Ember Dragon Novel Chapter 432: Misha’s Trial (Part 4)

Chapter 432: Chapter 432: Misha’s Trial (Part 4)

Chapter 432: Misha’s Trial (Part 4)

"Huff, huff... that’s it?"

"This is supposed to be the hardest trial?"

Mantou, riding on the back of his wyvern, rested his longsword on his shoulder, panting as he spoke.

If one ignored his charred body, which resembled a burnt at patty, the pose was quite heroic.

"You’re practically a burnt bun, and you’re still showing off."

Singo, clinging to the cave wall on his wyvern, rcilessly teased.

"Scars are a man’s badge of honor."

"But you’re burnt."

"Fire marks the traces of battle."

"But you’re burnt."

"Damn it..."

All around were scattered rocks and the remains of Steam Bats.

Thanks to the efforts of dozens of elite players, most of the monsters within the cave had been cleared.

Sumr Night Autumn Rain sighed.

"Don’t celebrate just yet. Even with our bribes to the Magic Departnt, we only got intel on the first stage—the [Path of Burning]."

"The rest of the trial is entirely decided by the ’Daughter of Dragonfire’ Misha herself, and even they don’t know the details."

"Hiss—"

Everyone gasped sharply.

The first stage alone had been this brutal, swarming them with waves of monsters and eliminating over 200 players.

How terrifying would the remaining stages be?

But now that they had made it this far...

They had no choice but to push forward.

The chanist Cult plowed ahead in their [Fire Protector] armor.

Mantou and Singo rode their wyverns, flanking Sumr Night Autumn Rain and staying vigilant for monster attacks.

The Magic Coin players advanced with glowing magical shields surrounding their bodies, reinforced by various spells.

Following the winding "Path of Burning," the players navigated nurous traps and monsters before finally erging at the volcano’s summit.

Ahead of them was a boiling magma pool at the crater, and in the distance stood the ominous "Tower of Blighted Fla."

Mantou turned his head, grinning as he patted his wyvern’s head.

"So, this is the final stage?"

"Doesn’t seem like much—just a few hundred Steam Bats flying around and so rock monsters jumping out of the magma."

"Maybe a few explosions and bouncy fireballs. No big deal."

Despite his casual words, he was clearly gritting his teeth.

At this point, Mantou’s entire body was pitch black, not a single patch of unscorched skin visible, making him look like he had undergone a drastic transformation.

"No."

Sumr Night Autumn Rain’s expression grew serious, her golden eyes reflecting the firelight.

Singo bluntly pointed out, "Burnt Bun, take a look behind you before you talk big."

Mantou turned around and looked up at the sky, murmuring under his breath.

"Oh, crap..."

Similar expressions of disbelief escaped the mouths of the professional players, so using more colorful variations of expletives.

The magma within the crater slowly swirled, the air distorted by the intense heat and filled with toxic volcanic gases.

Streams of fire danced on the surface of the magma, intertwining with dense white and black smoke, swirling together to form fiery tornadoes above the pool.

"Challengers..."

"I..."

"In the na of Lady Misha..."

With a gusting roar, flas and smoke coalesced into a humanoid form.

Standing nearly ten ters tall, the fiery figure towered over the magma pool, its molten eyes glaring down at the players.

Its head appeared to be made entirely of steam and fire, with a flickering tongue of fla darting in and out of its mouth.

The surrounding air warped and crackled, accompanied by bursts of popping sounds and the stinging sll of sulfur.

Finally, it let out a roaring bellow created from the crackling of flas.

"I AM... YOUR END!"

[Elder Fire Elental]

Challenge Level: 13 (10,000 XP)

Mantou stared in shock, muttering, "This is what you call an advancent quest?"

"How is this fair?"

"If we could beat this thing, why would we even need to advance?"

"TRIAL!"

The Elder Fire Elental unleashed a surge of smoke, its arms transforming into blazing whips that lashed out at the players.

"Snap!"

A paladin from [Royal Authority] raised his expensive shield, only for it to be scorched with a black crack. The player behind it was instantly cut in half, burning into two smoldering pieces.

"What the... instant kill?"

"This is a joke, right?"

"That was rare-quality green gear!"

The Elder Fire Elental’s flaming whip cracked through the air, emitting deafening pops as it charged with energy.

"TEST!"

"Snap! Snap! Snap!"

Another set of devastating lashes struck the [Fire Protector] armor.

The protective fla-resistant forcefield dimd with each hit.

Finally, with a loud crash...

The fire shield shattered, and the flaming whip struck the already deford tal plating.

Half the armor, along with its pilot, was sheared off.

In Erezaghe, the temperature of fire magic typically depended on the caster’s level and the type of monster.

A low-level mage’s fireball might only reach a few hundred degrees, while a high-level mage’s fla storm could exceed a thousand degrees.

—And the Elder Fire Elental’s flaming whip clearly belonged to the latter category.

Under such level suppression, even their specially prepared "heat-resistant tals" were easily torn apart.

"Damn it! We can’t hold on!"

"No!"

"Everyone! Prepare the final plan!"

The chanist Cult player in the main cockpit raised his arm and pressed the red button nearby.

"Boom!"

The Sorcerer player [Art Is Explosion], seated in the armor’s core, was ejected along with a protective mbrane.

The pilot pulled the lever all the way down and pressed another button marked with a warning symbol.

Several players raised their arms, their faces filled with fervor.

"Machine Spirit, protect us! Free us from this decaying prison of flesh!"

The boosters on the back of the [Fire Protector] flared to life, propelling the armor toward the Elder Fire Elental.

"Beep, beep, beep."

The tal core within the armor flashed red.

"Snap!"

The Elder Fire Elental glared and lashed out with its flaming whip again.

The armor, battered and broken, lost several more pilots, yet it continued its flight until it reached the burning behemoth.

"Sorry, Iron Frenzy. Activating backup power!"

"Beep, beep-beep."

The beeping grew faster.

"Boom!"

The Oga-powered armor exploded, scattering tal fragnts, parts, and dismbered bodies.

Knowing the Elder Fire Elental’s resistance to fire, they had channeled all remaining energy into a spherical lightning attack.

"WEAK!"

"INSIGNIFICANT WORMS!"

The Elder Fire Elental roared, its massive elental body crackling with lightning and emitting sizzling sounds.