Chapter 14: How Could There Be a Flame Demon Here?
Lin Jun, who was trailing behind the adventurers, felt something was off as he walked further.
This path feels so familiar,
Isn't this the way to the Flame Demon's lair?
Lin Jun was certain that no battles had occurred at the Flame Demon's nest, otherwise the mushrooms he had placed nearby would have detected magical fluctuations.
Could it be that the Flame Demon left and never returned, causing them to miss it when they came down?
He had previously assumed that these people had come down through a route he didn't know about, after all, the depth of the area was unknown, and there was more than one entrance, he just didn't have the ability to explore it.
Since they were following the path to the Flame Demon's lair, the question now was—had the Flame Demon returned home?
————
"Hah, at least I can finally relax now."
Having found the duke's daughter, Gal's mood also brightened. Which adventurer wouldn't be tempted by the reward of an entire city?
"Captain, you have no idea how desperate I felt when you mentioned the change in direction on the 9th floor. I thought she had indeed fallen into the trap..."
Before he could finish, Gal was kicked by Night Owl.
Looking at the pink puppet Night Owl was holding, he suddenly remembered that Inanna was still there, and realized his earlier words had been a bit too casual.
"Cough cough."
As always, Captain Nova stepped in to change the subject.
"Ivan, are you confident you can解除 Inanna's transformation spell?
Do we need to find some professional spellbreakers once we get up there?"
Ivan didn't like hearing that: "Do you think I'm worse than those third-rate charlatans?
It's just that she used a solidification potion after transforming. Do you think that's too difficult for me?
It can't be harder than turning you back from scarecrows in the Scarecrow Abyss."
Nova just wanted to change the subject, but he didn't expect to step on Ivan's landmine. He could only laugh awkwardly:
"I don't understand, I don't understand. As long as you're confident…"
Before they knew it, the group had returned to the entrance leading to the upper level.
It was still as hot as ever here.
Night Owl couldn't stand the heat to begin with, and now he was holding Puji, which made it even hotter.
However, considering that Inanna was still a young lady, even if she had turned into a puji, it wasn't appropriate for a man to carry her.
Night Owl could only endure the heat, though she did quicken her pace slightly.
On the contrary, Inanna in her arms didn't seem to mind the heat much, after all, her resistance was LV6.
"Wait!"
The short voice of the Archmage Ivan caused the night owl and the others to stop in their tracks.
"The fluctuations in magic are different."
[Scouting]
"Night Owl," the Archmage's voice was calm, "take the lady away."
Night Owl glanced at Ivan. Though this old half-human mage often went mad during his magic binges, he was the most experienced member of the group when he was sober.
Without hesitation, she carried Inanna into the elongated shadows of the group and darted into the passageway at an incredible speed.
The moment she disappeared, the entire cave began to tremble.
The lava pools on either side surged like boiling blood, viscous golden-red bubbles bursting one after another, sulfuric smoke and hot waves erupting.
The owl's departure alerted the hidden enemies that they had been discovered, and now it had no intention of letting the remaining prey escape.
With a inhuman roar, a massive figure rose from the lava pool.
Its mountain-like upper body was composed of semi-solidified lava and charred bones, with a dark red rock shell enveloping its body and the molten lava core within.
Simultaneously, numerous flame monsters, each about a person's height and resembling miniature versions of it, leaped out, blocking the path.
Gulp—
The half-dragon swallowed hard.
"Flame Demon… and Lava Golems…"
"Be careful, they're level 64." Ivan, who had already used Scouting, revealed the Flame Demon's strength.
There was no time for further communication; the Flame Demon swung its molten fist toward them.
[Shield Domain]
Gal raised his shield in front of him, forming a massive shield-like illusion that blocked the attack.
However, due to the level difference, he was not unscathed, with blood seeping out from his armored gauntlets.
[Revival]
[Life Potential]
Nova took a breath and cast both healing and enhancement spells, allowing Gal to barely maintain the Shield Domain.
Another roar echoed, and seeing that he couldn't directly crush these insects, the Flame Demon stirred up a massive wave from the lava pool beneath him.
Realizing the dire situation, Ivan swiftly inserted an A-grade magic crystal into his abdomen while casting [Clarity] to maintain his sanity amidst the surging magic, though this caused him immense pain.
Facing a Level 64 Flame Demon, he dared not hold back, unleashing 300% of his full power from the start.
[Ice Ring]
The embedded magic crystal provided him with power far surpassing that of an ordinary magic staff, and the Ice Ring spread outwards from the three of them.
It froze the rocky ground and the lava golems, and finally collided with the lava wave, barely managing to solidify it.
"We… need to run quickly."
The intense pain stimulated every nerve in Ivan's body, and he couldn't maintain this state for long.
Even with this burst of power, his magic could only barely match the Flame Demon's regular strength. If they dragged this out, the three of them would surely die.
"It's probably not that simple."
The Flame Demon took advantage of the three of them blocking the lava to move to the entrance of the passageway and block their path.
Seeing this, Ivan罕见地爆粗口:
"Damn it, if we survive this, I'll definitely go apologize to Kemo. She said the Flame Demon was highly intelligent last time, and I laughed at her…"
"What should we do? Should we retreat?"
The half-dragon looked at the passage they had come from; retreating now might still be possible.
"No, hold on a little longer."
Nova's tone sounded as though he had made a decision. Gal, who had worked with him for ten years, knew exactly what he was thinking.
"You want to use that? Even if we do, we might not be able to defeat this Flame Demon!"
Ivan remained silent beside him. After blocking another wave of lava, he was in too much pain to speak, and he had to use his last bit of strength on the next spell.
Nova didn't explain, but just glanced at the half-dragon, who, as always, chose to trust his captain.
Nova took out a small branch with two tender buds from his chest.
Lin Jun, who had been watching from afar, immediately noticed the item with the interface.
[Divine Weapon: Yisheng Wood Core (Fragment)]
Another divine weapon!
Magic surged into it, but it wasn't just magic.
Nova's vitality was also being drained in large quantities, and his face visibly grew gaunt.
After finally sating the artifact, Nova pointed it at a corner of the flame demon's chest—where there was a tiny crack in the rock shell.
It was only by noticing this that he dared to counterattack.
A tender shoot transformed into a flash of green light, piercing through the Flame Demon's armor and shattering the molten heart within its chest.
The Flame Demon, who had thought victory was assured, suddenly suffered a fatal blow.
With its core shattered, it could no longer support its massive body, collapsing at the edge of the lava pool and emitting a final, weak cry.
This creature, which had blocked Lin Jun for years and was the strongest demon he had ever seen, died so suddenly.
Feeling the still-hot fragments of the sunstone beneath its shell.
Is this the divine artifact...
If anyone spots any bugs, let me know, and I'll fix them promptly.
(End of this chapter)