"Damn it!" Outside the eye of the storm, Abyss Fire casually threw a fireball. A huge wave of heat swept through, melting the high tower's walls into molten rock.
Greedily breathing in the acrid, burnt air from the scorching flames for a while, Abyss Fire finally managed to calm his angry and restless heart.
He turned his head to look at the Domain, where Stormterror had his back to him, his tail still gently swaying, looking happy and content.
"Heh heh. You want to escape the Abyss after being tainted by its aura?" Abyss Fire looked at Stormterror, letting out a non-human sneer.
"M-my Lord, what do you intend to do?" The Pyro Abyss Mage, who had been waiting quietly nearby, asked cautiously, hearing Abyss Fire's words.
What new trick is this guy trying to pull now?
Abyss Fire looked at the low-lying Abyss Mages in front of him, not answering the Pyro Abyss Mage's question.
He stretched out a hand, and a mass of pitch-black mist began to appear in his palm.
The Abyss Mages felt the familiar aura and all looked up. They sensed the Abyss from that mist, a power only Apostles and Singers possessed.
"Th-this… this is…" The Pyro Abyss Mage felt the chaos and madness above his head, and couldn't help but ask hoarsely.
He's actually bringing out The Order's power; what exactly does this guy want to do!
"I will let Stormterror know that he is a monster of the Abyss, and only The Order is his true home!" With that, the Pyro Abyss Mage saw the pitch-black mist transform into wisps of black smoke, silently drilling into the poisoned blood on Dvalin's back.
The black breath passed through the eye of the storm, floating into the Domain, towards the poisoned blood on Dvalin's back, stimulating the Abyss power within Dvalin's body.
This was the Abyss Order's true purpose in approaching Dvalin. Curing the poisoned blood? That was impossible. With this, Dvalin could be turned into a mindless beast at any time!
Dvalin, who was reading, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back.
"Roar!" Dvalin's dragon body trembled, the immense pain making him unable to support himself, and he collapsed directly onto the platform.
Seeing this, a starry gate instantly appeared in front of Abyss Fire. That was a unique ability of Abyss Monsters of their level — the Abyss Passage.
Abyss Fire approached the portal. He paused, then said to the Abyss Mages who had followed him closely:
"You guys have a good relationship with him? Then stay and become the material for him to turn into a beast. The Order will remember you."
With that, Abyss Fire walked into the portal without looking back, leaving the Abyss Mages outside.
"W-what does my Lord mean?" The Cryo Abyss Mage was confused. He ran to the Pyro Abyss Mage and asked.
The Pyro Abyss Mage, worthy of being the brains of the four Abyss Mages, immediately smacked the Cryo Abyss Mage's head, saying with a tone of disappointment, "Still calling him my Lord! Still calling him my Lord! Let's just wait to die. That scoundrel wants Dvalin to kill us."
"Why! What's the meaning of this sacrifice!" The Cryo Abyss Mage shouted in confusion. He was willing to sacrifice for The Order, but now he couldn't see any value in his sacrifice.
"Didn't you say we had a good relationship with Stormterror? So he wants Stormterror to kill his friends, I guess." The Pyro Abyss Mage felt Stormterror's increasingly volatile aura and simply gave up, slumping to the ground.
"I can't do anything this time either. You guys find a good spot, and at least try to die gracefully," the Pyro Abyss Mage said, then leaned against the high tower's wall and closed his eyes in silence.
Stormterror, corrupted by the Abyss to the point of losing his mind, was right in front of them. The Pyro Abyss Mage couldn't think of any way for them to escape.
Seeing this, the other Abyss Mages also stopped struggling. The four of them had gone through many hardships, and each time it was the Pyro Abyss Mage who led them out of trouble. Now that he had no solution, the others simply gave up trying.
"Hey, didn't you say that once you became an Apostle, you'd show those who looked down on you? You must have thought of a name then, right?" The Hydro Abyss Mage walked up to the Pyro Abyss Mage, the scattered wind already making it difficult for them to breathe.
Abyss Mages have no names; they only get one after being promoted to Apostle or Singer.
"A name? No, don't talk to me. I want to sleep before I die." The Pyro Abyss Mage opened his eyes. He looked at the Domain, where Stormterror seemed to be completely transforming into a beast.
As for his name, it would also dissipate in this restless wind, unknown to others… "Damn it, it just flared up a while ago, why is it so fast this time!" Dvalin painfully closed the giant book, pushed it away, and prepared to silently endure the pain.
The pain initially only started from the location of the poisoned blood on his back. But as time passed, the "pain" seemed to transform into some substance, flowing with his blood to every part of Dvalin's body.
"Grind—" Dvalin's eyes were tightly shut, his bird-beak-like lips constantly trembling, emitting a grating sound of teeth grinding.
"Pain… it's just pain. Endure… just endure and it will pass," Dvalin constantly reminded himself in his heart.
His whole body was trembling, and the light feathers that were always enveloped in a breeze no longer swayed, becoming disheveled.
Dvalin's breathing was heavier than ever. His lungs were like giant bellows, inhaling the cool breeze and exhaling gasps of agony.
This pain was more intense and lasted longer than ever before. But Dvalin was also stronger than ever.
The Domain was still filled with endless wind, restless but not insane.
However, the stirred-up poisoned blood was clearly not that simple. The poisoned blood on Dvalin's back seemed to come alive, beginning to pulsate rhythmically, like a heart.
"Ah—" Countless distracting thoughts and babbling voices frantically drilled into Dvalin's mind. They continuously assaulted Dvalin's spirit, attempting to completely devour him.
"Why? Why? Beautiful dragon, I just want to play happily."
"I just want to hear happy songs, want to tell you about Mama. Want to tell you how beautiful the place I came from is."
"Why? Why! Beautiful dragon! Why sink your fangs into my neck! Why bury me in the snowy mountains!"
…The childlike cries were so loud, so piercing, they echoed in Dvalin's mind, drowning out all other thoughts.
Dvalin's eyes opened, mostly covered in crimson. The irrational Dvalin had completely transformed into a beast!
Sharp dragon claws scratched the solid ruin platform, carving out shocking claw marks.
Furious gales roared from Dvalin's mouth, destroying everything in their path!
The poisoned blood no longer clotted; it began to transform into dark purple resentment, gradually enveloping Dvalin.
The cyan feathers were no longer agile due to the viscous purple sludge, and the flowing indigo patterns became turbid and wild. Everything was developing in a bad direction.
Dvalin was still frantically pounding the platform. He was in so much pain that he destroyed several platforms just by scratching.
"Screech—, gurgle—" Dvalin scratched the pristine stone platform once more.
Even with the ancient civilization's craftsmanship, huge scratches were still carved into the platform. But this time, besides the grating friction, there was also the sound of flesh dissolving.
New pain appeared on Dvalin's body. He raised his hand and looked at his dragon claws.
There was nothing there, only fingers emitting countless contaminated Anemo elemental power — his dragon claws were gone.
The crumbling platform, the broken dragon claws, and his unrecognizable self. These sights were clearly reflected in Dvalin's eyes.
"Dragons also need to take good care of themselves!"
"Looking at you, you probably don't know how to trim your nails. I'll teach you."
"Here, take this. You should learn with practice. Don't tell me you're a stupid dragon who can't even learn this."
…The last remaining emerald green in Dvalin's crimson dragon eyes trembled, reflecting a scene of utter destruction.
Immense rage, rage surpassing everything.
The emerald green merely trembled, then swallowed the crimson. Dazzling green light tore gashes through the pitch-black covering Dvalin's body.
"All of you, get out!!!"
The roar of the giant dragon was even louder than five hundred years ago!
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