Hell

Being the first person they met after several weeks seeing every city, town and fortress completely empty, naturally most of them were curious to know who the hooded person was and why he was there.

Atlas noticed Basgran who had arrived in front of the person. They were too far away, making it impossible for Atlas to hear his conversation.

The minutes passed and a kind of strange tension began to form around the convoy. Everyone was completely focused on Basgran and the development of the conversation, until finally, Basgran and the others turned around and returned to the convoy while the person stood still in the middle of the road.

Atlas and other low-ranking mages within the clan could not approach the moment, but he saw how some mages like Fauser or Veronica did approach the dwarf.

Mika couldn't get closer either and stayed next to Atlas like many other mages around the front carriages.

For a few minutes, Atlas watched from afar as the high ranks were discussing something.

'Must be pretty important'

Atlas stop looking at the group and instead looked at the person in the middle of the road. But before he could even pay much attention to him, the sky color changed in an instant.

It was an instant change, without any sign. The previously blue sky, with some clouds, but generally quite clear, was now completely red.

"What's going on?"

All the mages also looked at the sky without being able to understand what was happening, even Basgran and other high-ranking mages looked at the sky in confusion.

None of them realized that the person in the middle of the road had disappeared, but that was the least of their worries.

Naturally everyone was worried without understanding what was happening, and in the midst of such confusion, someone murmured: "Isn't it too hot?"

Atlas had not noticed it because he was worried about the now red sky, but he realized that, in fact, the temperature of the environment had risen quite a bit, to the point that he was sweating without even realizing how.

Everyone at the same time began to summon their weapons. None of them knew what was happening, but they knew it was something dangerous.

Atlas also summoned his staff while Mika had her claws ready looking around in case something appeared, but no matter how long they waited, the only change was the temperature that continued to rise.

It was when the leaves of some nearby trees began to catch fire that they knew they were in a complicated situation.

"What the hell?!"

Little by little the fire spread, and before they knew it, the forest near the road was completely on fire.

The horse beasts screamed in discontent... and all the non-mages had at some point fainted from the unbearable heat that continued to increase.

Atlas bit his lips slightly, enduring the sudden wave of heat, but his vision was slowly beginning to blur.

His resistance was not as high as the other mages, so he would be one of the first to fall if things continued as they were.

Several of them began to create defensive spells against their own environment, even using water spells to try to cool themselves. But the heat became so extreme that even the water they invoked began to evaporate instantly.

'S-shit... I can't take it anymore'

Atlas knelt down, unable to bear the extreme heat, and even some strands of his hair began to turn black, burning from the heat. Indeed, Atlas was one of the first to fall to his knees, but not long after, more low-ranking mages began to fall fainting.

Even Mika who had much higher resistance than other mages for being a beast person couldn't help but fall to his knees as she sweated and panted tiredly.

Atlas licked his completely dry lips, but he didn't have any saliva to wet them. He was starting to get dehydrated, but there wasn't much he could do.

'What the fuck is happening?!'

Not only Atlas, but many other mages were beginning to panic about the situation. Not even Basgran and the other high-ranking mages could do anything. They might still be able to withstand the heat because of the resistance they had, but that was it.

How could they face something he didn't even know was?

It was then that the first mages began to fall.

Their bodies were completely dry, all the water in their bodies had disappeared and Atlas was about to faint and probably never wake up again.

'I can't die here!'

Atlas pressed his hands tightly on the roof of the carriage and soon a blue barrier formed of dozens of small hexagons spread around him.

He used the same barrier that he had used at the end of his fight with Prerial, thinking that it would be of some use and protect him... but it was a stupid thought.

Atlas didn't know mana too much. He knew that it was a strange energy that every living being possessed, even non-living beings. Mana was everywhere and it would be wrong to say that mana was the basis of the current life of this world.

Atlas thought of mana as an ethereal energy that could manifest through spells. But seeing how his barrier made entirely of mana began to burn, he didn't know how to react.

Like a burning piece of paper, his barrier that had withstood Prerial's attacks was not even able to last a little more than five seconds before disappearing completely.

Completely stunned to see that even his mana had been burned by the heat, Atlas collapsed onto the roof of the carriage.

Around him, the world was completely dead. The trees had been completely burned, the grass had disappeared, leaving a field of dead earth, where all the mages lay sprawled on the ground.

Atlas could not see what was happening in front where Basgran and the other high-ranking mages were, but the moment his body went up in flames, he lost all notion of sensitivity and his mind was drowned in complete darkness.