Chapter 138: Burning Forest

Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Burning Forest

The scorching air of The Four-Fold Crucible trembled as four massive, magma-dripping constructs pulled themselves onto the obsidian causeway. These Magma-Core Slagbeasts, armored in jagged basalt and burning with white-hot core energy, roared with a sound like grinding tectonic plates.

Thermal distortion rippled heavily across the scorched pathway, but Squad 07 stood unwavering in their close-knit combat formation.

"Frontline, lock it down!" Rowan called out, shifting his grip on the Hoe of the World-Tiller.

Barney planted his human-forged vanguard shield deep into the basalt floor, his heavy plate armor glowing with cool runic warding. The lead Slagbeast slammed a massive molten fist against the barrier, sending a blinding shower of sparks across the rock. Barney held his ground with absolute stability, absorbing the kinetic force without yielding an inch.

"My turn!" Caelen shouted. Stepping past Barney’s flank, he swung the Edge of the First Warden in a powerful, broad arc. The heavy two-handed greatsword carved through the air, its crushing momentum shattering the lead beast’s obsidian chest plate on impact. The shockwave detonated the creature’s core, scattering cooled slag and fiery embers across the trail.

From the rear, Mirei loosed a triplet of frost-alloy arrows into the eyes of the flanking entities. The freezing enchantments hissed violently against their superheated hides, flash-chilling the armor plates into brittle glass. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Taking instant advantage of the structural weakness, Princess Lyra leaped forward, her longsword blazing with golden aura as she sliced through the hardened joints, dismantling the remaining beasts in a flurry of precise strikes.

Rowan drove the blade of his divine tool straight into the magma-soaked earth. Channelling his Level 20 core energy, he triggered a localized soil-solidification pulse. A surge of dense, cooled rock welled up beneath the surrounding lava pools, temporarily capping the magma vents and cutting off the enemy’s reinforcement spouts.

Seraphina kept a vigilant watch from the center of the formation. "Elixir integrity is holding at ninety-eight percent! The thermal shock from their attacks isn’t penetrating our insulation!"

The initial wave of molten hostiles collapsed into harmless piles of cooling ash, but deep within the volcanic horizon of The Four-Fold Crucible, a distant, rhythmic roar signaled that the Fire Quadrant’s true guardians were already mobilizing.

***

Navigating deeper into the western quadrant of The Four-Fold Crucible, the terrain took a sinister turn that caught even the experienced squad off guard. The barren basalt paths gave way to a towering, surreal expanse—an infernal forest composed entirely of eternally burning trees.

These colossal flora did not crumble to ash; instead, their iron-like bark pulsed with liquid magma, and their crimson, leaf-like flames swayed rhythmically as if the timber itself was breathing fire.

"Watch your footing," Caelen cautioned, his grip tightening on the Edge of the First Warden as a burst of localized flame exhaled from a nearby trunk, washing harmlessly against his insulated plate. "These aren’t just static hazards."

"The thermal output here is twice what we calculated near the entrance," Seraphina added, checking her alchemy gauge. "If not for our ninety-five percent purity elixirs and Barney’s thermal suit sealing, the ambient radiant heat alone would be searing our lungs."

Rowan stepped toward a massive, gnarled trunk whose roots drank directly from an open magma vein. Tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, he lightly rested the Hoe of the World-Tiller against the glowing wood. Through his Gardener of Eden authority, a wave of botanical awareness flooded his mind.

These were Ignis-Root Cedars—primordial botanical anomalies that converted pure fire element into living plant structure. Far from being simple obstacles, they represented a rare, high-tier fire-attuned flora strain capable of thriving exclusively in extreme elemental domains.

"They’re not just burning; they’re channeling the land’s mana," Rowan said, a cool smirk touching his lips. "If we try to cut them down with raw physical force, they’ll detonate like explosive charges."

Channeling a thread of Breath of Eden vitality through his palm, Rowan touched the glowing bark. The emerald mana pacified the tree’s defensive instincts, causing the surrounding branch-flames to part and clear a wide, safe corridor straight through the burning forest.

"Path is open." Rowan turned back to Squad 07. "Keep your guards up—a forest this rich in fire mana is guaranteed to host an apex predator."

***

The fiery canopy parted with a sharp, terrifying hiss as a colossal Ignis-Drake Viper slithered through the burning timber. Over thirty meters long, its thick scales burned like molten gold, shedding ribbons of white-hot fire that instantly vaporized the scorched underbrush beneath it.

Locking its glowing, sulfurous eyes on Squad 07, the beast unhinged its massive jaw, unleashing a roaring jet of pressurized flame as it made a dead sprint straight for the team.

"Vanguard, brace!" Barney bellowed, stepping directly into the path of the oncoming inferno. He slammed his tower shield into the basalt earth, unleashing a massive blue-tinted barrier fueled by his Level 17 smithing wards.

The serpent’s fiery breath crashed violently against the barrier, but Seraphina’s 95%+ purity thermal resistance elixirs and Barney’s custom plate held the line without losing a single degree of internal cooling.

"Mirei, pin its neck!" Princess Lyra commanded, her golden aura flaring brilliantly along the edge of her longsword as she flanked the left.

Mirei drew her bow in a fluid motion, releasing a frost-alloy arrow that whistled through the thermal haze. The shaft struck the viper precisely beneath its upper jaw, the sub-zero mana exploding into a ring of solid permafrost that froze the creature’s mouth shut mid-roar.

Taking advantage of the momentary stun, Caelen stepped past Barney’s shield with incredible momentum. Holding the heavy two-handed hilt of the Edge of the First Warden, he executed a sweeping upward arc.

The broad greatsword cut through the thick air, its crushing physical force shattering the serpent’s molten scales and carving a deep, kinetic wound along its underbelly.

Before the viper could thrash back, Rowan stepped forward, adjusting his Enchanted Straw Hat. Driving the blade of the Hoe of the World-Tiller into the roots of the surrounding Ignis-Root Cedars, he channeled his Level 20 domain authority.

"Celestial Furrow!"

The volcanic earth buckled in a localized cone. Churning roots and jagged basalt pillars erupted upward, wrapping around the serpent’s writhing body like living cuffs and pinning the beast against the burning forest floor.

Princess Lyra closed the distance in a flash of gold, delivering a swift, decisive downward cleave that severed the viper’s core. The massive beast collapsed into a shower of harmless embers, leaving behind a glowing, superheated fire core pulsing upon the scorched stone.

"Flawless execution," Seraphina noted, stepping up to harvest the volatile snake venom and core material into her containment vials. Rowan scooped up the core with a satisfied smile, resting his hoe back over his shoulder as Squad 07 pressed deeper into the Fire Quadrant.