A Song of Ice and Fire, "Entwined Until Death"

"Click-clack—"

In the black, flowing metal, a sharp point is constantly protruding upwards.

Gradually, a short, copper-colored stick with a pitted surface, as if it had been soaked in a highly corrosive liquid for a long time, broke free from the viscous, flowing molten metal and slowly rose up.

—It is Moriel's Crimson Red Lotus Scepter! After three days of "persistent" efforts, Itai has successfully absorbed a portion of the metal material on the Red Lotus Scepter, directly increasing its quality to the peak of the third tier, and also adding a trace of the scorching aura of fire-type energy elements.

Although Ronan's main focus is Ice Magic, considering that he will soon be practicing the [Golden Fire] Spirit Maya, this change in Itai is actually quite suitable.

Ronan stared intently at the now completely altered Red Lotus Scepter, his brows furrowed slightly.

He sensed that the Red Lotus Scepter seemed to be under some kind of strong call, wanting to break free from its restraints and escape.

Ronan extended his right hand and grasped the staff, black Light of Runes flickering slightly between his fingers. The Red Lotus Scepter trembled violently under this power, and even with the support of the power of the Ancient Power, Ronan felt a faint sense of being unable to suppress the staff.

For a fleeting moment, Ronan slightly loosened his grip.

"Whoosh—"

With a sharp, piercing sound that nearly broke eardrums, the Red Lotus Scepter transformed into a streak of crimson light, instantly breaking free from Ronan's restraints and speeding away in one direction.

"Boom!"

At the same time, the ground beneath Ronan's feet exploded, creating a huge crater. He was launched like a cannonball, his cane following closely behind as he soared into the air.

Ronan's plan was to follow her briefly to get a general idea of Moriel's location so he could take appropriate precautions.

If possible, he still wanted to keep the cane. If he could completely absorb the valuable metal on the cane, Itai might be able to grow to the Dawn Rank.

Such opportunities are rare.

To Ronan's surprise, after only five or six minutes of chasing the fleeing Red Lotus Scepter, he noticed that the staff's speed began to slow down rapidly.

Finally, it fell from the sky and flew straight in one direction.

"So close to me?"

Ronan was somewhat surprised.

He spread his mental energy, and the Eye of Truth wove itself across his forehead. Upon careful examination, he did not sense any powerful wizards nearby.

After hesitating for a moment, I simply moved closer slowly.

As Ronan closed in, he discovered that the Red Lotus Scepter had fallen in a small village.

The village was still inhabited by many ordinary people, all of whom were devoid of any energy fluctuations. They wore gray and black linen robes, had sorrowful faces, and looked like ordinary farmers.

At this moment, all these people gathered in an open space in the center of the village, kneeling around a high platform made of rocks and wood, led by the only person wearing a long robe, as if they were worshipping something.

Ronan looked up at the platform and immediately saw a huge, fiery red object. The Red Lotus Scepter that had escaped from his hand was stuck straight in front of the fiery red object, connected to the missing lower half, and trembling slightly.

Ronan's arrival immediately drew the attention of all the villagers in the small village. They all looked up at him with shocked and flustered expressions.

The leader of the long-robed men seemed quite agitated, pointing at him and shouting some strange words that Ronan couldn't understand.

When he noticed the faint energy fluctuations emanating from the other person, he realized that they were the syllables of a spell. This guy was also a wizard, but his strength was probably only at the level of a second or third-level Wizard Apprentice.

Ronan casually cast a glance, and his powerful spiritual energy emanated slightly from his body. The native Wizard Apprentice in the long robe immediately fainted, lying on the ground with blood flowing from his nostrils.

His move terrified all the villagers present. They screamed and shouted, and began to run away, plunging the area into chaos.

Ronan ignored the ordinary people and slowly landed on the sacrificial platform built by the villagers. His gaze swept over the Red Lotus Scepter on the platform and then looked at the huge, fiery red object in front of him.

This huge, fiery red object looks like a giant crystal, but when you touch it, it feels soft, like some kind of egg that hasn't fully hardened yet.

The surface is translucent, and you can vaguely see golden-red magma-like material flowing underneath.

When Ronan used his mental power to probe inwards, he was shocked to discover—

Deep within this enormous, fiery red entity, there exists a young girl.

The girl had fair skin and was completely naked. Her long, crimson hair spread out like seaweed in the magma, and her body was curled up in a position where she hugged her knees, floating quietly.

With eyes closed and a peaceful expression, he looked like an unborn baby sleeping in amniotic fluid.

"Moriel"

Ronan looked at the girl and softly uttered the name.

Although I had expected it, seeing Moriel's face in person still shocked me.

From the moment he "picked up" the Red Lotus Scepter, he deliberately traveled in the opposite direction from where the staff had flown for the past three days, but he never expected to run into Moriel in the end.

Whether it was for some other reason he was unaware of, or simply a cruel twist of fate, it felt a bit like "enemies are destined to meet."

Looking at Moriel now, she seems to be in a very "vulnerable and helpless" state. She seems to be badly hurt and is relying on some special way to "heal herself".

The level Level Five Wizard had always been by her side had disappeared without a trace.

Ronan glanced at Moriel, who was sleeping in the mysterious "amniotic fluid," thought for a moment, and reached out to grab the Red Lotus Scepter beside him.

But just as his palm touched the cane, the long, thick eyelashes of the girl sleeping in the amniotic fluid twitched slightly, as if she were about to wake up from her dream.

"Does it still have some awareness of the outside world?"

Ronan frowned, and after weighing the options, he finally decided to give up the idea of taking the Red Lotus Scepter.

Although Moriel seems "fragile" and safe now, who knows when the forces behind her and the people chasing her will suddenly arrive.

No matter which group Ronan encounters, the final outcome is unlikely to be good.

The wisest decision is to stay away from her completely, this center of trouble.

Thinking it over, Ronan prepared to leave.

But just as he turned to leave, the beautiful girl who was silently floating in the huge, fiery red object behind him, whom he did not see, suddenly opened her eyes without warning.

In an instant.

A strange fluctuation spread throughout the world, and Ronan seemed to hear an extremely loud and beautiful bird song in his ears.

At that moment, time seemed to slow down countless times.

Immediately afterwards, a soft, warm hand reached over his shoulder and gently stroked his cheek from behind.

From an outsider's perspective, it appeared as if the enormous, fiery red object suddenly extended two slender, fair arms, like those of a young girl, gently encircling Ronan's neck. Then, in a lover's ambiguous, lingering gesture, it pulled him into the massive, fiery red crystal! The next second, an incomparably dazzling burst of light erupted, and raging flames suddenly descended, instantly engulfing the surrounding land.

The small village, not very big, was engulfed by flames, with hundreds of bewildered and terrified villagers. Under the black and red sky that resembled thick, filthy blood, Serena stared blankly ahead.

"Pat... pat..."

A person slowly walked towards her.

With each step, a large amount of thick, blood-like milky-white liquid dripped from the person's body, leaving a long trail of "wet" footprints in the void behind them.

I disliked you from the moment you came, and I still do now.

"What right does a child born to such a lowly person have to enter the royal court?"

"Incompetent yet presumptuous, foolish yet unaware of his own stupidity, he will only keep causing trouble for others. And, he has this annoying face."

The man spoke softly, approaching Serena step by step.

Serena stood there, stunned, two lines of tears streaming down her face.

"See, you've given me yet another reason to hate you."

The man reached out and traced his fingers across Serena's face, slowly saying, "How can someone with the Alba Family blood flowing through their veins shed tears so easily?"

"Click-click-click—"

A sound like porcelain shattering came from the man's body, and cracked patterns of light appeared on his skin.

Numerous tiny specks of light floated up from his body and scattered, but the man's expression remained as calm as ever, still maintaining the dignity and composure of a natural superior.

"Stop your cowardice and get out of here."

"Don't let me see you again!"

After saying that, he gently touched Serena's forehead with his finger.

On the man's "cracked" body, blazing white orbs of light appeared and quickly entered Serena's body like burning white doves.

Golden runes appeared between Serena's brows, as if replenished by some kind of power, rapidly weaving and growing, becoming more complex and profound. Serena was in tears, opening her mouth as if to say something, but she suddenly disappeared in a burst of intense white light, leaving only a large area of space distorted.

When Serena's figure completely disappeared and all traces were erased, the man calmly turned into countless points of light and vanished.

"Boom!"

From the thick, blood-red Black Cloud in the distance, Lindis, a monster with a pointed tail, horns, and armor, emerged slowly, clutching a blood-soaked figure with limbs hanging limply at his sides.

Judging from his appearance, he seems to be the young man who had previously seen Serena off.

"They escaped. It was a high-level spatial Teleportation Array."

A pale-faced, Purple-haired Middle-aged Wizard Doru emerged from the thick clouds and came to Lindis's side, his arm appearing as if it had been torn apart by something.

Lindis remained calm, glancing at the young man tightly clutching his hand, and said lightly, "I never expected that an Orthodox Crown Prince would be willing to make such a great sacrifice for the Alba Family's most insignificant and marginalized Illegitimate Princess. It's truly a touching display of sibling affection that brings tears to one's eyes. It's a pity we couldn't preserve his Life Set."

Lindis casually remarked a few words, then asked Doru beside him, "Have you found the little sparrow from the Phoenix Family?"

Doru shook his head.

"Keep searching."

What can be hidden in this land in the south?

"Yes."

The two figures gradually faded and disappeared in the air, along with the dark red clouds above their heads.

When the "filth" of this land dissipates, the sky regains its clarity.

At the location where the previous battle had broken out, several figures slowly emerged.

They were all elegantly dressed wizards with remarkable bearing, emanating powerful spiritual energy fluctuations at the Dawn Rank.

The leader was an elderly man with white hair, a dignified face, and deep eyes. His imposing presence completely overwhelmed the Dawn Wizard beside him. This was clearly a Level Five Wizard.

"Rona"

Someone spoke in a respectful, low voice.

The elderly wizard at the head of the group simply shook his head. He muttered a few words in a low voice, and the group nodded solemnly before disappearing as if they had never been there at all.

A stunningly beautiful, naked girl clung tightly to Ronan's body like an octopus, her arms wrapped around him as she passionately kissed him.

This beautiful scene, however, left Ronan feeling no tenderness whatsoever.

Instead, all he could feel was the stinging pain of flames burning his flesh, as if he had fallen into magma, and every cell in his body was about to burst into flames.

"Get out of my way!"

Ronan roared inwardly and slammed a punch into Moriel was grabbing his face and kissing him fiercely.

The latter's beautiful face was twisted and deformed by his heavy blow, but it returned to normal in the next second. Her body seemed to be completely pressed against him, and she could not break free no matter what.

Ronan noticed Moriel's eyes, which were empty and lifeless, as if she were acting on some kind of instinct.

He tried to channel his mental energy to cast a spell, but the "amniotic fluid" he was inadvertently "pulled into" contained no free energy of any other type besides fire-based energy particles.

Even Itai lost its activity in this terrifying liquid, which was many times hotter than magma. All Ronan could rely on was the strength of his own body.

He struggled, but only sank deeper and deeper.

Gradually, it seemed that even consciousness was burning up and began to become somewhat blurred.

In a daze, Ronan seemed to see a giant bird with golden, red, and orange wings, dazzling and majestic.

With a magnificent crown on its head and its entire body enveloped in divine radiance, flames flowed, and it gracefully danced and swirled beneath the Sky Dome. A throbbing sensation from the depths of its bloodline arose spontaneously. At this moment, the six percent of the Ancient Frost Hydra Bloodline within Ronan was fully activated, and countless frosts burst forth from every pore of its body.

At this moment, he seemed to transform into an eight-headed giant python that stretched from the sky to the earth, spewing frost from his mouth and roaring angrily at the giant bird above his head. At this moment, the exterior, which had been completely turned into a scorched earth, now showed large patches of deep blue color.

Half of the raging flames surrounding it quietly extinguished, transforming into endless ice and snow.

The forces of fire and ice constantly alternated and intertwined.

At the center of these two forces, a man and a woman could be seen embracing each other tightly, as tender as lovers, and as fierce as enemies fighting to the death. However, this scene did not last long.

Soon, countless tiny, crimson tentacles began to grow on the naked girl inside the "giant egg".

These tentacles pierced the man in her arms like needles, causing the latter to shudder violently.

Immediately afterwards, the frost on the outside melted rapidly, while the power of the flames rose rapidly step by step.