Chapter 713: Swapped Identities
When the [Holy Sun] lit up the sky, the brilliance around Wilhelm suddenly dimmed.
His wings ignited with black flames, his irises faded into vertical pupils of sulfur flow, and even the halo behind him twisted into a crimson inverted pentagram sigil.
"No, no—what did you do to me?!"
Wilhelm writhed in the air, breathing raggedly, crying out in pain. Even the once-harmonious sacred hymn twisted into a wail of lost souls.
Zariel's voice echoed in his mind: "Come now, Your Majesty Wilhelm, embrace the power of Hell, accept your new self—"
"Stop lying to yourself. The Sun is dead. In Avernus, you shall find eternal life!"
As the radiance intensified, Wilhelm's entire body began to burn. Cracks and wounds opened everywhere on his skin, as if gnawed by ravenous beasts, oozing pitch-black tar.
That was Hell's darkness devouring the last remnants of his divinity.
"Shrrrk—"
Under Hell's corruption, all six wings behind him snapped and were consumed by black mist. Burning feathers scattered from the sky before gently falling.
In the end, all that remained was a cloud of black fog. Inside it, a grotesque silhouette and twisted limbs loomed, terrifying in their obscurity, pierced with soul-shrieks and beastly roars.
Cassius looked at the darkness-covered Wilhelm and spoke loudly: "Look, people of the Kingdom of Thrace.
Wilhelm raised the banner of the Eternal Light and called himself 'Angel King' and 'Emperor of Fadlan', but his actions were the lowest, filthiest, most evil imaginable!
Now that I've torn away his radiant mask, you should understand—that is your king. A devil who pledged himself to Baator, a pathetic fallen one, a tyrant who sacrifices his people's souls!"
Cassius' tone grew more impassioned, rising and falling with rhythm. Backlit by the [Holy Sun], his whole body radiated sacred light. His scales gleamed as if he were a true angel delivering judgment.
At this moment, justice and evil seemed reversed, leaving everyone dazed and confused.
"Oh gods..."
"Amanata above... His Majesty Wilhelm... he's really fallen into Hell!"
"To think the once Angel King has become this..."
The Thracians looked up at the sky, at the majestic red dragon and then at the monster shrouded in black mist. In their hearts, they now believed everything Cassius had said.
So it was the Ember Emperor who had been chosen by the Sun God—not a man, but a dragon. And their king Wilhelm had become a monster of Hell!
That thought shook the hearts of the Thracians.
Now that Wilhelm's disguise had been ripped away, should they truly die in service to a tyrant who sacrifices souls?
Once they believed dying for Thrace would earn them paradise—but now? Would they fall into Hell and become demon feed?
"No, he's lying! That red dragon is deceiving you all!
I am still the same Wilhelm! I am still the rightful heir to the throne! I will lead you to restore Holy Fadlan!" came the hoarse roar from the black mist.
That fog had expanded to over a kilometer wide, pulsing like the womb of Hell, as if birthing some unspeakable horror.
"Rooaar—"
The black mist parted. Wilhelm stood again from the viscous darkness.
From his severed wings sprouted bony devil wings. Spikes emerged from his spine. His once flawless form stretched, thinned, twisted, now over fifty meters tall.
The power of Original Sin coiled around his form—Pride became a crown of thorns; Envy turned into venomous vines; Wrath forged the molten spear in his hand.
At last, Wilhelm had fully abandoned the Sun God and his angel-blooded identity, becoming a true archdevil—Hell's apostle.
The moment he fell completely—roses in August withered, thorns turned into serpents; the Sun Doves' feathers were stained with blood, their coos became Hell's ravens' cries; blood condensed in the sky, forming crimson clouds that blotted out the sun.
Witnessing this, every Thracian felt a deep, instinctive terror.
Dayev looked up at the monster—no, the devil—in the sky. His expression grew more complex. After a long silence, he murmured: "Farewell... Your Majesty Wilhelm."
In his heart, the king he once followed had already died. What remained was a creature from Hell.
When Dayev looked at him again, his eyes were full of hostility and vigilance.
Suddenly, his expression changed. Something struck him. He muttered: "No... the refugees inside August City..."
Determined, Dayev drew his longsword and leapt from the city wall, rushing toward the heart of August.
Meanwhile, Cassius observed the newly reborn archdevil with interest and muttered, "A fallen angel-blood? Now this is getting interesting."
[Fallen Monarch – Wilhelm]
Challenge Rating: 29
A few years ago, this [Fallen Monarch] might have been a formidable enemy. But to the current Cassius, he was merely a mildly troublesome mob.
Couldn't even break into Tier 30—what right did he have to act arrogant?
In Cassius' eyes, Wilhelm wasn't the true enemy. The real threat was the archdevil lurking behind him, scheming to drag all of August into Hell—Zariel.
"Wonderful, wonderful! With this power, I'll kill the red dragon and reclaim Holy Fadlan!"
Wilhelm laughed maniacally, drunk on the infernal power coursing through him, oblivious to the terrified, astonished gazes of the people.
But soon he looked down—and saw that his hands had become jagged claws, his once smooth skin now molten and cracked.
"No! What have I become? This... this isn't me! I was perfect! I am the Sun God's child!"
Shock gave way to disbelief, then to utter rage and madness.
He beat his six tattered wings, stirring hurricane winds. A bloody light filled the sky around him.
"You! You!!"
Wilhelm glared at the red dragon, his black eyes burning with infernal fire. "Red dragon! You stole everything from me! You made me into this!
I'll make you pay! I'll destroy your empire! I want to hear your soul scream in Hell!"
Cassius hovered above the [Holy Sun], gazing down like a judge about to deliver a death sentence.
"How pathetic. Did I put a gun to your head and force you to sign a pact with that lunatic Zariel?
You brought this on yourself—drunk on power, consumed by greed, and this is your reward."
Cassius' mockery stabbed into Wilhelm's heart like a blade—but every word was true.
In Cassius' memories from the previous timeline, Wilhelm also signed a pact with Hell to gain immortality and keep his power. Many players had uncovered the signs.
Only in that timeline, the Ember Empire didn't exist. Wilhelm maintained his facade and continued his nominal rule as King of Thrace in the War of the Blazing Kings.
Exposed without mercy by Cassius, Wilhelm shrieked in rage.
"Cassius! I'll kill you!!"
Wilhelm flapped his six ragged wings, summoning a bloodstorm that swept across the sky.
Then he turned into a shadowy black blur, streaking through the air with hellish mist and seething hatred, diving toward the red dragon above.
Instantly, soul-shattering screams echoed through the sky!
"Who gave you the guts—to try close-quarters with a red dragon?" Cassius shook his head, chuckling, calm and composed.
"Shwoosh—"
[Holy Sun] lit up again, unleashing a flood of divine light that vaporized the black mist and lit up Wilhelm's gaunt form, setting him aflame and writhing in agony.
Cassius cast a tide of True Dragon Sorcerer spells, stacking numerous buffs on himself. His strength, durability, and speed soared.
The sixty-meter-long red dragon flapped his wings, covering over a thousand meters in a blink, accompanied by a sonic boom, arriving above Wilhelm.
His broad wings cast a shadow that completely engulfed him.
Wilhelm saw darkness fall, looked up in terror, and croaked, "He... he's just a red dragon... how is he so fast?"
But Cassius gave him no chance to breathe.
The red dragon spun rapidly in the sky, glided downward, then dived with unstoppable force. He grabbed both of Wilhelm's bat wings with ease—like an eagle seizing a chick.
Wilhelm roared, "Damn reptile! I'm far stronger now! I'm Hell's apostle!"
He thrashed wildly, trying to flap his wings. Infernal fire poured from his eyes and mouth. He thrust his corrupted spiral spear at the red dragon's heart.
But Cassius didn't dodge. The fire washed over him harmlessly, like bathing steam.
As a descendant of the Azudai red dragons—noble among elemental bloodlines—unless it came from a prince of flame itself, fire couldn't harm Cassius. Not even hellfire.
The red dragon caught the thrusting spear with one claw.
"Die! Die, you arrogant lizard! I'll make you—"
Wilhelm's hands trembled as he glared at his enemy up close—yet the spear didn't budge an inch.
Only now did he realize he had gravely underestimated this red dragon.
This was the same red dragon who had driven out Gruumsh's avatar from the material plane! Even with Hell's aid, Wilhelm was no match.
Now he knew—Zariel's promises were mostly lies!
Cassius met his eyes and grinned fiercely. "This is the Hell power you were counting on to beat me? Pathetic."
He flexed. Muscles bulged on his arm, veins pulsed, steam hissed between his scales. Even the space around his hand cracked and cried out.
Then divine solar power surged. His claw was bathed in golden light. His grip grew even stronger.
The spiral spear in his claw trembled violently, then with a crisp "crack," it snapped apart.
"Boom!"
A shockwave burst outward. Shards of rare metals—adamantine, meteoric iron—rained upon the land.
The semi-artifact-grade [Spear of Final Judgment]—a weapon passed down for centuries in Thrace, symbol of the angel-blooded—was broken by Cassius' single claw!
Immediately, Cassius stomped on Wilhelm's back. His right claw sliced into flesh and bone, seizing the archdevil's spine.
The red dragon flared his wings. Crimson flames erupted. He hauled the archdevil skyward—ten thousand meters high.
"Look, Wilhelm—this city was once yours. Such rich lands. And you ruined them.
Don't worry. After I kill you, I'll take care of this place. I might even fulfill your dream—of unifying Holy Fadlan.
What do you say? Surprised?" Cassius said mockingly.
Wilhelm thrashed and screamed, "No! You can't kill me! I'm the chosen one! Only I—"
"Boom!"
His words were lost in a sonic blast. Cassius tucked his wings and dove from ten thousand meters like a meteor.
They broke the sound barrier. Air turned to blades, slicing Wilhelm's body to ribbons.
Friction ignited brilliance. Crimson flame cloaked the red dragon, dyeing half the sky red.
"You can't kill me... The Sun God... He won't forgive you..." Wilhelm croaked.
Cassius laughed: "The Sun God? You still think you're an angel-blood? Even if He awakened, He'd destroy you on sight."
"No... impossible..."
Wilhelm tried to argue, but despair drowned his voice.
He knew—even gods couldn't forgive the sins he'd committed.
Before the eyes of over a million witnesses, the red dragon carried the devil like a meteor, plummeting toward the wasteland.
And now—it was Cassius who stood radiant in light as the true avatar of justice, while Wilhelm was nothing more than a monstrous shadow.