Chapter 468: The Holy Flame Prince
The red dragon spread his wings, accompanied by the roar of fierce winds, his crimson figure streaking across the sky like a comet.
Cassius gazed down at the scorching, magma-filled ground below.
"Finally arrived."
"Since I'm already here in the fire elemental plane, I might as well witness the legendary Brass City and the Burning War."
Billowing steam clouds churned over the blazing ground, rivers of fire and molten rock flowing across the deformed, jagged terrain. Sometimes, these lava rivers cascaded over cliffs, creating massive, spectacular firefalls.
The land was perpetually bathed in brilliance, with the ground, air, buildings, and even some local inhabitants constantly emitting flames.
But what obstructed visibility wasn't the brightness, but the heat and constantly rising smoke. The hot air created shimmering waves, turning distant landscapes into mirages while concealing the actual surroundings.
This was the heart of the entire fire elemental plane, the hottest and most reactive area, known by locals as the "Heart of Flame."
In the distance, a magnificent city loomed—situated atop a 40-mile-diameter brass dome, floating above a fissured obsidian continent at the plane's core.
Rivers of fire and burning basalt steps led to the city's heavily guarded gates.
Within the city, visibility was normal, and the plane's harsh natural environment was suppressed by the Sultan's will.
This was Brass City, home and capital of the fire elementals. It was the most renowned location within the fire elemental plane and the most likely place for travelers from the Material Plane to visit.
At the city's center stood its tallest tower and largest fountain of fire. Here was the Sultan's Burning Palace, where he ruled over all fire elementals from the Charcoal Throne.
It was said that within this palace lay countless marvels and treasures looted by the fire elementals over millennia. But no one had ever successfully stolen even a single gold coin, as all uninvited guests were reduced to ashes by the Sultan's wrath.
At present, Brass City was anything but peaceful.
Thousands of fire elemental warriors clad in brass armor stood atop the city walls, armed with scimitars and spears, manning massive flame ballistae, ready for battle.
Outside the gates was a ragtag army comprising hundreds of thousands of fire lizard slaves, thousands of flame drakes, and dozens of multi-headed fire serpents.
Also present were devilish legions emerging from portals, accompanied by fire elemental elders, magma generals, and ash dukes—all summoned by Evil Flame Prince Imix.
Towering over ten meters tall, a red-skinned fire elemental Pasha raised his scimitar, a symbol of glory, and shouted commands.
The roars of these wicked fire elemental creatures echoed across the battlefield: "For the Fire elemental Empire!" "For the Sultan!" "Offer sacrifices to the Flame Primordial!"
On the opposing side, across the fissured obsidian plain, stood the rebel army resisting the fire elementals' rule—the Holy Flame Legion.
The legion's composition was highly diverse, including freed slaves of fire dwarves, humans, and elves, as well as angelic warriors, armored celestial servants, and elemental nobles who followed benevolent fire lords.
The most dazzling presence stood atop the obsidian peak—a figure known as the legendary benevolent fire elemental lord, revered as the "Holy Flame Prince," "The Rekindled Ember," and "The Unquenchable Fire of Rebellion," Zaman Ruhl.
This elemental lord had a towering and majestic physique, standing over ten meters tall, resembling a spirited young elemental-blooded man.
His eyes blazed with intense light, and his hair and beard were burning flames.
Zaman Ruhl stood atop the peak, planting his spear into the ground, glaring fiercely at the fire elementals enslaving the people of the fire elemental plane.
The spear's razor-sharp tip gleamed under the firelight, with faint traces of blood that radiated a destructive aura.
This was the fabled "Holy Flame Spear," the weapon that had pierced the Sultan's chest months ago.
As a fire elemental lord, even as a being inclined toward good, Zaman Ruhl still embodied fire's dangerous traits: impulsiveness, violence, and a burning desire to consume all.
His eyes burned with unquenchable flames of vengeance, directed toward all evil beings, particularly Imix, the Evil Flame Prince.
Zaman Ruhl's feud with Imix dated back to his birth—because he was the offspring of Imix and Bresia Per, the "Princess of Eternal Flame."
Bresia Per had once been the fire elemental lord but was murdered during the Chaos and Order War millennia ago.
Since then, Zaman Ruhl had inherited his mother's will, dedicating himself to defeating Imix and restoring order and goodness to the fire elemental plane.
Decades ago, Karsus noticed Imix and the Sultan's schemes and bestowed more power upon Zaman, igniting the grand Burning War.
Good-aligned forces gathered around him, even attracting an ancient gold dragon from Mount Celestia as an ally.
Cassius flapped his wings, halting midair several miles from Brass City, using his Skycalamity Dragon Eyes to observe the scene.
He saw a battlefield teeming with dense clusters of light, each like a blazing star.
"So this is the 'Holy Flame Prince' Zaman Ruhl. Truly worthy of being the fire elemental lord of the good-aligned faction."
"What terrifying power."
"That body of his is like a walking volcano, filled with explosive energy."
Cassius evaluated with awe.
[Holy Flame Prince - Zaman Ruhl]
Challenge Rating: ???
The fact that Cassius couldn't gauge his overall strength indicated that Zaman Ruhl's challenge rating had surpassed level 30, marking him as a pseudo-divine entity.
Even by instinct, the red dragon could sense the violent, scorching fire element far surpassing his own elemental mastery.
On the obsidian slope were powerful allies from the good-aligned faction, including the ancient gold dragon, celestial servants, and supreme celestials, several of whom rivaled Cassius in strength.
The fire elementals' side wasn't lacking either, with archdevils and noble elemental lords under Imix holding formidable power.
Cassius' expression turned serious.
With such opponents, the Fire elemental Sultan's strength was likely greater than anticipated. Thankfully, the Sultan was severely injured, and they hadn't reached the point of a death feud.
Observing both sides of the battlefield, Cassius couldn't help but marvel.
"What an impressive lineup. Karsus' handiwork, indeed. If I threw the current imperial legion into this battle, they'd barely make a ripple."
"Wait—"
Suddenly, Cassius felt several dangerously intense gazes lock onto him, causing his breathing to quicken and his massive heart to pound.
"This isn't good."
"They've noticed me! No, it's not just them!"
He realized that the attention wasn't only coming from the obsidian peak—it was also emanating from within Brass City itself.