Give Up, Go Berserk

"He has been struck by my spell and will not live much longer."

The gray-robed man raised one hand, and one could see that between his two slender, pale fingers he seemed to be holding a faint, almost invisible black line. The line was taut and extended into the void.

"He must have gone to find the only remaining Undying Bird in the Phoenix Family, which saves us a lot of trouble."

As the gray-robed man spoke, he gently rubbed his fingers together, and the black lines disappeared.

"So you had this all planned out all along."

The gray-braided woman's expression immediately relaxed, and she looked at the person in front of her with tenderness and admiration, even though in fact she was much stronger than him.

"Let's go."

The gray-robed man called out softly, and the two walked side by side toward the direction outside the valley that had been bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

The woman with the gray braid naturally took the arm of the man in the gray robe, and the two were as intimate as lovers.

"I know a really interesting place. Will you come with me after this trip?"

"I'm not sure if I'll have the time, Cersei."

"There's not much power left to stop us; we have plenty of time."

As they talked, the two slowly disappeared into the sky.

Ronan stood on the edge of a huge crater, and the Flame Demon Hive reappeared in his field of vision.

The enormous black sphere, bound by countless runic chains, emitted wisps of black smoke from each of its nests. Around it were massive active volcanoes, much like the one beneath Ronan's feet.

The dark red lava river flowed wildly between the honeycomb and the volcano, and the scene before him actually matched Ronan's initial expectations somewhat, like a purgatory composed entirely of flames.

It's just been abandoned now.

Is this the place?

Ronan turned his head and looked at Moriel in front of him.

Believe it or not, it's up to you.

Moriel replied coldly, turning away without looking at Ronan.

Ronan took two steps forward and stared intently down into the crater.

Below was a dazzling expanse of golden-red.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, and some white threads grew out from under his eyes, weaving into an eye-shaped rune between his eyebrows.

With the Eye of Truth activated, Ronan could barely make out the specific scene within that golden-red expanse.

A giant golden sphere floats in the scorching magma, which is like a stellar solution. Its surface is covered with fiery red runes, and upon closer inspection, it also resembles an ancient portal.

But it had already collapsed, and most of it was swallowed up and melted into the magma.

Ronan took out the Golden Slate, and as soon as he did, it created a subtle connection with the Golden Portal below, which was submerged in magma.

The Golden Slate suddenly crumbled, turning into countless irregular fragments that rapidly shifted in Ronan's hands, finally reforming like a Rubik's Cube into a strangely shaped, dazzling golden dagger.

Ronan gently pressed the tip of the dagger, feeling a strong pull from the Golden Portal, but it quickly became intermittent.

"Key?"

Ronan's eyes flickered slightly as he stood at the edge of the crater, hesitating whether to try to open the door.

As it turned out, Moriel was not lying to him.

The entrance to the dwarven treasure where the "Golin's Hammer" is hidden is just below, but the entrance has collapsed, and even if he has the key, he would have to take a huge risk to enter.

"I suggest you forget about it."

Alazan said, "This is the remains of a fire dragon's lair. This area used to be a fire dragon ranch."

Ronan listened to Alazan's words, hesitated at the edge of the crater, and finally gently crushed the golden dagger in his hand, choosing to give up.

Even Moriel knew about the entrance to the Mechanical Heart Dwarf Civilization's treasure. Even if the "Golin's Hammer" was really inside, it had most likely already been taken by the wizards of the Phoenix Family.

It may have changed hands even earlier, when O'Brien was the Lord of Fire.

If the entrance to the treasure were intact, he wouldn't mind going in to explore it further, but now the golden ancient gate to the treasure entrance is about to be swallowed by lava, and underneath it is filled with terrifying fire energy accumulated over the years, as well as unpredictable magical magnetic light.

It's simply not worth taking such a huge risk for a treasure that may never exist again.

"Have you given up?"

When Moriel saw Ronan turn around, she crossed her arms and curled her lip in disdain, as if she had expected Ronan to react this way.

"You still don't believe me, huh!"

Ronan remained silent, a hint of regret rising in his heart.

But not every opportunity in this world will stay put and wait for you. There will always be someone who gets there first, and there will always be times when you miss out. He didn't feel bad about it.

The dwarven treasure is gone, but the Fire Dragon Marrow that Alazan needs is something we must try our best to obtain.

Alazan knew the exact location of O'Brien's private laboratory, but time had changed, and now the Fire Leaving Realm was Phoenix Family's ancestral land, so he couldn't just explore it at will. He was considering how to bring this up with Moriel, but Moriel took the initiative to speak.

"The words of the Fire Dragon Marrow"

Moriel pretended to think for a moment, then said, "My uncle might have some. I'll take you to him to get a copy."

Ronan was stunned upon hearing this. Moriel's uncharacteristic initiative to help caught him completely off guard.

Ronan quickly realized what was happening and said seriously, "Anyway, thank you, Moriel."

Moriel gave a soft hum and turned to walk in one direction.

He stopped abruptly after taking only a couple of steps, then quickly walked back, staring intently at Ronan, and spoke.

"You really want to thank me?"

"Certainly."

Ronan blinked. "What do you want me to do? Anything I can do."

Moriel pursed her cherry lips and stared intently into Ronan's eyes, her gaze seemingly reaching into his very soul.

After a few breaths, she shook her head again.

"Never mind.

I'll tell you when I think of it.

Then turn your body back around.

"At any time."

Ronan couldn't help but add a comment.

Moriel grunted an "Mmm" without turning her head, her mood seemingly improving instantly. She held her staff behind her back with her two small, white hands and walked forward with light, delicate dance steps.

Ronan watched Moriel's retreating figure, his gaze softened unconsciously.

Sometimes he would see the shadow of his deceased sister Lier in Moriel; they were so similar in some ways.

Unfortunately, Lier had already died, leaving behind a daughter. Considering the time...

He's probably about the same age as Lier was when he left home.

Agatha Christie

Ronan softly murmured the name of the girl who was still an infant in his memory, a slight sense of melancholy rising in his heart, which he quickly brushed away.

He shook his head, his eyes regaining their calm, and chased after Moriel.

The two continued forward along the vast lava plain.

This place was once O'Brien's ranch where he raised Balrogs and dragons. Each volcano was a dragon's lair, and the lava flowing beneath them was their frolicking bathtub.

Of course, this pasture is now deserted, and the roaring fire demons and soaring dragons are no longer seen.

The sky shifted between orange-red and crimson, a lazy, hot breeze swept across the earth, and everything seemed so peaceful that even time seemed to slow down.

My uncle hates rude people the most.

"Do not use any methods related to Ice Magic in front of him."

"He might brew you tea himself; remember to praise him as much as you can."

Beneath a sky as clear as a magic mirror, two figures walked side by side.

Moriel counted off the items on her fingers, giving instructions incessantly, while Ronan listened attentively, nodding repeatedly, his eyes gleaming with thoughtful consideration.

That's about it.

Moriel clapped her hands, seemingly pleased with Ronan's attitude. "I'll tell you the rest when I remember."

"Call--"

Ronan let out a soft breath, mentally reviewing all the key points Moriel had just mentioned, before asking, "I almost forgot to ask, what's your uncle's name?"

His name is...

Moriel was about to answer.

Just then, a violent spatial fluctuation suddenly emanated from a void not far in front of the two.

A figure staggered out of the void.

It was a pale-faced boy dressed in black, who seemed to be tightly clutching something in his arms.

The boy's appearance brought Moriel to an abrupt halt, her gaze involuntarily drawn to him.

"Abu."

Moriel blinked and murmured the boy's name.

Upon seeing Moriel, the latter immediately forced a smile and walked towards them step by step.

His condition seemed terrible. With each step he took, his mental strength rapidly declined, and eventually he could barely sustain the flight, swaying unsteadily as if he were about to fall from mid-air at any moment.

Moriel rushed forward to meet them, with Ronan close behind.

By the time they reached the boy, the latter was already plummeting downwards like a stone.

Ronan channeled his spiritual energy and gently caught the boy. The object the boy was holding fell to the ground, and Ronan then saw that it was a withered and aged corpse curled up in a small ball.

His expression hardened, and he instinctively looked at Moriel.

But Moriel's eyes were fixed on the corpse that had fallen from the boy's arms, and she stood frozen in place, as if petrified.

Ronan immediately had a bad feeling.

Before he could ask why or think about how to comfort Moriel, the boy he was supporting suddenly let out a series of extremely suppressed groans of pain.

Ronan looked at the boy and saw that the boy's skin, which was as white as paper, was now covered with countless black vein-like lines.

The black threads seemed to be constantly tightening around his body, causing the boy to tremble, curl up, and display an expression of extreme pain and distortion on his face.

"Curse?!"

Ronan's eyes flashed, and the boy quickly rose up, enveloped by the Star Force Field. He manipulated his mental power, attempting to seep into the boy's body.

But in the next moment...

"Pfft—"

A straight line of blood spurted from the boy's body.

Then came the second, third, and fourth rounds.

Countless splatters of blood erupted, and flesh and blood fell rapidly from the boy's body like shattered clods of mud.

In just a few breaths, Ronan watched helplessly as the boy was slowly and brutally tortured by a terrifying and invisible force.

A huge person was forcibly cut into thousands of small pieces of flesh and blood by countless eerie black threads, and even his soul was shattered into countless pieces.

In the end, only a snow-white head that had completely lost its color and a black garment that was completely soaked in blood remained, which floated down lightly.

The eerie threads that cruelly obliterated the black-clad youth writhed slightly in the void like leeches that had eaten their fill. The youth's head rolled down from mid-air and was gently embraced by a pair of hands.

Ronan stood aside, watching Moriel stand there, holding the head of the dead boy in black, her eyes wide open, motionless.

Immediately afterwards, as if her soul had been suddenly ripped away, she collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"Abu... Abu"

Moriel held the boy's head in her arms, her eyes vacant and her expression numb as she called out to him.

The boy's head and lips parted slightly, as if trying to respond, but soon became completely still.

Ronan watched this scene with a pained expression. Moriel had told him about her "family" in the Fire Leaving Realm.

Aside from an uncle who shared the same Phoenix Family Phoenix Bloodline as her, she had two servants.

One was Abu, the black-clad boy who had just died, and the other was probably the old corpse that the boy had been holding before he died Laubner.

Something's happened.

Two of Phoenix's servants were killed in the Fire Leaving Realm.

This is a conspiracy to eliminate the Undying Bird, and it has already begun.

"Moriel Moriel."

Ronan looked grave and tried to call Moriel's name.

Moriel ignored her, simply kneeling on the ground with her head down, clutching the two corpses.

Strands of golden-red flames shot out from every pore of her body, carrying a terrifying temperature capable of scorching the soul, and condensed in the void into the shapes of dazzling feathers.

Ronan could sense the violent and insane emotional fluctuations emanating from Moriel along with the flames.

These emotions accumulate rapidly, reach a peak in an instant, and then suddenly erupt.

"Ah--"

The surging flames rose rapidly into the sky like countless flocks of birds, and countless fire-based energies rushed into this space.

Moriel looked up and let out a hysterical scream, her long, rose-colored hair, which had been braided into thick braids, now completely sparse.

Her entire body was engulfed in flames, her eyes were completely filled with a deep, almost purple-red color, and her face was covered with countless tiny blood vessels. The endless flames on her head and back faintly condensed into the shape of the Undying Bird.

"Moriel!"

Ronan looked reluctant and called out Moriel's name loudly.

Moriel didn't even look at him; she simply faced a direction with a blank expression and leaped forward like a blazing fire.

Ronan stepped in front of her and blocked her way.

"Roll!"

Moriel raised her hand and uttered a chillingly cold voice.

The flames hovering above her head descended rapidly towards Ronan, leaving a clear, crimson, crystalline trail in the void along their path.

Ronan frowned as he looked at the surging, scorching flames.

Suddenly, he gently gritted his teeth, and the blue-gold Frost Whale Mark between his eyebrows throbbed slightly.

The next second, he spread his arms, and endless frost and coldness surged from his body.

"Waaah—"