Tiamat's Greed

The moment Keosius carried the Heart of Kareks into the Prime Material Plane, the flesh and blood on that heart rapidly decayed and eventually turned to ashes.

For matter that has lost its source of immortality, time in the Astral Plane is almost frozen, but this is not without cost; once it is taken out of the Astral Plane, the time it has passed will be traced back.

Eventually, this enormous heart, twenty meters in diameter, gradually shrank, leaving only a blurry, faintly glowing crystal—that was the immortal bloodline power that Kareks retained within this body.

Keosius carefully picked it up.

Heart of Kareks

Wondrous Item, myths

Domains: Chaos, Destruction, Dragon, Evil, Fire (Revival)

Effect: Unknown (Extremely dangerous)

Synopsis: Kareks the All-Nullifier symbolizes pure power and destruction among dragons. It is debated that Kareks was actually insane, resulting in the endless raging winds of the Howling Void Tunnel. Before being banished to the Howling Void Tunnel, Kareks periodically visited the Prime Material Plane, unleashing his unclean Flames of Destruction upon humanity.

His true form was sealed by the gods in the void of the Astral Plane. His divine power dissipated with the passage of time, and the remaining violent bloodline gathered in his heart with the trembling of his Base Blood Vessels, quietly waiting for Kareks's return.

Keosius felt a strange unease. The moment he descended into the Prime Material Plane, he felt several gazes fixed on him.

"This is..."

He quickly used his will to distort reality, creating a temporary Alternate Dimension to hide the scorching energy crystals and the Astral Prism within, concealing their presence.

At that moment, a strange sense of oppression came from his mind and then spread to the outside world.

Keosius looked up at the sky, his expression immediately becoming serious.

"It's Tiamat."

Sure enough, with an invisible fluctuation, a huge phantom of five colors and five heads appeared in mid-air, looking down at the Red Dragon with a ferocious smile.

"My child, you have become stronger."

Keosius nodded slightly and greeted her with neither arrogance nor servility, "Good day, Your Majesty Tiamat. My meager strength is insignificant before your great power."

The Five-Headed Great Dragon seemed to be scrutinizing something closely, or perhaps searching for something, its eyes filled with boundless greed.

"However, the stronger a child is, the more likely they are to become rebellious, especially a 'special' child like you."

"I hope... you are not like that."

Keosius folded his wings and adopted a sincere and innocent look—although such an expression was so ferocious and incongruous on the face of a Red Dragon.

"Your Majesty, I have always been working hard for your Five-Colored Dragon Enterprise, so how can I be accused of rebellion?"

Tiamat's phantom continued to scrutinize the Red Dragon, and the leading head grinned once more.

"I am very pleased that you, as a young dragon, have such awareness. I have also been working hard to find ways to expand the power and influence of the Five-Colored Dragon Race in the world."

But His words paused, and His tone suddenly became strange.

"But."

"The five heads opened their mouths at the same time, and the overlapping, resonant sounds were extremely oppressive."

A powerful pressure was suddenly released, and a gale swept across the land, forcing Keosius to exert all his strength to support his body, barely managing to avoid kneeling or collapsing.

"Why do I smell the scent of my foolish brother on you?"

Tiamat said this.

This is the true face of the Five-Colored Dragon Queen, the God of Evil Dragons. The kindness she showed earlier was not even a mask, but merely a toy to deceive the young dragon Keosius.

But once His core interests are touched, He will tear off all pretenses and unhesitatingly reveal His greed and power.

Keosius struggled to lift his head and meet the gaze of the Five-Headed Great Dragon in mid-air, displaying an innocent yet self-righteous expression.

"Your Majesty, I didn't understand what you were saying."

As if unable to withstand the pressure, the Red Dragon lowered its head and trembled as it argued, "I am just a lucky one who was blessed by my ancestors and excavated a little legacy from the bloodline of the great dragon. I do not understand your grudges, nor do I understand those ancient histories. I just want to follow in your footsteps and reproduce the supreme glory of our Five-Colored Dragon."

"I have only been in this world for ten short years, not even as long as you take a nap. How could I possibly know another great dragon god, or even your brother?"

Finally, he strained to lift his head and said through gritted teeth, each word distinct:

"Your Her Majesty Tiamat, there cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two dragons with two masters."

"In my heart, there is only one sun—you!"

Tiamat gave him a deep look.

Instantly, the suffocatingly powerful pressure lessened by more than half, and the five-colored dragon's tone became gentle, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Child, I hope that's truly what you think."

"I have seen too many promising young dragons who often choose to Contend Against me for their own selfish interests, and even cause great disasters. In the end, I have no choice but to eliminate them."

"You should know that I regard each of the Five-Colored Dragon as my own children. Even if I were to bite off their necks myself, I would feel extremely sad and often burst into tears."

"I don't hate these rebellious kids, but I feel incredibly sorry for their behavior. They could have been part of Great Blueprint, but they chose such a tragic ending."

Keosius nodded quickly, his eyes burning with earnestness as he replied, "I will heed your teachings, Your Majesty."

"Keosius, my child, remember that whatever I do is for the common good of the Five-Colored Dragon."

"I hope you don't go down the opposite path."

Tiamat's phantom looked at him intently again, as if searching for something, causing Keosius to hold his breath.

Immediately afterwards, He vanished into the void, along with the powerful pressure that had been there.

"Huff, huff"

Keosius's heart pounded, and his breathing became extremely rapid.

Using his limited knowledge of Mind Spell, he quickly constructed dozens of Mind Barrier in his mind, which gave him some psychological comfort.

"I was too complacent after falling into slumber, and I actually underestimated the power of the gods."

"This Tiamat's Terrifying Illusion must not be used casually; it would be best to completely eradicate it from the mind."

That's what Keosius thought.

He had only brought the "Heart of Kareks" back for a few seconds when Tiamat descended in her avatar, and several dragon gods were even lurking in the shadows. The situation was extremely dangerous.

Fortunately, he can now be considered a "relative" of Tiamat, bound to the scattered chariot of the Five-Colored Dragon, and his interests have not been completely threatened by this God of Evil Dragons.