Albedo’s combat boots crunched against the scorched earth as he walked deeper into the the heart of Delmoor.

The deeper he ventured, the more unstable the atmosphere became. Not in the same suffocating way as before, no, now the heat was alive. It constantly pulsed and surged in waves like a heartbeat.

The deeper he went, the better this zone also felt for Albedo to practice in. He was sure if he trained in here he could reach the Mid Silver Rank, but he needed to complete the objective first.

He found himself walking through a jagged corridor of collapsed buildings funneling into a single tunnel that was surrounded by flames.

He had encountered some minor beasts prowling this area, but all it took was one or two shots from Havoc & Ruin to put them down and continue on his journey.

Once he reacted the end of the corridor, he saw it, a massive, dented space in the ground with a crimson red glow, pretty much signifying the presence of Sulfire crystals in that area.

The temperature here was almost unbearable for any normal mage. The mana in the air refused to move. It churned instead, dense and hostile. But Albedo’s physique just fed on it as he moved forward.

~BOOM~RUMBLE!~

Suddenly, an intense boom echoed across the space, and then it was like an earthquake, the very ground they walked on trembling intensely while the flames all around surged in intensity.

And then it rose from beneath the lava.

A hand climbed out, then another hand, then the head and then the rest of the body. It dragged itself out of the intense flames like a demon dragging itself out of hell.

Lava sloshed off it in burning torrents as the volcanos in the surrounding era erupted, pouring even more magma directly towards this area.

Then, it finally stood in all of its glory. A titanic figure of molten stone and magma, with one eye glowing like a miniature sun and a chest cracked open with flames pulsing within.

It was nearly five meters tall, its back covered with six crimson magma spikes, and its eyes pits of hellish flames.

Albedo immediately used Appraisal on the creature.

[ Infernal Sentinel – Low Gold Rank ]

[ Born of the Pure Magma Titan’s dying core. ]

The creature raised one colossal arm, and dove the hand into its Magma Core, pulling out a blade formed of flames and plasma that radiated destructive power.

Albedo narrowed his eyes as he saw the Sentinel, his mana surging as he prepared for a tough battle.

“Time to get serious,” he muttered.

~BOOM!~

The sentinel lunged at him. Despite its size, its pace was extreme, a shockwave exploding outward as the creature dashed forward, slashing that Infernal blade directly towards Albedo.

~BANG!~

Albedo dove sideways just in time for the blade to miss him, and cleave the stone bridge that he was just standing in two, causing molten debris to erupt into the air.

~BANG~BANG!~

Albedo fired without hesitation. Multiple Graviton Slugs slammed into the Sentinel’s shoulder and leg, slowing the creature down and causing light injuries, but it wasn’t enough.

“Tch…”

He rolled backward, landed in a crouch, and switched both guns, Havoc to Infernal Mode, Ruin to Mana-Drain.

The Crimson Apocalypse Flames of Infernal would dominate any other flame, and he’d prove that, firing off again.

~BOOM~BOOM!~

Crimson flames erupted from Havoc, bathing the Sentinel’s front in Albedo’s own controlled fire. Simultaneously, Ruin’s shot slammed into the Sentinel’s exposed ribs, draining a significant chunk of mana.

It screeched for the first time.

But instead of retreating, it slammed its sword down onto the ground and twisted, causing the floor they stood on to be infested with pure magma, and the debris to be start floating, before all being shot towards Albedo.

~BANG~BANG~BANG~BANG!~

Albedo immediately leapt backwards, bobbing and weaving through the attacks while shooting some of the debris down.

The Sentinel wasn’t doing nothing during this either, as it exploded towards Albedo again, this time opening its molten chest, charging up and firing a beam of pure solar fire.

The flames carved a line across the arena, but Albedo dodged it, and took the time to send a shot directly into the Sentinel’s core, causing the creature to halt for a second.

Albedo quickly kept the offensive going, unleashing a wave of bullets. Some of them were blocked by the monster’s sword, but many of them connected, forcing the creature into a defensive position.

Albedo’s boots skidded across the molten ground as he raised Havoc and Ruin, both guns glowing with an ominous red hue. The atmosphere screamed in protest as he activated Crimson Apocalypse Flames to their limit.

With a flick of his wrist, Havoc ignited fully, and he charged forward, flames spiraling in orbit around him.

He ducked low beneath a desperate horizontal slash from the Sentinel, then snapped his arm upward.

“BURN!”

A geyser of Apocalypse Flames erupted from Havoc at close range, blasting into the creature’s torso. The crimson blaze hissed violently as it clashed with the creature’s magma-infused armor, but this time, the Sentinel screamed.

A loud, raw scream echoed from the Sentinel as it took that attack, chunks of molten plating melting off of its arm and shoulder.

~BANG!~

Ruin barked again, this time in Mana-Drain Mode, and the shot struck the exposed portion of its leg. Albedo siphoned away another chunk of the Sentinel’s core energy, fueling his own mana pool to max once more.

The Sentinel staggered and Albedo didn’t relent one bit, snapping his fingers. The arena lit up with a ring of crimson as fire pooled around the Sentinel, then surged upward like a rising wall, engulfing the creature in a towering inferno.

From within the flames, it thrashed violently.

Its body cracked in places, the magma within sputtering under the unnatural pressure of the opposing fire. Its shoulder spike exploded off. Its molten chest began to dim.

Then, something changed.

The Sentinel dropped to a knee, hunched over, its single eye flickering.

Albedo’s instincts screamed. He began to move, quickly increasing the distance between himself and the creature.

~BOOOOM!!~

The Sentinel exploded upward, its body glowing blindingly bright. Lava spurted from its back as the magma spikes regrew in jagged, twisted shapes.

Its eye was no longer just glowing, it was radiating.

And now, its body… bled fire.

The very air around it began to ignite. Mana surged uncontrollably. The flames it previously used with control now spiraled like wild storms.

[Alert: The Infernal Sentinel has entered Berserk Mode.]

A growl, deep and primal, echoed from the monster’s core as molten cracks spread across its entire body. It was breaking its own limits. Burning itself alive to keep fighting.

Albedo clicked his tongue, already dodging as the Sentinel blurred forward like a meteor, its blade now a jagged mess of plasma, and the fight reignited with a vengeance.

“Bring it on,” Albedo muttered under his breath, his eyes glowing crimson to match the flames at his side as he darted off, moving like lightning as he leapt toward a fractured pillar embedded in the bridge’s edge.

The Sentinel followed, and slammed its sword down,

~BOOM!~

The pillar shattered. Albedo was flung back by the shockwave, barely stabilizing himself before he crashed through a wall of stone.

He coughed once and stared at the Sentinel that was on its way, and he quickly shifted the mode of Havoc and Ruin.

Execution Mode – Online.

The pistols pulsed, sliding into each other with a clank as they reconfigured into a long, sleek rifle. The barrel split with intricate runes, and four spheres floated in orbit around it, humming with ethereal power.

Albedo’s eyes gleamed.

“You’re strong. But I want to see how far I’ve come.”

The Sentinel raised its blade and charged.

Albedo didn’t move, taking aim as he readied himself to put the creature down…for good.

First Shot – BANG!

A vicious beam of red light exploded from the barrel, crashing into the Sentinel. It completely slowed its movement and carved a deep gash across the monster’s chest.

Second Shot – KRAKOOOM!

The second shot was a slug of compressed power, obliterating any remaining shielding the Sentinel had, leaving its raw fiery form exposed and sending the Sentinel onto one knee.

“ROARRR!”

The monster roared and unleashed another beam of flames from its chest and razed the ground Albedo was just standing on, but he quickly leapt to a higher position just in time, taking aim for the third shot, bracing himself at this one was heavier.

He pulled the trigger.

Third Shot – BOOOOOOOOM!

A vortex of gravitational collapse erupted on impact. The Sentinel staggered as a portion of its right side was pulled inward, like space itself had warped and consumed it. One of its legs snapped at the joint, one of the arms had fallen off, and half its face was crushed on impact.

It seemed to be moving on instinct as it tried to stand, still stumbling forward with the blade as it refused to fall.

Forth Shot – Execution!

Albedo whispered:

“Disappear.”

The final shot charged for a full second. The runes on the rifle flared like a star igniting.

Then he fired.

The bullet split the air and warped gravity itself. Time slowed around the Sentinel as the slug entered its chest and detonated inside its core.

The Sentinel’s eye flickered once.

And then,

It exploded inwards.

Molten metal. Cracked bone. Fire turned to ash. The creature let out one last, broken screech before collapsing into a pile of scorched fragments and dimming magma. Everything and anything was simply erased by the final shot, and all that remained was the ashes.

The battle was over.

Albedo stood still for a moment, smoke curling off his shoulders, the Execution Rifle steaming in his hands. He let out a long breath and dismissed the weapon, reverting it back into Havoc and Ruin.

Then he looked forward. The titanic gate to the Inner Sanctum was slowly grinding open. Whatever arcane lock had sealed it must have been tied to the Sentinel’s life force.

The air that spilled out from within was different.

It was pure.

And at the very heart of that sanctum, laid upon a raised altar of obsidian, were clusters of glowing red-orange crystals. Each one pulsing with heat and elemental fire.

Sulfire Crystals.

Finally.

Albedo approached, stepping past the remains of the Infernal Sentinel. The crystals gleamed in his eyes as he crouched and gently reached out.

Albedo grabbed 20 of the crystals, placing them in the space bag he was given, and then slipped the remaining crystals into his System Inventory.

Then, he looked around, feeling his Crimson Moon Physique howling in the environment. As this was one of the core areas of the city where Sulfire Crystals spawned, the pure fire mana here made it perfect for training.

Albedo quickly sat down and crossed his legs, running his technique to get a quick training session in before he left.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep