Rodelos was being overpowered by the Vichus when, suddenly, something yanked him out of their grasp. Confused but relieved, he looked up to find Ron.
"Are you all right?" Ron asked, helping him to his feet.
"Well, boy… What are you doing here?" Rodelos responded, brushing off the dust as he tried to catch his breath. Despite his weary tone, it was clear he appreciated the assistance.
"Don't worry, we're here to help," Ron assured him with a confident smile.
"We?" Rodelos asked, looking around curiously.
"I'm here to assist," Chiki said in his red wolf form, appearing behind them with a determined expression.
"Well, I'd forgotten how strong you are, boy," Rodelos remarked to Ron with a small smile of gratitude.
"At least you think so… Unlike someone," Ron muttered, casting a quick glance at Chiki.
"Enough with the nonsense and fight! Can't you see these things don't give up?" Chiki shouted as he delivered a pair of powerful kicks that knocked down two nearby Vichus.
"You're right," Rodelos said, drawing a gleaming sword that appeared to be made of pure gold. With precise movements, he began to face the deformed beasts that continued their relentless assault.
Chiki, with his sharp claws and devastating kicks, took down the Vichus one after another, moving with the agility and ferocity of a natural predator. Meanwhile, Ron extended his arms, revealing that the forearms of his diamond armor were sharpened like blades. With each calculated and precise movement, he cut down the creatures attempting to get close, his focused expression reflecting the tension of the battle.
Gradually, the tide of the fight began to turn in their favor as the number of Vichus dwindled. However, the battle was far from over.
"Not bad, boy! But you missed this one," Chiki said, delivering a fatal blow to one of the beasts that had tried to attack Ron from behind.
"You empty-headed fool! I told you to always watch your surroundings and stay focused!" Chiki scolded, crossing his front paws with a stern expression.
"Sorry, Master," Ron replied, nervously scratching the back of his neck.
"You still need more discipline. After this, I'll make you carry a thousand… no, a million rocks!" Chiki joked, though his tone made it clear he wasn't entirely joking.
"Oh no! Stupid mangy mutt… Always telling me what I'm doing wrong. Does he really want to kill me with all this training?" Ron thought to himself, sighing inwardly as he refocused on the battle.
The team continued fighting, knowing the Vichus wouldn't give up easily.
Simultaneously, with Paltio and Company:
At the same time, Paltio and his group watched as Lume faced the fiery Jurassic-like creatures. The three-tailed fox demonstrated incredible strategic skill.
"Now, attack!" the central Lume commanded his two true illusions. The trio unleashed a powerful blue beam toward the beasts. This attack, a combination of water and air, aimed to cool the creatures that were emitting lava from their bodies, halting their destructive power.
"I've never seen beasts like these… If that's what you were going to ask me, Paltio," Lukeandria said, glancing at the prince with a faint smile.
"Let's go!" Lume shouted to his duplicates, who increased the intensity of their attack. The creatures recoiled, visibly affected by the intense cold.
With that, the real Lume seized the moment and charged full-speed toward the now-weakened creatures. With his massive fox claws, he sliced one of the monsters in half. However, the other two grew even angrier, intensifying their heat to unimaginable levels.
Lume quickly retreated, but the creatures were already waiting for him with a massive wave of heat that sent him crashing to the ground. His duplicates vanished instantly, leaving him alone to face the enraged beasts.
The two Jurassic-like creatures, seeing Lume unprotected, advanced with their jaws wide open, ready to devour him. However, something—or rather someone—stopped them before they could complete their attack.
Lume opened one eye, surprised, and murmured, "Paltio…"
Paltio had arrived just in time. He was clad in an impressive suit: emerald-green gloves, bracers, elbow guards, combat greaves up to his knees, and a belt glowing with an almost magical radiance. His gaze was resolute as he blocked the creatures' advance with a single hand.
"Let's test fifty percent of your power, Golden," Paltio said calmly, facing the beasts without hesitation. They roared furiously, but this time Paltio didn't flinch. He knew exactly what he needed to do.
With supernatural speed, Paltio ran toward one of the beasts. With a precise motion, he extended his hand and delivered a diagonal slash across the creature, splitting its body in half. Observing his work with cold detachment, he remarked to Golden: "Wow, your strength at this level really is impressive."
"Yes, but what surprises me is how well you've already mastered it," Golden replied, visibly impressed.
"Well, I could do more… But these beasts aren't worth the effort. It's time to collect the final piece," Paltio declared confidently.
"Wow, my daddy really is amazing!" Rykaru exclaimed from afar, watching as Paltio effortlessly dispatched one of the beasts.
"There's only one left… And it has the shiny thing embedded in its head," Paltio stated, pointing to the remaining creature.
Enraged, the beast began growling and stomping the ground, causing rivers of lava to erupt all around them. It was clear it was using its last resort in an attempt to finish them off.
"Damn it! This beast is clever. It knows you're strong, Paltio. That's why, as a last resort, it's trying to incinerate us with lava," Golden warned.
"Quickly, everyone! Run!" Paltio shouted, addressing the group.
"To where?" the others asked, confused.
"It's true… There's nowhere to go. To climb out, they'd need to use Alita's magic. Plus, Mok is injured," Paltio reflected, quickly analyzing the situation.
"Don't worry, I can save them," Lume said, reverting to his normal form and conjuring a platform to evacuate the group. The creature seemed to mock them, knowing escape wouldn't be easy.
At that moment, Geki intervened. Returning to his original form, he launched a type of arrow with a rope attached to the cave's ceiling. Quickly, Paltio understood the plan. With supernatural speed, he sprinted toward the rope, swung himself, and leaped just before the floor became completely flooded with lava.
Paltio landed directly on the creature's head. With a decisive blow, he finished it off. The beast began to collapse from the impact. Without wasting a moment, Paltio ripped the glowing object embedded in its skull.
"Yes! It's the final piece… It's Tropalia!" Paltio exclaimed, holding the object triumphantly.
However, there was no time for celebration. The lava continued spreading rapidly, and the rope he had used to reach the creature was already gone. He was trapped, with no visible way out.
"He's going to fall into that intense fire and die!" Lukeandria shouted, watching in horror as Paltio was gradually surrounded by rapidly rising rivers of lava. Though the defeated monster had been immune to the scorching heat, the lava showed no mercy and continued surging uncontrollably.
"Geki, throw him a rope!" Mok ordered as the group floated on a platform created by Lume.
"Do it, Geki! Remember, my true illusion magic doesn't last long, and I don't know how much longer we can keep this thing afloat until we reach the exit!" Lume added, focusing intensely on preventing his creation from vanishing.
Geki understood the urgency of the situation. Quickly, he threw a rope toward Prince Paltio, who managed to grab it just before the lava reached him. With all his strength, Paltio began climbing while everything beneath him turned into a sea of liquid fire. However, that wasn't the worst of it: the lava started erupting not only from the ground but also from the walls and even the ceiling, as if the entire place were collapsing.
"It seems we were always inside an inactive volcano," Ban remarked, looking around in astonishment.
"That explains why there's so much fire," Ludra added, swallowing hard at the magnitude of the danger.
"Come on, Paltio, climb!" Lukeandria shouted, pulling the rope alongside Lucca and Dall, who put all their effort into helping him reach the platform.
However, just as it seemed Paltio was safe, the entire environment began melting even faster. A massive, fiery maw emerged from the magma, opening voraciously and swallowing Paltio whole before he could reach the platform.
"No! Master!" Mok exclaimed, horrified, as he watched the prince disappear beneath the blazing torrent.