The scorching heatwave that radiated from the Flame Demon made it nearly impossible for the Lionheart Guild members to keep their eyes open. The air itself seemed to burn, and their skin prickled with the intense, dry heat.
"Did they truly resurrect the Flame Demon?!" Martin shouted over the roaring flames, his voice strained with disbelief.
"If the 'Fang Monstrosities' were at least within the bounds of known science, the idea of bringing back a beast that died over a century ago is... it's madness!" he added, his composure cracking under the overwhelming presence before them.
Within the five-kilometer radius around the volcano, an ancient beast—one known only from crumbling research documents and half-remembered historical texts—stood alive and towering, its fiery presence dominating the landscape.
"Alright, that's it. I'm definitely writing my autobiography after we survive this," one of the mages muttered, trying to inject some levity into the dire situation.
"I already know which publisher I'm calling first!" another retorted, his voice tight with nervous energy.
"Hey, before you joined the Lionheart Guild, weren't you a veterinarian? I doubt any publisher would be interested. Besides—"
"Let's focus on not being incinerated before we worry about book deals, alright?" Rebecca cut in, her usual snark undercut by genuine concern.
Their banter was abruptly cut off as the intense, skin-blistering heatwave suddenly ceased its assault.
Everyone looked up, confused. For a moment, they thought the Flame Demon had withdrawn its power, but that wasn't the case.
Leon had activated the preliminary stage of his Lightning Skeleton Shadow technique. A shimmering, semi-transparent barrier of crackling energy now surrounded the guild members, deflecting the worst of the blazing heat.
Turning his head slightly, Leon spoke in a low, commanding tone that brooked no argument: "You handle the Bone Avians. This ancient monster is mine."
Elizabeth had anticipated this division of labor. Unlike their previous confrontation in the empire, where she had used imperial guards as disposable pawns and recklessly sacrificed fusion experiments, she had laid all her cards on the table from the very beginning. Her intent was clear: to overwhelm Leon with multiple threats, denying him and his allies any chance to regain footing.
The Shadow Lord had warned her about Leon's tenacity. If she didn't suppress him completely from the outset, his relentless counterattacks would eventually turn the tide. Elizabeth had taken that warning to heart.
Thus, with the combined assault of the regenerating Bone Avians and the primordial Flame Demon, even Leon found his resources stretched to their limit.
He ordered the guild to focus on the lesser threat—the endless swarm of skeletal birds—while he faced the source of the valley's power alone.
The guild sprang into action without question. Led by Rebecca's suppressing fire and Martin's tactical commands, they formed a defensive perimeter. Meanwhile, Leon withdrew the protective energy of the Lightning Skeleton Shadow, condensing it into a crackling, volatile sphere of lightning in his palm. With a sharp, throwing motion, he hurled it directly at the Flame Demon's chest.
The beast roared, a sound like mountains grinding together, and momentarily retreated a step under the force of the attack. As the energy sphere closed in, the Flame Demon lowered its massive, jagged horns, gathering its own destructive power.
In an instant, a spherical beam of concentrated fire, white-hot and blinding, shot forth to clash directly with Leon's lightning attack.
The resulting explosion was deafening. A visible shockwave rippled outward, scorching the earth and shaking the very foundations of the gorge.
Through the dissipating smoke and heat haze, Leon emerged unharmed, lightning sparking and screeching around his clenched fist like a furious hawk.
"Why is it always fire?" he muttered under his breath, shaking his head slightly as he braced for the next exchange.
The Flame Demon retaliated immediately with another sweeping torrent of flame. Leon countered with a precise burst of electricity, his power cleanly dispersing the attack and sending retaliatory arcs of lightning skittering across the beast's fiery hide.
The moment his lightning struck the dense flames that made up the beast's mane, an even more intense heatwave erupted from the Flame Demon, radiating outward in a devastating, omnidirectional pulse.
Leon was thrown back several meters, his boots skidding across the blackened, glass-like ground as he fought to regain his balance.
Crouching low to stabilize himself, he muttered, "That attack was enhanced with the speed of the Fourth Gate, 'Godspeed.' Its destructive power should have been several times stronger than my normal output. Even an ancient demon shouldn't have been able to deflect it so easily..."
Straightening up, he locked eyes with the flaming behemoth, a new level of respect and wariness in his gaze.
Elizabeth's voice rang out, cold and mocking from her perch. "I thought I'd be dealing with a defective replica. It seems my creation is more... authentic than even I anticipated."
Leon smirked, brushing a layer of ash from his shoulder. "Is that supposed to impress me? Show me what else this overgrown candle can do."
Elizabeth's sneer was audible. "Oh, don't worry, Leon. This generation's Flame Demon has a few more tricks. You'll soon regret your arrogance."
Ignoring her, Leon's gaze turned skyward as he raised his right hand. The already hazy skies darkened further, thick, ominous clouds rolling in with unnatural speed. A deep, promising rumble of thunder echoed from the heavens.
"Captain, is he resorting to that already?" Martin asked, having just dispatched another Bone Avian before glancing back at the gathering storm.
"If it's Dragon Extinction, maybe we can finally end this and get out of this hellhole," Rebecca remarked, reloading her hand cannon with practiced efficiency.
But even as they speculated, Leon's legendary technique was already being countered.
The Flame Demon raised its head toward the thickening clouds, seemingly unfazed. It began gathering an immense amount of fire-elemental energy, its body glowing like a second sun.
One beam of concentrated fire lanced upward, then two, then three...
In mere moments, dozens of fiery beams shot into the sky, piercing the storm clouds and igniting a violent, elemental war in the heavens. Fire and lightning clashed, the thunderclouds boiling and dissipating under the relentless, scorching assault.
The storm clouds began to break apart, scattering before the technique could fully form. The blazing sun reemerged, its harsh light beating down once more on the arid land.
"How... how is this possible?" Leon muttered, staring at the rapidly clearing sky, his ultimate attack neutralized before it could even be unleashed.
Elizabeth's triumphant voice cut through the tense silence. "You never used Dragon Extinction during your time in the imperial army, Leon, but did you truly believe the Shadow Lord wouldn't prepare for every one of your known abilities?"
She chuckled, a dry, hateful sound. "Dragon Extinction is powerful enough to slay any creature on this continent, but it relies on drawing power from the natural force of a lightning storm. No storm, no technique."
"Of course, ordinary fire—even Constantine's Crimson Flame—wouldn't be enough to disperse a storm of that magnitude. But the Flame Demon... now that's a different story entirely."
Her voice dropped to a sinister purr. "We've been planning for you, Leon. Every move, every technique. You won't escape this valley."
A stunned silence fell over the guild members as the reality of their situation sank in.
"Dragon Extinction... was neutralized?" Rebecca murmured, her eyes wide as she watched the last of the clouds vanish.
"Elizabeth used the Flame Demon's innate command over fire to scatter the storm clouds before the attack could even fully form," Martin analyzed grimly. "It's a brutally effective counter-strategy, but it requires a source of fire energy on a scale we've never seen."
Indeed, the Flame Demon was the undisputed master of fire. Its ability to command and manifest fire-elemental energy dwarfed even that of a Dragon King like Constantine.
Leon's expression was grim as he refocused on the blazing monster. The sky had turned a bloody crimson from the reflected firelight, and the heat intensified once more to an almost unbearable degree.
Then, the flames surrounding the Flame Demon began to writhe and morph, twisting into a grotesque, monstrous face made of pure fire that roared with feral, mindless fury.
The fiery beast lunged at Leon, its maw open wide, intent on consuming him in a single, devastating bite. The final, desperate phase of the battle had begun.