Ashen Dragon

With the distortion of space, the Red Dragon also disappeared from its original location, diving into the temporarily created other-dimensional space known as the Egg of Sanctuary.

Cassius nervously watched the "Heart of Karex" and the "Stellar Prism" within the space, his spiked forehead furrowing slightly.

"Other-dimensional space is only temporary, and it's hard to prevent these auras from leaking out. I'm afraid only the Kingdom Domain can stop the deities from spying."

"I must take them back to the Royal Palace."

With that thought, Cassius extended his claws and once again tore the space in front of him. Accompanied by a tearing sound, a flaming-edged space rift was created.

The Red Dragon squeezed through the narrow gap and appeared in the main hall of the Steel Dragonwing Kingdom.

"Everyone—"

"Leave here immediately."

The commanding voice filled with authority echoed, causing the Tiefling Guards at the door, the maids cleaning in the gardens, and even the Bipedal Wyvern perched on the stone pillar to hurriedly leave.

After all, this was the command of the supreme, sole existence of this nation, leaving no room for refusal.

Cassius exerted the power of the Kingdom Domain to its fullest extent until the structure of the Magic Web around him became as hard as diamond, making it possible to retrieve the "Heart of Karex" and the "Stellar Prism."

He heavily sealed the Stellar Prism and stored it in the deepest part of the Royal Palace's treasury.

Then, he began to study the "Heart of Karex" which he had narrowly seized from the star realm.

Using Force Field Magic, Cassius suspended it in mid-air. It was a blurry, glowing red crystal, shaped like a miniature heart, with Dragon Blood seemingly flowing within, presenting chaotic ripples resembling the Purifying Flame spat by Karex.

This unremarkable "heart" contained an unimaginably vast amount of power.

Cassius did not intend to let the Kingdom's spellcasters study the "Heart of Karex," knowing it was a mysterious artifact of a deity's level.

Under the temptation of such power, Cassius trusted no one but himself.

The Red Dragon experimentally spat high-temperature flames at it to observe its reaction, but the scorching energy was absorbed like a stone sinking into the sea, without causing even a ripple.

"Indeed, it's the leftover power of the Dragon God."

"This is a suppression in essence."

Only the Red Dragon's full-powered Primordial Breath might influence these crystals.

He suddenly recalled the "blood recognition" method often seen in novels.

"So... how about Dragon Blood?"

Cassius slightly lifted his scales and used his claw to cut his skin.

Carefully extracting a drop of boiling Dragon Blood, he used Force Field Magic to keep it suspended in mid-air.
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The moment the Dragon Blood touched the "Heart of Karex," an uncontrollable magical reaction erupted that even the Kingdom Domain could not suppress. Smoke and sparks filled the air, and endless flames burst from the crystal.

"Boom!"

The next moment, the extremely hot crystal directly pierced the wound in the Red Dragon's body, flowing into his throbbing main blood vessel towards his strong, beating heart.

"Roar—"

Cassius let out a roar of pain.

He rolled on the ground, causing the surrounding earth to tremble and crack.

The guards around the palace were alarmed, thinking their monarch was summoning another terrifying scourge, and fled in panic.

Cassius finally experienced the excruciating sensation that his retainers felt when receiving the Dragon Vein Blessing. As the "Heart of Karex" entered his body, it was as if a red-hot iron ball had been placed in a bucket of water. His blood began to boil, even seeping out from the gaps between his scales.

The Red Dragon suddenly opened his massive jaws and spat out a sea of raging flames, with fire also flickering within his pale golden eyes.

An awe-inspiring vision appeared in his mind—a thousand-meter-long Red Dragon tearing through the void, descending onto the Prime Material Plane and occupying the entire horizon.

It opened its massive maw, spitting endless Purifying Flame, reducing everything on the ground—be it human cities, elven forest palaces, or anything else—to the lowest form of ashes.

"No! It's the apocalypse!"

"Fire! Fire is everywhere!"

"We have nowhere to escape! This is the final judgment!"

The air was filled with lamentations and desperate cries, mixed with the prayers of cultists with arms outstretched.

But once Karex's purification was complete, the only sound left on earth was the crackling of flames, besides complete silence.

The Red Dragon looked down upon the burning land, raised his head, and let out a long, primitive roar.

"Aow!"

Meanwhile, Cassius roared again.

The light from his main blood vessel shone through his skin and scales, while steam and eventually blinding light emitted from the vents on his neck and tail.

This level of heat far surpassed what mortals could withstand. Even with the Red Dragon's resistance from bathing in magma, it was unbearably painful.

In extreme pain, the Red Dragon fell into a frenzy, venting his anger on his surroundings—his claws left deep gouges on the metal floor, his thick tail shattered luxurious furniture, and his sharp teeth bit into everything in the palace, leaving charred craters below him.

The once magnificent palace seemed fragile and on the verge of collapse under his ravages.

Finally, Cassius stopped, panting heavily.

"Huff, huff..."

By this time, the "Heart of Karex" had fully melded with his heart, beating in sync with his body.

Now, Cassius's eyes were bloodshot, saliva dripped from his mouth, and a bloody sheen covered his scales. Even his horns were chipped, with glowing red cracks spreading across his body, making him resemble the mad dragons recorded in the Dragon Fan.

He regained a shred of his remaining rationality—despite still being quite mad, he was at least able to understand the refreshed information on the panel.

[You have absorbed the "Heart of Karex." Due to your ancestral bloodline, your body, mind, and soul will undergo irreversible changes.]

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

[Due to Karex's strength, you have gained an additional sub-occupation: Bloodscaled Fury.]

[Bloodscaled Fury]

An enraged dragon is truly terrifying. A dragon venting its fury—eyes bloodshot, mouth drooling, and scales covered with a bloody sheen—is a rare, horrifying sight.

They are solitary dragons, more akin to a destructive natural force. Their chaotic tendencies mean that no one can predict when the Bloodscale Frenzy might suddenly attack human settlements or outposts, leaving behind a crater of explosions.