Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Infernal Flame Demon

The shield shattered. Without hesitation, I summoned Dragon War. With a resounding dragon’s roar, Dragon War charged forth, his black sword cleaving relentlessly at the endless tentacles emerging from the ground. Each severed appendage writhed on the earth for a few moments before vanishing into thin air.

At that moment, Ziyue regained consciousness. Realizing she was dangling from the jaws of the Hurricane Wolf King, she immediately cried out, “Weiwei Long, tell your dog to put me down!”

I replied, “Alright. And for the record, it’s a wolf, not a dog.” As soon as I finished, the Hurricane Wolf King released Ziyue, who landed on her feet, a whip materializing in her hand. Then, the terrifying Flame Lord appeared—yet now it was even larger than when I’d last seen it. The moment it emerged, a burst of blazing fire erupted, instantly incinerating the surrounding tentacles. I could finally see that this Flame Lord was vastly different from before: its body was pitch black, its massive double-horned head flickering in and out of sight, and flames and jets of molten lava spewed endlessly from its eyes, nostrils, mouth, and various other parts of its body.

“What happened to your Flame Lord?” I blurted out in astonishment.

Ziyue answered, “It evolved. Now it’s called the Infernal Flame Demon. Compared to its previous form, this is an entirely different being.” As she spoke, the Infernal Flame Demon’s body melted entirely, transforming into a thick pool of magma. The ground split open with deep cracks, from which torrents of searing red lava gushed forth. The newly sprouted tentacles were instantly swallowed and dissolved by the magma. Endless rivers of molten rock surged from the fissures, flooding underground, followed by eerie, piercing wails from below.

Dragon War now slammed his fist into the earth. The soil beneath us, already loosened, began to crack and crumble as if it were nothing but paper. Chunks of earth tumbled away, revealing an immense, gaping pit. Within its depths, countless tentacles writhed and tangled together, surrounded by a forest of bleached bones—a clear testament to the monstrous abomination lurking below, far beyond the limits of imagination.

It was impossible to fathom the size of this creature, or even whether it was a single being or a swarm of horrors fused together. As Dragon War’s blow landed, both Ziyue and I beheld the massive pit, hundreds of meters across, crawling with hideous monsters. We involuntarily drew sharp breaths.

“What on earth is that?” Ziyue exclaimed, stunned.

“I have no idea. There’s no information available. Dragon War, do you know what this is?” I asked.

Dragon War replied, “It seems to be some kind of magical creature. I suspect there’s a hidden secret beneath the surface here—one that might even hold the clue we need to return home.”

Ziyue said, “Even so, how are we supposed to get underground? You see how it’s crawling with these disgusting things.”

Without another word, Dragon War unleashed a torrent of dragonfire into the pit. With a thunderous roar, the flames slammed into the mass of writhing tentacles below. The air filled with shrill, agonized screeches as the intense fire consumed the vile limbs. Dragon War twice more exhaled his fiery breath, reducing more than half the tentacles to ash. But as soon as the flames died down, fresh waves of those things surged forth, as though the dragonfire had barely harmed them at all.

Both Ziyue and I were shaken by the sight. The pit seemed to be a bottomless nest of these tentacles, and now that the surface had been breached, they poured out in ever-increasing numbers, threatening to overflow the crater and spill across the land.

The Infernal Flame Demon swiftly returned to Ziyue's side, its flames flaring so fiercely that every tentacle trying to ensnare it was immediately reduced to cinders. Then, it slammed both burning fists into the ground. In an instant, the earth beneath was transformed into a lake of magma. I’d seen the volcanic lava beast use this move before, but the Infernal Flame Demon’s power was on another level entirely. Quickly, I pulled Ziyue onto Dragon War’s back. The Hurricane Wolf King was recalled, and Dragon War soared skyward. From above, I saw the Infernal Flame Demon below, roaring thunderously as the ground cracked open and torrents of magma surged into the massive pit.

With a deafening bellow, the Infernal Flame Demon summoned even more molten rock, flooding the depths and burying every last tentacle in a seething sea of lava. In moments, the surface was transformed into an endless lake of fire. Clumps of magma gathered and floated to the surface, coalescing into thousands of orbs. Within minutes, each orb exploded.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A barrage of explosions thundered across the landscape, echoing through the forest for hundreds of meters. The force of the blasts was so terrifying that Dragon War dared not stay low, quickly climbing higher to avoid the shockwaves.

Finally, an earthshaking explosion erupted at the epicenter, the accumulated force of all the blasts culminating in a single cataclysmic detonation. A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky, lingering for what seemed an eternity—the devastation rivaling that of Hiroshima.

When the smoke at last cleared, the land within several hundred meters was a scene of utter ruin. Everywhere lay scorched, mutilated tentacles and charred remains, the air thick with the stench of burned flesh. It was a sight to chill the soul.

The gruesome mass of tentacles in the pit had been eradicated, leaving only smoldering remnants that reeked of burning plastic. The Infernal Flame Demon had vanished.

As Dragon War landed, I remarked, “Your Infernal Flame Demon is incredible! That move was terrifying—what’s it called?”

Ziyue replied, “Those were its ultimate skills: Infernal Sea of Fire and Magma Thunderstorm. This is the first time I’ve seen them used in combination. Once it’s finished, the Infernal Flame Demon falls into slumber, but I can summon it again in ten minutes.”

With the monsters obliterated, I earned a full ten thousand experience points—a hefty reward. Curious, I asked Ziyue how much she’d gained; she replied she’d earned thirty thousand, which took me by surprise.

The monster defeated, the ground now split by a massive fissure. We climbed onto Dragon War and flew downward. He was swift and steady, and the chasm—over twenty meters wide—easily accommodated him. Seated on his shoulders with Ziyue, I asked, “So, can I see the attributes of your Infernal Flame Demon?”

Ziyue smiled, “Only if you show me your dragon’s stats.”

“Deal.” We exchanged our summon beasts’ attribute screens.

Name: Infernal Flame Demon
Type: Special
Race: Demon
Quality: Divine Rank
Can Evolve: No (Final Form)

Life: 4800
Attack: 2000
Defense: 1200
Skills:
Infernal Sea of Fire: Summon underground magma to the surface, creating a magma zone that deals fire magic damage to enemies, reducing their movement speed, jump ability, and fire resistance. Effects vary with enemy type. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Magma Thunderstorm: Summon explosive magma bombs from underground, dealing fire magic damage to all nearby units. The number increases with surrounding fire element objects, with no upper limit. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Flame Jet: Breathes flames to damage enemies, with a chance to inflict burn status for 8 seconds. No cooldown.
Burning Arms: Attacks with flaming fists, dealing extra magic damage and a 12% chance to stun the enemy.
Auto-Heal: Rapidly restores life while at rest.
Ultimate Skill: Hellfire Incarnate: Fuses with the summoner to become the terrifying Hellfire Incarnate. Each kill extends the effect by 1 second, up to 1 minute. Cooldown: 30 hours.
Description: A being that dwells in hellish magma, wielding terrifying fire powers and a mastery of fire magic. It possesses overwhelming offensive strength—a lifeform that inspires dread!

Truly formidable. Dragon War bore us onward for an unknown length of time, until we came upon a colossal stone gate ahead. The gate was adorned with intricate patterns forming a giant sigil. As we drew near, the gate suddenly swung open. Caught unprepared, we were drawn inside. The gate closed behind us, and the fissure in the earth sealed shut. In an instant, it was as if nothing had ever happened.