Everyone in the group now shows the same expression as Samuel after hearing his conclusion, solemn and serious. Diving straight into that pit of flames was hardly an appealing idea.
The crater ahead was enormous. Waves of heat rose from its depths, carrying sparks and ash into the air.
The flames roared continuously, illuminating the surrounding ruins with a bright orange glow. Even from where they stood, the heat was strong enough to make their skin sting.
Only Clyde looked different. His expression remained calm, almost emotionless. His eyes, however, held a quiet determination. Beneath the heat and the blinding flames, no one noticed the subtle change in his gaze.
Clyde knew what was waiting down there. Or at least, he had a strong suspicion.
Samuel looked around at his teammates and noticed their reluctant expressions. A small smile appeared on his face.
"Of course, we’re not going to just dive into it right away," Samuel said.
He reached into his coat and pulled out several small amulets.
There were six of them. The amulets were dark red and carved with intricate runes. Faint magical power could be seen flowing through their surfaces, causing the symbols to glow softly.
"These were specially prepared for this mission," Samuel explained. "The fortress provided them because of the conditions inside this Ruin. They hugely increase fire resistance and protect the wearer from extreme heat."
He handed one to each member of the group before keeping the final one for himself.
Maira examined the amulet for a moment before putting it around her neck. Don and Leyan did the same, followed by Arven and Clyde.
The moment the amulets activated, they felt the difference.
The oppressive heat that had been surrounding them suddenly became much more bearable. The burning sensation against their skin faded, and even the smoke seemed easier to tolerate.
Arven moved his hand through the air experimentally. A few moments later he said, "With this, we don’t have to worry too much about the heat."
"That’s the idea," Samuel replied. He touched the amulet around his neck. His expression became serious. "But there’s a time limit. The effect lasts for one hour. So we need to move quickly. If the artifact is really down there, we retrieve it and get out before the protection wears off."
Everyone nodded.
Clyde looked toward the crater again. One hour. That should be more than enough.
The faint presence of Asmodeus continued to linger somewhere beyond the flames, pulling at the deepest part of Clyde’s soul.
He could almost feel it calling him.
Without saying anything, Clyde followed as Samuel began walking toward the crater.
The six of them moved together across the scorched highway, approaching the enormous pit of fire.
The closer they came, the louder the flames became.
Heat distorted the air around them, making the burning crater appear to shift and ripple like a living creature.
But the group continued forward. One step after another. Until they stood at the edge of the massive crater.
Below them, an endless sea of flames raged.
Samuel, as the leader, knew he had to be the one to lead them into the flames. That responsibility weighed on him as well, especially when he could not know what was waiting below.
He took a deep breath, tightened his grip on his spear, and stepped into the fire.
The others followed behind him.
Flames immediately licked their bodies, licking against their armor and skin. Everyone instinctively grimaced, bracing themselves for the heat and pain that should have followed.
But nothing happened. The amulets worked perfectly.
The fire still felt oppressive, and the sight of endless flames surrounding them made their bodies tense, but the unbearable heat had been reduced to a feeling that they could endure.
Even Clyde felt relief. He had expected the amulets to help, but walking directly into a sea of fire was still something else entirely.
They continued deeper into the crater.
The descent lasted far longer than any of them had expected. The walls stretched downward like the inside of a gigantic furnace, with rivers of fire flowing between stone and shattered pieces of the city.
The deeper they went, the darker the surroundings became. The flames above gradually disappeared from sight, replaced by a vast chamber illuminated only by the burning ground beneath their feet.
Then they reached the bottom.
The crater opened into a large circular field.Scorched stone formed a wide ring around the area, covered with strange cracks that glowed orange from the heat beneath them.
Several creatures knelt around the center of the field. They have the same burning undead appearance as the monsters they had fought earlier, but these creatures were different.
Their bodies were larger and more heavily mutated, with thick limbs covered in charred flesh and black plates that resembled hardened volcanic rock.
Fire leaked constantly from the cracks in their bodies, molten orange light pulsed beneath their skin.
Their heads lowered as they knelt in silence, facing something in the middle of the circle.
The creatures did not move.
For a moment, the entire field only filled with the roar of the surrounding flames.
"This is going to be a hard fight," Don slowly raised his shield and said, his voice tense. "I can sense it. These things are much stronger than the ones we fought before."
Clyde narrowed his eyes. He could feel it too. The magical power coming from the creatures was dense and oppressive. It was nothing like the weak burning undead from the surface. These monsters carried enough power to make the air itself feel heavy.
One of them moved. Its fingers pressed against the ground.nCracks spread beneath its hand.
More creatures slowly lifted its head. One after another, six of the burning undead rose from their kneeling positions.
Their movements were slow, almost ritualistic, but the moment they stood upright, the atmosphere changed.
Six pairs of burning eyes turned toward the group. Orange light poured from their empty sockets.
Their mouths opened, revealing rows of blackened teeth, and flames spilled between them as a deep, distorted growl echoed.
Maira tightened her grip on her curved blades. Leyan immediately drew an arrow and pulled the string back. Arven stepped behind Don, already preparing his spells.
Samuel lowered his stance and pointed his spear toward the creatures.
Clyde stared at them. Something was wrong. The monsters were not behaving like mindless beasts.
They had been kneeling around whatever stood in the center of the crater as if they were praying to it. And now when intruders arrived, they finally rose to fight.
—
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter