Chapter 514: Totem
However...
It didn’t take long before that enormous barrier began to crack with a brittle sound, revealing shocking fractures across its surface. Though it managed to block the Magma Giant’s attack, the seventh-level spell was now on the verge of collapse. With a guttural roar, the Magma Giant dragged its massive arms upward, sending a spray of molten rock flying, then slammed a heavy fist down onto the frozen barrier...
A thunderous boom echoed instantly. Under the violent impact, the frozen barrier shattered completely, turning into countless crystal-clear shards of ice that rained down from midair...
After Councilor Suville’s seventh-level spell buffered the impact, everyone in the group had already assumed their Fire Elemental Avatar forms, darting through the sea of flames. Dazzling spells exploded against the Magma Giant’s colossal body, sending waves of scalding magma splashing everywhere.
In this situation, the Fire Elemental Avatar was undoubtedly the best choice—it granted near-total immunity to fire damage and swift mobility...
At this moment, Leon was wreathed in flames, weaving through the inferno. The Doombringer Staff in his hand blazed with radiant light, a chill aura rising swiftly as dense magical energy surged all around. With a surge of mana, a frost spear several meters long formed in his grasp.
Next came a deafening crash—a streak of blue light shot out, faster than sound, trailing thunder and wind in its wake. The frost spear, charged with terrifying power, collided fiercely and finally buried itself deep within the Magma Giant’s body.
The Magma Giant’s towering, hundred-meter frame froze instantly, letting out an earth-shaking roar. Its arm lifted high, unleashing a torrent of magma that blanketed the entire void, raining down in a relentless deluge...
Even in Fire Elemental Avatar form, mages could resist most fire damage, but the magma from the Magma Giant was more than just scorching heat—it carried potent fire poison, highly corrosive. Thinking back to the first encounter, when that magma nearly killed a second-tier Title Archmage, you could imagine just how deadly it was.
Leon had no intention of stopping. After dodging the Magma Giant’s barrage with five consecutive Flame Flashes, he leveled the Doombringer Staff across his chest. Each rune he uttered stirred a chill in the air, and with every rune, a new frost spear formed at his side...
In an instant, countless streaks of blue light surged toward the Magma Giant. Nearly every frost spear that struck its body sent huge gouts of magma flying.
By now, Leon had already unleashed at least several hundred frost spears.
Just think about that for a second...
Frost Spear was only a third-level spell, but to fire off hundreds in a matter of seconds? Forget fifth-rank mages—even most Title Archmages would be drained of mana and mentally exhausted by now. No exaggeration, Leon’s fighting style was only possible thanks to his extraordinary casting ability and the Mana Harness, which compressed spell exhaustion time to nearly zero.
For any mage, this would be pure torture.
But right now, Leon had no choice. He could tell this Magma Giant was no ordinary monster—its power was at least level thirty-six...
If nothing else factored in, a level thirty-six Magma Giant wouldn’t be a big deal for a squad of over a dozen Title Archmages. The fight should be over in ten minutes, tops.
But, of course, things weren’t that simple...
Here in the Forgefire Clan Sanctuary, the fire element was overwhelming. For a fire-based creature like the Magma Giant, that meant its combat strength was boosted to absurd levels—honestly, it was even stronger than Councilor Suville, a seventh-rank Title Archmage...
Moreover, the Magma Giant possesses an extraordinary immunity to fire magic, which means Leon and his group can't use fire spells against it at all. Their only option is to rely on ice-based spells, like Frost Spears. But let’s not forget—the Sanctuary is a world of flame. Any ice magic cast here is suppressed, its power diminished.
That’s why the battle between the team of more than ten Title Archmages and the Magma Giant ended up deadlocked…
But now, with hundreds of Frost Spears volleyed in a single round, the Magma Giant lost any chance to catch its breath. The remaining Title Archmages seized the opportunity with expert timing.
"Rumble…"
For a moment, the sound of spellcasting chants filled the air. One powerful spell after another exploded against the Magma Giant’s massive body—dull booms, blinding sparks…
In a flash, Leon—his whole body wreathed in flame—cast Flame Blink repeatedly, darting skyward. Behind him, a sudden moon rose, and countless spells surged forth like a tide, sweeping toward the Magma Giant’s enormous head.
At that moment, the arcane gear was pushed to its limit, compressing spell exhaustion time to an almost terrifying degree. With a wave of his hand, nearly a hundred Frost Spears became streaks of blue light, slicing swiftly through the sky…
"Roar…"
A miserable, savage howl rang out. The Magma Giant’s towering, hundreds-meter-tall body trembled violently. Molten rock flowed over its form, the glow fading as the magma slowly solidified. At a glance, the Magma Giant now looked like a statue rooted to the earth—utterly still…
"Whew…"
Seeing this, everyone in the group instinctively breathed a sigh of relief, dismissing their Elemental Avatar states. The world abruptly quieted.
Only the heavy breathing remained, along with the ever-present, overwhelming flames.
"This is just insane…"
At that moment, Weiss looked visibly shaken. He lifted his head, staring blankly at the stone statue left behind by the Magma Giant’s death, and cursed harshly. Ever since arriving at the Forgefire Clan’s Sanctuary, weird things kept happening—first, at the valley’s entrance, the young Rageflame orc As suddenly combusted for no reason. Then, inside the valley, they ran into this bizarre Magma Giant.
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Most importantly, the Magma Giant was terrifyingly strong…
What was supposed to be a straightforward journey to the Sacred Mountain had turned into a string of surprises. If it weren’t for that pinnacle true spirit magic weapon, he might have already considered giving up.
The group rested in place for more than ten minutes, then continued deeper into the valley. They moved with utmost caution, the atmosphere heavy with tension. Yet, half an hour later, they encountered another elemental creature—a massive Ash Elemental, its body wreathed in sulfurous fumes, at least two or three times larger than a normal Ash Elemental.
What was truly unnerving was that the Ash Elemental was absurdly powerful, nearly on par with the Magma Giant.
The battle lasted twenty minutes…
The battle was fierce. The toxic fumes emanating from the Ash Elemental made everyone wary—even the defenses of a Title Archmage couldn’t fully protect against the poison. One touch could be fatal. That’s why the fight dragged on for twenty minutes. In the end, under the group’s relentless assault, the ten-meter-tall Ash Elemental finally collapsed, dissolving into ash…
The group gradually realized that both the Magma Giant and the Ash Elemental seemed to have mutated within the Forgefire Clan’s Sanctuary—this unique environment had boosted their level by at least ten ranks!
Fortunately, there weren’t many such elemental creatures. During their time in the valley, they’d only encountered two. If there had been more, even a team of over ten Title Archmages would have to reconsider whether to advance or retreat…
After defeating the Ash Elemental, the group didn’t linger and pressed onward. An hour later, the environment subtly shifted—the omnipresent flames had thinned, the temperature dropped noticeably. After another ten minutes, the valley returned to its original appearance.
As they walked, someone suddenly noticed a hazy figure about a hundred meters ahead…
Including Leon, everyone’s face lit up with joy. There was no doubt—the figure ahead was the reason they’d come to the Sacred Mountain: the Chieftain of the Forgefire Clan.
That figure stood perfectly still…
“Hmm?”
At that moment, Leon’s arcane gear suddenly detected a strange fluctuation. He frowned, and with a flick of his hand, sent three Wizard’s Eyes soaring into the sky.
Then…
Only then did the scene ahead become clear…
It was an ancient altar, exuding a sense of timelessness. Its style was mysterious—just one glance, and Leon knew it had weathered countless ages. For the Forgefire Clan, it held a special significance.
The Chieftain of the Forgefire Clan was a middle-aged Rageflame orc, currently standing atop the altar, gazing down at Leon and the other intruders. His weathered face betrayed no emotion. Yet, what truly caught Leon’s interest wasn’t the chieftain himself.
It was the object before the chieftain…
To be precise, it was a totem embedded in the altar, covered in all sorts of strange patterns—like dragon scales. The surface of the totem pole was carved with countless mysterious symbols, densely packed like tadpoles, seemingly brimming with endless magical power, drawing Leon’s gaze.
After a few seconds, he shook his head inwardly. Those mysterious symbols seemed to be an ancient orc script—not something a human mage could decipher, and even native Rageflame orcs from this plane might not recognize them.
This ancient orc script was usually mastered only by a handful of elite orc mages in the tribe—a cultural legacy of the Rageflame orc race…
“That is…”
At the top of the totem, a flame burned and flickered. The moment Leon saw it, he couldn’t help but frown, a strange feeling welling up inside him—as if the fire was alive.
Instantly, the sensation startled him…
How could fire possibly be alive?