Trailing far behind the adventurers, Lin Jun grew uneasy.

This path… it felt far too familiar.

Isn’t this the way to the Flame Demon’s lair?

Lin Jun knew for certain there had been no battle at that nest. Otherwise, the mushrooms he’d stationed nearby would have sensed the mana disturbances.

Could it be… the Flame Demon just happened to be out when they came down?

Until now, he’d assumed these people had descended by some other entrance. After all, the Deep Zone was vast, with countless routes—routes he himself lacked the strength to explore.

But if this was the Flame Demon’s route… one problem remained:

Has it returned home?

“Hah, now I can finally relax.”

With the Duke’s daughter found, even Gal’s mood lightened. Who wouldn’t be thrilled at the thought of a city’s worth of reward?

“Captain, you don’t know how hopeless I felt back on the 9th floor when the crystal’s pull shifted. I thought for sure she’d fallen into a tr—”

Wham!

Night Owl’s boot cut him off mid-word.

Only then did Gal remember—Inanna was right there in Night Owl’s arms. Best not to speak so freely.

“Ahem.”

As always, it was Nova who smoothed things over.

“Ivan, can you really undo Lady Inanna’s Transformation? Or should we wait until we’re back topside and find specialists?”

Ivan bristled. “You think I’m inferior to some third-rate hacks? It’s only a fixed Transformation spell with stabilizer potion. Child’s play. Certainly no harder than reversing that Scarecrow Abyss incident when I restored you lot from straw dolls.”

Nova winced. He’d only been trying to change the subject, but instead had stepped squarely on Ivan’s pride.

Awkward smile. “I don’t understand these things. If you’re confident, that’s enough.”

Unnoticed, their steps had carried them back to the passage leading upward.

The air grew hotter.

Night Owl, already poor with heat, was sweltering—made worse by the pink mushroom in her arms. But propriety forbade handing the Duke’s daughter to a man, so she bore it silently, only quickening her pace.

Strangely, Inanna herself showed no discomfort at all. With All Resistance LV6, the heat barely touched her.

“Wait.”

Ivan’s voice cut sharp. The others halted instantly.

“The mana’s changed.”

【Scan】

“Night Owl,” his tone calm and certain, “take the lady. Go.”

She met his eyes. Half-mad with arcane addiction though he often seemed, Ivan was the most seasoned of them all.

Without hesitation, she melted with Inanna into the shadows—vanishing down the passage at blinding speed.

The next instant, the cavern shook.

The magma pools heaved like boiling veins, thick golden-red bubbles bursting, sulphurous smoke and searing heat erupting outward.

The hidden foe realized it had been detected. It would let no more prey escape.

With a roar beyond human, a colossal figure rose from the lava.

Its upper body was a mountain of half-cooled magma and charred bone, armored in crimson-black plates encasing a molten heart.

All around it, man-sized fiery homunculi burst forth, cutting off retreat.

Gulp—

The half-dragon swallowed hard.

“Flame Demon… and Lava Golems.”

“Careful. Level 64,” Ivan reported, eyes narrowed from Scan.

There was no time for more words—the Demon’s molten fist swung down.

【Shield Domain】

Gal slammed his shield forward, a phantom wall erupting to block the blow.

But level disparity showed—blood seeped from beneath his gauntlets.

【Revive】

【Life Potential】

Nova drew deep breath, healing and strengthening him at once. Gal gritted his teeth, barely holding.

The Demon roared again, scooping a tidal wave of magma from its pool.

Ivan wasted no time. He rammed an A-rank crystal into his gut, casting Clarity to keep his mind steady through the mana surge, though the pain was unspeakable.

He had no room to hold back. Facing a Level 64 Flame Demon, he unleashed three hundred percent of his power.

【Frost Ring】

The embedded crystal flared brighter than any staff, ice blasting outward from their position.

Stone ground froze. Lava golems froze. The magma wave itself hardened mid-surge, crashing solid in a brittle hiss.

“We… need to run.”

Pain wracked every nerve. He couldn’t last long like this. Even with explosive output, he was only barely matching the Demon’s base

strength. Drag it out, and they were dead.

“Not so simple.”

The Demon had moved. While they blocked the lava, it strode to the passage mouth—cutting off escape.

“Damn it—” Ivan spat, rare profanity on his lips. “If we live through this, I swear I’ll apologize to Kermo. She said Flame Demons were clever, and I laughed at her—”

“Do we fall back?” the half-dragon asked, eyeing the tunnel behind.

“No. Hold a little longer.”

Nova’s voice carried iron. Gal, knowing him ten years, recognized the tone. A decision made.

“You’ll use that? Even so, it might not be enough against this Demon!”

Ivan said nothing. Another magma wave surged; his body shook with agony as he forced a final spell.

Nova drew something from his tunic.

A twig, sprouting two tender leaves.

Lin Jun’s senses sharpened at once. A panel glowed.

【Artifact: Heartwood of Yesheng (Fragment)】

Another artifact?!

Mana poured into it—no, not just mana.

Life force. Nova’s flesh shrank visibly as the relic drank deep.

When finally satiated, he leveled it at a faint crack in the Demon’s chest armor.

That flaw was why he dared strike.

The sprout flared green, a beam piercing through the Demon’s shell—straight into its molten core.

The Demon, confident a moment ago, convulsed. Its heart shattered.

Its massive body collapsed by the magma pool, releasing a final, fading roar.

The Flame Demon—this monster that had trapped Lin Jun for years, the strongest creature he had yet seen—was suddenly dead.

Beneath his armor, Lin Jun felt the heat of the Sunstone shard he carried.

So this is the power of an artifact…