Inside Refinery Number Three, Zeke, having just heard Dante's report, was busy replacing all the dirt floor of a mining tunnel with Soul Sand.
Knowing that enemies might sneak attack through these tunnels, Zeke was preparing a little surprise for them.
It's a pity I don't have Pistons and Redstone, Zeke thought. Otherwise, I could rig up some traps and really give them a hard time.
He placed some Soul Sand here, stationed a few Iron Golems there, then poured a layer of lava over it all. Finally, he added some Netherrack and set it on fire. Done and dusted.
Having dealt with the traps in the tunnels, Zeke gazed up at the lava curtain shrouding Refinery Number Three.
He downed a Potion of Fire Resistance and used an Ender Pearl to teleport onto the lava-covered "lid."
The structure was simple: a floor made of Cobblestone, completely covered with lava sources.
Because of the Cobblestone floor, the lava could only spill over the edges, flowing down the outside walls.
This formed a structure with a hollow center, perfectly protecting the newly captured Refinery Number Three.
Brilliant. Standing amidst the searing magma, Zeke admired his own creation.
The layer of stone flooring was the key. If he mined it away, the supported lava would pour straight down from the ceiling.
At that point, this facility, originally built for defense, would transform into an offensive weapon.
Zeke pulled out his Blueprint, recorded the structure, and named it [Lava - Offensive Type].
The blueprint shimmered, saving the placement of the lava along with the stone.
Carrying the blueprint, Zeke returned to Refinery Number Three.
"Kid," Bloodhowl stared at the cascading curtain of lava.
"This thing certainly stops Chaos from getting in, but it's not exactly friendly to my soldiers either."
Zeke looked at the resting squad. The Skitarii and Space Wolves, due to their augmentations and physiology, didn't seem too bothered.
However, Dante and the Cadian soldiers were already drenched in sweat, constantly wiping their brows.
Because of the lava curtain enveloping the exterior, the internal temperature of the facility was far from ideal; it was like being inside a giant steamer.
Fortunately, the lava Zeke had poured was chemically pure and didn't release any toxic gases; otherwise, they would have been in real trouble.
Zeke brewed a batch of Fire Resistance Potions and distributed them.
He also added a ring of waterfall in the inner circle and dug out several small pools for the soldiers to cool off. (TL/N: A "ring of waterfall" in Minecraft is a decorative water feature where water flows in a circular, often animated or hidden, pattern around a central point.)
"If anyone feels unwell, head back to the Firemane's Fang through the Nether Portal immediately. Don't force yourself," Zeke ordered.
With the temperature issue addressed, Zeke bid farewell to Bloodhowl and used the Nether Portal to jump toward the location of Refinery Number Two, as described by Dante.
He planned to reclaim all the surrounding refineries one by one.
With Enchanted Golden Apples and Ender Pearls in hand, Zeke was confident he could escape even if he ran into a squad of Chaos Space Marines.
Zeke soon arrived near Refinery Number Two. The scene before him was slightly different from Refinery Number Three.
Refinery Number Two had numerous smokestacks, and on the outer walls of these stacks, small black dots were clinging to the surface.
Zeke raised his spyglass. Those black dots were undeniably Heldrakes.
They were tightly clinging to the surface of the smokestacks, roosting there.
Zeke pulled out his Blueprint and selected the [Lava - Offensive Type] structure he had just recorded.
Focusing his mind directly above Refinery Number Two, he began guiding the construction.
Domain Expansion: Coffin of the Iron Mountain.
A massive amount of stone and lava buckets were consumed rapidly. A huge shadow appeared directly above Refinery Number Two, covering the facility below.
Inside the refinery, the patrolling Chaos cultists suddenly felt the sky go dark.
Confused, they looked up, only to see the stone underside of a lava pool, with sparks dripping down from the rocks.
Then, from the edges of this stone slab, red lava began to flow slowly downwards.
The curtain was closing; the domain was expanding.
"Why did the sky go dark? What is that thing?"
"Look at the edges... is that lava?"
The Chaos cultists murmured among themselves, their faces full of confusion.
Their orders were to occupy and protect this refinery. Faced with this sudden celestial phenomenon, their first reaction wasn't to flee.
Some of the sharper ones felt a sense of dread, but remembering the punishment for desertion, they retracted the steps they had started to take.
"Still some significant issues," Zeke noted, observing from a hiding spot nearby. "The lava falls and encloses too slowly. This gives the enemy enough time to run out of the coverage area."
However, since this was the first time he used it, Chaos clearly didn't know what this thing was for. Most of them chose to wait and see.
The lava flowed down from the edge like viscous honey.
The red curtain extended downward inch by inch, gradually closing the distance to the ground.
The process was full of oppressive dread, and the Chaos forces began to waver.
Anyone with eyes could see that something bad was about to happen.
When the lava curtain had fallen to half its height, the Chaos forces below finally realized what was happening.
This closing curtain of lava, combined with the black lid overhead... it looked exactly like a cage shutting tight!
"Should we run?" a young cultist asked the sub-leader beside him, trembling.
"Run? Do you want to die?!" The sub-leader, a Despoiler with a scar-ridden face, snarled. "If we lose this factory, prepare to be turned into a servitor for the lords' amusement."
This statement froze most of the Chaos forces in place, watching the cage get smaller and smaller.
Just moments before the lava curtain touched the ground...
Dozens of Chaos cultists who couldn't take the pressure anymore bolted like madmen through the few gaps that hadn't yet fully closed.
Zeke estimated that about a few dozen had escaped—insignificant and non-threatening.
"Alright, the door is shut. Time to beat the dogs."
The last few gaps were sealed by the lava. A complete curtain of magma now entirely enveloped Refinery Number Two.
The Chaos forces inside were now truly trapped like turtles in a jar.
Zeke pulled out a Potion of Fire Resistance, gulped it down, aimed at the center of the lava pool overhead, and threw an Ender Pearl.
Purple particles flashed, and Zeke's figure appeared on top of the lava. The potion's effect allowed him to temporarily ignore the damage from the magma.
He pulled out his Diamond Pickaxe and began mining the layer of stone beneath his feet that served as the floor.
One block, two blocks, three blocks...
The stones were mined away, falling into the void below.
As gaps appeared in the floor, the accumulated lava above lost its support.
Death was quietly approaching.
Below, the trapped Chaos cultists saw holes appearing in the black ceiling overhead.
Orange-red light shone through the gaps, and then lava began to drip from those holes, clump by clump, like a rain of divine punishment.
It was too late to run now; the lava curtain had completely blocked off all escape routes.
Howls of despair rang out in unison.
The foolish cultists tried to charge through the outer lava curtain with their bodies; their fate, of course, was to be turned into charred remains.
The smarter ones rushed into the nearest buildings, hoping the structures would shield them from this calamity.
The Heldrakes roosting on the smokestacks were also startled and attempted to take flight.
Earlier, when Zeke had first placed the structure, some Heldrakes had been spooked and escaped before the curtain closed.
Now, it was different. Many had just spread their wings when they were doused by lava, plummeting to the ground.
The scarred leader watched this divine punishment unfold. He couldn't fathom who could have created such a thing—it defied logic.
In his view, anyone capable of generating a massive blob of lava out of thin air was a big shot with a name known across the galaxy.
Why would someone possessing such mighty power go through such trouble and use such a convoluted method just to wipe out a bunch of grunts like them?
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The author didn't use Domain Expansion but I thought it was perfect for this scene so I decided to change some minor parts.