Chapter 463: Decapitation
"Swoosh—"
The red dragon twisted his body, narrowly evading the scimitar's swing. In an instant, he reversed direction, swinging his muscular tail heavily toward his opponent's face.
The air tore apart once more.
Cassius's tail, lined with bone spikes, struck the fire elemental squarely on the face, distorting his features.
Magma-like scorching blood splattered everywhere.
"Argh!"
"I'll kill you!"
With a crisp crack, the fire elemental was sent flying back dozens of meters, wailing in pain.
The fire elemental crashed outside the cloud cover, leaving only swirling gray smoke around him.
"Huff, huff."
Cassius concealed himself in the smoke, breathing heavily as he thought to himself, "This is getting tricky."
His chest and back now had several deep gashes, dozens of tough scales were shattered, and a significant tear had appeared on the membrane of his left wing.
The fire elemental truly lived up to its title as the natural ruler of the Fire Elemental Plane.
After unleashing the power bestowed by the Grand Sultan, this fire elemental's size nearly rivaled his own—perhaps even slightly surpassing it.
Additionally, the planar energy granted Ismail overwhelming strength, giving him the advantage in their power struggle.
Every time Cassius made contact with the fire elemental's massive body, he felt a repelling force emanating from the plane itself.
While Cassius was a true dragon and a master of fire magic, he wasn't a native of the Fire Elemental Plane.
In other words, Cassius couldn't draw much strength from the environment, but the fire elemental could receive aid from the plane itself.
Divine-like power.
Cassius confirmed this once again.
In Erezaghe, the gap between gods and mortals was massive, nearly insurmountable—a difference in the fundamental essence of their existence.
No matter how powerful a mortal was, they remained an individual entity within the vast cosmos.
But gods were different. Their power was tied to "authority," allowing them to manipulate forces several magnitudes greater than those available to mortals.
Ismail's displayed strength wasn't at the level of true godhood but shared a similar nature.
"So this is the Grand Sultan's trump card, huh?"
Cassius's eyes narrowed as he observed the distant fire elemental through the smoke, a gleam of intrigue flickering in his golden pupils.
"Well then—"
"Let's see just how far you can go in this fight!"
The red dragon raised his head and let out a thunderous roar before spreading his wings and diving into the swirling smoke, vanishing from sight.
"Die, you cowardly snake! I can see you!"
"Whoosh—"
Trusting his warrior instincts and planar senses, Ismail hurled a spear, but Cassius evaded it with a swift maneuver midair.
The spear barely grazed Cassius's underbelly, producing a sonic boom as it ripped through the air.
Cassius soared upward and suddenly swooped down from behind, sinking his jaws filled with dagger-sized teeth into the fire elemental.
"Rip."
The sound of flesh being torn apart.
A panicked roar followed, accompanied by anguished howls.
"Argh!"
"You despicable lizard! You sneaky, shameless attacker!"
Acting on instinct, Ismail grabbed at Cassius's head, struggling to pull him over his shoulder.
He clutched his brass scimitar in the other hand, slashing backward, but the awkward angle made it difficult to exert full force.
The blade clanged against Cassius's hard scales, producing metallic ringing sounds.
But Cassius wasn't about to let go.
He bit down harder, his sharp teeth sinking deeper into the fire elemental's flesh—even breaking a few teeth in the process due to Ismail's violent thrashing.
Cassius wrapped his muscular arms around Ismail's shoulders, locking him in place and preventing him from using his full strength.
His powerful hind legs kicked up, claws digging into the fire elemental's body, tearing through flesh and causing blood to gush.
Previously, Cassius rarely used such grappling techniques—his size made it impractical.
Most of the time, he fought enemies small enough to fit under his claws.
But now, facing a fire elemental nearly 40 meters tall, Cassius could finally indulge in the thrill of hand-to-hand combat.
"Aaahhh—"
"Let me go, you damned lizard!"
Ismail broke free of the hold on his arms and let out a furious roar.
But Cassius's forelimbs remained latched onto his back, and his bite only tightened.
As a "ruler" of the Fire Elemental Plane, the surrounding flames surged into Ismail's body, visibly healing his wounds.
Cassius bit deeper, but Ismail's neck wounds continued to regenerate in a bizarre cycle.
But soon, Ismail felt an icy chill creeping along the back of his neck.
Alarm bells went off in his mind, filling him with unprecedented tension and fear.
What was the red dragon planning?!
In his past life, Cassius had often wondered—why didn't dragons use their breath attacks while grappling enemies?
Now, he intended to test this novel approach.
It was a 9th-tier spell—
[Frozen Icefall]
Though cold-based magic was heavily suppressed in the Fire Elemental Plane, Cassius didn't believe it would be entirely ineffective at such close range.
A blast of extreme cold surged out, nearly freezing the fire elemental's back solid.
"No—"
"You're desecrating the Fire Lord!"
Sparks erupted from Ismail's eyes. He knew he had to give it his all!
Otherwise, the frost could freeze him completely—or worse, destroy him.
"Red dragon! Get off me!"
He roared, flexing his muscles as he activated the golden rings embedded in his flesh.
Drawing upon the Grand Sultan's power—or more accurately, the plane's core essence—he unleashed its gift.
"Boom!"
Blazing flames engulfed him, causing the surrounding space to tremble violently.
Waves of searing red energy pulsed outward, piercing through Cassius's body.
A transparent crimson sphere encased both the fire elemental and the red dragon.
Cassius felt an immense repelling force; every scale and tooth on his body was being rejected and destroyed by this energy.
"This power... is dangerous. Staying within this affected zone will be disastrous!"
"Roar—"
Without hesitation, Cassius released his bite and claws, letting out a low growl as he flapped his wings and rapidly ascended like a ghost.
But Ismail turned around, glaring at the airborne red dragon, his eyes shooting out orange-red fire beams.
"Boom—"
The fire beams surged toward Cassius, followed by massive fiery hands forming from raging tongues of flame, grasping at the red dragon from all directions.
Cassius was still within the crimson sphere!
The plane's primal fire entwined around his body and wings, slowing his movements.
But for Ismail, this was all he needed.
The enraged fire elemental Pasha let out a triumphant roar, his twisted smile suggesting victory was near.
"Red dragon! I told you, you're strong, but—"
"No one can defeat a fire elemental Pasha in this plane! Your head is already mine!"
"You seem familiar with magic, but have you seen this before?!"
Ismail leapt high, gripping his glowing brass scimitar with both hands. The weapon's inscriptions lit up ominously.
"Swoosh—"
This was Ismail's ultimate trump card.
[Beheading Blade]
Cassius's pupils contracted.
The Beheading Blade—legendary in his past life.
Once activated, if the target couldn't move, the weapon would ensure decapitation and instant death.
Ismail's Beheading Blade, likely a gift from the Grand Sultan, could only be countered by beings with the [Immortal] trait.
Cassius, trapped for five seconds by the plane's energy, wouldn't have time to escape before the blade struck.
But Cassius's lips curled into a smirk, eyes glinting with amusement.
"So, this is your trump card."
As Ismail closed in, his scimitar inches away from the red dragon's neck, Cassius remained calm, without a hint of panic.
Ismail noticed this but dismissed it as despair in the face of certain death.
"Red dragon! Your head is mine!"
"Remember my name—the great fire elemental Pasha, Ismail Enver!"
"Die!"
A thunderous roar, a space-tearing slash, and a sea of fire—a grand funeral worthy of respect for any mighty being.
But amidst the chaos, a faint, crisp "click" echoed.
"Swoosh—"
The next moment, a massive head tumbled from the sky, its face frozen in ecstatic triumph.
But it wasn't the red dragon's head—it was the fire elemental Pasha's.
Cassius held the blood-soaked brass scimitar in his claw, toying with it casually.
Scalding blood splattered across his red scales, blending in seamlessly, but Cassius grinned, revealing a cruel smile.
"Thanks, Ismail Enver Pasha. I was just wondering how to kill you."
Cassius had many ways to kill Ismail—Chaos Breath was one option.
But he chose the most reliable method.
The process was simple: using the ancient Time Dragon's gifted watch, he cast the 9th-tier spell [Time Stop], escaping the plane's restraints and stealing the brass scimitar.
Then, he leisurely flew behind Ismail and prepared himself.
The moment time resumed, he swung the scimitar.
Decapitation!
The red dragon swung.
The scene looked odd, but it worked—the fire elemental Pasha's head was severed.
Ismail's planar energy could block most spells, including those from dragon sorcerers, but not divine-like power—such as the runes inscribed by the ancient Time Dragon.
"Boom—"
As if mourning the Pasha's death, the Fire Elemental Plane groaned, steam clouds gathered, and gray ash rained down.
"By the Fire Lord..."
"The Pasha..."
"Is dead."
The elemental creatures, trembling from the battle's intensity, peeked out in disbelief, witnessing their Pasha's downfall.
"Long live Emperor Cassius!"
"The great red dragon is invincible!"
The imperial soldiers had expected this outcome, and their triumphant shouts filled the battlefield as cheers erupted across the Ember Empire's ranks.
The massive body of the fire elemental Pasha slowly fell, scattering ash and flame as it disintegrated into its purest form—an elemental essence.
"What a prize."
Cassius's golden eyes gleamed with greed as he eagerly flapped his wings, diving toward the Pasha's remains.
"Cassius!"
"Cassius!"
The voice boomed like thunder across the burning plains, echoing endlessly.
It was vast, powerful, and filled with rage.
"I know you!"
"You dare kill a Pasha in my domain?!"
Cassius's expression grew serious.
He knew the voice's source—the true ruler of this nation, the pinnacle of the plane, and a being of divine-like power: the Grand Sultan of the fire elementals.