Chapter 720: Hellcore

After Zariel’s death and the retreat of the hellish legion, the Ember Empire’s forces swiftly entered August City. Soldiers armed with rifles marched in disciplined columns through the streets.

"Lay down your weapons. Do not resist needlessly. The Empire only punishes ringleaders. Regular soldiers will not be harmed!" The synthesized voice echoed throughout the city.

Fleets of airships hovered above the city, casting vast shadows over countless buildings. Steam tanks rumbled through the streets, spewing scalding white steam from their whistles, engines thundering.

Massive armored walkers moved slowly, each step shaking the ground and drawing fearful yet curious glances from the Thracians.

Soon, key structures such as the Solar Palace, the Eternal Sun God Tower, and the Thracian Treasury were seized by imperial forces. After many wars, they were more than familiar with the procedure.

During this process, the Empire met little resistance from the Thracians.

Only Wilhelm’s loyalists—nobles who had signed pacts with devils—continued resisting in desperation.

One Thracian count, shackled in heavy iron chains, transformed into a devil. He spewed hellfire and roared furiously.

"Mortals! Hell shall descend!"

"Your souls will feed Avernus!"

"Zariel was crushed to death by His Majesty, and you’re still blabbering? Open fire!" barked a draconian officer, sneering as he swung his saber.

Specially crafted bullets imbued with faint holy light rained down like a storm, riddling the devil-possessed noble with holes.

His magma-like blood splattered everywhere, scorching pits into the ground.

Thracian nobles were swiftly and mercilessly executed by imperial troops. Corpses riddled with bullets were dragged from their mansions. Blood flowed through the streets, the stench of iron thick in the air.

"Was that Count Macondo? I didn’t expect he’d made a deal with devils too."

"Yeah, unbelievable. He was famous for his charity. Who knew he sought immortality through Hell?"

"All those Thracian nobles deserve to die! My sister was taken by them—she’s been missing for months!"

People watched from their homes, peeking through windows. Their expressions varied—worry, fear, and even a bit of curiosity.

They were afraid because, for years, the Thracian Kingdom had portrayed the Ember Empire as a living hell, where citizens suffered unending torment.

But now that Wilhelm’s collusion with devils and soul sacrifices had been exposed, even children could see—it had all been a blatant lie.

They were curious because they’d seen the Emperor of the Ember Empire perform divine miracles, saving them from damnation.

"Is His Majesty really the cruel tyrant they described? They say every citizen is a slave who toils day and night."

"That’s slander! Our beloved king sacrificed souls to devils and tried to hand over all of August to Hell. He’s the real tyrant!"

"Yes! The Thracian nobles had already become Hell’s servants!"

"But that emperor still attacked our city. My brother was in the city guard. He died in the bombardment—nothing left of him."

"All I know is that His Majesty Cassius saved me from a devil’s trident. Without him, my soul would already be in Hell."

"But we’re Fadlanites. Even if our king was a tyrant, shouldn’t we build our own kingdom? How can we bow to a dragon?"

"His Majesty Cassius is the embodiment of the sun. Isn’t that reason enough?"

The people of the city murmured, debated, and even quarreled among themselves.

Several kilometers away, the enormous red dragon coiled atop a mountain peak, silently watching.

Just like the imperial ballads said, his eyes could see all things, and his ears heard all rumors across the world.

"Looks like... things are going well." Cassius stretched his wings and body, white steam hissing from between his scales.

"After this act of ’justice triumphing over evil’ and ’light shattering darkness,’ the Thracians’ submission is only natural.

What we need to watch now is Avernus’s response. A Hell Lord just died—the Lord of the Nine Hells won’t take it lying down."

Cassius extended a claw, revealing a crimson crystal core glowing with hellish power.

—It was Zariel’s Hellcore, a condensed manifestation of a devil’s soul.

A lavish black-and-gold trophy appeared on his panel, symbolizing a [Legendary] achievement.

Legendary achievements were extremely rare, requiring feats that affected the fate of the entire multiverse.

Cassius now possessed three [Black-Gold] tier achievements.

They were [Saintslayer] from defeating Barachiel, [Demonbane] from killing Jelrazax, and [Oathbreaker] from slaying Zariel.

Coincidentally, the three achievements came from Abyss, Heaven, and Hell respectively.

[Your total achievement points have reached 50,000. Title unlocked: [Multiversal Grinder]]

[Multiversal Grinder]

Title effect: Special light effect.

Staring at the rainbow-glowing title, the red dragon twitched his mouth, speechless.

"Wasn’t this the kind of crap I made to trick players?"

Cassius refocused and read the lines of text beneath the black-gold trophy.

[You’ve slain a Hell Lord. Legendary achievement unlocked: [Oathbreaker]]

[Oathbreaker]

Baator is the ultimate plane of Law and Evil, a realm of scheming and cruelty.

Hell Lords rise from legions of scheming devils, becoming rulers of each layer of Hell.

"They’re more cunning, more deceitful, and more dangerous.

Demons revel in power, madness, and evil, but devils always have a plan, a schedule, and a carefully nurtured scheme for vengeance."

—From The Book of Hell, written by a traveler once imprisoned by Mephistopheles for 300 years.

Passive Trait Unlocked:

[Oathbreaker]

+1 Constitution, +1 Charisma

You gain the additional traits [Breath of Purgatory] and [Vow of Ruin]

[Breath of Purgatory]: After charging, your breath becomes a wave of hellfire that stirs greed and cruelty in others, with corrupting influence.

[Vow of Ruin]: By consuming mental power, you can break free from rules and potentially destroy any form of contract or vow.

The black-gold trophy glowed faintly and merged with the red dragon’s massive body.

At the pinnacle of the Material Plane’s power, every attribute increase was precious. Cassius hadn’t felt this sensation in ages.

[Constitution]: 36 → 37

[Charisma]: 40 → 41

The system distorted reality and descended upon the red dragon.

With Cassius’s current rank, changing his body required god-level force—and the system delivered.

Space distorted and cracked, fissures spreading everywhere.

Flames erupted from between his scales, heat waves engulfing the mountains, magma spewing from the depths.

"Roooar—"

Cassius raised his head, unleashing a satisfied growl. Thunderbolts rained from the sky.

Leveling up—what a rush!

Back in August, the citizens trembled under the overwhelming force.

Mages were even more alarmed, sensing a magical storm that heralded a catastrophe.

The white smoke cleared, revealing the red dragon’s massive, awe-inspiring form.

His muscles bulged with new power, denser than steel yet incredibly flexible.

His charisma had grown—every gesture stirred magical surges, unsettling even legendary mages.

"Breath of Hell."

Cassius opened his mouth and released a blast of fire after a brief charge. The eerie flames crackled like devilish whispers, radiating dark energy.

"Not bad." Cassius examined the dancing flames and made his judgment.

Though [Breath of Hell] was strong, Cassius already had an absurd range of breath weapons: Plunder Breath, Chaos Flame, Flame of Order, Primordial Breath, Bahamut’s Breath, Ultimate Breath, Multi-Breath, Thunder Breath, Frost Breath... and now this.

Just Cassius alone had more breath types than all chromatic dragons combined—only Tiamat could rival him.

Sometimes, when he opened his gaping maw to breathe, he’d hesitate, unsure how to kill his enemies.

"Let’s try out Vow of Ruin."

Cassius narrowed his eyes and folded his wings, focusing on the new power.

He opened his eyes. A blood-stained infernal contract floated before him.

The parchment was dense with ant-like script, coiled around him, binding his soul and tethered to the River Styx.

He recognized many clauses.

[Clause 13: Bael’s faction acknowledges and respects the Ember Empire’s leadership over the new order in the Fianso continent.]

[Clause 139: In any conflict with Zariel’s faction, the Empire and Bael shall aid one another through all political, economic, and military means.]

[Clause 461: Devils from Bael’s faction may sign contracts with Empire citizens to grant them hellish power.]

—This was the Hell Contract Cassius had signed with Bael, witnessed by the River Styx, the foundation of their alliance.

If either party broke it, the River’s power would drag the oathbreaker’s soul into the darkest depths of Hell.

Even demigods would be wounded by such a violation, paying a terrible price.

But now, black light shimmered around Cassius’s claws. He could feel it—one slash using the power of Vow of Ruin might tear the contract apart.

"A fun ability. Devils probably fear this the most." Cassius grinned, dispelling the dark power.

Devils were masters of contracts—cunning, adaptive, always using pacts to claim souls or weaken foes.

But with [Vow of Ruin], Cassius could flip the board entirely, ignoring their machinations.

For now, Bael—about to be made a Hell Lord—was still useful. No need to destroy the pact yet.

Just then, the crimson crystal in his claw shone with bloodlight and floated into the air.

[Hellcore]

Artifact, Mythic

Domains: Law, Evil, War, Order, Charm, Death

Effect: Unknown

Description: Baator is the ultimate plane of Law and Evil, embodying scheming cruelty.

Devils in the Nine Hells adhere strictly to order, resorting to any evil schemes necessary for promotion.

At the top, Hell Lords hold dominion over their layers. The Lord of the Nine has never been overthrown.

"This is..."

The bloodlight illuminated Cassius’s face. He sensed a familiar power—Avernus.

He stared at the crystal. Inside floated a massive thorn-covered sword—Zariel’s infernal greatsword, a symbol of coveted power among devils.

Suddenly, Cassius’s face broke into a delighted grin. "So this is the authority of the Lord of Avernus.

Hahaha! No wonder she told Bael ’Hell has no winners’ before she died—she sealed one-third of her authority inside this core!"

Zariel knew all too well—a greedy red dragon would never surrender a prize already swallowed.

And without full authority, Bael could never truly rule Avernus or repel the demons to win the Blood War.

—This was Zariel’s final revenge. The real meaning of ’Hell has no winners.’

Even in death, she wouldn’t let Bael, that traitor, take the Hell Lord’s seat in peace. She wanted him and Cassius at odds.

Without complete Avernus authority, the Abyss would surely invade again.

In the end, even the Lord of the Nine might appear personally—strip Cassius of the Hellcore, depose Bael... maybe even revive Zariel.