Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 548 On the Spikes——

Three days after the completion of the "Divine Revelation" ceremony.

Dark Duchy, Fafnir Territory, and the outskirts of Fafnir City.

The wind was still howling as usual. The guardian of the Fesera family from the Golden Kingdom, the "Golden Sword Saint" Klein, led the Golden Guards on patrol outside the city, and from time to time he looked towards the Dragon Skeleton Plain in the distance.

The endless yellow sand rolled up to the sky, and was accompanied by huge and slender dragon skeletons that looked like giant arrows dropped by gods on earth. The scene of the Dragon Skeleton Plain formed by them was so amazing that Klein was amazed when he first came to Fafnir City.

But now he just stared solemnly at the endless wasteland in front of him, and the expression on his face had become increasingly tense.

Klein always felt that only today - he always had a strong sense of uneasiness in his heart.

It was a feeling he had never had before. He always felt that something was going to happen today...

He also didn't know where this strong feeling of uneasiness came from. However, he had some clues. It was the dangerous enemy that he encountered a few days ago, which was very similar to "Fafnir". However, he had not appeared for a long time.

It was as if the dangerous experience before had never happened.

And ever since Klein communicated with Davild, the "Sky Ring Paladin" stationed at the Val Fortress, through the Golden Window, he has not received any other news from the "Holy Court".

All David left him was a word: "Be careful."

The injuries of the "Glorious Knight" Elias have almost recovered. He left the manor where he was recuperating early this morning and headed towards the official residence in Fafnir City.

Elias said that now that he has recovered a little, he will go to complete the task that was delayed before.

Klein did not stop him. He just told him what Davild had told him in the projection of the Golden Window, telling him to be cautious.

"..."

When recalling the "Glorious Knight" Elias, the inexplicable feeling of uneasiness in the heart of "Golden Sword Saint" Klein became even stronger.

On his serious face, his eyes staring at the Dragon Skeleton Plain in the distance were flashing with a very deep light.

In a trance, he always felt that there was something watching him from further away in his field of vision, in the Dragon Skeleton Mountains beyond the Dragon Skeleton Plains.

The feeling from the source of that gaze...it was a subconsciously creepy danger.

The deep malice and the covetous gaze seemed to be accompanied by some extremely terrifying murderous intention.

It is approaching him invisibly, and will soon descend upon the city of Fafnir and upon the heads of all the garrisons!

"..."

"Is it an illusion..."

Klein murmured silently, and after a while, he shook his head.

After repeatedly confirming that what he saw was the same Dragon Skeleton Plain as usual, Klein sighed, then turned his head and no longer looked into the distance.

Afterwards, he and the warriors following him continued their patrol mission along the outskirts of Fafnir City.

Just like any other day before.

……

Within the city of Fafnir, outside the Dragon Skeleton Plain.

In the Dragon Skeleton Mountains, on a spiked mountain towering into the clouds—

"..."

The "Devourer Dragon" Fafnir was still the same as before, with a gloomy and sullen expression on his face, as if he would explode with anger at any time.

He... No, He.

He has completely transformed from "Dragon of Destruction" Rochester to "Dragon of Devouring" Fafnir. His scarlet dragon eyes have become a deeper purple, which is the background color of the "Abyss".

The six newly grown, filthy and forbidden black wings behind Him half-wrapped Him like a cocoon;
His neck, back, and even the outlines of his arms were covered with twisted horns that symbolized the devil. Deep fire was leaping from the tips of the horns, and dim light was flowing on the twisted outlines, lingering endlessly.

He has left his past self behind. The "Chief Executioner" and the "Dragon of Destruction" who once served under the Dark Duke are dead.

And He has also been transformed from the root.

That is “exaltation”—at least for Him.

He had died once before, and this new body and new power really made Him...reborn.

"..."

"Well...Rochester..."

In Fafnir's ears, a dark and gloomy voice came -

"That's not a bad feeling, is it?"

"You and me... Fafnir and Rochester, source and servant, sacrifice and offering, power and container. We have never - never been the same!"

"..."

These words came directly into Rochester's ears, whispers from the depths of his soul, from the real "Fafnir" himself!
Ever since he fell from the sky above the Navar Fortress and was finally resurrected in the "chrysalis" prepared in advance by the "Devourer Dragon Fafnir", Rochester has clearly felt that he no longer belongs to himself alone.

He has lost the control he once had over the "Devourer Dragon" Fafnir. In fact, it has even become the other way around. Now Fafnir is the master of this body!
Rochester still had a gloomy and sullen expression on his face, and he seemed unwilling to respond to Him.

But that was not his choice.

The muscles on the face of "Fafnir"'s body suddenly trembled at the moment Rochester chose to remain silent!
On that gloomy and gloomy face, a strange and twisted smile appeared as if being pulled by a thread, and "Rochester" made a sound -

"Yes……"

"..."

"That's right, that's good, Rochester!"

After Rochester gave his "affirmation", he heard Fafnir's extremely excited voice:

"My symbiote... my sacrifice, my vessel!"

"I am so happy, Rochester! We have reached such a rare 'consensus'!"

"..."

Rochester: “…”

He couldn't speak. Even in this "manipulated" state, he couldn't resist.

And in his ears, the voice of Fafnir, the Devouring Dragon, continued to flow:
"As long as we open it... together, we can continue to tear open new 'scars'! Then more of our kind will be able to escape from the cage, and we will be able to leave our mark on this new land!"

"We will gather a new force... a force that originates from the Abyss and is forever loyal to us! Rochester!"

"That will never be a betrayal, Rochester! The kind of 'betrayal' you experienced in Val Fortress and in Fafnir City will never happen again!"

"..."

“He” said this, and the body that now completely belonged to “Devourer Dragon Fafnir” turned its head away.

The pair of scarlet dragon eyes wrapped in dark purple were staring behind him, at the deep crack that had torn open in mid-air and was almost tens of meters long.

A scarlet, boiling liquid was gushing out from the cracks.

That is [Blood of the Styx].

Wherever the scarlet flowed, it left a deep background.

The dragon skeleton, which had weathered for thousands of years, had lost its surface rock, revealing its pale rusted dark red base color. After the scarlet flowed through, the paleness completely peeled off, and the dark red also turned into scarlet. Rochester even saw that something had "awakened" and "crept" deep in the skeleton!
That was the prototype of an ever-encroaching and spreading disaster.

Rochester knew this because Fafnir had told him that when the projection of the Styx soaked the land below for a long time, it would become the nest of the Abyss, or the purgatory of all living things on the ground! "... Fafnir."

After staring at the scarlet "River Styx" behind him for a while, Rochester finally spoke.

He spoke of his own volition—

"Even though it was you who reborn me and gave me such new strength."

"But you also usurped me, seized my body, controlled my mind, and usurped my soul..."

"I really can't resist you... temporarily, I can't resist you."

"But you also know that I was... No, I will always be the initiate of 'destruction'."

"The power bestowed upon me by Him allows me to destroy myself at any time. You can believe it or not, but our destruction is mutually guaranteed."

"..."

"Weak threats, Rochester."

It was like hearing something extremely ridiculous.

In Rochester's ears, there came the mocking laughter of "Fafnir"——

"Of course I will give you the freedom to 'resist'. You can resist me countless times before I completely...completely 'devour' you."

"But I won't do that...Rochester. I'm tired of being alone. We can be friends, and I'd love to be friends with you...just like we've always been."

"You need strength, and I need the body. Isn't this how we have always been 'symbiotic', Rochester?"

"I occupy your body and control your soul... You are too weak, Rochester. You can't control me. Only I can control myself..."

He said this.

And Rochester said nothing more.

The control from "Fafnir" over him seemed to be lifted. He regained control of his body and turned around, looking at the blurry and tiny Fafnir City at the end of his vision.

"We will tear open the biggest 'wound' here."

Rochester said in a low voice:

"Let the scarlet tide surge into that city... Fafnir. I will kill those insects that have taken over my city and bring that city back under my control."

"Then we can each take what we need... Fafnir. I will recover your former 'body' for you - the remnants of you left in the heart of the dead dragon."

"And I...I will sacrifice everything that exists in that city!"

"Like the hateful Sword Master of the Golden Country, the 'Glorious Knight' who escaped by chance, and several [Supreme] Knights of Divine Seal, their souls and flesh are my offerings to the 'Throne of Destruction', asking Him to grant me strength as a living sacrifice!"

"..."

"Of course, of course."

When he finished speaking, a new voice of "Fafnir" came into Rochester's ears:

"I will obey you...Rochester."

"After all, it only takes seven more days...for the ritual to succeed."

"Although... we have accumulated a lot now... it is still not enough. I am still too weak and far from reaching the peak of being an 'Original'. And you are too weak, Rochester."

"But there is only one thing that can be guaranteed - now that we are united, we will never perish again!"

"My 'real true name' cannot be obtained by those servants of 'Glory' unless a 'six-winged' angel, an angel of the same status as me, comes in person!"

"And you also told me, Rochester. Among the most powerful [Glory] in this land - the so-called 'Holy Court', there are only a few cardinals who have truly contracted the six-winged angels."

"We have been silent for too long, and now the followers of Glory only regard the angel as a symbol of holy power... It's ridiculous. And those cardinals, none of them are here now, and they pose no threat to me... Rochester. Our Lord is indeed protecting us."

"..."

"You speak too densely, Fafnir."

Rochester gradually frowned.

He breathed gently from his dragon jaws, and his deep dragon eyes were still staring in the direction of Fafnir City, never moving away for a moment.

"well."

The voice of Fafnir chuckled softly.

"Then, the only thing we need now is 'patience'."

His voice said in a deep voice:
"We are very close to the moment of real subversion. Very close..."

"I have felt the 'call'...it is my Lord calling!"

"My poor Lord, who is trapped in the Apocalypse!"

"When the moment of subversion truly arrives... I will become the Tide Master of Scarlet, and the Messenger of Disaster!"

"You will bear witness...Rochester."

"..."

He said this, and to Rochester, there was a trembling sound in his words.

Rochester had never felt such great emotional fluctuations from the "Devouring Dragon".

The "My Lord" he mentioned - the pillar god who symbolized the fate of "disaster" in the Age of Gods - the pillar god of "the abyss", the "Lord of the Devouring Abyss", is the true and only common lord of the supreme demons like the "Devourer Dragon" Fafnir.

But Rochester, who had also embarked on the fate of the [Abyss] because of the "Devouring Dragon", had never felt any response from the "Lord of the Abyss".

The directions and responses of all the rituals of the Abyss actually come from the River Styx. As for the Lord of the Devouring Abyss... it is as if He is just a fiction and does not really exist.

Although Rochester had never actually seen the original Red Lotus Pillar God, nor had he ever really seen the true face of the "Throne of Destruction", at least he would respond to the countless surviving Red Lotus rituals, which was a significant difference.

These were the thoughts in Rochester's mind.

And when the "Devourer Dragon" Fafnir mentioned his "My Lord".

The spirituality that was driving Him had become disordered. This disorder was painful for Rochester, and he could not help but frown.

"That's enough, Fafnir..."

Rochester opened his mouth with some difficulty and uttered:
"you can not--"

"..."

He didn't continue.

Because at the same moment, he suddenly felt that the air around him had gradually become extremely hot!

Above his field of vision - very close to the sky, a clear "border" has already appeared!
It is a ring emitting burning golden light, extending downwards to form a curtain separating the inside and the outside.

Rochester's pupils shrank slightly.

"when……"

He had seen it - hundreds and thousands of divine fissures gushing out with scorching golden light had opened up from it, and the golden flames that had been accumulated inside for a long time, scorching like the sun's flames, had gushed out from it. Unknowingly, while he was communicating these things with "Fafnir", the condensation was completed!
That is the realm of [Glory]!

The extremely blazing holy flame and the virtual form of the holy sword wrapped in the holy flame have completely locked onto him!
……

(End of this chapter)