Although Linton didn't explain much, everyone sensed that the black fire was extraordinary. This gave them more confidence in luring out the Flame Devourer. Soon, the group took their positions and began waiting for the creature to appear.
An hour passed, and the sky began to darken. Since they needed to remain hidden, no one spoke, forcing them to wait in silence while staying alert. Despite the lack of action, the mental strain was significant, and everyone started feeling fatigued just from waiting.
The knights were holding up well, but Linton noticed Princess Yalan beside him. He had assumed that, as a mage, she might struggle more. To his surprise, she showed no signs of exhaustion. Thinking it over, Linton realized she was the one most determined to capture the Flame Devourer. Her strong will impressed him, and his opinion of her changed slightly.
As planned, they would wait until sunset, then set up camp and continue the hunt the next day. After all, visibility at night in the dense forest was practically zero, making an ambush impossible.
Linton glanced at the horizon—the sun was halfway down. It seemed unlikely they would encounter anything today. Just as the group was about to give up, movement came from the nearby forest.
First, there was a sound—something was clearly coming through the trees. Linton activated his Sharingan and looked in that direction. Sure enough, he saw their target, the Flame Devourer.
This time, the Flame Devourer seemed cautious, unlike before when it paid them no attention. It had likely spotted the black fire but hesitated, scanning its surroundings.
The group held their breath, doing their best to remain hidden, making no movements at all. After a brief standoff, the Flame Devourer couldn't resist the fire's allure. Slowly, it stepped out of the trees, cautiously approaching the black flames.
Soon, the creature reached the fire, clearly eager. It lowered its head, and just like before, its body glowed with purple light as it inhaled. The black flames on the ground were drawn toward its nose, and it began feeding.
At that moment, Linton was the first to spring from the forest, slamming his fire stick into the ground. "Earth Style: Groundquake Core!"
The ground trembled as the spell activated, but the Flame Devourer reacted quickly. Already on guard, it lifted its head, ready to flee.
With a loud crash, a glowing figure rushed toward the Flame Devourer with incredible speed. It was Barry, who had burst into action, his battle aura flaring as he charged and swung his sword at the creature. Behind him, Gassain and Rena followed, though they weren't as fast.
The Flame Devourer, sensing danger, turned its long horns toward Barry, ready to counter.
There was a sharp clang of metal, and once again, the creature's horns blocked Barry's powerful strike. This confirmed that the Flame Devourer was indeed stronger than Barry, effortlessly deflecting the surprise attack. However, Barry didn't intend to defeat it with just one blow—his goal was to stall it.
By now, the ground had started to shift under the creature. The Flame Devourer realized the danger and tried to flee. Though only fractions of a second had passed, it could have escaped with a burst of speed, but Barry wasn't giving it the chance. Gathering his battle aura, Barry swung his sword again.
Angered, the Flame Devourer glowed with purple light and shot a beam from between its horns, piercing through Barry's chest. Barry coughed up blood but gritted his teeth, swinging his sword once more.
With a swift slash, blood splattered. Barry's sword had finally found its mark, slicing through the Flame Devourer's tough hide, though not deep enough to deal a fatal blow. The injury only enraged the creature. It swung its horns at Barry, aiming to slice him in two.
Barry, gravely wounded, couldn't move. He was helpless against the incoming strike. But just then, a figure rushed in, striking at the Flame Devourer's head.
"Cross Slash!" Gassain shouted, putting all his energy into the attack, nearly burning through his battle aura. Seeing the danger, Rena leaped forward, tackling Barry out of the way.
There was another loud crash. At the last second, Rena had managed to knock Barry down, avoiding the creature's deadly horns. Gassain's attack landed on the creature's head, slightly disorienting it, but the immense force sent Gassain flying, blood spraying from his mouth.
By now, the ground had begun to collapse. Rena quickly stood, grabbed Barry, and leaped toward the edge of the pit. In a desperate move, she caught the edge with one hand, holding onto Barry with the other.
Both were severely injured, but they had succeeded in keeping the Flame Devourer trapped as the ground gave way beneath it.
Linton didn't wait. Even though the pit was a hundred meters deep, he wasn't taking any chances. Before the ground fully collapsed, he cast another spell.
"Earth Style: Rock Burial."
With a loud boom, the surrounding walls began to crumble, and a mass of rocks tumbled into the pit. In just a few seconds, the giant hole was filled with debris.
The ground shook violently, like a small earthquake had hit. Gritting her teeth, Rena pulled Barry up, climbing out of the pit just in time. She glanced back at the pile of rocks, her heart still racing. If they had been even a second slower, they would've been buried alive. Linton hadn't given them any time to escape.
Looking at the two fallen warriors, Rena understood the true meaning of fighting for your life. Barry and Gassain were both severely injured, especially Barry, who was unconscious and lying in a pool of blood.
Luckily, they had prepared healing potions before the fight. Rena quickly pulled out a bottle, pouring half over Barry's wound and making him drink the rest.
"Barry!" Linton and Princess Yalan rushed over. Linton checked Barry and saw that he was still breathing, though barely. The old knight had truly risked his life. With his previous injuries worsened, it was unclear if he would fully recover.
Gassain, though in better shape, was still unable to move. Linton saw him drinking his own healing potion, so at least he wasn't in immediate danger.
"Close call, but we pulled it off…" Linton muttered.
"You've got time to talk? Get over here and help me!" Gassain weakly called out.
"You're talking, so you'll be fine. Just rest for a few days," Linton replied. "You're lucky. I thought you were a goner this time."
"If I die, I'll haunt you as a ghost," Gassain growled.
"Your Highness…" At that moment, Barry regained consciousness. "Did… we succeed?"
"Yes," Princess Yalan replied, deeply moved. She knew these men were injured because of her, especially Barry, and she didn't know what to say.
"That's… good…" Barry murmured, his voice weak.
"Hey, don't start talking like it's your last words!" Linton interrupted.
"Screw you… it's not my last words," Barry chuckled weakly. "I'm not dead yet, but I won't be moving for a few days."
Suddenly, the ground shook again, and everyone instinctively looked toward the pit.
To their shock, a purple glow started to shine through the cracks in the rocks. The light was unmistakable—it was coming from the Flame Devourer. It wasn't dead.
"No way…" Linton muttered, feeling a sinking dread.
A massive explosion followed, sending shockwaves through the air. Linton, along with the others, was thrown into the air. As he flew, he looked toward the pit, where a purple-glowing figure was slowly rising from the depths.
(To be continued.)