Chapter 518: Liberation

There is something in this world called taboo.

Although the legend of the "sister flowers" would undoubtedly be a dream for Duke, the reformed Azerothian that he is, he often told himself—enough of this; it's time for bed.

Initially, Duke felt nothing special towards Vereesa. At most, he thought that the Windrunner sisters were all quite beautiful!

Life is full of surprises. An accidental rescue inadvertently opened Vereesa's heart. Some things just happen, as naturally as water flowing into channels.

Being forcefully kissed by a beautiful woman whom he also fancied was a joyous affair.

Losing all sense of decency in that moment, Duke was stunned for less than half a second before shamelessly accepting the situation.

The Azerothian's stiff arms gently cradled Vereesa's head with one hand, while the other encircled her well-toned waist.

In that instant, Duke distinctly felt Vereesa stiffen, then not only her face but her entire body, from the peaks and valleys to her waist and thighs, warmed noticeably.

The passionate kiss did not stop, and as their tongues tangled, it seemed things were speeding toward a delightful direction.

Unfortunately, their intimacy was interrupted before it could fully ignite.

It was the roar of an ancient guardian dragon...

"By the Light! You two are doing this on purpose to anger me, right? Definitely on purpose, right? Duke, are you going to release me or not? I'll count to three, and if you don't release me, I'll become furious!"

The kiss ended, and as they looked at the silvery thread that connected their lips, Vereesa's face turned beet red. A second later, she sprang up, sitting on Duke's lap in confusion.

Duke was displeased, "One, two, three! Okay, you've counted, so rage away!?"

Faced with Duke's menacing gaze, the seldom-cowed Alexstrasza backed down, "I... okay, just tell me, are you here to rescue me, or are you going to enslave me like those two shameless creatures, making me do all sorts of strange things?"

"Strange things?" Duke blinked.

"Like what you were just doing with this silver-haired elf?" As she spoke, the Dragon Queen unusually covered her chest with her hands.

"Pfft..." Duke scoffed.

Give me a break! I'm not interested in you!

Why are you so concerned, wearing that mail bikini armor?

Why don't you wrap yourself in seeds, turning into a humanoid plant?

There were so many things to ridicule that Duke was too annoyed to even scold her.

Vereesa was so embarrassed she wanted to die.

In her excitement, she had forgotten about the massive third wheel that was the Red Dragon Queen. Thinking back, she just wanted to crawl into a hole and never see the outside world again.

Duke rubbed his forehead, exasperated, "Alright, I'll save you, yes. But let me ask you, have you developed any vengeful thoughts against society or humanity due to long-term torture?"

The Queen raised her shackled hands, "If you don't unlock these chains, I'll truly become angry."

"What's in it for me if I do?"

"I had something for you, but if you delay and my siblings suffer, you'll get nothing."

Vereesa watched, dumbfounded, as Duke haggled with the ancient dragon. She couldn't reconcile this behavior with the noble Alliance hero she knew.

In truth, it wasn't Duke's fault. Due to the curse, his decency had long been lost. Now, he had reverted to his state as a transmigrator, one with little dignity and beastly instincts...

"Fine, one last request. I'll use mental contact for this one." Duke lightly touched the Queen's forehead, and they quickly exchanged terms and conditions.

Unfortunately, Duke underestimated Alexstrasza, one of the world's most powerful beings. Even with a superficial exchange of consciousness, she sneakily glimpsed part of Duke's memory...

Duke was unaware. His mental barrier, crafted by the system, was still resisting the corruption from N'Zoth.

"It's time to end this." Duke picked up the [Scepter of the Demon Soul].

At that moment, Vereesa picked up her bow again, keeping an eye on the unconscious Maryann while extending her senses.

On the other side, the Queen tensely watched Duke's every move.

Having had enough of the torment, her heart had been shattered and mended, then shattered again. She couldn't bear any more shocks.

Because of the chains, she had to kneel, looking up at Duke as if in worship, her eyes fixed on his every move.

Carefully, Duke took out the artifact from N'Zoth, and a surge of arcane energy gathered in his hand. With a sharp "snap," the false glass shattered, revealing the true object—a scale shaped like a droplet, filled with heat and evil. On it, a tiny black dragon seemed to roar in anger, as if blaming Duke for not following its wicked script.

He gazed at the platinum disk, then used the dark scale to draw a large arc across the demonic soul's hard gold surface. One section, two, three, four, all glowing areas were cut through.

Vereesa screamed, "Watch out!"

She pulled Duke away just in time as the [Scepter of the Demon Soul] hovered in mid-air, violently emitting a four-colored light from the deep arc-shaped cut—

Green for the Emerald Dream.

Red for the Giver of Life.

Bronze for the Controller of Time. Blue for the Supreme Magical Power.

Duke could clearly feel the immense energy surging from the cracked demonic artifact. He knew he must act quickly, or the energy would dissipate forever, lost in the winds of Grim Batol Fortress.

"Ladukasiiyee..."

He muttered a spell taught by the Red Dragon Queen, using all his system's computational power to adjust the magic continually.

He focused intently, not wanting or daring to make a mistake at such a crucial moment.

This was not only a spell to free the Red Dragon Queen but also one of the most critical plays relating to the entire historical process.

The four colors began to merge, forming a strange rainbow, flashing as it rose at high speed through the rock, into the sky...