassius’s claws swung mercilessly. Countless feathers burst forth, fluttering down, while a huge chunk of the radiant wings made of heavenly light was ripped away.
"Whoosh—"
The next instant, the hundred-meter-long wings snapped open, kicking up a gale imbued with the power of order, blowing Cassius away. Dozens of golden feathers pierced his chest, drawing out scalding dragon blood.
These heavenly-feathered quills were like sharp awls, piercing through the red dragon’s magical defenses and even his scales.
Cassius wiped the blood from his chest, a hint of surprise flickering in his pale golden eyes.
Was he... actually wounded?
Barachiel raised his silver longsword, the halos behind him spinning rapidly, releasing dazzling starlight, bathing the entire battlefield in the glow of justice.
A voice of angry reproach thundered in the sky: "Who gave you the courage—to defy Heaven! To oppose justice and order! And—"
The radiance in midair condensed, finally forming a winged giant hundreds of meters tall.
The giant wore a crown of glory, wielded a thousand-meter starlit longsword, with layers of halos suspended behind him. His aura was overwhelming—like the incarnation of a true god.
At this moment, Barachiel had summoned the greatest power of Heaven that could be used in the material realm. He was now the incarnation of Silver Heaven itself!
Barachiel’s true body was at the chest of the radiant giant, gazing indifferently at the red dragon, saying word by word: "To oppose me!"
"Amanata above."
"O gods."
The people on the ground gazed up at the giant in the sky, once again kneeling and praying fervently.
In their eyes, Barachiel was now indistinguishable from a real god. This display was truly a descent of divinity.
Moreover, the crown of glory on his head had a special effect—it radiated dazzling brilliance, making all but the most strong-willed naturally submit to Barachiel.
Cassius stared at Barachiel’s divine form, then looked down at the blood on his claws, grinning with excitement: "Giant form? You think you’re the Giant of Light? Hah, like I don’t know that trick."
"Only this way can the battle get interesting!"
The red dragon roared, beating his wings again as surging dragonfire coiled around his body. He dove down, his chest wound already having healed without him even noticing.
Barachiel raised the starlit longsword, swinging it down again as beams of divine light rained from the sky toward the red dragon.
[Strike of Holy Light]
Cassius twisted and dodged with agility in the sky, seizing the moment to bite the giant’s arm.
"Rip—"
The flesh formed from heavenly power was torn apart by the red dragon. His fanged maw was like a black hole, greedily devouring the power of order, leaving a gaping wound in the giant’s arm.
"Damn dragon, how dare you defile the Silver Lord of Heaven!"
Barachiel felt his origin power slipping away, roaring in fury, attacking even more madly. Giant blades of light, blazing meteors, dense stars, and terrifying thunder filled the sky—their brilliance nearly blinding the soldiers below.
His group healing spells also restored his wounds with visible speed.
But Cassius relied on his extreme speed and the power of the Flaming Dimensional Gate to dart through the attacks, always searching for an opening.
The red dragon was like a calm hunter. When he spotted a weakness, he would dive, bite or strike, and then retreat just as fast—never overextending.
Walter and Titus had tried to surround the red dragon, but he always seemed to know in advance, turning the tables and leaving them battered instead.
Barachiel finally snapped, throwing out heavy magical chains that sealed the surrounding space.
Dimensional Anchor!
"Lord Barachiel, look out!" Walter cried out in terror, but it was too late.
Taking advantage of the spell’s casting time, Cassius appeared behind Barachiel, driving his claw through the giant golden wing, the tip of his talon wreathed in annihilating chaotic flames, tearing it apart by brute force!
Massive wounds split open on the wing, the edges still burning with dark red fire—truly a terrifying sight.
"Unforgivable—"
Barachiel let out a furious, despairing howl. Even though his wings were rapidly regenerating, the longer this fight dragged on, the weaker his power in the material world would become!
The red dragon’s wild voice still echoed in the sky: "Face reality—the Holy Fadlan is dead, and the Ember Empire will forge the new order!"
Walter watched the great dragon circling in the sky, his heart filled with anxiety, anger, fear, and even despair.
He knew that if Barachiel lost, both he and the ancient gold dragon would die for sure. North Aether would fall to the Ember Empire, and even the legacy of Holy Fadlan would be devoured by the enemy.
But in the clash of two top beings of the material world, he and the gold dragon couldn’t interfere—at best, they could only provide minor magical support and even needed Barachiel to spare attention to protect them.
This made Walter feel especially frustrated and defeated.
Once called the "Wings of Fadlan," the self-proclaimed guardian of the empire, now he could only watch as the fate of the Fadlan Empire slipped into invaders’ hands—utterly powerless.
Gazing up at the roaring dragon in the sky, a trace of hesitation flickered in Walter’s golden eyes. He muttered softly, "Maybe... I could change the course of this war, but the cost would be unbearably high—my life."
As one blessed by Amanata, every divine-blooded one bore a spark of the Sun’s power in their bodies. It was the source of their immortality and the spark of their life.
But the divine-blooded could choose to fully unleash that divine power, activating a spell-like ability surpassing the ninth tier—[Doomsday].
Yet every divine-blooded was precious—a treasure of the emperor—so in a hundred years of Holy Fadlan’s history, only a handful had ever used this power.
Walter closed his eyes, remembering that unforgettable celebration decades ago. That day, the old emperor placed the sword on his shoulder, bestowing him his noble status, as Amanata poured down his power.
Walter had knelt in excitement, bathed in sunlight, banners waving in the sky, the cheers of the Fadlan people ringing in his ears.
Remembering this, Walter opened his eyes, hesitation gone, his gaze resolute: "The Fadlan Empire is everything to me. It’s time... to give my life for the empire."
"Roar—"
The earth-shaking roar of the dragon snapped Walter from his reverie.
Gold dragon Titus once again raised his scepter, casting spells at the red dragon above, then turned back: "Duke Walter, we’re in the middle of a battle! What are you doing!"
"If Lord Barachiel wasn’t risking everything to protect you, you’d already be dead!" Titus shouted, his face dark with anger.
Barachiel expended an entire heavenly halo, forming a spherical shield around them for a brief respite, rendering them temporarily invincible.
Walter said, "Sorry, Lord Titus, Lord Barachiel, I was distracted just now.
Let’s follow the final plan we discussed. Raise the battlefield to ten thousand meters, restrain the enemy for a moment—I might be able to... kill the red dragon in a single blow."
Instantly, Titus and Barachiel turned to look at Walter in shock—the price of the final plan was his life.
Walter gripped his longsword engraved with the Sun God’s emblem, his voice resolute and unwavering, eyes flashing with determination.
"Don’t worry. The people of Fadlan will remember me."
For a moment, Titus and Barachiel were silent. They didn’t try to stop him—they knew Walter’s resolve.
—This noble scion had made his decision: to sacrifice his life to slay the red dragon and win the final victory.
This was the last gift he would give the Holy Fadlan Empire.
Of course, Duke Walter had no idea his plan had already been overheard by the enemy, who now knew every detail.
At his side, the ancient gold dragon Titus allowed himself an imperceptible smile.
