Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 690 - 635: Flame Venerable

Storm and flames collided in the sky, the roars of wind and fire replacing the rumbling thunder. Just as the Baron of the Garden had said, this was a declaration of war from the Land of Blazing Flames against the stormy skies, and the portal he had painstakingly opened to the Land of Blazing Flames had almost taken away all the Flame Elementals under his command.

Dwarves riding on Flame Elementals sat in specially made saddles, swinging hammers ablaze with fire to strike at every spinning vortex or flash of lightning in the sky. The Gale Elementals were incredibly fast in their own elemental plane, possessing powerful preemptive abilities, often dodging a Dwarf’s hammer swing only to strike back with three swift cuts of a Gale Scimitar. Thankfully, the swift attacks of the gales weren’t powerful enough to penetrate the protective Elemental Equipment.

The Dwarven warriors were somewhat surprised; they had previously tested the might of a Flame Elemental’s fist and assumed their opponents would be of a similar strength level.

Is this it? It felt like a waste of time to have urgently enchanted their strong wind protection gear.

"Put some back into it, will you? You don’t even blow as hard as the bellows at my home! Do you even deserve to be called an Elemental Creature? You Wind Elements can’t possibly be the weakest of the four elements, can you?!" The Dwarves’ verbal assaults seemed to be strangely effective against the highly arrogant Wind Elements, which abandoned their elusive attack patterns for unwise, rapid-fire onslaughts like a sudden deluge.

Though neither the Flame Elementals nor the Dwarves could land a hit on the relentless Gale due to their slow attacks, they at least managed to hold these Gale Guards at bay.

The real battle was taking place at the South Wind Divine Temple, where the clash between the two Elemental Lords would determine the victor.

The Baron of the Garden had used Lord Southwind’s arrogance to set up a Rune of Blazing Flame in his palace, creating a wall of fire that restrained the raging wind. But this was only to prevent his escape. He still had to face South Wind Xitul, and quickly, before the other Lords of the Wind caught on.

"You will regret facing my storm!" Xitul, a whirlwind spinning rapidly, taunted, lightning flickering ever more intensely within his body. No Elemental Lord was a fool; he understood that wind attacks were less effective against flame, but summoning lightning was also a strong suit of the Wind Element. The ever-changing wind endowed them with the fastest attack and frightful long-range striking capabilities, facing numerous foes all at once.

"Lightning! Devour my enemies!"

Fast and precise, a Lightning Strike hit the Lord of Flames’ breastplate, a flash of light as the electric arc leaped to the nearby bookshelf, reducing Xitul’s collection to dust.

"Ah ah ah!!! Damn this armor!!! You were actually hiding such equipment. I should have guessed you were wearing Elemental Equipment!" The Baron of the Garden had visited Xitul decked out in immensely gaudy Elemental Equipment. Since the Wind Element itself enjoyed such extravagance and impractical attire, they naturally considered the Baron’s outfit to be all show and no substance.

There weren’t many armaments in the world that could boast both style and substance.

"Ops officer! We’re here to help you!!!" Bearing burn wounds, several Dwarven Life Warlords burst into the battle between the two great Elemental Lords.

"Insects! Be gone!" The surging Chain Lightning was faster than any words, and the Lightning Strike had a special amplification against flesh and blood due to its intense penetrative ability, able to ignore armor to an extent. Of the five Life Warlords who had descended, one had been in the middle of a chain reaction caused by the Chain Lightning. Though he had withstood the blow with his superhuman physique, white smoke rose from his body, and his eyes turned completely white as the lightning strike left him unconscious.

"Be careful!"

Another bolt of lightning followed, aiming to deliver the final blow to the unlucky Dwarf, when two Hammers of the Red Dragon intercepted the lightning, which, having been struck by it, rebounded onto the injured Dwarf. The two Life Warlords were surprised to see their Warhammers knocked off course, having only intended to shield their comrade from the lightning.

Lord Southwind’s laughter provided the answer quickly.

"Hahahaha, foolish fleshly beings, are you the new pets the Flame Barbarians have taken in? Idiots, I am the embodiment of the storm; not only can I control lightning, but I can also trigger some fascinating chain effects. Using iron as a weapon! Fools, electromagnetic control is also within my power—all weapons you use to strike me will turn into blades that harm yourselves!"

A collective stupor took hold of the Life Warlords, while the Baron of the Garden stood there dumbfounded. The silence and shock of the Dwarves were immensely gratifying to Xitul, his boisterous laughter thunderous.

"Hahahaha, scared now, are you!"

Another Hammer of the Red Dragon ablaze with flames flew toward Lord Southwind’s face, as an unbelieving Dwarf made another foolish attempt.

"It’s pointless, no matter how many times you try! I control your weapons!" Xitul’s fingers moved, and the Hammer of the Red Dragon veered off and hit a Dwarf on the head.

The "infuriated" Dwarf cursed loudly.

"Fuck! What luck, no need to even aim! Baron of the Garden, could you have picked a better opponent for us? He’s perfectly countered by us!"

South Wind Xitul noticed no despair in the Life Warlords.

The Baron of the Garden scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "I didn’t know he would be this weak. Well, since he’s easy to defeat, let’s finish him off quickly!"

The Dwarf hit by the Hammer of Life burst into Blazing Flame Force; his injuries completely healed, his vigor even more robust.

It was now Lord Southwind who was surprised.

"How is this possible? Why are your attacks having no effect on you!!! I had returned all the force back to you!!!"

The Baron of the Garden’s fists radiated a brilliant light from ten rings, and he bellowed as he charged forward.

"This is the Life Force granted by the Red Dragon. If you had paid attention earlier, you wouldn’t be so shocked, arrogant Xitul. Prepare to be beaten!!!"

After about three or four rounds of heavy beatings, Xitul finally grasped the power of the Life Warlords—they could actually fight and heal themselves, the damage caused by his lightning strikes, would be healed with just a single swing of their hammers. These annoying ants were practically immortal. Moreover, his weapon’s counterattack only helped them heal faster; it was like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.

Xitul had tried ignoring those hammers, and even using the magical hammer’s healing power on himself, which almost turned him into a fire whirlwind.

"What a damned ability! How come your healing can only work on yourselves?!"

The response from the Life Warlord was straightforward.

"This is what the Red Dragon Queen expects of us! How could a fool like you, who blasphemes against her, possibly bathe in her Blazing Flame Force like we, the Life Warlords, do?"

The weakening of the Wind Elemental Lord was proceeding methodically, but still too slowly. The Gale Elementals, fighting outside against the Dwarf Legion, had come to their senses; ignoring the shouting Dwarves, they began to seek assistance from other Wind Elemental Lords.

Baron of the Garden was running out of time!

"Time is running out! Paul, you guys get out of here, we’re using that move!"

Upon receiving the instructions, the Life Warlords ceased their restraint on Xitul and ran out of the range of the Flame Hell. Xitul, who hadn’t relaxed yet, saw those impressive Dwarves once again raise those disgusting hammers.

"With the Blazing Flame Force bestowed upon us by the Red Dragon Imelt!"

They roared loudly, their hammers igniting into roaring flames, the scorching fire seemingly needing no fuel as it grew intense, turning into wildfires. Then, that dangerously searing Flame Force poured into the perilous body of the Baron of the Garden.

Sharing the same room as two Elemental Lords, a terrified Xitul saw Baron of the Garden recklessly absorbing power, swelling continuously.

"What are you doing, Baron of the Garden! Have you lost your mind!"

With a cheap grin, Baron of the Garden said indifferently, "I’m planning to self-destruct, you know. My explosion, as the Lord of Flames, will definitely take you out instantly."

Xitul was trembling all over, no longer caring about the burning pain from the Rune of Blazing Flame. He frantically tried to escape the barrier, but it was futile; the power of the Rune of Blazing Flame grew stronger in tandem with Baron of the Garden.

"Don’t be rash! What did I ever do to you! If you’re going to die, you want to take me down with you?! There’s more than one Wind Elemental Lord! You damned lunatic!"

By that time, Baron of the Garden’s face had swollen and distorted, emitting a dazzling light from within his body.

"No, only you will die, darling. Remember, I am a follower of the Red Dragon Imelt. The Red Dragon’s Blazing Flame Force can also reignite my fire! Surprised, idiot? In the name of the Red Dragon Queen, die! Xitul!"

"One hundred percent genuine self-destruction of the Flame Lord!"

Boom!

The stormy skies violently shook in the explosion, the Wind and Flame Elementals caught in the blast were blown away by the heatwave, looking up at the fiery cloud slowly rising, the azure sky stained red.

In the Elemental Plane, the times were changing.

The heatwave rolled back in an instant; within the shattered ruins of the South Wind Divine Temple, five Life Warlords held up the Hammer of the Red Dragon, the flaming light of their hammerheads merging into one, the Elemental Forces from the destruction of the two Elemental Lords soaking in amidst the flames.

Like the rolling boil of soup in the sky, a new form took shape amid the cheers of the Flame Elementals and Dwarves.

His flames made the air boil, the distorted light amplifying the grandeur of the Sky-Holding Fire, and the burning giant cracked a smile, igniting a regal crown atop his head like bull horns. At this moment, all Elements understood his existence.

Flame Venerable, Baron of the Garden.

With an effortless wave from the Elemental Venerable, in the Land of Blazing Flames, several volcanoes erupted furiously, the rising volcanic ash forming dirty clouds in the stormy skies, releasing heatwaves that delighted the Flame Creatures.

The Elemental Venerable was conquering the stormy skies’ domain.

The majestic figure tore through the clouds like the sun, and Baron of the Garden laughed heartily in the midst of the fierce winds.

"In the name of the Red Dragon Queen Imelt, my brothers! Let everything burn hotter!"

"Enjoy the carnival!"