No longer scattered flames, but a highly condensed, scorching pillar of fire roared forth like the breath of a dragon.
Saria decisively abandoned forming another crystal spear. Crossing her arms before her, a thick, calcified shield instantly took shape.
"BOOM!!!"
The blindingly white pillar of fire slammed into the shield, unleashing a terrifying shockwave of energy. The white crystals rapidly vaporized under the intense heat, only to be continuously replenished by subsequent Originium Arts.
The ground beneath Saria's feet cracked inch by inch, and she herself was forced into a sliding retreat by the violent force.
Seizing this opportunity, the leader turned and fled without a moment's hesitation.
He was trying to escape!
Saria's eyes narrowed. Increasing her output to withstand the fire pillar, she charged straight toward her opponent.
Yet the leader suddenly spun around at that very moment, his demonic visage meeting Saria head-on.
Not a trace of fear showed on Saria's face. Crystals formed a massive gauntlet over her arm, and she swung a devastating punch, even generating a sonic boom.
Molten energy erupted violently from the leader's fist, a blow that warped the air, heading straight for Saria.
Saria coolly analyzed:
High energy reaction, but I'm faster. My fist will land first. The resulting impact will allow me to effectively evade his attack.
Saria's crystal gauntlet tore through the air with an earsplitting sonic boom, aiming squarely for the leader's face.
Her calculations were precise and flawless—the force of this punch would be enough to disrupt the enemy's momentum, letting her withdraw safely.
However, the moment her fist made solid contact, Saria's expression drastically changed.
The expected feeling of a heavy impact and recoil never came. Instead, her force seemed to vanish into thin air, instantly absorbed by some invisible power.
Not only that, after taking the blow, the molten energy condensed on the opponent's fist didn't dissipate. Instead, it flared up violently, as if doused with oil.
'Energy Absorption?!'
A startling realization flashed through Saria's mind.
A ferocious grin flickered across the leader's distorted, molten face. Only now did the long-prepared counterpunch truly unleash its power.
"ROAR—!!!"
The delayed fist, carrying the terrifying energy amplified by absorbing her attack, erupted like a volcano, crashing toward Saria, who had no time to fully defend.
Saria's pupils constricted sharply. Her other arm hastily blocked in front of her chest, calcified crystals barely beginning to coat her forearm—
"KABOOOOOM!!!!!"
A deafening explosion swallowed everything!
An incandescent pillar of fire erupted from the point of impact, like a furious flame dragon, violently blasting Saria's agile form backward through the air.
She tried to steady herself, but the force was too savage. In an instant, she crashed into the iron wall behind her, the searing heat directly melting the metal into molten, glowing slag.
Her figure didn't pause for even a moment. Under the horrified gazes of everyone present, she shot like a white meteor deep into the ruins.
"Director Saria?!"
"How… how is that possible?!"
The surrounding Rhine Lab security personnel froze, staring in disbelief as their head of Defense was punched flying, fate unknown.
"ROAR—!!!"
The leader let out another earth-shaking roar, jolting everyone back to reality.
Fear drove them to pull their triggers once more. An even denser hail of gunfire and explosives poured relentlessly toward the towering molten demon.
Yet what happened next filled them with despair.
Every bullet, every shell, every energy projectile that entered that crimson molten domain…
The moment they touched its edge, they vanished without a trace, like snowflakes falling into lava!
No explosions, no shockwaves, not even a ripple. They were completely erased.
"Damn it! What's happening?! He's getting stronger!"
A squad leader stared at the screen in his hand, where the energy readings were skyrocketing wildly, his voice trembling.
"Why aren't the bullets working?! Even if they melted, there should be some trace!"
Another soldier, watching the unharmed figure whose presence was only growing, was on the verge of breaking down.
Just as they feared, with their futile attacks, the energy absorbed around the leader's body gathered visibly.
His molten form, infused with this surging power, actually began to expand, to grow larger!
The dark carapace thickened, the incandescent light seeping from the cracks piercing the night sky.
He stood there, like a demon god crawled out from hell, continuously drawing in power to restore himself.
"M-monster!" someone finally cried out.
Fear spread like a plague through the security ranks.
Faced with an enemy they couldn't comprehend, couldn't harm, and only grew stronger with each attack, their will to fight was rapidly crumbling.
The leader felt an unprecedented surge of power within him. The agony that had wracked his body was now drowned out by a torrential flood of energy.
He looked down at his own, now even larger, molten hands, then slowly raised his head. Burning pupils locked onto the humans still firing uselessly.
Scorching heatwaves spread out from him, filling the air with a suffocating, sulfurous stench.
Wherever those burning eyes swept, every security personnel caught in their gaze froze, even the courage to pull their triggers gone.
Fear clutched at their throats.
Slowly, he opened his massive, molten maw. Inside churned a blazing, steel-melting light.
Destructive energy gathered in his throat. In the next instant, it would likely be an all-consuming breath of annihilation.
At this critical juncture—
[Boss! I tested it out!]
Third Brother's voice, choked with tears yet brimming with excitement, flowed like a clear spring into the leader's flame-filled mind.
[Going home! The way to get into the room is to say 'going home'!]
The leader's movement jerked to a halt. The destructive energy gathered in his throat faltered slightly.
[Boss? What's wrong? Hurry!] Second Brother urgently urged.
[Boss, are you injured? Can't move?] Third Brother's voice held concern.
[Boss, don't hesitate! Quit while you're ahead!] Fourth Brother also shouted.
His brothers' concern and urging slightly cooled the raging bloodlust in his heart.
He remained silent. This posture—staring intently at his prey yet not striking—only brought greater psychological pressure to the watching security personnel.
Finally, the leader let out a nearly inaudible sigh, which emerged as a stream of fire.
With that sigh, he took half a step forward. This mere movement sent several front-line security personnel tumbling backward in panic, their weapons clattering to the ground.
"WHOOSH—!"
A wave of searing heat swept out, instantly melting the ground before them into a scorched, blackened trench. The hot air forced everyone back, cries of alarm ringing out.
It was a warning. A declaration that he could take their lives at any moment.
Then, under the terrified gazes of everyone present, the massive molten fist smashed down onto the ground.
"BOOM!"
The ground cracked. Surging flames erupted from the point of impact, forming a violently burning tornado of fire that completely engulfed his figure.
The scorching currents made it impossible for anyone to look directly. They could only shield their faces with their arms, staggering backward.
Within this towering inferno, a low, clear roar softly sounded:
"Roar…" (Going home…)
The moment the sound fell, the roaring flame tornado suddenly contracted inward and dissipated.
As the flames vanished, the terrifying molten giant had disappeared without a trace.
The surviving Rhine Lab security personnel stood dumbfounded, looking at each other, faces blank with bewilderment and disbelief.
"He… he's gone?"
An eerie silence fell over the scene. Only the occasional sound of snapping rebar from the distant ruins, and the faint wail of city sirens, proved that what had just happened wasn't an illusion.
"BOOM—!"
"Director Saria! You're not dead?!"
Ignoring her colleague's tactless exclamation, Saria rushed to the edge and observed, reporting calmly into her earpiece:
"Target has vanished. Suspected to possess high intelligence, displaying clear signs of learning and adaptation during combat. Threat level upgraded to 'high risk.' Its characteristics… closely match those of an 'Ifrit.'"
The roar from her earpiece was almost deafening:
"Vanished?! What about that massive Ifrit?! Saria! What happened?!"
Saria stood still, carefully sensing her surroundings. No traces of Originium Arts activation…
She crouched down, picking up a piece of still-warm molten rock. Feeling the strange, scorching power lingering within it, her brow furrowed.
"…Target is suspected to possess an unknown spatial transfer ability. Has disengaged. Requesting expanded search parameters and… analysis of the residue."
Removing the earpiece from which incessant arguing still came, Saria looked at her charred arm and slowly exhaled a heavy breath.
"Ifrit…"
Saria turned and walked toward the medical bay. She needed to see someone.
Ifrit…
"Did it come for you…"