Chapter 36: Time for a Surprise Attack!
The purification process stretched for nearly three minutes, each second dragging heavily in the suffocating atmosphere. Finally, the golden formation flared one last time. The final wisp of black mist was completely refined, evaporating into nothingness. Along with it, the last trace of Ethereal crystal clinging to Pompey's body shattered and vanished.
The solemn golden array and the massive wrench phantom, having fulfilled their purpose, gradually dimmed. Their radiant light receded, breaking apart into tiny, glowing motes that dissolved into the scorching air.
Thump.
Stripped of the formation's support, Pompey's body went entirely limp. He collapsed heavily against the ground.
A dead silence descended upon the cavernous expanse of the Blazestone Fire Lake. The only sounds remaining were the sluggish, gurgling churn of the magma below and the occasional metallic groan of the surrounding pipes expanding under the intense heat.
Everyone stood rooted to the spot, completely absorbed in the shocking, life-reversing miracle they had just witnessed. Their minds struggled to process the sheer impossibility of the event.
Paimon let out a long, exaggerated sigh, lifting a tiny hand to wipe nonexistent sweat from her forehead. She floated in a slow circle, blinking at the dumbfounded expressions of her companions. They looked as though they had been struck by a petrification spell.
Dissatisfied with the lack of applause, she puffed out her cheeks. She zipped right into the center of the group, planting her hands firmly on her hips. "Hey, hey, hey! Shouldn't you guys be praising me right about now? I just pulled him all the way back from the gates of hell!"
Her voice carried a heavy dose of smug pride, practically begging for a shower of compliments.
Those childish, demanding words acted like a stone tossed into a stagnant pond, instantly shattering the solidified tension in the air.
"This... this is simply..." Caesar murmured. Her eyes remained wide, fixated on the scene. She simply could not wrap her head around the miraculous reversal of Ethereal corruption. She stared down at Pompey. His chest rose and fell with weak but steady breaths. Not a single trace of the dark erosion remained on his skin. It felt entirely like a fever dream.
The others finally shook off their stupor.
Lumine moved with practiced efficiency. She sheathed her sword in a swift motion and reached into her inventory. Her hand emerged holding a small alchemy potion that radiated a soft, emerald-green glow. This was a high-grade emergency medicine she had specifically brewed before her journey to Natlan, packed with dense life energy designed to rapidly replenish stamina and restore vitality to the brink of death.
Lumine crouched beside the fallen man. She carefully supported Pompey's head with one hand, bringing the rim of the glass vial to his lips. She tilted it slowly, allowing the glowing liquid to slide down his throat. She knew exactly what she was doing. Even though Paimon's bizarre optimization had eradicated the toxins and the corruption, Pompey's physical body had been completely hollowed out by the ordeal. He was in an extremely fragile state. Without immediate energy replenishment, his life would still slip away.
Right at that moment, Lucy violently jolted. The sheer shock of Pompey's survival had momentarily wiped her mind clean, but reality came crashing back with terrifying force. She remembered the imminent, catastrophic crisis they had completely ignored.
"Caesar! Where is the Flint?!" Lucy's voice cracked with sharp urgency. She pointed a trembling finger toward the Blazestone Fire Lake. The strange, jagged Ethereal crystals were continuously devouring the molten surface. "The Fire Lake! The Fire Lake is about to be completely sealed over by Ethereal crystals! If we do not act right this second, it will be too late!"
Caesar snapped fully back to reality at Lucy's desperate shout. The color drained from her face, leaving her deathly pale. "Oh no! The Fire Lake!"
She patted down her pockets frantically, her hands shaking until her fingers closed around that crucial object. She pulled out the Flint, the heavy artifact that symbolized both absolute victory and crushing responsibility.
"Quick! Get to the edge of the Fire Lake!"
The entire group recognized the severity of the situation. Without wasting another breath, they sprinted toward the rocky precipice overlooking the magma.
The sight that greeted them sent a collective chill straight to the bottom of their hearts.
The vast expanse of the lake, which should have been a churning cauldron of destructively high-temperature magma, was now largely entombed. Massive, eerie purple Ethereal crystals jutted out from the surface, multiplying and spreading like a malignant plague. These jagged formations acted like greedy, unnatural ice, rapidly freezing over the last remaining patch of orange-red liquid near the very center of the caldera. The magma there still bubbled stubbornly, but the encroaching crystals were closing in at a terrifying, visible speed.
The ambient temperature of the entire cavern plummeted several degrees as the Fire Lake was forcefully suffocated. A foul, unsettling scent of sulfur and decay permeated the air.
March 7th peered toward the distant center of the lake, her usually cheerful face pulled into a grimace. "At this rate, we are probably going to have to fly over there! It is way too far, and the middle is completely blocked by those crystals. We cannot just walk across that!"
Caesar locked her gaze onto that final, desperate glimmer of fire. That tiny patch of magma represented the absolute lifeline of the Outer Ring. A fierce, decisive light flared in her eyes.
Without a single moment of hesitation, she spun on her heel and marched straight toward her heavy motorcycle. She swung her leg over the leather seat, her left hand gripping the Flint in a white-knuckled hold.
"There is no time left!" Caesar's voice rang out with absolute resolution, carrying the heavy, unmistakable weight of someone preparing to burn their bridges. "I will go! I have to throw the Flint in!"
She revved the engine, the mechanical roar echoing violently off the cavern walls. She prepared to launch herself directly onto the jagged, dead-end surface of the crystal lake. Even if she knew it was nothing more than a moth diving into an open flame, she was fully prepared to trade her life to buy the Outer Ring one last sliver of hope.
"Wait." A perfectly calm, level voice cut through the roar of the engine.
Dan Heng materialized like a phantom directly in front of Caesar's motorcycle. He planted one hand firmly on the handlebars. His physical strength was overwhelming, forcefully pinning the heavy machine in place and completely killing its forward momentum.
Caesar practically jumped out of her seat in pure anxiety. "Dan Heng! There is no time left! I have to go! Let go of the bike!" Her eyes darted between him and the dying lake, filled with a chaotic mix of confusion and absolute desperation.
Dan Heng completely ignored her panic. His sharp gaze bypassed Caesar entirely and locked onto Stelle, who was still standing off to the side, slightly dazed by the sheer absurdity of the purification ritual. "Stelle! Do not just stand there. Get out your Bamboo-copter. Now."
"Huh? Bamboo-copter?" Stelle blinked, suddenly pulled from her thoughts. She subconsciously repeated the bizarre phrase, her brain struggling to catch up with the situation.
However, her trust in Dan Heng was absolute. Even though she had absolutely no idea what he was planning, she tapped into her system inventory without a second thought. A small, green-quality item materialized instantly in the palm of her hand.
Dan Heng snatched the plastic-looking Bamboo-copter from her grasp. In one swift, precise motion, he reached over and planted the small contraption directly onto the top of Caesar's head.
Caesar and the rest of the Sons of Calydon froze in absolute bewilderment.
Lucy and Wright stared with wide, unblinking eyes. They completely failed to comprehend why, at this critical, life-or-death juncture, this calm archivist had physically stopped their leader just to stick a child's toy on her head. Even a few solemn words of encouragement or a tragic farewell would have made more sense than this!
"Dan Heng, what is this...?" Caesar asked, her voice trembling with a mix of urgency and utter bafflement.
"Focus!" Dan Heng commanded, his voice carrying an obvious, piercing authority. He looked directly into Caesar's eyes, refusing to let her look away. "Think about exactly where you want to fly. Fly to the center of the Fire Lake. Do it now. Think quickly!"
Even though the entire concept felt utterly ridiculous, the sheer certainty in Dan Heng's serious gaze made Caesar instinctively comply.
She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep, shuddering breath, and focused every ounce of her willpower on the small plastic toy resting on her head.
'Take me to the center of the Fire Lake! Take me to the center of the Fire Lake!'
Buzz—
Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, the tiny Bamboo-copter on Caesar's head actually began to spin at a terrifyingly high speed. It emitted a distinct, high-pitched buzzing sound.
Immediately after, an even more impossible scene unfolded.
Driven entirely by the little spinning propeller, Caesar's body slowly and steadily lifted off the seat of her motorcycle, floating directly up into the air.
"Sh-she is floating?!" Wright exclaimed, his jaw dropping so hard he did not even notice his signature sunglasses slipping off his face and clattering against the rocky ground.
"My goodness..." Lucy slapped both hands over her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers. This blatant defiance of physics completely overturned her entire understanding of the world.
Realizing that her bizarre inventory item was once again the center of everyone's absolute shock, Stelle casually stepped forward. She waved her hand through the air, her tone dropping into a dramatic, serious register.
"Ahem. It is time for a surprise attack!"
A second later, the dramatic facade melted away, and she reverted to her usual, carefree, chaotic demeanor.
"I finally got a chance to use Jing Yuan's line. That really is cool!"
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