31~ Inferno
A sweeping cloud of yellow sand blocked the path of the group. Like an overwhelming tidal wave, the mud and sand surged one wave after another, forming an insurmountable barrier in the ravine, striking fear into the hearts of anyone who dared to approach.
This kind of authority formed by the world’s principles was something only great beings could handle—anyone else would be shredded to pieces and left without a trace for daring to trespass.
All eyes turned to Tillysha. For some reason, though she was their peer, whenever faced with an impossible challenge like this, their first thought was “What would Tillysha do?” and “Will she have a way out?”
Yifangnir……
Tillysha was never one to hesitate. After a moment of thoughtful consideration, she made her decision.
They’d come here to unravel the mysteries of Ruglien, to confront Ifen, and find out every last detail of what had really happened. Had the Demon Race truly opened the door with help from their own side? And how exactly had the Gold Elves exploited the situation?
This unknown truth burned in Tillysha’s heart like a constant flame of torment.
The road ahead would undoubtedly be fraught with danger, but if she hadn’t been prepared and committed from the start, why would she have embarked on this perilous journey deep into Demon territory?
Having realized this, there was no more hesitation.
A swirling void of gray and black coalesced in Tillysha’s hands, transforming into tangible devastation. The power that could destroy heavens and earth condensed before her. In an instant, the temperature plummeted, and the world seemed to lose its color.
Everyone instinctively took a step back. The spear in Tillysha’s hand seemed like a physical manifestation of the word “destruction.” Anything it touched would inevitably meet its doom.
Even in her hands, such a perilous weapon put them all on edge.
Aistride stared at the [Holy Oblivion] burning with black flames in Tillysha’s grasp. Was it her imagination, or did she see this weapon slowly consuming the bright and splendid parts of Tillysha? The despairing blackness spread like ink across a pristine white sheet.
Tillysha raised the [Holy Oblivion], focused intently, and with a sudden swing, unleashed a devastating strike. The howling wind, roaring sand, and the ravenous Inferno all froze momentarily under the might of her black-flamed spear—a pause button pressed on every particle of sand and breeze.
The next moment, the chaotic wall of sand parted cleanly in two under the might of the absolute destructive blade.
The group stared in awe as the small Elf Girl cleaved the storm in half with a single stroke.
Mortal might defying nature and the rules—it was a sight that would leave an indelible mark on them all.
“Seriously… did she just split the sandstorm in half?” Princess Filisia’s eyes sparkled with a fervent admiration. Though she had known that the black-flamed spear in Tillysha’s hand was no ordinary artifact, she hadn’t expected its power to alter the natural order itself.
The swirling sands had roared for centuries here, never ceasing, but had been split asunder by a single stroke, carving a clear path forward.
The [Holy Oblivion] dissipated like a burned-out ember, vanishing from Tillysha’s grasp.
However, the residue of its flames couldn’t avoid being inhaled into Tillysha’s lungs. Landing gently on her feet, Tillysha felt no sense of triumph—instead, she clutched her forehead, half-crouched, her consciousness clouded by a deep haze.
Her blurred vision seemed to have an added layer of black filtering through everything. All her surroundings grew hazy.
In the flash of an eye, she found herself surrounded by fire, a devastated village littered with corpses.
Tillysha’s eyes widened with shock, pupils contracting as her gaze slowly fell onto her bl**d-soaked hands.
Gone were the warmth and comfort of the world she once knew, replaced only by desolation and lifelessness.
She could have changed everything, yet here they were. Did it even matter who had caused the tragedy? The massacre had happened, and as the Elf Divine Warrior, she had failed her people. This failure was a monumental sin.
How was she supposed to atone for this enormous guilt?
Whether from inability to save or causing the destruction herself, there was no difference—both were a result of her negligence and inability, causing countless lives to disappear like grains of sand slipping through her fingertips, impossible to hold.
A cold touch on Tillysha’s shoulder snapped her back to reality, like a bucket of cold water over her head.
Awakening from her stupor, she looked up to see a beautiful pair of purple eyes brimming with emotion staring back at her, filled with deep concern. When she saw Tillysha’s focus return, the worry on her face eased, replaced by intense care.
“Are you alright?”
“…Yeah.” Feeling the sincere gaze of the cool-headed girl before her—such a rare glimpse of emotion on her detached face—Tillysha instinctively averted her gaze, slightly nodding in affirmation. “Can you let me go now?”
“…Sorry.” Realizing she had been gripping both of Tillysha’s shoulders tightly out of worry, Aistride could still feel her temperature, and quickly let go, apologizing.
“Tillysha, are you okay?”
Turning to look at her companions, who all watched her with a mix of surprise and concern, Tillysha inquired, “What happened just now?”
“Just now, Tillysha, you were… terrifying, like someone drowning.” Wenfu pondered, struggling to aptly describe the unsettling feeling, resorting to hand gestures to try and convey her point, which only further muddled the matter.
The Tillysha of moments ago had seemed like someone who didn’t know how to swim, falling into a river and fighting helplessly, sinking deeper and deeper, the drowning sensation entwined with despair, overtaking both body and soul.
When her companions realized something was wrong, they rushed to her side and called her name, but she didn’t respond. It was only when Aistride acted decisively, gripping Tillysha’s shoulders to make her look her in the eyes, that Tillysha was brought back to reality.
“Are you really alright?” Princess Filisia frowned slightly, it was the first time she had ever seen Tillysha so discompose.
“I’m fine.” Tillysha shook her head, her lips curving slightly upward, regaining her usual poise and calm demeanor.
The incident might seem like an insignificant interlude on the surface, but only Tillysha herself knew if it had left any real impact.
Seeing that Tillysha was indeed not her usual self, Princess Filisia suggested they return, but Tillysha reassured her teammates that she was fine, insisting that earlier it was merely the result of her nerves being a bit tense these past few days, causing a headache.
Everyone was left speechless.
Aistride, watching the composed Tillysha, remained silent.
“Filisia, did you pack the wolf skins and teeth?” Tillysha deftly changed the subject.
“Of course, I picked out some of the best quality ones and put them in our luggage.”
“We can’t lose them—they’re important indicators for our team’s report.”
“Alright, let’s continue forward.”
“But, is it really safe?” Looking at the storm still raging on either side, Wenfu was still visibly anxious.
Though it appeared there was now a path through the storm, who was to say that the sandstorm wouldn’t suddenly return as they walked through it? Wouldn’t they be obliterated without a trace if it did?
“Relax, it won’t. The segment of the sandstorm I split has been completely ‘erased’ from this world.” After repeated use, Tillysha understood that there was indeed something strange about the [Holy Oblivion], but she also trusted its destructive power—and in this aspect, the mysterious weapon was still to be relied upon.
Maintaining their previous formation, with Tillysha and Aistride leading the advance, Yimi and Wenfu in the middle, and Princess Filisia bringing up the rear, they continued their journey.
Wenfu cautiously walked along the dust-free path that had been created, both fearful and marveling at the strangeness of the scene.
The storms on either side continued to rage incessantly, yet the calm path they walked on remained eerily quiet, as if invisible walls separated the three.
The experience was strangely similar to walking through an aquarium from her past life.
The road through the sandstorm was long and seemingly endless, so much so that even the Demon Race trapped on the other side had no desire to escape.
The longer they traveled, the hotter the sun felt to Brilliant Sun and Moon. Though its light was relatively dimmer than in Caleburn, it burned fiercely, as if trying to evaporate every last drop of moisture from their bodies.
Even Tillysha and Aistride, who dressed lightly and didn’t sweat much, were visibly starting to perspire, showing just how extreme the heat had become.
Wenfu swayed as she walked, her head dizzy and heavy. She didn’t want to lag behind the group, but her physical condition simply couldn’t hold up.
Realm boundaries couldn’t protect against the intense heat!
As she was about to collapse, a cool breath of relief brushed past her.
“Drink this.” Tillysha handed Wenfu a bottle that shimmered with a clear, blue hue.
“Um…,” Wenfu, slightly dazed from the heat, didn’t question much. All she knew was that the alchemical potion smelled quite inviting, and merely placing it near her head made her heatstroke sensation subside a bit.
Tillysha hadn’t anticipated encountering a desert, so she’d brought only one bottle of medicine meant to combat the heat.
After drinking the potion, Wenfu clearly felt much better—her dizziness at least had disappeared.
The group continued onward. A piece of good news was that the storm grew smaller and eventually came to a stop, but bad news was, the temperature remained unbearably high, and it kept rising.
Before them, there was no more sight of sand—it was replaced by a sea of molten magma.
It was getting hotter…
Princess Filisia, dragging her enormous blade, even she, with her superior physical strength, was starting to feel the strain from Ruglien’s inhuman environment.
And why was there a magma zone behind a desert anyway?
Walking on the scorching black rock, even with high-heeled boots, Princess Filisia could feel her feet warming up through the soles.
The sandstorm faded into the distance, replaced by high temperature so extreme that it made the air itself distorted.
At such a temperature, humans would dissolve instantly no matter how high their resistance.
“Is the water I’m carrying enough?” Tillysha asked.
“It’s adequate for now, but in this environment, the water evaporates quickly.” Princess Filisia opened a water container, the water inside already heated to hot temperature.
“Yimi, let me know if you can’t hold on.”
“…I’m not that fragile. You worry about yourself,” Yimi replied, still dismissing Tillysha’s concern.
Since Yimi was still able to argue back, she probably wasn’t in too bad of shape.
“Who would have thought that Ruglien would have a place like this.” Princess Filisia sighed. “This area must’ve formed after the Demon Race came. There was no such volcano before.”
All eyes turned to the highest point ahead, distorted by the heat—a sleeping black volcano, its outline vaguely visible through the fractured space.
“It seems this is the only way.” The one bit of good news was that there was no decision-making dilemma, only one road ahead—or return.
“Let’s make it through this area as soon as possible.” Aistride glanced behind at Wenfu, who appeared strained.
“I’m fine, meow…”
“Hey, wait… there’s a pool over there!” Wenfu suddenly wobbled and ran ahead toward it without regard for anyone else.
“Wenfu?!” The group was startled, realizing too late that she was almost at the edge of the magma.
“So refreshing meow…”
Uh-oh, was her mind melted by the heat?
“Boom, boom!” As if responding to Wenfu’s movements, the magma beneath the black rock began to churn angrily. Wenfu lost her footing and fell flat on the ground.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch…” Wenfu rubbed her head and shook it clear. The confusion that had clouded her thoughts due to the fall quickly dissipated.
“Wenfu, be careful!”
Out of the blue, she heard someone calling her anxiously. Wenfu lifted her head, looked around in confusion, and instantly, the fur all over her tail stood on end.
Is it even hotter here than before…?
Right before her eyes, a towering humanoid figure loomed, its body covered in a mix of dark red and black hues, like a piece of burned-out charcoal, its eyes lacking pupils, only erupting flames.
Its head looked like a bundle of wood burning perpetually, spouting thick plumes of black smoke.
This monstrous being stood three meters tall, towering over the petite Wenfu like an unscalable tower.
“It’s a Fire Demon!” Princess Filisia’s pupils contracted sharply. She rushed forward, attempting to pull Wenfu back, but the Fire Demon had already raised an arm as thick as an iron pillar, wreathed in flames.
Wenfu’s eyes went blank with shock, rooted in terror.
In a split second, a streak of dazzling light sliced through.
The Fire Demon froze mid-action, a gaping wound carved through its chest.
Its fiery eyes darted down, let out a roaring scream of agony, stumbled once, and plunged back into the lava.
Tillysha still stood poised with her bow, gradually lowering it.
Princess Filisia hurriedly scooped Wenfu back, the poor girl too scared to say anything coherent, only murmuring incoherent noises.
“It’s not over.” Aistride tensed her entire body, her striking gaze scanning her surroundings. Sure enough, soon after, the molten lava started to change.
Previously relatively calm, the molten lava surged like a massive oceanic tsunami, with its temperature spiking to an almost unbearable level.
From the tumultuous magma, countless crimson-stained hands emerged, dragging decaying corpses from the liquid depths…….
