Chapter 464: Resurrection and Seizure
"Stop——"
The fire elemental Great Sultan's thunderous roar shook the heavens, scattering ashes and sparks across the air, leaving the native inhabitants of the fire elemental plane trembling with fear.
The Great Sultan, a name of legend, ruler of this land for millennia.
Almost godlike.
This is the place the fire elemental Great Sultan held in their hearts.
But Cassius ignored all of this, folding his wings tightly as he dove downward, accelerating toward the remains of the fire elemental.
"Damn you, reckless red dragon!"
Another roar of anger burst forth.
The flames and smoke in the air swirled, spinning rapidly until they gathered into a massive humanoid figure, towering hundreds of meters tall.
The crimson giant stood upon the earth, crowned with a heavy headdress, clad in gold-threaded robes, holding a staff symbolizing the authority of his kingdom.
Behind him was a sea of flames, roaring clouds, and rolling ash.
This was the greatest ruler of the fire elemental plane, master of the Brass City—the fire elemental Great Sultan.
Noble, powerful.
These two words emerged in everyone's minds, making their spirits tremble.
"Oh, Fire Lord..."
But they failed to notice the way the Great Sultan's body flickered, appearing somewhat illusory.
Witnessing this awe-inspiring scene, Cassius didn't slow down. Instead, he sneered and mocked mercilessly:
"Great Sultan, did you really think a mere projection would scare me off?"
"Have you truly deluded yourself into thinking you're a god?"
"You——"
The colossal crimson giant's eyes blazed with fury, his immense face twisting in rage.
How dare he!
How dare this red dragon humiliate him to his face!
Cassius' words had struck a nerve.
Becoming a god—a dream the Great Sultan had chased for millennia, yet never achieved.
Taking advantage of the Great Sultan's brief moment of shock, Cassius closed the distance to Ismail's corpse.
The red dragon opened his mouth, summoning a swirling vortex of magic, drawing everything around him inward.
[Dragon's Absorption]
Devouring Ismail's essence right in front of the Great Sultan was a deeper provocation, almost like a slap to his face.
This was a fire elemental Pasha, each one personally cultivated by the Great Sultan, a crucial pillar of the fire elemental empire.
They were vessels of power the Great Sultan cherished, connected to his pseudo-divine strength.
"How dare you——"
The Sultan roared again but didn't hesitate. He extended his hand toward Ismail's remains.
"I wish for Ismail Enver's resurrection!"
The Sultan's voice rang out.
Immediately, radiant light enveloped Ismail's body, surging with immense power and warping space.
The fire elements, ashes, and smoke that had separated from the fire elemental's body reversed their flow as if time itself had been rewound, gradually filling in the gaps of his corpse.
According to the laws of the plane, the most powerful giants were granted three Wish spells, though these could only be used on non-giant beings.
But the Sultan's power had surpassed the limitations of planar rules.
He twisted the contract between the elemental plane and the giants, allowing the Wish spell to take effect on Ismail, resurrecting him through the miracle of magic!
"A Wish spell?"
Cassius slightly furrowed his ridged brow, the golden glow of his eyes reflecting the spell's dazzling radiance.
But soon, greed overshadowed that glow.
"Even that won't stop me!"
The vortex of magic in his mouth became more turbulent, the suction force growing stronger, surpassing the pinnacle of ninth-circle spells—like a black hole.
[Metamagic: Empowered Spell]
The overwhelming force tugged at Ismail's nearly restored body, pulling it apart again as it drifted toward the red dragon.
"Stop!"
"Arrogant red dragon!"
The Sultan raised his illusory staff, waving it across the fiery orange sky of the elemental plane.
"Boom!"
Hundreds of flaming chains shot into the sky, aiming to bind Cassius where he hovered.
But dark red flames coiled around Cassius, his crown glowing with radiant white light.
Chaos Flame!
Bahamut's Light of Order!
The powers of two dragon gods surged through Cassius, allowing him to remain calm while resisting the pseudo-divine interference.
"Damn it, divine power!"
"And from two different sources! What exactly is this guy——"
The Sultan's face darkened. He swung his staff violently, drawing arcs in the air and unleashing even more power.
Under the Sultan's influence, the entire fire elemental plane trembled violently.
Tens of thousands of flaming chains surged toward Cassius, only to be repelled by the divine flames and light surrounding him.
"Swoosh——"
Under the effect of the Wish spell, Ismail's resurrection was nearly complete.
But in the final moment, Cassius lunged forward, biting off a large chunk of the essence containing the core power of the fire elemental plane.
"No——"
"You can't do this!"
The Sultan trembled with rage.
If his true body had been present, he could have easily shattered the lingering divine barriers and killed the red dragon.
But this was just a projection. All he could do was watch helplessly.
The core he had nurtured for millennia, one of the foundations for his ascension—devoured in a single bite by the red dragon.
Cassius felt the immense elemental energy surging through him, filling him with ecstasy.
The energy was so vast and potent that it made him feel almost "overstuffed."
His powerful heart thumped, pumping the energy throughout his entire body.
More importantly, he felt a new connection to the fire elemental plane—a sensation similar to when he first acquired [Domain of the Kingdom].
His status screen lit up with new notifications.
[You have devoured the essence of Fire elemental Pasha Ismail Enver!]
[You have gained the core power of the fire elemental plane.]
[You have acquired the trait [Elemental Master], granting you a tiny fragment of authority over the inner plane—Fire Elemental Plane. Your mastery of fire elements has reached new heights.]
[Your breath attack's power, range, and control have significantly improved.]
[As an Elemental Master, you automatically gain access to most fire-related spells on the general sorcerer spell list.]
[You have gained access to [Meteor Swarm][Summon Fire Elemental Colossus][Sunburst][Firestorm][Delayed Blast Fireball][Cleansing Flames][Scorching Brand].]
A flood of spell knowledge rushed into Cassius' mind.
"This power is incredible. If I could devour all of Ismail, could I ascend to even greater heights?"
High on the surge of power, Cassius entertained this thought.
The greedy red dragon summoned another spell vortex, once again casting Dragon's Absorption—he wanted to consume every last bit of Ismail's power!
However, the light surrounding the corpse grew more radiant, while flames and ash gathered more densely.
"Swoosh——"
The Wish spell finally completed.
Ismail appeared intact in mid-air, still wearing a bewildered expression.
"I... How did I die?"
He touched his head, crying out in disbelief.