[46] The Volcano Goddess
Chapter 46: The Volcano Goddess
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[Third Person Point of View]
Inside the Middle Shore, the Dungeon, a group of two humans, one devil, and one yokai were gathered on a waterfall.
This was inside a forest; in the outside world, this area was the town where they had eaten yakiniku. On this side of the world, it was a lush forest with magical water streams.
The water from the waterfall crashed down from the rocky peaks above, forming a swirling fog that obscured the ground beneath. Sparkling with a multitude of colors, the water spilled down from the cascade in silvery trickles that flowed into the air, gently falling upon everything within its surroundings. The air around the waterfall was filled with a light, magical mist that glistened in the sunlight and filled the space with a sense of wonder. The constant sound of the waterfall filled the atmosphere, mixing with the chirping of the forest's wildlife and the soft rustling of the leaves in the trees.
Aqua was under the waterfall, sitting in a crossed-legged position and devouring all the mana in the air. Lightning Qi was rare here, but since his Path was a mixed one he could manage this without focusing on individual affinities. He could always gather that later when the Heavenly Tribulation will strike him.
The girls, on the other hand, were looking at him and chatting amongst themselves while soaking their legs in the water stream.
"Is that safe?"
"Well, he's not dead."
Akane looked at him concerned but Mem just shrugged. That waterfall was strong, staying under it for more than half a minute would crush a normal man. But he was just fine.
"I would have never guessed Aqua is into this serious level of meditation," Mai said, looking at Aqua.
"Me too," Akane nodded, looking at the serious expression Aqua had as he sat under the waterfall. "He is usually flirty and cheerful. But now he's like a different person. You think all of it before was acting?"
"Who knows, really." Mai shrugged and then observed the area. "By the way, Mem-Cho, are you sure this place is safe? My ears are picking up the movements of some seriously dangerous monsters. If they come here… we are as good as dead."
"I don't know, I just trust him. Since he said it's fine, it must be." Mem-Cho looked at the line of runes that circled this area. "He said it's Rune Magic or something. It's clearly working to keep the monsters away, otherwise, they'd have been here by now."
"How long do we have to wait?" Akane asked. "It's already evening, I think. I am not sure due to the fog."
Mem-Cho laid back on her back. "No idea, that bastard didn't specify a time… Haah. Can we take a dip in the water then?"
"No,"
It wasn't any of the girls who replied that it was Aqua as he stood up under the waterfall and stepped out. He walked on water, an aura of heaviness around him.
"The energy is too pure for you girls, especially Akane. She would receive some physical benefits at first, but if she dips more than a threshold, she'll die." He said as he waved his hand and a strong wind aura cleared off the fog.
"Ah, I see." Akane looked frightened as she said. "Hey, Aqua, why did you bring me here?"
Aqua looked at her, then he smiled in his usual way, reaching out a hand to play with a strand of her hair. "Aren't you a princess from a magical kingdom? I really mistook you for one – you're so cute, after all – so I brought you here. You don't mind, right?"
"Erm…"
"Aqua, have some shame," Mem-Cho said with a shake of her head as he laughed.
"No, I'm joking. Maybe there is something inside you, I'm not sure what. Maybe it's nothing, or maybe it's something big. We will have to wait and see. I'll help you awaken it after I'm done with my objective first, so you wait, okay?" He asked her gently and she nodded, she had no other choice anyway.
Though Akane did feel a little anxious. If her power, or whatever it was, was nothing impressive, then Aqua would have wasted his time on her for no reason. Would he… regret it?
She quickly shook her head. Even if it did, they were just friends, not something more than that, so it wouldn't matter. Right?
Akane gulped and quickly shook her head. "A-alright. Are you finished with whatever you were doing in the fountain?"
She asked that because there was something different about Aqua now. There was a sense of fullness around him, an aura of weight he didn't have before. Looking into his blue eyes, they felt deeper than before.
"Yes, my Pool is 100% completed. I just need to advance now." He said, even though Akane didn't understand what he meant. "I should climb the peak of Mount Fuji for this process, do you guys want to follow?"
The three girls exchanged glances. Follow him to the peak of Mount Fuji… by flying through the sky? Of course! Obviously.
Aqua lifted Akane again and the two girls followed, as they made their way to the peak of this Fuji copy through the sky. It was much larger than the original one.
"Hey, Aqua-" About when they were close to the peak, Mem-Cho called and was interrupted.
"Shh, something’s weird." Aqua's eyes locked on the highest peak point of the mountain, the mouth of the volcano. He scowled. 'A few devil men carrying the crib of a… Phoenix? How odd.'
Someone else would have had trouble sensing the aura, but as the White Tiger of the West, Aqua could recognize it anywhere. He increased the speed of his flight.
* * *
Layered over one another, the three realms had drastically different atmospheres. While Earth was calm and gentle as always, the Dungeon was about to brew an interesting situation, but the Volcano Goddess' Heaven was already bursting with onslaught.
"Raghh! Tear them apart!"
"Burn them!"
Fire clashed with Magma, and naturally, Magma had a more direct advantage. There were hundreds of lower divinities, some of whom were Regalias while the others were very Minor Gods. Sadly, half of the entities who lived here were affiliated with the lighter side of Sakuya-hime, her nature-related divinities. The other half were affiliated with the enraged, volcanic side of her.
Hundreds of devils, all with Fire affinities, fought with hundreds of Sakuya's minions with magma powers.
Magma was incredibly destructive and could melt most materials, which gave it a formidable advantage against fire. However, fire magic was more versatile and could be controlled in various ways, including creating intense heat, blinding flashes, and smoke screens.
In a head-to-head battle, everything came down to strategy and who could adapt to the situation better. A devil with fire powers might have an advantage in terms of mobility and versatility, while the Minor Gods with magma powers could focus on overwhelming force.
Sadly for the Gods, as this was a sudden attack for which they were barely prepared, the strategy and situation weren't on their side. They also had people to protect, the lower divinities who couldn't fight, while the devils were solely focused on killing the gods.
Thankfully, these minor gods had a major God on their side.
"[Magma Geyser]!" Sakuya-hime, no, the mad Volcano Goddess, roared in fury as her minions moved away from the attack's path.
A stream of lava erupted from below, and the ground burst with heat, catching enemies off-guard as iron-melting liquid splashed over their bodies. Dozens of devils cried, their natural defense not helping against a Goddess' attack, as they fell with chunks of their bodies missing.
"Filthy devils," the Goddess rose in the air, the black ground below her merging with her body and transforming her body into something larger. The human-sized Goddess was a titan in no time, while her minions fled to safety. There was no need for them to fight when their goddess decided to reveal her true form.
She was a giant, a titan of molten rock and lava. Her visage was still feminine, her curves enticing to the eyes, as her titanic height loomed over the uneven landscape. Her skin was replaced with molten black rock, with chunks of cracks that glowed and revealed volcanic lava below, flowing underneath it in an eerie and terrifying manner. The mad Goddess' figure, feminine yet dangerous, had a sinister yet alluring nature. With every move and every breath, as she completed her transformation, she exuded a sense of power and destruction, a fearsome presence that cast an eerie and dangerous atmosphere.
Just her presence shook the world, lava broke free from beneath the earth, eating away more devils. Some used wind magic to take off into the air, some decided to flank the area in a circle to avoid the magma. Only five devils dared to remain in direct confrontation, because the magma didn't harm them, and the bits that did their bodies just healed away.
Five members of the Phenex family. One was Ruval, and then there was his middle brother who wasn't as useless as Riser. The other three were the siblings of the current Lord Phenex, Ruval's two uncles and one aunty.
"I didn't expect this from you, Ruval," the Goddess' voice was filled with fury and disappointment as she addressed the young man who led the five devils. "Regardless. You must pay. [Inferno Maelstrom]!"
She waved her hands, waving them down and down again, as a swirling vortex of lava and melting black rocks spun around to create a burning whirlpool that rushed to the five devils, about to devastate them and the entire area.
The devils rushed ahead, propelling them in the air with a burst of fire, and flying further with the help of wind magic. Unlike the other devil fighters before, the fire of the Phenex Clan was special. It was Hell Fire. They also had natural wind abilities, and finally, they had Immortality.
The molten rocks hit them, eating away at their bodies, and they continued marching forward like nothing. It didn't even take a second for their bodies to fill up, to heal; even their clothes regenerated.
Even someone like Riser could heal from the unbelievable Power of Destruction, so these people, who were much better than Riser, didn't have any problem healing from this. They wouldn't be able to beat this deity with just this, they knew that, but at least they'd be able to hold her off for a long time.
Long enough that when she'd sense that something was going on in the dungeon, she wouldn't be able to intervene and stop.
The war reached a nexus point, as the Phenex devils threw their hellfire at the goddess and pulled her wrath on herself.
* * *
In the meantime, on the middle shore, at the peak of the copy of Mount Fuji in this realm, the Lord of the Phenex Clan was carrying a coffin with careful manipulation of wind magic.
He was on the front of the coffin, walking and leading, while three others, who were direct descendants of the Phenex Clan, walked on either left, right, or back. The four of them were surrounding the coffin in a plus symbol, and leading ahead. Behind them, for multiple kilometers, monsters lay dead on the path. Monsters who had tried to attack them, and were rendered to ashes soon afterwards.
Soon, the four of them paused at the edge of the volcano’s mouth. Unlike the Fuji on Earth, the amount of magma was much more here.
“Is this the place, Rargrig?” asked an old man, Rarzon Phenex was his name. By human standards, he looked to be in his 60s, and he referred to Lord Phenex how a father would address their son. Indeed, that was his father, the previous Phenex Family Head.
“Yes, father.” The Current Lord Phenex, Rargrig Phenex, replied with a nod. His father stayed silent after that; while the two other old men, uncle to Rargrig, also stayed silent. “I am sure you can sense it, the [Fire Stone] is deep inside. I must dive into the lava and bring it out.”
“Be careful,” Rarzon said, watching his son nod and leap into the volcano. His heat resistance was great, so he’d be fine, and even his clothes were enhanced by magic to give him resistance to the lava.
Rargrig Phenex searched for the mythical stone for minutes, all the while Aqua and his group the scene from afar, hidden behind a rock. Aqua’s starry blue eyes locked on the scene as plans circulated in his head.
How must he harvest from this situation?
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