ROOOOAAAR!!!

The five bone Dragons opened their massive jaws. Eerie blue icy flames swirled like a vortex inside each mouth, condensing rapidly. Then, five terrifying frost breaths blasted out. They twisted together mid-air, merging into an unstoppable torrent of dragon breath.

In an instant, it engulfed Kuber, who stood floating in the sky.

"Hmph. All that showboating, and this is all you are?"

"Right. Now, let’s turn this city into a graveyard."

"Exactly. Avenge our Lich King!"

The three liches, certain Kuber couldn’t survive the blast, turned away. They prepared to command their skeleton army to advance—when a calm voice cut through the air.

"Is that all?"

Above where Kuber had stood, the frosty mist cleared. A small figure reappeared in everyone’s sight.

"W-What?! Impossible!"

"Who are you?!"

The liches couldn’t believe their eyes. Someone had taken five direct frost breaths unscathed! It defied reason—it was an insult to magic itself!

Kuber hovered in the sky, looking like a demon god. Scorching flames coiled around his body, forming a magnificent armor of fire. Even his short black hair had transformed into flickering flames. His handsome face now seemed eerily alluring. Yet, his eyes were icy cold, utterly devoid of emotion—sending chills down the liches’ spines.

In his hand, he gripped a longsword blazing with crimson fire: the very blade that had slain the Lich King, the Flaming Sword [Flame Demon’s Ravage].

"Watch closely. One strike is all it takes."

Kuber raised the sword gently. With a single swing toward the bone Dragons, a crescent-shaped wave of flame slashed across the sky. It passed through their bodies. Instantly, the Dragons froze mid-air. The eerie blue flames in their eye sockets flickered out.

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

The five bone Dragons shattered into fragments. A rain of bones poured down outside the city walls.

"Any last words?"

Kuber didn’t pause after slaughtering the Dragons. He raised his sword again. To the liches, he now looked like the Grim Reaper, scythe raised to harvest souls.

"W-Wait! We surrender!"

"We were wrong! Spare us, great one!"

"We’ll serve you! Please, show mercy!"

The arrogant liches lost all courage. They dropped to their knees, groveling desperately. They’d regretted attacking this city the moment they saw Kuber’s power. Survival was all that mattered now.

But only despair awaited them.

"No."

What use are worthless liches? Can you even sell them?

Kuber swung his sword without mercy. This time, the blade struck the ground before the city walls.

Everyone thought he’d missed—until a colossal wave of fire erupted from the impact. It swallowed the skeleton army and the liches atop their bone elephants. More fiery waves surged, rolling endlessly.

"Holy shit!"

That was the liches’ final thought.

On the city walls, everyone stared in stunned silence as the arrogant liches and their army turned to ash in the inferno. Not a single bone remained. Then, someone shouted: "Flame Emperor!"

The walls erupted. Voices roared as one:

"Flame Emperor! Flame Emperor! Flame Emperor!"

"Flame Emperor! Flame Emperor! Flame Emperor!"

From that day on, the legend of the "Flame Emperor"—who wiped out a million liches with a single sword stroke—spread through the city.