Viserys did not attack immediately. He first allowed Ghidorah and Black Flame to rest and recover on a small island at sea. He, himself, prepared to scout the city using his Wayfarer ability.
As he expected, the Great Masters and Wizards of Qarth clearly had not anticipated Viserys choosing to attack them directly. The city was still prosperous and bustling, with merchant ships gathered at the docks and crowds surging through the streets.
However, the city walls were indeed magically enhanced. The bird he controlled lost contact after flying over the walls, preventing him from scouting more detailed information.
When night fell, Viserys began his move.
He rode Ghidorah, flying from the sea toward Qarth, with Black Flame following closely behind. The two giant dragons approached the city silently, without roaring.
The guards patrolling the city walls yawned as they gazed toward the direction of the Jade Sea. Qarth had been prosperous for thousands of years and had never been breached by an enemy, so they were more or less complacent.
No one noticed that two black dots were rapidly approaching from the western sky.
It wasn't until they flew above the outer city of Qarth that the guards discovered them. The guards on the walls were stunned at first, then fear appeared on their faces.
"Dragons. It's dragons."
"Alarm! Sound the alarm quickly!"
However, before the alarm bell could ring, Ghidorah had crossed the wall and flown directly toward the city center. Viserys's target was clear: the Temple of Immortals and the palaces of the Great Masters.
At this moment, the Thirteen Great Masters inside the city were enjoying dinner in their respective luxurious garden palaces, secretly anticipating that their recent covert operation would certainly deal a heavy blow to Viserys.
They were waiting for Volantis and the other Free Cities to go to war with Viserys so they could gain more benefits from the conflict.
Hearing the urgent alarm bells coming from the direction of the city walls made them somewhat confused, as Qarth had not faced an external attack for many years, and they didn't know what force was arriving this time.
When they arrived above the Temple of Immortals.
Inside the temple, dozens of Shadow Binders were forming a circle, their hands raised high, chanting incantations. Their shadows writhed and squirmed on the ground. Several Wizards were also casting spells nearby, and an eerie purple light illuminated the temple interior.
"Boom."
Ghidorah's middle head spewed a Golden Ray, striking the spire above the temple. The outer walls, constructed of black basalt, vanished like foam before the Annihilation Ray, leaving a large hole.
But just then, a large number of Shadow Creatures poured out of the hole. They had no fixed form, appearing only as masses of twisted darkness, emitting spine-chilling hissing sounds.
Viserys sneered; these creatures might be effective against ordinary people, but they were vulnerable before a giant dragon.
Moreover, he could feel that the strength of these Shadow Creatures was inferior to the Shadow Creatures they had encountered previously in Dragonwing Fortress in Valyria. The current period of magical low tide was still limiting their power.
However, he could confirm that the followers of the Temple of Immortals had clearly received covert assistance from the "False God." After all, even if the Shadow Creatures were weak, this quantity was not something they could currently produce.
Ghidorah's three heads simultaneously rose, accumulating energy in their maws.
The golden Annihilation Ray precisely swept across the densest areas of the Shadow Creatures. Shadows touched by the ray instantly evaporated, and large sections of the wall behind them also vanished.
The Frost Breath froze large numbers of pouncing Shadow Creatures, turning them into ice sculptures. The frozen Shadow Creatures grew dim, then were shattered into ice crystals by the Dragonfire that followed.
The scattered flames ignited some unlucky Shadow Creatures and the wooden structures surrounding the temple. Smoke and dust rose everywhere in the city center, and flames shot toward the sky.
Above the sky, fire, frost, and golden rays—three breaths—continued to intertwine and collide, forming a net of death.
A low chanting sound came once again from deep within the temple, as the surviving Shadow Binders began to sacrifice themselves.
Their bodies withered at a visible speed, their skin clinging to their bones, and their eye sockets sinking deep. Correspondingly, the power of the shadow surged. A massive Shadow Hand stretched out from the temple ruins, reaching for Ghidorah.
Just then, a purple light enveloped Viserys, the result of the Wizards' concerted effort. Unfortunately, it had no effect on Viserys.
That light merely made Viserys's consciousness enter an Illusion. They believed that if Viserys couldn't control the dragon, they could secure victory.
However, Ghidorah swiftly dodged the attack, and its left head spewed Frost Breath, freezing the massive Shadow Hand. Following up with a blast of Dragonfire, the frozen shadow instantly shattered.
In the previous Illusion, Viserys returned to that cramped, narrow rented room on Blue Star. But unlike others, he didn't indulge in sentimentality for a while, knowing it was the opponent's trick, only to break out of the Illusion at the last critical moment and start showing off. If he wasn't the protagonist, such a person would have died long ago in the real world.
"End this farce," Viserys patted Ghidorah's neck. He had now confirmed that the "False God" was not inside the Temple of Immortals; it had likely been helping these people through faith.
Ghidorah's three heads simultaneously aimed at the core area of the temple. Golden, red, and blue breaths intertwined, carrying an aura of destruction, and blasted deep into the temple.
The sound of the explosion was deafening.
The Temple of Immortals cracked down the middle and slowly collapsed. The Shadow Binders who were still sacrificing themselves didn't even have time to scream before they, along with the shadows they summoned, turned into nothingness.
After the smoke and dust cleared, a massive crater appeared in the center of the Temple of Immortals ruins, covered in fire and ice.
Black Flame did not participate in the battle against the Temple of Immortals. Viserys's task for it was to burn down the palaces of the Great Masters and eliminate all the Great Masters if possible. Its black dragon wings cast an ominous shadow over Qarth, and its dark red vertical pupils stared intensely downward.
Down there, the private guards of the Great Masters and the City Watch were hastily mobilizing. The clashing of armor, shouted commands, and chaotic footsteps mingled together.
It slightly raised its head, and then, sinking its neck, dark red Dragonfire poured down like a surging waterfall of flame.
This Dragonfire was just enough to cover the entire narrow street. The armor on the soldiers on the street instantly ignited and melted the moment they were touched by the Dragonfire.
It clung to the soldiers, making a sizzling sound. Screaming, they turned into fleeing balls of fire or became charred remains on the ground. The soldiers in the rear could no longer maintain a proper formation and quickly sought refuge inside the stone houses lining the streets.
Entire streets began to burn.
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