It took Casen two days to get to the dragon continent and within this time he was organizing his thoughts. First were the hearts he had eaten prior when he was cleaning up the Neutral Continent. The ones he consumed that were from the 'lackeys' of each encounter granted him little power compared to those like Adam.
If he wanted to continue to grow at a faster rate then he'd have to seek stronger opponents in the future but he didn't want to go around slaughtering since balance in this world was a very important thing. If souls weren't reincarnated then problems he couldn't handle may arise.
He was also wondering about that creature he had met and the scale he obtained that was now gone. It completely slipped his mind when it was nowhere to be seen.
Why had it revealed itself to him instead of anyone else? If he was correct then the ones who had that scale before him were still alive before he killed them, their putrid scent was enough for those with a good sense to notice and dislike depending on their personality and the owner of those amethyst eyes seemed so innocent to him he doubted it'd let them go.
However, even with his questions, his biggest concern was his arm. There was a slight tingling and burning sensation like an itch he couldn't scratch. He couldn't find a way to stop the things he touched from corroding which meant that he couldn't have the hope of wrapping it in material to prevent this.
As Casen folded his white wings he stepped foot on the dragon continent for the first time. Before him was a sprawling land of mountains and valleys filled with vibrant foliage and colorful species of fauna.
The land was crisscrossed by waterways and rivers, forming natural pathways throughout the land. The peculiarity of the houses that stood tall and firm further added to the incredible view.
In the distance, a massive palace could be seen floating in the sky, its walls shining white with gold accents and towering above the landscape. It was nothing remotely close to the Neutral Continent he grew up in.
Just as he was about to walk forward Casen felt an overwhelming sense of danger. A sudden gust of wind blows through the air, carrying with it the scent of smoke and brimstone. The ground shakes from beneath his feet and a roar fills the air.
Looking up, Casen saw a red dragon barreling toward him with its scales gleaming and its eyes glowing in an equally red color. The burning feeling in his arm grew.
In response, Casen's pupils constricted into thin slits as his instincts completely took over him. Before the dragon's claws were out and ready to pierce he leaped out of the way at the last second with it only catching his wings that bled after.
Letting out a roar of his own, his legs propelled him forward to slam into the dragon's back which was twice his size and his sharp teeth sank into the dragon's chest. Roaring in pain its claws scrambled for purchase on his neck but again, he was quicker.
His wings unfurled and flapped furiously as he lifted himself off of its back as they exchanged blow for blow, its claws clearing into his skin and in return his to its scales.
The dragon's mouth glowed in an orange light as it let forth a fiery breath igniting the grass around them. Casen ducked and used his wings to shield him from the flames. Moving his wings away from him he responded with swift kicks and powerful punches.
Each punch, each slash he gave from his left arm solved the itch that was becoming unbearable and it ignited the blood running in his veins at the newfound solution. The aftermath, however, left wounds on the red dragon's body with traces of the dark miasma that were eating at its flesh.
Casen's size and agility gave him an edge that the red dragon's large body didn't have, his wings allowing him to dart in and out of its reach. Having had enough the dragon spread its wings wide and took to the air, breathing its fire down upon him.
He jumped out of the way and dodged the flames before lowering his body to the ground and leaping toward the air-born creature his arm was unknowingly gathering a purple mana until he unleashed it in a powerful punch to the dragon's body.
As a result, his opponent was sent flying through the air until it eventually crashed into the underside of the floating island a distance away. The backlash was just as devastating. The bones in his arms were shattered in countless pieces on the verge of becoming complete dust, he was in a severe state already from the exchanges of claws.
Kicking off of the ground he flew toward the dragon who was in the middle of getting up in great difficulty. There was a large hole where it was hit by his fist. Growling low in his chest, Casen kicked it back into the ground where he grabbed its neck with his other hand and forcibly used the corruption in his arm to rebuild the broken fragments of bone even for a few seconds to repeatedly send his fist into its face, it grew distorted the more he brought his hand down.
Every single ounce of anger and frustration that had accumulated in him over the years was poured into each punch as fuel.
"Stop." A familiar feminine voice sounded from next to him followed by a wave of heavy authority. Unfortunately, Casen couldn't hear it, he was lost in the throes of his erratic mind that was solely focused on destroying the enemy in front of him. This was apparent in his red eyes that were swirling in violet.
"I said stop!" The tone of the woman rose and the same feeling of the ones who oppressed him arose. With it, he spiraled further into the recesses of his mind. Before he was too far gone an engraving on his arm glowed and a black serpent emerged, wrapping around his hand that paused its actions to stare directly into his eyes.
When it did, Casen's head became clearer and the violet hue in his eyes disappeared as if it were consumed. Grasping onto his consciousness he looked down at the dragon that was far from looking like one, it was hanging onto life by a thread.
'Looks like I developed anger issues but he was the one who attacked me first.' He clicked his tongue and stood up while gently patting the serpent on its head. It had eyes similar to the pretty amethyst eyes he saw before but the pain he ignored in his crazed state came back to him all at once and he couldn't comment on the animal that brought him back.
The serpent seeing it had done its job disappeared as if it weren't there to begin with. Looking at the woman who was encased in an air of authority and power he pointed at his work of art on the floor with an unstable hand. "He owes me his heart."
With his last remaining strength, he spoke to her before everything went black. The woman, who had white hair and lavender eyes appeared by his side in an instant to catch him before he fell.
She narrowed her eyes when she saw his arm which was black in color and giving off its aura. "You have a habit of attracting trouble." She sighed, shaking her head, and waving her hand the red dragon disappeared and after so did she with Casen in her arms.