Chapter 378: Coronation (Part Four)
"Bring it to the top of the altar!"
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"
Amid heavy panting, eight burly ogres struggled to carry a massive, heavy metal chest, appearing at the end of the road.
Step by step, they climbed the stairs to the topmost layer of the altar, opened the chest together, and then knelt down in reverence.
Instantly, golden light burst from the chest, drawing gasps from the onlookers—within it lay a crown forged entirely of mithril, adorned with exquisite gemstones that sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight.
That was the Supreme True Dragon Crown.
Suddenly, a question arose in the hearts of the crowd: by tradition, an emperor must be crowned by someone else. Even Aragorn I, the "Sun King" of the Holy Fadlan Empire, had been crowned by the Archbishop of the Amanata Church.
So, who among those present was qualified to crown the "Ember Emperor" Cassius?
Considering the ruler's title, "Dragon Prince," the crowd recalled a familiar name, but none dared to utter it lightly.
At that moment, a massive shadow loomed over Isthalia, and an overwhelming pressure filled the hearts of everyone present, inspiring primal fear.
"Oh, gods…"
"That is…"
People raised their heads to gaze at the sky and saw a nightmarish figure blanketing the earth.
It was a monstrous dragon body with wings like dark clouds, five writhing necks, and five heads, their terrifying slit-pupiled eyes all focused on Cassius.
Even though it was merely an avatar projected into the material plane, its presence caused everyone to tremble uncontrollably.
"It's her!"
"Tiamat."
Someone shouted that name in terror.
The crowd erupted once again. No one had expected Tiamat to favor the Red Dragon to such an extent that she would descend personally through her projection.
"The Dragon Queen! She has come in person!"
Christina gazed skyward, her expression filled with unbridled excitement.
"So, she's come after all."
Cassius raised his head without hesitation, meeting Tiamat's gaze directly, thinking to himself.
He had long anticipated this moment.
With Tiamat's temperament, once he decided to be crowned, she would undoubtedly appear at the first opportunity. Seemingly bestowing him with "divine grace," her true goal was to bind the empire entirely to the chariot of the chromatic dragons.
If he allowed Tiamat to crown him, it would amount to choosing a side, declaring war against metallic dragons and other good-aligned forces.
With this thought, Cassius slightly bowed his head and folded his wings in respect to the deity.
"Good day, Your Majesty, Dragon Queen."
"Cassius, you've done well."
The Dragon Queen's five heads grinned menacingly, revealing chillingly sinister smiles.
"Well enough… to earn my personal blessing."
"If only more children like you existed, how could the chromatic dragons fail to rise again? How could dragonkind not reclaim their dominion over the earth?"
"You flatter me."
Cassius replied with calm humility.
Internally, he marveled at how, with just a few words, Tiamat had reframed the Ember Kingdom—or rather, the empire—as shared property of the chromatic dragons.
Politely, he responded, "My kingdom is far from comparable to your grand achievements."
His words subtly separated the two concepts once again.
Tiamat's projection in the sky showed no discernible emotion, but her eyes narrowed slightly. "Cassius, you need a coronation ceremony that is formal and grand enough."
"For instance, one personally officiated by a god."
This seemingly tempting suggestion received no immediate reply from Cassius, who only nodded slightly, lowering his head in contemplation.
In reality, he was waiting—waiting for a particular guest to arrive.
Suddenly, a cold northern wind began to howl.
Tiamat's expression changed dramatically.
The crowd looked up again to see azure light shimmering like midsummer skies on the horizon, and a slender, platinum dragon figure appeared in the sky.
"Is that…"
"Bahamut?"
Silver dragons Olivia and Kruzray both gasped in amazement, their spirits visibly lifted.
Olivia was especially elated, already imagining Cassius reforming his ways and pledging himself to Bahamut.
The blue dragons' expressions turned utterly complicated.
The crowd stared in stunned silence, overwhelmed by the sight of the legendary "Queen of Chromatic Dragons" and the "Platinum Dragon King" appearing together at this ceremony.
People from across Feanso deeply understood the significance of this dragon.
"Good day, Your Majesty Bahamut."
Even evil dragons often showed respect for Bahamut's wisdom and power, and Cassius was no exception.
Tiamat roared furiously:
"Bahamut! My progeny has already defeated your chosen one—how dare you show yourself here!"
Bahamut's tone remained calm: "I rejoice for any dragon with potential, so long as they are willing to mend their ways."
"Nonsense!"
The two deities' mighty auras clashed in the sky, creating intense turbulence that caused clouds to churn and lightning to crackle.
Cassius gazed up at the chaotic spectacle above, his expression unperturbed.
Months earlier, when he cleansed the gem of Bahamut's lingering aura, he had also sent a message—an invitation.
The Platinum Dragon King had understood and arrived as promised. Perhaps he wasn't truly intent on converting Cassius but rather sought to antagonize Tiamat—and that was enough.
The older and mightier a dragon was, the more they understood the true nature of these dragon gods. The oldest dragons rarely obeyed them blindly.
Cassius did not want to become Tiamat's pawn, nor did he wish to be entirely under the Dragon Queen's control. He aimed to navigate between factions and extract the maximum benefits for his empire.
However, due to his past defeat of a silver dragon and Tiamat's deliberate narrative, more and more people across the continent viewed him as Tiamat's chosen or even her offspring.
He wanted to avoid this perception.
When his strength was insufficient, Cassius might have borrowed Tiamat's authority to intimidate enemies.
Now, with his power firmly established, such an identity would only bring more adversaries and complications.
Especially considering Tiamat's stingy nature—she rarely granted blessings and sought only to use her followers to achieve her aims.
The sky roiled with clouds, and thunder rumbled. Even the projections of these two deities brought unimaginable pressure.
On the ground, blue dragons and silver dragons tensed, muscles coiled, ready to clash at any moment.
Amid the tense atmosphere, Cassius finally spoke, breaking the stalemate.
"To be crowned in the presence of both Your Majesties…"
He paused slightly.
Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands, the Red Dragon strode toward the metal chest, extended his claw without hesitation, and swiftly placed the crown atop his head.
"…is my greatest honor."
At that moment, Cassius's voice was particularly steady.
The presence of these two deities elevated the prestige of the Ember Empire to its zenith.
In truth, long before this coronation, Cassius had resolved that as the emperor of the newly born Ember Empire, the supreme ruler, he needed no one—not even a god—to crown him.