Chapter 268: Snatching from the Tiger's Mouth
"A demon's pact..."
"Relying on these chaotic extensions to follow an orderly contract? What a joke."
Cassius sneered inwardly, but he still put on an eager expression, making no attempt to hide his greed for power.
His incarnation disappeared from the astral void, turning into dwindling and dying flames, leaving only the Cataclysmic Dragon Eye to monitor the situation. Cassius refocused his will on his true form, positioned in the Material Plane, facing the astral prism.
"A pact... I do not wish to sign."
"But the body of Karrikex, I am also unwilling to abandon."
"So let's bet everything, snatch food from the tiger's mouth while the seal is yet unbroken."
Cassius fixed his gaze tightly on the astral prism, which emitted an eerie glow, his eyes glinting with the thrill of a gamble.
Right now, Jezal Slak had definitely not broken the seal, at least not enough to keep him contained. Otherwise, this demon would not have gone to such great lengths to entice him into signing the so-called "pact of cooperation" using the precious body of a god.
But the Vengeful Lord, sealed for millennia, seemed to have become overly self-satisfied, revealing his hand prematurely, forgetting that Cassius had another option—to flip the table.
"Let me see for myself…"
"The fury of a demon lord."
Cassius grinned, thoughts buzzing in his mind.
Under the dragon sorcerer's twisted will, magical brilliance and spatial ripples suddenly appeared—Undying Reverse Scale, Nimble as a Flying Dragon, Aerial Maneuverability, Energy Scales, Omniscient Eye—all layered upon his massive dragon form, enhancing his abilities for a high-stakes fight.
Cassius folded his wings tightly, squeezing himself through the starlit rainbow gate.
The red dragon passed through a tunnel of flowing rainbow hues, spanning unfathomable distances, bringing his true form into the deep astral void.
This was a pure mental realm—the silvery void among all true planes.
Yet, even physical beings could survive here.
"If only I had found an astral projection, I could have minimized the risks."
Cassius gently flapped his wings, quickly adapting to the unique, near-weightless environment of the astral plane. Under the influence of his aerial maneuverability magic, he began mastering the art of flying within the void.
"Cassius, you finally came…"
"My most perfect partner, sign the pact with me."
"You will share in an endless source of power, and become the creator of a new world."
The whispering voice of the demon floated closer, lingering in Cassius's ears, enticing him to fall into the deepest abyss.
Cassius flapped his wings forcefully, like a red comet racing through the astral void. Within mere breaths, he covered nearly a thousand meters, seeing the floating island in the distance, along with the gaunt figure of the demon.
"Come, sign the pact with me."
"Release me, and you will gain immortality!"
Suspended mid-air, Jezal Slak's voice grew even more fervent, like a prisoner about to receive pardon.
That contract, woven of abyssal currents, waved in the void like a living creature, welcoming its contractor.
But Cassius continued to fortify his mental barriers, resisting all demonic whispers.
Instead of approaching the demon as promised, he accelerated, flapping his wings with such force that scarlet flames trailed behind him. He flew right past the bound demon, straight toward the mountain-like dragon corpse in the distance.
"No—"
"Cassius! What are you trying to do? Have you forgotten our agreement?!"
The demon called the "Vengeful Lord" trembled violently in midair, his deep eyes blazing with vengeful fire.
The entire island quaked, the astral void darkening as a gigantic face formed from chaos.
"Vengeance—"
"Destruction—"
"Chaos—"
The face roared, its fury seemingly intent on devouring the dragon streaking through the void.
Cassius folded his wings tight, continuing to accelerate, not forgetting to taunt as he went.
"Who told you—that I would sign your so-called pact?"
"A demon's pact—to me, it's even more laughable than a devil's conscience!"
Paying no heed to the chaotic mist obstructing him, Cassius shot through the void like a meteor, sulfurous smoke coiling around him as he descended upon the chest of the massive dragon corpse.
"This is Karrikex, the World Purger."
Cassius exhaled deeply.
This dragon, a thousand meters long, had been dead for millennia, yet standing before it now, Cassius still felt an incredible sense of pressure—a pressure that originated from his bloodline, his heritage, and his very essence. Even his wings were trembling uncontrollably.
His goal was the heart.
He could not bring the entire corpse back to the Material Plane.
Though every part of the divine carcass was priceless, the most valuable portion was undoubtedly the heart—the organ fed by countless primordial vessels, the one still faintly pulsating, holding the last remnant of its bloodline's power.
The Heart of Karrikex.
"Cassius! You seek your own doom!"
"You've forsaken my grand gift and chosen ultimate destruction!"
A towering shadow of chaos came rushing from afar, the enraged Vengeful Demon unleashing all power leaking from the seal, raging against the "traitor."
Cassius knew—his time was running out.
The demon had been sealed by the gods for millennia, yet even so, the power of an abyssal lord was not something he could match.
"Roar—"
The dragon crystal on Cassius's chest glowed blindingly, vents on his body spewed white smoke, and a blazing white column of fire shot from his mouth.
Then, two rows of vibrant flames erupted from his neck and tail, with the crystal on his chest filled with light. The white-hot fire grew even more intense, its outer edges tinged faintly with blue.
However, when the deadly hot breath struck the corpse of Karrikex, it was blocked by the dim scales.
Even after thousands of years, the material body of the dead dragon, bereft of its source of power, was still too strong to be easily destroyed by mere fire.
"This is terrifying."
"Even my enhanced breath feels like a tickle."
Seeing the approaching demonic shadow, Cassius gritted his teeth and finally resolved himself.
Instantly, all the primordial vessels within Cassius's body glowed faintly, protruding from his body like roots.
Endless energy streamed into his dragon crystal. Flames of dazzling, high-temperature white erupted from the vents along his neck and tail.
With an overwhelming pulse, the dragon crystal underwent a violent magical fission reaction. Dots of light and arcs of lines swirled chaotically inside it, stray sparks ricocheted from his chest, and the crystal blazed like a miniature star.
Intense winds spread outward from Cassius, forming a ring of dust over the floating island. The void fell into silence for a moment, then an ear-shattering explosion burst forth.
In the next instant, blue and white flames burst from Cassius's maw.
[Primordial Breath]
The intense heat engulfed the corpse.
This time, his breath cleaved through the dim scales, gouging a massive hole in the grand body.
"Huff, huff."
Cassius panted heavily, his body appearing semi-transparent, steaming with white smoke, as if on the verge of overload.
But he could not afford to relax—there was no time to rest. He crawled into the crevice without hesitation, his claws widening it with every slash.
"Tear—"
Finally, he ripped through the thick flesh of the dragon corpse's chest.
The heart, glowing and still faintly trembling, was exposed.
This heart alone had a diameter of nearly thirty meters—larger than most dragons of the current era.
"This is the Heart of Karrikex."
Cassius exhaled white smoke, his golden pupils shining with fervor.
"Cassius! You've betrayed my trust!"
"You shall suffer the wrath of the Abyssal Lord!"
Cassius turned his head, seeing the demonic shadow closing in. Made of chaotic fog, it extended a monstrous hand to capture him.
Enhanced with [Graceful Dragon], the red dragon swiftly dodged, though the chaotic aura still contaminated him, rendering all his magic unstable—the [Omniscient Eye] even shattered under the corruption.
"This is true abyssal power…"
"I must escape quickly."
Cassius felt the corruption's turmoil, dread filling his heart.
He darted into the chest cavity of the dragon corpse, dodging attacks while tearing through lifeless vessels with claws and the Rending Claw spell.
Finally, the massive heart, glowing faintly with the power of an ancient lineage, fell away from the remaining tissues.
Without hesitation, the dragon sorcerer bent reality to his will, casting another spell.
[Bag of Greed]
A bag-shaped force field formed behind him, allowing him to drag the colossal heart.
"Roar!"
Cassius roared, struggling to lift the enormous heart into the air.
Fortunately, the astral plane's gravity was almost negligible; otherwise, even a red dragon would struggle to carry such a burden.
Cassius pushed his wings to their limit, hauling the heart a hundred meters into the air.
"Foolish mortal!"
"You don't know the consequences of angering an Abyssal Lord!"
The demonic shadow formed a black spear and hurled it at the dragon, who had little room to dodge.
But as the chaotic power approached, about to deal a fatal blow, a golden scale shattered on Cassius's body, enveloping him in a golden membrane. The [Immortal Reverse Scale] blocked the lethal attack.
Seizing this precious moment, Cassius climbed, leaving the island far below, the demonic shadow left impotent, roaring from the ground.
"Farewell—no, goodbye forever—Jezal Slak."
"I'll remember your generous gift."
Cassius panted heavily.
The heavily wounded red dragon, dragging the Heart of Karrikex, finally arrived at the astral prism. He plunged into the starry pool that led back to the Material Plane, into the rainbow conduit.
Bathed in the starlight, the red dragon disappeared.
In the Astral Plane, upon Karrikex's floating island—
The grand demonic shadow dispersed, leaving only the gaunt demon suspended in midair.
"As expected, the cleverest fish always bites the bait with the most conviction."
The demon murmured.
Jezal Slak, at this moment, seemed entirely unlike the enraged figure he portrayed moments ago. Instead, he calmly raised his head.
"Ha, typical of the greedy red dragons. You have, indeed, surprised me."
He stared in the direction of the vanished dragon, or perhaps at the endless chaos beyond the astral plane, a strange, eerie smile playing across his lips.
"Yet… my words aren't finished. Foolish mortals say Karrikex was mad, resulting in the ceaseless winds within the Maelstrom Void."
"But wasn't that simply the Abyss's everlasting whisper?"
"Cassius, the mark of chaos will engrave itself upon every one of your scales, flow through every vein. When you truly grow strong—that is when I shall reap the harvest."
"Originally, I wanted you to drown in fantasies of power, completing everything naturally. Instead, you've chosen a rockier road—one that's less likely to preserve your current form."
The imprisoned demon stretched his gaunt arm toward the astral void, then clenched it forcefully, the chains clattering.
"This is the destiny that spans the cosmos. You... cannot escape."
"Dragons are ultimately mortals who don't understand the world's laws. Should I praise your wisdom or call you naive?"
The astral void remained empty, the silver streams drifting, the occasional gleam flickering, lone floating islands suspended, uncertain if they were astral beasts or remnants of yet another god.