Deep beneath the central area of the cavern, the blood-red cocoon began to stir.
Within its confines, signs of life emerged as a pair of curious and puzzled red eyes blinked open.
"Who am I? Where is this place?"
Mused the bewitching woman enshrouded in the cocoon, her voice laden with confusion.
With a gentle swing of her arm and innate control over her body, she effortlessly tore through the cocoon.
Her feet touched the ground as the thick, blood-red fluid continued to cascade down her form.
"This is..." As the nude beauty gazed upon the pulsating heart, dormant memories began to resurface.
"I am... Knight Henna..."
A fragmented memory of being dragged into a wall haunted her mind, filling her with anguish.
Clutching her head, she let out a monstrous roar, "No! That's not who I am. I am... I am the beloved of Lord Oksd, the messenger of the gods, and the Bloody Queen Edith!"
At last, Edith recalled her identity and the purpose that burned within her.
With reverence, she knelt, submitting herself to the throbbing heart before her and proclaimed,
"Honorable Lord Oksd, Edith will fulfill her mission. I will offer you an endless stream of blood, so that your glory may once again descend upon and illuminate this world! This world needs to be consumed!"
Having spoken, Edith rose to her feet.
Turning her head, she silently sensed something.
Shortly after, the ground before Edith stirred as it began to shape into humanoid mud creatures.
A hint of dissatisfaction graced Edith's features.
"They're mere mud creations, devoid of any intellect," Edith remarked coldly, looking at the newly formed creatures.
"However, they are sufficient. Those foolish adventurers who dared to disturb Lord Oksd's place of slumber, it's time they paid the price! Their blood shall become a part of Lord Oksd!"
With a steely resolve, Edith issued commands, ordering all the mud monsters to hunt down those who had trespassed into the cave.
Unaware of the events unfolding deep within the central cavern, Ethan, along with Sherry and Eluna, navigated the perimeter of the central basin.
"Lord Ethan, what's the situation?" Mia inquired with a hint of anxiety.
Pausing his steps and reaching out with his senses, Ethan finally spoke, "Komait should be nearby. However, his aura feels faint, almost imperceptible. He must be injured."
"For someone to injure Komait, given his strength, they must be formidable," Eluna voiced her concerns.
"Rest easy. Although that black dragon can sometimes be overly assertive, he's not foolish. He knows when to flee if he can't win. And with the speed of a dragon, nobody in this area can catch him," Ethan reassured Eluna and Mia.
Meanwhile, Sherry and Pale Wolf were unaware of the black dragon, Komait's existence and chose not to pry too much into the matter.
Despite searching for a considerable time, and even though Ethan could sense Komait was close, they couldn't pinpoint his exact location.
After scouring the vicinity, there was still no sign of Komait.
"Strange, where has that black dragon hidden himself?"
Ethan was puzzled. At that moment, Sherry lifted her gaze upwards.
Above them was a steep, seemingly endless cliff, topped by the vast expanse of the sky.
Sherry pointed towards the top of the cliff and remarked, "We haven't checked up there."
"Besides, Ethan, if your friend is indeed a black dragon, this precipitous cliff would hardly be a hindrance to him. After all, he can simply fly up, right?"
"Sherry, you're a genius!" Realization dawned on Ethan.
Without hesitation, Ethan transformed into the Golden Divine Dragon.
His majestic form shimmered with a golden sheen, radiating nobility and authority.
Scooping up Sherry and the others onto his back, Ethan flapped his mighty wings, soaring swiftly from the ground.
As they rose, he released a deep, resonant roar that echoed throughout the cavern.
As guessed, the black dragon, Komait, was indeed atop the cliff.
A responding roar echoed.
From the midpoint of the cliff emerged a massive black dragon, its scales slightly shattered, revealing raw, reddening flesh beneath.
Seeing the Golden Divine Dragon in mid-air, joy flashed in the black dragon's eyes.
"Ethan, you've finally come!" Komait exclaimed with palpable relief.
Ethan responded, "Komait, now's not the time for reunions. I sense several powerful presences approaching."
"Those damned humans!" Komait exclaimed with rage. "Follow me!"
With that, the black dragon led the way, guiding Ethan towards his initial hiding spot — a vast cave atop the cliff.
It was spacious enough to comfortably accommodate both dragons.
Upon entering, Ethan reverted to his human form.
Eluna, Mia, and the others disembarked, offering greetings to the black dragon, Komait.
"Sending you ahead was an incredibly wise decision. Without you summoning Ethan, I fear both Eluna and I might have perished here," Komait remarked, addressing Mia.
He then turned his attention to Eluna, noting, "Eluna, it seems there's something amiss with your condition."
"Yes, but with Lord Ethan present, I believe it can be resolved," Eluna responded, having come to terms with her situation.
She held unwavering faith that the curse afflicting her would be no significant challenge for Ethan.
Sherry and Pale Wolf, meanwhile, greeted Komait with a nod of acknowledgment.
However, the two of them had grown intensely curious about Ethan's true nature.
At first, they had thought of Ethan as a mere Hero.
But after witnessing his transformation into the Golden Divine Dragon, they realized how gravely mistaken they had been.
Ethan was no ordinary Hero; he must be a Dark Lord!
Yet, neither Sherry nor Pale Wolf broached the topic.
Their experiences in the Northern Snow Plains had taught them that the line between Hero and Dark Lord was thin, if it existed at all.
At times, the methods of a Hero could be even more underhanded than those of a Dark Lord.
Hence, neither of them harbored any resentment towards Ethan's possible identity as a Dark Lord.
But now, their curiosity was piqued once more.
Possessing not only the bloodline of a colossal dragon but also having another immense dragon as an ally – was Ethan truly just a Dark Lord?
Neither of them sought confirmation on this matter.
Ethan, seemingly oblivious to Sherry and Pale Wolf's astonishment and curiosity upon seeing Komait, sat cross-legged on the ground, using a twig to jot down some information on the dirt floor.
"You're saying that a fire magus named Alaric was hunting you down?" Ethan inquired.
Komait nodded solemnly, replying, "Yes, the old man is powerful. In a one-on-one fight, I wouldn't stand a chance against him."
"Why did he want to kill you?" Ethan pressed.
"They wish to sacrifice me to that Great Heart, aiming to extract a vast amount of Blood Source."
"Of course, on top of that, I also managed to swipe a large amount of Blood Source, and they simply want to retrieve it," Komait explained, a hint of pride evident in his voice.
Following this, he walked over to a corner of the cave and began to dig, revealing a large pit in no time.
Within the pit lay hundreds of Blood Sources, scattered and gleaming.
"This is my haul. Impressive, isn't it?" Komait boasted, seeking Ethan's approval.
Not one to withhold praise, Ethan commended, "You've done exceptionally well. Once we return to our domain, I'll ensure you receive a generous reward."
After saying this, Ethan proceeded to store the Blood Source into his Space Ring.
This act left Komait wide-eyed, exclaiming in disbelief, "Ethan, what was that? Could it be that you've mastered space magic?"
"No, it's something even more potent than space magic," Ethan revealed, raising his hand to display a silver ring adorning one of his fingers.
After a brief explanation about the Space Ring, a look of yearning appeared on Komait's face. Such a divine artifact was something everyone desired.
"...A monster with six eyes, wait, I think I recall something like that," Komait suddenly interrupted Ethan, continuing, "Some time ago, when that group was chasing me, I dared not land on the ground and tried to fly out from this cliffside."
"But no matter how long I flew, I couldn't seem to escape the confines of this cavern. Instead, I encountered many creatures, among them this peculiar monkey."
"Ah, it was in this direction," Komait indicated, adding, "There's also a river there with a large octopus in it."
"The octopus was powerful, but unfortunately, when there was a collapse in the center of the cave, tremors shook the other regions."
"That octopus was actually killed by falling rocks."
Mentioning this, Komait couldn't help but feel a little schadenfreude.
Ethan's expression turned quizzical, then directed at Komait, "Is that place far? If not, lead me there. We might find another Space Ring."
"It's about a three-day flight from here," Komait estimated.
Ethan nodded, saying, "Then let's set out!"
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