“Hmm? Little Shadow, do you have some clever plan to get us up there?” Po Kong raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.
“Of course I do! But it’s not something as cliché as flying!” Xia Duo winked mischievously. “Fortunately, I came prepared. Why don't you beg me? Maybe if I’m happy enough, I’ll tell you!”
Starlight was immediately intrigued. He smiled and said, “Lady Xia Duo, please show us some mercy and guide us through this maze.”
He even performed an exaggerated bow in dwarf etiquette, making Xia Duo giggle.
“Hmph, so now you know to ask nicely...”
Before she could finish, Moen shook her head with a smile and took an old diary from her storage space.
“Alright, sister, stop playing around! It’s like this: our parents once visited this volcano and recorded a path up in their diary. We only realized this after comparing notes last night.”
“Tch... Sister, you spoil them too much. Giving it away so quickly takes all the fun out of it!” Xia Duo clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction but didn't dwell on it.
“Oh? There's a path up?” Starlight couldn't help but feel surprised.
He took the diary from Moen, his fingertips brushing over the familiar handwriting. This was the second time they had relied on the records of this explorer couple; the experience with the hidden underwater current was still fresh in his mind.
Since they had been here before, it wasn't surprising they found a way up.
According to the diary, a natural rift valley formed by ancient geological movements existed on the northeast side of this ever-burning volcano.
Over countless years, lava flows had cooled and solidified there, forming a unique basalt barrier. It acted like a natural diversion channel, guiding the active magma toward the southern slopes.
“Look here,” Moen’s finger touched a simple mark in the diary. “This rift is located right above the prevailing wind direction, so most of the toxic gases are blown away.”
“Since there's a path, what are we waiting for? Let's go!”
Before they could even finish discussing a plan, the impatient Po Kong had already started walking. Starlight and the others exchanged looks and could only follow helplessly.
Bypassing such a massive volcano was no easy task. It wasn't until the next morning that the four of them crossed the entire ridge and reached its northern side.
After some searching, they successfully found the rift mentioned in the diary.
As they entered the volcano’s vicinity, the snow beneath their feet gradually turned into black rock debris and volcanic ash. Every step kicked up a cloud of grey dust.
Looking up from below, the rock walls on both sides of the rift displayed a strange layered structure, as if torn open by some immense force, stretching all the way to the summit.
Po Kong jumped into the rift first, kicking up fine gravel as he landed. “Hey, it’s steadier than I thought! You can come down now!”
The other three followed close behind, entering the passage.
As soon as he stepped into the rift, Starlight felt a warm airflow surging from deep within. Compared to the piercing cold wind outside, the temperature here was surprisingly comfortable.
He reached out to touch the rock wall beside him. It felt rough but not hot to the touch—just as the diary said, the basalt layer naturally insulated the passage from the high temperatures.
Moen also curiously examined her surroundings, pointing to a smooth cut surface. “This rift... I don't feel like it's natural. It looks like it was sliced open by someone with a sharp weapon!”
Starlight followed her gaze. Sure enough, some sections of the rock were eerily flat. Even after countless years, traces could still be seen.
“Who cares? There’s no danger right now anyway.” Po Kong shrugged nonchalantly as he continued walking. “It’s not like there’s a ‘volcano guardian’ here, right? Honestly, nothing I see now would surprise me anymore.”
Indeed, after witnessing battles between Half-Gods and even former deities, Starlight was somewhat numb to the destructive power of true strength.
If one were to look into it, this rift might have been carved out by Ignis himself in the past.
But the moment Po Kong finished speaking, a low vibration came from deep within the passage, followed by a long, metallic-sounding roar.
The four of them instantly froze, their senses on high alert.
“...Po Kong,” Starlight slowly turned his head and let out a long sigh. “Could you please stop jinxing us next time?”
As the vibrations from deep in the passage drew closer, gravel on the rock walls came tumbling down. Suddenly, accompanied by a suffocating wave of scorching heat, a pair of burning crimson pupils lit up in the depths of the rift.
A fiery red figure, three meters tall, appeared from the corner ahead. Its body was composed of flowing lava, its outer shell constantly peeling off and reforming to reveal a churning white core.
With every step it took, it left charred footprints on the ground, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and molten metal.
“Get back! It's a fire elemental!” Starlight's voice echoed through the passage.
The monster before them was indeed an elemental creature, though calling it a fire elemental wasn't entirely accurate. Starlight soon discovered a large amount of earth elements within its body as well.
Its outer layer was semi-solidified basalt armor, but white-hot liquid fire flowed through the gaps. This contradictory coexistence made its silhouette appear blurry and distorted.
Although this elemental was unique, one thing Starlight and the others were certain of was that such a massive elemental with self-awareness would definitely be powerful.
“Kaka, kaka...”
The lava elemental noticed the four intruders. It tilted its head toward them and made a strange sound.
“Is it trying to say something? We can't understand it anyway!” Xia Duo whispered.
However, they soon didn't need to know what it meant.
The massive lava elemental let out a roar that caused the entire rift to tremble slightly.
In the next second, its body lunged forward. Its right arm transformed into a massive warhammer, swinging toward the four with devastating heat.
“Scatter!”
Starlight shouted, instantly deploying a spatial barrier in front of them.
The lava fist slammed into the barrier, triggering ripples of distortion. The resulting heat wave turned the surrounding rock walls a glowing red.
Po Kong flickered, closing the distance through the gap in the lava elemental's attack. His scythe carved a golden arc through the air, striking its knee.
The blade sank into the semi-solidified part of the elemental’s knee, cutting through it as easily as a hot knife through butter. The elemental's thick leg was severed, sending lava and gravel flying.
“Got it!” A victorious smile had just begun to form on Po Kong's face when he saw the severed limb hit the ground and turn back into liquid, crawling back to the main body like a living thing.
Then, brilliant white lava surged from the stump, healing the wound instantly without leaving a single trace.
“Huh? Is it another one of those guys immune to physical damage?”
Po Kong quickly retreated a few steps, dodging a sweep from the lava elemental's left arm. The ground where he had been standing was melted into a boiling pit.
Starlight’s pupils reflected the elemental's constantly reforming body. Under his elemental vision, he could see earth and fire elements frantically intertwining at the monster's wounds. The earth elements were responsible for constructing its basic skeleton, while the fire elements provided the energy for regeneration.
Xia Duo also took action. Like a nimble cat, she climbed the protruding rocks on the walls and leaped into the air.
She performed a mid-air flip, three arrows wrapped in crimson battle qi already notched on her bowstring.
“Taste this!” With her crisp shout, the arrows whistled through the air, carving three brilliant lines of fire. The arrowheads accurately struck the lava elemental's chest, aiming straight for its white core.
However, to their disappointment, the arrows only penetrated about ten centimeters before stopping. The lava on the elemental's surface rippled, swallowing and assimilating the external flames completely.
Rate on N.U.
