22 Lava Flower
The fire element was so much denser near the peak.
It was almost burning hot. But his goddess and Marie didn't seem mind about it at all.
The ground around the peak was now all rough stones. Even the red trees weren't seen anymore. A huge grey fog could be seen from their position. It was puffed out a lot of hot steam from the center of peak.
As they climbed closer, he finally could see a huge crater in the center of the peak.
They stopped at the top of crater wall and looked down inside. The crater turned out so much huger inside than the outside appearance. It was monstrous and really deep. The thick burning fog was puffed a lot from the center of the crater. He couldn't even measure the height from the top. A huge lava lake could be seen in the center of crater. Through the fog, he finally could see the red qillin's appearance.
They looked like red horse, but with scale of dragons covered their body. They had a bright red hair crest above their head that lengthened until behind their long neck. There were also some red furs on their legs and a long red tail. They had multi-horns on the top of their head.
The red qillins were really taking a bath inside the lava lake. They were surrounding the flower and seemed to wait the flower to bloom.
Vincent squinted his eyes before finally could see a bright red flower in the center on the lake. It was like a red lotus with a size of small ball. Its petals were still closed. It seemed they had to wait for a while before the flower was blooming.
"Should we fly down there, Master?" Marie asked she looked down to the deep of crater.
"Can I just wait here?" Vincent asked after some moments of contemplation. It wasn't that he was scared. He was just a bit realistic person.
The red qillin was a magical beast. Their power was at least equal with Elemental Demon. There was no way he who was only an Initial Demon and could only cast a weak fireball could survive against them. He didn't want his presence in there made his goddess difficult since his goddess would have to fight against the red qillin and protect him at same time.
"No, you have to eat the flower right after it bloomed. Otherwise it will be useless." Noctis refuted firmly. "Let's find a way down instead. I don't want to be discovered by them before the flower bloom. It seems there is a Leader of Red Qillin that was already at the peak of High Magical Beast in there."
"Rank 4 High Magical Beast?!" Vincent asked in surprise. He had read about the ranking of magical beast in his goddess's journal. They had almost same ranking with demon. High Magical Beast should be equal with High Elemental Demon.
"That's right!" Noctis grinned viciously. "Its blood must have a lot of fire element!!" he exclaimed in excitement.
Cough!!
Goddess, even a high magical beast didn't even hold a candle to you?!!
Since his goddess said he must ate the flower right after it bloomed, then he could only gripped himself in determination for a tough fight.
They found a small gap between the stone and entered it. Noctis, he noticed, already concealed his dark aura. He couldn't felt them anymore and that made him somehow couldn't help but disappointed about it.
After walked through a lot of gap between stone, they finally arrived on the bottom of the crater. They hide behind huge stones not so far from the lava lake. He could feel the hotness of lava much more burning in there. Even the stones they used to hide were burning. Hot steams in the air made him difficult to breath.
The lake turned out so much bigger than their appearance from the top of crater. There were three things that caught attention after he looked at the center of the lake.
The first ones was he finally could see the situation below much better than from the top since their position was below the burning fog right now.
But the second was really a bad news. The red qillin in the crater were a lot more than he imagined. There at least a hundred of them in the lake. It wasn't exaggerate to call this place was a nest.
The last thing was so much worse than the second ones. Almost all the red qillin was in the lake surrounding the flower!!
How was he supposed to pick the flower?!
He didn't even know how he was supposed to swim into the lava! His body was going to be burned to ash before he even reached the center of the lake.
As if Noctis knew his turmoil he suddenly said, "After the flower bloomed, Marie will attracted the attention the red qillin from the lake. The darkness will bring you into the center of the lake. Do you see that stone in the middle of lake?" he asked pointing to the small stone that was located not far from the flower.
Noctis continued to say after seeing him nodded. "I will cast a temporary fire resistance to your body. Unfortunately it will last only a minute in these burning fire elements. But it should be enough to protect your body from lava to pick the flower from the stone position. Remember to quickly eat the flower. It will immediately wither as soon as the flower is cut off from the root."
"I will do my best, Master!" Vincent nodded in determination. His goddess would help him! He couldn't disappoint his goddess!
After a while, they finally felt a high fluctuation of fire element in the crater. A loud cracking sound was then heard from the center of the lake. A huge tremor could be felt from every inch of the crater. Like an earthquake a lot of stones fell down from the high ceiling and the ground was vibrating hard, creating cracks here and there.
A huge turmoil could be seen from the lake. Violent waves appeared in the middle of lake. A lot of huge lava stream even burst out from the lake. The boiling of lava became even more violent. The red qillins screeched joyfully as they felt the high fluctuation of the fire element. They immediately swam hurriedly to the center of the lake.
Vincent tensed as he saw this sight. He had to pass through that frightening situation?!
He was only a normal person before coming to this world, you know?! Even extreme sport he never had a chance to try it!! Now he had to pass through a hundred beasts and frightening lava?!
But Noctis didn't even care as he immediately ordered Marie. "Go, Marie."
"Yes, Master." Marie nodded lightly before coming out of their hiding.
Marie lightly shook her right hand, before a huge battle axe appeared out of nowhere in her right hand. She spun the battle axe easily in her hand. She took a soft breath before releasing her aura.
Vincent gasped in surprise as he saw the battle axe. It was even bigger than Marie's body. The blade was really sharp and huge. It seemed created by some kind of black colored metal with a meter long handle. He was sure the battle axe should be really heavy, but Marie could swing it easily like a thin stick.
A strong aura quickly to be felt when Marie released her mana force. Vincent saw a thin layer of mana covering her battle axe. As he saw them he could immediately felt the different in them with mana liquid.
Marie raised her battle axe above her head and spun it quickly in her right hand. A strong wind then suddenly appeared on her battle axe. The stronger the battle axe spun, stronger the wind that was spinning along with it. A strong whirlwind then was formed. Then with a strong swing, Marie threw the whirlwind to the center of the lake.
BLARR!!
The lava in the lake was exploded in loud bang. A lot of the red qillins were screeching in pain as they was thrown away hard by the wind explosion. They immediately discovered Marie who just attacked them. With angry roars, they rushed out together to attack Marie.
Marie, without any inch of afraid, was also rushing daringly at them. Her body move swiftly in the middle of the red qillins that were surrounding her. Her battle axe swung swiftly to cut any red qillin near her. A stream of blood was quickly spurting out anywhere as well as heads of red qillin as Marie cut them cleanly.
It was a bloodbath.
Vincent was stunned in awe. It was the first time he finally realized that this world was really different with his world.
He was scared seeing so many gruesome kills happened in front of him directly.
But strangely, his body felt vibrating. There was an excitement and anticipation inside his body that was suddenly come out of nowhere alongside his fear.
Vincent didn't know he had this kind of side inside him.
He didn't know he would have a bloodthirsty after seeing this bloody scene.
Vincent watched Marie's move in mesmerized.
No…
It was a dancing.
That was he saw when he saw Marie moved.
Her body moved so swiftly and lightly as she swung around her huge battle axe. Her move was so confident like she was dancing in natural rhythm.
Vincent tried to follow the rhythm, but his eyes weren't fast enough to see them.
"It is blooming." A melodious voice was heard beside him.
"Yes…" It was like Marie was blooming.
"The flower is blooming! What are you dazing about, stupid?!" His goddess's voice was heard again in irritated voice along with a hard punch on his back.
Cough!! ━Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━
Vincent immediately coughed hard as he held his chest in pain. It was so hurt!! How could his goddess's punch was this hard?!
Goddess, I am sorry I was wrong!!! (ToT)
Vincent shook his head from his trance as he took a glance at the center of the lava.
The flower really was blooming.
Thankfully a lot of the red qillin was already mobbed by Marie far from the lake. There was still a few red qillin in the lake. But he gripped himself in determination.
If Marie could be that strong and daring, then he as man, should be able do it too!!
"I am ready to go, Master!" He said firmly to his goddess.
Noctis checked the lake situation for a moment before nodded. "Alright." He said before turning to Vincent. He raised his hand in front of Vincent's chest. A dark mana then appeared at the end of his finger.
Noctis wrote some pentagram with some magic runes in the middle of air. Dark light like line was forming as he drew. Then with a soft touch, he sent the drawing into Vincent's chest.
Vincent shivered a bit as he felt his goddess's magic entered his body. A cold sensation was then spread all over his body for a moment before vanished. He knew the fire resistance was active right there. He quickly began to count one minute from now.
The darkness immediately was surrounding his body, before with a flash speed he was brought by the darkness to the center of the lake. Thankfully the center of the lake was empty right now. He was dropped above the stone. He immediately felt a hot steam from the lava, but it wasn't burning, only warm. The resistance was effective then.
From the stone he could reach the flower easily with his hand. But the petal hadn't fully bloomed, damn it!
It only left the last inner petals. One thing he learned from his goddess was the perfect peak would produce a perfect result. So he kept counting the seconds as he waited the inner petal to bloom.
30…31…32…
The last inner petals finally moved. first petal, second petal…
35… 36… 37…
Third petal, fourth petal, fifth petal and…
….finally the last petal!
The next second Vincent immediately touched the base of flower. But as he was about to cut the flower, the lava next to him suddenly burst out in violent wave. He flinched in shock as a huge beast suddenly came out of nowhere from inside the lava. It was red qillin with a size that was so much bigger and stronger. It was like the Big Boss of Red Qillin.
No way—?!
The huge red qillin then roared angrily at him.
Vincent flinched hard. But thankfully he woke up from his shock. His body immediately moved in flash as his mind continued to count.
The huge beast rushed its head at him in roared. The huge lava torrent immediately created and rushed to attack Vincent alongside the beast.
Vincent without hesitantly jumped at the flower. His hand quickly cut the flower then stuffed them inside his mouth. Without even chewing he directly swallowed the flower into his stomach at the same time with the huge lava torrent that was rushed at his body.
He was thrown hard into the deep of the lava lake.
48... 49… 50… 51…
Vincent kept counting calmly. But all of his minds were focused quickly on his magic core. He didn't know what he should do after he swallowed the flower to get the immunity. So he could only move instinctively. His magic core was spinning fast as he refined the flower into his magic core.
The flower was melting rapidly inside his magic core. The spinning became so much faster and faster as a burning fire quickly became stronger inside his body.
56… 57… 58…59…
Vincent closed his eyes tightly.
60…
His heart somehow felt really calm…
..
..
..
61
62
63—
A bright smile slowly curled at the corner of his lips…
Vincent opened his eyes calmly in the deep of the lava lake.
