Chapter 572: Serol: This Red Emperor, you don't want anything to happen to your offspring, do you?

Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Dream world.

The gentle sunlight spilled over the grassland blooming with grass and flowers, dyeing the entire plain with a warm golden hue. The light also fell upon the red iron dragon's scales, reflecting a cold, metallic sheen.

Opposite the red iron dragon stood Cerora.

The aesthetic preferences of many green dragons were similar to those of metal dragons; they preferred to retain their human forms when not in combat.

Cerora was no exception.

She was currently in human form, wearing a beautiful, flowing dress adorned with flowers. The petals embroidered on the skirt seemed to be real, trembling gently with the breeze and emitting a rich, fragrant scent carried over by the warm wind.

At this moment, Cerora had her hands clasped behind her slender waist, her body leaning slightly forward as she looked up, meeting the gaze of the massive red iron dragon.

Her face was brimming with undisguised delight, her eyes curved into crescent moons, and the corners of her mouth were lifted high.

"You're coming to Arotala?"

She said joyfully.

The red iron dragon slightly lowered its head, its enormous dragon eyes reflecting Cerora's jubilant figure.

Before he could even speak, Cerora eagerly continued,

"Garoth, are you coming to see me?"

"I've been waiting for this day for a very long time."

She straightened up, gesturing with her hands in front of her.

"You know, meeting in a dream and meeting in reality are two completely different things."

"Here, I can feel your spirit, sense your emotions, your thoughts, but I can't feel your real warmth. For example, the heat you bring when you breathe—it's still not real enough in a dream. And the texture of your scales... it's all filtered through a layer."

"I can't wait to see you in reality."

The green dragon expressed her anticipation without the slightest concealment.

Garoth was silent for a moment.

He looked at Cerora's expectant face, then slowly shook his head.

"No. My primary purpose in going to Arotala is to find the source of the Fury Curse and investigate some matters." He paused before continuing, "And to take a look at your kingdom along the way."

Cerora laughed out loud.

"Alright, alright, alright."

"Come see me along the way, I understand."

She tilted her head, tucking a strand of hair that had fallen by her cheek behind her ear.

"No matter what you say, I'll take it that you're mainly coming to see me, and finding the Fury Curse is secondary. I don't agree to swapping that order."

The red iron dragon let out a low snort, a warm puff of dragon breath escaping its nostrils.

He neither refuted nor agreed.

Cerora interpreted this low snort as tacit approval. The smile on her face deepened, but then her expression turned serious.

"As far as I know, you've been on the Atlantis Continent. After waking from your slumber this time, you've also been handling your own affairs, cleaning up some messy situations."

She paused, her gaze fixed directly on Garoth. "Why would you be interested in the Fury Curse on Arotala?"

"This thing... normal creatures should avoid it at all costs. Even the Immortals of the Nausil Empire are unwilling to get involved. Legendary beings turn pale at the mention of the Fury Curse. Yet here you are, wanting to actively seek it out."

She asked, puzzled.

Garoth was silent for a while.

The wind blew across the grassland, carrying the scent of flowers and the smell of sun-warmed grass.

"This matter... there's nothing to hide. I can tell you."

After a while, Garoth slowly began to speak.

"You know, I personally killed my own father, the Red Dragon Gorthax."

Cerora nodded.

"What I haven't told you is that he was infected by something, which was also the root cause of his cruelty and madness."

"I call it the Frenzied Flame."

Cerora blinked. "Frenzied Flame?"

"Yes." Garoth nodded. "When I killed the Dragon Father, it also transmitted to me upon his death, making me irritable, quick to anger, and extremely prone to losing control for a period."

"It was like something burning in my mind, urging me to destroy, to annihilate everything I could see."

He described it calmly, but Cerora could hear the torment behind the words.

At the same time, upon hearing this, Cerora showed a trace of shock.

She hadn't heard the term "Frenzied Flame" before, but just from Garoth's description, the sense of déjà vu was too strong compared to Arotala's Fury Curse.

Almost identical.

"You said you were infected with the Frenzied Flame, and now you're going to Arotala."

She slowly pieced her thoughts together. "Are you implying they are the same? That you've actually been infected with the Fury Curse?"

Cerora immediately grasped the key point, her voice lower than before.

Garoth gave a slight nod.

"I haven't come into contact with the Fury Curse, but I believe the Frenzied Flame on my Dragon Father and the Fury Curse currently sweeping across the Arotala Continent are likely the same thing."

"The symptoms, manifestations, and the way they affect the mind all match up."

Cerora's expression turned grave.

She stopped tilting her head and smiling playfully. Her hands dropped from behind her waist to hang at her sides, her fingers tightening slightly. "The Fury Curse appeared alongside the meteor shower. Is the Frenzied Flame you speak of also like that?"

"After Gorthax was swept up in the calamity, a meteor fell in the Ser Wilderness."

Garoth recalled the past events. "My father was drawn to it and absorbed the Frenzied Flame."

"Perhaps he realized the danger of that thing, or perhaps it was due to a desire to control power... I can't say for sure. But regardless, he forcibly suppressed the instinct to spread the Frenzied Flame."

"To the point that, apart from him, Atlantis knew almost nothing about it."

He paused before saying, "Ultimately, it landed on me."

Garoth described some more specific symptoms of the Frenzied Flame to her.

Cerora frowned slightly, listening very attentively, nodding from time to time.

After Garoth finished speaking, she pondered for a few seconds, then slowly said, "The Nausil Empire defines the Fury Curse as an intangible flame."

Garoth's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Their scholars used extensive passages to describe the symptoms of this curse, saying it ignites the most primitive rage in one's heart, causing loss of reason, turning intelligent beings into beasts that only know destruction, and turning beasts into ferocious beasts."

"The infected burn from the inside out. Not a physical burn, but on the soul level."

She looked up, meeting Garoth's gaze.

"These descriptions are basically the same as what you said. If your words are true, it's almost certain the Fury Curse and the Frenzied Flame are the same thing."

"It appeared early on in Atlantis, then descended with the meteor shower, spreading wildly across the land of Arotala."

She paused here, organizing her words.

"Many people think this might just be a natural disaster from the cosmos, a chance calamity brought by celestial movements."

"But... first a meteorite falls on Atlantis, then a large-scale meteor shower falls on Arotala..."

"That's too much of a coincidence."

"If there's no connection between these two events, I don't believe it."

Cerora whispered.

Garoth also voiced his thoughts.

"I rarely believe in coincidences. This time is no different."

"Two events, the same thing, different times, different locations. It's highly likely that something in the universe has set its sights on Bernardo."

Cerora understood his meaning almost instantly.

"You mean... the Primordial Wastes? Very possible."

As she spoke, she suddenly thought of something, her expression changing slightly.

"Garoth."

"Once infected with the Fury Curse, it's very difficult to remove. I mean, almost impossible to remove. I've seen too many infected in Arotala, from ordinary beasts to legendary beings. Without exception, they are all slowly consumed by it."

She took a deep breath, her voice becoming somewhat urgent.

"The rage in the infected's heart grows stronger and stronger, their reason becomes thinner and thinner, until they are completely controlled and driven by it. Even legendary beings are no exception. It might truly be a power originating from the Primordial Wastes, carrying a Potency that even legendary life cannot resist."

She stared at Garoth and said,

"I never imagined you had the Fury Curse. After all, you always appear quite rational, quite... normal, completely different from the infected I remember."

"If you are truly infected, it's no small matter."

She looked seriously at the red iron dragon.

"It's fine. I have it completely under control."

Garoth replied straightforwardly.

Cerora was slightly taken aback.

"Completely... under control? Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Garoth gave a slight nod.

"The Frenzied Flame is still within me, but it can no longer affect me. More accurately, it has submitted to my will, not just been suppressed."

As his words fell, blood vessels suddenly surged in his eyes.

Dense, snakelike blood vessels writhed and crawled. In the span of a breath, the dragon's eyes completely transformed into a bewitching, dangerous crimson.

The crimson was so thick it seemed about to drip, appearing full of violent, maddening ferocity, making one instinctively want to retreat.

But that was only in appearance.

In reality, the red iron dragon stood quietly in place.

Apart from his eyes turning red and giving off a somewhat dangerous, evil feeling, he himself showed no signs of losing control. His breathing remained steady, his heartbeat regular, even his posture unchanged.

Garoth grinned.

"My control over it has almost reached the level of doing as I please."

As he spoke, the blood vessels in his eyes began to ebb and flow like tides.

At times they filled his eyes, dyeing the entire eyeball blood-red; at other times they completely receded, returning to their original color. They flickered like this for a few seconds, like a light flashing erratically.

Finally, the crimson completely receded.

"It really is complete control."

Cerora let out a soft sigh of relief.

She could tell this was true mastery. The Frenzied Flame within Garoth was like a tamed snake, ready to be released to bite at any time, and just as easily recalled.

She looked at Garoth with curiosity, her gaze carrying a hint of admiration.

"When I was in Arotala, I never heard of anyone who, after being infected, could completely control it. At most, they could slow the speed of erosion by rage, using various means to buy time."

"It's said even the Immortals of Nausil are unwilling to touch this thing. Even they find it troublesome."

She shifted her tone slightly, saying, "However, if it's you, it's not surprising you can do it."

"That Fury Curse has now completely become his power instead. He turned it from a blade that backfires on its host into his own claws and fangs."

Garoth, however, slightly shook his head.

"I can only make it submit."

"I have a strong feeling it doesn't completely belong to me yet. It is still it, and I am still me. It just obeys my commands."

"That's also why I plan to go to Arotala to take a look."

"Will the Frenzied Flame in other infected be different from mine, or have some connection? Are they of the same origin, or independent? Will they influence each other, resonate with each other?"

He had this idea a long time ago.

It's just that Arotala was very dangerous, with two great empires warring there. Crown-level, Mandate of Heaven, even Immortals... were participating.

So Garoth had never acted on it.

Until now, feeling he was prepared, he decided to go personally.

"I'm looking forward to your arrival more and more."

Cerora's eyes lit up. "When the time comes, I will welcome your arrival in the Greenwild Kingdom."

She paused briefly, then added, "Also, Garoth, I've prepared a surprise for you."

Garoth tilted his head slightly. "What is it?"

Cerora laughed, her tone carrying a hint of mystery.

"You'll know when you get to Arotala. If I say it now, it won't be a surprise."

Garoth nodded, not pressing further.

Cerora leaned forward slightly, as if somewhat impatient, and asked,

"When exactly are you coming?"

"Soon," Garoth said. "I just need to inform my blood relatives, arrange affairs in the Aola Kingdom properly, ensure nothing goes wrong while I'm away."

"Soon is how soon? Three days? Five days?"

Cerora pressed.

"What's the rush? It won't be too long."

Cerora wasn't entirely satisfied with this answer, her lips pouting slightly, but she didn't persist. She knew Garoth's character; when following a plan, he was always composed, never rushed.

She nodded, then suddenly remembered something, her tone becoming a bit more serious.

"Oh, right, Garoth. Your offspring, the red dragon Laria, awakened not long ago."

She paused. "Also, he has become a legendary being."

The red iron dragon gave a slight nod.

"I know. He told me."

Among all his offspring, Garcro was the first to break through to legendary, and Laria was the second.

Cerora said, "Then do you know that this offspring of yours is currently facing a predicament?"

Predicament?

The red iron dragon hadn't heard Laria mention that.

During their previous communication, he had congratulated the Dragon Father on awakening from slumber and shared his joy at breaking through to legendary, his words full of excitement and pride, but he hadn't mentioned any predicament.

Garoth asked, "What exactly is the matter?"

Cerora pondered for a moment, organizing her words.

"His territory had originally cleared out the rage beasts quite thoroughly."

"Back then, he led the Aola citizens to migrate there, clearing out threats bit by bit, continuously expanding the safe perimeter. The area wasn't particularly dangerous, considered a relatively stable corner of Arotala."

She changed her tone.

"But then he fell into slumber, and time doesn't stop just because he's asleep. As you and I know, slumber is necessary for dragons, but it also means relinquishing control over reality."

"After Laria fell into slumber, rage beasts appeared in his territory again, and more and more of them."

"The Aola citizens he brought along compressed their living space to the minimum to avoid the rage beasts' attacks. They hid in a relatively safe area, waiting for Laria to awaken."

"Now Laria has awakened, but the number of rage beasts in his territory is high."

"The Fury Curse makes them extremely frenzied, tireless, fearless of death, charging forward wave after wave. Moreover, there are also multiple legendary-level rage beasts among them."

She shook her head and said,

"He's almost fighting every day now. The situation isn't good. Even if he's a legendary red dragon, he can't withstand such consumption. If he gets infected with the Fury Curse, not everyone can control it like you."

The red iron dragon furrowed the scales on his brow.

"Laria didn't ask me for help."

He said.

Cerora said, "That's the problem."

"This offspring of yours has very strong self-esteem. I estimate that unless it's absolutely necessary, or he's at the end of his rope, he won't open his mouth to ask you for help."

"He wants to prove himself, to be independent, not to seek help from his elders whenever he encounters trouble."

She looked at Garoth. "However, you don't need to worry too much. I've helped him a few times in secret."

Garoth slowly nodded. "Regarding this matter, thank you first."

Cerora was stunned for a moment, then said, "What's our relationship? Do we need to say thank you?"

Her tone carried a hint of reproach, as if she was genuinely displeased.

After saying that, she smiled again, her eyes narrowing.

"The rage beasts gathering in Laria's territory have already exceeded what he can handle. Even if you set off now, you probably can't reach Arotala in time."

She lifted her chin, revealing her slender neck, her posture carrying a hint of arrogance and mischief.

"Garoth, you don't want your offspring to come to harm, do you?"

She threatened, "Ask me, and I can take action for you. It won't be much trouble to clean up those rage beasts."

The red iron dragon glanced down at her. "No need. I'll go myself."

Cerora shook her head in disappointment. "Alright then. It seems you have a way to get there in time."

Some time later, the red iron dragon's consciousness withdrew from the dream world and returned to reality.

After some thought, he flew up to the dragon court platform high above the clouds and called for Gordon to come.

At the same time, Garoth focused his mind.

Vast Dragon Qi surged from within his body, churning like tides. It condensed, compressed, and took shape, gradually forming a majestic dragon shadow identical to himself.

Star-Self clone.

That clone was almost indistinguishable from the original body—same size, same scales, same imposing pressure, even the same gaze.

It was impossible to tell which was the real body and which was the clone.

"Can you guard the Aola Kingdom while I'm away?"

Garoth asked.

Then, he controlled the Star-Self Dragon to answer his own question.

"Don't worry. Leave this place to me."

The feeling of asking and answering himself was quite strange, like performing a monodrama.

Garoth gave a slight nod and said no more.

Not long after, the Iron Dragon Gordon flapped his wings, flying over from among the clouds. His landing stirred up a gust of wind, scattering the cloud mist around the platform.

"What's this?"

He saw two identical Garoths, his eyes showing confusion as he looked left and right, trying to find a difference between the two, but soon gave up.

"Star-Self body. I formed it by condensing Dragon Qi."

Garoth said.

"It's weaker than me, but still possesses strength comparable to the Mandate of Heaven. When I go to Arotala, this Star-Self Dragon will guard the kingdom."

The Iron Dragon understood and nodded.

"So that's it. A legendary skill of the Star Path."

Then he asked, "Are you setting off now?"

Garoth nodded. "Yes. Since I've decided to go, and there aren't too many important matters right now, there's no point in delaying."

"While I'm away, kingdom affairs proceed as usual."

"Also, don't say I went to another continent. With the Star-Self Dragon here, it can act as me."

"If you encounter something you can't decide, or an emergency, contact me immediately through the Bloodline Connection."

Hearing this, the Iron Dragon chuckled.

"I know what you're going to Arotala for. The Queen of the Greenwild Kingdom, right? Iseramas told me you two have quite a close relationship."

He winked.

"Go ahead without worries. If there's nothing important, brother definitely won't disturb your... good time."

Garoth shook his head.

He said, "I'm going to Arotala mainly to investigate the Frenzied Flame situation. That thing is related to my condition."

The Iron Dragon nodded repeatedly, wearing an "I understand, I understand" expression.

"I get it, I get it. It's for serious business."

After saying that, he winked at Garoth, grinning happily, showing a look of mutual understanding.

Garoth: "..."

He looked at Gordon, his gaze gradually turning dangerous.

Seeing this, Gordon shuddered, the scales all over his body standing on end.

"Wait, I just remembered I have something to deal with."

He hurriedly flapped his wings, turned, and fled, his figure flying far away, disappearing into the clouds in a flash.

Immediately after, the Star-Self Dragon strode to the very center of the platform, closed its eyes, and coiled up on the spot. Its posture was exactly the same as when Garoth was in slumber—scales retracted, breathing long and steady.

In non-combat situations, its consumption of Dragon Qi wasn't high.

When feigning stillness like this, it was even less. Garoth could easily sustain its consumption.

At the same time, the red iron dragon also slightly closed his eyes.

Telepathy traveled through the Bloodline Connection, crossing mountains and rivers, reaching the distant Arotala Continent.

However, the red iron dragon didn't directly call out to his offspring.

He simply quietly used his psychic senses. As time passed, he gradually locked onto his spatial location. Simultaneously, he could feel Laria's aura, feel his anger, feel his exhaustion, feel that he was fighting.

Not long after, he opened his eyes.

Secret Technique: Hand-Tearing Spatial Teleportation!

A pair of dragon claws reached out, tearing forward fiercely.

Space tore like cloth under his claws, emitting a piercing sound, revealing a massive rift. On the other side of the rift was the sky of another continent.

"Arotala, I'm coming."

The red iron dragon lightly beat its wings and leaped into it.

The rift slowly closed behind him. The dragon court platform returned to tranquility, with only the Star-Self Dragon quietly coiled there.