Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  The heat had instantly vaporized their flesh!

  The previously excited beasts started panicking. They frantically ran as they avoided the pillars of flame and hot air from under their feet. The entire hall plunged into chaos.

  "The enemy is activating some kind of powerful spell. We have to stop him!" As expected of a veteran lord that had lived for a thousand years, Tula wasn't fazed by the sudden turn of events. In fact, he braved the harsh environment and unpredictable spouts of fire as he lunged towards the source of all this abnormality– the adept's tower.

  The other magical creature lords that had only been spectating up until now hastily followed after him.

  However, the fissures in the ground were no longer limited to the immediate surroundings of the tower. Instead, they were quickly spreading throughout the entire cavern. The explosions of hot air and fire promptly subsided as a pungent sulfuric odor filled the whole cave. Red and viscous lava followed after. It swelled up from underground and quickly started to flow down the volcanic floor.

  The magical creature lords would not be afraid if this were only a little lava that had been brought up to the surface by the hot air currents. However, lava continued to surge out from below. A layer of red and boiling lava covered the entire ground. It was a lethal disaster for all the beasts packed into the hall.

  They were merely predators and wild beasts that reigned in their small stretch of the forest. They had no magically resistant skin, nor did they possess excellent escape abilities. How were they supposed to survive this wave of magma with their bodies of flesh and blood?

  Numerous beasts frantically hurried towards higher ground, climbing onto stone pillars and stalagmites. They desperately stepped upon the corpses of their companions as they tried to delay their deaths.

  However, all their efforts were in vain!

  The tunnels connecting to the outside had already been broken up during great earthquake.

  All the beasts still trapped in the tunnels were instantly buried alive by the avalanche of sand and rocks. On the other hand, most of the other monsters were stuck in the caverns.

  Of course, no good news awaited them!

  The sea of lava still rose in height. It had barely covered the ground of the cavern earlier, but now it was over fifty centimeters high. The lava had covered the entire cavern by now. Tens and hundreds of thousands of beasts had died.

  Even if someone had tied all these animals up and left them to be slaughtered by humans, it would still take more than two days to get the job done. Moreover, it would be a bloody and disgusting scene. However, when the murderer was a sea of lava, everything appeared calm and peaceful.

  It didn't matter how strong of a beast or magical creature you were. No one possessed the ability to endure in pure lava. They still howled and called for help as they hung onto the stone walls, but if their grip slipped and they fell, only a single splash would occur. Their life then vanished without a trace!

  Iron Rhinoceroses, berserk geladas, razor boars...

  All of these fellows were extreme meat shields with tough hides and resilient life force. However, if they fell into the flowing magma, they wouldn't even have a chance to struggle. Within minutes, they would burn until only their bones were left, and a little later, there wouldn't even be bones.

  The flying creatures were still able to use their wings to remain in the sky and survive the flood of lava. However, hot air and flames swiftly consumed all the oxygen in the cavern. There was also no place for the birds to land. Soon, exhaustion overcame them and one by one, they fell into the lava, where they burned until nothing remained.

  Fifteen minutes later, less than a hundred magical creatures still survived. It was a significant difference from the tens of thousands that had crowded the hall earlier. All the survivors hung onto thick stone pillars, panicked and looking around for a place they could escape to. This continuously rising sea of lava had already devoured all their subordinates and tribe members.

  Of the dozen magical creature lords, only a few could fly.

  Even the minotaur that had been following right behind the Medusa had fallen into the lava when fighting with the Giant Berserk Gelada over a stone pillar.

  Tula shot out a white spider web and pulled himself to the ceiling of the cavern. For the moment, he was safe from the looming threat of the lava. However, the other magical creatures had no such ability. They could only cling to the walls or stone pillars with their sharp claws and try their best to climb as high as they could.

  However, in their moment of worry and anger, another threat appeared. A gigantic humanoid rose from the roiling lava. The body formed of red lava solidified, and a human's face developed on the uneven head.

  "I am honored to be able to meet the lords of the Black Forest here," Greem smiled and took a look at the terrible state the lords were in, "This war you started has failed! I wonder what plans you lot have for the future?"

  "Human." Demon-Hunting Spider Tula hung from the ceiling as he bared his fangs. A complicated glint of light glowed within his compound eyes, "Do you think you can own this territory simply because you have won this time?! Wishful thinking! The Black Forest belongs to us magical creatures. You humans, get out of our land."

  Tula let out a ferocious roar and loosened his limbs from the ceiling. He then lunged towards the giant flame humanoid.

  The demon-hunting spider's body was like a metallic spider-shaped monster. Not only did Tula wield immeasurable strength, but had also fought with a unique style of combat.

  The armor of the flame humanoid cracked and dissipated into the air as sparks of fire.

  A human adept appeared within. The adept raised his head and stared at the lunging spider.

  He had crimson hair, black eyes, and a clear gaze. An unnatural calmness and coolness existed between his brows.

  The gray robe he wore was nothing special, but a silver chain kept a grimoire tied to his waist. Three Ioun Stones flashing red, purple, and blue floated above his head. He held a great black staff with red patterns in his hand.

  Greem moved somewhat and drifted twenty meters away. He then shook his staff slightly, and a fire arrow shot towards Tula's wide-open mouth.

  Tula struck at the arrow with a massive limb and instantly shattered it.

  A hot breeze blew against his face, but that kind of temperature couldn't possibly do anything to a powerful demon-hunting spider like himself.

  Tula's sharp limbs almost appeared to be as light as a feather at this moment. They pressed against the sea of lava and even stabbed into the viscous liquid, yet the surface tension didn't break. His four pairs of limbs allowed him to stand upon the lava as he quickly lurched towards Greem again.

  No wonder he didn't feel threatened by me. To have such a fantastic ability…

  Greem thought to himself as he completed his Flame Fiend Transformation.

  The next moment, a five-meter tall demon of flames emerged from the sea of lava.

  A massive battle was about to occur!

  Chapter 414 A Burning Battle

  How terrifying was a magical creature at the peak of elite-level when it fought with all its strength?

  If Greem had not known before this, he now knew it all too well!

  The battle against Tula was agonizing.

  His metallic body had excellent magic resistance. Even though it wasn't all that good at defending against physical attacks, it was more than enough to deal with Greem's pathetic strikes.

  The battle that ensued upon this slowly rising sea of lava could be said to be brutal and savage. If Greem hadn't had the foresight to unseal the Flame Fiend's Heart, then Tula's flurry of sharp limbs would have skewered him. Moreover, the pair of fangs at the opening of Tula's mouth was extremely frightening.

  The Ring of Fire sizzled as it burned Tula's body, but it would be virtually impossible to rely on it to cripple the monster.

  Surprisingly enough, Tula's massive body was extremely agile on the surface of the la
va sea. It moved around with as much ease as a water strider. Tula's four pairs of legs moved about quickly and allowed him to circle Greem despite his massive body.

  Every time he found an opportunity, he sprung at Greem. His sharp limbs whistled as they cut through the air, slashing at Greem's head and shoulders like two metallic spears.

  The Fire Shield was powerless before Tula's attacks. Even the sturdier Lava Shield could only take on a single blow from these sharp attacks. Every time the sharp limbs struck the thick Lava Shield, they would carve deep grooves.

  Greem could only retaliate with instant-cast magma fireballs or the flame whip he held in his hand. There was no need for the other fire spells that required chanting and handsigns. Even if he took the time to prepare these spells, the opponent would already have escaped from his range by the time he was ready.

  The demon-hunting spider was swift and agile. The accuracy of Greem's spells would plummet if the two of them were over twenty-meters apart. Rather than wasting time on a massive attack that wouldn't land, it was much wiser to rely on instant-cast spells to wear away at the opponent's defensive forcefield.

  The rain of lava formed by the explosion of magma fireballs was an area-of-effect spell on its own. They dealt decent burning damage to Tula when they managed to land on his body. The flame whip also left deep burn marks on the spider's body whenever it hit. Tula had no means of doing away with the continuous burn damage if he wasn't given a dozen seconds to recuperate.

  The two parties circled each other on the surface of the lava, furiously attacking each other whenever they saw an opening. Yet as they struck, they were also trying their best to avoid the opponent's attacks.

  It hadn't been more than two minutes, and already the Fire Shields and Lava Shields orbiting Greem had been exhausted. He would have been entirely exposed if it wasn't for one of the Ioun Stone's energy shield.

  Tula soon changed his strategy upon realizing this fact. He switched from his guerilla tactics and started to lunge at Greem without any regard for his life, wildly striking at Greem with all he had. Tula didn't give Greem a chance to replenish his defenses.

  Beneath the demon-hunting spider's fast and furious attacks, terrifying slash marks started appearing on Greem's magma armor. Once the protection broke, Tula's attacks would be able to threaten Greem directly.

  But a price had to be paid for everything!

  When Tula charged towards Greem and engaged close-range, he was also exposing himself to the firepower of a mighty fire adept.

  Fire Core Explosion!

  Chain of Fireballs!

  Scarlet Firestorm!

  Lava Pillar!

  Several monstrous fire spells exploded between the two fighters. The violent flame shockwaves washed against Tula's body, and the terrifying and corrosive lava quickly burned every inch of Tula's body.

  Tula's magic resistance had a limit, regardless of how powerful it was. Greem's second phase transformation into the Flame Fiend allowed his spells to break through the threshold and deal plenty of fire damage to the spider. That wasn't the end of it, however. Tula was extremely annoyed by Greem's spells. Every single one of his fire spells seemed to possess a trace of the powers of destruction.

  This trace allowed the most minor of Greem's spells to break through Tula's defenses and inflict tremendous pain and terrible fire damage upon Tula.

  The source of this was the strange staff he held in his hand!

  Perhaps because Greem had injected too much fire elementium into the staff, it had turned into a literal rod of flame. Destructive and savage elementium flames shrouded the weapon. A purple blaze burned at the center of it.

  For some reason, every time Greem swung the staff and hit the spider with it, the flames would disperse, and the shattered purple flames would land on Tula's body. This tiny bit of fire would always cause Tula to howl in pain. The spider could not suppress the immense fear from the bottom of his soul and had to temporarily retreat every time he was hit.

  It seemed like that purple flame possessed the unusual ability to burn the soul!

  Greem relied on this to break Tula's continuous attacks several times. This opening allowed him enough time to fix his magma armor. The materials used for this repair job were all over the place. He only needed to kneel and scoop up a handful of lava to fill the cracks in his armor; it would instantly repair within a matter of moments.

  After all, the sea of lava was Greem's home ground!

  He held the advantage while they fought here. It was what lessened the combat ability gap between himself and Tula.

  Even though Greem didn't want to admit it, he had to accept the immense difference in their power.

  It was as if a barefooted farmer was fighting against an experienced soldier. If the farmer hadn't possessed a legendary weapon in his hand, this uneven battle would have ended a long time ago.

  Greem had already stored six powerful single-target spells into the Scroll of Voodoo at his waist in preparation for today's battle. He only needed to lock onto Tula's position, and he would use this trump card to turn the spider into charcoal-roasted meat.

  However, the experienced Tula seemed to have a vague sense of the threat that the Scroll of Voodoo posed to him. He would immediately retreat to a distance of twenty meters if he discovered Greem picking up the Scroll of Voodoo. He would then use poison balls and spiderwebs to slow Greem down.

  Honestly, the environment here was extremely disadvantageous to demon-hunting spiders.

  The reason demon-hunting spiders were feared across the continent was due to their ability to constrict opponents with their spider web, as well as their ability to tackle and squeeze the enemy. Their spiderwebs would limit the opponent's freedom of movement. On the other hand, their embrace, coupled with their sharp limbs and fangs, would instantly slice the opponent into pieces.

  Even a man of steel would be cut to ribbons if a demon-hunting spider wrapped around him.

  Unfortunately, all these abilities were meaningless on the sea of lava. A dedicated fire adept like Greem could unleash twice his usual power when he fought in an environment like this.

  You couldn't determine the situation of the battle just by Tula's composure. He knew how much burning and fire damage he had to endure every second he spent here.

  A magma fireball might only leave scorch marks when it crashed against its body, but the viscous lava that splashed on his body would still flow all over. There was no avoiding the fire damage and the unbearable pain he had to endure during this experience.

  Greem continued to move around in the sea of lava as he exchanged blows with the demon-hunting spider. Meanwhile, he calmly connected with the tower. Every so often, a wave of magma fireballs would shoot out of the adept's tower towards the giant spider.

  The other magical creature lords quickly joined the fray after their initial panic. They could see that the sea of lava was still rising.

  The Medusa relied on her long tail to swing between stone pillars and stone walls with the agility of a gecko. Sometimes, she would even be able to whirl across the ceiling. The strange longbow in her hands also demonstrated terrifying ability.

  The arrows she shot out were, in fact, her hair of snakes.

  Every time she drew the longbow back, a single silver snake would climb onto the bowstring from her head. When an arrow like this one reached the enemy, it would immediately loosen its body and turn into a venomous snake that savagely bit at the enemy.

  If Greem didn't have a powerful Ring of Fire to roast all the snake arrows that made it near him, he would have been put in an awkward position by the numerous venomous snakes he would have had to deal with.

  Unguja, the three-headed demon hound, didn't have Dana's agility. He could only grab onto a stone pillar as tight as he could and slowly climb upwards, away from the sea of lava. He didn't have any ability to attack Greem. In fact, sometimes he had to defend against the magma fireballs launched from the adept's tower.

  His three mass
ive heads looked in every direction. Whenever something got close, he would fire a chain of wind blades, fireballs, and poison balls to intercept it.

  The giant berserk gelada was clearly more suited to guerrilla warfare like this.

  Its arms grabbed onto the stone walls like steel claws and moved around with complete ease. It occasionally grabbed a piece of the wall and threw it at Greem. Every time his projectiles connected with Greem, the adept stumbled, creating an opportunity for Tula to strike.

  The more sinister dark tentacular climbed onto the ceiling like an octopus. It then leaped onto the tower and started searching for an entrance. The wyvern king aided him in his exploration.

  The wyvern king possessed a robust body and sharp claws. Its attacks would always deal some damage to the tower. Stone dust fell from the damaged walls as it tore distressing cracks into the volcanic rock.

  If it wasn't for their wariness of the magma fireball barrages, they would probably already have broken through the walls of the tower and started a slaughter within!

  That was only because the tower lacked enough energy to support a forcefield and an elementium barrier. Otherwise, there was no way they could have so easily touched the structure tower itself.

  The battle raged on. If any one side were no longer able to keep up the intensity, they would instantly be overpowered by the other and be defeated.

  The tensions were high!

  Chapter 415 A Fight of Life and Death

  Inside the tower.

  All the apprentices watched the battle outside the tower with a mix of feverish passion and fear.

  Most of the time they wished they could be like Sir Greem, proudly standing in the middle of several magical creatures and fighting off every single one. On the other hand, they couldn't help but be worried about the outcome of the battle itself. They were frightened about the possibility of the tower's defenses failing and one of those hideous creatures making their way inside.