Chapter 281: Curse
Kai Xiusu lay motionless within the Palace, his gaze fixed upon his chest through the 【All-Seeing Eye】. The Heart of Karex pulsed steadily beneath his skin, emitting a rhythmic, faint glow in time with his heartbeat—seemingly fully integrated into his body. He glanced at his Character Sheet, where the number tracking the fusion progress continued to climb, though its rate had slowed significantly.
[Your absorption progress of 【Heart of Karex】: 1.57%]
Kai Xiusu’s expression remained grave. Divine Beings were not entirely free in their will; their divine offices inevitably shaped their personalities. Even the third incarnation of the former Mistress of Magic had been irrevocably altered by the lingering essence of the original goddess of magic—her character had become utterly unlike her former self. How much more so for a Mortal Entity like the Red Dragon.
Facing a being of Karex’s stature, whose bloodline and rank far surpassed his own, it was nearly inevitable that Kai Xiusu would be influenced. Had he not noticed the subtle shifts in his own personality, he might have quietly transformed into the very embodiment of the Destroyer Dragon God.
“Jezarslak.”
He whispered the name once more.
Revisiting his experience within the Stellar Prism, Kai Xiusu finally realized just how far beyond his comprehension the so-called “Revenant Demon” truly was. At the moment Karex’s残躯 reemerged into the world, his craving for strength had reached its peak. He had even prepared to risk everything—sacrificing himself in a desperate attempt to steal the Heart. But in truth, he hadn’t needed to. It had all stemmed from a raw, insatiable greed for power.
“This… is the influence of the Abyssal Will.”
Chaos. Frenzy. Driven by desire. At all costs.
A shiver ran through Kai Xiusu. He felt genuine fear.
That Demon Lord had manipulated his mind without his awareness—how could he not have been deceived? The past version of himself, a mere fledgling Dragonling fresh from the nest, had no chance against such an ancient, cunning Abyssal schemer.
Kai Xiusu stared at his Character Sheet, lingering on the 【Bloodscaled Fury】 subclass.
This dragon-born “Barbarian” was perfectly attuned to the Red Dragon’s traits—like a match forged in fire. And it was a divine synergy with the destructive power of Karex. Every time he entered the 【Crimson Scales Frenzy】 state, his heart raced violently, warmth surged through his veins, and the fusion process accelerated like wildfire.
In the past, he had been enthralled by the rush of growing strength, even addicted to the visceral thrill—the pounding of fists on flesh, the scent of blood in the air.
Now, his heart felt heavy.
“Of course… another trap,” Kai Xiusu muttered, a bitter smile forming on his lips.
From the moment he killed Koman, he had already stepped into the Revenant Demon’s web. All the power he had gained—so rich, so tempting—could now be poison, slowly corroding his soul.
Once, he had dismissed Koman’s obsession with revenge as petty and foolish. Now, he saw himself walking the same path.
The Red Dragon could still feel it—the chaotic, destructive force seeping through every basal vessel in his body, coiled within his mighty dragon form, waiting for the moment to erupt, to consume everything.
This was the shared Curse of Karex, trapped in the Howling Void, and Jezarslak, imprisoned in the Stellar Realm.
For a mere Mortal Entity, such a Curse was nearly impossible to resist. If left unchecked, it would only grow worse. When Karex’s blood had spread through his limbs, his torso, even his mind, the destructive force would finally devour him—turning him into a puppet, mindless and enslaved by Abyssal Will.
For now, he could still cling to reason. But in time, even sheer willpower would not be enough to hold it back.
Kai Xiusu exhaled a plume of sulfurous white smoke. He lowered his head, watching his chest rise and fall slightly, as if glimpsing the amber-blood crystal deep within.
“Damned… I must end this state—no matter the cost.”
“At all costs.”
In a remote annex of the Royal Palace, the Silver Dragon collapsed to the ground, her breath shallow and weak.
The Dragon Binding Ritual had been partially broken. Though outer prohibitions still held her, she now had enough freedom to move.
Recalling the past days, she felt nothing but absurdity—and an overwhelming sense of sorrow.
“Why?” Olivia murmured, her gaze unfocused, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.
If the deception had never been revealed, she might have remained in denial, clinging to a fragile illusion, tricking herself with a dream she had woven. But now, the cruel truth lay bare before her—there was no more pretending.
The image of the mighty King of the Burnt merged with that of the enigmatic Gold Dragon, Anher. The two forms blurred, and the world seemed to mock her—like a cruel joke from Fate itself, threatening to shatter her reason.
Yet strangely, she felt no burning hatred toward the Red Dragon—no desire to tear him apart.
Instead, she felt confusion, incomprehension, and a strange, tangled emotional dependency—something that, in another world, might be called Stockholm Syndrome.
Her longing for Anher. The hurt of being deceived. The dread of the future—all twisted together into a storm of emotion within her.
“He could have killed me.”
“But his nature… it’s like a different dragon entirely.”
The Red Dragon’s frenzied, annihilating gaze flashed in Olivia’s mind once more.
This was nothing like the rational, cunning Kai Xiusu—the King of the Burnt she had known. Nor was it like the noble, upright Gold Dragon, Anher.
“Deep Abyss Demon,” she recalled the words spoken again and again.
Yes. Deep Abyss Demon.
This state of Chaos, frenzy, and utter surrender to desire—so close to the beings born from the Bottomless Abyss.
She had once, as a child, been protected by elders and brought to Avernus. She had witnessed the brutal, vast Blood War. She had seen the frenzied demons—cruel, terrifying, and magnificent.
“Maybe… he truly has something unspeakable.”
“Perhaps he’s been cursed by a Deep Abyss Demon.”
Her voice was barely a whisper. The blue-gray eyes flickered with a faint light.
As she sorted through the chaos in her mind, Olivia began to see the Red Dragon in a new light—not beyond redemption, but perhaps trapped, forced by fate.
“I might be able to save him.”
A sudden, unbidden sense of purpose surged within her. Perhaps she could pull him from this state of Chaos and Frenzy. Perhaps she could guide him back from the brink—away from the Abyss, toward the light of King Bahamut’s guidance.
This would not only be the salvation of one dragon.
It would be the protection of all life in the Prime Material Plane.
For if such a mighty Red Dragon were to become a vessel for the Abyss… it would not just be a catastrophe for Anzeta’s Great Wasteland.
It would be the end of all things.
The disaster would ripple across the entire Material Realm.
(End of Chapter)
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