Fire Mage-Chapter 661: Fourth Layer

Chapter 661: Fourth Layer

Alistair seized the moment. He charged and struck again—

—But his sword met an ice sculpture. The Jinn’s body shattered into pieces.

"Where did it go?" he asked, voice tight. "A clone ability?"

That was an elemental substitution spell, Charles analyzed quickly. Behind Nyx—

Nyx, drop and roll. Twice!

Nyx moved on instinct, rolling away. But he wasn’t fast enough.

A two-meter-long icy spear shot from the ground, impaling his chest.

"ARGHHH!" A scream of raw agony echoed.

"NO!" Alistair lunged, but Nyx was already sealed inside a hexagonal ice cube.

"Don’t panic," Charles said firmly. "We can still save them."

He began issuing orders telepathically.

Leif, cast [Venom Cleansing] on Evander. Shield yourself with [Radiant Barrier].

W-Who are you? How do you know my spells? Leif stammered but complied.

To Evander: When the Jinn appears behind Leif in three seconds, hit it with [Gale Blade].

One by one, Charles directed them—turning chaos into coordination.

Alistair found an opening ten seconds later and used [Bladestorm Slash] to slice off the Jinn’s left hand.

But it wasn’t enough. The Jinn continued its relentless assault.

Above, the sky darkened. Ominous clouds rolled in. Icy rain began to fall. Layers of ice replaced the desert’s sand.

More members fell under the Jinn’s attacks, forced back, trapped.

"Charles, help me freeze its thoughts again—now!" Alistair shouted. Desperation edged his voice. "We’ll all die at this rate!"

"We haven’t even seen its worst abilities," Charles warned.

Just then, another strange ice elemental energy pulsed outward, creeping into everyone’s minds.

Rowan was the first to feel it.

"I-I s-e-e... i-t... s-l-o-w..."

His voice distorted.

It was the Jinn’s bloodline spell:

Zero Touch.

Within moments, Rowan and the other True Lords were frozen by the Zero Touch spell—locked in place like ice statues.

Only Alistair and Charles remained standing on the battlefield, facing the Fallen Jinn.

"It seems this expenditure is another failure," Alistair muttered with a bitter smile, then frowned as he sensed his thoughts beginning to dull under the spell’s influence.

Though he still had enough strength to kill the Fallen Jinn, he knew the outcome would leave him in critical condition.

I should pull my frozen comrades into my dimensional ring and retreat, he decided, preparing to act.

"Not yet."

Charles’s calm voice interrupted his thoughts. He unsheathed his sword and cast Rebirth Domain.

A second later, crimson fire erupted around them, slowly melting the surrounding ice.

At the same time, Charles vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of the Fallen Jinn.

No, he didn’t vanish. He’s just moving faster.

Alistair’s eyes widened in surprise.

Although the energy of the ice domain slowed Charles’s advance, it wasn’t enough to halt him.

The Fallen Jinn raised its lone arm and gathered ice-elemental energy around its fist, forming a crystalline weapon. It then uttered an arcane word and struck toward Charles’s head.

But Charles cast False Field, doubling his speed again.

In an instant, he blinked behind the Jinn.

Simultaneously, he cast Burning Thoughts, Fire Seed, and Purple Consciousness, flooding the Jinn’s mind with disruptive magic.

With a vertical slash of his blade, he cleaved the creature cleanly in two.

Bluish blood splattered across the melting ice as the Jinn’s bisected body fell with a heavy thud.

"Tsk. No wisdom points," Charles muttered, sheathing his sword and scanning the area.

"You hid your abilities well," Alistair said solemnly as he approached the Jinn’s corpse.

"I just did what anyone would in that situation, Mr. Alistair," Charles replied with a shrug, then added, "Compared to the Abyssal Hound on the second layer, this Fallen Jinn was at least twice as strong."

Alistair nodded, thoughtful. "The higher the layer, the stronger the beasts. I wouldn’t be surprised if most Legend-rank creatures in the Fourth Layer are on par with this Jinn."

"But then... how strong is the Boss of the Fourth Layer?" Charles asked.

Alistair fell silent.

"Even defeating this one felt like a dream," he said at last. "Be careful, Charles. That Boss won’t be easy."

"Don’t worry, Mr. Alistair. Even if it’s twice as strong, I’ll find a way to deal with it." Charles’s voice was calm and confident.

Alistair shook his head. "It’s not that simple. Even groups like the Pentagon Family and Amber Church, who reached the Fourth Layer, never revealed details about it to their own leaders. They only returned with treasures and artifacts—never a word about the boss or this realm. That’s suspicious in itself. Challenge the Boss only after regrouping with your comrades or joining a powerful team—preferably one led by someone at least Level 69 by your world’s standards."

"I’m still far from that," Charles agreed, then began increasing the surrounding temperature with his Rebirth Domain. The ice entrapping the others began to melt, slowly releasing them.

Alistair moved quickly, administering healing potions to those most severely injured.

Only Nyx remained in critical condition.

Though still alive thanks to a Life Potion, his consciousness had completely vanished. He had fallen into a coma.

"We’ll have to wait for his soul to form a new one," Alistair said regretfully. "He might lose some memories, but it’s better than death."

He turned to Rowan.

"Can you stay in this layer and take Nyx to Edhen? I’m not sure we can protect him beyond this point."

"Wouldn’t that be riskier? What if he runs into another group?" Charles asked.

Alistair let out a chuckle. "He carries a secret item that can completely mask his presence. Unless he willingly reveals himself, even a Demigod would struggle to find him." He pulled off his dimensional ring, transferred a few essentials into another space ring, and handed the first to Rowan.

Rowan walked over to the unconscious Nyx and carefully stored him inside the ring.

"I’ll pray for your safe return, Lord Alistair," Rowan said solemnly, bowing his head.

Alistair nodded and signaled everyone to gather at the center of the oasis.

As they regrouped, a dense surge of spatial energy began to gather around them.

Soon, a deep crack appeared in space, expanding into a two-meter-tall bluish portal.

"Let’s go," Alistair said, leaping into the portal.

One by one, Charles and the others followed, disappearing into the void.

"Hope they find something worthwhile in the Fourth Layer," Rowan muttered, touching his necklace before vanishing as well.

Land of Wicked Souls, Fourth Layer

It was a realm carved from torment—where eternal suffering and chaos reigned supreme.

As Charles and the others emerged, a scene of devastation spread before them. Jagged hills loomed over rivers of molten lava, their fiery currents writhing like serpents. Charred earth crunched underfoot, scattered with the ashen remains of forgotten creatures.

The air was thick and choking, filled with smoke rising from countless lava chasms. The sky glowed crimson, flickering with distant bursts of infernal fire.

"Even the air is hard to breathe," Alistair said, scanning the area.

Charles surveyed the land, then asked, "What’s your plan now? I’m going to look for my companions."

Alistair nodded after a moment. "We’ll find a safe place to rest, then figure out how to gather information."

"Then I’ll head out alone." Charles smiled. "I need to find them."

"I wish you luck, Charles. And be cautious—otherworldly travelers aren’t always friendly," Alistair warned.

"I’ll keep that in mind, Mr. Alistair. If fate allows, I’ll visit the Edhen Plane and share a drink with all of you."

With that, Charles bid farewell to the True Lords and set off on his own.

Charles continued across the cracked terrain, eyes scanning his surroundings. In the distance, a lake of lava shimmered ominously. Beyond it, a fortress-like structure perched on a nearby hill.

He stopped.

Something was watching him.

His gaze shifted instinctively to the left—but then snapped upward, toward the crimson sky.

A presence was descending.

From above, a figure glided down with elegant speed and landed a hundred meters away.

A man.

He stood 1.8 meters tall, his skin the pale gray of ash. His violet, vertically slit eyes glowed under the bloody sky. As he smiled faintly, sharp, elongated canines peeked from his lips.

His black suit clung to him like a shadow, accentuating every motion.

A vampire... Charles’s expression stiffened.

Before he could react, a strange energy radiated from those purple eyes, latching onto his mind.

The man stepped forward, his voice emerging in an unfamiliar tongue.

"%u%%( %o$( $(%?"

I can’t see clearly. Damn it.

Charles struggled against the sudden hypnosis, vision blurring. Around his neck, the Shadow Princess coiled tightly and hissed at the Vampire.

Though it sounded like a baby snake’s harmless hiss, an invisible force accompanied the sound, shattering the spell like fragile glass.

Snapping out of the daze, Charles blinked in surprise. She broke the hypnosis?

The next moment, a row of information appeared before his eyes.

’Dorian... Rank-6... Member of Shadowstalkers.... Bloodline Spells...’

After a swift look at his status, Charles’s gaze locked on Dorian. Without wasting a second, he launched a psychic assault.

As Dorian stepped forward, his body froze mid-motion—his mind blanking out, forgetting how to take the next step. At that moment, Charles cast [Burning Thoughts], warping in front of him.