Chapter 391: Hellfire

Chapter 391: Hellfire

"Whoosh!"

Mud splattered everywhere!

Two clay giant hands emerged from the ground, one on each side, and forcefully pried open the ground that was still glowing with a yellowish light.

Suddenly, a colossal creature with a humanoid upper body and a cylindrical lower half, resembling an obsidian giant but with incomplete legs, burst out of the ground.

Rain observed the caster's technique with great interest.

Clearly, this clay-based sorcery wasn't merely a simple puppetry spell.

Or perhaps, it differed significantly from metal puppetry, seemingly incorporating some form of summoning sorcery.

As soon as the clay monster appeared, it charged towards the evil fire elemental.

"This clay monster has combat prowess comparable to an advanced battle puppet, Sir Paul, you're truly remarkable," Alicia exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

Given Paul's level, summoning a mud monster wouldn't be surprising, but the appearance of a clay monster was indeed astonishing.

At that moment, Paul nodded politely and said slowly, "Yes, Senior Alicia, it's indeed a clay monster. In terms of combat power, after being enhanced by this Earth Elemental Summoning Crystal, it surpasses even the advanced battle puppets of your department."

Despite his calm tone, his words carried a hint of pride, and a fleeting gleam of arrogance flashed in his eyes.

"An Earth Elemental Summoning Crystal?" Alicia whispered in astonishment.

"The Earth Elemental Summoning Crystal that increases the power of Earth-based summons by about twenty percent? Isn't this the sorcery tool once used by Master Scott, the Second Rank Vaporization Stage wizard?"

In truth, this sorcery tool, even the lowest-grade ones, could only be crafted by Second Rank Vaporization Stage wizards like Master Scott, who was renowned for his sorcery tools.

It was unexpected that Master Scott would bestow such a tool upon Paul, who had only recently joined the department, clearly indicating his high regard for the young wizard.

"Yes, my mentor was concerned about my safety on this mission and specifically gave me this sorcery tool as a gift," Paul explained, but to his disappointment, the pure-hearted girl before him didn't seem overly surprised, maintaining her composure.

"No wonder, Sir Paul's summoned clay monster has a height and build that surpasses ordinary clay monsters," Alicia nodded in understanding.

At that moment, Rain spoke up, "I think it's best if we retreat to our camp for safety."

"Hmm? Newbie Rain, do you doubt the combat prowess of my clay monster?" Rain's words naturally irritated Paul.

"You're right, with your strength, you probably can't fathom the power of my clay monster."

"If you're scared, you can retreat first."

He was about to showcase his combat abilities in front of Odette, but retreat now?

No way!

Moreover, over the past few days, he had subtly sensed something.

Odette seemed to pay extra attention to this new student, perhaps because he was younger and more handsome than Paul.

This made Paul even more annoyed with Rain!

"Since Rain thinks it's unwise, then let's retreat," Odette agreed without hesitation upon hearing Rain's suggestion.

However, at that moment, the clay monster had already engaged in combat with the evil fire elemental.

"Boom!"

Facing the taller clay monster, the evil fire elemental immediately unleashed a 'Evil Fire Blast'.

The scorching ring-shaped shockwave blasted in all directions, instantly charring the surface of the approaching clay monster.

But Paul wasn't boasting; his clay monster indeed possessed greater combat prowess than ordinary ones. After the outer layer of charred clay fell away, it unleashed a mud spray.

"Ssshh!"

A powerful stream of mud, like a high-pressure water gun, erupted from the clay monster's mouth, dousing the scorched body of the evil fire elemental. Instantly, a thick gray mist rose into the air.

"Did you see that?" This scene made Paul even more smug, his chin tilting upwards.

Just as Alicia was about to say something, Rain pointed towards the rocky terrain on the left and right, saying, "What about those two over there?"

At that moment, they were in a clearing, but due to the canyon's layout, the clearing was in a depression, surrounded by numerous boulders, some of which were massive and obstructed their view.

Hearing Rain's words, everyone in the clearing noticed two more evil fire elementals had emerged, seemingly drawn by the commotion. This development carried even more serious implications.

"How is this possible?" Paul's face paled as he spoke.

"This is bad! Could it be that the passage has erupted in chaos?"

Paul's mind raced, and he quickly said, "There are too many of them, Odette. Let's split up and retreat. If we stay here, we'll be trapped with no way out."

After saying this, Paul's expression turned frantic, and without a backward glance, he started running!

The clay monster closely followed, blocking the narrow turn almost entirely, paying no heed to Alicia and Odette, let alone Rain.

"Paul, you...!" Alicia had assumed that Paul wouldn't abandon them, but at the very least, she thought he would stick with them.

She never expected him to leave them so suddenly, especially after she had made an effort to befriend him earlier.

It was true that you could never truly know a person.

"Rain, Audrey, let's have the combat puppets take the lead. We'll retreat to the left and head back to the camp," Alicia said through gritted teeth.

Although they couldn't hold them off, this was their only chance.

"No need, I'll take care of this!"

Rain casually removed the advanced wizardry tool, 'Cloak of Concealment', from his body and handed it to Audrey, who was standing beside him.

Rain wasn't worried about the Infernal Elementals in front of him damaging the cloak, but he had sensed something else emerging from them, an endless source of power.

Audrey respectfully accepted the cloak from Rain, leaving Alicia completely baffled by this exchange.

What were they doing?

Why weren't they running?

Just as Alicia was growing anxious, she suddenly froze in her tracks.

At that very moment, back at the camp, an unexpected event occurred.

"Not good! The passage is rioting again!" A wizard on the camp's watchtower immediately noticed the disturbance deep within the Fury Canyon and cried out.

Another wizard who had been dozing off beside him jolted awake and quickly cast the Eagle Eye Spell to observe the situation. After a few seconds, his face paled, and he exclaimed in shock:

"Oh my! It's even more intense than last time. There are over a hundred Infernal Elementals!"

The camp was instantly filled with the sound of urgent alarms.

Several wizards who had been resting rushed out, many of them using the Eagle Eye Spell to observe the distant threat.

"So many Infernal Elementals!"

"Not good, and there are Hellfire Boulder Giants behind them!"

"Five, six... seven! So many!"

"Even Bradley couldn't handle so many Hellfire Boulder Giants!" one of them said, their voice trembling slightly.

"Don't panic!" Bradley, the Vice Dean in his gray robes, emerged from a room with a stern expression and scolded them.

After the previous incident, although it was initially deemed a coincidence, the academy naturally couldn't afford to be unprepared.

"Everyone, immediately collect the ice-based wizardry scrolls."

These scrolls had been prepared in advance.

They were meant to slow down the Infernal Elementals attempting to break into the camp, making it easier for the defenders to attack.

"Ulysses, open the warehouse. I'll activate the Obsidian War Golem."

As Bradley issued commands, the stationed wizards, reassured by the academy's preparations, quickly calmed down and began to follow orders.

---

On the other side, Rain's aura suddenly intensified, becoming deep and powerful, as if he had transformed into an entirely different person.

His aura was not something a first-level wizard could possess, and even the second-level Liquidization Wizard Alicia had met at the academy didn't have such a presence.

"Boom!"

The hard ground suddenly cracked, and Rain's figure vanished from Alicia and Audrey's sight.

A moment later, when the two women snapped back to their senses, they found Rain had appeared in front of the first Infernal Elemental.

Rain seemed unaffected by the creature's scorching heat of two to three thousand degrees, as he thrust his hand into its core and quickly withdrew, holding a faintly green object.

This move didn't even resemble an attack.

It was as casual as reaching for a glass of water.

But the Infernal Elemental suddenly deflated, as if all the air had been let out of it.

The originally faintly green, raging flames instantly extinguished.

"This... this..."

Alicia was completely dumbfounded.

He had reached out and grabbed the Hellfire Crystal Nucleus, which had a temperature of two to three thousand degrees?

Was he even human?

Alicia didn't know if a Knight could do this, but she was certain that even a Legendary Peak Knight wouldn't dare to attempt such a feat.

It was akin to seeking death, as the hand would likely be burned to a crisp.

In reality, Rain had instantly used Metal Deformation to cover his palm with a piece of enchanted serpent silver.

Although he might not have been burned by directly grabbing the nucleus, there was no need to take that risk, especially since he hadn't transformed, and his defenses were not as strong.

Upon witnessing this, the two other Infernal Elementals, possessing lesser intelligence but extreme ferocity, showed no fear. Instead, they advanced, their bodies engulfed in raging flames, and launched two scorching green Hellfire Fireballs at Rain.

"Be careful!" Alicia cried out.

Although Rain had demonstrated formidable strength, it didn't necessarily mean he had strong defenses.

But the next moment, Rain's body was enveloped in a shimmering, metallic covering.

Title: The Mysterious 'Junior'

Chapter:

The black substance covering Rain's body didn't budge an inch, not even showing a crack.

"Pfft!"

Rain's figure flickered, and he suddenly appeared in front of the second Evil Fire Elemental, extending his hand like a venomous snake.

Right after, the third one...

One second, one kill!

In just three seconds, Rain had taken down three Elementals. In Alicia's eyes, it would take a combined effort from several people to barely handle these Elementals.

Witnessing Rain's clean and efficient methods, Alicia was struck dumbfounded, unable to recover her senses for a while. Her beautiful eyes kept examining Rain, as if wanting to re-familiarize herself with this 'junior', and her eyes even revealed expressions of shock, astonishment, and disbelief.

Seeing Rain openly displaying his strength, Audrey slightly bowed, asking, "What should we do next, Lord Rain?"

"Audrey, what did you just call me, Lord Rain?" Alicia asked.

Hearing Audrey's words, Alicia finally snapped back to her senses.

But when she heard Audrey's choice of words, she immediately realized that Audrey seemed to have known the identity of this mysterious 'junior' all along.

"You've known Lord Rain's identity all this time?" Alicia couldn't help but ask in a whisper, also using honorifics.

"Yes, but I'm really sorry, Sister Alicia. According to the mentors and the Division Head, Lord Rain's identity is top-secret."

When Audrey said this, her fair chin lifted slightly, showcasing her slender, white, and tender neck like a white swan.

It was as if she was saying, Lord Rain's identity was known to only three people within the Division, and she was one of them.

Hearing this, Alicia fell silent.

Turns out, such a big opportunity was right in front of her eyes, but she had been chasing after Paul all this time. How blind!

But upon further reflection, something was amiss!

Although she had just learned of Rain's true identity, she hadn't offended him. She had only claimed to be his sister, and he was usually warm and caring.

What was there to worry about?

The next second, Alicia suddenly smiled charmingly and quickly walked to Rain's side, saying, "Lord Rain, I'm sorry for not realizing your identity earlier."

"It's good that you exposed Paul's hypocrisy. Otherwise, both Audrey and I would have been deceived."

Alicia's words left Audrey stunned!

Why would they be deceived?

It was clearly you who was leading the way. Why bring me along?

However, Audrey didn't dwell on this point. Instead, she asked Rain, "By the way, Lord Rain, aren't we going back to support the camp?"

"No rush, let's wait a bit. The Division isn't as unprepared as you imagine. Moreover..."

"The manipulator behind the scenes hasn't appeared yet. If we go out too early, we might scare them away." Rain smiled and said.

Rain's words caused the two women beside him to exchange glances.

Scare them away?

Isn't that a bit too domineering?

At this moment, Alicia's heart was filled with curiosity, as if a cat's paw was gently scratching inside her.

"What? You mean the tunnel outbreak wasn't a coincidence, but someone was manipulating behind the scenes?" Audrey exclaimed.

"Yes, although I'm not sure of their specific method, there's no doubt someone is controlling this." Rain nodded.

"By the way, let's take cover first."

After saying this, Rain led the way to the edge of the clearing, bypassing a pile of rugged boulders. He transformed the Hardened Fine Gold in his hand and quickly carved out a depression in the dark brown, hard rock wall of the gorge, creating a space for the three of them to hide.

Once they entered, Rain transformed the Hardened Fine Gold again, creating a space for three people to hide.

And with a gentle breeze, Alicia's voluptuous body naturally leaned towards Rain's side.

At this moment, through the Hardened Fine Gold, a heavy footstep sound was heard from outside, 'Dong Dong'

"This is..." Alicia's face showed surprise, whispering.

"It's a Hellfire Rock Giant," Audrey said, nodding.

A five-meter-tall Hellfire Rock Giant, enveloped in faint green flames, marched forward.

With each step, its multi-ton body created heavy footsteps.

Right after, four more Hellfire Rock Giants emerged one after another.

"Wow, so many!" Alicia exclaimed, her eyes widening.

Originally, she thought this tunnel riot was similar to the last time, but judging from the number of Hellfire Rock Giants, this outbreak seemed to have nearly doubled compared to the previous one.

"Lord Rain, do you think the camp can withstand this?" Audrey asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

With Rain by her side, Audrey wasn't worried about her own safety. Instead, as a member of the Division, she didn't want to see the Division suffer heavy casualties.

"No problem, the camp is prepared. We'll head there soon," Rain reassured.

Minutes later, the sounds of the Hellfire Rock Giants stopped.

Rain gathered the hardened Mithril in front of him and led the two women towards the camp, navigating through several turns until they reached their destination. The camp came into view, surrounded by giant rocks and filled with the clamor of green flames and various magical lights.

It was evident that the Academy had anticipated the sudden channel eruption, as an intense battle was underway. The most striking sight was a massive, jet-black war golem locked in combat with three Hellfire Boulder Giants.

"A Black Obsidian War Golem!"

"That must be Bradley's golem. He's an early-stage Tier 3 Crystalization Wizard, and the only one in the camp capable of controlling such a golem," Alicia explained.

Rain nodded slightly.

The Black Obsidian War Golem indeed possessed formidable power, standing over seven meters tall, while the Hellfire Boulder Giants barely reached its shoulders.

Moreover, the golem periodically flashed with magical lights, renewing its 'Stone Skin' defense.

This was likely what Mentor Magaro had mentioned—the golem's energy source could synchronize with the casting of spells for attack or defense.

However, the overall situation for the Academy remained dire.

Despite the Academy wizards' valiant resistance, the lack of high-level combatants allowed several Hellfire Boulder Giants to rampage unchecked, wreaking havoc on the camp.

Within minutes, the magical defense formations surrounding the camp would be completely destroyed.

By then, even with the Black Obsidian War Golem, the camp's destruction and the Academy wizards' defeat would be inevitable.

As a member of the Academy, Rain couldn't stand by and watch his comrades face annihilation.

"You two stay here; I'll be right back."

As he spoke, Rain's body was enveloped in a layer of Mithril, concealing his features and resembling a dark silver metal puppet.

"Be careful, Rain," the women said, showing concern.

"Yes, be careful, Rain! The Hellfire Boulder Giants are several times stronger than Evil Fire Elementals," they added.

Rain nodded.

In the next moment, his figure vanished.

When he reappeared, Rain had positioned himself behind a Hellfire Boulder Giant. With a slight tap of his foot, he swiftly jumped and rose to a height above the giant's back.

"Crack!"

Rain's fist struck with lightning speed, shattering the giant's thick rocky spine. He then pulled out a green crystal with flames swirling within.

The Hellfire Boulder Giant suddenly trembled uncontrollably, as if afflicted with Parkinson's disease. Then, like a snake with its spine removed, it began to collapse.

This scene left several Academy wizards and the two women stunned.

The women were shocked to see that Rain's method of killing the Hellfire Boulder Giant was identical to how he had dealt with the Evil Fire Elemental.

It was as if, in Rain's eyes, there was no substantial difference between the two.

The Academy wizards nearby were equally astonished, their eyes widening in disbelief.

"What... what is this?" they muttered.

What was this?

A single strike had slain a Hellfire Boulder Giant?

The silver glow emanating from Rain's body made them wonder if he was the Academy's secret weapon. Their thoughts were in disarray.

With Rain's intervention, the tide of battle turned within half a minute.

At this moment, all the Academy wizards present, including Paul, who had just returned, witnessed Rain's prowess as a 'Metal' wizard. With the final Hellfire Boulder Giant crashing to the ground, only a few Evil Fire Elementals remained.

"Sir Rain, we..." Deputy Head Bradley approached Rain and spoke in a respectful whisper.

Initially, Bradley had been unaware of Rain's presence among their defenders until Magaro mentioned it before leaving. Despite the unfavorable battle situation, Bradley had never issued a retreat order.

Paul, positioned nearby, overheard the name 'Rain' and his eyes widened in recognition. As a duke's heir, he suddenly trembled, as if realizing something.

"It's not over yet. You should take the others and find temporary shelter," Rain waved his hand and said, sensing someone had stealthily infiltrated the illusionary formation.

"Of course, Sir Rain," Bradley agreed.

Since the secret realm had a large magic formation that blocked direct observation, the Black Flame Cult members entered after estimating the time.

"Hmm, the Bius Armament Academy's strength is impressive, killing so many Hellfire Boulder Giants," said a Black Flame Cult member upon seeing over a dozen piles of rocks still burning with green flames.

"So many?!" exclaimed another cultist, initially shocked and then overjoyed at the number, almost double their initial estimate.

However, when High Priestess Gregory entered, she frowned and said, "Something's not right. There are no Academy wizard corpses, and some are still alive!"

"As expected, you're the ones causing trouble," a young voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end