Cassius was lying in the palace, observing his chest with the [Omniscient Eye]. The "Heart of Carix" was glowing rhythmically with the steady beating of the heart, and it seemed that it was completely Integrate into his body.
He looked at the panel. The number representing the progress of the integration was still growing, but its speed had slowed down a lot.
[Your absorption progress of [Heart of Carix]: 1.57%]
Cassius's expression was solemn.
Gods do not have complete free will, and their priesthood will affect their personalities to a certain extent. Even the third Mystra was affected by the residual influence of the original goddess of magic, and her personality was completely different from the original one, even more so. Don’t talk about mortal things like red dragons.
Facing a being like Carix whose personality and bloodline far exceed his own, it is almost inevitable that Cassius will be affected.
If he hadn't realized the change in his personality, it would have been very possible for him to subtly become the incarnation of the Dragon God of Destruction.
"Jezarslak."
He said the name again.
After carefully recalling his encounter in the astral prism, Cassius discovered that the methods of this "revenge demon" were far beyond his imagination.
At the moment when Carix's broken body reappeared in the world, his desire for power had almost reached its peak. He even had a desperate mentality to steal the heart - but in fact, he was not like that at all. Urgent necessity, simply out of greed for power.
"This is the influence of the will of the abyss."
"Become chaotic, violent, dominated by desire, even at any cost."
Cassius couldn't help but feel a little scared.
The demon lord had easily influenced his own mind without him noticing. It seemed that there was a reason why "Cassius" was deceived in his previous life.
After all, that was a genuine young dragon that had just emerged from its lair, so how could it outplay the tens of thousands of years of old fox from the abyss.
Cassius looked at his panel and stared at the [Bloodscale Berserker] sub-class.
This "barbarian" among the dragons is extremely suitable for the characteristics of the red dragon, and is a perfect match with the destructive power of Carix.
Every time he enters the "Blood Scale Fury" state, he will feel his heart beating rapidly, warm currents coming from his body, and the fusion progress of the Heart of Carix is increasing rapidly.
He used to be addicted to the pleasure of increasing strength, and was even a little addicted to the feeling of punching to the flesh and bloody fighting.
But now, his mood is extremely heavy.
"Sure enough, it's bait again."
Cassius smiled bitterly.
From the moment he killed Coleman, he had fallen into the trap of the revenge demon. All the abundant power he gained in it might become the poison that made him sink.
He once dismissed the revenge-obsessed Koeman, but now he is vaguely on the same path.
The red dragon can still feel that the power of chaos and destruction is flowing in every one of his blood vessels, dormant in the strong dragon body, waiting for the opportunity to vent out and destroy everything.
This is the curse shared by Carix, who is trapped in the Screaming Tunnel, and Jezarslak, who is imprisoned in the star realm.
Ordinary mortal beings are almost defenseless against this level of curse.
If he lets it go, this situation will only get worse. When Carix's blood flows throughout his torso, limbs and even brain, the power of destruction will eventually swallow him completely, turning him into a creature dominated by the desire for destruction. A puppet affected by the will of the abyss.
Now he can barely maintain his sanity, but by then he will no longer be able to control it by "his own will" alone.
Cassius exhaled white smoke that smelled of sulfur. He stared down at his slightly rising chest, as if he was seeing the amber-like blood crystal, and murmured to himself:
"This has to end as soon as possible." "Whatever it takes."
In the remote auxiliary hall of the palace, Silver Dragon collapsed to the ground weakly, breathing weakly.
The confinement of the dragon-binding circle has been partially released. Although there are still peripheral restrictions that she cannot break through, at least she has room to move freely.
Recalling what she had experienced these days, she felt extremely ridiculous and even more aggrieved.
"Why exactly?"
Olivia's eyes were confused and she smiled bitterly.
If the scam had not been revealed, she might not be so desperate. At least she would have had a little false hope, barely deceiving herself and being indulged in the beautiful dream she had spun.
But when the cruel reality was laid before her eyes, she could no longer deceive herself.
The figure of the powerful Burning Ember King gradually overlapped with that of the mysterious golden dragon Angel. This made her feel even more absurd in this world. It was as if the God of Destiny had opened a trap for her. The huge joke almost made her sanity collapse.
But the strange thing is that she did not feel the unforgettable hatred for the red dragon as she expected. Instead, she felt more confusion and incomprehension, as well as an extremely complex emotional and psychological dependence - this kind of The condition, in a certain world seems to be called Stockholm Syndrome.
The attachment to that "Angel", the grievance of being deceived, the confusion and despair about the future were intertwined together, and finally formed this complex mood in Yinlong's mind.
"He could have killed me."
"But his character is like a different dragon."
The red dragon's violent eyes that wanted to destroy everything appeared in Olivia's mind again.
This was completely different from the rational and wise "King of Embers" Cassius in her memory, let alone the kind and upright golden dragon Angel.
"Demon of the Abyss."
Olivia remembered the words repeated by the other party.
Yes, demon of the abyss.
This chaotic and violent emotion, the state of being completely dominated by desire, is very close to those demons from the bottomless abyss. Olivia once came to Avernus under the protection of her elders, and saw the cruel and magnificent "bloody battle", as well as those violent demons.
"Maybe. He really has something to hide."
"It was even cursed by an abyssal demon."
Olivia couldn't help but murmur to herself, with a glimmer of light in her blue-gray eyes.
After sorting out the chaotic thoughts, Olivia suddenly felt that the red dragon was not so hopeless, and even a little involuntary.
"I might be able to save him."
Olivia suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of mission, thinking that she might be able to get the other party out of this chaotic and violent state, or even change their ways and come under the guidance of His Majesty Bahamut.
This is not only the salvation of the red dragon, but also the protection of all living beings on the main material plane.
You must know that for such an extremely powerful red dragon to become the incarnation of the abyss, it is not only a disaster for the Anzeta Wilderness, but also a nightmare for all living creatures, and even a disaster for the entire material world. (End of chapter)