Chapter 28: Into the Ether

Fully satiated and restored, Cassius returned to the imposing stone door. He didn’t push it open immediately but instead prepared himself with spells: 【Bear’s Endurance】 【Cat’s Grace】 【Owl’s Wisdom】 Bear’s Endurance made his body more resilient, Cat’s Grace enhanced his agility, and Owl’s Wisdom heightened his perception, giving the red dragon an all-around boost. After layering himself with what he jokingly called the “zoo suite,” Cassius still felt a bit uneasy, knowing this was the legacy of a legendary druid and could contain unpredictable surprises. 【Gilded Sheath】 The accumulated gold elements within him gathered on his scales, giving them a metallic golden sheen that, at a glance, could make him look like a gold dragon. 【Protection from Lightning Damage】 With a low growl, an invisible field formed around his body, protecting him from lightning attacks. "Being a spellcaster, of course, means we have to go all out with spells." "Got to put on a proper show." After all these preparations, Cassius glanced down at his spell-lit body, feeling much more confident. The red dragon fixed his gaze on the stone door, took a deep breath, and stepped forward resolutely. 【Knock】 His claws shimmered with magical energy as they touched the stone door. "Boom..." With a resounding echo, the heavy stone door rumbled and slowly began to lift. The view beyond opened up. And what lay before him was astonishing, even for a red dragon. A vast, open space lay ahead, large enough to hold an entire mountain. But directly in front of him was only a narrow stone bridge, while the rest of the ground was sunken dozens of meters below. The cliffs on either side were perfectly straight, as if sliced down with a sharp blade. Looking down from the stone bridge under the glow of the eternal blue lanterns, he saw piles of objects below: shattered giant statues, broken remains of grand buildings, obscure inscriptions, all sorts of old, broken weapons, and even colossal giant skeletons. Looking up, the high ceiling was covered with murals—not intricate but filled with a primal power. He could see scenes of ancient wars between giants and dragons, the sprawling empire of the giants, the towering forms of giant gods, and the tragic fall of their empire. This wasn’t just a mural—it was a history book. "This must be the legacy he collected from the Giant Empire." Cassius marveled as he cautiously walked across the stone bridge. His wings spread slightly, his steps light, ever alert to his surroundings and ready for any sudden danger. The red dragon focused on the end of the stone bridge. There stood a throne. Made of stone, towering over twenty meters high. It was sparsely decorated, with only ancient and mysterious carvings. And upon it sat the lifeless body of a Storm Giant, its purple-gray skin covered in thick dust, as if it had been resting here in silence for thousands of years, watching the arrival of visitors. Strangely, it had not decayed into bones. "The last Storm Giant Sage..." "Is this Randta?" The red dragon was curious about this Storm Giant. How did he, alone, create such an impressive tomb? The sheer magnitude hinted at the giant’s formidable power in life. Cassius continued along the stone bridge, stopping a few dozen meters from the giant’s remains. Suddenly, a change occurred. One of the giant’s eyes snapped open! In that eye swirled an endless storm, glaring at the intruding visitor! Unknown crystals in the surroundings began to pulse with violent elemental energy. These raging elements quickly gathered together. "Not good!" Cassius sensed a horrifying magical force rapidly expanding. "This power..." The red dragon raised his head slightly. A churning, seething storm cloud formed around the giant’s body, spreading wildly like a ravenous beast, threatening to consume everything in the cavern. It was filled with thunder, lightning, and howling winds. "The Storm of Vengeance!" Thunder roared! It was a primal roar from ancient times. "Boom!" Even the aftershock of this thunder made stones on the cave ceiling crack and fall. "Buzz—" The thunder’s boom left Cassius’s ears ringing, as if struck by a hammer, rendering him temporarily deaf. The black cloud spread rapidly, about to engulf him. Sensing the peril, the red dragon ignored his pounding head and summoned a spell through the pain. "Quick Cast Blink!" Cassius activated the spell with all his will, silently hoping it would work; this “destruction” from the druid far exceeded his expectations. Blink had only a 50% chance of shifting him to the Ethereal Plane, avoiding the storm’s devastation. If he failed, he’d have to withstand the storm head-on. "It worked!" Cassius felt a surge of relief as he sensed himself slipping beyond the boundary of reality. [You have cast 【Blink】] [Special Status "Into the Ether" acquired] The Ethereal Plane is a conduit between the Material Plane and inner planes, touching the Material Plane’s void in parallel. One can see the Material Plane from the Ethereal, though all appears in black and white. He now hovered at the edge of this plane. Instantly, everything before Cassius turned monochrome, with chaotic lines twisting in his vision. Sёarᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In his ethereal state, he couldn’t move freely and could only drift in this void. In the next moment, he watched his former position swallowed by the raging storm clouds. Acid rain poured down first, pocking the stone bridge with countless holes. Then hail crashed from the cloud, pelting the stone with sharp clinks. Powerful bolts of lightning descended, gouging deep craters in the ground and spawning a lightning storm that tore through where Cassius had just stood. Thunder and lightning filled the sky. A crisscrossing prison of lightning formed, incinerating all caught within. "Boom!" "Boom! Boom!" Several bolts struck, shattering parts of the stone bridge and causing massive rocks to plummet below. Had such strikes hit the dragon, survival would’ve been slim. Relentless wind and icy rain battered the area, turning it into a complete ruin. From his vantage in the Ethereal Plane, Cassius saw the once-impressive tomb reduced to a black-and-white graveyard. Narrowly avoiding the storm with Blink, Cassius still felt lingering fear. If he’d remained there, not even his protective spells would’ve shielded him from the relentless lightning and freezing rain. "This..." Cassius sensed a powerful force trying to pull him back into the Material Plane, mending the gap he’d opened. Despite resisting with all his might, Cassius was too weak to oppose the planar laws, forced to yield. [Lost special status "Into the Ether"] The red dragon reappeared in his original spot, utterly stunned. "What the hell—" The elements surged again. Endless wind and icy rain whipped against his body, and lightning arcs on the ground surged up his limbs. In the clouds above, thunder rumbled as lightning gathered once more, sounding like a low, pent-up growl. The worst of the spell had passed, but even these lingering aftershocks were formidable.