CHAPTER 59: EXPLOSIONS

The Totem’s flames rocketed into the sky as Ignis Caro marched on every living thing.

Though slow and as vulnerable as Black Umi, the undead gave off intense heat that blurred the air, making it harder to focus on them. Ash flaked from their joints and lit their shadows, as if marking territory and spreading the Totem’s influence. All Rankers swallowed hard at the oncoming wave.

"There’s no end to them!" someone shouted.

"There’s an end to everything!" Hunter shouted, hatchet clenched, ready to cut down the closest enemies on the frontline.

His hatchet flashed as orange auras stacked and blended into the steel in sync. It looked newly evolved, like an entirely different weapon. Hunter glanced at the blade, then at the new system descriptions.

[Gravebreaker Bias (III) (Weapon Buff)(Duration: 60 s)(Cooldown: 120 s)(Radius: 10 m)]

Effects:

• Impact Bias vs Undead: Slashing contact is auto-guided flatter, transferring force normal to the surface so it behaves like a blunt strike on bone and joints.

• Fracture Assist: Crack initiation and propagation in brittle, ashy shell improves; +15% effective impulse delivered to head, spine, and joint targets.

• Rebound Control: Weapon bounce on hard contact −30%, so follow-through and recovery stay clean.

[Quenchseal Coating (III) (Weapon Buff)(Duration: 90 s)(Cooldown: 180 s)(Radius: 10 m)]

Effects:

• Heat Guard: Weapon heat resistance +50% vs Fire; grips stay safe to hold.

• Anti-fouling Edge: Tar/ash do not adhere; cutting surfaces self-shed buildup.

• Integrity Seal: Durability loss from heat and impact −35%.

[Ashbite Cadence (III) (Weapon Buff)(Duration: 45 s)(Cooldown: 150 s)(Radius: 10 m)]

Effects:

• Contact Damping: After any solid hit on a burning target, micro-vibration in the weapon drops for 1.0 s, reducing hand shock and improving control.

• Plume Disruption: The first contact on a burning target disturbs the local flame plume for \~0.7 s, making close-in follow-ups safer.

• Rhythm Assist: Recovery time after a clean hit −10% while engaged with Undead.

"Thanks, old man!" Hunter called.

Only Tyler, the weapon-focused blacksmith, could come up with the right combination of weapon buffs for an unknown undead species on such short notice. He blessed everyone about to strike, saving his mana and cooldowns so he could keep up with their numbers.

Clenching his hatchet tight, Hunter drew back and hurled it into the first wave of Ignis Caro. The hatchet curved out and returned on its skill-guided path, cutting through necks and dropping heads. On the way back, it carved through a few more before Hunter caught the shaft.

"Damn, so hot!" He passed the weapon hand-to-hand as the steel came back hot from Ignis Caro’s domain.

Meanwhile, other Ignis Caro bent to scoop up fallen heads. Holding them like basketballs, the undead leaned back and hurled them into the Rankers’ lines. Each one flew fast, as if shot from a cannon.

Thankfully, the Rooks were on duty, stepping forward with shields up and catching the shots on their shields. The heads exploded like bombs, blasting weaker Rooks back.

Alex and the other Rooks clenched their shield handles and peeked over the rims.

"Bastards ain’t wasting their resources," Alex muttered. Then his eyes widened in surprise.

Across from him, Ignis Caro jumped onto their headless comrades and yanked off arms and legs. Gripping them like javelins, they hurled the parts at the Rankers. The limbs exploded on impact just like the heads. Alex and the others stepped up to intercept. One of the Three Heaven Kings called out.

"Stay still and don’t waver, Rooks!"

[Sootshield Seal (III) (Armor Buff)(Duration: 120 s)(Cooldown: 240 s)(Radius: 10 m)]

Effects:

• Ablative Soot Layer: Builds a sacrificial char that sloughs under heat; armor durability loss −50% from heat and ash abrasion.

• Seam Lock: Gaps, straps, and bindings resist charring or snap.

• Breath Veil: Light smoke filtration near the face opening reduces eye sting and breathing strain in close quarters.

[Emberward Plating (III) (Armor Buff)(Duration: 90 s)(Cooldown: 180 s)(Radius: 10 m)]

Effects:

• Radiant Reflect: Outer sheen reflects part of radiant heat; fire and heat taken −40% from Fire sources.

• No-Ignite Surface: Embers and splash flames will not take hold on treated layers.

• Manual Quench: A roll or pat action strips one active Burning stack from the wearer.

[Blastbaffle Lattice (III) (Armor Buff)(Duration: 60 s)(Cooldown: 180 s)(Radius: 10 m)]

Effects:

• Overpressure Damping: Reduces blast pressure from Fire/Undead explosions by 35%, softening chest and ear shock.

• Fragment Catch: Layered mesh arrests bone/ember shrapnel; slash/pierce taken from explosive fragments −25%.

• Flash Veil: Cuts thermal flash and flare glare; prevents brief blindness from close bursts.

• Knockdown Bracing: Auto-tightening harness engages on shock; knockback and tumble distance −30%.

• Ember Shed: Ignited debris won’t cling; removes 1 minor ember on trigger.]

In an instant, the shields and bodies of every Rook on the frontline lit with familiar dark‑orange auras. The buffs came from Drew, the armor-focused blacksmith and one of the Three Heaven Kings. He lifted his chin and watched the Rooks absorb the hits with less strain.

Tyler said, "I was wondering what took you so long. You were waiting to see more of them before picking the buffs."

"Exactly! Haha!" Drew hollered. "We know that Black Umi have their liquid absorption skills. The Burning Undead must have something up their sleeve! It seems they can explode their bodies, so if an intact burning undead comes close to our Rooks, even the best might not stay standing!"

Chaewon shouted from the frontline, "Please, buff me so I can fight them!"

"Me too!" Edward yelled, cutting in.

Both were eager to fight Ignis Caro. Chaewon wanted as little harm to the Rankers as possible; Edward just wanted to beat her.

Tyler looked at the two of them. "You’re important assets. Will you listen to us for the best results?"

"Yes! I trust you!" Chaewon replied at once, knowing how much Ace valued Tyler.

Edward took his time, then nodded. "Yeah."

"You’re melee damage dealers. You’re at higher risk than our Rooks. Don’t linger on any one undead. Destroy their parts completely. Can you do it?" Tyler asked.