The gate loomed before Jace, a monumental construct of glowing molten veins and jagged obsidian. The intricate patterns shifted like liquid fire, casting eerie reflections on the walls of the Nexus chamber. The suffocating silence was broken only by the occasional crackle of heat escaping the molten core.
As Jace reached out, the System's familiar voice chimed:
"Initiating Gate Access. Verifying Combatant Credentials."
The gate's surface rippled, glowing brighter as it scanned him. The temperature spiked, beads of sweat forming on Jace's brow despite his elemental resistances.
"Verification Complete. Combatant Approved. Pathway Initiated."
With a resounding groan, the gate began to part, its massive doors grinding against each other as they revealed a new realm. The air that spilled out was dense and heavy, carrying a strange mix of molten sulfur and electrified ozone.
Jace stepped forward, his boots landing on a platform that hovered over a sea of bubbling lava. The pathway ahead was narrow, suspended in the air like a precarious bridge. Strange, floating rock formations drifted in the distance, their surfaces glowing with unfamiliar glyphs.
The System's voice broke the tension:
"Zone: Infernal Core Outer Perimeter. Objective: Neutralize Guardian Constructs and Activate Core Stabilizers."
Jace exhaled. "More constructs. Great."
As if summoned by his words, the first wave of enemies materialized from the glowing glyphs on the floating rocks. They were larger than the Nexus constructs, their molten frames reinforced with dense obsidian armor. Each carried a massive halberd that crackled with elemental energy—fire and lightning dancing along the blade's edge.
The first construct charged, its halberd cleaving through the air with destructive force. Jace sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the strike as it shattered the platform beneath him. He retaliated with a sweeping arc of his plasma sabers, but the construct's armor deflected the blow with a deafening clang.
"These things are tougher," Jace muttered, leaping back to create distance.
The construct pressed forward, its movements surprisingly agile for its size. Jace activated his Overcharge ability, his sabers glowing brighter as energy surged through them. He met the construct head-on, his strikes now cutting deeper into its armor. Sparks and molten shards flew as he delivered a series of rapid attacks, finally splitting the construct in two.
No time to celebrate—the second and third constructs were already closing in. Jace switched tactics, summoning a series of Frost Spears to slow their movements. The icy projectiles struck true, coating the constructs in a layer of frost that cracked and hissed against their molten forms.
With their movements hindered, Jace launched into action. He leapt onto the closest construct, driving his sabers into the joints of its armor. The construct flailed, but Jace held firm, carving through its core with precision strikes. It collapsed in a heap of molten slag.
The final construct proved more resilient. It wielded its halberd with brutal efficiency, forcing Jace to stay on the defensive. Each strike sent shockwaves through the platform, threatening to knock him into the lava below.
As the construct raised its weapon for a finishing blow, Jace activated Shadow Step, teleporting behind it. He plunged both sabers into its back, channeling an Energy Surge that overloaded its core. The construct let out a mechanical roar before exploding in a fiery burst.
The System's voice returned, calm and clinical:
"Guardian Constructs Neutralized. Proceed to Core Stabilizers."
The floating rocks shifted, forming a new pathway that spiraled upward. Jace moved quickly, wary of more ambushes. As he ascended, the oppressive heat grew even more intense, and the air crackled with raw energy.
At the pathway's end, he found himself in a vast chamber dominated by three towering pillars. Each pillar was inscribed with glowing glyphs, their patterns pulsating in a synchronized rhythm. At the chamber's center hovered a massive orb of molten energy—the Infernal Core itself.
The System provided his next objective:
"Stabilize the Core. Activate Glyph Pillars to Neutralize Energy Overload."
Jace gritted his teeth. "Of course, it's never simple."
As he approached the first pillar, the chamber shook violently. From the molten walls emerged a new type of adversary—Infernal Golems. These hulking constructs towered over Jace, their bodies made entirely of liquid magma encased in obsidian shells. Each step they took left a trail of molten destruction.
Jace activated his Plasma Launcher, firing a volley of explosive rounds at the nearest golem. The projectiles struck its chest, but the molten creature barely flinched. It retaliated with a massive fist, forcing Jace to roll out of the way as the impact shattered the ground.
Switching tactics, Jace summoned a Frost Barrier to deflect the golem's next attack. The icy shield absorbed the blow, giving him an opening to strike. He targeted the joints of the golem's obsidian shell, his plasma sabers carving through the molten material with difficulty.
The golem roared, its molten core exposed. Jace seized the opportunity, driving a Frost Spear into the exposed core. The spear exploded on impact, freezing the golem from the inside out. It collapsed into a steaming heap, its molten body solidifying into stone.
The remaining golems charged simultaneously, their massive forms barreling toward him with terrifying speed. Jace activated his Shadow Step again, teleporting to the far side of the chamber. He drew their attention away from the glyph pillars, using hit-and-run tactics to whittle them down.
Despite their size, the golems were relentless. One managed to land a glancing blow, sending Jace sprawling across the chamber. His health bar dipped dangerously low, and the System issued a warning:
"Critical Condition Detected. Administer Healing Protocols Immediately."
Jace grimaced, injecting himself with a healing serum from his inventory. The serum worked quickly, his wounds closing as his energy replenished. With renewed vigor, he focused on the remaining golems.
Summoning a barrage of Frost Spears, Jace aimed for their cores, exploiting their weakness to ice. The projectiles struck true, freezing their molten forms and leaving them vulnerable. He finished them off with precision strikes from his sabers, each blow reducing the towering constructs to rubble.
As the last golem fell, the chamber stilled. The pillars' glyphs glowed brighter, and the System's voice returned:
"Guardian Neutralized. Glyph Pillars Ready for Activation."
Jace approached the first pillar, his hand hovering over the glowing glyphs. The heat radiating from the structure was intense, but he didn't hesitate. With a steady hand, he pressed his palm against the glyphs, initiating the stabilization sequence.
"First Glyph Activated. Two Remaining."
As the first glyph pillar roared to life, a surge of molten energy pulsed through the chamber. The activation seemed to awaken the Infernal Core further, its chaotic energy flaring brighter and more erratic. The remaining two pillars began emitting warning vibrations, the glyphs shifting rapidly as if trying to contain an impending overload.
Jace wasted no time. He sprinted toward the second pillar, the ground beneath his feet trembling as the Infernal Core sent shockwaves through the chamber. Before he could reach it, a new wave of enemies emerged from fissures in the walls—Infernal Sentries.
These were smaller than the golems but far more agile. Their spindly limbs moved with a spider-like grace, and their obsidian bodies glowed with veins of molten energy. Each sentry carried dual-bladed weapons, their movements synchronized as they closed in on Jace.
One leapt at him with blinding speed, its blades aiming for his neck. Jace ducked, countering with a wide sweep of his plasma sabers. The sentry evaded the attack, its fluid movements making it difficult to pin down. Another sentry lunged from behind, forcing Jace to activate his Frost Barrier again.
The barrier deflected the strikes, giving him a moment to recalibrate. He switched to his plasma launcher, firing rapid shots at the sentries. The first few shots missed as they darted around unpredictably, but one found its mark, blasting a sentry apart in a fiery explosion.
The remaining sentries adjusted their tactics, spreading out to surround him. Jace gritted his teeth, his mind racing. He activated his Energy Surge ability, his sabers humming with amplified power. With a burst of speed, he charged into the fray, his strikes cutting through the sentries' molten bodies.
Each defeated sentry exploded in a shower of molten shards, the heat scorching his armor. Jace's energy reserves were dwindling, but he pressed on. The final sentry tried to retreat, leaping onto a higher platform. Jace wasn't about to let it escape. He summoned a Frost Spear and hurled it with precision, the icy projectile piercing the sentry's core. It froze mid-air before shattering into fragments.
The path to the second pillar was clear. Jace approached it cautiously, his body aching from the relentless battles. The glyphs on this pillar pulsed more violently, their rhythm erratic. He placed his hand on the glowing surface, bracing himself for the heat.
"Second Glyph Activated. One Remaining."
The Infernal Core responded with another surge of chaotic energy. The chamber's temperature spiked, molten cracks spreading across the floor and walls. Jace barely had time to react as a massive fissure opened behind him, spewing a torrent of lava. He leapt to a higher platform, narrowly avoiding being engulfed.
Before he could catch his breath, a deafening roar echoed through the chamber. Emerging from the molten depths was a new adversary—a Magma Titan. Towering over the previous constructs, this colossal creature was an amalgamation of molten rock and liquid fire. Its arms ended in massive claws that glowed with an intense heat, and its eyes burned like twin suns.
The Titan slammed its claws into the ground, sending a wave of molten energy surging toward Jace. He Shadow Stepped to safety, reappearing on a distant platform. The Titan roared in frustration, its molten body shifting as it prepared another attack.
Jace assessed his options. Direct confrontation was too risky—its molten form would likely resist most of his attacks. He needed to exploit its movements and find a way to destabilize its core.
The Titan charged, its massive frame surprisingly fast for its size. Jace used the narrow platforms to his advantage, forcing the creature to maneuver through tight spaces. He fired a volley of plasma rounds at its legs, aiming for the joints where its molten form was less stable.
The shots struck true, causing the Titan to stumble. Seizing the opportunity, Jace leapt onto its back, driving his plasma sabers into the glowing fissures along its spine. The Titan roared, thrashing violently in an attempt to shake him off.
Jace held on, channeling an Energy Surge into his sabers. The blades glowed brighter, cutting deeper into the Titan's molten core. The creature's movements grew more erratic, its molten body destabilizing with each strike.
With a final, desperate effort, Jace summoned a Frost Spear and drove it into the Titan's core. The icy energy clashed with the molten heat, causing a violent reaction. The Titan let out a guttural roar before collapsing in a fiery explosion, its molten body solidifying into obsidian.
"Magma Titan Neutralized. Core Stability: 75%."
The final glyph pillar stood ominously at the far end of the chamber, its glow more erratic than the others. Jace advanced cautiously, his steps deliberate as the ground continued to quake. Each tremor seemed to echo the chaotic energy radiating from the Infernal Core.
As he neared the pillar, the System's voice chimed in his mind:
"Warning: Final Glyph Activation Will Unleash Core Sentinel. Hostile Resistance Imminent."
Jace exhaled sharply, his grip tightening on his plasma sabers. The term "Core Sentinel" was enough to suggest he wasn't done facing monumental threats. He glanced around the chamber, noting how the molten fissures pulsed rhythmically with the core's energy.
No sooner had he touched the pillar than the air grew heavy with an oppressive force. The chamber dimmed, the molten glow retreating as if the Infernal Core itself was holding its breath. A deafening crack split the silence, and the very floor beneath Jace began to collapse.
From the depths below rose the Core Sentinel. This colossal entity was unlike anything Jace had encountered thus far. Its form was a fusion of liquid magma and crystalline obsidian, its body shifting between solid and molten states. Twin obsidian horns jutted from its head, and its chest bore a glowing core that pulsed with unstable energy.
The Sentinel's molten wings unfurled, scattering embers across the chamber as it let out a roar that reverberated through Jace's bones.
"Core Sentinel Detected. Threat Level: Cataclysmic. Core Stability: 50%."
Jace had no time to process the warning. The Sentinel lunged, its massive claw slamming down where he had been standing moments before. He Shadow Stepped away, reappearing on a crumbling platform.
The Sentinel's movements were deceptively swift for its size. It unleashed a torrent of molten projectiles from its wings, each one leaving trails of fire in their wake. Jace dodged and weaved, the heat singing his armor as he retaliated with plasma bolts aimed at the glowing core in its chest.
The bolts struck true, but the Sentinel seemed unfazed. It spread its wings wide, summoning a whirlwind of molten debris that swept across the chamber. Jace braced himself, activating his Frost Barrier to shield against the fiery onslaught.
Through the chaos, he noticed the Sentinel's core pulsing erratically, its energy surges creating brief moments of vulnerability. Jace seized the opportunity, leaping onto the Sentinel's arm and scaling its massive frame.
The molten heat was nearly unbearable, but he pressed on, driving one plasma saber into the Sentinel's shoulder joint. The creature roared in pain, its arm flailing as Jace used the momentum to propel himself toward its chest.
He plunged his second saber into the glowing core, the impact causing a violent reaction. The Sentinel thrashed wildly, molten fragments flying in all directions as the chamber quaked under the strain.
Before Jace could land another blow, the Sentinel's wings flared, creating a fiery shockwave that sent him hurtling across the chamber. He crashed into a jagged outcropping, his body aching as he struggled to rise.
The Sentinel turned its glowing eyes toward him, its molten body shifting as it prepared another attack. Jace knew he couldn't afford to hesitate. He activated his Energy Surge, his sabers glowing with amplified power as he charged headlong into the fray.
The Sentinel swiped at him with both claws, but Jace's enhanced speed allowed him to dart between the attacks. He leapt onto its back, slicing through the molten veins that connected its wings to its body.
The Sentinel roared, its movements growing more erratic as its core pulsed faster. Jace summoned a Frost Spear, driving it into the creature's back before leaping off. The icy energy clashed violently with the molten heat, creating a massive explosion that engulfed the chamber in a blinding light.
When the dust settled, the Sentinel lay defeated, its molten form solidified into a lifeless husk. The chamber began to stabilize, the trembling subsiding as the Infernal Core's energy dimmed to a manageable glow.
"Core Sentinel Neutralized. Core Stability Restored to 85%."
"Zone Cleared: Infernal Core Nexus. Reward Acquired: Magma Crystal Matrix."
Jace picked up the shimmering crystal, its surface warm to the touch. The System's notification reassured him that the immediate danger had passed.
"Path to Ascendant Rift Unlocked."
Jace cast one last glance at the defeated Sentinel before turning toward the newly revealed pathway.