NOVEL NEXT Chapter 463: Lightning That Chased the Fire
The molten torrent streaming from the volcano's mouth began to thin, and a cautious relief spread through the survivors. But that momentary calm was shattered when the mountain bellowed again. The roar was deeper this time, angrier, and a fresh column of lava surged skyward. Within the blazing current, countless molten boulders—some the size of houses—hurtled into the air before plummeting earthward.
The crowd's panic reignited instantly.
Even the red-clad girl, who had stood her ground with unshakable defiance until now, felt a creeping despair. "Run! All of you!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry—I've kept you here too long!" Her eyes glistened. The first eruption had claimed lives, but those who'd fled early were already beyond danger. She had raised a protective barrier, and many had rushed to shelter under it, believing it safe. Now, with the air filled with falling magma and boulders, staying here meant only one thing—death. If they left now, there was still a sliver of hope.
Her words struck like a spark in dry tinder. Faces beneath the shimmering barrier shifted—some full of fear, others of resentment, still others simply hollow with exhaustion.
The girl's gaze swept across them, and the light in her eyes dimmed.
Blackie noticed it too. The black-clad youth bristled at the silent accusations in those stares. "Damn you ungrateful leeches! We didn't invite you in! Keep glaring at her, and I'll put my foot so far into you you'll choke on it!"
Before anyone could answer, he made good on the threat. Thump! His boot struck a man square in the chest, the impact caving it inward. The man flew backward through the barrier, landing in the molten rain. The lava swallowed him in an instant—he was gone before his scream could finish.
"You dare to kill—!"
The rest froze, staring at Blackie in shock. But fear outweighed outrage, and most broke into a full retreat, bursting through the barrier and sprinting into the burning wasteland beyond.
The entire space was now thick with raging fire energy. The ground boiled with heat, molten rivers writhing like living things. The air shimmered, unstable and turbulent, making flight suicidal. Even Ethan, in his Swift Flight form, was forced down to the scorched earth. Running was faster than trying to fight the air currents above.
As his boots hit the ground, he caught sight of a man being hurled backward into a curtain of lava, vanishing instantly. Something ahead wasn't right. Ethan pushed forward at a sprint, breaking through the barrier just in time to hear Micah shout:
"Don't even think about leaving! Give me back my scroll! Julian! Blackie! Reddie! Move! With that scroll, we can get out of this hell!"
Micah's jaw clenched as he hurled his only offensive scroll toward a man dressed in rich purple silks. Julian, already drawing the long blade Ethan had given him, leapt like a hunting hawk. His target wasn't the man's head—it was the pouch at his belt. Inside was their way out. They all knew it.
Blackie didn't even ask questions—Julian was attacking, so he attacked too. A ball of crackling lightning materialized in his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, it shot toward the man. Ethan blinked in surprise. Blackie had learned a skill—and not a weak one.
The purple-clad man had only just entered the barrier to avoid the lava outside. He'd been about to leave with the others when the scroll detonated in front of him, blocking his way. Then came the blade, the lightning—his temper snapped.
Micah's scroll struck first, its explosion distorting the air and forcing him a step back. His fine clothes tore in several places, but his skin remained untouched. Julian's slash came next, hard and fast.
"You've got a death wish!" the man snarled, driving both fists forward. A massive, shimmering imprint of a fist appeared in the air and hurtled toward Julian.
Boom!
Blackie's lightning orb, though thrown later, hit first—right in the man's chest. Sparks skittered over him in a web of tiny arcs, but they only slowed him for a heartbeat. Julian's blade tore through the fist imprint, killing its force, but his momentum was spent. The purple-clad man used the lightning's recoil to launch himself backward, clearly choosing to escape rather than stand his ground.
"Run? Not a chance!" Blackie shouted. "Shadow Lightning—manifest!"
A second orb of lightning, larger and darker, flared to life before his chest. This time he didn't throw it. Instead, the fleeing man's body jerked as if hooked by an invisible chain, yanked backward toward Blackie. His speed only increased the closer he came.
Blackie grinned, fangs flashing. "Heh… Polar lightning really does attract each other."
Even the red-clad girl spared him a glance at that. She knew exactly where that power came from. She'd found the technique herself in a cave on the sixth floor of the Spirit Realm Trials. Of course, Blackie had been with her then—more like stuck to her.
When she'd first entered the trials, she'd headed straight for the deeper floors. By sheer accident, Blackie had appeared in her path. When their eyes met, his expression was unforgettable—wide-eyed, practically drooling. She'd ignored him and kept going, but he'd followed anyway. She'd tried everything to shake him, but the stubborn fool wouldn't leave.
By the time they reached the sixth floor, she'd resigned herself to his presence. She'd even tried to lose him on the Ascension Staircase, thinking the trials would finish him off. Instead, he'd passed without breaking a sweat.
The Spirit Realm had nine levels, but only eight Ascension Staircases. The first four were like gauntlets—failure didn't kill you. From the fifth onward, the challenges became lethal. Pass, and the realm rewarded you—reshaping your body, your strength, your very essence. Fail, and the staircase claimed your life.
The first level tested bone and muscle, the second the soul, the third inner energy, the fourth willpower. The fifth was a Sea of Fire that forged flesh and blood. For most, it was agony. For her, a Fire Qilin, it was nothing. Blackie wasn't immune to fire, but his resistance to elemental energy was absurdly high. Together, they'd walked through the Sea of Fire without breaking stride.
On the sixth floor, they'd found the lightning inheritance. She'd let him take it—lightning suited him better than it ever would her. And though she'd never admit it out loud, in that moment she'd begun to see Blackie in a different light.