CHAPTER 300: BURN IT ALL AGAIN

Vora stood near the edge of the ridge, visor scanning the area.

Heat readings danced across her screen, unstable and rising fast.

A sharp beep came through her earpiece.

"Commander," one of her field heroes called out.

"We’ve got something. You need to hear this."

Vora tapped her comm. "Talk."

"We had eyes on the target zone. The volcano base."

She narrowed her eyes. "What happened?"

There was a pause. Then a second voice joined in, sounding shaken.

"It exploded. The whole place. We didn’t even get close yet."

"Just boom. The ground cracked, and fire shot out from every side."

Vora took a step back, face tightening. "You’re telling me they blew up the entire facility?"

"Yes, ma’am. The whole thing went down. No survivors detected so far."

"No escape signs either. We were about to move in when it happened."

"Any visuals? Playback feed?"

"We’re sending it now."

A moment later, a window popped up on her visor.

She watched the footage: a quiet slope, then a sudden eruption, lava bursting, rocks flung into the air.

The entire mountain collapsed in on itself.

Vora exhaled. "Timed destruction. Smart."

"Should we keep searching the rubble?" another voice asked.

She turned slightly, scanning the skies.

"Keep searching," she said. "Check everything."

Another voice joined in. "And if we find no trace?"

Vora narrowed her eyes. "Then stop. Don’t waste time."

She took a few steps forward, her boots pressing into the scorched ground.

"But until then," she continued, "treat this like they’re still alive."

The team on the other end stayed quiet for a moment.

"They held the line for the others," Vora added. "Don’t let their sacrifice be wasted."

"We understand, Commander," someone replied. "We’ll sweep the area again."

She nodded to herself, then turned toward the data console near the camp.

"Now... let’s see what files they recovered."

She tapped the console, pulling up the new folders.

"Maybe they left us something useful."

The officer walked over and handed her a drive that they got from Volt Stride.

"Good," Vora said.

"Let’s dig in. We may be chasing ghosts, but even ghosts leave shadows."

---

The red light faded.

The four of them stepped out of the teleportation platform and into the heart of the Flame God Cult’s main base.

The place was quiet.

Too quiet.

The air was thick with the smell of blood.

Zelia stopped first, eyes narrowing. "...Something’s wrong."

Savra took a few steps forward.

Her boots lightly echoed on the stone floor. "The smell is fresh."

Velra waved a hand in front of her nose. "Smells like a slaughterhouse."

Zelia moved toward a hallway and saw blood stains running down the walls.

Savra turned and looked at Zain. Her eyes locked onto his.

"Zain... did you do this?"

Zain stepped forward, looking around without much emotion. He let out a small sigh.

"Yeah. I did."

He walked a few paces ahead, then stopped near a broken doorway.

"I didn’t know they were part of your group, Savra."

"I didn’t even know you were the leader of this place."

Savra tilted her head. "So why?"

"I cleared them out because I planned to take over the base. Make it my own."

He looked back. "Sorry if that caused problems."

Savra smiled and crossed her arms. "No need for that, Zain. Really."

"They weren’t my people. They were Vorthar’s goons. Zelia and I never liked them anyway."

Zelia gave a small nod. "They were always watching us. Waiting for us to make a mistake."

Zain nodded. "Good. Then I didn’t waste effort."

Velra poked a body with her boot. "These guys were armoured. Looks like they tried to fight back."

Zain didn’t respond. He just kept walking through the base, taking in the layout.

Savra looked around, then turned to him. "So... what now?"

Zain glanced at the walls again. Blood was everywhere.

Some were still dripping. It didn’t sit well with him.

"We destroy it."

Velra looked up. "All of it?"

Zain nodded. "Too many bodies. Too much death scent. It’s not clean. I don’t like it."

Zelia raised an eyebrow. "But this base is still in good shape. It’s strong."

Zain smirked at her. "Don’t worry, big sister. I have a better plan."

Zelia didn’t press. She knew when Zain was holding back details.

Savra nodded. "Alright. I’ll take care of it."

She glanced around the hall one last time.

"I know how to activate the self-destruct. I learned all the control systems myself when I first took over."

Velra stepped to the side, giving her room. "Want a hand?"

Savra smiled slightly and shook her head. "No need."

"I’m the leader of this base. I know every wall, every hidden switch, every weak point."

"I even know which flame veins run under the altar."

She stepped forward, walking slowly toward the center of the hall.

The others stayed back, watching in silence.

When she reached the control altar, she stopped and held out her hand.

Soft red ether began to glow around her fingers.

Then her palm lit up with sacred flame.

She pressed it gently against the ancient runes carved into the stone surface.

A pulse of red light spread through the lines across the floor.

The flames responded like they were alive, crawling into cracks and hidden channels.

The ground rumbled softly beneath their feet.

Molten heat surged in the air.

"It’s starting," Savra said without turning around. "The flame veins are waking up."

Velra narrowed her eyes. "How long until it blows?"

"Three minutes," Savra replied. "Maybe less if the old parts are unstable."

Zain crossed his arms. "Then let’s not waste time."

Savra stepped back from the altar. "It’s no longer ours anyway."

Zelia looked at the spreading flame marks along the walls. "Let’s go."

The four of them turned and began walking away, leaving the burning base behind.

As the heat rose and cracks echoed through the stone, Zain gave a small smirk.

"Once it’s gone... we start Phase Two."