Storm King's Eye

Keosius spread his wings and swept over the collapsed stone bridge.

But he was not fleeing. He was flying toward the Storm Giant's corpse.

The hurricane buffeted him from side to side. Flickering lightning arcs chased after him, bolts striking down one after another behind him and blasting charred craters into the ruins.

The Red Dragon dodged desperately through the chaotic air currents, beating his wings with all his strength against the raging wind and rain as he flew unsteadily toward the center of the storm.

The closer he came to the center, the more violent the elemental reactions became. Arcs of electricity even filled every inch of the air.

After several breaths, the Red Dragon was already covered in wounds.

Though protected by several spells, his body had still been scorched with blackened wounds under such violent elemental reactions.

His golden scales had been pitted by the Acid Rain. Electric arcs even wrapped around his body, and every beat of his wings produced crackling explosions from his scales.

At last, he was only ten meters from the corpse.

"Boom!"

Another bolt of lightning as thick as a bowl struck Keosius. It was so fast that he did not even notice it.

Spell Invalidation Barrier

An invisible barrier appeared. It barely withstood the lightning before shattering, saving his life once more and leaving Keosius deeply shaken.

He could not waste any more time.

"Roar—"

The Red Dragon let out a somewhat youthful Long Cry, but it was nearly a hoarse scream.

Then he beat his Wings with all his strength. Relying on his powerful body, he forcibly Contended Against the increasingly frenzied storm and finally managed to reach the Storm Giant's corpse.

"I have to get there!"

Keosius roared.

At that moment, the raging thunder had become an inferno surrounding him layer upon layer. One step in any direction would turn him into charcoal in an instant.

There was no retreat left for him.

Ignoring the thunder surging toward him, Keosius stared only at the Storm Giant's eye.

The Storm Giant's eye had the texture of amber, surrounded by dazzling lightning. It contained unimaginable, terrifying power.

That was not merely a giant's corpse. It was clearly a dreadful magical relic!

It was the most direct manifestation of the great power the Storm Giant had wielded over natural disasters in life, as well as the executor of the Storm Giant's final prophecy—to bring about the most complete destruction.

It was this very thing that had unleashed the terrifying spell.

"Come down!"

Keosius's muscles bulged as he exerted every ounce of strength.

Just before the thunder swarmed in and engulfed the Red Dragon, he forcibly tore the eye from the Storm Giant's socket and gripped it tightly in his claws.

"Crackle—boom!"

In an instant, the Storm Giant's eye drew in the surrounding lightning, creating a terrifying vortex of lightning energy within the Weave.

The Red Dragon's entire body convulsed as his flesh vaporized.

Dazzling lightning shone through the gaps between his claws, turning his palm translucent. Even the bones within his body could be seen clearly.

Yet he still held it tightly, because he knew that if he let go, he might die without even leaving a corpse, reduced to ashes by the surrounding lightning.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Several breaths passed.

Accompanied by the Red Dragon's heavy panting, the light in his claws gradually dimmed.

"Rumble."

In an instant, the incoming thunder receded like a falling tide, while the rolling black clouds overhead gradually dispersed beneath the wind.

The fierce storm battered against the walls of the cave, slowly losing strength and returning to calm.

Everything returned to darkness and silence.

Only, the once-majestic tomb had now become a Ruins of broken stone. Like any cave that had suffered a collapse, it no longer bore even a trace of the ancient Giant Empire's fading glory.

"It's over—"

Keosius let out a long breath of hot air carrying a Sulfur Scent.

He carefully opened his claws.

Much of the flesh on his thick clawed palm had been burned black, and his scales had melted into ugly lumps. But the Red Dragon did not care in the slightest. His eyes were filled with anticipation and excitement.

The blue amber-like "eye" lay quietly in his palm, like a beautiful, translucent gemstone that could have been set into the gown of any noble lady.

Only the faint flicker of deep blue light allowed Keosius to barely connect it to the terrifying thunder just now and the dreadful storm that had left him so awestruck.

[The storm from ancient times submits to your power.]
[You have obtained Legendary Equipment—Storm King's Eye.]

Storm King's Eye

Quality: Legendary

Creator: Landeta Hurricane Algaetes

Description: The legendary druid and Storm Giant Elder Landeta once gazed upon the shining starry sky and the boundless deep ocean from the Sky Fortress, seeking every trace and omen left behind by Annan. Storm Giants could Control Weather and alter the fates of countless creatures in an instant, but he knew full well that many matters would ultimately remain futile, no matter how one intervened.

Thus, Landeta buried the collection of his lifetime deep underground, sealing great power comparable to a natural disaster within his eye. He silently waited to be buried and forgotten alongside the remnants of himself and his empire. Of course, should any rude intruders come calling, Landeta would not mind granting them the most complete death.

"An enraged Storm Giant shall bring even more complete destruction. This is my final prophecy.—Landeta"

Effects:

Vengeful Storm—Charge Release
Control Weather—Once per week

Storm Echo Body: Contact deals additional lightning damage. After multiple stacks, there is a chance to summon lightning and gain a degree of lightning immunity.

Vengeful Storm

9th-circle evocation spell. A churning, roiling black cloud spreads outward from a point you can see, covering an area with a radius of one hundred and twenty meters. The area is filled with lightning, thunder, and howling winds. All creatures beneath the cloud have a chance of falling into a state of persistent deafness.

Vengeful Storm produces different effects depending on how it is controlled. Acid Rain can Pour Down from the clouds, lightning can be summoned from the clouds, hail can Pour Down from the cloud mass, and fierce winds and icy rain can batter the area beneath the clouds, heavily obscuring it. The strong winds within the area automatically disperse all magical or non-magical smoke and other similar phenomena.

Control Weather

8th-circle transmutation spell. For the duration of the spell, you control the weather within a five-mile radius of yourself. You may freely alter conditions such as precipitation, temperature, and wind strength. By spending a certain amount of time, you can create extreme weather such as hail, dense fog, and blizzards. When the spell ends, the weather gradually returns to normal.

"This..."

"As expected of a relic left behind by a legendary druid."

The Red Dragon could not help widening his eyes. His pupils dilated so far that the deep orange irises within, like flames, were clearly visible.

An artifact.

That was Keosius's entire evaluation of this equipment.

With the Storm King's Eye alone, this life-risking adventure had already paid for itself. If this equipment were placed on the black market in his previous life, it would not be surprising for it to sell for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Vengeful Storm was a prestigious top-tier ninth-circle spell. It was no exaggeration to say that once cast, it could easily determine the course of an entire battle.

Control Weather was also an extremely valuable high-tier eighth-circle spell, with exceptionally broad applications.

Even the additional Storm Echo Body was a powerful tool for close combat.

Keosius tightly clenched the deep blue gemstone in his claws, terrified of losing it. For the first time, he understood how the Chimera had felt while frantically moving Gold Coin.

"Boom!"

Massive rocks fell from the ceiling, nearly smashing into the Red Dragon's head before crashing to the ground and bursting into flying fragments.

Keosius looked up and was shocked to discover that the cracks in the cavern ceiling had grown deeper and more obvious, spreading rapidly outward like a spiderweb.

"This underground world is about to collapse!"

"Run!"

The Red Dragon hurriedly flapped his wings into the air, struggling to dodge the falling boulders. Fortunately, after his agility increase, he was far more nimble than an ordinary Red Dragon.

On one side was the joy of obtaining a treasure; on the other was the helplessness of falling into danger again. Keosius was suffering, yet happy.