The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 701 - 725 No Need to Panic

Chapter 701 -725 No Need to Panic

The trouble with Fire Elementals lay in two aspects: first, their attacks had the characteristic of igniting anything flammable upon impact; second, they themselves were made of flames, meaning merely getting close could cause burn damage. In actual combat, the first issue could be resolved with an Elf Priest’s Water Conjuring Spell, and as long as they were quickly eliminated, the threat of the latter wasn’t so significant.

Once they grasped the knack of it, the battle became much easier, and if one disregarded their ability to ignite, the combat power of the Fire Elementals was even less than that of a Berserk Demon (though Bruto would disagree). The group didn’t take much effort to clean up all these enslaved elemental creatures and advanced to a spot only thirty feet away from the Lava Lake.

The companions all stopped in their tracks, for the surrounding temperature had reached an unbearable level; even Bruto’s beard had bent due to the high heat, making it look like a huge eggplant was growing on his chin.

“Big brother, this is as far as we go,” the Dwarf smoothed out his beard and pressed it back into shape. “You’ll have to go the rest of the way on your own.”

“What, don’t you want to see the treasures inside Visuvius’s vault?”

“I do, but I can’t go,” Bruto sighed. “We don’t have your kind of ability…”

“Since we’ve come all this way, it’d be a shame not to take a look,” Lancelot laughed, “Just wait for me a moment.”

With that, he walked forward, stepping onto the black lengthy bridge that led deep into the Lava Lake. The terrifying heat had completely distorted the air, and magma occasionally splashed onto the bridge’s surface, yet the Human Knight walked as if on plain ground, seemingly unaffected by any of it.

After about fifty more feet, the bridge also came to an end, and Lancelot found himself at a dead end. He pulled out a huge Array Plate from his Dimensional Bag, the same one he had used at the top of the Glacial Fortress during the Body Infusion.

Lancelot tossed the Array Plate gently into mid-air, then leapt up and settled down cross-legged in the center indentation of the Plate. Embedded in the Array Plate were sixty-four Upper Grade Spirit Stones, each with less than a fifth of their Spiritual Energy remaining, but he was inside a volcano this time, and relying on his own strength, he could draw on the surrounding Volcanic Aura, so there was no need to replace the Spirit Stones on the Array Plate.

“What’s he up to?” Tanya asked with a puzzled look towards Alamir, “Could it be that the Array Plate has properties that resist fire?”

“It’s not what you think,” the Elf Priest replied with a smile, shaking his head. “No matter what you see next, there’s no need to panic…”

As Alamir’s words faded, the transformation had already begun. The Human Knight’s skin turned red as if he were a cooked lobster, then his figure began to swell up rapidly as though inflating and was swiftly engulfed by sudden flames that emerged from nowhere. An instant later, a wild roar, like that of a primeval beast awakening from a long slumber, emanated from within the flames.

The orange-red light gradually dissipated, and the Human Knight in the center of the Array Plate had vanished, replaced by a formidable Barlow Flame Demon, slowly stretching its muscular body and the enormous bat wings behind it. Despite the distant relative’s prior warning, the Half-elf Tanya couldn’t help but scream; after all, facing one of the most fearsome creatures in the Multiverse, a Barlow Flame Demon that appeared suddenly, was enough to unsettle anyone.

“Don’t be scared, that’s Lancelot,” Shuni’s Priest gently embraced her startled companion. “I don’t know how he does it, but he can.”

A stunned Tanya’s eyes widened as she scrutinized the colossal figure before her. She almost immediately believed Alamir’s words, for although there were many demonized features, such as the curved horns on the forehead and the flames in the eye sockets, the face was still unmistakably Lancelot’s and was easy to recognize.

The Flame Demon took a moment to adjust to its new body, then, flapping its giant bat wings, stepped onto the Array Plate and flew in front of the group. Tanya felt a wave of heat wash over her, but it wasn’t enough to cause any harm.

“How do you feel?” Bruto crossed his arms and looked up at the gigantic being. “Are you filled with a longing for blood, a hatred for the living, and an uncontrollable urge to kill?”

“Add a bit of a destructive impulse,” Lancelot answered with a booming voice. “You know, like when you see a perfectly intact window on a building and really want to throw a stone to smash it.”

“What? Why would you do that? I wouldn’t want to destroy a perfectly good window…”

“Uh… maybe I didn’t describe it clearly enough. What if all the other windows in the building were already shattered, and only one remains intact? Would you want to destroy that last one?”

“…Maybe, if I were some little punk with less than an inch of beard.”

“And what if you once lived in that house but were driven out for some utterly unreasonable reasons?”

“Okay, I see what you mean,” the Dwarf pursed his lips. “You being able to talk about this so calmly must mean you’re not affected by these emotions, right?”

“Not at the moment, but it might be a different story if I were in battle,” Lancelot nodded, pointing to his massive demonic skull. “Don’t move, I’m going to include you in my Protective Aura, it might get a bit hot…”

Four orange-red beams of light flew from him, enveloping his companions. Everyone felt like they had suddenly jumped into a hot spring, the scalding water engulfing their bodies, though they quickly adapted to the sensation since the surroundings were already very hot.

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“Quite comfortable,” Bruto examined his glowing red palms. “Does this mean I’m immune to the damage of high temperatures now?”

“Well, probably…”

“What?!”

“How about… we test it first?”

“…”

Fortunately, validating this was not difficult. Bruto walked to the edge of the Lava Lake, dipping his removed glove into the magma. After confirming there was no effect, he boldly stuck a finger in, followed by his palm and entire arm. After accidentally slipping, falling entirely into the magma, and then quickly clambering out, he finally felt reassured.

“Very good,” Lancelot nodded, while signaling the Elf Priest to stand down from preparing the Resurrection Technique. “The Protective Aura has a limited range, everyone come onto my Array Plate.”

“How limited is ‘limited’?” Bruto brushed off the solidifying magma from his body, and with a push of his arms, he climbed onto the floating Array Plate. “Fifteen feet? Thirty feet?”

“I don’t know,” Lancelot looked down at the Dwarf, who was only a quarter of his height. “Why don’t you go and try again?”

“Let’s not…” Bruto gave an awkward smile, reaching out to grab a protrusion on Lancelot’s knee pad, “I think I’ll just stay here.”