Page 268

With the space twisting around him, the red dragon disappeared from the spot, slipping into the temporarily created extradimensional space—the Sheltering Egg.

Cassius looked anxiously at "Karrikex’s Heart" and the "Astral Prism" floating in the space. The ridges along his bony brow furrowed.

"This extradimensional space is only temporary, and it’s challenging to keep these auras concealed. Perhaps only the [Kingdom Domain] can prevent the gods from spying."

"I must bring them back to the palace."

With that thought, Cassius extended his claws, tearing open the fabric of space before him. The sound of "shhhrip" accompanied the emergence of a flame-edged spatial fissure.

The red dragon squeezed through the narrow rift and appeared inside the main hall of the Ironwing Kingdom.

"Everyone—"

"Leave now."

The authoritative command reverberated, and whether it was the tiefling guards standing at attention at the gate, the maids cleaning the garden, or the wyverns perched on the pillars, they all hurriedly fled.

After all, it was an order from the supreme and sole ruler of this kingdom—there was no room for refusal.

Cassius pushed the power of the [Kingdom Domain] to its fullest, hardening the weave of magic around him until it seemed like diamonds. Only then did he retrieve "Karrikex’s Heart" and the "Astral Prism."

He heavily sealed the Astral Prism and stored it in the deepest vault of the palace treasury.

Only afterward did he begin examining "Karrikex’s Heart," acquired after a daring gamble to snatch it from the Astral Plane.

Cassius used a force field spell to make it hover in the air—a blurry, glowing red crystal shaped like a miniature heart, with what looked like dragon blood slowly flowing through it, forming chaotic ripples that resembled the world-purging fire of Karrikex.

It was this seemingly unremarkable "heart" that contained unimaginable power.

Cassius had no intention of handing "Karrikex’s Heart" over to the kingdom’s spellcasters for research, as it was an artifact of divine-level mystery.

Given the allure of power at this level, Cassius trusted no one but himself.

The red dragon tentatively exhaled high-temperature flames, trying to infuse them into the crystal to observe its reaction, but the blazing energy was swallowed like a stone dropped into a lake, not even creating a ripple.

"As expected of a relic left by a Dragon God."

"It represents an inherent suppression."

It seemed that only by using the full power of his [Primeval Breath] could he hope to affect the crystal in any way.

He suddenly recalled a common scene from novels of his past life—"blood recognition."

"What about... dragon’s blood?"

Cassius carefully lifted one of his scales and used a claw to pierce his skin.

He gingerly drew a drop of scalding dragon blood, levitating it in the air with a force field spell.

The moment the dragon blood touched "Karrikex’s Heart," an uncontainable magical reaction erupted—smoke and sparks filled the air, and endless flames spewed from the crystal.

"Boom!"

In the next instant, the blazing crystal embedded itself directly into the red dragon’s wound, merging into his pulsing veins and traveling toward his powerful, beating heart.

"Roar—"

Cassius let out a howl of agony.

He rolled across the ground, making the entire area tremble and even cracking the earth beneath him.

The guards around the palace were struck with terror, thinking their ruler was summoning some new catastrophe, and they scattered in every direction.

Cassius finally understood the taste of the draconic gift that his kin received. When "Karrikex’s Heart" entered his body, it felt like a red-hot iron plunged into a bucket of water—his blood began to boil, seeping out through the gaps in his scales.

The red dragon opened his massive maw, spewing waves of blazing flame; even his golden eyes had fire flickering within them.

An image appeared in his mind—an enormous red dragon, a thousand meters long, tearing open the void and descending upon the Material Plane, spanning the entire horizon.

It opened its gigantic maw, spewing world-purging fire and reducing everything on the ground—be it human cities, elven forest palaces, or otherwise—into nothing but pitiful ashes.

"No! It is doomsday!"

"Fire! Fire is everywhere!"

"There’s nowhere to run! This is the final judgment!"

Cries of sorrow, desperate wails, and cultists raising their arms in prayer filled the air.

When Karrikex had completed his cleansing, the earth held only the crackling of flames—nothing else remained but silence.

The red dragon looked down at the scorched earth and raised his head, letting out a long, primitive howl.

"Awoo!"

At the same time, Cassius let out a roar.

The light from the blood vessels shone through his skin and scales. White steam erupted from the vents in his neck and tail, and eventually, blinding flames shot out.

The temperature had reached an unbearable level, even for a red dragon, who could take a bath in magma.

Under extreme agony, Cassius fell into a berserk rage, wreaking havoc on his surroundings—his claws gouged deep grooves into the metal floor, his thick tail shattered luxurious furniture, and he used his teeth to gnaw on everything in the palace, leaving scorched craters in his wake.

This majestic palace seemed fragile and shaky under his rampage, almost on the verge of collapse.

Finally, Cassius stopped, panting heavily on the spot.

"Huff, huff."

The "Karrikex’s Heart" had now fully embedded itself within his heart, beating along with his body.

At this moment, Cassius’s eyes were bloodshot, saliva dripped from his mouth, and his scales glowed with a crimson sheen.

Even his horns were slightly worn, with glowing red cracks spreading across his body—he looked exactly like the mad dragons described in tales of the "Calamity of the Dragon Rage. "

Yet he managed to retain a sliver of reason—although still wild, he could read the information appearing on his status panel.

[You have absorbed the [Heart of Karrikex]. Due to the effect of the primal bloodline, irreversible changes have taken place in your body, mind, and soul.]

[Your alignment has changed from [Lawful Evil] to [Chaotic Evil]]

[Due to Karrikex’s power, you have gained an additional subclass: [Bloodscale Fury]]

[Bloodscale Fury]

A dragon filled with rage is terrifying. A dragon venting its fury—eyes bloodshot, saliva flowing in great globs, scales shimmering in crimson—is a horror few can withstand.

They are solitary dragons, more akin to a force of natural destruction. Their chaotic tendencies mean no one can predict when or where a Bloodscale Fury might suddenly attack a human settlement or a wilderness outpost, reducing it to rubble and leaving a crater behind.