Chapter 144: The Voice of Night (Part Three)

Chapter 144: The Voice of Night (Part Three)

At this critical moment, a strange glint appeared in Cassius's golden eyes.

"No."

"Perhaps... there's one way."

Even as a living shadow immune to most attacks, the shadow dragon could not evade psychic damage. This was Cassius's only viable strategy.

With this realization, Cassius roared without hesitation:

"Vile shadow dragon!"

"Tiamat is watching this!"

Mortifer laughed openly. "The Queen's favored? Every red dragon claims such a title. It seems arrogance is a universal trait among red dragons—you are no exception."

His voice turned icy.

"Abandon your pitiful mortal pride, embrace the great transformation, and surrender to the endless shadows!"

"I shall grant you immortality."

Mortifer continued his transformation unabated.

The surrounding space trembled violently—the wails of the planar fabric's resistance echoed. The Material Plane instinctively rejected the shadow's invasion, but under Mortifer's powerful magic, even spatial laws were temporarily subdued.

Cassius locked eyes with the shadow dragon's projection, releasing his mental barriers and constructing the terrifying vision of the five-headed dragon.

He stared unflinchingly into Mortifer's gray eyes, his golden pupils glowing intensely with arcane light.

"Whoosh—"

The illusion pierced the planar barrier, passing through the Material Plane, and reached Mortifer's true form in the Shadowfell.

[Tiamat's Terrifying Illusion]

"Roar—"

In Mortifer's vision appeared a colossal dragon nearly a hundred meters tall, its wings blotting out the sky. Even the shadow dragon could only crane its neck to gaze upon it.

It was a nightmare amalgamation—a monstrous dragon body supported by stocky legs, with five writhing necks ending in five heads, each corresponding to a chromatic dragon. The colors of the heads extended down their necks, blending into the body like streaks.

The beast's back and flanks merged into stripes of gray, teal, and violet, culminating in a muddied brown tail. Its underbelly transitioned from pale green to the upper hues.

This fearsome and terrifying image was one Mortifer knew well.

—It was the Mother of Evil Dragons, the Five-Headed Queen, Tiamat!

"Impossible…"

Mortifer stared blankly upward, muttering to himself.

Seven centuries ago, as a mere black dragon, Mortifer had erected a crude altar in his swampy lair, offering his precious iron coins to the Queen. As one of the chromatic dragons, he had dreamed countless times of earning her attention, even her favor, and experiencing unparalleled glory.

But the Queen had never responded.

Back then, Mortifer had been a scrawny black dragon, only slightly above white dragons in the chromatic hierarchy.

Eventually, unable to resist the allure of power, he surrendered to the Shadowfell, becoming an undead shadow dragon.

Now, Mortifer trembled.

It was unclear whether it was from fear or exhilaration.

The five-headed dragon gazed coldly at the earth, spewing fire, ice, acid, lightning, and poisonous gas from its dreadful maws, each head embodying fury.

"No, this isn't real!"

"Damn it, it's an illusion!"

Mortifer, with a millennium of magical expertise and the power to cast ninth-tier spells, quickly detected the illusion's flaws despite his shaken state.

The illusion's fire, ice, and acid attacks struck his form, but as a six-tier spell, it was insignificant against a soul steeped in the Shadowfell's desolation for a millennium.

Yet, another worry gnawed at Mortifer.

"How could an ordinary young red dragon, even a dragon sorcerer, know such magic?"

"Such a convincing divine illusion—could he truly be Tiamat's chosen?"

Mortifer's concern was not without reason.

Among dragons, shadow dragons were infamous as pariahs, despised by their kin.

They had forsaken their noble lineage to embrace darkness, becoming wretched shadow beings. Even the chromatic dragons scorned them.

Righteous gold dragons actively hunted shadow dragons, uniting kin to eradicate them and erase this "shame" from dragonkind.

Killing a potential chosen of Tiamat and inciting the chromatic dragons' wrath was not a risk Mortifer wished to take.

"Damn red dragon…"

Mortifer faltered, his ritual's progress stalled.

He had no desire to provoke a divine-level enemy, but being deceived by the illusion had also humiliated him like never before, filling him with a desire to shred the red dragon before him.

"Are you truly one of her chosen?"

"Red dragon."

Mortifer's projection loomed over Cassius, his gray eyes narrowing, as if scrutinizing his every move for a clue.

Cassius noticed Mortifer's hesitation. He knew he had to act with greater arrogance and authority, fully embodying the persona of a divine chosen one to deceive this ancient creature.

Cassius stepped forward, staring fearlessly into Mortifer's projection, and declared arrogantly, "Vile shadow creature who tramples upon our noble dragon lineage, you should think carefully."

"Can you withstand the wrath of Tiamat?"

Mortifer's dim gray eyes burned with suppressed rage, flickering with shadowy flames.

"Damn red dragon."

"Damn Material Plane."

This momentary hesitation allowed the planar barrier to reassert itself, rejecting the shadow dragon from fully entering the Material Plane.

Mortifer had already harvested thousands of shadow souls and centuries of planning had not gone to waste. There was no need to risk provoking a potential divine adversary.

With this thought, Mortifer stared deeply at the red dragon, his gray eyes glinting with venomous resentment.

"The barrier may have been breached by thousands of wretched souls."

"This land is marked by the Shadowfell."

"One day, I shall return here, and you will not be able to protect what you hold dear."

Mortifer spoke coldly.

Distorted vortices appeared around his colossal projection, as planar repulsion forcibly expelled his manifestation from the Material Plane, dragging him back into the lightless void of the Shadowfell.