The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 700 - 724 Fire Elementals

Chapter 700 -724 Fire Elementals

(Updating first, revising later)

The group continued downward along the staircase and soon encountered a fork in the road. Lancelot sensed briefly and quickly distinguished which path to take—since the end would feature a lava lake, naturally it was the fork where the fire-attribute spiritual energy was most potent. As a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, with a spirit root of the fire attribute, finding the correct answer was not difficult for Lancelot.

They encountered several more junctions after that, but as they grew closer to their goal, Lancelot’s choices became increasingly straightforward. The temperature within the tunnel gradually rose, feeling less like they were traversing the depths underground and more akin to a blacksmith’s district at noon, surrounded by the hiss of blazing forges and the flow of molten iron into molds.

After descending further, the tunnel exit suddenly appeared before them. Passing through that gate, they found themselves on the edge of a massive cavern. The entire cavern was nearly as vast as the Flame Palace above, with an area near the tunnel exit consisting of a ‘beach’ made of black crystalline rocks. Some three hundred feet further was the ‘shoreline’.

Continuing forward lay a magma lake that emitted fiery light, turning the whole cavern orange-red. A dock-like black bridge extended deep into the lava lake, and that dock was the optimal entry point for Lancelot to ‘dive’ into the lake.

But before they could close in on that spot, there were some minor troubles to be dealt with.

Wandering across that black crystalline sand were dozens of creatures made almost entirely of flames. These creatures stood over eight feet tall, with only vague humanoid outlines, though their robust arms were especially distinct. Additionally, they wore a pair of shackles-like bracelets on their wrists—the only things on their bodies that were not made of flames.

“Fire Elementals,” the half-elf cursed swordmaster slowly summoned her shadow glaive, “These creatures have very low intelligence. A natural disaster is a more fitting description than a living being. Only weapons imbued with magic can harm them, which shouldn’t be a problem for any of you, except Little Monkey. You’ll need to activate your Peach Stick Spell first…”

“It’s Peach Stick Spell,” the demon monkey girl corrected, “That… fighting with them, will we catch fire ourselves…”

“Leave that to me,” the elf priest interjected, “Once the battle starts, I will create a rain using my circle upcasting water conjuring spell. As long as you stay within thirty feet of me, I assure you nothing on you will catch fire and burn.”

“Good,” Lancelot nodded and squinted slightly, scrutinizing the flame creatures, “What’s with the bracers on their arms? That’s definitely not something they were born with.”

“Indeed it isn’t, elemental beings shouldn’t be equipped with any gear,” Tanya frowned slightly, “If I had to guess, perhaps those are the tools Visuvius uses to enslave these Fire Elementals. They’re trapped here, serving as guards for the Barlow Flame Demon, since their fists of flame can’t inflict any harm on the Flame Demon itself.”

“That’s probably the case,” Lancelot agreed with the half-elf’s opinion, then instructed his companions: “Let’s form a defensive formation, protecting Alamir in the center. I’ll be in front, Bruto on the left, Tanya on the right, Jing, ensure our rear is secure first and foremost; if there are no enemies, you can support any one of us at will. Everyone, do not break formation to pursue, and keep within range of Alamir’s water conjuring spell, understood?”

“Got it!”

“Let’s go.”

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Taking the Human Knight as the arrowhead, the group departed from the tunnel exit in a triangular formation. Within a few steps, a number of Fire Elementals noticed these intruders and, with a strange roar, swirled towards them like a whirlwind. Standing at the forefront, Lancelot faced the brunt of the attack as a fist of flame, as large as a helmet, hurtled directly at his face.

As Lancelot was unclear about the strength and characteristics of the Fire Elementals, he did not wait until the last moment to strike. His longsword, gleaming with a cyan light called Frostslash, was swung directly, colliding with the fist composed of flame. The scenario Lancelot feared, where his sword would simply pass through the flame, did not occur. The body of the Fire Elemental was surprisingly solid, and its huge fist was sent flying by the slash, as if the sword had struck a Nail-headed Hammer.

Though it was difficult to see from the outside how much damage the sword had done, the Fire Elemental seemed to have become even angrier. It raised its other arm to throw another punch, but by then, Lancelot had roughly discerned the enemy’s capabilities. He retreated half a step diagonally back, dodging the attack with apparent ease, while his weapon traced a strange path, slicing into the Fire Elemental’s forearm.

The Flame Elemental’s brass-bracered hand fell to the ground, and it let out a strange and anguished scream, clearly suffering immense damage. Seeing that the attack was effective, Lancelot spun his longsword over his head before chopping down once more, severing the enemy’s other bracered arm.

The Fire Elemental before him suddenly ‘collapsed’, countless tiny flames leaking out from its body like water from a punctured vessel, the Elemental deflating rapidly like a pierced ball. Just then, a suitable amount of rain fell on Lancelot’s head, not only cooling him slightly but also completely eradicating his opponent from sight.

“Aim for the bracers!” Lancelot quickly shouted a reminder, “That’s their weak point!”

While the next enemy had not yet advanced, Lancelot glanced back to see Bruto’s neck-flames being doused by the rain. The Dwarf appeared to be having some trouble against the large, kneeless creature—he was desperately holding up his shield, striving to withstand hammer-like punches, one heavier than the next. Judging from the sparks flying, if it weren’t for the rain summoned by Alamir, Bruto would have surely been set ablaze.

In another direction, the Half-elf appeared much more at ease. It seemed as though some new power had awakened within her; when the Fire Elementals drew near, their flames inexplicably dimmed, and their movements slowed as if wading through a marsh, allowing Tanya to effortlessly poke several holes in them with her pike. Upon hearing Lancelot’s tip, she quickly shifted her attack focus and soon severed a pair of bracers, with the Fire Elemental reacting almost exactly like the one Lancelot had defeated, vanishing completely in a few moments.

“No good, I can’t hit them!” The Dwarf called out in frustration, “Someone help me, my hammer can’t do this!”

Before he could finish his plea, aid from the demon monkey girl had already arrived. Jing transformed the ends of her iron-headed stick into crescent-shaped Spade Blades. Timing her strike perfectly with the Fire Elemental’s fists hammering on the Dwarf’s shield, she cut off both bracers in one blow, relieving the Dwarf from his predicament.