Curse

Keosius lay sprawled in the palace, observing his chest with his Omniscient Eye. The Heart of Kareks was emitting a rhythmic glow with each steady heartbeat, seemingly having completely merged into his body.

He looked at the panel, where the number representing the fusion progress was still increasing, though at a much slower pace.

[Your absorption progress of [Heart of Kareks]: 1.57%] Keosius's expression was solemn.

Gods are not beings with completely free will. Their Divine Authority influence their personalities to some extent. Even the third Mystra was affected by the lingering influence of the original Magic Goddess, resulting in a personality completely different from the original. Not to mention mortals like the Red Dragon.

Faced with a being like Kareks, whose status and bloodline far surpassed his own, it was almost inevitable that Keosius would be affected.

If he hadn't become aware of the changes in his personality, it's entirely possible that he would have subconsciously become the embodiment of the Dragon God of Destruction.

"Jezal Slack."

He read the name aloud again.

Upon carefully recalling his encounter with the Astral Prism, Keosius realized that the methods of this "Revenge Devil" far exceeded his imagination.

The moment Kareks's remains reappeared, his thirst for power reached its peak. He even considered stealing the heart with a do-or-die mentality—when in fact he had no urgent need for it, but was simply driven by greed for power.

"This is the influence of the Abyss Will."

"Become chaotic, violent, driven by desires, and even at any cost."

Keosius couldn't help but feel a little scared.

The Devil Lord had easily influenced his mind without him even noticing. It seems there was a reason why the "Keosius" of his previous life was deceived.

After all, it was a genuine Wyrmling that had just left its nest; how could it possibly outmaneuver this old fox from the abyss who Abyss for tens of thousands of years?

Keosius looked at his panel, focusing on the subclass of [Bloodscale Berserker].

The characteristics of this "Barbarian" among dragons are extremely well-suited to those of the Red Dragon, and they are a perfect match for the destructive power of Kareks.

Each time he entered the "Bloodscale Rampage" state, he would feel his heart pounding rapidly, warm currents flowing through his body, and the fusion progress of the Heart of Kareks was increasing at an astonishing rate.

He used to be addicted to the thrill of increasing power, and even somewhat addicted to the feeling of flesh-on-fist, bloody battles.

But now, his mood was extremely heavy.

"As expected, it's bait again."

Keosius gave a wry smile.

From the moment he killed Koman, he had already fallen into the trap of that Revenge Devil, and all the great power he gained in it could become the poison that led him to ruin.

He once looked down on Koman, who was obsessed with revenge, but now he is vaguely following the same path.

The Red Dragon could still feel that chaotic and destructive power flowing through every Base Blood Vessels, lurking within its powerful form, waiting for the opportunity to unleash its power and destroy everything.

This is the shared curse of Kareks, trapped in the Screaming Void Tunnel, and Jezal Slack, imprisoned in the Astral Plane.

Ordinary mortals are almost powerless against this level of curse.

If left unchecked, the situation will only escalate. When Kareks's blood flows through his torso, Limbs, and even brain, the destructive power will eventually devour him completely, turning him into a puppet dominated by the desire for destruction and influenced by the Abyss Will.

He can barely maintain his sanity now, but by then it won't be possible to control him with just his "willpower".

Keosius exhaled Sulfur Scent white smoke, staring down at his slightly heaving chest, as if seeing the amber-like blood crystal, and muttered to himself, "Damn it, this state has to end as soon as possible."

"At all costs."

In a remote side hall within the palace, the Silver Dragon collapsed weakly to the ground, its breathing faint.

The binding of the Dragon Binding Array has been partially lifted. Although there are still outer restrictions that she cannot break through, at least she has the freedom to move around.

Looking back on what she had experienced these past few days, she felt utterly absurd and felt endlessly wronged.

Why is that?

Olivia looked bewildered and gave a bitter smile.

If the scam hadn't been exposed, she might not have been so desperate; at least she would have had a sliver of illusory hope, barely deceiving herself and indulging in the beautiful dream she had woven.

But when the cruel reality was laid bare before her, she could no longer deceive herself.

The figure of the powerful Embers of the Burned King gradually overlapped with the figure of the mysterious Golden Dragon Anher, making her feel even more the absurdity of this world. It was as if the God of Fate was playing a huge joke on her, and her sanity was about to collapse.

Strangely, she didn't feel the deep-seated hatred she expected towards the Red Dragon. Instead, she felt more confusion and bewilderment, as well as an extremely complex emotional and psychological dependence—a condition that seems to be called Stockholm Syndrome in some worlds.

The longing for that "Anher," the grievance of being deceived, and the confusion and despair about the future intertwined and eventually formed this complex emotion in the Silver Dragon's mind.

"He could have killed me."

"But his personality is like a completely different dragon."

The Red Dragon's ferocious, all-consuming gaze reappeared in Olivia's mind.

This was completely different from the rational and wise "Embers of the Burned King" Keosius in her memory, not to mention the kind and upright Golden Dragon Anher.

"Abyssal Devil."

Olivia remembered the words the other person had repeated.

Yes, Abyssal Devil.

This chaotic and violent emotion, this state of being completely dominated by desire, is very similar to that of the demons from the Abyss. Olivia had once come to Avernus under the protection of her elders, and witnessed the cruel and magnificent "Blood War," as well as those raging demons.

"Perhaps he really has some unspeakable secret."

"It was even cursed by some Abyssal Devil."

Olivia couldn't help but mutter to herself, a glimmer of light shining in her blue-gray eyes.

After sorting out her chaotic thoughts, Olivia suddenly realized that the Red Dragon wasn't so hopeless after all, and was even somewhat powerless to control its own destiny.

"Perhaps I can save him."

Olivia suddenly felt a strange sense of mission, believing that she might be able to pull the other person out of this chaotic and violent state, or even reform them and bring them under His Bahamut Your Majesty's guidance.

This is not only a redemption for the Red Dragon, but also a protection for all living beings in the Prime Material Plane.

To allow such an extremely powerful Red Dragon to become the embodiment of the Abyss would not only be a calamity for the Anzeta Great Wasteland, but a nightmare for all living beings, and even a catastrophe for the entire Material Plane.