Chapter 271: Breath of Chaos
"Bloodscaled Fury."
"This feeling is quite nice."
Cassius panted heavily, licking his lips uncontrollably, his bloodshot eyes filled with excitement and fury.
However, the system refresh continued.
[Your absorption progress of [Heart of Karrikex]: 0.83%]
[Due to partial energy absorption, your [Bloodscaled Fury] class has advanced to level 3]
[You have gained additional feats: [Power Attack][Shockwave][Wing Storm]]
[You have gained additional abilities: [Fearsome Presence][Draconic Fury][Scales of Blood]]
[Fearsome Presence]
Seeing the Bloodscaled Fury ignites terror. The boiling rage churns within its heart, inspiring terror in all who see it.
[Draconic Fury]
The fury of the Bloodscaled Fury becomes even more terrifying. During a rage, its Strength and Constitution increase by an additional 2 points, and its Will becomes more resilient, making control spells nearly ineffective against it.
[Scales of Blood]
True to the name Bloodscaled Fury. When raging, a certain amount of blood oozes from around the scales, outlining them and enhancing the dragon's Fearsome Presence. More importantly, the blood supernaturally protects the dragon from spells and weapon attacks.
"Such power."
Cassius lifted his claw, observing the bloodstains on his scales, and couldn't help but let out a ferocious roar.
Not only did his muscles bulge like iron balls, but even the veins in his neck protruded, resembling those of an enraged beast.
After undergoing this painful transformation, Cassius's body had grown several sizes larger, his length now exceeding thirty meters, and his limbs and body were more robust and powerful.
Cassius threw back his head and let out a triumphant roar.
The roar contained boiling rage, evoking the primal fear in all living beings. Flocks of birds flew from the mountains in panic, only to freeze mid-flight due to the overwhelming fear, dropping one after another, crashing straight to the ground.
Even some of the well-trained tiefling guards couldn't withstand the pressure and fainted immediately—this was the might of the Bloodscaled Fury.
If the current him were to battle his previous self in close combat, the powerful close-combat ability of the Bloodscaled Fury would undoubtedly leave his former self covered in wounds, perhaps even tear him apart—such was the fearsome might of the progenitor red dragon under the influence of Bloodscaled Fury.
Yet this transformation wasn't over; it continued unabated.
"Roar—"
The furious red dragon let out another bellowing roar.
The cracks that covered his body widened further, revealing flickering flames.
With every violent heartbeat, the "Heart of Karrikex" within his chest unleashed tremendous power, causing cracks to form on the crystal in his chest, from which countless dark red rays of light shone through.
These rays seemed to twist the very rules of the world, drawing irregular paths through the air and creating swirling patterns within his draconic crystal.
Finally, Cassius uncontrollably opened his maw and spewed out dark red flames.
"Boom—"
The moment the flames touched nearby objects, they instantly disintegrated into the tiniest specks of dust, becoming a chaotic mist that permeated the air—these flames were exactly the same "Cleansing Fire" Cassius had seen in his previous visions.
In the outside world, as a terrifying wave of chaos spread, every spellcaster across the Northlands and the entire Erezaghe continent could feel its twisted, raging influence, leaving them in utter shock and causing a great uproar.
[Your absorption progress of [Heart of Karrikex]: 1.02%]
[You have absorbed a portion of the chaos and destructive divinity from the [Heart of Karrikex], gaining the special ability: [Breath of Chaos]]
[Breath of Chaos]
Karrikex periodically visited the Material Plane to unleash his unclean cleansing fire upon the world. He is the Nullifier, also the World's Purifier. Natural processes and cosmic evolution tend to lead to more disorder and chaos, and your breath will accelerate this process, bringing total chaos to everything.
As Cassius returned to his senses and slowly closed his maw, the grand palace was nearly leveled, with huge craters surrounding it.
Only the most basic particles of matter remained, along with a sea of chaotic and burning flames.
In the midst of the fire, Cassius had an intoxicated smile, and it took him a long while before he reluctantly waved a claw to extinguish them.
"Breath of Chaos."
"This is practically divine power."
To the red dragon, in the face of this chaotic cleansing fire, it seemed that nothing could stand in its way; only the most complete annihilation awaited.
"Master—"
Cassius turned his head to find the ogre mage rushing over in a panic.
Langpu came crashing to the ground, panting heavily, saying, "You, you… did you feel it, the Weave…"
Before the ogre could finish, he suddenly felt a primal fear. Cold sweat trickled down, and he instinctively covered his mouth.
"Did I not say—"
"No one is allowed near here?"
The red dragon's bloodshot eyes gleamed with deadly danger.
The strong bloody aura spread, making it hard for Langpu to breathe.
For the first time, Langpu felt death so close, seeing his master so terrifying and overwhelming.
He immediately knelt, trembling violently despite his giant three-meter-tall frame. His ugly face was full of fear, barely holding onto rationality by sheer willpower.
He stammered out:
"M-master, I… I am sorry."
"It was my disrespect; I forgot your command."
Langpu held his breath until the overwhelming pressure suddenly lessened, and only then did his tense heart relax slightly, though he dared not ease up.
"This better not happen again."
Cassius said coldly.
He allowed no one to pry into his power, not even his most trusted minion.
"So… what was it you wanted to say?"
Hearing the question, Langpu's forehead broke into a cold sweat, his heart pounding again.
He had originally wanted to report the disturbance in the Weave, but now it was evident that his master had caused it, and the specific reason had become Cassius's forbidden domain.
He clearly could not delve further, or he risked inciting suspicion.
The ogre mage, having held high rank for many years, had long forgotten what it felt like to walk on eggshells.
Only now did he fully understand—his master was a pure-blooded red dragon. Though something unusual might have changed within the dragon, it was definitely not something he had the right to meddle with.
His mind raced as he searched through recent important intel, and then he cautiously replied:
"It's about the restrictions on Lackman Keep… they seem to have weakened."
"Mortiferl?"
"Just perfect; I've been looking for an opportunity to test this power."
Cassius's eyes gleamed with a fierce battle intent, and he even licked his lips in excitement. But he did not notice—in the depths of his pupils, a trace of pure destruction had appeared.