Era of Players: Death God

Chapter 185 : Fastest Clearer 9

Noah's triumph was short-lived. His Unprecedented Presence, usually a beacon of calm amidst the chaos, roared a primal scream of warning. He barely had time to react as a surge of raw power erupted from the seemingly defeated Lizardman General. The creature, its form flickering and shimmering in the heat, wasn't dead. It was transforming.

With a surge of adrenaline fueled by desperation, Noah launched himself backward, propelling his body with every ounce of remaining strength. But it wasn't enough. A massive, fiery fist, imbued with the molten rage of the lava lake below, slammed into him with the force of a battering ram. Stay updated with m-v le-mpyr

Bam!

The impact sent him flying through the air, a ragdoll tossed mercilessly by an unseen giant.

''Gofuh!"

A strangled cry, a choked gasp of pain, escaped his lips as he collided with the far side of the rock platform. The world spun wildly for a moment, the cavern walls shimmering in a blur. Pain, raw and searing, exploded through his chest. He felt the sickening crack of ribs giving way under the force of the blow, a symphony of agony playing out inside his body.

A metallic tang filled his mouth as a cough wracked his body, sending a spray of blood splattering across the hot rock.

Dazed and wounded, Noah slumped against the edge of the platform, the world fading in and out of focus. He knew he couldn't afford to lose consciousness. Not now. Gripping the edge of the rock, he forced himself to his knees, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.

His vision swam, but with a determined snarl, he fumbled with his item box, extracting two vials – a crimson potion pulsing with invigorating energy, and another shimmering with an azure glow.

He uncorked them with shaky hands, tossing his head back as he downed the contents of each in one swift gulp. The Stamina Potion, a fiery concoction, coursed through his veins, offering a much-needed surge of strength and vitality. The Mana Recovery Potion, cool and invigorating, replenished his spent magical reserves.

Slowly, painfully, Noah began to pull himself together. He glanced across the molten expanse, his eyes widening in disbelief. The Lizardman General was gone. In its place stood a creature of pure fire, a living embodiment of the inferno that raged around them.

Its form, vaguely humanoid but twisted and contorted, was composed entirely of molten rock, glowing with an intense crimson heat. Emanating from this fiery monstrosity was an aura of unimaginable power, a pressure that threatened to crush Noah like a mere insect. Its fiery eyes, burning with an unholy intelligence, locked onto him with a malevolent hunger.

This wasn't just the guardian of the fifth floor anymore. This was a being reborn from the flames, a creature fueled by the very essence of the volcano. The true battle, a desperate fight for survival against a primal force of nature, had just begun.

Puff!

Another geyser of blood erupted from Noah's throat, staining the hot rock beneath him crimson. Fury, a primal rage fueled by the searing pain in his chest, replaced the momentary despair. Wiping the blood from his lips, his golden eyes, usually alight with cunning strategy, now burned with a savage determination.

"This is more fun this way, I have finally understood why the system was so generous, there was no way it would be easy if the reward was so enticing." he rasped, his voice hoarse but laced with a dangerous edge. "Well, show me what you've got!"

The defiance in his voice seemed to echo through the cavern, a challenge to the monstrosity before him. He raised the Black Gun, the defiance twisting into a feral grin. A double tap of the trigger sent two magic bullets rocketing toward the creature, streaks of raw power cutting through the shimmering heat.

But the fiery being was more than just brute force. With a speed that defied its molten form, a massive hand, composed of churning lava, erupted from the ground, forming a towering pillar of earth and rock that intercepted the magic bullets with a deafening thud. Noah gritted his teeth as the shockwave from the impact sent tremors through the platform, momentarily disorienting him.

His surprise, however, was short-lived. His Unprecedented Presence flared, picking up on a shift in the creature's fiery aura. The earth pillar crumbled before him, the debris offering a momentary distraction. He used that split second to his advantage. Focusing his telekinetic energy, he snatched control of the falling fragments, transforming them into a makeshift shield.

But the reprieve was fleeting. With a flash of movement, the fiery being had already shifted its position, its burning eyes locked onto him. From its molten form, a half-dozen smoldering earth spears erupted, launched with a speed that defied their size. They hurtled towards Noah, a rain of searing projectiles that threatened to turn him into a pincushion.

Adrenaline surged through his battered body. With a desperate twist of his torso and a powerful leap fueled by his remaining strength, Noah dodged the first spear. He rolled across the scorching rock, the heat searing his skin even through his protective armor. He came up to his feet in a crouch, narrowly avoiding another spear that exploded where he once stood, sending molten shrapnel flying.

The air crackled with a dangerous energy. Noah knew this wouldn't be a one-sided battle. This fiery monstrosity possessed not only immense power but also cunning intelligence. He had to be smarter, faster, and more adaptable than ever before.

He glanced at the Black Gun, a grim reminder of his depleted magical reserves. This wouldn't be a fight won by brute force alone. He needed a new strategy, a way to exploit the creature's limitations and turn his weaknesses into strengths. His golden eyes, gleaming with a newfound resolve, scanned the battlefield, searching for an opening, a path to victory amidst the inferno.

The true test of his skills, a desperate dance between a wounded Player (Well, he was slowly regenerating) and a creature of pure fire, was far from over.

A sardonic grin cracked across Noah's bloodied lips as he aimed the Black Gun once more. He no longer needed theatrics. Two magic bullets, fired in quick succession, streaked towards the fiery behemoth. Just as predicted, a colossal pillar of earth erupted from the ground, seemingly an impenetrable barrier. But this time, a different kind of challenge played out.

"I know already," he muttered, his voice barely a whisper above the roar of the inferno.

An invisible hand, woven from the very essence of his telekinetic power, reached out and grasped the magic bullets mid-flight. With a deft twist of his will, he altered their trajectory, a feat requiring both precision and split-second timing. The bullets, now curving around the earthen barrier, slammed into the monster's side in a fiery explosion.

A deafening roar, a primal shriek of pain, echoed through the cavern as the molten creature writhed in agony. The impact sent molten rock spraying like a grotesque fireworks display, momentarily revealing a core of even more intense heat within the creature's fiery form.

But the victory was short-lived. Enraged and wounded, the fiery being lashed out with a vengeance. Dozens of smoldering earth spears erupted from the ground all around it, a deadly storm aimed at Noah. Their speed was impressive, but nowhere near the peak human reflexes honed by countless battles.

Noah, his movements fluid and almost leisurely despite the pain wracking his body, dodged the rain of fiery projectiles with an almost eerie grace. He moved not with frantic leaps and rolls, but with a calculated precision, anticipating the spears' trajectory and weaving through them with a practiced ease. It was as if he were dancing a deadly ballet amidst the searing inferno.

However, frustration gnawed at him. While his telekinesis allowed him to bypass the creature's initial defenses, the magic bullets simply weren't strong enough to inflict lasting damage. He needed a new approach, a way to exploit the monster's core for a more decisive blow.

His golden eyes, scanning the creature's writhing form, landed on a detail he had missed before. The molten rock that made up its body seemed to churn faster and glow brighter around a central point, almost like a... weak spot. A flicker of hope ignited within him.

With renewed determination, Noah continued his dodging dance, all the while focusing on the creature's core. He needed to get closer, close enough to strike at its weak spot with a more powerful attack. But how? The rain of earth spears showed no signs of stopping.

Suddenly, an idea sparked within his mind, a risky gambit fueled by desperation and a hint of madness. He needed to create an opening, a window of opportunity. A feral grin stretched across his bloodied face. He might be out of magic bullets, but he still had one trick up his sleeve. A trick that could either turn the tide of the battle or send him plummeting into the molten depths below.